Featured Handmade Artist- VevesHandmade
For those of you who know me, you know that I have a weakness for handmade bath and body products. I'm super excited to introduce you to this weeks Featured Handmade Artist and fellow Chicagoan, Amanda from VevesHandmade.
Amanda makes handmade, natural soaps, sugar scrubs, and other yummy treats for your body and they look absolutely scrumptious! I bet they smell and feel better than they look!!! I've got my eye on the Pumpkin Raw Sugar Body Scrub and the Oatmeal, Milk and Honey Ultra Moisturizing Bar
.... Check out some of her other amazingly yummy looking products:
Hi Amanda! Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Amanda and I live in the suburbs of Chicago. I make cold-process soap, lotion, body scrub and other toiletries.
What is the first craft project you remember making?
Shrinky Dinks? I'm not really sure, I've always liked to make stuff, when I was little I remember making simple beaded bracelets and doing those children's embroidery kits.
Where does your inspiration come from?
My inspiration for scents comes from food, mostly, most of my line smells like dessert! I love to cook and bake and that has carried over into my love for making soap. When I'm formulating products I just think of youth, of soft skin.
Can you please describe some of your creative processes?
Usually what I want my soaps to be like just pops in my head and stays there until I make it. Sometimes I have a specific person in mind and make bars that they would like, or think about techniques I’ve read about. My friend is having a baby soon and has been encouraging me to do a baby line, so I’m planning on doing that for her soon.
What is your most prized handmade possession?
Right now it’s a necklace I bought at a fair I was working too. It’s silver and has a crystal from an old chandelier on it, and I love reusing/upcycling even though I can’t do that in my work.
If you could give one piece of advice to a new etsy seller, what would it be?
Have a great product. Have beautiful photos. Relist often. Read all the advice out there, take what works for you, but trust yourself to find your own way.
What are some of the ways you promote your shop and your products?
I hustle it! Over the summer I did 2 weekly farmer’s markets and other events, I can not even tell you how much getting out there helped my brand. If people don’t know about you, they can’t buy from you. Just this week a colleague of my mom’s asked her if she knows me, apparently he’s a customer and just made the connection because of our last names! Online, I facebook, tweet (occasionally!) and blog.
http://www.facebook.com/veveshandmade
http://www.twitter.com/veveshandmade
Name three websites you couldn’t live without
Facebook, soapcalc.net, dlisted.com
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Making soap and growing a large organic garden.
If you could have one super power, what would it be and why?
The ability to teleport. There are so many places I’d like to go, things to see, people to visit. Being able to just be there would make it all an easier reality.
Thanks so much Amanda!!! I hope you all have a chance to check out VevesHandmade! Handmade soaps, lotions and scrubs are a perfect stocking stuffer!!!