Boutique of the Month: Sibling Rivalry Designs

Each month we like to feature one of our favorite boutiques and this month we have chosen Sibling Rivalry Designs as our Boutique of the Month for August! Ashley Herrmann started up her business a year and a half ago and you will soon see that she offers absolutely adorable accessories and clothing for children. We will let her tell you more about it as we ask Ashley a few questions! Here she is!

How did you get into sewing and what got you to open your own boutique? 

I have always been a crafty person, however, the sewing machine intimidated me! After I had my son, I made little things for him here and there, I used my silhouette machine to cut and iron on! People would say "Oh you should sell that," but I felt like they were being nice- like the contestants on American Idol, who's family pumped them up even though they can't sing worth a lick! Anyways, when I found out I was having a girl I finally got my embroidery machine (that makes sense to ya'll right?) and opened my business doing custom birthday outfits! I was doing tutu's, embroidered shirts, and smash sets! I don't make any of that now! I started sewing and bought a serger last Christmas. It was a mess in the beginning, but I learned about CKC through my SIL and I have been rocking it out ever since! 

Being a mom and a boutique owner is hard. How do you find the time to fulfill orders, create new pieces, and just run a business in general? 

People ask me this all the time. When I started, it was just my son and he napped 3 hours everyday! I worked during his nap, and since I was pregnant I didn't have to find time to workout! Now, with two and my son no longer naps, I've found the only time I can work is 9 pm to 12am! I know my limits and I had to pull back my advertising this summer, as my son was home from school and I didn't have the day time hours! It is a give and take for sure! I gave up my workouts, because sewing takes up all my free time! I can knock out 2 items a day if I am really focused! Also, my husband is a huge support for me and helps out when he is home from work! 

Run us through your typical work at home day. 

My day follows a pretty strict schedule for my daughter's sake. Morning is breathing treatments, breakfast, play time. By noon, we eat lunch and nap by 1 pm (my son has "rest" time in his room). That is my first chance to work of the day! I usually spend time on the computer when they first go down, then I cut out what I will be working on that night. The post office near me closes at 4 pm, so I am generally running out the door at 3:45!! Around 4:30 I start on dinner, then breathing treatment, play, and bedtime! That is when my work day starts- I turn on some netflix and get going! 

How many items do you have currently listed in your shop that you used a Create Kids Couture pattern to create?

 In all honesty, my items are either CKC, CKC mashup or another designer's pattern that I compare to CKC for sizing!

Where do you find inspiration? 

I try keep up with the fabric and style trends. Likewise, I like to keep up with the big name boutiques to see what all the mommas are buying! It a job all in itself to stay "current"! 

What is your favorite piece that you have ever created for your boutique? 

That is tough! I find a new favorite every time I make something! My favorite right now is probably the most recent item I tested, but that is a secret! 

If you could go back to when you first started your business and tell yourself about the most important thing you've learned as a business owner thus far, what would it be?

 HAHA! Oh man. I have changed and grown a ton during this first year. I don't even make the items I started my shop with. I LOVE what I do now and I have CKC to thank for that! I wouldn't tell myself to change anything, no regrets. I would remind myself how important time with family is, you can never get that back! 

Thank you, Ashley! That is so true and I think all of us need that reminder every now and then!

I'm sure it's easy to see why we were excited to feature Sibling Rivalry Designs this month! Ashley's kids are adorable, her work is so cute, and she's an inspiration all around. I hope you'll take some time to go visit and show her some love at Sibling Rivalry Designs!

Let's Create! ~ Kristen

Boutique of the Month: Missy's Munchkins

 Today we are excited to announce our Boutique of the Month for July.  Congratulations to Missy Chess, creator of Missy's Munchkins on Etsy!  Missy has had her shop open for three years now and she offers handmade and embroidered boutique clothing from baby sizes on up to women's plus! I always love to see what cheerful outfits Missy comes up with, and today I get to share some of her creations with you. She has also agreed to answer some questions for us related to the success of her boutique. Let's get started! 

