New Photography Shop

Hi all,
Hope all are doing well. Still trying to get back on track here. Trying to get my strength back after helping with dad. He is doing pretty well. He finally got rid of the feeding tube in his nose and they put a permanent feeding tube directly into his stomach. It was an outpatient surgery and everything seems to be going well so far. I think he feels much better not having that constant irritation in his nose and throat. I think now he will be able to do better with his swallowing exercises and hopefully learn to eat again, in time.

In the meantime, I would really appreciate it if you all would take a look at my friends new Photography and Art shop on etsy. She takes some really great photos and alters some of them into some awesome artistic representations of her original photos. I would really love your feedback on the shop and any ideas or suggestions that you may have. She is considering using her photos on other items that could be multi-functional, but isn't really sure as to what others would find most useful. What would you all suggest? Thanks for your input and for taking a look.

 As for my shop, things are still sort of on pause until I can regain enough strength to start producing again. Please keep me and my family in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks a bunch. Have a wonderful day.

Fridays Featured Artist: Kiki from Kikisthings.etsy.com

Todays featured etsy artist Kiki from  Kikisthings. Kiki makes awesome children's  dress up clothes and costumes. As she says in the interview "They're not just for Halloween anymore", they are great for themed birthday parties, school plays and functions, or just for longs days of pretend and play. So take a moment to relax and meet Kiki as she describes her shop, her wonderful items, and how she got started in the Etsy community. Make sure you take a moment to check out her great shop too. Thanks and have a great day.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. (Please include your location)

Well, I'm currently living back at home, just outside of Philadelphia PA with my dad and my dog, Hemi. Right now I spend most of my time in the spare bedroom-turned studio. When I'm not sewing I love gardening and just being outside doing just about anything. I'm one of those "can't sit still" people. 

Tell us about your art/craft. What is it that you create

I make handmade children's dress up clothing and cstumes. Notice that I say dress up clothing--They're not just for Halloween anymore! 

How long have you been doing this? What led you to start creating your art/craft?

I've been running Kiki's Things since 2006. I started with winter hats. Stocking caps, character hats, just crazy pompom hats. But I really began making the costumes years ago. It was the summer after High School with nothing to do and my mom suggested I make up some costumes and sell them at the local community day. They were an instant hit! So I did that for a while but it was only at Halloween (pre internet) so I really couldn't make a living at it. Eventually I drifted away from that business and did other things. I came back to sewing in 2006. I was in a not so good marriage and needed something to do so I started Kiki's things. If you want to know how long I have been sewing... I don't ever remember not sewing...

Are you the only artist/crafter in your family or does it run in the genes?

NO WAY! Everyone in my family does something... One grand mom does hook rugs and is excellent at crocheting, the other grand mom does embroidery and ceramics, and mom is always coming up with some little crafty thing...

Is your art/craft your full time job? If not, what else do you do for a living?

As of June of this year Kiki's Things has been my full time job. I lost my day job and decided to give this a go. It's been so much better than I could have imagined! Its long hours but I LOVE it!

Who or what inspires or influences your work?

Well, I'm always looking to see what kids are in to. (I have none of my own) I look at the toy sections of the stores and also I just listen to what people are asking for. For example, my Mermaid Tail Towels, Last year was my first year on Etsy and I can't tell you how many times I heard "I'm so happy to have a Mermaid Costume- now I don't have to tie a towel around her to pretend" or something like that. That gave me the idea of the mermaid towel. Things like that influence me a lot

Is there anyone you would like to thank for being your biggest fan/supporter/cheerleader?

Well, that's an easy one.... My Family! Mom for giving me the idea, Dad for putting up with Kiki's Things being in his house, Aunts, Uncles cousins who help spread the word!

How did you learn your art/craft?

I learned from my mom at the beginning. When I was little she made a lot of my clothes and I was always "helping"

Do you have any formal training or education in fashion design?

