Creating success around the world - week 1

Hi Everyone! 
Welcome to the first week of my hosting the Creating success around the world blog hop with Creating my way to success. I'm so pleased to have this opportunity to do this. My blog has fallen by the wayside a little lately due to health issues but I'm hoping to get it built back up again, so follow me and watch for yourself! 


This month's hosts are:
UK - Me
Asia - Deepthi
New Zealand - Hannah
USA - Suzy

Buttons for the individual blogs can be found at the bottom of this post. 

If you want to join in with the hop then here is the link for the hop:

 

The first person I will be featuring is the very lovely Karin

I've asked Karin some questions to help you all learn a little more about her. 


Tell us a little about yourself
 I'm a forty-something Mum of one. Married for 22 years. I work as a supply teaching assistant and in between times craft as much as I can. I first started crafting by making cards 8 years ago after being invited to a friends house for a crafting session, and started making Jewellery 6 years ago when I attended a Family Learning session at school. On both occasions I was hooked. 

How did you come up with your business name? 
 In the early days I started with just plain 'K Cards' but as I started making beaded items and jewellery I needed to rethink this. I decided to set up a Facebook page to try to sell my items and so I asked my friends for their opinions and after a few ideas were bandied about i settled on ''Karin's Bead Kandy'' and ''Karin's Card Kandy''. Obviously the play on words of Kandy/Candy being the lovely collection of goodies I make, but changing it to incorporate my first initial. 

What do you create ? 
 Firstly, I make cards for all occasions from Birthday to Christmas, Wedding to Sympathy. I was recently asked to make a range of stationery for two weddings and only yesterday was asked to make a card for a 'Daddy' with Arsenal on the card. When I am asked to make a special card for someone i will gather as much information as possible like favourite colour, flowers or animals, sport, cute or traditional. All to incorporate and make the card 100% personal for the individual. 
I also make Jewellrey and Beaded Items. It started with the usual Necklaces, Bracelets etc., but i soon started to branch out and look at making anything I could with beads. LOL. The range is endless, from Bag & Phone Charms to Hair Accessories. Beaded Rings, Wire Rings, Wire Bangles, Bookmarks, Stitch Markers and lots more. I recently joined a group of Beaders that have broadened my horizons with bead weaving and I have a list a mile long of projects I want to do....so watch this space.

Why do you create? 
 Why do I create? Phew what a question, I was never very good at things as a child, I hated sports, couldn't play a musical instrument, the most I did was read and I loved to write. I did dabble in cross stitch a decade or so ago which I enjoyed, but from the moment my friends let me dig through their papercrafting stash to make my first card I was obsessed. I love making just the right card for someone, seeing their faces when they open the card or buy it from me. As for 'the beads', there is a massive sense of accomplishment when I finish a new project. If its using a needle and thread to weave something it can often take a couple of days to complete, stringing bead on wire or line is usually a quicker job but both items will be unique, something no one else will ever have.  

Do you sell your items? If so where? How? 
The first Christmas after I started making cards I decided to take the box of completed cards to the playgroup I attended with my daughter. I walked out of there two hours later with £31. A huge rush knowing I had actually done something good. People liked my work. Whenever I could I would try to sell my Cards and then Jewellrey. I have been to a number of church fairs, schools fairs and on occasion had friends and family to my home for a chance to buy. I now have the Facebook pages and am in the process of looking to sell on Ebay and other internet selling sites. 

What mistakes have you made or lessons have you learnt? 
 As a crafter we often say there are no mistakes, only happy accidents. If I go wrong on a card, its rare that anyone else would know, as it's a 'make as you go' project it means I just have to change how I was going to finish it. If i make a mistake on an item of Jewellery I would undo or unpick it and start again. Over the years, like anything, I have learned better or quicker ways to do things. If there is one thing that my crafting has taught me its 'patience' I'm quite an impatient person, but you can't rush perfection LOL or so they say. It is also a super way for me to relax. It can be frustrating when something goes wrong, but at the end of it I will always be smiling, and therefore more relaxed. 

What is your favourite thing to make? Why?  
Currently my favourite is the beads, there are a lot of different types of beads from crystals to pearls to tiny little seed beads. I'd say that at the moment I am loving the seed beads and 'weaving' them into a design. I recently did a peach coloured pearl and seed bead set and it looks and feels gorgeous. Seed Beads can be stitched into practically anything, I can string them to make a 'length' or 'sew' them into a spiral or chain.
Like what you see? Then check out Karin's facebook pages:  Karin's bead Kandy   Karin's card Kandy