I've never met a cupcake I didn't like. Cupcakes are one of life's great pleasures...ooey gooey chocolate icing, caramel filling all over my face. Cupcakes are probably nature's most perfect food, they lift my spirits, they make me happy and smile. When I came across
Toni Girl Whimsical Art on Etsy and I saw her cupcake prints, I knew I had to know more about the artist. How can you not like an artist who tells you to eat more cupcakes? And the way to solve the world's ills......Peace, Love, Cupcake! It works for me. ;)
Then I saw her Warhol-esque skull and crossbone cupcake drawing and I decided I had to know more about her whimsical mind. Toni has an interesting story, she is a take no prisoners can do person who overcame a lot of obstacles in her life.
Me: How did you get started?
Toni: I got started accidentally, when I decided to go to school for interior
design in 2009. I had to take some basic drawing classes, which I
totally had no idea would be such a big part of interior design! I was
petrified and thought that I was going to be humiliated with my stick
figure drawings. But it turned out that somewhere deep down inside me
was an artist waiting to get out. I LOVED all my drawing classes. I
loved the painting classes. I loved them all so much that I decided
interior design didn't have enough of that so I dropped it and went to
Graphic Design for a year. I ended up having to stop all of it, but
that's where I fostered my love for art.
Me: Where do you get your inspiration?
Toni: My inspiration comes from bright colors and a love of unique, whimsical
objects and art. I love the bright pops of colors that you see in comic
books and I LOVE Andy Warhol pop art. I don't really look at anything
and think, "I have to draw something like that." It's more like the
things I end up creating come from a need I have for a piece that just
doesn't seem to exist anywhere else but in my head. :)
Me: What is your proudest achievement?
Toni: My proudest achievement right now, as far as art is concerned, is the
commission sale that I had. It was very validating to know that someone
chose ME out of all the possibilities that were available to them on
Etsy. The customers had some great ideas and I added my own to theirs
and the posters turned out awesome! The coolest part is that they're
hanging in their new frozen yogurt shop in Texas, so lots of people will
get to see them. It made me feel like a REAL artist lol!
The proudest
achievement in my personal life is that I'm in school again. When I was a
senior, I dropped out of high school to get a job and help my mom pay
the bills. From the moment, I knew it was a mistake but life kind of
took over and I was working full-time and struggling and didn't see
where school was ever going to fit in. In 2009, I decided I couldn't
keep labeling myself as a "high school drop-out", so I took my GED and
passed. I went to the art school until I couldn't afford it; now I'm
going to Community College, but what matters to me is that I'm in school
and I'll have a degree in a couple of years.
Me: How did you get started on Etsy?
Toni: When I moved with my boyfriend at the end of last October, I had a lot
more time on my hands. I went from working full time as a retail store
manager to not working at all for about a month, and then only working
20 hours a week. With all that free time, I discovered that I LOVED
creating things! Everything! I refinished and distressed a huge dining
table, repainted and distressed my boyfriend's super old and worn out
dining chairs and reupholstered their seats, I made art work for the
walls. Pretty much, you name it, I did it, right down to learning how to
bake things from scratch. Having gone to an art school for a year
before I moved, I had awoken some creative nut job in myself. I could
not be stopped and things were starting to pile up everywhere after I'd
already filled every wall to capacity. So what could I do? I couldn't
just stop! Sheesh!
Another interesting facts about Toni: She's a dog mom to two dachshunds, one a baby pup.
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Toni's Uber Neat Studio |
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How's this for a motto for life? |
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Day of the Dead Sugar Skull Series |
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Toni's original print coasters |
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These coasters are all custom, you get to choose from her original designs! |
I think Toni's coasters would make an amazing wedding, bridal shower or housewarming gift. We all NEED coasters, we don't need half of the stuff on wedding registries!
You can find Toni here on Etsy:
Toni Girl Whimsical Art
On Facebook:
Toni Girl Whimsical Art
On Pinterest:
ToniGirl83
On Tumblr:
ToniGirl
On Twitter:
Tonigirl83