I do. In High School we still had sewing class which I just about lived in. Then I went to The Craft Fashion Institute (a trade school) to learn Tailoring. I also attended the University of The Arts, here in Philadelphia where I majored in Photography. I'm much more of a Fine Art Photographer than a studio photographer. I think the study of Photography gives me the eye for detail that I use in creating these costumes. My art background, I think, gives me the ability to look at a cartoon and pick out the necessary elements to make the costume on sight.

You make and sell several different types/lines of children's costumes.  Which do you find yourself most drawn to and why?

I'm really proud of all of my works. I'm most proud of the things that are totally "mine" like the mermaid tails, the binkie-pahnts simply because they are my own ideas that people happen to like enough to purchase. That's an awesome feeling!

What is your favorite material or medium to work with?

Plain old simple cotton. It's so easy to work and you can make it do just about anything, it can be plain or fancy. It's my fav.

What advice would you give to someone who would like to try to learn your craft? Are there any hazards or dangers associated with your art/craft, for example working with certain materials or tools, etc.?

I would say that you just have to try it and start simple. Make a pillow first don't try to make a wedding dress your first time out. Sewing is pretty safe. I mean I do have cuts  from not being careful with the scissors and I stab myself with pins (not on purpose, of course) a lot but I'm not the most graceful so that's just me.

On average how long would you say it takes you to complete a piece?
Most of my pieces take about 1.5 -2 hours from start to finish.

What is your favorite item from your shop? Why?
I Love my Mermaids, both the costumes and the Towels.  I think I love the costumes because they were one of the first things I made way back when... and like I said, the tails are totally designed by me.

Can you describe for us your creative process and or what a typical day is like in your studio.
Right now my day starts around 7:30 am; I answer emails, do some online marketing and pull out items to be packed for shipping. Then I just sew, sew, and sew. Walk Hemi (my dog) at lunch time, then more sewing. I usually take a couple of hours off around dinner and just chill out. I'll answer more emails and do more marketing in the evening. I also get myself ready for the next day by cutting out and lining up items to be made for the next day.
Lather, Rinse, Repeat.....

What motivates you to create?
 I have no idea. It's just something I feel I need to do. Like breathing for me...

Do you do custom requests for your art?

I do most of my work this way. I've made ghosts, candy costumes, dogs, cats, video game characters, you name it...

What is the most unusual custom request you have gotten?
Last year I was asked to make a Hurricane for a 6 month old baby. I pulled it off and it actually came out really cute.

How did you discover etsy?
Last year my mom gave me an article from, I think, the Wall Street Journal talking about etsy and a few other online venues for crafters (I told you this was all her idea). I read the article and checked it out. .The rest is history...

How do you promote your business?
Anywhere I see an opportunity to promote I do. On line (if it's free it's me) I'm on Facebook, Craig's list, Twitter. I post to the Etsy forums almost daily, I do craft shows where I make sure everyone who comes to my booth leaves with something with my web site on it. I even put up flyers on community bulletin boards.

Knowing what you know now about online selling and running your own business, if you could start all over from scratch would you do anything differently?
I would never have stopped like I did in the beginning. I wish I was a little more organized but that's just how I am. (I know where everything is!)

Do you have any advice for other artists?
No matter what other people say, just keep doing what you feel you need to do to express yourself. And never stop trying...

Where else can we find you online and/or locally (i.e galleries, boutiques, etc.)?
 In addition to Etsy, I'm on Artfire. www.kikisthings.artfire.com
I have my own site www.kikisthings.com as well as several consignment shops on line.
I'm always looking for new places and boutiques!!

Who are some of your favorite Etsy sellers or indie artists?
PEEKO apparel & vintage I love her clothes!
Carolhanna- She's on Project Runway- what's not to love!
HollywoodSpotlight- has great vintage jewellery!
There's just too many on Etsy to mention!


