WhiMSy love

Today I am pleased to introduce Nikki Mans of Richland WA. She is the creative force behind WhiMSy love. She sells an assortment of handmade goodies. Anything from vintage button rings,watercolors, book art, wee t-shirts & onesies, paperitems, even some vintage collectibles. She says, "I love to try everything--I can’t help it. Sometimes I think it’d be best to pick just one thing & put all my energies into it, but I wouldn’t know where to start." He shop is eclectic and whimsical, just as the name implies. My favorite item is the fork easel- show below.

What is your real life like?
I’m a stay-at home-mom. That’s my #1 duty. After feeding kids & reading stories & playing games, I make stuff. And in-between putting off loads of laundry, I make stuff. After the days errands are complete, dishes are done & littles ones are sleeping, I make stuff. I LOVE making stuff! I also love thrifting, taking pictures, spontaneity, the color pink, laughing, eating peanut butter, cuddling with my hunky hubby & anything cupcake-y.

What is your process?
Because I make a random assortment of goodies, I have a random assortment of supplies. But mostly I like taking vintage items like buttons, lace, trims, fabric, books, eating utensils…& making them into something super duper! I use anything from a sewing machine, to pliers, to hole punches to drills.

What are your goals and vision for your business?
Short term I’d like to make it through the holidays in a successful crafty whirlwind. I’m doing my first show this December! Long-term, I’d like to help bring home the bacon.

How and where do you market your business?

I’ve found that how much or how little I put into my business equals how much or how little I’ll get out of it. And being a mom of two kidlets, that’s a little tricky. I do simple things like handing out my biz card wherever I can, updating my blog on a regular basis, networking with other artists online & selling/consigning my items to other online shops. And I just joined Twitter. Eventually I also plan on approaching local boutiques about selling WhiMSy love goodies.

What inspires you?
My 2 girls inspire me A LOT! Kids see things in a very different & very cool way, & so a lot of times I steal their ideas. HAHA! They sometimes say the most silly things…that make complete sense. I wonder what I’ll do when they grow up & move out? I guess I’ll have to borrow someone else’s kids. I also find that an occasional break is very inspirational---anything from a nice relaxing candlelit bath, to a spur-of-the-moment daytrip, to a kooky outing with a friend. A refreshing break brings renewed energy. (That sounds like it should be in a fortune cookie.)

Who is your favorite musical artist?
I love music. I listen to all styles of music. I’m on a Damien Rice fix right now. But I could listen to this version of ‘Rain King’ by the Counting Crows over & over & over.

What are two of your favorite things from your shop?
I love the vintage button rings! I wear a different one almost every day.
(pictured above)
And I also really like my book art, “Writing on the Wall”. I have them hanging in my own home & they‘re just funky pieces of artwork! (pictured below)

I am a fan of…
Besides checking my email & blog a bazillion times a day, I’ve also been known to visit these sites:
http://projectplaylist.com I love having music on while I’m crafting or blogging.
http://oneprettything.com Rachel lists tons of DIY craftiness & tutorialsalmost every day that she gathers from around the www. I love this site!
Flickr--http://www.flickr.com/photos/whimsy_girl/
http://allrecipes.com
I just recently joined Twitter & it’s so much fun! http://twitter.com/whimsylove

Find Me…
Come visit my Etsy shop
See the goofy girl (that’s me!) behind it all on my blog.
Oh, & this is totally random, but I was super psyched that one of my tutorials was recently featured on the CRAFTzine.com blog
AND mentioned on the ThreadBanger blog

ParisChicBoutique

Today I am featuring Allie from Paris Chic Bouique. What a lovely Etsy shop this is....everything is so lovely and Parisian. They sell hand painted, French inspired products for you, baby and the home. From oil paintings to hand painted tiles, you can find just about anything with an Eiffel Tower, Fleur de lis or French Poodle! Most pieces will even teach you a french word or two!

What is your "real" life like?
I live in a great building in Queens, NY with my wonderful and extremely supportive husband, Philip and our orange tabby, Benson. I cannot begin to function without my morning cup of coffee as I check emails and sales and just break into the day. When not painting, packaging, photographing or posting I love to read, cook, go for a walk, shop and most certainly watch my daily dose of Martha Stewart!

What is your process?
Most of our items are ceramic so we use special paints that are later fired to create permanent art. The tote bags offered are all organic cotton canvas and we use all natural pigments made for fabric painting, again creating a permanent bond. Just browsing through our shop, you can see that we paint on just about everything and use all different types of materials. Right now, our favorite decoration is glitter! Just in time for the holiday season!

What are your goals and vision for your business?
Short term goals are to sell as many products as our little hands can keep up with! Long term we would love to grow our business by obtaining more wholesale accounts and having more availability of the Paris Chic Boutique line.

How and where do you market your business?
Mainly on Etsy but there are so many wonderful blogs that have so graciously featured some of our products:
www.organic4baby.com
http://onthedotcreations.typepad.com/onthedotcreations/
http://trendytots.typepad.com/trendytots/

Do you subscribe to any business related blogs, zines or magazines?
Martha Stewart Living, (lots of entrepreneurial advice & creative ideas)

What inspires you?
So many inspirations...just love Paris (obviously), colors in nature (always stop to smell the roses!), fresh flowers, Spiderman, and love the smell of a bookstore! Oh, and traveling by car; whether it's a vacation cross country or just a ride Upstate NY it's all about the journey!

Who is your favorite musical artist?
Neko Case but love such a broad range...classical music while painting, classic rock while emailing.

What are two of your favorite things from your shop?
Cabinet Knobs: (pictured above)These were just so much fun to paint on because they are so small!
Wish, Dream & Believe Painting: (pictured below)
Just love this painting because i had no idea where it was going and I love the outcome!

