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I just got a message on Etsy telling me that my green felted bag with the little birdie was put into a treasury. Its always so exciting when one of my items is chosen. Not to mention the treasury it was put into is sooo cute.
Check it out.
Aren't they Tweet?!
1. Tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Jenn Hill. I live in Portland OR on what is slowly becoming an urban homestead, we just got 5 chickens! I live with my partner, daughter and sweet kitty Fifi.
2. What made you decide to open your shop and why Etsy?
In 2005, I had a small store space and when I decided to close, I knew I wanted a way to continue making and selling, luckily, just then, along came Etsy. I signed up right away and had my first sale within a few days and I was hooked. Etsy is amazing, it lets me reach my target market on a world wide scale. I love that I'm able to work from home doing what I love. Etsy has made that possible.
3. How did you choose your shop name?
I happened upon a stack of vintage Christmas cards, several years ago and inside one particularly precious one, was written "Best Wishes, Chet and Dot" I didn't know what I wanted to do with the name then but I kept it in mind and then one day I thought it would be the perfect name for my little shop.
4. How long have you been creating/crafting?
I have been crafting and creating for as long as I can remember. Never, of course, on such big scale as I do now, but I remember always having some little project going on.
5. What are your other favourite things to do?
I love baking, cooking, gardening and chicken watching 6. What inspires you? I am inspired by so many things, Japanese style and design, vintage magazines and books, modern design.
7. Of all the items you make for you your shop, what do you enjoy making the most?
Hmmm...I think that depends, sometimes I really love making something or working with a particular medium and then I'll move on to something else. I really like stamp carving and printing the most. It's the most versatile, I can print on paper or fabric to use for sewing. I do adore needle felting too.
8. What are your most popular items?
My stuffed animals are the most popular thing in my shop.
9. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit?
There are so many great Etsy shops, it's hard to narrow it down. I usually shop for Japanese fabrics at cottonblue, karaku and fabricsgalore.
10. What handmade possession do you cherish?
My baby quilt made by my great grandmother
I would just like to thank Chet and Dot for a wonderful interview. It was fun learning more about you and your Etsy shop. I have been a fan for a long time and just love all your items. I especially like the sewing kits.
I hope you have enjoyed another Favourite Etsy Shop Feature.
Just jumping on here to say Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!
This week is going to be crazy. Tomorrow Victoria and I are off to the zoo for her Kindergarten class trip. I just looked up the weather and it says rain so I have my fingers crossed they are wrong which wouldnt be unusual. Victoria just went to the zoo on Saturday with her Grandpa and cousins, the same zoo so I hope she wont be bored. They were suppose to got a while ago and the trip kept getting put off so they ended up going close to when we are going. When we get back from the zoo we are suppose to go to a Girl Scout meeting which is suppose to be the last one, its a special ceremony so we kinda have to go. Victoria will be pooped that day.
This Sunday the 21st is Victoria's 6th birthday. I cant believe my baby will be 6. She is very excited. Well this year we were slow to get organized. Today I have to go and check we can get the park for Sunday and then start calling everyone I can think of and invite them. It just so happens that Father's Day is on the 21st this year so we have Victoria's birthday and Father's Day on the same day. Joe has already decided it wont be possible to make the day special for him and Victoria but I am out to prove him wrong. I have a present idea that I think he will like and I am getting Victoria to start making him something special. It should be a crazy fun day. To top it all off she wants a cake that I will have to make. These are the times when I wish she had her grandma here. She is the cake maker not me. I am also at the mercy of Victoria's imagination so it will be very interesting. You will have to wait and see what it will be. Let me tell you there will be no other cake like it hehe.
I also have a Summer Reading meeting on Thursday and I am painting trim in Megan's room and getting the house clean for the visitors we will probably have this weekend.
An exciting thing that will be happening this week is we are probably getting packages from Australia this week from my family. This is always exciting. The anticipation is crazy. Not only is it Victoria's birthday on the 21st but my birthday is on the 24th so presents galore. Yay!
June is always so busy but it always sneaks up on me and it feels like a mad rush. It just occured to me that the girls will be done with school next week and summer holidays will be upon us. I better get the boxing gloves out for Victoria and Megan hehe.
Stay tuned this week because I will be adding another felted bag to my shop. I just took photos yesterday and hope to add it tonight. I love this bag. Its one of my favourites.
I have also selected the shop that I hope to be featuring this Friday. This shop has been a favourite for a long time. Stay tuned for that one.
