1. What inspired you to open your shoppe?
I have been crafting for as long as I can remember. When I started making snack bags and sandwich wraps, people kept saying I should sell them. My daughter had a shop on another website. So I just sold my things on her shop. I had bought a few things on Etsy so I decided to open a shop and see how it went. Eventually my daughter closed her shop so I was just selling on Etsy.
2. Is this your full time job? If not do you hope it can be?
My full time job is being a mom and homeschooling teacher to my wonderful, active, busy, seven year old son. But crafting takes a close second to that.
3. How did you come up with the idea and name for your shoppe?
The name of my shop is from my email address. I'm a hippie from the 60's. That has never changed. And I love fairies.
4. Do you plan on expanding your items?
I'm always adding to what I sell. First it was the sandwich wraps and snack bags, then washcloths, and now candles.
5. Can you tell us about your studio and process?(you may include a photo with yourself in it if you like).
I don't have a studio. We live in a very small apartment. My "studio" is a corner of the kitchen table.
6. What motivates you?
I have always loved creating new things. I have been sewing since I was about 5 years old. Now my main motivation is the desire to live as naturally as possible. I am concerned about the waste of resources in our environment. That's why I started making reusable things. Even with my candles I reuse the little cups that they come in.
7. Do you have a blog? If you do, what is it about?
My blog is mostly about my son and our homeschooling activities. I do sometimes add things that I have made.
8. What made you decide to go with Etsy, or Artfire?
As I said, I was sharing a shop with my daughter but I could never figure out how to add things to the shop or delete things, or edit or anything else on it. Etsy is so easy to use. It just works well for me.
9. Do you sell anywhere else?(retail in your area or other online shoppes or through a personal site).
Not any more. When I was younger I sold at craft fairs. But now I've just been selling on Etsy.
10. What do you like best about creating?
Seeing the end result. Taking the raw materials and turning them into something useful makes me feel good about myself.
11. Do you Twitter or have a Facebook fan page or any other online social media sites?
I don't have a fan page. I do sometimes put things on my facebook page that I have created. But it's just a regular page not a fan page.
12. Can you tell us about how you ensure that your products arrive intact and the instructions for caring for them?
Most of my products are fabric so there isn't much to getting them to the buyer in one piece. I use sturdy plastic bags for most of my shipping. Since they are cotton fabrics they are easily washed and dried. My sandwich wraps and snack bags can be washed in a machine and dried in the dryer if you put them in with a load of towels or something like that to soak up some of the heat. If they went in the dryer by themselves, they may melt. I usually wash them by hand and hang them to dry. The washcloths and bottle cozies are also cotton and can be machine washed and dried.
I wrap my candles in bubble wrap to make sure that they do not get crushed in the mail. I need to research a better way to ship them as the last ones I shipped melted.
13. Who are your 4 favorite artists or sellers on Etsy, and Artfire.
There are so many artists that I like on Etsy. AdamsboroSundries is a great place to buy fragrance oils. We love the coffee from capitalcitycoffeeco. I love the candles and hand knit products from brikeney. ElementalHandcrafts has some great handcrafted toys and knitting needles. It is really hard to narrow the list down to just four artists. There are so many shops that I love to stroll through and drool.
14. Can you tell us the 5 weirdest things about you?(optional, just
want others to know the person behind the creations).
I am an old hippie from the 60's.
I have six kids and eight granbabies.
Six of my granbabies are older than my youngest son.
I am a homeschooling mama to my seven year old.
I am 17 years older than my husband.
To see more please go to:
http://hippiefairylover.etsy.comhttp://kathishippiehaven.blogspot.com/
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