1. Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi! My name is Allison Kaye. I'm a twenty-something year old from a small town in Ohio and currently live in Oxford, Ohio where I go to school for Architecture and Design. I'm a Graphic Designer by day, and an Etsian and crafty blogger by night. I have a boyfriend [Mike] of 2.5 years who is my very best friend and partner in crime. We love to go on adventures, take road trips, make fun dinners, listen to music, and watch movies together. Plus, he doesn't mind that I take pictures of EVERYTHING, in fact he is quite the model in front of the camera. I don't know what I would do without him. I have two crazy cats who live back home with my parents [my dad just couldn't part with them] and a betta fish.
I love photography, art, typography, architecture, traveling, indie music, and am some what obsessed with Fazoli's. I will watch any and every movie I can get my hand on, no matter how lame it sounds and I love love love the color Mustard Yellow.
2. What do you make and how did you get into this?
Way back before I started my Etsy shop I'd walk into accessory stores and find a cute headband or hair clip that I loved but just couldn't find a reason to spend 20 bucks on it. I've always been crafty so I thought to myself, I could make that. And so I did. After I started my blog, Crafted Love, I decided, heck, why not make a side income out of it? And so the Crafted Love Etsy shop began. I sell floral hair accessories as well as a few jewelry pieces here and there. My dream is to someday make a decent living out of selling bridal accessories and I'm hoping taking the Indie biz 3.0 class will give me that little extra push I need.
3. Why did you name your shop and blog Crafted Love?
My shop came after my blog but I chose "Crafted Love" because, simply put, that's exactly what it is. I've crafted all these things in my life that bring me great joy and I put a great deal of love into them so the name just seemed to fit.
4. Where and when do you like to create?
I am a full time design student and also work about 15 hours a week as a graphic designer, so finding time to maintain my blog and keep my shop stocked can be tricky. I usually do all my crafting after class/work as well as on the weekends. I love crafting so it doesn't feel like a chore at all.
My "craft space" is more so a desk and some drawers than anything. I live with three of my friends in a small house so there isn't much more room than that for crafting. Most of the time you'll find me sitting on my bed crafting away because my desk has gotten so cluttered from crafting supplies. I don't mind, in fact I almost prefer working from my comfy bed.
5. Who inspires you?
Hmm, that's a long list. My mom has always been a huge part of my crafting. I've watched her for years and learned so much. She has taught me to embrace my creative side and look at everything like an unfinished project. Another person who has inspired me recently in my life is Elsie Flannigan. I'm sure everyone in the craft world has heard of her but if not, you should check her out. She is such an inspiring person for me. Not only is she creative and artsy, she shows me that it is possible to live your dream and create for a living.
6. What’s the best thing you’ve made so far?
That's tough because I love everything I make as cheesy as that sounds. But if I had to go by sales, my most popular item seems to be my satin flower shoe clips. I love these a lot because you can clip them to almost anything and give yourself a little extra style. Obviously, shown by the name, you can clip these little guys to flats or heels and spruce your outfit up a bit. I personally am 5'10" and don't wear heels much so you'll see me with these guys clipped to my purse for a little extra flare. I've even had a customer who was a nurse buy them to clip to her stethoscope since it's normally very hard to feel fashionable in the medical world. They are quite versatile!
7. When you create what do you like to listen to, or watch?
I love listening to softer rock or indie rock. It keeps me calm and focused. I've been known to switch on some TV from time to time but I tend to stop what I'm doing and focus more on what's going on in the TV show.
8. What skill would you love to learn and who would you like to be your teacher?
I really want to learn more about web page design. I know a lot about HTML and with that, I am able to design blogger templates, but I'd like to take it to the next step and be able to design a website from scratch. Who would my teacher be? Good question. I said I was in the Indie Biz 3.0 class earlier in this interview so I suppose it would make sense that the lovely Leigh-Ann from A Freckled Nest would be my teacher!
9. What are you working on now and what are your goals for the future?
Right now I am working on adding some more generic bridal accessories to my shop. I've done a few custom orders in the past for bridal parties but the majority of my accessories in the shop are for everyday-wear. I'd like to get my business up and running more and I think that'd be the best next step.
As for goals, other than adding to my shop, I'd love to reach 200 blog followers in the near future. Originally that was my goal for 2012 but lately my blog has skyrocketed and I'm starting to think I could conquer that goal sooner!
10. What are your five favorite websites?
A Beautiful Mess: This is Elsie's blog and it's full of cute fashion and inspiration.
The Rockstar Diaries: I love hearing about Taza's cute dog Kingsley. She recently became a mommy and she always has fun photos of everyday adventures.
Keiko Lynn: I love her style. She always posts about what she wears and even though I'd probably never wear any of it, it's so interesting to read her blog.
Promise Tangeman: Promise has been such an inspiration for me along with Elsie. She too, has made a career out of what she loves. While Elsie speaks to my artsy side, Promise covers my design side. She has done graphic design work for a few charities and I think that's totally rad and something I hope to someday accomplish. She has killer style and crazy hair like I have.
Love Elycia: Elycia is one of my blog friends and I visit her site every day. I love reading about her crazy kitties and now seeing what she wears day to day. She's getting married in June so a few posts are dedicated to wedding plans and as you know, I looooove weddings :].
11. Where can we find you online?
Next Week: Epheriell Designs
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