August 10, 2009

Interveiw with Gen


You have two etsy shops, and a scrapbooking supply web-site. How do you find the time for everything as well as "real life" stuff?
I am blessed to have a husband and three-year-old who are also like to sit and craft. We spend time together around the table at night and do all kinds of art. It's really a lot of fun! I also do a LOT while my little guy naps.


On you web-site www.GensScrapbookKitchen.com you have in your bio that you work from your kitchen table, do you still work from you kitchen table as your business has grown or do you work in another space now?
Still sittin' around the kitchen! I love it there (not that I have room anywhere else!), because I'm still a part of the family and around everything else going on. Good thing I don't cook though ~ all of my cupboards house scrapbook supplies!





Do you have any other hobbies other than crafting?
I love cross-stitching and embroidering. I also LOVE to read and am part of a local book club. I'll read just about anything, especially if someone recommends it to me.


What inspires your designs and What do you enjoy creating the most?
I find inspiration EVERYWHERE! I'm always taking apart magazines and tags or wrapping paper to use later on. I even used the twine from a chocolate box on a Guitar Hero layout. I look at billboards and ads throughout town for design ideas, too..
I've been having lots of fun lately with my cross-stitch designs. There are SO many possibilities there! My first love, however, is paper crafting and I can't let a day go by without gluing a piece of paper to something else. I also get the most joy from a card sale. It seems the most personal somehow, and I get giddy every time someone likes one of my designs.


What do you like most about owning your own business and working from home?
I really like being able to stay home with my toddler. It's my biggest blessing. I have such a passion for paper, too, that I can't imagine doing anything else anymore! I just love selling handmade cards and supplies. I still get such a kick out of going through new inventory when it's delivered to my door. It's like Christmas for me!





What are your goals, or plans for the future?
I'd love to see my business take off and be able to hire on help. My husband and I are also planning to open a coffee shop/used book store/arts and crafts consignment store here in Las Vegas in the next year or so. I think that will be AWESOME! I'll be able to showcase lots of art and handmade goodies, which is really where my heart is at. Really though, I just want to continue doing what I love. I've met so many wonderful friends through this business and I'm excited about the future!




Today we are doing an interview with my good friend
Genevieve Speegle of GensScrapbookKitchen.com, Gspeegle.etsy.com and bellastitchery.etsy.com. She makes some of the most wonderful handmade cards on the web and her cross stitch patterns are so unique. She has been a real inspiration to me and my business. The first card I ever sold was on her web-site GensScrapbookKitchen.com . I've learned so much from that first sale and most of it from Gen. She gave me so many tips from how to determine shipping to what envelopes to use. We have never met face to face, but we have built a friendship over the web. She successfully runs a home business of selling scrapbooking supplies, handmade cards, cross stitching patterns, and altered items. Everything she makes is just breath taking she is truly talented at what she does. I have always wondered how she finds the time to do all this and have a family and a life. I hope you all enjoy this interview as much as I have enjoyed working with Gen.