Interview with Little Lily

This week we take a close up look at Little Lilly with our talk with owner and artist Jade. 

Tell us a bit about you.
My name is Jade and I live in Northern BC, Canada. I'm 27 years old and have been married to Daniel for 7.5 years. On January 15th of this year, I gave birth to our fourth beautiful daughter, Danica. Our other three are Addison (5.5), Tegan (4), and Myka (18months). I can honestly say that being a mom is my favorite thing in the whole world. Every day I am in awe that God has blessed me with such an amazing family! I recently had a friend joke that when she reads my Facebook status', she pictures me in a bonnet and apron. I assume it's because they are all about baking, sewing, gardening, and collecting eggs from my chickens. Unfortunately, I don't own a bonnet; although I did just buy a really cool apron from etsy! That's another thing I enjoy...shopping on etsy. There's so many amazing products out there from really talented people!

Tell us about Little Lily.
I started Little Lily in May of 2009. A friend told me one day how hard it was for her to find good quality baby washcloths. I was planning on making some cloth wipes to use on the baby I was expecting at the time anyway, so when she said that, it was like a light bulb went off in my head! I knew I wanted, soft, good quality, thick wipes, and knew from research that bamboo fabric had these qualities. I ordered a yard and went to work. When I sent her some, she tried them and said, "you should start an etsy business with these!"

Our second daughter's name is Tegan Lily, and I have called her Little Lily since the day she was born. So when it came time to name the business, it was a no-brainer :)

A few weeks into selling the wipes, people were asking if I made other things. I experimented with a few products, but found that I didn't have time to make tons of different products, so I have kept my favorite three as regular items; bamboo baby wipes, hooded bamboo baby (and toddler) towels, and swaddling blankets! I also make bamboo baby wraps as special orders.

What do you make and how long have you been creating?
I make organic bamboo baby wipes, hooded towels and swaddling blankets. Occasionally I add a new product as a feature, but for my regular stock, I like to keep it simple :) I started sewing them a year and a half ago, when I was pregnant with our third daughter.

Where do you find inspiration?
My girls :) And I look at fabric online more than is probably a "healthy amount" :)

What got you started in your craft?
I was talking to a friend one day and she mentioned how she was frustrated with her baby washcloths because they wore out so quickly, and were flimsy and rough. I had heard about how soft bamboo was, so I did some research, ordered a yard of it, and the rest is history!

What's your favorite thing you have ever made?
The hooded towels. I actually made a hooded towel "poncho" once, and I use it all the time for my toddler when we go swimming. I've thought about adding them to my regular line...maybe soon!

How long have you been on Etsy and how has it been for you so far?
I've been on etsy for almost a year and a half...about a month after I started making the products! I LOVE etsy and can't say enough good things about it. I enjoy pretty much everything about etsy and having my own business!

What advice do you have for other Etsy artisans?
Think about products and businesses you love; think about their appearance, products, customer service, etc. Now implement your favorite qualities into your business. Treat each customer like royalty, and set up your shop to look professional as if it was a million dollar a year, professional company. On that note, branding should be a huge priority. I bought my panda avatar from istockphoto.com for $20, and it is the best investment I've made into my business. It's on my sew on labels, business cards, and pretty much everything I do on the internet! I'm even going to get a vinyl window decal made for my van using my panda!

What do you hope to gain or contribute to the Natural Kids group?
I love building new relationships, especially with people who share the same interests as me. I am hoping to gain ideas to improve my shop/business, and to encourage others to do the same :)

What thoughts do you have for parents on the importance of natural toys for creative play?
I believe that things such as electronic toys, TVs, and video games are completely changing the way kids develop, and not necessarily in a good way. I think it's very very important for kids to play with simple toys, made of safe, natural materials to develop their creativity. I don't think it's healthy for kids to learn to rely on being stimulated by outside sources all the time. Learning to "center" themselves and be able to come up with their own ideas, etc is crucial.

Find Little Lily and Jade at:
www.facebook.com/littlelilybamboo
www.littlelilybamboo.etsy.com
www.littlelilybamboo.com
www.jadesteckly.blogspot.com