Giveaway: Meet Kat of SimplistiCreations & Enter to Win Laser Cut Wood Earrings

Hello lovely readers.  Today I want to introduce you to someone who is incredibly awesome-Kat of SimplistiCreations!  I first met Kat through the 12 Days of Christmas Swap where we were partnered up, and I've loved her blog and friendship ever since.  She's a thoughtful gift giver, sweet blog friend, and an extremely talented creator.  Let's get to know her!

How did SimplistiCreations get started? What inspired you to open your shop?
I've always been a crafter, even at a young age. I remember thinking through my crayola color choices meticulously, even for a color book. As I got older, I never lost that passion. Though I'm a web/ User Experience designer by day, I still want to keep that creativity alive after my 9-5 job, so I started creating paper cut wall art and laser cut wood jewelry. But I kept creating and eventually I ran out of space in my apartment to store them! Several friends and coworkers have asked if I was making these art pieces to sell. That's when I made the decision to opened an Etsy shop in 2013 as a creative outlet and also so I don't start hoarding art pieces at my apartment! I wanted to share what motivates me and hopefully, it’ll motivate others to find inspiration in the little things.

Which came first? The blog or the shop?
The blog came first when I started exploring new projects and creating tutorials of how I made my items. But it wasn't until I opened my shop that I spent more time blogging and bettering my online presence through posts and SEO.

What inspires your creations?
The little things throughout my day. Sometimes I'll be watching TV... or taking a walk outside (when it's much warmer) and inspiration just hits. That's why I always travel everywhere with my sketch book and at least 2 pens to draw or jot down my ideas!

What's your creative space like? (the place where you make your creations)
I feel like a picture is worth a thousand words, but my creative space is currently under construction so I didn't want to take pictures of the mess. It's a very clean space with organized shelves and splash of colors throughout. I have cute little inspirational quote canvases and ink illustrations I made hanging up to keep me motivated. I'm in the works of creating a rug like this for the space.

What is one of your favorite items you've created?
One of my favorite items I've created are my cupcake wood earrings because I'm a foodie! I'm also working on some new wood necklaces, including a wood HP Time Turner, so I'm extremely excited to wrap those up and start wearing one!

Angie's Note: Here are a few of my favorite items from Kat's shop, click on the link to see the listing: 

How do you get in the mood to start creating? Any certain types of music? Scents?
I don't have a type of music I listen to, but I definitely have Spotify playing in the background as I'm designing away. Most likely a coffee shop inspired station. And I almost always have a candle lit while I'm crafting. My latest favorite scent is a soy candle from a local vendor in Milwaukee called "Mountain Man." (And yes, it does smell exactly like it sounds. In case you're wondering - Mountain Man smells like pinecones and forest and all the lovely things in nature.)

What do you do in your free time when you're not blogging or creating?
When I'm not creating/ crafting, I turn my free time to being outside and enjoying quality time with my friends and loved ones. I also try out new cupcake recipes that I find on Pinterest, since I have a sweet tooth!

If you could offer any advice to a new blogger or new shop owner, what would it be?
Don't wait until everything is "perfect" to open a shop! It's better to be done than to be perfect. You can continually make your shop better and improve your products as you go!

Another advice I have for those looking to open a new shop or are new shop owners is changing your shop mentality, if you're serious about growing your business. I started Etsy, thinking it was going to be easy breezy because it's just something "fun to do". As a result, I never paid too much attention to how much material costs were and how that relates my wholesale prices since my thought was, "I'm just making these for fun, not to make a profit." Once I started thinking of my Etsy shop as a business and not so much a hobby, it helps reorganize things and keep me goal oriented. Now I can have fun making my products, and sell them at a fair rate that I won't lose my expense cost. It also helps to set out certain number of hours a week to work just on your shop!

Thanks Katharine!  Her items are so lovely-and that jewelry is to die for-but in a totally simply lovely kind of way.  Nothing gaudy or over done, which I dig!  On another note, did you know Kat does really gorgeous paper-cut art as well?  Things like skylines and silhouettes and so much more-just look at these (click on the image to go to the listing): 

Take 10% off your order at SimplistiCreations with code ITSTHELITTLETHINGS at checkout!

Kat is giving one lucky winner their choice of one pair of earrings (up to a $20 value) from her shop!  That's right, the winner will get to choose which ones they want!  Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 3/31/15 at 12AM MST.  Entering below agrees to all terms and conditions in the Rafflecopter widget.

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