Monday, November 7, 2011

{Featured Artist & Giveaway} Alyssa from Kadydid Designs

Welcome to (a slightly belated edition of) Featured Fridays on Snuggly Monkey! Each week we chat with a different Etsy artist and take a peek inside their Etsy world. This week we are talking with Alyssa from Kadydid Designs
 Alyssa and her sister have teamed up to make the gorgeous baby and toddler creations you will find at Kadydid Designs. Specializing in fashion tutus, car seat covers, burp cloths and bibs, Kadydid Designs is the place to shop for our budding fashionista. 
How did you come up with the name "Kadydid Designs"?
My sister (who works with me on Kadydid Designs) and I were brainstorming seperately about name possibilities, and we both happened to come up with Kadydid Designs.  I'm not sure where it came from, but it seemed to be the right fit!
 
How do you describe your work when someone asks “What do you make?” 

We focus mainly on making infant car seat covers and tutus, but dabble in bibs and burp cloths too.  Anything baby related!
 

When did you start doing your craft/art? 
After I had my second son.  He was a major mess maker, and I needed more absorbant burp cloths. 
 

How did you first learn how to sew and create tutus? My mom taught me the basics of sewing when I was little.  To be honest, I never really did anything with it until we opened this shop.  However, in the last 6 months since really starting the shop, I have pushed myself and found a real love for sewing and creating with my hands.  There have been a lot of self teaching moments at my house lately!
 

What aspects of your Etsy business do you find challenging?
It's funny, but my shop gets absolutely slammed when my personal life is allowing no extra time for anything. I'd say that's the most challenging thing about my store. And I just keep trying to make it as streamlined and organized as possible!

How do you advertise or promote your shop? 
I do a lot via social media sites, and even more through blogs (such as this one!). I've recently branched out to pay for advertising on a blog and am still feeling that out. So far so good, I think, but I'm still not quite sure. Only time will tell!
 

What is your marketing “philosophy”? 
Of course marketing and advertising are important! But, I don't think a lot of money needs to spent to do it. I really think that building relationships with other Etsy shop owners is just as a productive marketing tool than anything. Once you have those relationships in place, it feels like you kind of "have each others backs", so to say, and you build each other up.  

How did you set up your shop banner & avatar? 
I paid somebody to set one up for me, and it was great.  However, my sister in law was dabbling on her own banner and avatar, and just happened to make a few for me too. I feel like those fit my personality better than the pre-made ones I had purchased.

What else do you do to keep your shop looking great?  
I try to keep everything as uniform as possible.  All of my photos are taken in the exact same spot at almost the exact same time of the day to keep the lighting the same.  All the wording is pretty much the same from item to item, which I hope cuts down on confusion.  I like things to be organized!
 
How do you go about obtaining your supplies? 

I get 99% of my fabric from other Etsy shops.  I want to be supported in my business, so I want to do the same for others. My top 2 favorite fabric stores on Etsy are Bloome, and Raspberry Creek Fabrics. The women who run these shops have answered ridiculous questions for me, are super friendly and have amazing products. I just love shopping with both of them!
 Many thanks to Alyssa for sharing so many great tips and ideas with us! Please be sure to keep in touch with her and Kadydid Designs by visiting them on... 



Twitter: @kadydiddesigns

 Alyssa has generously agreed to sponsor a giveaway for Snuggly Monkey readers!
Prize: $15 Gift Certificate to Kadydid Designs
Start Date: Monday, November 7, 2011
End Date: Monday, November 21, 2011

{How to Enter to Win}

The winner of this Giveaway will be chosen at random, so the more times you enter the higher your chances of winning! I like having options, so there are SEVERAL ways to enter.  Feel free to do as many or as few as you like. Don't have time to do them all now? No problem! Come back later and add a few more entries (this giveaway will be open for TWO whole weeks).  


Entering is EASY with Rafflecopter. When you have completed one of the tasks below, just click the green "I DID THIS" button, enter the requested information and move on to the next task! No need to leave a separate comment for each entry (unless the instructions for that particular task ask you to that is!). Good Luck!







7 comments:

Unknown said...

I love how you got your idea for making stuff from your son being a mess maker :)
Teresa Shively
ladygweniver@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

I love your Bright Pink & Black Zebra Tutu
Teresa Shively
ladygweniver@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

I love your Ouchie Pouch Boo Boo Bag
Teresa Shively
ladygweniver@yahoo.com

april said...

OMG I just love your ideas you had and how you came up with them especially with a mess maker! lol

jenzen69 said...

Alyssa, i think its grat that you support other etsy owners by buying their products

jenzen69 said...

I love the christmas fabric tutu it wold look great on my 6 mo old baby girl

jenzen69 said...

I love you boo boo bags, but i fell in love with the col basket upcycled from sage tshirts
jenzen69atyahoodotcom

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