Meet Sharon from Piccolina Boutique

As many of you know, EtsyBABY team members are extremely talented. We wanted to take a peek at the person behind the creativity. All throughout March, we will be interviewing shop owners, to get a glimpse of the designer behind those adorable baby products!

Meet Sharon from Piccolina Boutique

Custom made kids art / Decorative picture 
Pink mix / Nursery art / Nursery Decor $42

What inspired you to begin a shop featuring your own designs? 
I am filled with inspiration from innovation, as an industrial designer I am looking for new needs that we as parents come across and find them new solutions. There is no greater pleasure from seeing people like and buy the products you design.




 
How long have you been practicing your art/craft? A year and half ago the decision to become a freelance designer, to design and manufacture the products that I invented and designed.

Personalized Portrait / Pop Art Fairy
Tiles Wall Pillow - Stars Background $130

What training have you had or are you self-taught? 
I studied industrial design and from there I got the knowledge of techniques and materials. In my experience in all of the craft fields, the areas that interested me more and tied at the end of my products, I studied them and learned more in a thorough manner.

What is your favorite material to craft with? 
I love working with fabrics.

What has been the hardest aspect of creating a hobby into a business?
Once the hobby became a profession I began to be much more calculated and limited in the creative process. In the end, the product must fit a wide range of customers and be the perfect course.

Soft Pink Headboard $115

Any advice for other Etsy sellers?
 Be creative, diverse and allow the customer to be part of the product design so that the product that they purchase will be unique. (Offer them a custom made order)

 






What do you enjoy doing in your off time? 
In my free time, I love spending time with my daughter and  designing her cool stuff.

3 Piece blue Picture set / Enchanted Forest Custom
made kids art / Decorative picture -
blue mix / Nursery art / Nursery $42

Describe a typical day in your life. 
In the morning after I take my daughter to kindergarten, I sit down and work on the computer in my home studio, updated what happened in my stores, Facebook, some marketing and reply to e-mails . At noon I go to the workshop, working on new product development and manufacture of incoming orders and then packing and shipping. Of course, when my daughter comes back from kindergarten I free up time for for my family. Do not tell, but from time to time I check the computer to see if there's a new purchase or a customer conversation.

Where can we find your products online?
PiccolinaBoutique

Meet Sara from Purple Zebra Stuffies

As many of you know, EtsyBABY team members are extremely talented. We wanted to take a peek at the person behind the creativity. All throughout March, we will be interviewing shop owners, to get a glimpse of the designer behind those adorable baby products!

Meet Sara from  Purple Zebra Stuffies

Handmade sock animal - stuffed animal
Pretty in Pink glove puppy $22.50

What inspired you to begin a shop featuring your own designs?
One year for Christmas, I decided to make sock animals for all the kids instead of buying presents. I got a ton of requests from friends, family and coworkers for custom animals. After several months of word of mouth orders I decided to open a shop!

How long have you been practicing your art/craft?
My grandmother taught me to sew when I was 5 when she gave me my 1st sewing machine! I didn't start making sock animals until 2 years ago.

Handmade sock animal -
stuffed animal  Fuzzy
black and green bunny
ballerina $29.99

What training have you had or are you self-taught?
I taught myself to make sock animals. I started using patterns but then created my own.

 

What is your favorite material to craft with?
Socks of course :)


What has been the hardest aspect of creating a hobby into a business?
The business aspect. There is a lot that goes into it, especially when you are crafting items for children! I'm honestly still trying to figure it all out!





Any advice for other Etsy sellers?
Keep at it! Some months can be frustrating, some can be overwhelming. As long as you love what you are doing, be persistent! It'll pay off in the end.

 

Handmade sock animal - stuffed animal
tan and orange polka dot sock giraffe $29.99

What do you enjoy doing in your off time?
What is off time? 
 


Describe a typical day in your life.
Most of my day is spent with my 4 year old, baby and 2 dogs! It's non stop busy most days!
When the girls are sleeping at the same time (insert laughter), I work on custom orders, new items for the shop and other business stuff.
Currently I'm working on a line of mini stuffies made from baby socks! 







  

Handmade sock animal - stuffed animal
Cute brown sock monkey $25

 


Where can we find your products online? Etsy, Facebook and our webpage!
Etsy
purplezebra-stuffies
Facebook

An Interview with Katie from Sew Whimsical By Katie

As many of you know, EtsyBABY team members are extremely talented. We wanted to take a peek at the person behind the creativity. All throughout March, we will be interviewing shop owners, to get a glimpse of the designer behind those adorable baby products!

Meet Katie from Sew Whimsical By Katie

Small Baby Gift Basket with Fabric Bin $72.14

What inspired you to begin a shop featuring your own designs?
I have always loved sewing, ever since I was a little girl. I used to make and design toys for my younger siblings (I am the oldest of 7), but now that I am a stay at home mom to 3 young children, I sew for them! I loved seeing them play with their handmade toys and softies (some made from my imagination and some made from patterns from independent pattern designers on Etsy), and I wanted to offer them to other children! It has always been a dream to have a little sewing shop, and I love getting pictures of my customers’ children with their special, one of a kind items! 

