Klean Kristi Update! =)

I just got my soap! My cats haven't been able to stop sniffing it! They love it, now at least... if they only knew.... lol!
Here's Georgie with it:

Which, BTW, tomorrow is Georgies first birthday!! My babies are growing up.. :(

Spotlight on Klean Kristi Kreations

Today’s spotlight is on a woman who makes bathtime fun! =)

I met Kristi in the Naughty X Nature Group on Etsy (FABULOUS group!! LOVE them!!) and got to know her in BNR’s and group games. Being a bit of a clean freak, I had to browse her shop. In addition to having the expected soaps, lavender, vanilla.. she has the most unique soaps I’ve ever seen! Sure to give you a smile and spark your curiosity!

Yes! Beer and Oreo scented soaps! Tell me you don’t want to order them just so you can smell them! =)

I asked Kristi to share with us about her business, I know you’ll find it as inspiring as I did:

I LOVE what I do with a passion and I thank God for the odd circumstances that brought me to where I am now. I was recovering from a neck fusion surgery and my husband happened to send an E-mail home to me from Entrepreneur magazine on the top 20 stay at home jobs for moms. He said he could see me doing one of two of them. One was basket making and the other soap making. I sort of scoffed at it and went on reading my E-mails. Somehow that E-mail kept bugging me so a couple of weeks later, I went back to REALLY read it and the soap making sparked an interested in my house-bound, bored self. So, I had my husband drive me to our local craft store (I was still on meds and healing from surgery) and bought the basics to make a few small soaps. I got to work and made some lollipops, pumpkins, fall soaps since it was Oct/Nov. I then gave them out to friends and family who really were impressed with my first time attempt and said I should go bigger! So from there, I did my research (being an RN and have gone to medical school for a year) I found out that there is a LOT of science involved and was overjoyed that I had found something that could combine my love of crafting with my love of science. From there, it just took off and I became incorporated in November of 2010 as Kristi's Klean Kreations.

I have since joined a networking group called Biz Moms which has helped my business grow locally and help me to find small businesses in town that will carry my products. They also support each other to no end. It was one of the best things I did. One women owns a Post Net that was sponsoring a nationwide contest for small businesses. I entered and used my contacts locally and on Etsy for support. I ended up in the top 5. This was huge! I ended up with a feature story in my local paper in the business section and I also won a gift card as a runner up prize. Of course I didn't win the $15,000 but there is always next year!!

Just about anything I see in nature or geometric designs spark my creative processes. I have made a soap once based on a stained glass candle holder.
I think my favorite soap is my Autumn Leaf Soap which I will be making soon. Smells like hot apple pie and has fall colored leaves scattered and poking out of the top. MMMMM

(Looking at these makes me CRAZY hungry, lol!!)

My advice for new people in business is to stay strong and definitely join at least one networking group.

Thank you so much Kristi!! As I’m sure your curiosity is now peaked and you are wondering what other crazy cool soaps can be found in her store here is the link:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/KleanKristi

Happy shopping!!

These are my two favorites! I LOVE coffee scented anything. I’ve ordered her anti-itch pet soap (the bone) and am very anxious to use it! =)

Spotlight on Felted By Rikke

Today we turn the spotlight on Rikke Bachmann of Felted By Rikke. I first discovered her in an Etsy team while playing the Favorites Game. If you’ve ever played this game you know that sometimes you get a shop where you spend like 30 mins trying to decide which one is your favorite because you love EVERYTHING! This was one of those times. From figurines to keychains, bookmarks to pencil bags this woman makes felt adorable and functional! Perfect birthday gift and excellent for back-to-school!

About Rikke:

"If someone told me 5 years ago that I some day would design and sell needle felted bookmarks and miniatures I would have asked "what is needle felt? and then just laughed" because until 4½ years ago I hadn´t even heard of that kind of craft. It was pure coincidence that I started to needle felt. One day I saw a needle felting kit in my local supermarket and since I´m curious I thought I would try and I have been needle felting ever since. 

(I’d actually never heard of needled felt either until I saw her shop, lol!)

In the beginning I needle felted hearts and other very easy items and used them for decorating at home and gifts for friends and family. I did sell as well but only in different kinds of crafts shows that benefitted families in need etc.

About a year and a half ago a friend I had then told me about Etsy and together with her I opened my Etsy shop - and sold absolutely nothing!! - Some months later I went solo on Etsy and after 4 months I had only sold one item - to a friend *LOL* - but I could see in the teams that patience was very important, even though I´m not at all patient, I chose to give the project 1 year to see if I was really able to sell.
11 months have gone by and I have now sold 56 items, so they were right - patience is a keyword.

(it’s also a virtue! Sorry... it was there, had to do it.)

You need to remember that there are more than 10 million items in 800,000 shops on Etsy, so even though you list 50 items you are not very visible to customers unless you really work for it. I use the teams a lot and take part in every treasury chain game I possibly can, that helps a lot and I try to list new items or renew ever 2-3 days because I know that people only browse 2-3 pages in their search for something, so it´s important to be in the top all the time. Making treasuries etc takes a lot of time, and you can´t create new items at the same time, so it´s important to keep a balance between creating and promoting - a balance that can be very hard to find.