Welcome Missy! Please tell us -- How did you get into sewing and what got you to open your own boutique? 

My husband and I found out we were pregnant with our second child when our first was only 6 months old. I was spending way too much money on hand-made baby items and decided I would give it a shot on my own! As it turns out, I am pretty good at it! 

Being a mom and a boutique owner is hard. How do you find the time to fulfill orders, create new pieces, and just run a business in general?

Balancing everything is definitely a challenge!! I work during nap times and after bedtime. Recently my husband gave up his man cave and we turned it into my craft room! Awesome, I know! The room has toys and a TV to keep the babies occupied for at least a little while so mommy can work. 

Run us through your typical work at home day. 

Every day is different! I try to spend either the babies nap times or the night time working on orders and then a little extra time if I want to make something for my own munchkins.  

How many items do you have currently listed in your shop that you used a CKC pattern to create? 

All but three! So I have thirty-five items that are CKC, I believe.  And I am adding three more today! 

Where do you find inspiration? 

Lots of times I find it on the internet. Seeing others' creations and loving parts of them is a huge inspiration! I also have a fabric addiction so the beautiful colors and patterns also inspire me. 

What is your favorite piece that you have ever created for your boutique? 

Just because of the joy my daughter had when she saw it, I'm going to say my Sheriff Callie inspired outifit! 

If you could go back to when you first started your business and tell yourself about the most important thing you've learned as a business owner thus far, what would it be? 

Just keep swimming!  It is not always easy, but if you love it, it will all be worth it! 

Thank you, Missy!  

Those definitely seem to be words that Missy lives by. I have always been inspired by her cheerful outlook and today it has been a joy to share her work with you.  If you'd like to see more of Missy's creations, be sure to visit her at Missy's Munchkins on Etsy and her Facebook fan page to show her some love! We are proud to have her as our Boutique of the Month for July.

Let's Create! ~ Kristen 

Boutique of the Month: PAJE Collection

Congratulations to PAJE Collection, our CKC Boutique of the Month for June! Rikki Edwards is the owner of PAJE Collection and has a lot of great info to share with us today about her boutique. Even the name of her collection is inspiring to me! She named it after her kids: Paisley, Addison, and Jake Edwards.  How clever is that? And they are totally adorable models too.

So cute, right? Now let's get down to business and talk to Rikki about the in's and out's of PAJE Collection:

How did you get into sewing and what got you to open your own boutique?

My mom was a quilter. So I grew up hearing the late night hum of a sewing machine! I did take some classes in 4H, and then this athlete became "Too Cool" for sewing. It wasn't until my twin girls were born that I decided to get a sewing machine. I used it a few times but as you can imagine, sewing time was limited. It was not until my son was born (crazy right?) that I purchased an embroidery machine, which then reminded me how much I enjoy sewing! I found CKC, and they were my first pattern I had used in probably 20 something years. I was hooked and found my passion again! I was a business owner before, but I re-branded, and decided handmade was my happy. There is nothing better than when other people appreciate and want to purchase something YOU made!

Being a mom and a boutique owner is hard. How do you find the time to fulfill orders, create new pieces, and just run a business in general? Please run us through your typical work-at-home day.

A typical day for me? I don't exactly have typical days. It seems like they vary based on what I was able to get done the day before. I really do TRY to work throughout the day. Sometimes I get stuck at the computer for a lot longer than I care to admit.. Luckily my kids are pretty amazing. Jake is 10 months old and crawling, which means I now have to try to keep my workspace cleaned up. (Or really just spread out more, and off the ground.) Paisley and Addi are 5, they understand that I have work to do, and for the most part, let me do it. (I can't wait til they start Kinder in August!!!!) You know, a lot of people would say that you are very lucky to be able to work from home. They are right, it is a pretty amazing thing to be able to do. But what they don't understand is that it's one of the most difficult jobs to manage. Sure, you are home, but when you are trying to focus on work, you are not exactly "there." When I do try and work during the day, I am constantly finding myself telling the kids, "One second...not now...give me a minute.... leave me alone, I'm working.... stop fighting... Do you want me to call daddy????.." I know that it has got to be hard on the kids to see you there, but not really THERE. With that being said, the majority of my work is done after bed time. So I am one of those zombie seamstresses who are up all night, trying to make deadlines. I'm sure most of you can relate! :)

How many items do you have currently listed in your shop that you used a CKC pattern to create?

