Interview with My Bearded Pigeon from Etsy – Associated Content
There is lot of searching for vintage maps and then, sewing. Answering emails and packaging orders How do you want your craft and business to evolve? I am not sure. I never really had a business plan. Obviously I would like to reduce my (other) work
I am honored to have been asked to do the first video interview on Mommies Cafe, the community site where mommies get together online for a coffee break.
The interview goes into detail on how I got started in business and as an author, and includes some advice for other work at home moms. I had a lot of fun doing the interview, and I hope you’ll check it out.
Hi I’m Hannah Stevenson from While They Sleep Designs. I am wife to a great guy named Jeff (the handsome man in the green). And I am “Momma” to three little girls all under the age of two: Twin girls Laurel (green skirt) and Maisy (blue skirt, scowl on face) and our newest little one, Norah Jane (the sweetest cherub of a baby). Life is crazy over at our house as I’m sure most of you can imagine. But there is NEVER a dull moment and that’s the way we like it.
I love to sew, crochet, paint, bake. I look forward to learning to knit someday. My mom taught me how to sew on her old New Home sewing machine, but I never really had a passion for it until my babies were born. Now I can say that I am certifiably obsessed.
I love to create..but find it hard to do while my little munchkins are underfoot so I have learned that the three words “fast”, “easy” and “affordable” make me and everyone else around here very happy. That’s why I created my blog “While They Sleep“. It is the place to go for inspiration and projects you can do while your babes are sleeping (or destroying the living room).
I believe that everyone has within them the desire and ability to create. My goal is to inspire and encourage especially women to do just that! It is also my goal to help those who are new to sewing say to themselves “I can do this!” and learn a new skill or two along the way.
I also have an Etsy shop where some of my original patterns are sold. My goal is to produce projects that are beautiful and practical but also all fall under the rules of “Fast, Easy and Affordable”. Things you can actually get done “While They Sleep.”
I’m proud to introduce the newest pattern available in my Etsy shop: The Pod Swaddler. You can go to my shop for more details.
I do everything I do from a little corner of the kitchen. My husband is working full time and going to school at night so I usually get a lot of what I get done while he’s away and the girls are asleep. I look forward to someday having a room just for creating and doing projects with my girls. I also look forward to doing a lot more with creating patterns. My dream is to have my own pattern line someday. But I am happy with the pace of my shop and my blog right now. It keeps me busy but not too busy to enjoy these precious, fleeting years with my girls.
Here’s a sampling of what you can find on the blog:
The Table Runner Apron
Erica Leigh of Sweets & Hearts is up to her ears in ears! Erica sells hair accessories such as headbands with kitty or mouse ears, as well as costumes and clothing designs, and she recently sold her 100th pair of ears.
Erica is a college student studying fashion marketing who lives at home with her mom and dad while attending school, and she started her part-time business from her bedroom in 2007 in order to bring in some extra income. Her mom taught her to sew in high school by making tote bags, then she started experimenting with reconstructing her own clothes before learning how to make things from scratch.
The theme at Sweets & Hearts is based on providing things that are cute, colorful, and girlie yet wearable. Her hair accessories, jewelry and clothing designs are adorable and they’re obviously a hit as her site has several hundred fans and growing daily.
Erica says the best thing about running her business is getting to set her own hours since she is “not a morning person at all” and has a pretty busy schedule. She says the only downfall “is that sales are inconsistent and it’s hard to predict how well you’ll do the next month, or even week. Some days are really good, but some weeks it’s hard to make just one sale.”
Her goals are to build the business to the point where it is lucrative enough that she can work it full-time and be able to afford her own place. We predict that Erica will do that and more given her attention to detail, she even includes handwritten notes with each order and carefully packs them with tissue paper and heart stickers.
Check out Erica’s wonderful designs at her Sweets & Hearts Etsy store, or visit her blog to learn more about her.