04.07.08
Posted in Uncategorized, fun, hand crafted jewelry, shopping, site promotion, interviews, bath and body, clothing, handbags at 4:09 pm by KellyM
Meet Yvette Estime, Owner of www.bellepourlavie.com.
Where are you located? Coral Springs, FL.
What do you design? Handbags, jewelry, shoes, bath products.
Where/How did you learn this? I am a self taught crafter. I mostly read books on the subject.
Favorite Artist who inspires you? Dali. All my work has double meanings and very symbolic.
Where does your inspiration come from? I love the ocean so most of my work has an aquatic theme. I also love astrology. My twin sister and creative parnter also inspires me.
What do you do to combat creative block? I read. Also, I am a watercolorist, so I sometimes paint.
Where do you design your creations? In my bedroom, everything is piled in a corner. I really need more space. LOL
What does your work space look like right now? Sewing machine in one corner, 3 containers of fabric, a 3 drawer stand full of beads and another full with essential oils.
How does your family feel about what you do? My mom thinks it’s a fascinating hobby and my sister (also my parnter) wants to turn it into a more successful business.
Do you have any advice for someone looking to make their own creations using this method? Try not to be discouraged if no one takes to your work right away. It’s a process.
Best advice you received when starting your business venture? Well, I think the best advice was stay away from craft shows. Always try to consign or wholesale. If you must sell, try trade shows.
Favorite part of owning your own business? Doing what I love and getting paid for it.
Least favorite? More than 8 hour work periods.
How do you realx? Music.
Favorite color? Purple.
Does this color show up in a lot of your work? In the form of Amethyst.
If there were more hours in the day, what would you be doing? Making more handbags! They take the most time to create.
A sample of Belle Pour la Vie products. For all products, please visit Yvettes website.
Permalink
02.22.08
Posted in Uncategorized, fun, shopping, site promotion, interviews, bath and body at 9:01 am by KellyM
Meet Doli Lopez, Owner of www.delishbath.ca
Where are you located? Calgary, Alberta Canada
What do you design? Handcrafted bath & body products.
Where/How did you learn this? I took a short 2 hours class on how to make bath bombs and my passion for making bath products just grew from there!
Favorite Artist who inspires you? My inspiration doesn’t come from just one artist, it stems from all the creative independent artists out there that you see on places like Etsy, Wickedly Chic etc. Their ideas are just so unique and creative that it inspires me to create fun products.
Where does your inspiration come from? My inspiration comes not only from other artists, but just from everyday objects or events in life. You take something that you admire and build from it.
What do you do to combat creative block? Listen to my favorite music and eat a lot of popsicles 
Where do you design your creations? Mainly in my kitchen or my wee office on my desk.
What does your work space look like right now? Oh dear, it was clean yesterday, but let’s see what my desk is littered with right now…labels, tape, scissors, usb sticks, invoices, candy (nothing to do with work, I just like candy!) and my pretty pink laptop!
How does your family feel about what you do? My family is very supportive and thinks what I’ve started for myself is great. They are some of my best customers!
Do you have any advice for someone looking to make their own creations using this method? I say go for it! There’s nothing more empowering than doing what you are passionate about! But, I would suggest doing all your research ahead of time and keep track of everything, trust me, it helps in the long run
Best advice you received when starting your business venture? “Make sure you keep track of everything somewhere.”
Favorite part of owning your own business? Setting my own hours, making my own decisions and best of all…using my own product! It’s great knowing that the hard work I put into it will help me succeed and not just some corporation I work for.
Least favorite? The learning curves that I’ve gone through and not being able to delegate any work. I am the accountant, the marketer, the buyer, the seller, the web designer, the product tester etc. and sometimes…it gets exhausting!
How do you relax? Depends on my mood, sometimes all it takes is a nice hot bath where other times I’ll actually relax by doing simple design work like updating my brochures.
Favorite color? Pink.
Does this color show up in a lot of your work? You bet! This is the main theme of which my business revolves around
If there were more hours in the day, what would you be doing? Aside from building my business, spending time with my puppy and my husband There’s nothing better!
A sample of products from Delish Bath. For all products, please visit Doli’s website.
Permalink
02.10.08
Posted in Uncategorized, fun, shopping, site promotion, interviews, bath and body at 9:55 am by KellyM
Sit back, relax and meet Megan of www.disquietingdesigns.com.
Where are you located? Pittsburgh, PA
What do you design? Rockin bath and body products
Where/How did you learn to do this? I learned it through general recipies. From there it just spiraled into this obsession to obtain the perfect lip balm, body scrub, etc.
Favorite Artist who inspires you? Can I say all of the Craft Mafia? I just love how everyone involved is so supportive and creative in their own talented ways.
Where does your inspiration come from? Smells. I’ll smell something and just know that I must make it into a body treat.
What do you do to combat creative block? I play with my kitten, Bettie. Or I’ll go and hang out with friends. It’s usually when I’m finally “not” thinking about Disquieting, that I reach an epiphany.
Where do you design your creations? In my kitchen! I’m a terrible cook so this takes up all of the space.
What does your work space look like right now? Lots of rubbermaid organizers. They’re the best!
How does your family feel about what you do? My family is totally supportive. They’re not exactly sure that I can do this as my full-time job, but they’re willing to let me try without them getting involved.
Do you have any advice for someone looking to make their own creations using this method? Listen to your customers, be honest in your crafting, and be willing to pay attention to details. The bath and body business isn’t cut out for those that want to do it halfway. There are so many people out there with allergies and sensitivities, that you just need to be so careful.
Best advice your received when starting your business venture? Oddly enough, I was at a bar once and saw a sign on the wall right accross from me. It was just a simple wooden sign that said, “never ever ever give up”. I saw it as an omen! I actually have it as a banner on my cell phone so that everytime I look at it, I remember to stay strong.
Favorite part of owning your own business? Not dealing with office politics. I wasn’t good at that.
Least favorite? It’s a tough lesson in budgeting.
How do you relax? I do yoga, go out and shoot a game of pool with my boyfriend, or I’ll read.
Favorite color? Blue! All shades of it!
Does this color show up in a lot of your work? Disquietings original brand of color was teal, but it’s since evolved to hot pink. I’m ok with that.
If there were more hours in the day, what would you be doing? Oh gosh, who knows! Making new creations, photographing new products, networking with new friends….Just creating!
Some of Disquieting Designs products. For all products, please visit Megan’s website.
Thank you Megan!
Permalink
