Feature Friday

Please give a warm LabRats welcome to our Feature Friday artist this week: Kathy Hoos from MyLittleGirlsCloset
Blog:http://mylittlegirlscloset.blogspot.com/
Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MyLittleGirlsCloset

1) Tell us about yourself, your shop and what brought you to the Etsy community.

My name is Kathy, and I'm a stay at home mom. I have two beautiful little girls, the tallest is 22 months and the smallest is 9 months.

When I got pregnant with the tallest I knew that I wanted to make her some special things. I guess I'm sentimental that way. So I picked up an inexpensive sewing machine and started making simple patterns and slowly built up my expertise. Now I'm confident with many skills that I was intimidated by at first!

I got so many compliments on stuff I had made that I decided to share my skills with others by opening an etsy shop. I make and embroider clothing for little girls. I can also make stuff for little boys and adults though I don't keep my shop stocked with those things. I love custom work. It always makes me feel good to create something unique for a unique little person.

2) Walk us through a typical day in your life.

Is any day typical for the parent of a toddler? Hhere's my interpretation of what my days are like. Wake up at around 7:30 because the smallest was playing quietly in her crib, pulled herself up to standing and got stuck, unsure of how to get down from standing.  Bring her out to the living room, pop on "Baby Signing Time" and get a precious 5 minutes to splash water on my face before I need to go get the toddler as well. Redirect a request for cookies for breakfast to something slightly healthier. Help hubby remember where his keys are and send him off to work.

The next 8 hours are hazy. I try to keep the girls alive, fed, clean, napped and entertained (that's in order of priority). If I'm lucky enough to get them to nap at the same time I can work on some sewing.  Usually though I take advantage of the separate nap schedules to spend quality time with each of the girls. Some days we do exciting things like go to the farm or the zoo. Lately it's been raining a lot so our adventures are limited to puddle sploshing. I'm happy to say there's very little tantruming involved in my day - I attribute that to the fact that we sign with the girls. At only 22 months the tallest's vocabulary consists of over 100 signs and well over 150 words.
By the time hubby gets home I'm ready to get out of the house so we find something to entertain everyone for an hour before doing a dinner-bath-bed routine. A 15 minute house recovery clean and my time is mine again until bedtime. I get some sewing done, watch tv, crochet, sketch, play Dr Mario, or do whatever else I want. I usually stumble to bed around midnight

3) Name your top 3:

Books

1. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman
2. Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
3. The Backyard Homesteader by Carleen Madigan

Music

My tastes change dramatically based on my mood. While writing this I've been listening to
1. Fiona Apple's cover of Across the Universe
2. Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell
3. A Little Less Conversation by Elvis Presley

TV

1.  Leverage
2.  Covert Affairs
3.  White Collar

 Movies

1.  The Princess Bride (can this EVER be watched enough?!)
2.  Pleasantville
3.  The Harry Potter series

Websites

1.  http://www.babiesmakingfaces.com
2.  http://www.thinkgeek.com
3.  http://www.regretsy.com - I think you really do need to be able to laugh at yourself plus, imagine the traffic this would drive to your shop!

4.) What are your top 3 shops on Etsy?

1.  http://www.etsy.com/shop/LolaPinkFabrics
2.  http://www.etsy.com/shop/itsastitch
3.  http://www.etsy.com/shop/VintageConfections

5.) Where do you hope your shop will be in a year?

In a year I'm hoping that the girls will give me enough time to be able to list a new item every two days. (Everyday would be ideal but I suspect that's not going to happen until they're both in preschool).  I've been designing fabric in my mind and I'm hoping to be able to realize those fabrics in time for a spring collection.

6.) What projects are you currently working on?

Right now I'm having fun with my serger. It was a Christmas present but I didn't get to actually use it until recently. I was so scared of threading it. I've heard way too many horror stories. But when I took it out of the box I discovered it comes pre-threaded!  
I've been playing around with peasant dress patterns. I'm working on creating my own pattern, something with long sleeves.

7.) What suggestions/tips would you offer to someone new to Etsy?

Come to the Virtual Labs. They've been a huge help for me. Even if I don't have any questions and I'm busy sorting laundry, just listening to HeyMichelle or Daniellexo makes me feel more productive and often encourages me to create!