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Happy Freebie Friday all! I have a great giveaway for your little artsy ones this week from Lauren of BooPatch! I definitely could have used one of her jumper smocks when Bug decided to go mud puddle jumping a couple weeks ago and got her dress covered in mud! First, lets find out some more about Lauren, BooPatch's shop owner:
Happy Freebie Friday all! I have a great giveaway for your little artsy ones this week from Lauren of BooPatch! I definitely could have used one of her jumper smocks when Bug decided to go mud puddle jumping a couple weeks ago and got her dress covered in mud! First, lets find out some more about Lauren, BooPatch's shop owner:
Tell us a bit about yourself.
HI! I 'm Lauren, mom to two wonderfully energetic boys and wife to my best friend. "Boo" is 6 and "Patch" is 9. I started making things for them when they were babies and have never stopped! But I've been sewing since I was a kid. My mom taught me and I hated it growing up; except when it got me an instant 'A' in Home Economics; but as an adult I've come back around to the creativity of it. Most of the things I make come about because I saw something and thought "I can soooo make that better/cheaper/in my size" and most of the time I work off a design I've sketched up on scratch paper. Being able to sew makes you appreciate the quality of an object so much more!
Do you have a job outside of Etsy? How do you handle both?
I work as a secretary for a small public service office and my husband works primarily night shift. How do I handle both? Umm...when I figure that out I'll let you know!! No seriously....I work the standard 9-5 and come home, run kids around to Karate, Scouts, Sports...fit dinner in there somewhere and finally get everyone into bed at the end of the day. That's when I usually try to find time to work on BooPatch. IF I'm not to exhausted already. Otherwise I try to fit in my main sewing work on the weekends when my husband is around to do the Kid Stuff. I would never get as much done as I do without the support of friends and family, we are very very blessed in that aspect.
What is the inspiration for your work?
Inspiration comes in many forms...Art jumpers came about because I saw the idea in a Martha Stewart magazine years ago. I thought they were such a cute idea to use up my husbands old dress shirts that I made one for my oldest. Glad I did, fast forward a few years later and one day they didn't have them on and painted their bodies instead of the art work they were supposed to be creating.
As far as the other things in my shop, the pocket scarves were actually my neighbors idea...and for every scarf I sell I have to pay him with a dozen cookies! The wrist warmers...I saw some at a craft show that someone had felted and I thought they were so cute I bought them on the spot. Still have them, they're one of my favorites...I couldn't figure out how to felt but I took an old sweater and cut it up to make my own variation....Used to think they were pretty original till I realized they're all over Etsy! Hehe...live and learn!
Do any of your items go toward a special cause?
Every year around St. Patrick's Day our local Fire/PD/EMS get together and raise funds for St. Baldricks Society. This is a charity that raises money for children cancer research. Participants shave their heads in an act of solidarity with the children going thru treatment. This year our event raised over $81,000! My family and I went 3 years ago to support our friends and our youngest son, who was 3 at the time, decided he wanted to do it too...Since then we have done it every year, and this year a portion of my sales went to this event. Boo has been the youngest participant at our event for the last 3 years running!
Where do you create?
Well...I'd love to tell you that I have the most awesome work space with cubbys and desk space big enough for all my projects...but the truth is my work space is the dining room table. With big Rubbermaid containers holding all my fabric and finished products. Numerous baskets and sewing boxes litter a corner of our dining room slowly taking over. We are in the process of moving bedrooms around so that I can have an office but as any parent knows...fitting in the time for DIY home improvement is a slow process!
What are your goals for your shop?
What I'd love is for it to be self-sustaining, I've tried hard not to put up too much out of pocket expenses, but that is difficult sometimes! I mainly want to see my things sell, to be validated and my things found worthwhile. Sometimes its hard to believe beyond our own small circle of the world that somewhere someone else might think what we made is brilliant...that's what I want!! Brilliance! Sales! Success! But mainly I'd just be happy with making ends meet and indulging my creativity and shopping urges :-)
What advice would you give to new artists on Etsy?
Well as I am still a relatively new shop, I would have to say read, read, read! I spend time every day scanning the forums and my team pages. It really does help to join the teams and feel like you are part of a community. Also don't be afraid to ask for criticism and make changes, no matter how small they may seem. Sometimes the small changes make a huge difference! Contemplate trading services with someone to get things done...Maybe you don't have a great camera or a steady hand (me)...offer free advertising to a photography friend in exchange for taking great pictures of your products.
Lastly take your time....don't rush, and don't stress. The one thing I have seen endlessly on Etsy is that everyone remembers when they started out and how frustrating it can be. It will happen, even if it happens slowly! Not everyone turns out to be an overnight success! Although we can all dream of that...sigh.
You have a chance to win this lovely light blue art jumper!
{which you can have your kiddo wear when doing some Toddler Tuesday art projects}
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