Cara Taylor

Recycling is one of the things I am truly excited about. Although I slip sometimes, I do hope that the little I do every day can make a difference. Cara Taylor is surely making a difference with her artistry. I'm not sure how I fond Cara's shop, but it is part of my favorites and there it will stay until, as she says, there is no longer a need for her services.

Cara takes "useless" plastic bags and turnes them into "useful" items we can all appreciate. It's good for us and for the environment. Read the interview then visit her shop to see how you can do your part for the environment!

Tell us about yourself
My name is Cara Taylor, I am originally from Western Pennsylvania but I currently live in lovely Western Massachusetts. I have been a crafter for as long as I can remember - my mother taught me to crochet and my fondest memories are of the two of us watching movies while working on projects together.

I began experimenting with plastic bags about 8 or 9 years ago in undergrad - I would cut them up in different ways and reconfigure them to make sculptures. Making bags seemed really obvious to me and I resisted those forms for awhile but once I crocheted one I was hooked (no pun intended!) on making more. I love the transformation of material!

What inspires you to your craft?
I am inspired by fashion, function, color, material. I really just love trying new things and experimenting with process.

How do you promote your shop?
I sell my crocheted bags and accessories on Etsy and at several shops around the country. I am currently a full time art teacher with no intention of leaving teaching to become a full time crafter. I actually hope to stop making bags from plastic bags in the next 5-10 years in hopes that plastic bags will be just too hard to come by! Eventually they won't be such a problem for our environment and I will have moved on to some other medium.

What is one piece of advice you'd give to new artists?
My advice to new artists would be to make what you love, and make it well! Craftsmanship is so important. Also, don't undersell yourself!

What are some of your favorite things?
dinner parties, snow days, shoes, magazines, soup, crocheting and knitting of course...

What is your favorite quote?
I definitely don't have one. Nothing comes to mind, I can never remember them and I never write them down.