I am a fan of...
www.daisycakessoap.etsy.com: best soaps I ever bought!
www.TRUEGODDESSFRAGRANCE.etsy.com: quality incense in hundreds of scents!
www.pacokeco.etsy.com: creative paper products that will amaze you!
For book lovers:
www.paperbackswap.com : you can recycle your books and get great new ones for free!

Find Seller.....
The Paris Chic Boutique line can be found in many boutiques across the United States. Here's a few;

Flourish Boutique & Gallery
24545 Brick Road, Suite A
South Bend, IN 46628
www.flourishboutique.com

Cherry Blossom Boutique, located in historic downtown Port Huron
327 Huron Ave
Port Huron, MI
810.985.0075
Brentwood Kitchens ; www.BrentwoodKitchen.com

Fortunes Rocks Fine Art
709 Blount Ave.
Guntersville, AL 35976
www.TheBabyGiftShoppe.com

You can also find more paintings and wall mural ideas on my personal website;
www.allisonluciart.blogspot.com

Sellers Who Go Above and Beyond

Recently I have been sent some wonderful products by Etsy sellers as a form of thank you. It really is a testament to how important it is to make a connection with people in this cold internet world. I think we can all learn something about how to better connect with our customers.

Deco Alley was featured on my blog last month and wanted to thank me by sending me a little sampler. When it arrived my 9 year old daughter and I tore the package open and discovered some miniature goodies like biscuits, bagels and donuts. My daughter immediatly had ideas how SHE could use them- or - how I could use them to make something for her. I ended up making her a charm bracelet out of the bagels and it was so cute. Above is a picture of one of my favorite new things by Deco Alley.



Another artist that I recently featured was Blue Rock Gourds. As I said in the post that I did about them- my heart is warmed by the family nature of their business. They went out of their way to thank me by sending me a gourd. Now, I have- historically- never been a big fan of gourds-maybe I thought I was too cool for gourds- or they were too crafty. I am a modern girl- stainless steel birdhouses- that kind of thing. I am a gourd loving convert now- they seem so alive because they come from nature. When I opened the box I was wowed by how dynamic and glossy the stain was on it. She included the extra touch of sending it in my favorite color- green! I was so overwhelmed by the generosity of it and it's unexpected beauty. I immediately hung the birdhouse gourd on a tree that you see from the patio door so I could continue to admire it from indoors. I am selling my house and all of my personal items are in storage- which is where, technically, this gourd should be also but I don't care- I am going to hang it proudly on that tree until I move- then I will hang it at my new house. BTW- they tell me, over at Blue Rock Gourds that they send out a thank you gourd a week- what a great idea!



LolasCraftShop makes the cutest cards. I was on her blog awhile back and left a comment - she contacted me and asked for my address so she could send me the card that I commented about. It was an owl card- not the one above. When I got it in the mail I was taken back by the workmanship she puts into these cards. I left it on my counter so I could admire it for a few days before tucking it away into my card box. I am waiting for the perfect opportunity to send it to someone- or give it to someone that I like alot. I just feel like sending a card like that out of the blue is such a great approach to marketing yourself- I have to figure out how I can incorporate that into my business.

Sick Days

I have been sick in bed with a cold for the last few days...it has completely wiped me out. My advice to myself should be to "Just rest- you have a family to take care of and you have to be well to do that."
I can't help but think of all the things that I have to do, from laundry to cooking, my business- oh, and I have to update mt blog daily- I promised myself that I would do that. So here I am, updating my blog for the certain pleasure of my loyal readers. Are you pleased? (laughing)





I do have a useful piece of information in all of this though.....Puffs tissues with Vicks lotion added are the best thing since sliced bread- if you get a cold make sure you have these on hand. They have prevented my nose from getting red and cracked and they give me that tiny bit of sinus clearing goodness that I am oh so grateful for.
Click on the picture above to go to the Puffs site and read more about them.

Keri Rounding

Today I am excited to have Keri Rounding from Ontario, Canada of "Keri Rounding". She sells hand felted jewelry inspired by sea life. These are the perfect price point for gift giving so make sure that you check out her shop and see what she has to offer.

What is your "real" life like?
When I’m not creating, I work part time in an office at a hockey arena. My free time is spent with my cat Phoenix. I also love to enter contests when I have the time. I have won chocolate for a year, makeup, a cell phone, an ipod and lots of other fun things.

What is your process?
First I do a little sketch of what I want the piece to look like and then start experimenting with the wool. I have about 9 styles of brooches now but am always coming up with new ideas. I do every piece by hand using a wet felting technique. The little balls are done using needle felting. I love to work with merino wool- it felts easily and feels great! Each piece takes about an hour each to complete.

What are your goals and vision for your business?
My short-term goals are to make more products and work on new ideas. I’m currently working on expanding into a line of felted bags. I have also opened a new etsy shop which showcases my embroidered brooches. Long-term, I would like to continue to expand the business- maybe into clothing.

How and where do you market your business?
I am always adding new photos of my work to flickr. I also use www.weloveetsy.com and http://buriedtreasury.ning.com/ to showcase my work.

What inspires you?
Receiving a new shipment of dyed wool is always exciting. I am inspired by the
possibilities of colour combinations. I can’t wait to get to work on matching them up. I also like to flip through photography books. I’ll go to the library and check out books on sea life or biology. The images inspire me to create.

Who is your favorite musical artist? (click artist name to see a video)
Jack Johnson

What are two of your favorite things from your shop?
These are my favorite shapes and colour combinations:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16857372
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15596112

I am a fan of....
Flickr
Contest Girl
Not Always Right
100 Ideas
Majaba

Find me....
www.kerirounding.com
www.seapod.etsy.com
www.kerirounding.etsy.com
www.onthebutton.etsy.com