Kiki's Things
www.kikisthings.com
www.kikisthings.etsy.com
www.kikisthings.artfire.com
kiki@kikisthings.com

Meandering Monday: Quick Update on Whats Going On In the Shop

Good Monday Morning Everyone,
I hope this Monday finds you all well. Today's post is just a quick update on whats going on around here in the shop, studio, and some personal things. First of all as always I want to thank everyone of you for your continued interest in my blog and etsy shop. I appreciate each and everyone of the followers and the wonderful interest that you all have shown for the blog giveaways. By the way there is still time to enter to win the Pink Tourmaline and Sterling Silver ring from
Janaesjewels. You can click here for a direct link to the giveaway with the description and entry rules. Also I have another great donation for a giveaway from Judy at ArtsyCrafty.etsy.com which I plan to start on November 2nd so check back for that one as well. Remember too, that each Friday I will be featuring an Etsy shop so take a few moments to get to know the wonderful artists that run these great shops. Ok, I think that is all of the blog related news.

As far as the studio and shop go, I have several new design ideas a brewing. I plan to add some new copper items soon which I think you all will like. For now I am keeping them a secret. LOL I know the suspense is just killing you all. However, I have added a couple of new pink items for the Think Pink campaign that I am running for the month of October to help support the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. I have other pink items on the way and will continue to add them throughout the month of October.

You can see all of the pink items currently available by using the search term Pink in the search box at the top of my shop homepage. I will be donating 15% of my total sales of all pink items during the month of October to the Susan G. Komen foundation so please help support this great cause.

This month is also my one year Etsy anniversary so I will be offering 15% off the purchase price of any one made to order item purchase in my shop beginning today October 19th and ending on Saturday October 24th. Just enter the promo code "happy birthday" in the message to seller box during the checkout process. I will refund your 15% savings to the card you use via paypal or directly to your paypal account. To see all of the made to order items that are currently available simply use the search terms made to order in the search box at the top of my etsy shop homepage. I will be adding additional made to order items throughout the month so if you don't find something you like right now check back often for a greater selection.

 

Ok enough with the business mumbo jumbo right. LOL. So we took a little vacation last week to sort of get away and recharge the old batteries so to speak. We had a pretty good time. The weather was a bit yucky on Wednesday but otherwise is was very nice and sunny and warm. Things have been so crazy around here lately with my dad's cancer diagnosis and my grandmother developing congestive heart failure that we REALLY needed to take a break and get away for a while. Things are going to get hectic again in early November. They finally set a date for my dad's surgery for the 6th so I would greatly appreciate all of your prayers for him. I pray that he will have an uneventful, successful surgery and a very speedy recovery. He also needs your prayers for strength and courage to face this trial. He is very nervous and  scared, as anyone would be, so please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. I really appreciate it. Remember my mom as well. She is an exceptionally strong woman, but I know that she is worried and anxious as well.
Well I guess that's all for now. Thanks again for all of your support and interest. Catch ya later.

Fridays Featured Artist: CrystalPearl

Good Morning,

Welcome to the first installment of the Featured Artist Friday portion of my blog. I will be introducing you to one  Etsy artist and their shop every Friday for as long as I can continue to get shop owner's who are willing to participate. I hope that you will enjoy this new segment of my blog and will return to meet more amazing artists each week. Please show these artists  some kindness and check out their shops. Who knows, maybe you will find something that you just can't live without ;)

So grab yourself a cup of tea, coffee, or your beverage of choice; sit back, relax, and let me introduce you to Pearl, the proprietor of Crystal Pearl . Pearl is one of our Etsy neighbors from across the great pond. She and her husband live in Sussex, UK. Pearl describes her shop as offering " high quality vintage jewelry and unique one-off upcycled and hand embellished items of clothing using a variety of materials, such as faux jet, amberite, metallic buttons, acrylic buttons, ribbon, synthetic fur and 80 year old glass Chinese trade beads specially imported from Thailand. CRYSTAL PEARL does not use real animal fur in any of its creations. We previously owned an Ebay store and attained 100% positive feedback, i.e. 334 satisfied customers. Negative feedback was nil, so clients can genuinely buy from CRYSTAL PEARL with confidence. Our aim is to make shopping at CRYSTAL PEARL an enjoyable experience and your satisfaction is of paramount importance to us."

