Interview Series 2: Week 1 – BeeJanie

And so begins the new series of interviews!

As I said in my previous post last week, the folks I am sharing this time around are all awesome, so make sure you keep your eyes here at least every Thursday – as I said in my previous post, if there are more than I can post for once a week, I will start posting two – and of course I will be keeping my Facebook and Twitter updated with every post!

This week, I bring to you some adorable things that may make you squeal with delight over the cuteness, aww in sweetness, or in general bring smiles!  Please welcome Bethany of BeeJanie of Zibbet!

Name:
I am the creator behind BeeJanie, and my name is Bethany!
Craft:
I design and create felt baby mobiles! I do everything, from designing the mobiles, to stitching them together, by hand! Almost all of my orders are done custom, which my customers love! I think this is because it makes the buyer a huge part of the experience!  They can then look at the mobile and tell their child that it is something that they personally had a hand in, and that is so great to me!
Favorite material (or medium, whatever you want to call it!):
Felt. I just love felt! It is soft, and warm. It is makes for the perfect material to make cute little stuffed animals out of!
Your Most Popular Seller (whether it be online or at shows you attend):
Right now, my most popular item is the Owl Baby mobile! I think this is because of it's clean lines, so it looks modern, but the owls are still very cutsey! The design works perfectly in a little boy or girl's nursery!

Owl Baby Mobile - Personalized - Larger Option
I see why this is such a hot seller! Adorable, but I would actually hang this in my own room! 

What got you into your craft?

 

I have always loved creating things, and always have had something that I am working on! I found mobiles to be a great outlet, because I just love overly cute things, and that seemed to lend perfectly to nursery decor! And, once I discovered how wonderful felt is, making that into cute animals, and turning those into mobiles just seemed to be the way to go, and I have not looked back!

 Baby Fish Mobile – Personalized
I would hang this in my room as well, considering how much I love Bettas…

How did you learn your craft?

It just seemed to be something that has always come naturally to me. My sister is an outstanding artist, an her being a year older than me, I always wanted to keep up with what she was doing! So, she has really inspired me to create things I love!

What about YOU? Who is the artist behind those wonderful items?

I am just a girl, with two cats and a great husband whom I love and adore more than the world. I just want to share my things with the world. For me, my art is not about making a profit, it is about sharing things with people, and knowing they love what I have to offer! Honestly, the idea that even just one of my mobiles hangs above a baby's crib, is such a success for me!

 Forest Animals Name Banner (5 Letters)
I’m not even going to justify or pretend.  I. Want. One.

What is a typical "working" day for you? How does it usually start and end? How many hours do you spend crafting? How many hours do you spend on other things? What about distractions? I know we all have them! Do you usually accomplish all you wanted to?

I am extremely fortunate to be able to work from home! So, my typical day is waking up early, and setting in to crafting straight away! I am lucky to be working on several orders presently, but it can be overwhelming! So, I just try to stay on task as best as possible (while finding time to try and make the house spotless!) and do my best to not become absorbed in the tv show that I usually have playing on my computer while I craft! Project Runway, Face Off, and Parks and Rec are my most recently distractions!

 Pumpkins and Apples Fall Time Baby Mobile – Personalized
I could see this used not just in Baby’s room, but in classrooms and other places that could use Fall decoration. LOVE it!

What happens when you Oops? Everyone gets one sometime or another! Do you get frustrated and destroy/start over, or do you go with the flow and see what comes out in the end?

I have a pretty good system for how I do things, so I don't ever mess things up really. (Hope that doesn't jinx me!! haha!) But, sometimes, I will create things, and decide, in order to match the room decor, I should have changed where I placed the colors! So, with that I usually, just finish the item I am working on, make it into an ornament and put list it on my shop as a ready to ship thing! Here is looking at you little yellow bird ornament! ;)

What is your design process like? How many tries does it take to be happy with the final product?

Oh this is extensive! I suppose all of my 'oopses' go here! I start with sketching, then I use the inexpensive acrylic felt from Michael's to make samples of the items to make sure I have the seam allowances correct, and the item doesn't look wonky when complete! I usually make them in terrible colors that clash just for fun! :)

 Custom Elephant Mobile Pieces
Is it bad that I’d hang these in doorways or in my car?

What is your greatest roadblock, be it government regulation or that little frustrating thing that just likes to sneak up and stop you in your tracks? Broken needle? Jump ring jumping out of your pliers? Thread knots? Cats? Dogs? The family hedgehog rolled about in your yarn basket?

I suppose this roadblock would just be myself! I am a slooowww worker! I want every thing -perfect- from every cut edge to each little hand stitch! I don't do wonky or raw jagged edges! Those give me anxiety! I am a bit of a perfectionist, and if you ever saw my paintings, you would see what I mean! :)

Fantasy Dragon Baby Mobile – Personalized
*babbles* I think this constitutes “Shut up and take my money”.  They’re DRAGONS. TINY DRAGONS: Your argument is invalid. 

All important pricing... Do you have a formula? Do you wing it? Do you feel your work justifies your prices?

After all the custom orders I have done, the formula is becoming more and more set, and this has been fun to develop! Though, my creative process in creating new designs is all over the place! And, I do feel like the amount of work I put in to each piece justifies the price I charge. I actually put in 20-30 hours (minimum) per mobile. So, I feel like I am priced well, because I think my mobiles aren't just for the people who have a lot of money to spend, but really most people could afford! That is something that is important to me. I want to be accessible!

And of course, is there anything else you'd like to say to our "viewers at home"?



Thank you to everyone who takes the time to view my shop! I really hope you like what you see, because I have put so much time and love into each and everything I have created!

 

I’m so pleased that I could offer a feature on someone who makes such adorable, cute things that even I, at my age, would put up in my own room.  It just goes to show that just because it’s cute, it’s not just for kids ;)

Thank you, Bethany!  You can visit Bethany, learn more about her, and buy her work on Zibbet, at her shop: BeeJanie!

Thank you everyone for reading, and of course, another huge thank you to Bethany for sharing her story behind her craft!

Until next week!