I came out with my first Spring Collection this year using all Create Kids Couture patterns. However I do mostly custom orders and I'm not even sure how many CKC patterns I have. I'm actually afraid to count :)

Where do you find inspiration?

I pull inspiration from my children, my customers, photos, movies, commercials, words and sayings. My absolute favorite is when a customer tells me a few words/ideas and says "I trust your creativity." I guess I'm a bit of an impulse creator, sometimes the ideas don't come until I'm about to start on a project!

What is your favorite piece that you have ever created for your boutique?

Well, every time I make something new, I think it's my favorite. But I think I was most proud of my first Primrose. It was actually my first custom dress order for a good friend of mine. I had only sewn two outfits before that for my girls. So needless to say, I was scared yet excited. And why not suggest to her one of the most intimidating CKC dress patterns at that time?

If you could go back to when you first started your business and tell yourself about the most important thing you've learned as a business owner thus far, what would it be?

The absolute most important thing to remember as a business owner is to focus on YOUR business. If you are constantly worried about what others are doing, you will drive yourself crazy. There are a few quotes out there that I love, one being this: "The only way to succeed, is to not worry about what everyone else is doing." I think it is very important to not compare others' success with your own.

Ooh, thank you Rikki, I LOVE that advice! And thank you for sharing your success story with us!

If you appreciate what you have seen and read here and you want to show Rikki some love, please visit her PAJE Collection Facebook page here and you can also find her website here. You will be happy to know that Rikki also carries some hard-to-find supplies such as the hardware used on our CKC suspenders! Search no longer! You can purchase those supplies here.  

Let's Create! ~ Kristen

May's Boutique of the Month

May is here and with the start of a new month we get to announce our new Boutique of the Month for May! Congratulations to Brooke Jacobson, owner of Licorice Lane Shop! 

Brooke has been in business for four years and some of her boutique photos may be very familiar to you because she is one of our testers at CKC.  Brooke does a fabulous job and if you take a look at her boutique you'll see that she definitely runs one to be admired and learned from.  We asked Brooke a little about how she keeps her business running successfully, and here is what she had to say.

How did you get into sewing and what got you to open your own boutique? 

It started when I had my daughter 4 years ago.  I wanted to cloth diaper her, so I started making cloth diapers... and just went from that to sewing her clothes, to getting my business license and opening up my online boutique. 

Being a mom and a boutique owner is hard. How do you find the time to fulfill orders, create new pieces, and just run a business in general? Please run us through your typical work-at-home day. 

Right now I find my weekdays are spent mostly sewing and fulfilling orders.  My 4.5 year old daughter is very independent and will hang out and play in the room while I work. This only happens while my son is in school. Once school is out and both kiddos are home, I have to wait until my husband is home from work to start my work again while he takes on dad duties. After the kids go to bed, I put on a movie or shows on my computer and sit down to work on more orders until "my bedtime." I spend weekends doing both sewing and family time so that I can make sure I don't neglect important time with my family, but any free time I have I am usually working on order. So far this schedule has worked out perfectly to make sure that orders are done on time and new ones can be started and I can still be at home with my children. 

How many items do you have currently listed in your shop that you used a Create Kids Couture pattern to create? 

I do custom orders only and right now I have 28 CKC patterns that they can choose from. 

Where do you find inspiration? 

All over the place! From a customer's idea, to a movie, to something I dreamed up in my mind. 

What is your favorite piece that you have ever created for your boutique? 

Oooh, that's a tough one because I love pretty much all of my creations.  I did make a Primrose for my daughter once. I didn't list it for sale but it's definitely my favorite: 

If you could go back to when you first started your business and tell yourself about the most important thing you've learned as a business owner thus far, what would it be? 

