Artist of the week - Nadine from Iszle

This week artist is a fellow Melbournian, and of course fellow Etsian, Nadine from "Iszle".
I love graphics that have super cool concepts and this is where you can find all those designer odds and ends that will brighten your life from pocket mirrors, keyrings, magnets and more.

She also owns the very successful "The Pendant Factory" where she has achieved 1689 sales WOW!! With such success I had to find out more out. I have also posted the items I loved most.

1)Tell us a bit about yourself?

I'm a stay@home mother, married with a gorgeous 3 year daughter and a British short-haired cat named Flossy.

2)Where did your business name come from?

We started out with the name 'The Pendant Factory'. However our product range expanded and the name no longer represented our offering and so we developed Iszle. My husband suggested we come up with a word that also has a.com web address available. That's pretty much it - he just searched online until we found something we liked - sorry a rather boring story!

3)Tell us a bit about your business?

It started in June 2008. Over a few glasses of chardonnay with a few close friends who were selling amazing hand crafted jewelry through a craft site named etsy (check out Emma's amazing items stelladesigns.etsy.com). Being a stay-at-home mum, I was looking for something to do from home. Esty was exactly the type of home business we were seeking...we researched products on esty and in July 2008 decided on scrabble tile pendants and opened our very first store thependantfactory.etsy.com. Our designs have been a hit, so much so that wholesalers requested additional product lines - so we branched out into pocket mirrors, magnet sets, badges and bottle openers.

4)What inspires you to create what you make?

I enjoy having the freedom to be a stay@home mother - being able to experience her early years is what really drives me - Etsy sales provide a steady income stream to supplement my husband's income and support this lifestyle.

5)What do you think is the key to achieving successful sales?

We are still learning every day - we have only been selling and making our items since July 2008. I guess our success stems from the variety of designs, our attention detail, the quality of the finished items and being responsive to customer orders/requests - we try and make sure every order is post within 24hrs. Oh it helps having a husband who is a graphic designer :)

6)What is your favourite music/artist/movie/book/website?

I like most music, currently listening to the Getaway Plan, Artist is my 3 year old (she loves to create!) Fav movie at the moment is Marley & Me (very funny), rarely have time to read but I love pretty much anything non fiction, website would have to be Etsy ;)

7)If you could interview anybody in the world who would it be?

Richard Branson

8)Where is your next holiday destination?

Maldives (in my dreams!)

I think I would like to interview Richard Branson too Nadine, I have read most of his books a very clever man and he has things I would love to have. AN ISLAND!!!

To check out more of what is happening in the world of Iszle visit her;

BLOG: http://www.iszle.blogspot.com/

TWITTER: www.twitter.com/iszle

Thanks again Nadine for your time and good luck with your expanding sales.