Name: Allison
Shop: Swish Productions
Where are you from?
Houston, TX (BUT I swear in a past life I was a Broadway star from New Jersey)
Where do you live?
Oak Forest
Favorite Quote-
"If you have to cry, go outside."
- Kelly Cutrone
What types of things do you make/sell?
I make boutique style accessories for women and children. That includes tutus, hair accessories, onesies, luggage tags, casual and bridal clutches.
How long have you been crafting?
I have been crafting for a little over two years now.
When did you decide to open up a shop?
I decided to open up a shop when I started making tutus and planning parties for all my friends' kids.
Do you prefer to sell your crafts online or in person? Or both?
I think both are great for different reasons. I like selling crafts online because it gives me a chance to sell to people all over the world, but i also like selling in person because I actually get to meet and talk to the moms and kids that I sell to. It kind of gives you more of a sense of who your customers are. Selling at a craft show one time, I learned that one of my tutus was going to Paris!!!!
Do you have a second job? If so, what is it?
By day, I am a Media Buyer for a Houston based live endorsement radio agency. By night, I am a super crafter and bingo diva.
What inspired you to start crafting?
I have always been a crafter, making different things for friends in high school and college, but I actually started sewing when I took a sewing boot camp at Sew Crafty. I always wanted to learn how to sew, but could never teach myself. Sarah was an awesome teacher and made me the sewing diva that I am today!!!!
Have you learned anything along the way, as far as your business is concerned?
I have actually learned lots of things and continue to learn more each day. Owning a business doing something that you love is NOT as easy as it sounds. There are lots of things that go into making a business work, no matter what it is.
What other hobbies or interests do you have?
I love to read, hang out with friends, cook, work out (when I can make myself go) and play with my awesome dogs, Guido & Stella. I'm kind of a reality TV junkie, so I am always Keeping Up with the Kardashians and livin' Life on the D List with Kathy Griffin. If you love reality TV and want to talk about it, come sit next to me!!!! I'm not much of a risk taker, so you will never see me jumping out of an airplane or snorkeling in shark infested waters. About the riskiest thing you will ever see me do is wear white after Labor Day.
Who inspires you?
I never really followed any craft blogs until I started talking about them with other members of Etsy Houston, but I do get inspired by Etsy in general. Etsy is an awesome place for people to showcase their talents, whatever they might be. Looking at everyone's pages and shops just gets you inspired to craft. I also do a lot of custom work, so my customers inspire me a lot. Life itself is great inspiration for creating. You can get a lot of ideas for a cute tutu or handbag from things that you see in your every day life.
Do you have any tips to share with newbies?
If you are going to craft as a side or main job, join a group like Etsy Houston. There are so many things that you can learn from other crafters that you never would have thought of yourself. There are parts of career crafting that you don't even think about or don't know how to do. It is nice to have other people that love doing the same things you love doing to talk to and share ideas with. There is always something new to learn.
