On Pieces of Elise’s.

Well, last weekend, my fiance and I were watching Singing in the Rain, and as usual, I couldn’t get enough of the old-style singing and dancing. They just don’t make movies like they used to!

Thankfully, I’m not the only one who thinks so! Elise, the creator and mastermind behind Pieces of Elise’s, makes darling paper dolls from the “good old days,” like Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. (Why don’t men know how to dance anymore?!)

However, she doesn’t stop there!

Pieces of Elise’s is a virtual treasure trove of fun drawings in Elise’s own unique style, craftily re-made into paper dolls, magnets, stickers, puppets, and custom drawings, not to mention jewelry and masks.

I can relate to Elise quite rapidly; like me, she’s an office administrator by day and an Etsyian by night and weekends (and any other time she can slip it in there)! It takes great dedication to maintain a shop while having a day job, and it’s great to see her persevering with such fun, interesting creations!

In order to make it all work, she schedules her Etsy time, “tweaking things, adding products, answering conversations, a couple of times a week, mainly on my days off.” She even has her mom get in on the fun by messaging clients and creating forms. Says Elise, “She’s a real lifesaver!”

When asked, Elise said her favorite item in her shop is her “portrait of a lady with big hair :)” This drawing is so expressively done, and so full of confidence and vigor in both the figure and in Elise’s own pencil strokes, that it’s not hard to see why this is a favorite!

However, her favorite items to make in her shop are her articulated paper dolls. She likes “that they are movable and interactive. They appeal to kids and adults. The classic Hollywood articulated paper dolls I make can be posed and are cool miniatures of the actual celebrities.” Most importantly, “I just love drawing people and I feel like I’m bringing something to life.”

With options from Adele to Alfred Hitchcock, these are truly unique creations that I can honestly say I haven’t seen before. What a great idea for a gift–especially since her dolls cover such a wide range of pop culture references. And, if there’s something you want in particular, she always does custom orders!

(I just love the way she drew his face–it’s exactly the expression I picture him to have.)

It’s clear that Elise is talented, and it seems that it runs in the family. “I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. My mom was a graphic artist and studied abroad during college in Italy. She spent time drawing with my brother and I when we were little and it became something we both loved to do.” That passion stuck with her as she grew older. “When I went to high school I took three art classes: pottery, art, and jewelry class. I liked them all, but I think drawing always came easiest to me.”

Of course, I have to finish up by asking her where she sees her shop heading in the months and years to come. In the short term, she plans to keep right on trucking along: adding items, doing custom orders, and having fun with her shop. For the long term, she wants to spread the word about her shop, quit her day job, and be an artist!

So, if you’re interested in some Pieces of Elise’s, head on over to her shop. You can also check out her blog for some personal pieces of Elise, as well!