Thursday, October 30, 2008

WAHM of the Week: Tree Hugger!

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First Name
Crystal

Business Name
Tree Hugger

Business url
http://hyenacart.com/TreeHugger

How did you decide on your Business name?
My husband started calling me a Tree Hugger when I started "greening up" our house. He used to joke about it but when it came to naming my store he said it suited me perfectly!

Tell us a little about yourself!
I am a married stay-at-home/work-at-home Mom to 2 kids. Emma is 4 years old and Liam just turned 1. They keep me busy during the day but they go to bed early and the evenings are when I get to relax and do some sewing. I love to sew and truly enjoy making items that are good for the environment and will really make a difference to the people that use them.

Why did you decide to become a WAHM?
When I had first heard of cloth menstrual pads I wasn't sure I could handle washing them and didn't think I was up to the challenge. After hearing more reviews and great things that people had to say about cloth I decided to get a couple to try. They were super easy to care for and 10x more comfortable then disposable if not more! I loved not having to spend money every month on paper products and I loved not having a bag of dirty pads to throw out every month. After the first couple I had bought I had noticed certain things about them that I didn't like. I found for myself that they HAD to have wings to stay in place and wrap around wings bunched for me so smaller wings were a better fit. I also liked luxurious fabrics such as Minkee and Bamboo Velour and I found that PUL felt too hot so I preferred fleece backed. I also hated the serged pads that I had as I found the rough serging rubbed and wasn't very comfortable. From what I had decided I liked best I designed my own pattern and started sewing my own. I wanted a great variety of colors to make every month a little more fun so I had to buy many colors of fabric. Once I was done sewing for myself I decided to use the left over fabric to make extras for friends and family. They were all a huge hit and converted many people so I decided to open my own online store.

What types of items do you sell?
I sell cloth menstrual pads (mama cloth) as well as non-paper towel/wipes/family cloth.

What is your funniest/most embarrassing moment as a WAHM?
I would say my most embararssing moment as a WAHM is when people ask for pics of my personal collection that I use. Yes, people do ask! The pads I use are all my very first attempts and multiple tries at different patterns. The sewing isn't always straight and they really aren't pretty. I very rarely keep nice ones for myself.

What was your favorite thing about working with Christina from JoyfulRose?
Christina is so friendly and she did everything she could to design exactly what I wanted. Communication was excellent and she was so fast!

Is there anything else you'd like your customers to know about you or your business?
I love working at home so I am always here when my kids need me. I also love having a reason to go fabric shopping!

Which item is your favorite to make?
I love making mama cloth!

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Note: If you are a WAHM who would like to be featured here please email me with your name, business name, business url, and forum feedback and I'll contact you. Thanks!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

WAHM of the Week: JoyfulRose!

Each week JoyfulRose will feature a WAHM (Work at Home Mom) of the week. We have many wonderful upcoming WAHMs of the week, including Crystal from Tree Hugger, Tanya from Personal Photo Art, and Mollie from Amelia & Macie's Boutique.

WAHM of the Week: JoyfulRose!

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First Name
Christina, though I mostly go by Tina online because it's faster to type, especially when I'm holding one of my kiddos. :)

Business Name
JoyfulRose

Business url
http://hyenacart.com/joyfulrose/index.php

How did you decide on your Business name?
Our family was going through a very difficult time. One day I looked at my eldest son Keith III (he was just over 1 year at the time) and thought about how much joy he brings me. I decided that rather than tough circumstances get me down, I would focus on how much joy I can have with my family. I decided to be joyful!

I am named after my grandmother Roseann, and thought that Rose would be a fitting addition to the Joyful part of my business name.

Hence, JoyfulRose!

Tell us a little about yourself!
I am eternally married to my sweetheart Keith. We were married in 2002 in Nauvoo, Illinois on a beautiful, hot summer day! We have two incredible children: Keith III (K3) - born in 2004, and Adam (AJ) - born in 2006. They keep us busy and happy.

When I'm not sewing or working with Photoshop or html coding I enjoy spending time with my family, reading, singing, doing family history (genealogy), watching movies, and going scuba diving.

