Sponsor Spotlight: Antsy Ants

For this month's Sponsor Spotlight, I'd like to introduce you to artsy ants! Read on to learn more about this amazing artistic sister duo AND read on for a special deal just for Elle Sees readers! All pics below are examples of their amazing talent:

Where are you from? Tell me a little about yourself.
Sylvia lives in Hamburg, Germany, with her husband and 1-year-old boy. She works as a freelance editor and English teacher. I, Simona, moved to the Atlanta area with my husband a few years ago. I studied Graphic Design back in Germany and have worked as a designer and artist ever since.

How did you decide on your shop name?
We have had a very strong connection to ants all through our childhood. We spent almost our entire childhood outside and watching the ants in our parents' garden and playing with them was a favourite activity. One day we brainstormed an idea and came up with something else instead: the perfect name for us would be artsy ants. The name was born but the idea of having a blog and a shop together came later.

Why did you start your business?
We have always made art and crafted items just for the fun of it or on commission. Making a little extra income with things you love is a dream so many people have. And you'll never find out if that dream can come true unless you just start doing it. So we did! 

What's your crafting supply addiction? For example, what's an item/color you can't pass up in the craft store?
For Sylvia, at the moment it's yarn. For me it is any size and shape canvas and paint brush. In general I am drawn to everything green.

What activities do you enjoy?
We both love to visit thrift stores and photography is a shared passion too. We also love the outdoors and making live music with friends. 

What do you most enjoy making? Why?
For Sylvia, right now it's knitting. Sweaters, wrist warmers, hats. Knitting is a kind of activity one can pick up anytime and anywhere. You don't need a lot of space or a bag of supplies and you can just carry on with the project with a toddler playing next to you. 

I, Simona, most enjoy drawing or painting human shapes and really enjoy paying attention to detail. Why? Because sometimes I can be a real nitpick :)

What's the best piece of advice for new stores?
Well, we're still a new store ourselves. The best advice I can think of right now is stay true to yourself and don't try to copy anyone.

Anything else you'd like readers to know?

We'd like them to know that artsy ants offers a 10% shop discount for Elle Sees readers until February 28th. 

Just type in the coupon code ELLESEES to get your discount.

We are also going to list new items in the coming weeks such as art prints and design templates for photographers. There will be great introductory pricing you wouldn't want to miss!

Blog Link:

http://artsyants.blogspot.com/

Shop Link:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/artsyants