by TERRY TRAHAN, JR.

“Welcome to my little corner of Etsy.” With these words, Amanda Fidler invites the world into her living room — at least that’s where her creative, entrepreneurial life resides. It’s also where she wants you to join her. Since April the graphics designer from Houma and Nicholls State University alumna has been working out of her home to build Lucky Bluebird Art, her personal Etsy shop.

Etsy is a community of artists who sell handmade items on the Web to buyers looking for original products. You won’t find these items in factories or chain stores, and that’s the way these artists want it. Amanda specializes in artistic prints designed for the home. Her evolving collection contains over 100 graphics inspired by nature and everyday living.

But there’s something about that bluebird.

“I like bluebirds, and I love the color blue,” Amanda laughs after thinking about why she chose the name in the first place.

Cutesy. Fun. Girlie. It wouldn’t be a print from Lucky Bluebird Art without these qualities. Multicolored birds mingle peacefully in a cage, while a green-and-brown owl sits on a branch staring blankly into the room. Utensils, fruits and blenders mix easily into the scene. Damasks dance in the background as pastel initials and whimsical quotes paint smiles on those who view the pieces. Color floods the prints.

“Look at this,” Amanda says as she points to the gold-and-green hues swimming beneath her on a coffeehouse’s couch. “I can do something with that.”

“I love thinking about my stuff in people’s homes,” she continues after storing the previous thought in the right side of her noggin. She’ll use that idea later. “I love that my designs are in a baby’s room or a kid’s room. That’s a big deal because I know moms are so particular about a nursery.”

And it is a big deal. As an artist in her mid-20s, she’s counting on those who appreciate her work to spread the word around. Etsy is part-time work for her. She spends her days designing ads and layouts for PoV Magazine, but she knows that operating her own shop requires dedication and attention to customer service. Every print is packaged with a handwritten note from Amanda and placed in a plastic sleeve with cardboard for protection. She’ll ship anywhere her art needs to go — her collection has already reached China and beyond.

Sometimes she even receives a note in return.

“People send the most heartfelt messages,” she says as her radiant blue eyes sparkle with enthusiasm. “I read every single one of those, and I love it. It just makes me smile.”

The designer begins to sip her frappé and whisks her golden tresses from her view before discussing how she has become comfortable in her own artistic skin.

“I feel a lot freer,” she says. “I’ve gotten nothing but confidence out of this. Everything used to be so iffy. I’m so picky, so if a customer describes a color, I do my best to match it. I’ll never run out of ideas.”

Amanda’s ideas are born from observation. She shops around to study trends and fabrics in furniture. She takes note of color patterns on walls and light fixtures. A simple carving etched in metal on a display rack can spark the creative side of her mind.

She’s also looking to expand her “little corner of Etsy” into the wholesale market. She is now working with Mick and Mack, an online baby boutique based in Colorado. Her prints for the home have also captured the attention of Magpie Lovely, an online boutique for independent artists.

“Her work is the perfect price point,” says Holly Craig, owner of Magpie Lovely in Nashville. “It’s affordable for everybody. The little messages that are in each piece are so inspirational. I think our country needs to hear that right now.”

Amanda Fidler has come a long way from her shop’s first flowery pen-and-ink design offered just seven months ago. Lucky Bluebird Art has been featured on Etsy’s home page over a dozen times, and she maintains a flawless positive rating thanks to hundreds of satisfied customers.

“Oprah will be calling me soon,” Amanda jokes as her coffee offers up its last sip. “I want to be one of her favorite things.”

Who says she can’t be? After all, the holiday season is just around the corner, and her shop is only a click away. PoV