Tuesday's Treasure~ Ittybittylove

This week's feature is on one of my favorite shops on etsy called IttyBittyLove.  To all the moms out there, you will ADORE this upcycled, handmade shop that bursts with creativity and fine handmade goodies!

The creator of "IttyBittyLove"- Christy, with her family.

I chose my shop name because...

since my shop was focused on children's items, I wanted something sweet and cute. I had several names picked out and did quick sketches of the logo I would use with them and simply had my daughter pick out her favorite! Thus itty bitty love was born...

Here is a little on my background...

• Ever since Iwas a little girl, I LOVED crafting and everything about clothing. My mom was very crafty -always creating things for our home as well as for my sister and me, which naturally helped me to love crafting.
• When I was in my teens, I loved tweaking and altering existing clothes to either fit me better (I am very petite) or to create something new. I remember one time I went into my mom's closet and cut up a couple of her skirts to make them into minis and getting in BIG trouble... I can laugh about it now, but boy was I in trouble!
• I discovered the Fashion Institue of Design and Merchendising during my junior year in college at UCSB as i was driving by their campus in downtown Los Angeles. I went in JUST to take a look, sat with an advisor, went through what they had to offer, took a tour and I ended up enrolling the next day taking a leave of absence from UCSB.
• I graduated with a Fashion Design degree in 1998 and went on to work in the fashion industry as a fashion designer for the past 8 years. I loved every minute of working in the fashion industry but decided to stay home when I had my kids who are now 4 and 1.
•  I became a stay at home mom with the pregnancy of my son 2 years ago which led me to open my etsy shop! There is nothing that I love to do more than spend time with my kids...

My inspiration and my motivation for my Etsy shop is...
my daughter, who by the way is my BIGGEST FAN!!! Audrey, who is 4, loves everything I make for her and tells me how much she loves wearing the things I create for her. She tells everyone at school and at church that her mommy made them for her and she is SO PROUD to wear anything I make. That just melts my heart and wish I could make her whole wardrobe!

When she heard that I would be opening up a shop & would use her as my little model, she came up to me and said "Mommy, I love everything you make and can't wait to be your model wearing these!" For every item I create for the shop, she asks me to make another one just for her! (I wish I could grant hetr this wish, but it's just not possible... she is my biggest fan, my biggest motivation and inspiration... =)

Tools I utilize for my shop are..
1) My 2 sewing machines-a huqvarna viking huskystar which was a trade in from a sewing machine my sister bought for me back in high school as a birthday present using up her whole paycheck, and my brother serger, which was a recent valentines day present from my loving husband.
2) Our dining table which turned into my work area. My crafting supplies have taken over our dining table completely, which forced my family to have our meals on our kitchen counter everyday... =)
3) Repurposed materials to create something new. For example, I will use an old skirt that someone no longer wants to create a whimsical scarflette or some vintage pearls and add ribbons and chains to create a new necklace for that special little girl...

(I love the box of chocolates next to the laptop, Christy! Ha!)

My favorite items in the shop are...

the black and white tweed scarflette accented with fuschia pink rose flower with these cute pink flower buttons, and the punk inspired fuschia bead necklace accented with black and white stripe fabric flower. There is something about a fuschia and black color combination for little girls which I love.

Etsy is my...

hobby for now, with the hopes of it becoming a job one day, perhaps. Being a stay at home mom is my full time job, and when I say full time, I mean 24 hour shifts 7 days a week. But I love every minute of it...

My Goals for 2010 are...

• 
  
  to list more items then I was able to this past month. 
• 
  
   to have consistent sales everyday with a positive feedback on every sale. i make and pack my items with lots of love and care with hopes that the little girl receiving the gift will love it as much as i enjoyed and loved making them.
• 
  
  to be known and available to everyone who has a little girl around them. I would love for "itty bitty love" to be a part of every little girl's wardrobe...

Let's support this extremely talented stay at home mother by visiting her shop!  Everyone has a niece, daughter, granddaughter, or sister that may love Christy's items.  Thanks Christy and I hope everyone enjoyed reading this feature.

I will be having a fabulous giveaway tomorrow, so come back to find out what it is!