3.20.2009

TGIF feature and giveaway :: dozi

i first 'met' dozi via a mutual friend's blog link. i instantly loved her stuff because of its intriguing graphic elements. when i opened up shop on etsy, another mutual friend told me of dozi because she knew her from college. :) hence, we 'reconnected', or shall i say, connected for the first time. :) since i just think her stuff is great, this friday's feature and giveaway will showcase her shop. my fave item in her shop is the pocket jotter. so cute and wonderful for all the journaling and sketching i do. :) thanks dozi for answering these questions and providing a wonderful giveaway!

Q. Who are you?
A. I'm Wendy Chung and I have a little etsy biz,Dozi. I live with my husband and 9-month-old Boston terrier in Northern California. I don't do this full-time, but hope to one day!

Q. When did you open up your shop and how did you come up with your shop name?
A. I opened Dozi in May of 2008. I wanted a simple-sounding name that conveyed my style. And since I'm Chinese, I thought it'd be neat to use a Chinese word. Dozi is Chinese for "bean" - small, simple, and almost understated.

Q. What do you create and sell?
A. Right now I make mostly cards and notebooks. I hope to focus more on designing patterns and using them to expand my notebook collections, and one day I'd love to be able to design and sell my own line of fabrics.



Q. What is your favorite item in your shop?
A. Probably my pocket workbooks. I really enjoy designing patterns, especially in sets that are coordinated but aren't too matchy-matchy. I love that these workbooks are a bit easier to make than my pocket jotters, and love that I can fill them with graph paper.

Q. Do you have any advice for newbie Etsy sellers?
A. Having good photos is really important since this is the first thing people see. Keep your shop fresh by updating it with new items regularly and make sure your latest listing is not more than a week or two old - relist! Look at successful shops and learn from them. Don't give up and be patient: keep on working to make your shop better, learn from your mistakes and just keep moving forward and trying new things. All good things take time to build.

Q. What is the passion on your heart or your burden for this world?
A. Hm, tough question! I think there is a lot of ugliness in this world -- things that are depressing, heart-wrenching, things that make people cry and hurt and sigh. I hope that in the little corner of the world that I'm in, I can bring a bit of beauty in both tangible and intangible ways -- helping, giving, forgiving, listening. I'm not always good about these things, but I can keep on trying.

Q. Lastly, what is your giveaway this fine TGIF!

(one giveaway winner will be selected at random the following Tuesday at 11.59pm EST. to enter, please comment below with your favorite item from 1. dozi and 2. MustardSeed by.carollai. 'follow' my blog and you'll receive an automatic second entry. :) remember to leave an email address because if you are the winner, you will want to be contacted!)
A. I'll be giving away one pocket workbook - any one of the six cover designs filled with either blank, lined, or gridded pages.

::
check out another great giveaway at chocolateandsteel.

31 comments:

Taylor said...

From dozi I like the Noki pocket jotter - mint

From carollai it's: fleur belle earrings

marieisabella said...

Here are my favorites from these wonderful shops:)

Dozi 's pack of pretty paper 1

mustardseed by Carollai's her royal highness earrings

wonderful giveaway!

Sincerely,
Marie Isabella

(mariethegelfling@aol.com)

Karen said...

Wonderful jewelry an I love the pocketbooks she makes!

Unknown said...

All just beautiful, but my favorites:

Dozi: Grass pocket workbook - sea

Carollai: her royal highness earrings

(contact info at www.365catladies.blogspot.com)

melodykoala said...

Hard to say which one is my favorite, but if I must decide..

from dozi: the field pocket workbooks

from carollai: the night sky & stars earrings

my email is koala18@juno.com

the 6 o'clock stitch said...

I love the house gift tags and the greek isle earrings.

So nice to meet you!

If you have any suggestions for the Spring Swap, I'd love to hear them!

cornelia said...

hi carol! :) great job with your designs. i love the greek isle earrings. all this connectedness is awesome. best friends with wendy from college days hehee ... so fave on dozi is the noki pocket jotter.

(i clicked the email followup below, so hopefully that gives you my email...although i think you also already have it hehee )

Amy said...

Wow, the jewelry is beautiful! I love the pink giselle necklace.