How long have you been practicing your art/craft?
I have been sewing since I was 8 years old, but became more serious about learning more technique and pattern design in my early 20s. 

 

Custom Made Pirate Kieran or Emily Doll Softie with
Matching Child Size Pirate Hat $77.68

  
What training have you had or are you self-taught? I was initially taught to sew by both my mother and step mother. One of my first projects was an original design picture quilt that hung in my bedroom for many years. I am largely self taught, but have taken a quilting course and have learned many wonderful and new techniques from other Etsy pattern designers!

 


What is your favorite material to craft with?
My favorite material to work with is definitely vintage, re-purposed linens. I love the shabby chic look they lend to a project as well as the vintage, one of a kind feel. I tell you, they just don’t make fabric like they used to!

Custom Made Personalized Bunting
Flag Name Banner $36.99

What has been the hardest aspect of creating a hobby into a business?
I have difficulty with seeing the value of my work and pricing it to appropriately reflect the time and effort that has been put into it. I am working at gaining my confidence at pricing items where they can bring me some profit to help grow my business, but it is definitely a balancing act. I find it is also difficult to compete with so many other wonderful, but more established etsy shops. There is so much to offer that sometimes it seems that I get lost in the shuffle. 

Any advice for other Etsy sellers?
I advise other etsy sellers to never undervalue their own talent!








What do you enjoy doing in your off time?
In my off time I enjoy exercising (I run competitively and enjoy pole fitness). I love spending time with my kids (ages 15 months to 5 years), and also enjoy getting outside with our dog for walks. I am also an avid reader, a real bookworm! I love meeting girlfriends for lunch and visiting thrift shops and antique stores! 

Customized Mushroom Baby
Alice Softie Doll $50.86

Describe a typical day in your life.
 A typical day in my life would involve an early start to get kids on the road to school. Then I would head out with the younger ones for a run or walk with our double stroller (and the dog), and then off to a play group or the library. After lunch, and while the baby is napping, my middle daughter gets to watch some of her favorite TV shows while I sew down the hall in my sewing room. Then it is off to get dinner ready, and when my husband comes home I am out the door for a volunteer board meeting, or to an exercise class! Never a dull moment for this momma! 

Where can we find your products online? You can find my items online in my esty shop at: SewWhimsicalByKatie, or on my Facebook page.

An Interview with Evie from Babbles Bubbles and Bows

As many of you know, EtsyBABY team members are extremely talented. We wanted to take a peek at the person behind the creativity. All throughout March, we will be interviewing shop owners, to get a glimpse of the designer behind those adorable baby products!

Meet Evie from Babbles Bubbles and Bows

Love Bunny Baby Softie/Plush $25

What inspired you to begin a shop featuring your own designs? 
I had a friend tell me that I really should sell my creations. I was very nervous at first because of what she thought I should charge for things but then I got a couple of sales and thought…hey maybe I can do this and have fun too. 
How long have you been practicing your art/craft? 
I have crafting in one way or another for many years but as for sewing, which is now most of my business, I have only been doing that about 2 years. My grandma tried so hard to teach me when I was young and I didn't want to. Now, I wish I had all her knowledge for sure!

What training have you had or are you self-taught?
I am completely self taught and love getting customers who ask me to do something I have never done before. Like just this weekend, I had a customer ask for a pacifier pouch and I was like "Nope, I've never done it but I am happy to try"…she was happy and I am thrilled with how it turned out.

Multi-Colored Argyle & Red Minky Security Blanket $17

What is your favorite material to craft with?
I love minky, all styles of minky, but I am a true sucker for a beautiful cotton fabric.

What has been the hardest aspect of creating a hobby into a business?
There are really four I think for me 1. Coming up with new creative things that people will like, 2. Pricing, 3. Late nights (because I have a full time job too), and 4. Trying to balance family time with business time. 

Airplane Boys Applique Shirt or Bodysuit $25

Any advice for other Etsy sellers? Join a team or two or 10 and stay active. It is a great place to bounce ideas around, find new friends who are all over the world and going through a lot of the same things you are, and promote others.

What do you enjoy doing in your off time?
Spend time with my husband and four year old daughter.


Describe a typical day in your life.
Usually I am up everyday around 5:15 and take my daughter to school by 7:00 then off to my full-time job where I am there until about 4:00. I work a long way from home so I then trek the almost 2 hours home and do the mom thing until bedtime around 8:30. Once my daughter is asleep, it is time to start on business stuff. I usually work on my business until around 11:30, sometimes later, and then off to bed.

Travel Diaper Changing Pad $25

Where can we find your products online? 
Etsy
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter

An Interview with Bess from Sweet Cozy Baby

As many of you know, EtsyBABY team members are extremely talented. We wanted to take a peek at the person behind the creativity. All throughout March, we will be interviewing shop owners, to get a glimpse of the designer behind those adorable baby products!

Meet Bess from Sweet Cozy Baby

Elephant Stuffed Animal Toy $19.50

What inspired you to begin a shop featuring your own designs? 
I have always loved to sew, and having a baby of my own last year inspired me to try my skills with some vintage baby toy patterns. They turned out so cute (and were so fun to make!) that I decided to share them on Etsy!