General/Background

Tell us about your art/craft. What is it that you create? I offer unique one-off upcycled and hand embellished t-shirts, dresses, skirts and lingerie using a variety of materials, although I do not use real animal fur in any of my creations. Each piece is hand stitched and every garment is of a different design, hence you will never find another one exactly the same
How long have you been doing this? What led you to start creating your art/craft? I have been making my own clothes for over 30 years, but only opened my Etsy shop in June 2009. Being between jobs, I suddenly had more time to spend honing my creative skills and that is how my Etsy shop was born.
Are you the only artist/crafter in your family or does it run in the genes? As the proprietor of CRYSTAL PEARL, I come from a family well versed in the art of needlecraft. As a child, my mother made a lot of my clothes herself, my aunt was a seamstress who worked in the centre of London (the Singer tailor's dummy used in some of my Etsy photos was given to me by her and was modeled on her exact physical dimensions.) Also, from a very young age, I made dolls clothes to my own design, tablecloths, etc., As I grew older, I studied needlework at secondary school and continue to make clothing for myself to this very day.
Is your art/craft your full time job? If not, what else do you do for a living? As I am currently between jobs, I can work on my Etsy shop fulltime. However, I am normally employed as a Medical Secretary and am actively seeking part-time work to fit in with my Etsy work.
What do you like to do in your spare time? In my spare time, I enjoy mushroom hunting, forest/beach walking, reading and all things French.
Is there anyone you would like to thank for being your biggest fan/supporter/cheerleader? I would like to thank all those who have featured me in their blogs, all those who have hearted my Etsy shop and also my long suffering husband who puts up with my crafting obsession.


Art/Craft Info
You make and sell several different types/lines of your work.  Which do you find yourself most drawn to and why? Whilst I enjoy the beading work I do, I find the upcycling side more creative, as I can use my artistic nature to produce a completely new garment from an existing piece. (See Juicy Olive T Shirt as an example of Pearl's upcycling)
On average how long would you say it takes you to complete a piece? The length of time taken to complete an individual piece varies greatly depending on whether it is an embellished piece, e.g. beaded, or an upcycled piece. As a general rule, the upcycled pieces take longer, as I am having to design, measure, cut, pin, tack, then machine stitch the pieces into place. However, some of the more intricately beaded items can take a substantial amount of time also, depending on the number of beads/adornments being added.
What is your favorite item from your shop? Why? My favourite piece is my Juicy Olive T-Shirt which is an upcycled creation. I love the colour combination of olive green and turquoise, plus the beading on the bottom.
Can you describe for us your creative process and or what a typical day is like in your studio. A typical creative day will start around 8.30 a.m. when I check my Etsy shop's statistics whilst drinking my first cup of tea. Then it is on to the creative part. Depending on whether I am upcycling or embellishing, I will either get out my sewing box, beads, buttons and any other adornments, plus the item of clothing I am going to embellish and work out what pattern I will produce by placing the adornments in different ways on the clothing until I am happy with a particular design. If I am upcycling, then I adjust my sewing machine and get to work designing, measuring, cutting, pinning, tacking and machining. I will take a quick lunch break and, then start photographing, editing and listing any completed items for my Etsy store. Once this is done, I will start on the promotional side of things by commenting on the Etsy forums, Twittering, Facebooking, Flickring and updating the many other craft and fashion sites where my work is displayed. A couple of glasses of chilled white wine later and I am ready to fall into bed.
What motivates you to create? I find creating to be a very therapeutic pastime. It's something which totally absorbs me and leaves no room for outside worries or concerns. It allows me to become totally immersed and is a natural outlet for my artistic nature. I get a great buzz out of being able to share my creations with my fellow Etsians and also the rest of the world in general.

