We do a little bit of everything. I tend to think of our product line as
being family focused, and that can actually encompass quite a lot. Given our
backgrounds in garment construction and the fact that I have two small children,
Mom and I tend to focus on children's clothes. But my attempt to lead my own
family towards more natural, good-for-us-and-good-for-the-planet, and well-made
items has led to frog loves monkey branching out into personal and home items in
addition to child-focused items. (Because, really, aren't the spaces that we
inhabit extensions of ourselves?) Our soaps have been popular, and we've
recently added sugar and salt scrubs. We make things like reusable produce and
shopping bags, pot holders and decorative banners for the home. We make soft
toys like felt food (which has been a BIG hit in my kid's play kitchen!) and
bean bags. And we offer quite a few baby and child items: mei tai baby
carriers, car sat covers, play quilts and the like. I suppose a shorter answer
could have been "If we think it's awesome or something we use ourselves, we make
it for the shop".
2. What inspired you to start creating?
Honestly, I can't think of a time in my life when I *wasn't* creating.
When I was younger I used different medium: words, paint, music, dance - but
I've always had some sort of creative outlet. I turned to sewing in my
mid-twenties, when I went back to school and discovered theatre.
3. What time of day do you work best?
Hmm... That's a tricky question to answer. With my kids and their natural
rhythms, it seems to work out best for me to do my mental planning early in the
day, sewing in the afternoon and evening and computer work in the evenings and
after they're in bed. Not that I often get to do all of that in one day, but
that's where productive times seem to fall in the day.
4. What room do you do your creating?
In the dining room. Technically, my husband and I have a little
office/sewing room workspace, but it's tiny. Even when it's beautifully
organized, two people can't really stand in there at the same time. So when I'm
doing actual work, it ends up happening in the dining room. At the moment,
because we're prepping for a trunk show, I've moved the table out of the room so
that we could set up our work tables.
5. What is your favorite organization tip/tool?
I'm a list maker. I don't always check my lists like I should, but the act
of writing things down seems to cement them into my brain better than just
trying to remember them on my own. I'm also a huge fan of clear plastic bins,
which is an obsession that I'm pretty sure I inherited from my mother. Our
makeshift workroom is full of clear plastic bins (nicely labeled, because that's
Mom's thing), and it's great because if I can't see what fabric we have
available, it might as well not even exist.
6. What tip can you give others interested in making/selling similar
items?
Do your best work, and set your prices where you're comfortable. I think
that a downside of our big-box consumer culture is that we, as consumers, have
gotten accustomed to shoddy workmanship and really low prices. Hand crafted and
hand made items are a reflection on the artist that created them and they
shouldn't fall apart like cheap, mass produced crap. With that, I don't think
it's fair to expect makers of handmade items to accept next to nothing for their
time and talent...but I'm also a VERY firm believer that hand made should be
accessible, and prices should be set fairly.
7. What is your day job?
I'm a full-time mom. My son just turned four, and my daughter is 20 months
old. And these guys are BUSY.
8. Describe your ideal weekend.
Well, my husband works weekends, so our weekends are kind of like
everyone else's Monday-Thursday. But an ideal bit of time would definitely be
family-centered. I like it best when we're able to spend no-pressure time doing
things with the kids - moseying out for a relaxed brunch, maybe a little toy
store window shopping, snuggling up on the couch watching a little tv or playing
in the yard until we're all covered in dirt. Taking short trips always sounds
like a good thing to do but, really, I'm a homebody.
9. What other activities do you enjoy?
Hanging out with my kids. Reading, though I don't seem to have much time
for it now. Cooking. Learning new and better ways to be a bit more self
sufficient - gardening, canning, etc.
10. What is your sweetest memory from childhood?
I think I'd have to say the time that my sister and I spent together, when
we were just us. We were SO different from one another, but always got along
just beautifully with one another. (As adults, it's possible that we share a
brain.) I'm older by 18 months, but was always pretty much afraid of
everything. She wasn't. Even at points that we had our own bedrooms, I'd end
up sleeping in her room - either on a pallet on her floor or with both of us
squished into her bed - because I felt safer with her. And she let me.
11. What is your favorite item in your shop and why?
Ooo, this one's hard. I really, honestly like everything in the shop
(there wouldn't be any point in making it, otherwise!), though I do tend to get
infatuated with different items. I think my biggest crush at the moment would
have to be our kid's lounge pants. It's really kind of easy to come up with
super cute things to make for girls, but good boy's items tend to be trickier.
Since my daughter models (and so, keeps) most of the clothes that we make for
girls, my son often ends up getting the short end of the look-what-my-mom-made
stick. But we recently introduced the lounge pants, and he absolutely loves
them! I think he's super cute in them, and he likes them so much that he wears
his for as long as I'll allow. Since he's got a good eye for fashion and tends
to be kind of picky about his clothes, I take this as high praise!
12. Anything else you want to share?
Frog loves monkey is no longer a solo operation! My mom,
Sally, has been one of my biggest supporters from day one and, especially now
that we're living near one another, she's been offering more and more support.
Given the amount of time and money and man hours she was volunteering, it was
really kind of silly to pretend that she wasn't a vital part of the business.
So, as of February, the two of us are running this show together. I couldn't be
happier about it. I love getting to work so closely with my mom. I'm most
likely going to remain the "face" of frog loves monkey, and I handle the website
and listings and facebook and twitter and and and, but Mom has brought a lot to
the table in terms of product. She has some really great ideas on expanding our
line, some of which we've already acted on and some that are still in the
planning stages, she's drafted some super cute patterns and she does really
beautiful, detailed work.
Find Frog Loves Monkey here: Facebook . Twitter . Etsy
10% OFF Frog Loves Monkey Etsy Shop. Use SWEETEST10 at Checkout!
Now the Exciting Part! Kiza is giving away
a twirly skirt or boy's lounge pants of your choice!
Here's how to win!
(Leave a separate comment for each entry. Be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!)
Mandatory entries:
1. Like Frog Loves Monkey on Facebook- Facebook
2. Follow my Blog, the Sweetest Memory - Blog
Additional Entries (Extra chances to win! Yeah!):
3. Follow Frog Loves Monkey Blog - Blog
4. "Like" the Sweetest Memory on Facebook - Facebook
CLOSED! Thank you so much for participating! Entries close Tuesday, March 13th at 9:00 pm Arizona Time. A winner will be announced by March 14th. Good Luck!
**Would you like your shop featured in my Sweet Shop, please contact me for more information at thesweetestmemory@cox.net.
**