My biggest success is my fox bookmark, so far I have sold 19 of them but even though the fox is very popular he is not my personal favorite. I like the miniature turtles the most, I can´t explain exactly why, maybe it´s because they are so small. 

(I agree with her on the turtles! As far as the bookmarks go my favorite is the Panda!)

Right now I have hundreds of ideas for new items I want to create but it will take time, it´s not possible to make a living needle felting - it takes 3-4 hours to make 1 bookmark and if I should price according to the time I spend making them I doubt I would sell any, so it´s a hobby and I don´t think that will ever change"

Hobby or lifestyle, I hope you never stop making items that make us smile! =)

Below is my personal favorite!

I hope you learned as much from this wonderful interview as I did. Finding the balance between creating and promoting and having patience (which I have a hard time with myself) can be difficult but if you keep on trying success can happen!

Be sure to visit Rikke’s shop on Etsy and check out more adorable items like these:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/FeltedByRikke
www.feltedbyrikke.com

Courtney~*

Tophatter Auction For Noah Batchelor

Tomorrow on Tophatter.com there will be 2 special auctions! Come out and support this sweet child!

Noah is a two-month-old fighting for his life at Riley's Children's Hospital in Indianapolis. He has 2 holes in his heart that are keeping it from functioning properly, causing his lungs to fill with fluid. He cannot have surgery until he is stable and has gained enough weight for it not to further endanger his frail health. All money donated from the proceeds of this auction will go toward his medical bills and his family's expenses.


This auction starts at 12:00 noonhttp://tophatter.com/auctions/5062
This one at 7:00 PMhttp://tophatter.com/auctions/5065

If you'd like to donate to one of these auctions here are the links:
http://tophatter.com/auctions/ce1e07/submit?campaign=community

http://tophatter.com/auctions/dc12db/submit?campaign=community

More Pics of the Babies!

Georgie was trying to help me knit my b/f a scarf, lol!! 

"Now to relax"

(Under the heating pad)

Spotlight on Shovava

I am a hippie.. this is simply a fact. I also don’t feel I look good in todays rhinestones and bling apparel. I have always preferred comfort to style but when browsing Shovava’s shop I felt like it wasn’t an either or decision. She has the perfect blend of comfort, style and artistic expression in a mix of beautiful tones and hues! I knew I had to share my discovery!

Roza’s Bio:

I've been born into a family of two artists in Kazakhstan and I've been always surrounded by creative atmosphere. Our house was always full of various Art books, Craft books, and of course lots of paintings and sculptures of my parents! My Mom is a professional tapestry maker and she's also a great seamstress. Obviously she has taught me everything she knows about sewing and craft making.
When I was 15, I moved to New York where I've worked in fashion industry for about 8 years and now I live in Australia, working on my own clothing line.

What inspired you to start your business?

When I first started, I was reconstructing over-sized men's t-shirts into creative fitted women's tops and did lots of experimenting with weaving and different cuts.
I put up few of my first designs on Etsy and I was surprised how well it was received by women! It inspired me to keep working on more, new designs. I then bought rolls of fabrics to create my designs from scratch. Later I moved on to more complex designs such as hoodies, dresses and skirts. Also I started incorporating hand drawing/painting and airbrushing stencils into my clothing line as well.

What inspires your creative process?

It might sound like a cliche, but I am inspired by just about anything around me! Luckily, I live in a very beautiful surroundings...Beautiful jungle, rivers, beach are just close by- nature is my number one inspiration. 

(With nature as her inspiration, no wonder she creates such beautiful pieces! Want this!)

What is your favorite thing you’ve made and why?
Thats a hard one! I can't pick one thing I like the most, because everything I made fits a certain mood, event and style. Each piece has its own unique feel.

(REVERSIBLE!! I love when one piece of clothing can work with so many different looks!!)

What advice do you have for other people who want to start or grow their Etsy shop?

I know this has been said many times, but after making Great product, Your number one thing should be GREAT photos. If you don't have great, clean photos, the customer has no way of seeing your product in all its glory- I mean that is the only way customers can judge your products online, since they are not able to touch/feel it. Also overall feel/look of the shop matters, It helps if the whole shop feels clean and easy on the eye.

When browsing her shop, you have to agree, she’s mastered the ever-elusive clean and beautiful photo talent that so many of us (myself definitely included!) struggle so much with!

Thank you so much Roza for creating such incredible, wearable works of art!! Please visit Shovava on Etsy, you’re sure to find something your closet simply CAN’T do without!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Shovava

But you can’t have these two, they’re mine... ;) (J/K)

Thanks for reading!

Courtney~*

*~Seasonal Colors Poll~*

I'm working on a new piece and I'm looking for some input! I just got these awesome charms from Bellas Bead Habit on Etsy:

I have, what I hope is, a cool idea. But I need your input!
What colors do you associate with each of the four seasons?
Looking forward to hearing your responses! =)