Shop link: LuvNknit.etsy.com
Give us the basics:
LuvNknit.etsy.com, Lakewood OH, (suburb west of Cleveland), Handknit and crocheted apparel and accessories.
What’s your favourite smell?
"New baby smell"
How long have you been doing your craft?
I think I was born with the crafting gene. I was always interested in making things but have only been selling my creations for about 12 years or so.
Who/What inspires you in your craft?
I get inspiration from anything! Sometimes I see a button and design a purse around it. Sometimes I see a particular color yarn and it just begs to transformed into something fabulous! I have a lot more ideas in my head than I have time to create!
What do you like least about your craft?
I hate cutting out patterns on the rare occasions that I use them, hate weaving in ends, cutting stray threads you know, the boring stuff! Once I get to that point in a project I get bored with it and start itching to get to the next one.
What’s a normal day for you?
Well, I'm pretty busy. I have a 2 year old, 7 year old and 16 year old and babysit 2 kids under 2, 3 days a week. The majority of my time is spent with the kids, then of course there's housework, cooking, homework. I also work 3 nights a week as a nurse on the night shift, since I happen to be a night owl. A lot of times the only time I have to pursue my crafting is on my nights off, so I often stay up till 3 or 4 am. Somewhere in all that mess I try to carve out a little "husband and wife time" ;)
What advice would you give Etsy sellers just starting out?
I was very discouraged when I first started out. I've been told for years I should "open my own store" and loved the idea of selling my creations on line. Then I did and...nothing. no sales. When the sales didn't come in I thought "Oh man, my stuff is crap!". It took a while for me to "get" that if no one sees your stuff, no one will buy your stuff. You can have the most appealing product in the world, but if no one knows about it you won't sell a thing. I wasn't aware I had to promote. So, my advice is : Have faith in yourself and your talent. Work hard on getting your name out there. Give it time and all the effort you have the time and energy for.
How do you discover new things on Etsy?
Oooh I just love the "pounce" feature. I love going through the "undiscovered shops", after all, I was one of those not so long ago. I think it might be nice if they had a "approaching milestone" feature. You know, shops that are waiting for their 10th, 100th or 500th sale. That would be cool! There is so much talent on etsy it's almost overwhelming.
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