Pipinopolis feature, review, interview and giveaway!!

Have you heard of Pipinopolis?? I am so excited to introduce you to the yummies that Catherine (the artist) makes.
Her work is such a high standard. The biscuit set I got are all made from felt and I swear they seem real!
The designs are so good that you just want to eat them!!
I am so impressed by these yummies!!!
I recommend you get yourself to Catherine's shop now and go buy some yums!

Get to know the artist a little better during the interview and better still, you get to enter the giveaway to WIN three gorgeous French Fancy yum yums!!


On with the interview!
The lovely artist herself!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself, your background and how you got into creating your wonderful creations!
I live in Swansea, South Wales with my husband and 2 cats. I love all that is vintage and retro and am quite a traditionalist at heart. I grew up in a small town close by, where I was always trying to make something out of whatever came to hand. My parents used to run a newsagent and I used to use the boxes from the stock to create little rooms for my old Sindy doll, once I made her a space station, with a command chair, control pads and everything (my dad and I used to watch a lot of Star Trek). The family sewing box was always fascinating to me, with odd bits and pieces of fabric and buttons, I loved to play around with all the embellishments. Although I went on to art college, I oddly ended up taking my degree in accountancy but kept my creative work as a hobby. Around two years ago I got into felt food and haven’t really stopped. I set up my Folksy and Etsy shops and have kept going since, trying out new ideas and constantly being inspired. Selling has given me a lot more confidence in my work, as people always comment on it and I love to see it intrigue someone.

2. What/who inspires you and why?
I get inspired by random foods or activities. I can be in town one day, look into a bakery window and be inspired by a cupcake or custard slice and then see someone in a cafe look cheerfully at their beans on toast arriving and think, how perfect would that be to sew! I’m always thinking, how can I break that down into shapes to sew together to make it 3d? How can I make it desirable? What day to day things do people have a bond with and love? I was always inspired by Andy Warhol as a teen, and his use of iconic people and items that everyone recognised as well as the bold colourings and use of repetition that just drummed it into you mind.



3. How would you describe your wonderful style?
I would have to say Pop art/kitsch/geeky, I recreate items that everyone is familiar with, that we see every day or that we have fond memories of. I like that everyone can associate with them, adults and children alike. They are usually things that I obsess over too, whether its eating them or cooing over the packaging!

4. How did you come up with your design name?
I wanted it to be a place where all my creations live, a little town of fun and innocence. I also wanted it to be cute and small sounding, so after a night of throwing around ideas with friends, Pipinopolis was created. Pipinopolis is a town in a world of cute looking things, it’s made up of all the nostalgic sweets of childhood, all the comfort foods you’d love to eat and the most beautiful looking foods you could only ever dream of.

5. When you were a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
I always wanted to be a fashion designer, with really quirky outfits, working in all the capitals around the world, but I was put off in college where I found there was too much competitiveness between everyone going down that route and that’s just not something I wanted to be part of. I was always a bit of a loner, so I would have always liked to be somewhere where I could work on my own thing. Although there was a time when I wanted to be an inventor too and had a little book of ideas I used to take everywhere with me, I am such a geek!

6. If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
A squirrel! I work near a large park, and we get some really cheeky squirrels there that get up to no good every day, it looks like a lot of fun. Once, I saw a squirrel being chased by a cat, it ran into a tree near a pond full of ducks, and, I swear this is true, it made a noise at the ducks, the ducks then got really rowdy and scared off the cat. Clever little thing!

7. How would you decorate a cupcake to represent your personality?
It would have to be black swirly icing on a chocolate cupcake adorned with a green glittery rose. A bit dark, a bit glam rock with a love of vintage. it would also have to be served on a vintage cake stand with a cup of tea too, ‘cos I’m very old fashioned like that!

8. As a designer, what are you most proud of that you have accomplished to date.
Oooh, that’s a difficult one. I get so proud when I create something new, then move onto something else quite quickly. I would have to say my biscuit collection. They get the most comments by people and have been known to fool the odd person into thinking they’re real. I am also proud to be getting my work recognised, I never thought it would be anything more than a hobby but then it grew and allowed me to expand my imagination.

9. What makes you laugh??
Anything that’s so cute it could make you cry! Sausage dogs and pugs dressed up. My fluffy cat Jelly when she walks into the house grumbling to herself. Eddie Izzard. The epic drama of the neighbourhood cats. My husband, he always pulls the best jibs at just the right time!

Pipinopolis party rings LOOK yummy and delicious but DON'T try to eat them, hehe!

10. Do you have a website/blog???
pipinopolis blog
Pipinopolis etsy


GIVEAWAY TIME!!

You get a chance to win all three of these yummy french fancies!!!!

RULES FOR ENTERING!
Leave a comment here with your contact email for 1 entry.

I WANT MORE CHANCES TO WIN!!
follow my blog (SEPARATE comment to say that you do) that will give you 1 extra entry.

link to this blog giveaway in your twitter or blog to get an extra 2 entries (SEPERATE comment with the link)

GOOD LUCK!!!

OPEN WORLDWIDE!!
Winner will be picked Febuary 7th xxxxxxxx