Tell us about yourself!
My name is Katie and I live in Louisville, Kentucky with my husband of eight years, Josh, and our two little girls. Our oldest, Miriam, is five and just started kindergarten. Our youngest, Leah Rose, just turned two. I've worked in customer service at a local bank for the past ten years.
What makes you unique?
I am admittedly a bit of a geek (I'm a ridiculously huge fan of Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings, two things that get me teased constantly at work!) who also loves fashion, clothes and accessorizing. I went to see the second-to-last-installment in the Harry Potter movie series wearing skinny jeans, ruby red high heels and a Hogwarts t-shirt. I try to keep my jewelry designs light and whimsical, too, and not take things too seriously.
There is never a dull moment around my house. One of my favorite things to do is just sit and listen to my girls play together. Leah is now old enough to really play with Miriam -they are constantly playing pretend and they create their own little worlds. I like to listen in and hear how creative they are. They are also hilarious -Miriam will tell you she "doesn't care for pizza" while yesterday Leah said to me "you not Katie -you my mommy!" I love watching these two interesting little girls grow into themselves more and more everyday.
What are you currently doing besides your shop crafts?
Miriam and I craft together all the time. We make clothes for her dolls, soap and we've recently started "rhinestoning," a crafting pastime my sister introduced me to which is basically bedazzling anything that will sit still long enough (today I made myself a Halloween koozie). I also make headbands with feathers and sequins. On my ever-expanding lists of things to do is to take a bead weaving class and also learn how to knit. I've had knitting needles and yarn in my closet for almost two years but I'm determined to learn someday!
www.etsy.com/shop/AdelleRose
What do you offer in your etsy shop?
I make jewelry, primarily earrings. I also make necklaces, bracelets, and the occasional ring. I do create wine charms, too, and soon I'll be offering embellished bobby pins. The vast majority of my jewelry is made with beads, although I also work with glass charms and I've recently discovered how much fun flower cabochons are.
I work at my dining room table. I have two plastic bins full of my beading supplies that sit on a card table in the corner of my dining room. I dream of having my own actual studio someday but I love my dining room -it's the sunniest room in my house and my table is big enough for me to really spread everything out and work.
Where do you find your inspiration?
I've always been a girly girl. When I was little I loved playing dress up with my grandma's vintage jewelry. I still find inspiration in vintage designs -I love to wander in antique malls, inspecting vintage necklaces and brooches. I've recently started taking some of these necklaces apart and refashioning them into more modern necklaces as well as earrings.
I love looking at fashion magazines, too, although I've certainly cut back my subscriptions in recent years. I used to subscribe to about 10 different monthly magazines but now I only get a few. I still get lots of catalogs, though, and I like to sit down with them and see what's trendy and then try to create things that follow the trends but with my own unique interpretation.
I love to read and watch movies and some of my designs are inspired by my favorite characters from books and movies. I try not to be too literal in my interpretations, though, and keep things subtle.
I started making jewelry when Leah was a baby -she took two naps a day and I hated to sit Miriam down in front of the TV every time she was asleep but it was hard to find quiet things to do during those times. So we started crafting together. Within six months, I was giving everyone I knew jewelry all the time and I finally decided to open an Etsy shop and see if I could make a little money.
How do you promote your business?
I mainly promote through my Facebook page, www.facebook.com/
What is one of the most important lessons you've learned since starting your business?
You have to be patient and not expect everything to happen overnight. Also, try to connect with other people through teams and treasury making. Etsy is a great community, everyone I've encountered has been so kind -I love it!
I'd reference that patience again! Get your name out there, join teams, start a Facebook page and don't get discouraged if you aren't selling 10 items a day. Have fun and enjoy what you're doing.
What are some of your favorite online shops, both etsy and non-etsy?
It's really hard to pick my favorite Etsy shops because there are so many great ones out there! I especially love Girl 216 Designs, Zias Cottage Industry, em and sprout, and lkfarnsworth. Off Etsy, I am a hopeless Target junkie and I can find just about anything I need on Amazon.
