Date joined etsy - 5/27/07
Sales to date - 3259
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.My name is Kim Bagwill and I live in the foothills northeast of Los Angeles with my talented husband who has his own shop, The Mincing Mockingbird.
-Describe an average day in life of "you".
My “average” day is surprisingly boring. I’m still working a full-time job, so I get up at 6:30 or 7 a.m., shower, dress and run out to the studio (we converted our one car garage into a studio) to check emails. Then off to work and home at 6:30 where I eat a fabulous meal that’s been lovingly prepared for me. Next it’s off to the studio to print and send orders for etsy, or a wholesale account. I’m out there until 10 or 11 and then back inside on the couch with a glass of wine to relax a bit before bedtime. I don’t really have a specific time where I “create” – that’s mostly done in batches while I’m on my lunch hour at work or riding in an airplane where I am captive and not distracted. Most weekends we run errands and brainstorm new ideas or plan big things like upcoming craft or trade shows, or designing a new catalog or website.
-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?
I’ve always been creative and received my first oil painting set when I was 12 years old. That’s still my preferred medium, but I don’t have the luxury of time to let things dry that I used to, so I work in acrylics a lot now, or design digitally. I got my bachelors in studio art which was a combination of painting, photography and graphic design.
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?
My fiancé, now husband, started selling little hand-painted magnets on etsy three years ago. I started out helping him with shipping and accounting, and then decided I’d try opening my own shop.
-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?
I sold my first item within a week, but since that was to a good friend, it doesn’t count. Looking back, I think it took 2 ½ months to get my first “real” sale. But at that time I was still trying to find my “voice” on etsy and it was three months before I sold my first thank you card set.
-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?
1. Pizza
2. Dark Chocolate
3. Cheeseburgers
4. Chocolate Chip Cookies
5. Is wine a food?
We don’t have network or cable TV, so we watch everything on hulu or DVD
1. 30Rock
2. Modern Family
3. The Amazing Race
4. The Office
5. Mad Men
I don’t have much time to download music and my work commute is short, so I’m limited to whatever random people who get hold of my ipod put on it. My choices will change frequently, too, and I’m due for an update. How about random things I’ve been listening to on my ipod?
1. Lily Allen
2. Beastie Boys
3. Flight of the Conchords
4. Girl Talk
5. Elvis Costello
-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, etc.
I just took up knitting three years ago and am really enjoying that – even though I haven’t progressed much past scarves, except into afghans, which are just really big wide scarves when you think about it. I’d like to try my hand at screen printing, and I even took a class and bought screens and everything, but didn’t really have the room (we lived in an apartment at the time). Mincy recently bought me a Yudu screen printer and I’m excited to try it, but—again--haven’t had the time. I currently love painting, photography, baking and collage, but I’d also like to try mosaics. Really, if I walk through an art supply store, it’s dangerous because I want to try everything!
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?
Well, Mincy always told me to get into the forums to meet people and see what others were creating and to show off my stuff. I did that a lot, but now I don’t really have the time to do that anymore. I’d still recommend it though, but I’d also recommend to be as professional as possible, because you don’t want to turn off a potential customer with an offhand comment that might offend someone.
-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
www.Mincingmockingbird.etsy.com (my fabulous husband’s)
www.mcaplan.etsy.com
www.hannahmade.etsy.com
and I have to mention our son’s (he makes our magnets and does an amazing job!)
www.RobotHouseParty.etsy.com
-By New Years Eve 2010 I'd like to have _____ amount of sales.
Hmmmmm…well, my goal this year was to hit 3000 sales, but I didn’t make it, so I’m a little superstitious (thanks to Valentine’s Day I have now reached that goal). I’m going to have to go with 4000 sales.
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As always, thanks for reading :)
