{"id":145,"date":"2007-12-17T18:11:30","date_gmt":"2007-12-18T02:11:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cheldodge.net\/blog\/2007\/12\/17\/featured-etsy-shop-ajs-country-cottage\/"},"modified":"2007-12-17T18:11:30","modified_gmt":"2007-12-18T02:11:30","slug":"featured-etsy-shop-ajs-country-cottage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/userblogs.ganoksin.com\/lavajewelry\/2007\/12\/17\/featured-etsy-shop-ajs-country-cottage\/","title":{"rendered":"Featured Etsy Shop: AJ’s Country Cottage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today’s featured Etsy shop is AJ’s Country Cottage<\/a>, a shop featuring
\nhandpoured room-scenting candles, highly-scented soy candles, handmade olive oil soaps, highly-scented wax melts, and lip butters.<\/b><\/p>\n

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I asked AJ some questions about herself and her work…<\/i><\/p>\n

Tell me about yourself. <\/b>
\nMarried to my college sweetie. We live in rural Missouri with our 2 kids, 2 cats, a dog, and more fish than I care to mention!<\/p>\n

How did you get started making your art?<\/b>
\nI’ve always had a desire to create things with my own hands. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve dabbled with all kinds of media. I couldn’t live without creating. I poured my first novelty candles when I was about 13, and have worked hard at perfecting a well-burning, room-scenting jar candle for the past five years. Now I’m also really into making artisan soaps from scratch, and I love coming up with new ideas for scents, for color combinations, for textures, and for other techniques that make my soaps not only functional, but aesthetically pleasing as well.<\/p>\n

What other types of art do you make for fun?<\/b>
\nI love working with richly-colored and interestingly-textured yarns to create apparel and other functional items. I’ve knit and\/or crocheted everything from simple dishcloths to complex afghans and sweaters. It’s so much fun, I can never imagine tiring of this!<\/p>\n

What inspires you in your work?<\/b>
\nI often get inspiration for new scents and techniques when I take walks. Somehow exercise, fresh air, and solitude stimulate my creativity. Nature’s colors and scents often inspire me while I’m out. I’ve been inspired by sunsets, flowers, newly-mown hay fields, and rain, for starters. I’d love to capture some of those rich fragrances and colors in my work.<\/p>\n

How did you name your shop?<\/b>
\n I wasn’t too creative that day. My name is AJ, and I live in a small house in the country. “Cottage” sounds WAY more romantic than “house” though, doesn’t it? \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

What is your day job? <\/b>
\nThis *is* my day job, creating and selling pleasantly-scented products for home and personal care.<\/p>\n

What kinds of jobs have you worked in the past?<\/b>
\nI used to teach school. Then I was the manager of small desktop publishing\/typesetting firm before launching my own business.<\/p>\n

What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting their own
\nsmall business selling handmade goods? <\/b>
\nWork hard to research and learn all you can, and then practice, practice, practice. Nothing beats good old-fashioned experience. We don’t learn to drive a car primarily by reading books; we learn by doing it.<\/p>\n

AJ’s Country Cottage items can be purchased online at ajscountrycottage.etsy.com<\/a> and in person at local shows and farmer’s markets.<\/p>\n

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