Handmade In KC favorites

Hi! I want to share some amazing products from a few of my local indie handmade artisans here in Kansas City. Every single one of these creatives inspire me daily!

Starting in the upper left corner and moving horizontally from left to right, here are the links to my favorite products this week.

• Floral and Lace Maxi Dress by Handmade by Lolo Z
• Handmade Jelly by Aunt Christy's Country Kitchen
• Pink Floral Rhinestone Chain Bracelet by Nuggets of Goodness
• Iota Dots - CP by Ni - Chern designs
• Sunny Yellow Handmade Flower Hoop Art by Violet's Buds
• Tutti Fruiti Extra Large Fabric Storage Bin by Life's Gems
• Wooden Toy Cars and Trucks by Creations by M and J
• Upcycled Belt Wrist Cuff by Gypsy Soup 

I love how Spring-like all of these products are! :) Visit each one of their shops as there is tons more of amazing things available!  

♥Kelly

Talk to Me Tuesday: Dazzling & Dapper style

Welcome to Talk to Me Tuesday!! Today we are meeting the very talented Katy of Dazzling and Dapper. She is really gifted with bow ties, suspenders, skirts, and embroidered items. I love her shop because she has cute things for boys!

Welcome Katy! 


Tell us about You!

 My name is Katy and I am a wife, mommy and crazy mind behind Dazzling and Dapper. My son is a crazy 2 year old redhead and as a family we love playing outside. Besides sewing, I am a geeky gamers. My current game love being Skylanders!

Tell us about your shop!

I run Dazzling and Dapper and I make clothing and accessories. I started by only making girl items, mostly bows and flower clips. Then I realized that I couldn't find what I wanted for my son and my boy's line was born. It has ties, bow ties, and suspenders. I recently added an embroidery machine and can do the whole outfit!

What is your favorite thing to make?

I love making the boy items and the birthday shirts. I think that both really embody a child's personality! 

What is the hardest part of owning your own online shop?

Time management, some days I seem to spend all day on the computer and the next I just want to sew all day. 

Do you have any advice to share?

Set realistic goals and keep at it! It takes time but hard work will pay off! 

I completely agree, Katy! Goal setting is very important but to keep them where they are attainable. It takes time to grow. Thank you so much for coming and talking to us today! I learned more about you and am so thankful you are part of my crafting, indie shop community. You can find and follow Katy at her SHOP | FACEBOOK  | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM
 
Make sure to visit her and tell her a crafty 'Hi!' 

♥Kelly

Talk to Me Tuesday: Pelhuaz by Red

Welcome to Talk to Me Tuesday!! Today we are meeting the very talented Zeide of Pelhuaz by Red. She is greatly gifted with jewelry making. She is currently running a Mother's Day SALE, make sure to take advantage of those savings!

Welcome Zeide!


Tell us about You!

My name is Zeide Rojas, but most of the time I go by Zei. I'm a happy, curly, sarcastic Momma, Wife, Friend, and Small Business Owner. We live in Puerto Rico, so is practically Summer all the time. Our house is in a country site full of trees, bamboos and space to run. We spend lot of time outside jumping in the trampoline of just playing with the dogs.

Tell us about your shop!

Pelhuaz is dedicated to the handmade simple and chic jewelry. All our designs are modern with a bohemian twist. I love to keep things simple, as I think that a pice of jewelry should accentuate your outfit -not being the main attraction.

What is your favorite thing to make?

 I LOVE doing bracelets. Is the most fun thing to do. Picking colors and matching materials to make an unique piece of jewelry. No two designs are the same!

What is the hardest part of owning your own online shop?

To be honest, for me the hardest part is the waiting for a new order. This is very competitive way of doing business due to the amount of amazing shops available. You need to have patience. It takes time to build an audience and to get customers. While waiting for the orders, I usually spend my time promoting, and looking for better way to improve my store front. 

Do you have any advice to share? 

As mention before, you need to have patience. It takes time to build an audience and to get customers. Dedicate time to look for the correct community and build your supporting group. That's the most important thing. I'm bless with great friends that I met thru the Storenvy Community that help me all the time!

