Interview with Pattie Jansen of PattieJansen Etsy Shop

Interview with Pattie Jansen of PattieJansen Etsy Shop

I live on the northern coast of California in the quaint little community of Carmel. I work from my home studio, with a view of oaks and pine forest. Kitty cats from my neighbors’ homes, along with squirrels and blue jays, often come to visit outside my window! I am happiest when I’m sitting at my art table. I love to hand-letter, draw, and color with pens and ink, creating greeting cards, note cards, and art prints, inspired by quotes and all the things I love. You’ll notice how kitty-cats seem to just “show up” in some of my work…I can’t resist adding them!

How did you get interested in cats? How old were you when you had your first kitty?

My first kitty was a surprise present from a college boyfriend. She was black as the night, a total fluff-ball, and had astonishing blue eyes. I named her Amy.

Please describe your creative process.

I collect quotes, and this is a huge source of creative inspiration for me. I usually do thumbnail sketches, then a pencil draft on layout paper, and then I start inking. I add color last, and often wrestle with this quite a bit. I’m fussy about color!

How did you discover Etsy? Did you consider other ways to sell your products?

A girlfriend of mine told me about Etsy several years ago, and suggested I try to set up a shop. But it took QUITE awhile to actually make it happen!

Do you sell your products in a local store in your area?

I’ve sold my cards in several boutiques here on the Monterey Peninsula.

Have you been successful at selling your products on Etsy? Have you always been successful, or did you end up getting a lot more traffic after being featured on a specific blog?

Etsy has been very successful for me so far. Traffic to my shop is slowly increasing, although most of it is direct traffic from within Etsy. I haven’t done alot of promotion. I did have one of my Christmas cards featured on the Etsy front page, and I noticed a huge boost in traffic after that!

Do your customers ever give you new ideas for products?

I definitely get ideas for products from customers 😉 That’s always fun.

Have you thought of featuring a Ragdoll cat is some way? (Had to ask.)

No Ragdoll cats…yet!

Are you a one wo/man show?

Yes, I’m a one-woman show so far.

Do you have a blog?

I don’t have a blog YET… but stay tuned!

Do you do custom ordering? Can someone return it if they don’t care for it?

I accept custom orders. And if a customer is not happy with what they purchase, they can return it or exchange it. Customer satisfaction is very important to me!

Can you share a story with us behind any of your products that you especially enjoyed working on? Maybe because of the story behind the kitty?

I had so much fun drawing the kitty on my “Stay is a Charming Word” card. He’s helping serve the coffee, and he’s doing a very proper job of it!

The cat on my “Contented Kitty Thank You” card is based on a real-life kitty belonging to a friend of mine. He really loves to sit on the furniture looking prim.

Here’s links to other items in my shop which feature or include a kitty-cat:

• QUINTESSENTIAL KITTY – Funny Cat Card, Whimsical Cats, Blank Card
• Sweet Life – Kitchen Art, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Simple life quote
• Where We Love – Cottage Art, Family Home Quote, Yellow House
• Cottage Art – Home is An Invention, Home quote, Ann Douglas
• Things Taste Better – Cottage Kitchen Art, Small houses quote