Do you do custom requests for your art? I would be happy to do custom requests if someone liked a particular piece, but wanted it in a different size, colour or bead/pattern combination.




Etsy related questions
How did you discover etsy? I discovered Etsy by accident whilst surfing the net.
How do you promote your business? I spend a lot of time promoting my business through Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, blogs, Burdastyle, USTrendy, Etsy forums and treasuries, business cards and a lot of other craft and fashion websites. It is very time consuming, but it has to be done if you want your shop to be seen in the marketplace.
How much of your time would you say you spend on average doing etsy related business? My average working day has been about 11 hours and I would say that about a quarter of that is spent doing Etsy related business and a quarter spent on outside promotion, the other half on creating and producing new items for my shop.

Knowing what you know now about online selling and running your own business, if you could start all over from scratch would you do anything differently? Knowing what I know about online selling, I would probably think more carefully about what is already being successfully sold in the marketplace and tailor my talents towards that. I would also be stricter about taking breaks from my work and promoting the store, as it is all too easy to become totally absorbed to the exclusion of all else.
Do you have any advice for other artists? Whatever your particular artistic skill, I would say give an online store a go. Persevere and give it your best shot, but make sure you have fun whilst doing so. If you don't try, you never know what you might achieve. Make the most of the free advice given by fellow Etsyans in the forums, as others have ways around potential pitfalls which can save you a lot of time, money and heartache. Above all, enjoy what you do.
Where else can we find you online and/or locally (i.e galleries, boutiques, etc.)? Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/CRYSTAL-PEARL/105801815097
Twitter: http://twitter.com/crystalperle
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/16535372@N05
Burdastyle: http://www.burdastyle.com/member/CrystalPearl
USTrendy: http://www.ustrendy.com/crystal-pearl/portfolio/8246/crystal-pearl/
Blog: http://menopauseandmayhem.blogspot.com

Who are some of your favorite Etsy sellers or indie artists? Mistyridge, MysticWynd, Flairforfashion, Honeycombveils, YaffaDreams
Is there anything else that you would like for people to know about you or your shop that has not been covered in these questions?

As well as upcycled and hand embellished clothing, I also sell quality vintage jewelry, with prices to suit all pockets.

 
Thank you very much Pearl for answering all my questions. I wish you the best of luck here at Etsy. 
Thanks also to all my readers for taking a little bit of time out of their busy day to meet a new seller. Lets all give Crystal Pearl some love. Stop by the shop, look around, and welcome her to the neighborhood.
Don't forget to check back next Friday to meet another great shop owner.

Thank you

I am so excited by the wonderful response I have gotten from all of my fellow etsians. You all are just wonderful. So far everyone that I have contacted has been willing to participate in my weekly artist feature. I have lined up some great shops for you all to look at and wonderful artisans for you all to meet. I have sent out several questionnaires and will be beginning the features as soon as I get some of them back. I will be sure to post here and let you all know ahead of time when the features will officially begin.

I have also decided to host some blog giveaways and have had a great response to that as well. So make sure you check back often to get the latest information on the giveaways and to enter to win some really nice free stuff. As of right now the giveaways will be included in the Meandering Mondays posts. I am not sure about the frequency yet it all just depends on how many more shops show interest. I hope that the interest in this feature will really take off and I will have enough contributors to do at least one a month. Ideally I would like to do two per month but that may just be a dream.  If you are a shop owner and would like to participate in the giveaway by donating an item please contact me and I will forward you all of the information. I am not asking that you send anything to me for the giveaway, rather I will notify you of the winner and it will be your responsibility to mail the item to the recipient. I think that the way I am planning to conduct the giveaways will be a great promotional opportunity for your shop. So please consider it and let me know if you are interested. The best way to contact me is via etsy convo.

Guess that is all for now. Catch ya later.