1. Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Kristy and I own Lou C’s Designs (handmade jewelry). I am a Texas girl, I grew up in Dallas and moved to East Texas around 1991 and currently thinking of moving to Austin! I am 37 with two children Sophie (9) and Camden (7) and have been married to Derek for the past 11 years! I am currently obsessed with Lou C’s 24 hours a day. I make the jewelry, take the orders, book keep, etc... but also I have been working on the website, writing descriptions, pricing and taking all the photos! Busy, busy, busy I have been, so I hope it all pays off.
My favorite number is 11 so this should be a great year, my favorite color is black (I know people are usually like WHAT??) but I LOVE black! So I wonder what my favorite nail color is (some form of BLACK)!!!! I even have a black cat and a black dog! Anyways, I love to make jewelry and it has taken over my world!
2. What do you make and how did you get into this?
I make handmade fine silver and bronze hand stamped jewelry (try to say that three times fast)! I started by stamping blanks you can order and then I found PMC precious metal clay and realized I could make my own shapes/designs and then stamp them. It all started when one day I saw a lady hand stamping and thought that was the neatest thing, I had never even seen that before. I bought one and watched her make it, while making it I whispered to my friend that I can do that (my sweet friend believed that I could too!) I went home researched and two weeks later I was stamping.
While I was stamping I kept looking for ideas, (remember I had never seen it before so I needed to know what people were doing) while I was looking around I found a charm that said it was made of PMC so I went a researched what it was and how to use it. I bought some with the thought that if it did not work at least I tried! It worked and then I found Etsy, I thought I was ready to go and I was going to sell and just be happy.
If you know what Etsy is, you know there are a lot of people that make jewelry and if you do not tag it just right you will be on page 3078! I tagged really well and got on page 1 or 2 but then someone would come behind me and tag just a little bit better, I had to retag EVERYDAY!!!! This was just too much!
While this tagging war was going on over at Etsy I was selling really well off of Facebook, people would call and email. I did so well that I am able to start my own website and pay for all my supplies that I need (I have not paid myself yet) but I have not taken out a loan to do this. I really wanted this business to go where it is meant to go by itself and not push it and so far it has done just that.
3. Why did you name your shop Lou C's Designs?
I name it Lou C’s Designs after my two children: Sophie (Lou) that is just what I call her, her real middle name is Isabella, and Camden (C). I just liked the way it sounded when I was going through names!
4. Where and when do you like to create?
I create in my office at no particular time! When it pops in my head, when I see something, when I get bored, when I GET AN ORDER!!!!
5. What inspires you?
Anything and everything! But most of all I want my children to be proud of me. I love to hear one of them tell their friends that “my mom makes jewelry!”
Anything and everything! But most of all I want my children to be proud of me. I love to hear one of them tell their friends that “my mom makes jewelry!”
6. What’s the best thing you’ve made so far?
MY two kiddos! I know it is not jewelry, but if I said a piece of my jewelry over my kids it would be a lie!
MY two kiddos! I know it is not jewelry, but if I said a piece of my jewelry over my kids it would be a lie!
7. When you create what do you like to drink?
Iced coffee.
Iced coffee.
8. What skills would you love to learn and who would you like to be your teacher?
There are too many amazing people to put just one but I would love to learn to sew better and learn more about jewelry. OH!!! Photography too!
There are too many amazing people to put just one but I would love to learn to sew better and learn more about jewelry. OH!!! Photography too!
9. What are you working on now and what are your goals for the future?
At this moment I am working on my website (should be out as you are reading this!) it is important to me that the website looks as good as the jewelry. If the website does not look good you will lose the buyer. Before I started my site I would find myself clicking off a website if it did not appeal to me (even if the product was amazing).
At this moment I am working on my website (should be out as you are reading this!) it is important to me that the website looks as good as the jewelry. If the website does not look good you will lose the buyer. Before I started my site I would find myself clicking off a website if it did not appeal to me (even if the product was amazing).
10. What are your five favorite websites?
This is very hard because there are soooo many!
Facebook: I have to say Facebook first because without it I would not be able to do this. It is a wonderful networking tool, it has really gotten my jewelry out there!
Tattered Style: This is a blog and she is really new but she has amazing style (for the home).
The Pleated Poppy: I have a bloom bag (too cute), I just love her style and I love the clean look of her site.
The Pleated Poppy: I have a bloom bag (too cute), I just love her style and I love the clean look of her site.
Where Women Create: Because they are all about business’ like us!
Lou C's Designs: Just because I am so proud of it! I love the way it looks.
11. Where can we find you online?
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