Feature Friday

Let's give a warm welcome to Karen Lain, the creative mind behind AuntKarensCreations and this week's Featured Friday artist!
Blog: http://auntkarenscreations.blogspot.com/
Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/AuntKarensCreations

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

I have friends who kept bugging me to sell what I was sewing. One friend told me about Etsy...I gotta tell ya the first look made me a believer! It took several weeks for me to actually post anything, but I sure was happy as I posted my first tissue box cover!





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

...And we're walkin', we're walkin'...oh, sorry!

I get up pretty early and must have my coffee before my eyes even open. While I'm waiting for the coffee to kick in I pull up my laptop and log in... my home page is my Etsy store so I can see right off if I had gotten a sale. I answer convos and begin thinking about what creating I'm going to do (by now the coffee has kicked in and I'm not bumping into doors and walls and such.) Then I pull up the sewing machine and get to work.

3. Name your top 3 Bookes, Music, Movies, and Tv Shows:

• Book - "A Woman of Substance" by Barbara Taylor Bradford. This is the start of generations of strong women who endure heart rending and serious challenges.
• Music - Gimme the classic rock 'n' roll please...but Country is good too!
• Movie - There's actually two - "Steel Magnolias" - I've only watched it about 30 times, and "The Bucket List" - This makes you laugh through tears!
• TV Show - "The Deadliest Catch" - Ok laugh now! I don't care for TV much it's usually just on for background noise but Deadliest Catch makes me stop and watch. Hmmmm Mythbusters is good too come to think of it.

4. What are your top 3 shops on Etsy?

I honestly don't have a top shop on etsy... each one is unique, wonderful and worth my time to wander through. But I love the off-the-wall type shops like one that sells Exploding Frog soaps. Another sells hand sewn body parts to send to someone who has lost an organ???? Those I really appreciate and wish that I had that kind of imagination.

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

I am hoping for regular sales. I opened my shop to save for another trip to Hawaii. At this rate? LOL I'll be 87! BUT I have twice the amount that I started with in my account so I am making headway. That includes the supplies that I've bought.

6. What projects are you currently working on?
I'm so glad you asked! I have started a men's line in my shop! Right now I'm selling men's paperboy style hats. I am so excited about these! I've never really followed the "fashion" world but when I saw three news stories on the new fashion being hats for men, I KNEW that this was what I needed to do! I try to use fabric that I already have and there isn't much male type fabric but I found that I had some wonderful 100% wools that men would like. THEN I ran across a couple of my husband's old suits...he'd had them for over 20 years! (Yup the tags vintage and upcycled will be on those hats!) ... he'll never miss the suits (big ole grin going on here.)


















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

There are so many things that you need to do once you open up your shop. It truly becomes overwhelming at times. Don't let that hinder you! You are doing something you love, right? Just take a step back, pick one thing to fix or work on... do that right and then move to the next thing you need to improve. Etsy isn't a race at all, it's the place where you can offer your lovely work! I listed just 3 items to start with. I thought that that was a lot to start with. But I am glad now that it was so few because when time came for me to have to change pictures, descriptions, shipping etc etc I didn't have 50 to go fix! It's ok to take it slowly because then you don't lose control over the shop or lose patience with yourself. Enjoy the process, enjoy your shop, enjoy life...........You are worth it!