Hi friends! Hooray! We made it to the weekend! I'm super excited to share this interview from TJ, owner and creator of RockaBeautyBoutique.  I love her retro accessories and her vintage style!!

Q. Hi! Can you please tell us a little bit about who are you, where you're from, and what you do?
A. I'm TJ aka RockaBeauty Mama. My whole life (minus the first few years) I have been living in the beautiful and rainy Pacific Northwest. Most of my days are spent at home working on my shop, as well as playing with and teaching my 4 year old daughter. In my free time I'm usually out exploring nature with my hubby and little girl!

Q. What is the first craft project you remember making?
A. I pretty much grew up in an environment of constant creativity so it is hard to pin point my first creation. Throughout my childhood I was enrolled in arts and crafts classes of some kind or another since before I can remember. Since I made so many things as a child it kind of all blurs together :) I do however remember constantly altering my clothes in middle school and high school as well as making my own accessories out of a variety of random objects.

Q. What inspires you?
A. I would have to say my own style is what inspires me the most. Everything I make gets included in my wardrobe so if I wont wear it you wont see it in my shop :) My personal style is inspired by fashion of the past... I am certain I was born in the wrong time period lol

Q. Can you describe some of your creative processes?
A. No, not really...but I wish I could! New ideas pop in my head so fast that typically I have no idea where they came from :)

Q. What is your most prized handmade possession?
A. My wedding album! Every piece of our wedding was handmade by my husband and I (except our clothing even though I played with the idea a lot). From the invitations to the centerpieces we made it all... and our wedding album is such a wonderful reminder of that day!

Q. What was the hardest thing about starting your Etsy shop?
A.. Fear... Fear of rejection... Fear of failure... Fear of success even! It was almost three years ago when I first got the idea to open a shop on Etsy. When did I finally open it? March of this year! I put it off way to long and I am so much happier now that I finally kicked the doors open... even though at the time it felt like I was throwing myself off a cliff. Lol :)

Q. What's the BEST thing about running your Etsy shop?
A. I think the best thing about selling on Etsy is sharing what I love with others! When a customer messages me and says they loved their purchase it makes me so happy :) Of course there are many other amazing and great things about selling on Etsy but that has to be the best part!

Q. How do your customers find out about your products?
A. I have a blog at rockabeautyboutique.com where I share shop news, info, and other fun extras... You can also find RockaBeauty Boutique on Facebook (www.facebook.com/rockabeautyboutique), Twitter (www.twitter.com/rockabeautymama), Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/rockabeautymama) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/rockabeautyboutique).

Q. What are a few of your favorite items in your shop?

A. My bow earrings are my absolute favorite right now and I am also really diggin' the nautical striped hair bows. They are a lot of fun for summer :)

Q. If you could give one piece of advice to a new Etsy seller, what would it be?
A. So hard to come up with just one... I guess I would say learn the business side of things as much as possible. What you create (or collect if you are vintage or supplies seller) is probably something you already do well... So make sure you learn the business side of running your shop so that you can be successful. The Etsy Seller Handbook is a great place to start learning :)

Q. Finally, tell us 3 fun facts about you!
A. 1. Before Etsy I was a hairstylist and makeup artist (I still do freelance work when I find the time)
2. I am allergic to coffee.
3. Turtles are my favorite animal :)

Thanks so much, TJ, for letting us get to know you a little bit better!

Please stop by TJ's shop and give her some love! Stop by, say hello, and maybe pick up a little bit of retro style for yourself or a gift!

If you are a handmade artist and would like to be featured, or you know know a killer artist that I should feature, send me an email at aprilbern@gmail.com or leave a comment in the section below!