Saturday Artisan: Pinky Crafts

Meet this week Saturday Artisan, Mishelle, the creative designer of Pinky Crafts. As a papercrafter myself, I adore her creations and totally understand how addicted working with papers and those cute sparkly embellishments.

Tell us a bit about yourself and what arts/ crafts that you make?
I've always loved crafts, but I got my official start in 2003, when I decided to create my own wedding invitations. I loved the process and how they turned out! I then moved into scrapbooking; I love to give framed scrapbook pages or personalized albums as gifts along with making stuff for myself. I'd been told that I should turn my scrapbooking into a business but I never had a chance - until my husband and I decided to make a huge change in our life. In January 2010, we quit the stressful careers that weren't making us happy, moved across the country, and decided to pursue careers that made us happier. My Etsy shop was born in April 2010, and it's made a major difference in my life! Its a huge change, going from an administrator at a community behavioral health agency to being a full-time crafter. My husband and I are both very happy so far, and I hope to keep this shop as my full-time job. I started by specializing in custom and premade scrapbooking, fun gift tags, and unique magnets. I've recently added party supplies - paper goodies for baby showers, weddings, birthdays, graduation, etc. I'm having so much fun.

What is your favourite item in your shop?
I'm partial to any of my wedding-themed items; I love weddings!


How does your day go in general?
I'm most comfortable with routines and structure, so I try to keep my days much the same as they were when I worked outside the home. I usually get up when my husband leaves for work in the morning, feed both myself and Pancakes (my adorable bunny), get my workout in, and then I spend the rest of the day working on my shop or creating new items. If I'm really excited about what I'm doing, I sometimes have to force myself to take a lunch break! I try to be finished by the time my husband gets off work, so we can spend the evening together and play with the bunny - but I do sneak off to check on my shop throughout the evening.

What is your goal for 2010? And are you on the right track?
My husband and I had a joint goal for 2010: we want to work to live, not live to work. We're definitely on the right track, having quit the jobs that were taking us away from our families and turning us into mega-stressed versions of ourselves. I think we'll get make it!

What is your favourite tool that you cannot live without?
Although its not technically a tool, I couldn't craft without rhinestone embellishments. I like to put some sparkle into my work!

Any advice for others running their on-line shop?
I had friends selling on Etsy, and I truly believed that the key to success was simply having a cute product. Not true! So much goes into having a successful shop, and you need to be prepared to put time and energy into every aspect. It's not only about the product, but how you photograph it, how your run your shop, how you market, etc. I'm still new at this, but I'm working nearly as much to get this off the ground as I did in my "real" job before Etsy. But this is much more fun!

Stay-tuned for tomorrow's giveaway!