To be confident in your work. I used to second guess myself and my work, therefore I lost out on a lot of business because of that. If I had the confidence back then that I do now, I would be further along in my business than I currently am. 

Thank you, Brooke! That is such great advice! 

If you love Brooke's creations I showed you today, there are so many more available to look at in her shop! Please go show her some love at Licorice Lane Shop and you'll be glad you did. 

Let's Create! ~ Kristen 

March's Boutique of the Month

It's time to announce our Boutique of the Month for March! Congratulations to Amanda Gerard, owner of Kylie's Closet! Amanda has been in business for three years and has kindly agreed to share some of her boutique experience with us today: 

How did you get into sewing and what got you to open your own boutique?

  After years of creating for myself and family members, a dear friend of mine convinced me to open my boutique to share all of my creations with the general population! I started with a few small items, pillowcases, blankets and have since expanded to Over The Top Boutique and One of A Kind Creations!

Being a mom and a boutique owner is hard. How do you find the time to fulfill orders, create new pieces, and run a business in general?

Most of the year I am able to schedule my 'working time' around my 3 (very small) kiddo's bedtimes. Sewing really is my 'stress relief' and I can easily lose myself in a project or two! More recently I have been able to include yours truly - Miss Kylie - in my sewing ventures, and at 5 years old she is already wanting her own sewing machine! She has been able to assist in creating a few of her own pieces, including picking out the fabric and working some of my bigger sewing machines.

Run us though your typical work-at-home day.

Some days I am lucky enough to send the kids off to daycare/school and get a full day's work in! I generally work on one or two projects at a time, making sure to spend a lot of attention on even the smallest details. On the days that my babies stay home with me, I can easily move my sewing time to after 'bed-time'.

 Where do you find inspiration?

My inspiration is definitely my little miss! She is so quirky and has a definite style and mind all her own! Kylie will normally sit in front of my wall of fabrics and pick one or two, or ten fabrics out and ask me to make 'something' with them. As long as it's cute, with ruffles and/or twirls, she is ecstatic! 

What is your favorite piece that you have ever created for your boutique?

My daughter's school did a dress up day to celebrate Shakespeare. My introduction to CKC patterns was the Primrose (also my introduction to shirring) which I used for her and three of her friends for costumes! I was introduced to a few new techniques with that patterns and opened so many new doors for me as a boutique owner and a crafty momma! This pattern has definitely been my favorite up to this point.

If you could go back to when you first started your business and tell yourself about the most important thing you've learned as a business owner thus far, what would it be?

Never under-value your own work and time spent on your creations. The talent I have is among top-quality, and I need to have the confidence in myself to create the dresses and outfits that everyone adores!

That's such great advice, thank you Amanda!  Keep up the great work!

I truly loved looking through Amanda's albums and seeing what makes her creations unique. I definitely recommend that you do the same! You can find her here at Kylie's Closet.

Let's Create! ~ Kristen 

February's Boutique of the Month

Have you noticed that every boutique has something unique to offer? Today we are featuring our CKC Boutique of the Month for February!  This month it is none other than Hannah Mangan from Lamb and Ivy Couture. Hannah has been in business for one year and she is definitely off to a great start. We asked Hannah a few questions about her boutique and I'm sure you'll enjoy her responses as much as I do: 

How did you get into sewing and what got you to open your own boutique?

  

My grandmother taught me to sew when I was a little girl. I was basically raised at her feet while she quilted. 

After I had my daughter I was so bored with the kinds of clothing I found in store and baffled at the prices they were charging for such cheap craftsmanship. From that point I brought out my handy sewing machine and started brushing up my skills making my daughter leggings and simple dresses and skirts. I started getting a lot of compliments and had a few friends ask me to make their daughters some things. Slowly it started getting out and I created Lamb & Ivy Couture in September of 2012 and was solely a "word of mouth" business. I then branched out to creating a Facebook page and then later opened my Etsy shop. It's been a wonderful adventure and I cannot believe I am my own boss!!!!

