Meet the Maker: Jill Verofsky from The Paper Rabbit Company

Hi friends. How are you? How has your spring been so far? It is still snowy and blah here with a few nice days in between. We went on a great vacation to FL last month. It was so nice and sunny and great to spend time with family and see Disney and Universal. I hope to get back into the swing of doing the Meet the Maker posts because I do really enjoy them. Life has been pretty full the last few months. What is new with you? Are you a maker and would like to be interviewed? Send me an email.

Today's Meet the Maker is with a fellow Pennsylvanian and she lives really close to where I grew up. How fun is that. Today I am going to allow Jill to take over my blog and tell you a little more about herself. Enjoy and without further ado here is Jill.

So my name is Jill Verofsky and my company is The Paper Rabbit Company

I am from Philadelphia PA and continue to live in the Philadelphia area, but have recently moved out of the city and into Wyndmoor (Glenside) PA.

I have always enjoyed doing crafts ever since I was a little kid.  I enjoyed making jewelry, painting and sewing.  Specifically with my greeting cards, I began making them approximately 4 years ago at the suggestion of my mom due to me feeling like I didn't really have a hobby in which I exercised myself creatively and artistically.  I like to read, write and play tennis, but I needed something that almost counterbalanced my professional life, which can be mentally and emotionally exhausting, as well as "life or death" at some points due to me working in the field of addiction rehabilitation.

Years ago I made the decision for myself to quit drinking and get myself into a program of recovery from my addiction.  As I became settled into my new life I realized that I didn't really have anything in which I used my hands and actually created something.  When discussing this with my mom, she suggested to try making greeting cards (she had seen something about making greeting cards on a home shopping network haha) because I have always been a huge proponent of SENDING cards to everyone in my life.  I was always drawn to sending cards to friends and family bc I feel like actually sitting down, writing out a card and/or message, mailing it, and having someone physically receive and experience it is a dying art.  Actually writing out a card is so different from sending a text or an email as you physically have to sit and write, which is a completely different action, and people appreciate that you take the time to do this for them.  I liked the idea of just a little card being able to brighten someone's day :)  So my inspiration would be my mom and my love of physical correspondence.

The story behind my shop name is pretty simplistic. My favorite animal has always been the rabbit or bunny.  I have a little stuffed animal that my mom bought me when I was a toddler (who is consequently named "Bunny") who I would sleep with every night, and still do!!!  So I came up with The Paper Rabbit Company bc my crafts are paper, and also having a rabbit or bunny involved really seemed like a deep piece of myself that I wanted to be evident in my art and my company.

I began selling my cards about 1 year ago online through Etsy and also in person at craft shows and home show parties with my close friend who sold LuLaRoe.  Now I still do have my Etsy shop, but I have found that Instagram has been so much more productive as it is easier to reach a larger audience, and the interface is much more user friendly than I find Etsy to be.  I also utilize Facebook for selling, but Instagram is definitely my favorite.  I was drawn to selling my cards by the suggestions of friends and family who all were loving receiving them in the mail, or receiving a set of them as a gift.  To be honest my favorite part of selling my cards online is that I can sell them to people all over the world, and the idea that one of my little creations is being used to make someone I have never met happy is just totally awesome!!

I do not have any upcoming sales or giveaways, but I do sell my cards at $4-, but I do 2 for $7, and also will make other price adjustments based on how many a person buys, or if they are a consistent customer of mine.

For a living I work in the field of addiction recovery for a company named Malvern Institute, that specializes in inpatient and outpatient treatment for individuals seeking treatment for their drug or alcohol addiction.  I have an undergraduate degree (B.A.) in Psychology and Biology, Masters degree (M.S.) in Forensic Psychology and I have an LPC licensure in clinical psychology.  Currently I work in Pottstown PA at one of our outpatient locations as an outpatient therapist, and I also am the clinical site supervisor  My job can be so emotionally and mentally taxing that my card creating time allows me to just sit, quiet my mind and create something with my hands.  I try to set aside a few hours per week to work on my cards, which most often is Friday night and over the weekends.  If I have had a particularly taxing work day, I will come home and sneak in a little card time before bed; I like to say it "quiets my mind".  Depending on the card occasion, a single card can take me anywhere from 30 minutes to 90 minutes depending on whether or not I have a design idea in my head already.  I don't think I have ever made exactly the same card twice.  I come up with all the designs myself, starting with a single sheet of card-stock.  

Although I create my cards by myself, often I will be sitting with friends or family while I am doing them, or I ALWAYS have my trusty sidekick Rocky (my little dog).  I do also take requests from customers on what they would like with a card/cards, as well as thoughts/input/suggestions from my friends and family.

