One look through Colleen’s Freaked Out ‘n Small blog and etsy shop and it’ll be easy to know why we’re so smitten with her and her adorable crafts. No joke, the candy corn pom pom’s practically make us want to die from cuteness. But we’re not the only ones who love Colleen’s poms: a large custom order for her fall colored poms turned out to be the perfect splash of color to to spice up the outdoor décor at Matthew McConaughey's recent wedding. Pretty awesome, right? Read more about Colleen, her work, and her crafty challenges below:
Hello there! I'm Colleen, a born and raised California girl that moved to Kentucky 2 years ago with my Mister and band of misfit animals. Freaked Out 'n Small is my teeny corner of the universe where I write about our adventures here in the country, share my latest food obsessions, and generally embarrass myself by showing off my attempts at craftiness!
I actually found myself with quite a bit of time on my hands a couple of years ago after being laid off from my job in California. I decided to try my hand at crafting and I became incredibly addicted to making pom poms and simply didn't have enough room in my house (or my friend's houses) for all the ones I was making! I had already been accepting custom doll orders through my blog, so I thought I would combine the two under etsy!
What is your favorite thing about running your business/etsy shop? I can't lie. I get the biggest kick out of knowing that I made something someone wants to own!!! Does that count? I mean, making my own hours and whatnot is really, really awesome....but honestly, nothing beats knowing that someone values my work!
What is the most challenging aspect of your work? I'm new to the world of small business owners, so just about every aspect is challenging at the moment! Probably the most challenging aspects though, have been marketing and my own physical limitations. Figuring out how to market my wares is something I am still learning to navigate, and frankly there's only so many poms poms my little hands will make each day before they cramp up and just stop working.
What are you currently working on? The holiday season is coming up - that seems to be the busiest time for me so I've been working on plenty of items to stock in the shop as well as getting even more creative with my pom pom garland. So, along with the Candy Corn Garland there should be some fun new additions to the shop in the next week! I've also been working on a custom doll for a friend that is expecting her first child this coming December!
A big thanks to Colleen for sharing about herself and her craft with us! We love our D.I.Y. Louisville sponsors! (To find out how you can sponsor us, read HERE.)
~julee~ & --kim