Hey there blog junkies, so I have been MIA for a while, I know, I need to tighten up on my blogging lol.
So I have some awesome stuff to share with you tonight, but I am gonna change it up, normally I promote a bunch of vendors selling similar items. Tonight I am going to show you what I do. I have been super busy with getting my business off the ground so to speak.
For those of you who don't know what I do or what my business is about here is a little bit of information on how I got started doing what I love!
About 5 years ago I was introduced into the world of jewelry making, I dove in making necklaces and bracelets and hoarded swarvoski crystals of all colors of the rainbow. However, I quickly learned that jewelry was not something I would sell a lot of so I was pouring money in but getting nothing back, it was too expensive for a single mom working at a crap job, a year after I began making jewelry I knew some folks who made soaps, I also read up on it and decided that it would be an awesome thing to do, at least if ti didn't sell I could always use it myself. Then began the great adventure of soap making, it is truly and awesome thing, taking a bunch of ingredients and turning them into a beautiful, good smelling, practically edible soap! After about a year and a half of that, my sales had picked up and I was still selling some jewelry but I was making more on my delicious soaps and I had discovered the ease of making even more delicious and wholesome bath and body products. Long before Pinterest started teaching people how to make their own salt scrubs and sugar scrubs, during a visit to the local nail salon for a pedi I saw one of the girls "making up" the salt scrub. She just had a big bag of salt, poured it into a container, added some oil out of another bottle and a blue dye was activated in the soap to make it pretty. I asked her if she knew what was in the oil and the best answer I could get was "lots of good stuff for you skin" well... that narrowed it down. That was when I figured out how to make it myself. It didn't take very long to go from salt scrubs to sugar scrubs, and the transition from regular sugar into brown sugar was even shorter. Brown sugar became my go to. I still swear by my brown sugar scrubs though that is a product I can really only sell locally or at craft shows due to fragile glass jars and weight. I don't sell the tiny little scrap jars of scrub either, I sell my scrubs by the pint or the quart, in glass mason jars, I also came up with a sample size in a half pint jar. About a year and a half ago, after I had to quit working because I was pregnant with my second daughter, I decided to learn how to crochet, it was something my grandmother did when I was a child but I couldn't learn from her. I ran into a man in Wal-Mart, yes, a man, about 50 years old, who also crocheted, as he over heard my conversation with my then fiance about learning he stepped in and let me know just how easy it would be to take the leap.
"All you need is one hook, 1 skein of yarn and youtube" He was right, about $5 worth of material and internet and I was on a roll. I haven't turned back since. I finally found my calling, I can make almost anything I want with a little perseverance and I love that! I also love that people are happy with what I make, they see a little cute hat and want to put their baby in it, then they get compliments on it all the time and that makes them even more happy. I love what I do. I love that I can make people smile. My products have been involved in important parts of people's lives, first birthdays, first christmas', first photos, absolutely mind blowing that I can be a part of that.
So now you know why I call my business Ape's Custom Jewelry (and stuff), jewelry was the catalyst of my business and I don't want to throw it out even though it is such a small part of what I offer now.
In the last 6 months I have had the privilege of teaming up with some AMAZING photographers. I am so stoked every time I get photos of my products from shoots. Please, if you like the photos click on the links below them and show those photographers some love, let them know I sent you, they are all amazing, some are more established than others but they are all brilliant at what they do, newborn photography is so challenging and real!
This is my Christmas Long Tailed Elf Hat
Long Tailed Hat
(Custom ordered to match her Horton Hears a Who Forest)
Avacado and Cream Santa Hat
Chunky Beanie and Chunky Mini Layer Blanket
3pc fisherman set
Merino Beanie and Love Knot Wrap
Shell Leg warmers and Headband Set
(I have this available in MANY colors!)
another from Kirgiz Photography of the mini chunky layer and Chunky Beanie
another adorable photo from Leonard Row of I just Love My Photos
Merino Pom Pom Beanie and Love Knot Wrap
Another beanutifu shot of the chunky mini layer, this one is from Anna Daniels
Gorgeous shot of an XXL tailed elf hat
(tail on these hats is approx 2 ft long!)
fluffy mini blanket from Kirgiz Photography! Love these super plush blankets!
Gorgeous shot of the Autumn Teal Chunky Beanie from
Little Sock Monkey Set
I have permission from these photographers to use all photos in this blog post for my business purposes.
That is it for tonight folks, thank you so much for being a fan, for reading the blog and for (hopefully) checking out some if not all of these AMAZING photographers!
PS..... I will have a guest blog post happening in an awesome blog very soon!!!! Stay tuned!
