As her shop name implies, Liz designs, sews, and decorates second line umbrellas, and has been doing so for about two years. She got her start when looking for a creative outlet to balance her analytical day job.
Liz draws her inspiration from events and lifestyles. “All have tons of material to work with,” she explains. “When people second line, it is often at often at important occasions...weddings, funerals, parades. I get to hear their stories and contribute to these events. I am always amazed and often entertained by the lives people live.”
When asked about her favorite project so far, Liz says, “I put together 15 umbrellas for a roaring 20’s wedding. It was so much fun to work on.” Her biggest challenge is the classic art-versus-business struggle: finding the time to work on projects, and still have time to sell the items.
Her favorite advice to share with other artists/sellers is persistence. “I can take a while to get going…but it is worth it.”
Liz’s connection to Louisiana runs deeply. She moved to New Orleans to attend graduate school in 2002 and never left. She explains, “I love living here. Rebuilding after Katrina took our home really cemented the bond. I have experienced more, lived more, found my love and a purpose in Louisiana.”
Liz’s creations can be found on the following sites:
http://www.lizmpetro.etsy.com/
www.artfire.com/users/NewOrleansUmbrellas
Please be careful when ordering from Ms. Petro. I ordered a parasol from her 6 weeks ago, The parasol arrived, very lovely, but it was much smaller than expected, in fact it was child sized. I contacted Ms. Petro and she emailed me in return, agreeing to exchange my order. I promptly returned the product to her, at my own expense. She received it and promised me that she would send pictures of my exchange and that I would "have my parasol in my hands by next week". That was two and a half weeks ago and I still have not heard from Ms. Petro nor do I have my parasol in my hands. Ms. Petro does not return my emails and I believe I've been had. Order with caution is my best advice, you may not receive anything you've paid for.
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