I completely agree, Zeide, patience is most certainly needed when you have an online shop. It takes time to grow. Thank you so much for coming and talking to us today! I learned more about you and am so thankful you are part of my crafting, indie shop community. You can find and follow Zeide at her SHOP | BLOG | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST| TUMBLR | TWITTER

Make sure to visit her and tell her a crafty 'Hi!' 

♥Kelly

Talk to Me Tuesday: Zeeuh Style

Welcome to Talk to Me Tuesday!! Today we are meeting the very talented Alicia of Zeeuh. She is an incredible seamstress, who has an eye for great fabrics and details. 

Welcome Alicia!!


Tell us about You! 

My name is Alicia Manzano. I was born & raised in the South West. After high school I joined the US Navy. Met my husband. And we moved to his home state. Was born a city girl but found to be a country gal at heart! We have two daughters. Iris who is 5, Anabelle our 7 month old {big} baby. I first learned to sew right after we got married. We bought our first machine with dreams of sewing our own curtains. Several years later we have yet to accomplish that! ;)

Tell us about your shop! 

Zeeuh's name was created by our oldest daughter. When she was first learning to talk before age 2, she'd talk a lot of jibberish and make up her own words. There was one phrase she'd use repeatedly, "Zeeuh-huh!" You'd find her saying this when she was excited or upset. Mostly when she was arguing with attitude. She'd stomp her foot on the floor and exclaim "Uh-Zeeuh-Huh!" She obviously grew out of it and stopped saying it. But of course her mommy and daddy still do! ;) Zeeuh was birthed on our apartment dining table. At the time we were a family of 3 living in a 600 sq ft space. I was staying at home with Iris and we were pinching our money to get out of debt. One day my husband said to me "You should open a store online." He researched it and even got it all set up for me! I have to tell you, with out his encouragement I probably would have never had the courage to embark on this new journey. It's one of those moments where I have to admit, "He was right!"  

What is your favorite thing to make?

I have always adored making aprons! This girl LOVES to bake! Growing up, my mom would always bake TONS of goodies during the Holidays. She would give them to neighbors, family members, teachers, co workers! So every year I'd help her! I loved it! And now that I have my own place, my own family, we keep that tradition. So I have a HUGE collection of aprons. Mostly vintage ones. Those are what inspires me when designing our Patricia Pleat Aprons. When I have a Holiday Market here in the Houston, TX area it's so much fun to see women get excited over an apron. I'm not the only one who adores baking for the Holidays! 

What is the hardest part of owning your own online shop?

Hardest part lately is balance between the family and the shop! Our newest daughter has required a lot more time and attention than we did when our first was at this age. So I was unprepared. But as time has been going on we've been adjusting and tweaking some things. Like our scheduled, how he do things, and what products we offer. It's life. you gotta roll with the punches!  

Do you have any advice to share?  

First, you're not alone! And don't feel you have to do it alone! I have to tell you I could have not started or keep going if it wasn't for my husband. He doesn't have the first clue about selling on line. But he believes in me! Then, I set out and found a community of online stores and surround myself with their words of wisdom. Its incredible! So that bring me to a second tip. It's your business, so be you! Be true to what you want to do, but don't turn down advice. Maybe someones advice may not work for you at one point but at another time it may be beneficial.  

Wow! I learned so much more about you! Thank you so much Alicia for visiting us today to share your passion for life in the crafty world! You can find and follow Alicia at her SHOP | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM She loves to chat, so make sure to stop by and tell her "Hello" and give her some crafting love! 

♥Kelly

Try it Thursday with Violet's Buds

I am so happy to have a guest this week teaching us how to make our very own hoop art!! I had the privilege of her teaching me in person!! It was so enjoyable to be able to keep a outfit of my sons in such a wonderful way! Welcome Melanie!

Thank you Kelly. It is hard to believe that next month my little baby will be four years old! I'm sure I'm not alone with wanting to keep baby clothes, especially the ones with sentimental value. Rather than leaving everything packed in a box, I wanted to do something special with some of her clothes and turn it into wall art for her room. The process is fairly easy, but the hardest part for me was actually cutting up the clothes!

"The Accident" design from Threadless

I selected one of my favorite onesies to turn into hoop art. I bought this design while I was pregnant so she could match her daddy. Here they are when she was around 1 years old in their coordinating shirts.