1. Tell us a bit about yourself?Heathen's Hearth is actually owned and run by two heathens….myself (Misty) and Amy. I (Misty) am a full-time HR Manager, mother of one and Amy is a SAHM mom to one who spends half of her time in Virginia and half of her time in Missouri. 2. What made you decide to open your shop and why Etsy?We started out in the summer of 2007 making melt and pour soap just as a hobby. After a few months, and many, MANY pounds of soap began overtaking our house, we decided we needed to not only get rid of some of it, but find a way to make money to support our soaping habit. We heard about Etsy from a friend and thought we’d try our luck there…almost 1 year later, it’s the best decision we could have made! 3. How did you choose your shop name?Honestly…it’s kind of a hodgepodge of ideas/beliefs/nicknames, lol. When we began throwing around the idea of a business, we originally planned on making primarily pagan products and Heathen came up. Of course, almost all of what we make is done in our kitchen, which is my favorite place to be…the Hearth. Throw in the fact that I call my 6 year old son a little heathen, then, well…you got our name…Heathen’s Hearth!4. How long have you been creating/crafting?Crafting/creating bath and body? A little over 2 years. Crafting in general? Almost my entire life…Amy as well. I think we both found our calling with soaping. It’s something that we are not only good at, but enjoy. We enjoy pushing ourselves, coming up with newer and newer things. We have gone from just making melt and pour, to sugar scrubs, scrub cubes, salt scrubs, whipped body frostings, lip balms, salves and balms, and now are starting to make cold and hot process soaps. I absolutely love the creating part of the business…coming up with new designs, new soaps, new fragrance combinations.5. What are your other favourite things to do?You mean there are other things to do aside from creating smell goods and running Heathen’s Hearth?!6. What inspires you?Misty: Everything. The possibilities with soaping are endless. I even find myself inspired in the produce section of the supermarket, looking at a coconut and thinking to myself, “Hmmmm…coconut….I bet some of that coconut fragrance and chocolate fragrance I have at home would go so well together!”Amy: Misty does actually. My creativity has always sort of ebbed and flowed, hers just runs continuously. I go back and forth with my creative talents – when I need a break from creating new scents or new products because I’m in a creative ebb, I play in spreadsheets and do accounting – creative math and the hands on aspect of science has always been a fun thing for me, so while its not the “interesting” part of what we do, playing and creating new recipes in a spreadsheet before actually turning them into real products, is part of what keeps me motivated and inspired to get back in the kitchen.7. Of all the items you make for your shop, what do you enjoy making the most?Misty: I am in love with Cold Process soap making. I just love it. There is nothing like taking raw, natural ingredients, combining just the right amount, in just the right way and then….voila! You have made beautiful soap…from scratch. To me, it’s like baking bread…I get such a feeling of accomplishment from it, and people love it!Amy: I think some of my favorite things to create and make are still the glycerin soaps. I have a short attention span, and they meet my creative need for instant gratification. I’m slowly but surely becoming addicted to HP soap making for the same reason – I can make a batch of soap and its ready to go into my shower that same day. They don’t have the artistic license that CP soaps have, because of the short set up time, so things like swirling and designs are harder to incorporate, but I’m determined that one day I’ll make bars as beautiful as they are good for your skin. 8. What is your favourite scent?This is easy (and probably well known to quite a few Etsians, lol)Misty’s favorite scent is Pink Sugar. Amy’s favorite scent is Sandalwood.9. What are your most popular items?Well…we sell more soap than any other item. But when it comes to scents, some of our top sellers are Sandalwood, Pink Sugar, Café Mocha, Lemon Cream, Oatmeal Milk & Honey. We came up with the idea of our Etsy Inspiration soaps and those have been big sellers …and popular with other shops who have started Etsy Inspired lines in their products, also!10. Name 3 Etsy shops you love to visit.http://doubledippedsweets.etsy.com
http://Jupita.etsy.com
http://Deconstructress.etsy.com
I would love to thank Misty and Amy for taking part in my first Favourite Etsy Shop Friday. It was so great to learn about your shop and the wonderful people behind it. I love all your products. My daughters and I drool over them all the time. I have been dying to purchase something for a long time and havent had the chance yet. Perhaps Im afraid that once I start I wont be able to stop hehe.
I hope you have enjoyed this interview and will keep coming back to see what other shops are featured. You just never know what wonderful Etsy shop you'll see next.