Giveaway with AmiMia! Win €30 to the AmiMia Etsy Store

I'm so pleased to introduce you to the lovely Amanda today, along with her adorable Etsy store, AmiMia. As you may have guessed from the introduction image, AmiMia is filled with the sweetest crochet creatures, from bunnies to kitties to *squeee* bumble bees! You'll find out a little more about Amanda below, and after the interview, you'll have a chance to enter to win a €30 gift voucher to the AmiMia Etsy Store! You can choose to spend it on something listed in the store, or commission your own project for Amanda to whip up for you once the giveaway is over.

Can you tell us a little about how you got started creating your cute little animals and developed your hobby into a handmade business?

Its hard to find the beginning point. I always enjoyed crocheting and knitting. At some point some of my friends and family members started to ask for toys and it turned out to be a wonderful project. I wouldn't say it is a business yet (although I hope it will grow); it is still my hobby and additional income at the moment is just a bonus.

Nevertheless, without people around me encouraging me to put my little animals up for adoption I probably would still make them just for my friends and wouldn't make big future plans about them.

What inspires you creatively?

People. I love seeing others do creative things and succeeding, it inspires me to go for more than I expect. Also long conversations and discussions; whenever I feel stuck in creative process I meet up with someone for a glass of wine and get my mind open for the craziest ideas.

Most importantly changes; when things are changing, I am changing and my environment is changing. Routine and calmness are my creative enemies; I don't like to be stuck at one point for long.

You are originally from Latvia, do you have any travel tips for the folks out there on places to see?

I come from Latvia but last 5 years I have been living in the Netherlands where I work and study. Latvia is a wonderful country and it will always have my heart. Most of the tourists usually visit Riga, the capital city which is hipster paradise. A lot of nice cafes, live music almost every night and a great Jugendstyle architecture.

But I suggest to go further from the capital city and visit Liepaja (my hometown) with the beach and club Fontaine Palace which has its own special aura. On the way it is obligatory to stop in the Rudales Palace and go along the Baltic sea shore to see the cliffs (well, those are cliffs for Latvian people). The farms and country living is much different and worth paying a visit also. And most importantly, go on top of every church you see to see the city from above. It is a possibility almost everywhere so use it!

Almost everyone in Latvia speaks English and are very friendly and will be happy to show you around.
By the way, at the moment there is a possibility to enter a contest to get a paid weekend in Riga with one of our celebrities, just check out www.celebritycouch.lv

How would you spend your perfect weekend?

At the moment I would really love to be in some music festival with my best friends or simply spend a weekend at the beach in my hometown, sleeping in, having drinks with my friends, swimming in Baltic see, listening to good music and catching the last of the sun this year.

When you're not creating cuddly creatures, how do you spend your time?

Last couple of month have been crazy for me and I don't really have had any free time. We have just moved to a new house (which means a lot of new ideas in any possible sphere of my life) and it takes most of my time. I am also working my student job, building up my portfolio and preparing to start my Master studies in September. Additionally to that I am always in constant explosion of thoughts what else could I do. I guess I could say, I keep busy so I don't have free time; if I do, I sleep.

What do you do to relax?

I crochet. At least for now it is still the thing I am looking forward the most when I am stressed out at work or tired from running around. Its a thing where I count my hooks, listen to music and turn off from everything around; then it is just me and my soon-to-be animal.

If you'd like to see more from AmiMia, you can visit and follow along over at the Etsy Store, Blog, Facebook and Twitter. Before you run off though, pop an entry in for the giveaway so that you have a chance to own one of these sweet friends handmade in the Netherlands!

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Kitty
xo