Many work at home moms, myself included, struggle with the duties of caring for the house and family on a daily basis- I have started a weekly feature where I search the net to find extraordinary mothers who have found and mastered a way to maintain a home business as an indie
crafter.
How Does
She Do it??" Is a series of interviews with indie moms of children from birth to teenage years who have graciously volunteers to share their skills, lessons & experiences with us. There will be two guest posts a week every Monday starting July 13
th, 2009 all Summer long.!!!
Our First Featured Guest was Children's Footwear and
Repurposed Leather Accessory Designer:
Audrey Hussey - KaBoogie - http://kaboogie.etsy.comNow, here is our Friday Feature with our second scheduled guest-fabulous Artisan Jewelry Designer:
Delilah Pearl-Gloria's Jewelry Box- http://gloriasjewelrybox.etsy.com
1) Tell us about yourself:
I am a 26 year old new mommie! I am the mother to a wonderful 1 year old son and fiancee to the love of my life. I love colors and everything that is bright and gold. I am an Aquarius that constantly has creative juices flowing through her head.2) Why did you make the decision to pursue your art career and work from home?
I decided to restart my jewelry business while I was pregnant with my son. I finished graduate school and I wanted to find a way to stay home with my son and still contribute to the household. I have been making and selling my jewelry since I was in middle school. In college, I sold my work at a few art and craft shows. I decided that this was the time to get back to my first love!3) I see you have a child under 5.
How do you balance work and spend quality/downtime with them during a busy or hectic work day?
It is hard, but I have to work at odd times. My son is 1 now, so he doesn't nap as much as he used to. I answer emails and pack orders early in the morning and I work on my jewelry in the evening. Making jewelry is nearly impossible when he is up and moving. He is learning to stand and walk on his own so I have to watch him at all times. I try to schedule days to work on my jewelry, at least 3-4 days a week. I try to maintain a balance, it is a constant struggle!
4) Do you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed or stressed out?
If so how do you diffuse or deal with these moments during business time?
There are always times that I feel stressed out, I just take a deep breath and prioritize. As mothers we try to do everything! I remember seeing the book 'Good Enough Mother' by Rene Syler and I thought to myself, I may not be perfect but my son is happy. At times I wished that I could put more items on my site and work on my collection for the next season, but my priority is to take care of my son and successfully run my business. As long as orders go out and my customers are happy, I am happy!5) Please walk us through an average day at home:
I normally wake up around 6 to 6:30 a.m. to feed and care for my son. I answer emails and convos normally around 8. That normally takes about an hour. I put my son down for a nap around 10 a.m. Then I eat breakfast and water my plants. Immediately afterwards, I check to see if I sold any orders. I have them packaged up by noon so I can walk them to the post office. I live in downtown Philadelphia, so everything is in walking distance and I have a few lingering baby pounds! I get my son up by noon, to give him lunch and read to him. By 1:30, I send out orders and work on my inventory.
I try to at least have 2 of each item that I sell on the site. By 3, I check to see if I received ant more orders. I make the trip to the post office and try to be home by 4 p.m. to cook. I wait until my son is sleep around 8, to work on my jewelry, check emails, convos and anything else business related I didn't get done during the day. I try to be in bed by 11 p.m. but it doesn't normally work out that way!6) Is your craft your primary source of income?
How do you manage during slow sales times/seasons?
Jewelry is my primary source of income. I also make and sell my cupcakes. I am a pretty busy girl! I try to budget my money and only buy what I need. Which is hard, I always see beads that I want. I have a great family that supports my craft.
7)As a jewelry designer, I'm sure you use
alot if materials/tools that can be harmful to small children, how do you safe guard all your materials/supplies?
I keep all of my beads and small objects in hard plastic cases. All of the containers have a snap closure which he can't get into. I am constantly sweeping and vacuuming to make sure there are no small beads on the floor. I moved my work area from family space to the private office, to keep harmful objects away from my son. I have also made a conscious decision to use lead-free materials in my work.8) What do you love most about owning and operating your own creative business?
I love that Gloria's Jewelry Box is created by me, inspired by my grandmother Gloria's love of jewelry. I began beading when I was a little girl. I would love to spend time with my grandmother rummaging through her jewelry box. She taught me everything that I know about precious gemstones and metals. It was her love of turquoise that inspired me to create jewelry for her. This is my first love and it is 100% created and controlled by me!9)A lot of mothers cannot afford child/daycare in this economy or have no support system, while other moms are simply aren't interested in others caring for their young children but they would like to find a way to support themselves and their families at home? In your opinion, what advice would you give them?
Believe in yourself and your business, you are your #1 fan. If you can't stay at home and pursue your business full-time, do it part-time. Follow your dreams and stay focused!
Thanks so much for sharing Delilah!! You and your baby are gorgeous! What a beautiful family!
Etsy Mini:
This is a poem I wrote that was published with Poetry.Com :
WONDER 
WONDER 
