Local Featured Seller: Ouida's Trunk

Who are you? I'm Theresa Fine; my etsy shop is Ouida's Trunk.

Where are you located? Mebane, NC

What do you create? I make little robot/space aliens from junk, mostly oil lamp parts and other metal objects. I make fabric banners from upholstery samples and other fabrics. I also like to alter vintage housewares, and I dabble in photography. What is your favorite place to visit in the "triangle?" The Scrap Exchange! I get most of my fabric and metal from them. They always have something new and different, and I've had so many ideas from the things I find there. I also support their reuse mission.

When did you start creating? I've been creating since I was a kid. In high school, I made a life-size person out of junk (literally, junk), so my work in that medium began around my late teens.
Why did you choose your medium? The little robots I make (Lieblings) were inspired by a box of disused oil lamp parts that I found in an antique store in Burlington, NC. They looked like UFOs, and I knew I could do something with them.

Where do you create? Right now I create in my office at home, but I'm working on turning a small bedroom in my house into a craft room.

Why did you choose your shop/company name? I perform as a bearded lady under the name Ouida de la Goutteire, so that's where Ouida came from (it's a homonym of the name my brother called me when he was little). Just before I opened my Etsy shop, I bought a big steamer trunk from a thrift store. I was storing all of my vintage finds and craft supplies in there, hence the trunk.
What do you do when you are not creating? When I'm not creating, I teach composition and literature at a community college. I also spend more time and money than I should at vintage and thrift stores.

So after you've checked out Theresa's etsy shop, swing by and like her facebook page, too!

NCTriangle Team Members who'd like to be featured, please contact Shore Debris.