Interview with ManoCelebrates

Tweet Meet Mani of ManoCelebrates :

Who are you?
I never thought I would be an artist! Sounds familiar right! But that is the truth. I finished my college degree in business and started working with financial institution as a loan consultant I got sick and had to stay home for few months and that’s where I started socializing with my area artists. I started drawing and then painting, pottery, knitting, interior decoration, designing and jewelry making (my house is the guinea pig).

What do you create?
I create jewelry or I should say I design jewelry more than creating it. I love nature, and also vintage things. I try to combine a bit of new material and bit of vintage material together. Since I get bored by doing only one type or style of designing, I divide them into lockets, choker, lariat, bracelets, rings, and hair pins.

How did you come about your store name?
Mano is my nick name besides Mani so I added celebrates to make it more joyful and exciting.

What is the crafting utensil you cannot live without?
Jewelry light very important. I cannot open a jump ring sometimes without using jewelry light.

What is your favorite material to work with?
Oh my favorite material is actually paints to work with. That is my first love and I am still in love with it. I love to work with oil, acrylic, watercolor, and mixed media.

What is your life like outside of Etsy?
I love to read books, cook, bake, and meditate. I am married and when my husband comes home after 6 pm, I try to spend some time with him either going on a walk or going out to watch movie. I and my husband are very fond of going on trips and restaurants.

What is your favorite feature on Etsy?
I would say a few, and one of them is time machine. I love to see what is selling besides forums, blogs, and virtual labs.

What do you enjoy "window shopping" on Etsy on your free time?
I love to buy from Etsy. I am always looking for vintage pieces and material to integrate in my design. I also buy a lot of stuff for myself too.

Is there an online "tool" that you like to use?
I love Google analytics. This is a great tool to keep track of views from other people. You can also compare views from one month to another month. It also helps me to figure out what customers are looking for! And what country or U.S. state had more hits on my sites.

Where in Florida do you live?
I live near Disney world in a community housing called Eagles reserve. I have a Loop shopping mall within walking distant and sometimes in winter I and my husband walk to mall just to enjoy our walk and also do some shopping. I love to live here because from my house Disney world and sea world have almost the same distance. We go to Disney very often in winter. Since my husband works for Disney and our visits are free.

Could you recommend a fun activity near your Fl home that other members might enjoy?
Fun activity or activities!!! We have a great neighborhood mall for shopping; Gatorade is only a mile or two down to our house besides Disney world, their water parks, golf parks, Sea World, Discovery Sea World.

What are some other sites to find out more about you and your art? http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mahal/115149941854?ref=tshttp://twitter.com/mani1020

What animal would you like to be for one day and why?
I would want to be a bird because I find them free spirit they fly whatever direction they want to or owl bird who does not sleep nighttime just like me.

What was an embarrassing moment in your life?
Many! One of them is that I was in a different country on a street walking and heart a blast, I suddenly grab a man’s hand that was just walking by me!

Where would you go if you had a time machine and why?
I would go back to past and have my father young and healthy for the rest of my life.

What is the craziest thing you have ever done?
Many! One of them is that when I was teenager I told one of my male friends (Not boyfriend) that I can eat whole large pizza in one sitting and I did it!!! Silly isn’t it! Don’t ask me what happened that!!!

Choose a movie title to sum up your life’s story
One movie that comes to my mind is Matilda, not exactly but I was one of those kids who grew up physical and mentally faster than her older siblings. Somehow I always had the desire and motivations to do well in studies and knew what I wanted to do in my life. My father was not very supportive of me trying different things in life, but he was not discouraging to me either. I always ran into teachers who encouraged me and loved me more than my own family.