Getting to know Kelly of 5LittleMonkeys

I sat down for an interview with Kelly. Here is what we talked about. Be sure to visit Kelly at all her links.

Andrea : What region do you live in?
Kelly : I live in Queens, which is a borough of New York City. We live close enough to enjoy all the city has to offer, but far enough away to not be right in the middle of the insanity.

Andrea : What kind of items do you create?
Kelly : I like to make almost anything. I get distracted really easily because I want to try everything! I enjoy making jewelry and things for babies and little girls. I recently learned to knit, so that is my current obsession. Look for knitted items in my shop soon.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8739926
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9262069

Andrea : How long have you been creating?
Kelly : Since I was a little girl, but now that my kids are getting bigger, I have a little more time to do things I enjoy.

Andrea : What or Who are your creative influences?
Kelly : Growing up, my mother was always doing some kind of needlework, whether it be knitting, crochet, or needlepoint. She inspires me to make beautiful handmade items. Etsy artist are also so inspiring. By seeing their beautiful creations, they make me want to go beyond the ordinary and make something really beautiful and one of a kind.

Andrea : Do you work outside of the home/studio?
Kelly : I have been a stay at home mom to my five kids for almost 12 years. I will be starting a part time job very soon as the swim coach for my kids' team, the Barracudas http://www.ciybarracudas.com/index.html

Andrea : If you could be in someone else's studio or kitchen, whose would that be?
Kelly : I'd love to spend time with Martha Stewart. She just has so many creative ideas for every area you could think of from meals to decorating to parties.

Andrea : Where do you see yourself in 5 years? What are your goals with your business?
Kelly : I hope to still be coaching swimming and helping those kids achieve their goals. As far as my business, I hope to be able to devote more time to it as my kids will be older, and have a customer base that comes to me when they need a gift or just want to treat themselves to something special.

Andrea : Do you sell wholesale/consignment?
Kelly : Not at the moment, but I am open to any and all possibilities.

Andrea : Where else {besides etsy} can your products be found?
Kelly : I have a few items for sale at Texas Art Spot in Corsicana,TX. I also sell on ecrater http://www.5littlemonkeys.com and http://www.madeitmyself.com/

Andrea : Are you a member of any organizations or have any affiliations?
Kelly : I am a member of FAM, Fabulous Artistic Moms { http://fam-fabulousartisticmoms.blogspot.com }and Etsymom { http://etsymom.blogspot.com }, both street teams on Etsy.

Andrea : What is your education as it pertains to your craft?
Kelly : I have a B.S. in business management. I'm not sure if it's helping out all that much at the moment, but I am trying to educate myself on all the marketing tools we have at our disposal on Etsy.

Andrea : What is your favorite part of creating handmade items?
Kelly : I love the whole process from coming up with an idea to gathering the materials to putting it all together. But my favorite part of all, by far, is when it's all done, and I can show off what I've done!

Getting to Know Carissa Black

I sat down for an interview with Carissa Black. Here is what we talked about. Be sure to visit Carissa at all her links and if your ever in Connecticut, visit the shops who sell Carissa's items.

Andrea: What region do you live in?
Carissa : I live in Connecticut, so the East Coast.

Andrea: What kind of items do you create?
Carissa: I create handbags and all of the accessories to go with them.

Andrea: How long have you been creating?
Carissa: I have been creating "officially" for about 5 years now. I have always loved designing and sewing.

Andrea: What or Who are your creative influences?

Carissa: I find that the artists on etsy really inspire me. There is so much creativity. It really makes me push myself. I also really love fabric. It is fun to look at a design or color and imagine all of the wonderful things it could become.

Andrea: Do you work outside of the home/studio?
Carissa: I work out of my home. I would love to have my own studio some day.

Andrea: If you could be in someone else's studio or kitchen, whose would that be?
Carissa: There was an etsy artist on the Martha Show a year or two back who had a one room studio in the cutest little house. It looked like a playhouse, but was big enough for all of her things. It was whimsical, fun, inspiring, functional, and right in her own backyard.

Andrea: Where do you see yourself in 5 years? What are your goals with your business?
Carissa: In 5 years I want Carissa Black to be a household name. We can all dream can't we? No really I just hope that I still love creating and doing what I do.

Andrea: Do you sell wholesale?
Carissa: Yes, I do wholesale and consignment.

Andrea: Where else can your products be found (name B&M stores or internet urls, including your own)?
Carissa: Here are a list of shops where you can find me at.
My online shop at www.gardencris27.etsy.com
I also sell at the following boutiques:
Yummy Goods in Cape Cod, Massachusetts http://www.yummygoods.com/
Bella Boutique in Alaska http://www.shop-bella.com/
Indigo Lily Co. in Cochester CT http://www.indigolilycompany.com/
Piper Maypop in Farmington CT http://pipermaypop.blogspot.com/
A Whole Lotta Bags in Bangor Maine http://www.awholelottabags.com/

Andrea: Are you a member of any organizations or have any affiliations?
Carissa: Of course I belong to Fabulous Artistic Moms. I also belong to the Connecticut Etsy Street Team.

Andrea: What is your education as it pertains to your craft?
Carissa: I haven't had any formal training, except for high school home economics. All of my sewing has been self taught.

Andrea: What is your favorite part of creating handmade items?
Carissa: I love to have an outlet to express myself. It is just plain fun!

Is this a healthy obsession? You can make it so.

Ana Talukder Simpson

theprettypeacock.etsy.com

How shamelessly obsessed are you with your Etsy life? I am pretty new to Etsy. I really knew very little about it coming into it. I was never even a buyer (I know, booooo on me, but I have bought a load of stuff since then!). In April of this year, I decided to list a few of my creative endeavors and, lo-and-behold, people liked them. My first listing was just over two months ago and I am now shamelessly obsessed with my Etsy life. I know you have all been there and still live here.

I am a stay at home parent with two small children (5 and 2) and I consider the work I do for my shop on Etsy as my ‘work’: My real-life, tangible, get-paid-for-it-in-real-money, work. My children are my joy and butterflies and all those other happy, lovely images one gives when they talk about being a mother. All true –most days.

Being an obsessive Etsy shop owner takes its toll on our little ones, loved ones, friends, relationships, etc. I make no apologies for wanting my shop to succeed or being in love with my work, but I do not want it to negatively affect my life, because, then, what would be the point? So, I invested in an inexpensive little timer with a loud buzzer to keep my obsession in check , and what it ended up doing was help me manage my time and invest it where it needed to go – so EVERYONE is happy! Don’t get me wrong, there totally needs to be more hours in the day, but at least now, I have more definite direction of where my time is going.

I typically set up my email/convo time for fifteen minute segments a few times a day. I make sure that after every thirty minutes of Etsy work, I take a break and hang out with the kids – even if that means just getting out the Play-doh or having ‘tickle-monster-time’. For those more involved projects, I wait until my littlest is napping or they are both in bed for the night. Twenty minutes is devoted to setting up shipments for the next day, another thirty to plan new designs, etc. You get the idea. It is all pretty magical. Oh! And if you get real fancy – you can get a timer with multiple features like counting up, so you can hit “start” right as you begin a new piece so you know exactly how long it takes you to create it for pricing. Shamelessly working the double-duty. Gotta love that.