I graduated in 2003 from BYU in Family History - Genealogy with a British Emphasis. I did my 4-week full-time internship in Exeter and Plymouth in Devon, England. I absolutely LOVED it! I hope to go back again soon to visit and do more genealogy.

My 4 sisters and I have started our own singing group, Galesong, and enjoyed auditioning in LA in the summer of 2008. We enjoy practicing together and having fun. Our MySpace page is: MySpace Profile for GaleSong

Why did you decide to become a WAHM?
Our eldest son was born in 2004 and wanted to be held constantly. I loved holding him but was struggling to find a way to do chores around the house. I discovered slings from the Maya website and made my own using their pattern. The sling was a great idea but it wasn't as comfortable as I'd hoped.

My husband and I spent several days folding fabrics, measuring shoulder widths, testing fabric lengths, etc. until we came up with a design that was perfect for me!

I used that blue batik-patterned sling constantly and had so many friends and family comment on it that I opened my first website in the fall of 2004 with the name "CuddleBugSlings". I developed a small customer base through that site and enjoyed writing up instructions and taking pictures to help others learn how to use their slings.

When our second son was born in 2006 I discovered the world of cloth diapering, "mama cloth" (cloth menstrual pads), washable nursing pads, longies, etc. I was hooked! I loved the idea of cloth that felt nicer than disposable products and could be reused. I created patterns and started making cloth diapers and trainers for my sons, mama cloth and nursing pads for me, Find-it Bag toys, clothing, art, design, and more!

I opened my new shop "JoyfulRose" in the winter of 2006 and started selling on Hyena Cart the next year. In learning how to do the html code for my HC I discovered that I had a passion for using Photoshop and coding. I've enjoyed helping other WAHMs set up their beautiful new shop designs and seeing their success!

What types of items do you sell?

- Graphic/HC Design (Headers, Animated Banners, Buttons, Business Cards, Labels, Product Diagrams, etc.)
- Ditto Daddy Gear (Trainers, Jammies, etc.)
- Slings for adults, children, and fashion dolls/action figures
- Find-it Bags (poly-bead filled beanbags with an opening to see hidden trinkets)
- Mama Cloth and Nursing Pads
- Cloth Diapers, Wetbags, and Fleece Sets
- the "Hold-it Bag" Pattern and "Hold-it Bags" (for holding plastic grocery bags, cloth wipes, mama cloth, etc.)
- "Tree of Life" images for printing and iron-on transfers
- Other eco-friendly items that seem like fun projects to me!

Which item is your favorite to make?

Lately my favorite has been designing Hyena Carts for other WAHMs. There's something very satisfying about taking a blank page and creating images and text to transform it into a gorgeous shop worthy of showing off their items.

What is your funniest/most embarrassing moment as a WAHM?
I was working on some HC designs for 2 different clients. I forgot that I was still logged into the first's HC setup page and pasted the new coding for the other's page into the first one. I refreshed the second's page a few times and couldn't figure out why the new coding wasn't showing up!

I finally realized what I had done, switched the coding so it was correct, refreshed the page and everything was fine. Luckily it was done at 2 in the morning so I don't think anyone noticed, but I was very embarrassed!

JoyfulRose Discount Code for Hyena Cart:
Thank you for reading about me!

Please use this code for 10% off anything in my shop for the next week: JRBlog10

JoyfulRose Favorite Item to Make:

Hyena Cart Designs!

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Note: If you are a WAHM who would like to be featured here please email me with your name, business name, business url, and forum feedback and I'll contact you. Thanks!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Featured WAHM of the Week! Coming Soon. :)

Join us every Thursday at noon as JoyfulRose lists our featured WAHM of the Week here at: the JoyfulRose Blog!!!

We'll be showing off their websites/hyena carts/etsy shops and one of their favorite items. We've also asked our WAHMs to let us know a little more about their business, how they came up with their business name, what is their favorite item to make, and even their funniest/most embarrassing moments as a WAHM!

We hope to see you Thursday!

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