Shop Feature: Rowhouse14

One of my favorite things about being an online seller are the people I've met--my bloggy friends, as I call them. The talented Heidi of Rowhouse14 is one of those neat people. She makes stationary, she blogs, and she's a full-time teacher. She was nice enough to stop by today and answer a few questions, so class, let's say hello to Heidi!

1. Rowhouse14 is your Etsy shop. How did you get started selling cards and stationary?

I started selling my cards and stationery on Etsy a little over a year ago. I was complaining to my fiance about teaching and how I felt it was sucking the creative life out of me, and how glad I was to be in DC that weekend enjoying creative things-- art, music, food, etc. He came up with the idea that I should apply everything I've done in art and make cards as a creative outlet. The following weekend, I literally went out and bought a bunch of different types of paper and cardstock and got started. A few days after that I got an updated version of Adobe Creative Suite. And a week after that, I opened my Etsy shop.

2. What inspires your work?

You may notice just by looking through my shop that I have quite a diverse selection of cards and stationery. To be honest, that has a lot to do with my what has inspired me at the point in time of creation. Some inspiration comes from living in the city of Baltimore. Some from fashion magazines. A bit from art and music. I also love typography in a bit of a nerdy way, so I have some of that mixed in there as well.

3. Do you have any long-term goals for your shop?

Just in the past year, I've been more successful than I ever could have imagined. The ultimate goal is to continue to build on that success and be able to design full time rather than teach. I'm hoping to participate in at least one larger craft show this year, set up my own website outside of Etsy, and start selling cards to retail outlets on the East coast. It's a lot to get done, but I've been enjoying what I'm doing so much that I'm quite determined to get there!

4. You also write a blog and you have a big project for 2012 called Year of the House. What's in store for that?

We bought our first house about a year and half ago. It is an old historic row house that was completely rehabbed in 2007. While it was nice and completely move in ready, there are quite a few things we've been wanting to change to make it more our own. Right now we have painting projects in process, a bathroom re-flooring and redecorating project in progress, and a room transformation from a guest bedroom to a studio and reading room. I'll continue documenting and giving updates on the blog, so if your a sucker for room transformations, I probably won't disappoint you there!

5. When you're not Etsying, blogging, or teaching, what do you like to do?

I love music, travel, and good food. I spend a lot of time cooking and baking and also exploring new restaurants and bars in Baltimore. We also go to a lot of concerts and try to get out of Baltimore frequently even if just for the weekend. We love Baltimore, but also love seeing new places. It's also nice to spend a lazy day once in a while in your sweatpants with absolutely nothing to do. :)

6. Let's throw in a random question for fun: what's your favorite book and why?

Currently, my favorite book is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It's such a fantastic novel with quite the creative concept for narration, as the narrator is death. It takes place during the Holocaust and is focused around a young girl and her experiences and relationships with others. I fell in love with this book so much that I wrote a grant to get copies for my students. I have now taught this novel three times and I don't want to give anything away, but I most definitely recommend it for reading!


Adorable stuff, right? To see more of Heidi and her work, you can find her on Etsy, her blog, Facebook, and Twitter.