Being a mom and a boutique owner is hard. How do you find the time to fulfill orders, create new pieces, and just run a business in general?

Rest is for the weary!! Totally kidding! It's tough. I have a system that I stick to like it was given to me on a stone tablet. Kind of like Lamb & Ivy Couture's commandments! First of all this year my oldest started kindergarten so that has been huge for me. My youngest started preschool two days a week to give me time to sit and go at sewing non stop, with no interruptions (this is key!) for a about six hours. Here is my system: Mondays I cut out all my orders for the week. This has really been proven to help me keep everything super organized and on time. Tuesdays I decide what parts of patterns need the same color threading and I try to do all of the rolled hems on my serger on all the different pieces (that way I am not dealing with removing the second needle and stitch finger all the time). Wednesdays I really spend most of the day loving on my princess and while she naps I try to knock out a few orders. Thursday is spent finishing up any remaining orders and Friday is packaging and post office day. I have my handy dandy iPhone set to ring if I get any sale on Etsy, any message on Etsy, and Facebook notifications. This helps a lot with not worrying if I am missing someone's questions.

Run us though your typical work-at-home day.

I always start my day off around 5am (no I am not up sewing at 5am...I am pretty sure my family would hide my sewing machine if this was the case.) I workout early in the morning to get my blood flowing to my brain so I can focus on all the projects that are jam packed into my day. After I feed the kids breakfast it is off to school. Once I arrive back home I start right away with bringing all my sewing beauties out. I am not as lucky as some. My sewing "room" is our kitchen table but it works for now. ("for now" being emphasized because hopefully my husband is reading this, haha) I try to lay everything out that I will need for the orders. I pre cut all my orders and place all the materials in paper protectors with the customers name and ship date. I work on orders until around 2:40 pm and it is off to pick the kiddos up from school. Once they are home from school, all things Lamb and Ivy Couture is put on the back burner. It's homework time and then playtime. Usually about an hour after being home my kids are just exhausted so the younger one lays down for a nap for about 45 minutes and the older one watches Disney Junior or a movie. During this time I am busy cleaning up my messes from my previous work while they were in school. Remember how I said my "sewing room" was our kitchen table...yeah well guess what? I have to put everything up to get ready for dinner and then bring everything back out after dinner.

How many items do you have currently listed in your shop that you used a Create kids Couture pattern to create?

7

 Where do you find inspiration?

I am a born and raised southern girl so I love anything that looks like it belongs in the country! I believe simple is best. Don't get me wrong, very detailed dresses with beading and glam are amazing! I just love, love, love the basic styling for my shop. I want every child to be beautiful and handsome in my clothing not because of all the frills but because their inner beauty just shines!

What is your favorite piece that you have ever created for your boutique?

My favorite piece I have made so far is the Suzie's Twirly Halter Top Pattern. It is the most precious shirt I have ever seen or made! You can do so much with this look. Dress it up with some ruffles pants or keep it nice and simple with a pair of leggings. I just love how simple and basic it is but looks so amazingly cute!

If you could go back to when you first started your business and tell yourself about the most important thing you've learned as a business owner thus far, what would it be?

I would tell myself to stay on budget!!! I was so excited when I started Lamb and Ivy and I just wanted to dive in head first (and I kind of did). I bought tons of fabric, tools and gadgets. Looking back now I get a little tickled because some of the stuff I purchased I haven't even opened. Now I know that things come with time and just because I think I need something doesn't mean I do. I spent a lot of our own personal money going on these shopping sprees (which I have paid our bank account back every dime which I am extremely proud of) I found that separating the business funds from my personal funds has been a huge battle that I have finally gotten ahold of.

Thank you, Hannah!

It sounds like Hannah has figured out a great system for herself and I even took some notes for my own routine at home! I enjoy reading about other boutiques and why they choose to do what they do. Don't forget to go show Hannah some love on her Lamb and Ivy Couture page on Etsy. She has some really cute accessories and baby boy items in her shop too.

Let's Create! ~ Kristen