Geek Girls Gab with claireabellemakes

I am so lucky to have found my lovely British friend Claire!  She approached me last year about doing a package swap and I was SO excited!  I was also nervous that I wouldn't be able to find anything as amazing as the wonderful British-y things she could send me!  But I am happy to report she LOVED my package as much as I loved hers!  Read about her package HERE and mine HERE!  Also her I SWOON over ALL her Instagram pictures all day everyday!

I'm Claire aka Claireabellemakes and I'm from Megan's favourite place in the world - the UK! I live in Cambridge and spend my life riding bicycles and making jewellery and accessories for my Etsy store. I like to crochet Totoro's and R2-D2s and pretty blankets although they are less fun :-) I have a huge stationery obsession and adore sending snail mail. 

The Nerdy Girlie:  What is your 1st nerdy memory?

Claire:  My sister and I used to spend hours on our ZX Spectrum computer in the 80s typing in endless code so we could play games. Skip forward to the 90s and we got a Sega Mega Drive and we were so chuffed that cartridge games came into existence! These days I prefer playing Guitar Hero or Dance Dance Revolution on the Xbox.

TNG:  How and why did you start being crafty?  Where do you find your inspiration? 

Claire:  I learnt to knit as a child after watching my Grandmother make garments and blankets. She was a dress maker too and we would spend hours in her sewing room being measured for clothes or playing with the knitting machine. Back in 2011 I finished Grad school and switched study time for craft time - I haven't stopped since. I inherited my Grandmother's entire craft stash when she passed away recently (all 80 years of it!) and if I ever need inspiration I go to her fabrics and yarns.

TNG:  When and why did you decide to start your own Etsy shop?

Claire:  In 2012 I decided to start a craft blog and within a couple of months I knew I wanted to open an Etsy store. I found myself immersed in the most inspiring and supportive community and I wanted to share my makes. Etsy was a perfect platform for me to do this and I had nothing but encouragement from friends and family. It is a TON of work but I love every minute. Getting paid for the things I make is super rewarding and to see others enjoying them is even more so!

TNG:  YOUR favorite Etsy shop?

Claire:  Just one? Jeez that's hard! Right now I have two favourites - Misala who make the cutest character purses you ever did see and Japanese Rubber Stamps who have a ton of cute stamps which I can rarely resist! You can check out all my favourite Etsy stores here but I am always looking for new ones to add so hit me up with yours!

{seriously SWOON! Thx Claire!}

TNG:  What is your favorite thing/things to nerd out about?

Claire:  Totoro, craft, stationery, bicycle related items. Most of my friends know this about me. I received 3 bicycle scarves for my birthday last year!

TNG:  Girlie things you love?

Claire:  I adore flowers and buy fresh tulips or daffodils from the market in Cambridge every week. I'm also a crazy cat lady so I'm obsessed with my persian cat Tammy. Oh and I cannot visit any city without hunting down macarons.

Find Claire's sweet Etsy finds in her shop.  Follow her Twitter: @claireabellemakes and of course get a lovely glimpse into her gorgeous life in Cambridge on Instagram: @claireabellemakes.