Team Profile: Karla Cunningham!

Our Flea Market Style team profiles continue with today's installment on Karla Cunningham!

Seamstress and horsewoman extraordinaire, Karla is one of the talented gals who turn the FMS project ideas into reality, one stitch at a time!

Here's a peek at her uber-organized workroom. Aren't you covetous?!

Karla's smile and her great sense of humor light up any room she graces! Without further adieu, here's Karla!

HOME BASE: Ocala, Florida

FMS JOB: "Go to person when a sewing/idea project needs to be sewn yesterday for the magazine."

DAY JOB: "Multi-taskmaster of the house, husband, flower gardens, stable, animals and two Etsy shops -- Blue Gate Vintage and Remixed Stitches."

ALTER EGO: "Hmmm. Has to be my sister, Ki. Where does she get all those ideas??"

"FROM": "Raised in Minnesota, raised my children in Florida, spent 10 years in Michigan and back now to Florida to retire."

DREAM JOB: "Lucky to have had two! #1. I worked as a visual merchandiser in an upscale casual clothing/bedding store where I had lots of vintage props to use (my first exposure to “junk”). #2. I worked 6 years part time in an exclusive chocolate shop ( where I gained 10 pounds and acquired a love for all things chocolate!)"

BEDSIDE READING: "Favorite authors are John Sanford, Randy Wayne White, Stuart Woods, Robert Parker, to name a few. No bedside book for me, I’d never get any sleep….Once I start a book, nothing, and I mean nothing, gets done until I’ve finished the book."

IF THE HOUSE WERE ON FIRE: "First I’d make sure the husband and animals were safe, then I’d grab my computer and jewelry that was passed down to me from my mother and grandmother."

CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: "Chocolate, family and sunshine ( in no particular order)."

PERFECT DAY: "Sunshine + cool breeze + lake/ocean/river + quiet = perfect day."

ON THE iPOD: "LOL, I’m just happy to finally have gotten high-speed internet and a laptop! Country living can be a bit behind the times."

FAMILY: "DBH -- Dearly Beloved Husband and thirty-something sons Matt, who lives in Australia, and Mike, who lives on a sailboat in Southern Florida (whom I'm very proud of!)"

PETS: "All adopted and re-homed forever. Oliver, our 16 year old cat; Zan, (my son Matthew's 12 year old cat; Mia, our six pound Toy Fox Terrier ( ruler of the cats); and Fillip, my Oldenburg horse that I ride."

COMFORTABLE CLOTHES: "Loose non-designer jeans + Junk Bonanza T-shirt + slip-on shoes + big straw sun hat = comfy outfit!"

WILL NEVER BE FOUND: "To say 'never' !!! When I moved to Florida from Minnesota I said 'I would never live in the cold again.' Well, I remarried and I ended up living in Michigan for 10 years. Brrrrrrrrr. Lesson learned is never to say never to anything!"

STARTS THE DAY: "With 8 hours of sleep, caffeine via a Diet Coke/Pepsi (which usually lasts all day) and a breakfast of protein and carbs."

ENDS THE DAY: "Exhausted."

GUILTY PLEASURE: Ice cream and chocolate

NEVER LEAVES THE HOUSE WITHOUT: "My shoes on."

FAVORITE JUNKING HAUNTS: "Currently the local metal salvage yard and the Mt. Dora Flea Market. Sewing haunt would be S.R Harris in Minnesota. (Ki promises to take me to the LA fabric district if I ever visit). Always open to new fabric places and junk adventures."

BEST ADVICE: "Don't clutter up your life with 'stuff' and new isn’t necessarily better. Look to the past for items that can be recycled and repurposed to give new life. Oops that’s two pieces of advice."

Want to read more of Karla's musings? Check out her blog, Remixed Stitches!

And stay tuned for more profiles and behind-the-scenes stories as we count down to the spring issue!

Kim