Featured Artisan: Kelly Brannan of The Adorned Abode

Fellow Sahm of Etsy teammate Kelly Brannan from the Adorned Abode stepped into my {online} office the other day for a chat about what she does.  She is so sweet to offer you a coupon for 10% off your entire purchase at The Adorned Abode valid today through August 31st.  The code is LOVEINBLOOM.  Here's what she had to say:

Woodland Jewelry Box

What do you make and what was/is the inspiration for your shop?  I make decoupaged wooden recipe boxes and divider cards, trinket boxes and lightswitch plates. My main inspiration is my children; after making most of the décor for my daughter’s “big girl” bedroom, and some for my son’s nursery, I decided to start making and selling items. And beautiful paper is another inspiration; just walking into a scrap booking store gets my creativity flowing, imagining all the things I can make. 　


Tell us how your creativity has woven itself into your life’s journey to make you what you are today.
I’ve always enjoyed doing “crafty” things, just for myself and our home. Last year I went to a painting studio where they show you step by step how to do your own painting, and I so enjoyed it and found it so fulfilling that I just had to keep making things. I’ve always been a little creative, but doing the paintings really “woke up” a sleeping creativity that I didn’t even realize was there. Compliments from others on my creations gave me the confidence to try my hand at an Etsy shop. And part of it was just a risk, a “why not give it a shot” type of thing.


What is your vision for the future of your business?  I feel my shop has been pretty successful so far, considering I’ve only had it open for half a year at this point. My vision would be for that to continue and grow, and to add some new items to my inventory as I’m able to. I would also like to start advertising, though I haven’t worked that out just yet, and I’d love to try a craft fair as well. So far, I haven’t been able to get enough in-stock inventory built up to do that, but that would be my hope for the future.

Owl Switchplate

Tell us about your typical day.  I have a 2 year old son and an almost-4 year old daughter, so my typical day starts with coffee (a few cups!), and the regular day to day things regarding caring for my kids and home. I usually work on orders, or new items, at a few different times throughout the day, just whenever I can fit it in. And of course, lot of play time with the kiddos. J And then once they are in bed at night, I work some more, often into the wee hours!


Are you trained as an artist? If yes, what degree(s) or certificates do you hold and where did you earn it/them? If no, how did you learn to make the items you offer in your shop?  I’m definitely not trained as an artist, though I would love to be! The only training I’ve had is the painting classes I’ve taken, if you count that. And of course, I don’t offer hand painted items in my shop, other than painting a box at times. Actually, I don’t consider myself an artist at all, though I do think I have some artistic ability, which I really didn’t acknowledge until the past year. I have an Associates Degree, and a Paralegal Certificate, and worked as a Paralegal until I was pregnant with my son and came home full time. As for how I learned to make my items, some of it was intuitive, and the rest I learned from research on the internet and trial and error.

Recipe Cards {and Box}... for Mom!

In what other areas of your life (or interests that you have) do you see your creativity shining through?  I do love to write, and have always dreamed of writing novels (maybe I’ll try that someday after all!). I’m not a gardener at all, and have no musical skills…well, I love to sing, but I think most people would prefer not to listen to me, lol!

I think my creativity shines through mostly with my kids. I love to do age-appropriate crafts with them, and look forward to all the fun crafts we can make together as they get older. I definitely try to encourage their own creativity and imaginations!

What is one thing you will be going out of your way to learn more about in the coming year to benefit your business?  Book keeping, for one! I must learn a more organized system for keeping up with sales and expenses. And as I mentioned, I’m thinking about trying advertising, so I need to look more into that.

You can find Kelly in these wonderful places for now, but we hope she'll keep us posted if she starts up a blog later too. {wink!}

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheAdornedAbode?ref=si_shop

http://www.facebook.com/#!/TheAdornedAbode