Interesting names tend to catch my attention. So when I saw an Etsy shop called Art4Milkbones, I had to investigate! Owner and dog lover Elizabeth from Art4Milkbones was gracious enough to answer a few questions for me.
Aimee: How did your business get started? What inspired you?
Elizabeth: I found Etsy thru another site and really liked what I saw. I didn’t see a lot of dog themed items there at the time & decided to give my little woodcut pups a try. One thing led to another & I was hooked.
My love for my dogs inspires me as well as constantly trying to improve & learn new things as an artist.
Aimee: Who got your first products?
Elizabeth: My fire-pit got my first products… then my sister & dog mom pals. I started donating things to Golden Retriever Rescue for their fundraisers & from there found my audience.
Aimee: How much time do you spend creating each day?
Elizabeth: I try to make something everyday…. but it seems to come in creative spurts.. where I’ll work all day & night when I’m on a roll.. where there’s not enough hours in the day for all the ideas in my head – then. nothing.
Aimee: And how much time do you spend on marketing and other business stuff?
Elizabeth: I’m just now starting to find my groove with the business stuff. Etsy has been an amazing learning tool for me.. I’ve learned more in the last year by trial & error than I ever imagined. I feel like I’m slowly getting there. You definitely get what you put into it…
I also created the Etsy Dog Mafia Team – Etsy shops joined together by our love for crafts & dogs. That has been huge marketing challenge & learning experience.
Aimee: Tell us a little about the pets in your family (past and present, if you like). Have you always been an animal lover?
Elizabeth: I have two golden retriever girls. Morgan who just turned 10 has been my best bud thru thick n’ thin. Mulligan (a.k.a. mullypup) is my rescue pup. She’s a 3 legged dog with a heart of gold. She was a runt born with a deformed leg, her dog mom & breeder rejected her. She was brought in at 2 days old to be put down, luckily the animal hospital she was brought to had bigger plans for her. They fostered & nursed her back to health and at 8 weeks she had the bad leg removed & at 9 weeks was on a plane from NY to TN to be my puppy. I had heard her story from day two & adopted her sight unseen. Today she is a happy healthy ball obsessed 3 year old.
I’ve always been an animal lover, we always had shelter dogs growing up. I was the kid that brought home the strays & found the bunnies & squirrels with broken legs.
Aimee: Do you work with or support any local animal shelters or rescue efforts?
Elizabeth: I’m a big fan of golden retriever rescue & try to help when I can as well as our local humane society. I also donate some of my crafts to various dog rescue fundraisers & Crafters for Critters.
Aimee: Have you always been a craft lover? What else do you create?
Elizabeth: Yes… since I could hold a crayon. I have always made things… as a kid I drew & painted a lot, built forts, made clothes for my stuffed animals, did every kid craft you could think of. That turned into more crafts, sewing, construction, DIY, web design, logos, landscaping design & somehow woodworking. I’m happiest when I create – no matter what the medium is.
Aimee: Any last thoughts to share?
Elizabeth: Don’t be afraid to take chances, believe in yourself, your ideas and make what you love.