Dozi's shop is wonderful for paper addicts like myself... I think I like the House pocket jotter best, but everyone is right -- it's a hard pick...

email: amy [d0t] lockaby [at] gmail [d0t] com

anita said...

yay for friends meeting friends. =)
today i pick as my favs:
your simplicity earrings b/c the color fits my mood
and wendy's euca letterpress cards. letterpress is *nice* =)

Amelia L. said...

favorites! hard to choose but...

dozi: the gift tags and anything in that house design.

mustardseed: the pink giselle necklace! i love it, if only i didn't already have a drawer full of unworn necklaces...

Tina said...

I love Dozi's designs. Wendy does beautiful work. I love her Jotters! No fave in particular because I love all her designs.

cavitybuster said...

i love browsing both of your creations! are you getting some inspiration in sunny CA? miss you here!

anyways, my favs-
dozi: tweet pocket workbook
yours: pink giselle necklace

mirabelle said...

My favs...
dozi: (love your blog): the new mini-clips! So cute!
mustardseed:belle of the ball earrings

Vanessa Lai said...

I'm all about good design.

Dozi: Mini Clips (Yellow/Gray)
Carollai: Vintage Rose Earrings

Anonymous said...

Hey there, all of this work is such an inspiration.

I can't wait to see what dozi has posted next!

dozi: I'm pretty fond of the grass pocket workbook.

carollai: If I had the night sky and star earring, I'd probably wear them everyday!

-Caroline

Chocolate and Steel said...

Thanks for mentioning my giveaway:)

I have to play along because I love both of your creations:)

from dozi: floret letterpress
from mustardseed: take me to the opera earrings

deanna said...

Nice mini-interview. Thanks.

From Dozi: Grass pocket workbook - field

From Mustardseed: simplicity earrings

2 Girls and a Boy said...

Lovely interview! I've been drooling over Dozi's Noki jotter. I covet notebooks. And the greek isle earrings from mustard are darling. Oh I hope I win! Thanks for the opportunity.

Unknown said...

Dozi's designs are all beautiful.... choosing a favorite is difficult ...anyways
dozi: it has to be the wallet
mustard seed : spring waterfall earring

lily said...

I love both designer's items!

Dozi: tweet pocket workbook. those birds are so cute!
Mustard seed: midnight blossom earring. i love the length of the piece.

thanks,
lily
sillyhong@gmail.com

Kathy said...

I just love the fabric covered clothespin clips on Dozi, and the "Take me to the Opera" earrings on Mustard seed.

Jacqui Dodds said...

My favourite choice of these lovely things:

Dozi - Pocket workbooks set of 3 - Sea

Mustard Seed - Greek Isle earrings

elizabeth chenoweth said...

what delights you're offering! simply sweet!

my dozi fav: the little green bird workbook

my mustard seed fav: take me to the opera earrings

elizabeth
(theycallmecheno@gmail.com)

nat yan said...

woo hoo! way to connect.

dozi: hexa pocket workbook
mustard seed: take me to the opera earrings

thanks a bunch!

Tina said...

How cute!! Love her stuff! - and your jewelry is fabulous!

Diana said...

Dozi: Grass Pocket Workbook - Field
Mustard Seed: Greek Isle Earrings

Regards
Diana
http://djstoreroom.blogspot.com

girl and bird said...

i loveeeee Wendy's work, its awesome!
1:my favourite of hers are definitely the pocket jotters.
2: i hadnt come across mustardseed before, but the designs are gorgeous. my favourite is the moment in time necklace.

annahlegg@gmail.com

María José Zabala Herrera said...

from Dozi, i love the newly added "mini clips", they are all beautiful and the pattern combinations are just great... but my favorite are the blue/red.

from mustardseed i think the "simplicity earrings" are absuloyely beautiful.

congratulations to both of you!

maria
(mariajosezabala@gmail.com)

cliang7 said...

carol! what a small world. i went to college with wendy's husband :) did you know that wendy was in luke and anita's wedding?

Unknown said...

What a small world! Wendy and I are in the same small group. I thought the notebooks look familiar =p
Love your designs.

steph-a-ronie said...

So lovely...

Dozi: mini clips
Carollai: vintage rose earrings