Hi, I'm Katie, the human making all the silly things at the Whimsy Nest! Welcome to my creative playground, located in beautiful Bellingham, Washington.
🪡 What Do I Make? ✂️
I make upcycled textile art, silly ceramics, and a few mixed media paper crafts. My inspiration is always shifting, but my work tends toward a whimsical aesthetic and characters that make people smile.
Early entrepreneurial shenanigans, selling handmade jewelry at the farmers market. Age 7 maybe? Circa mid 1990's in the local newspaper 😁
🧵 About My Business 🌼
The drive to create things has been alive in me for as long as I can remember. Over the years I have moved through many creative phases, in the form of both hobbies and small businesses. With Whimsy Nest, I’m out to create a joyful creative business, without any hustle, that is gentle on the earth and it's creatures. I've always let whatever my current inspiration is be my guide, and love the freedom in not defining what it is that I make.
Early entrepreneurial shenanigans, selling handmade jewelry at the farmers market. Age 7 maybe? Circa mid 1990's in the local newspaper 😁
🧵 About My Business 🌼
The drive to create things has been alive in me for as long as I can remember. Over the years I have moved through many creative phases, in the form of both hobbies and small businesses. With Whimsy Nest, I’m out to create a joyful creative business, without any hustle, that is gentle on the earth and it's creatures. I've always let whatever my current inspiration is be my guide, and love the freedom in not defining what it is that I make.
✨ Creativity Over Productivity 🌀
Creativity is mysterious, magical, and messy. It cycles between productivity and rest, which isn't very compatible with schedules, goals and deadlines. I try to put as little pressure as possible on my art-making process, and not overcommitting to output goals or timelines. Sometimes I might have a frenzy of activity and inspiration and produce a lot at once, and sometimes I might want to focus on something else in life and take a break for a while. My only commitment is to honoring the natural rhythms of my creativity.
♻️ Reducing Waste 🌎
I aim to create art that is gentle on our earth and it's creatures by doing my best to not buy materials new, and use what I already have or source materials from what's already around. I do this by upcycling discarded items, sharing resources with friends and neighbors (I love my local buy nothing group), buying materials used from local second-hand stores, and supporting waste diversion organizations like our wonderful Ragfinery.
🐌 Slow, Quality Handwork 🪡
I value things that are made slowly, by hand, with quality, care, and heart. If you've ever sat down at a sewing machine, you know that there's no ethical way to produce an item of clothing or stuffed animal for the cheap prices we're accustomed to. Returning to an appreciation of well-made, handcrafted goods means divesting from unethical and environmentally destructive industries, putting dollars toward small makers, and valuing their goods at a higher price point than you can find on amazon or big box stores.
Thank you for checking out what I'm up to! 🤗