I was raised Catholic, attended Catholic grade school and also the college I attended for undergrad and my graduate degree is a Catholic school.  I spent many years going to church, was an altar server and also sang in the choir, but as I got older, I began to pull away from the Catholic church and began to "practice" my own type of worship that is not so structured or rigid as I found the Catholic Church.  I often will say, "I'm not a religious person, but I am a huge God person".  My recovery program for my alcoholism is through the AA program (alcoholics anonymous), which is deeply ingrained in spirituality and connecting with a Higher Power, that I choose to call God.  Part of my beliefs are to be a "good person", meaning to be honest, kind and loving; even when faced with adversity or acrimony, I feel that I only lose if I do not do the next right thing as God would see fit.  I pray everyday for God to use me as an instrument for his work, and to help others as best as I can on a daily basis.  I feel my crafting and my beliefs coincide in the way that I really enjoy bringing joy and happiness to others.  Being nice and kind is so easy, but it is a daily deliberate action that I choose to take each day.

For the future of my business I would just like to continue to make people happy with my crafts, and hopefully develop my own website to sell my cards.  I would also like to participate in more craft show type events and connect with other handmade artists.

I don't know if I have any 1 favorite piece, but I think I most enjoy making Christmas and Valentine's day cards.  I love coming up with new theme ideas for holidays and occasions

Proceeds of my cards do not currently go to charity, but if I were to pick a charity I would most likely choose St. Jude's Children's Hospital for the ASPCA.  I consider myself to be a champion for the innocent and I would love to help any kids suffering from cancer and I love animals.

If there is 1 piece of advice to someone wishing to start their own handmade business it would be to jump right into it bc you'll never know what you can do till you try.  Also, to sell things online you need to be vigilant in promoting yourself and building connections with customers and also other crafters.  

Thank you so much for sharing Jill. I really enjoyed reading your story and I love your cards.

You can find Jill online at the following locations:

Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/ThePaperRabbitCo

IG username: thepaperrabbitcompany

Facebook: @thepaperrabbitcompany

Meet the Maker: Karen from KR Celestial Creations

Hi friends. How are you? Life has been busy but good. We had a nice Thanksgiving with my Parents coming to visit. It was so relaxing to not have to travel for a change. We did a little bit of shopping this weekend too.

How was your Thanksgiving? Are you shopping small this holiday? Do you know when you buy from a small shop like the ones I interview, you make a big impact? These businesses tend to be a stay at home mom. So your purchase is helping her to help support her family. So when you go shopping think first about shopping small.

It is time for another Meet the Maker. Today, I have the special privilege of introducing you to Karen from KRCelestial Creations. So without further ado let's meet Karen.

Hi Karen. Tell me about yourself. How long have you been crafting?
I have been crafting since I was little, but professionally crafting I can say that I have been doing it for 10 years now.
That's cool.

What kinds of crafts do you like?
I enjoy quilling, jewelry making, ceramics, baking and decorating. I love everything that has to do with hands and crafts.
I really enjoy pretty much anything that has to do with using my hands or crafts too.

When did you open your ETSY shop?
I opened my Etsy shop in May 2016.

Why did you start selling online?
I started selling online because it not only helps me to pay my college expenses but also because I wanted to feel what is to be your own boss.
That's cool. What a fun way to pay off college expenses.

Where do you sell online?
I sell on Etsy; my shop is KRCelestialCreations.
Fun.

Besides Etsy you can also find me on Poshmark; I sell brand new clothes. Check them out.
That's fun.

Do you have any upcoming sales?
I am currently offering free shipping with a minimum of $10 through December 11, 2017, at my Etsy shop.
This sounds like a great sale.

Other than selling your handmade crafts what else do you do?
I am currently a college student; majoring in Marketing. I consider that my major not only relate but also fits into my crafting world because it helps me to provide good quality products, attractive and innovative products, and the most important provide good customer service.
This is great. Learning as you go.

Do you create with anyone?
All the products in my shop are designed and made only by me.
Cool.

What would you share with someone who wants to start a handmade business?
Something that I would tell someone that wants to join the handmade business is that no matter what, believe in yourself and believe in your creations, do not give up and always be persistent.
Thanks for sharing such great encouragement.

You can find Karen's shop online at the following locations:

Etsy Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/KRCelestialCreations

Poshmark: https://poshmark.com/closet/krodriguez157

Instagram: @krcelestialcreations7

Twitter: @KRcelestialcrea

To Help you Shop Small this Holiday Season, I created a list of shops so make sure you head over to my Handmade and Small Shop Directory Page.

Upcoming events:

• Handmade Holiday Charity Box on sale now! Only 6 left! leave me a comment, email or message me at Handcrafter Artisan PR on Instagram.

• Cyber Monday 8 pm EST #makerscybermarket. Come join Mt Nittany Creations and several other makers on Cyber Monday for this great sale. Just follow the hashtag!

• December 6, 5-8 PM Winter Salon Shopping event.

Please note that there are affiliate links on my blog. If you click on them you could help support our blog! Thanks in advance.