What inspired you to begin a shop featuring your own designs? I have been making baby related items since my niece and nephew were born – mostly bibs and blankets - and then started making just about everything I would need once I became pregnant and couldn’t find nursery decor that I really loved. I always thought it would be fun to start an Etsy shop, but it wasn’t until I was laid off, shortly before my second baby was due, that I decided to go for it. The hope was to finally start doing something I love to earn income, while also staying home with my very young children.
How long have you been practicing your art/craft? I have been sewing since I was a teenager, playing around on my great-grandmother’s machine whenever I came up with an idea for a new bag or a dress or something.
What training have you had or are you self-taught? I am mostly self-taught. I have taken a couple classes to become more familiar with all the features on my machine, or to learn a new technique, but I learn more from reading in books and on blogs, and I also have some very skilled family members.
What is your favorite material to craft with? Fabric! I started using mostly cotton quilting fabric, but have recently gotten into knits with the booties I designed for the holiday season this year. Shopping for fabric, combining prints and creating color stories is my favorite thing to do!
What has been the hardest aspect of creating a hobby into a business? My biggest challenge has been starting a business while also being the primary caretaker of two young children. My daughters were 10 months and 2-1/2 when I started the business (which was less than a year ago!) and
those are very demanding ages. It’s hard to juggle everything that is involved with a handmade business when your free time is limited and not very predictable. I can see where things will get easier as they get older, and as I figure out processes that work for what I am trying to accomplish.
Any advice for other Etsy sellers? I think it’s really important to consider everything that goes into not only making your products, but getting them in front of buyers. I see a lot of under priced work on Etsy, and that hurts everyone, from the seller who probably isn’t covering their costs, to those who are trying to charge the prices that work for their business. You have to think about everything: supply costs, time buying supplies, making, photographing, listing, shipping supplies and time preparing to ship, time and money spent on marketing. All of those things need to be considered, and then you need to make a profit! Etsy has some great tools for working out the right price for your products, and I encourage everyone to spend the time to try to get it right.
What do you enjoy doing in your off time? My husband and I are both artist/entrepreneurs, so sometimes it feels like there isn’t any off time between the kids and everything involved in pursuing our businesses. But we do try to work in some regular time to do something fun, just the four of us, away from the house and all the responsibilities. The Cleveland Museum of Art is one of our favorite destinations because they have a great kids room, a huge atrium where they can run around, and sometimes we can even manage to take in a little art and culture once the kids are tired out.
Describe a typical day in your life... I haven’t quite achieved typical yet, but this is what I strive for: wake up about an hour before the kids to get myself together for the day and try to accomplish something small that might be difficult to do when they are awake | do fun things with the kids without thinking about business requirements (maybe work in some “fun” household responsibilities) until lunch | put the kids down for nap after lunch, which is when I can hopefully accomplish 1-2 hours of work | more kid time after nap until dinner | dinner and family time after dinner until bedtime | work in my studio for about three hours after they go to bed | be sure to make a list of what needs to be accomplished the following day before going to bed. I should say that luckily, I have a few days or partial days every week where grandparents or my husband take over with the kids and I can get some bigger chunks of time to work.
Where can we find your products online? My Etsy shop: Like us on Facebook: Follow us on Pinterest: Follow me on Instagram: (warning: along with product and process photos, you will also see many pics of my cute girlies and a few of my cat)
As many of you know, EtsyBABY team members are extremely talented. We wanted to take a peek at the person behind the creativity. Throughout June, we will be interviewing shop owners, to get a glimpse of the designer behind those adorable baby products!
Meet Carissa Wadding, owner/artist from Frogs & Fairytales, llc.
What inspired you to begin a shop featuring your own designs?
My inspiration for
staring my own business came after having my first child, my son Carter.
While trying to decide how to decorate his room, I notice that I was
having a hard time finding art that I really loved, and could not find
anything personable. This inspired me to start creating children's room
decor that could be personalized to fit each customer's unique requests
by changing colors, adding a name, or creating a whole new design just
for them. I started my business in
the summer of 2009, as Wadding Creations. I opened an Etsy store in 2010
as Wadding Creations, after a friend, and Etsy seller, told me about
the site and encouraged me to check it out. After having many people
confuse Wadding Creations with Wedding Creations, I decided I needed to
change my business name to something a little more memorable and
exciting. In 2011 I changed my business name to Frogs & Fairytales
and became an LLC. I then opened a new Etsy shop under my current name.
What training have you had or are you self-taught? I am self-taught, no formal training other than the art classes I took while in high school.
How long have you been practicing your art/craft? I have always loved to draw, paint, and craft from the time I was little. As I got older, art became a way to relieve stress and escape from the business of daily life. I love the peace it brings me; many times when I draw or paint, I do it without tv or music on. When it's nice outside, I open a window and enjoy listening to the birds sing while I work.
What is your favorite material to craft with? I create children's room decor on canvas using acrylics, and also paint furniture, drawer knobs, and light switch covers using acrylics.
What has been the hardest aspect of creating a hobby into a business? While my first born is now in school, I currently have a one year old son at home with me all day while I work. It can be difficult to juggle work and spending quality time with my son during the day. My day is very broken up, so I have to be able to multitask and jump from one thing to another quickly and efficiently. I have to remember to be "all in." I have a tendency to feel guilty about not giving my full attention to my son when I'm working, and then I feel guilty about not working when I'm giving my attention to my family. I have to remind myself to be "all in" in that moment; giving my full self to what I am doing now, and not worrying about the other aspects of my life at that moment.
Any advice for other Etsy sellers? My advice to other Etsy sellers would be to do what you love, but remember that you're not always going to love what you're doing. I love my job and would not trade it for anything. The fact that I get to create art every day, while staying home with my son, is an amazing opportunity, however some days are stressful, some days you just don't want to work. You also need to grow thick skin. Not everyone is going to love your work, and that's okay. You're not going to get into every art show you apply for or every store you ask to have your work sold in, and that's okay. I try to use bumps in the road as an opportunity to learn and grow. Why didn't they like my product? How can I improve/what can I add to get more people interested in what I do? Be open to change, including your thought process about your designs, and how to grow your business.
What do you enjoy doing in your off time? In my off time I love spending time with my boys, my husband, and our Australian Shepherd mix. We love being outdoors fishing, riding bikes, and going on walks. We love to check out the many events happening in our city, including the farmer's markets on the weekends. We enjoy traveling as well, usually to the ocean.
Describe a typical day in your life . . . My day starts by getting my oldest son and I ready in the morning. I take him to school while my husband gets ready for work and watches our one year old. After taking him to school, I start my work day with my youngest son in tow. He plays close by me while I work on orders. There are breaks for lunch, putting him down for a nap, etc. until we leave to pick up my son from school in the afternoon. I finish up what I am working on and then spend some time with my boys and cook dinner while we wait for my husband to get home. We spend time together as a family in the evening. Once we put the boys to bed, I usually go back to work for a little while before heading off to bed myself. On the weekends I try to focus completely on family time and not paint or create things for the business, except for the occasional email response to a customer or creating a listing for a customer. Again, what i have found is the key to juggling both home and work when you work from home and not feeling guilty about it, is being "all in" in what you are doing at that moment.
Where can we find your products online? You can find my work on Etsy, my website, and on Facebook!
