In the Spotlight: Kathy from Kiwi Tini Creations

Kiwi Tini was born out of a desire for wanting to help celebrate life's little and big moments. Four years ago when I first opened my shop I made cupcake flags, gift bags and tags. From these little beginnings I have slowly added more products to include cake toppers, banners, place cards, table numbers, thank you cards and packaging supplies for the DIY bride. I love the idea of adding a small but special touch to celebrations, like a hand written place card or beautiful gift bag.

You can see my passions for the ocean, forest and all things Paris in my designs. I'm a nature girl and love being outdoors. My home city of Calgary is closely situated near the Canadian Rockies. As a family, my husband and our two boys like to hike and camp in the summer; and ski in the winter. Every once in awhile we get to travel to an ocean.

A typical day at Kiwi Tini is for me to head into my home office/studio with my morning cup of coffee. I check emails, respond to any customer requests, make and package orders for shipping. On days when I don't have orders to fill I will do some marketing or write a blog post and check in to see what is happening on my Etsy teams. The great thing about having an Etsy shop is that even though I am at home by myself I feel connected to other makers and artisans within the Etsy community.

Having your own business can be challenging and I really enjoy it. I am always thinking of new ideas and keeping up with current trends. Once I have an idea I will make sketches and keep notes on how to construct the product and it's dimensions. I will make a sample and get feedback from family and friends about the product and make any necessary changes. I also make sure I can easily source materials so I can handle large orders. For wedding items you could be making hundreds of them. Sometimes it can take months before a product is perfected, photographed and listed.

This past year I was a vendor at a few local markets and really had a lot of fun with it. It was nice to meet and chat with customers and fellow makers. I hope to keep that trend going in the future. For me Kiwi Tiniis a great creative outlet and it is amazing to be helping brides and party planners with their celebrations. Love, Laugh, Celebrate!