Friday Feature with Sir Bubbadoo

Happy Friday, Folks!

Thanks for stopping by for today's interview with Sir Bubbadoo, a baby accessories boutique shop based out of San Francisco. Creator Kristina is driven by vibrant colors, bold patterns, and cutesy characters. You can't hold the smiles back when perusing her shop. Read on for a charming story of a mom-to-be's mission to create a cure for the common burp cloth!

giraffes and white bubble dot minky

1. What is your shop name and URL?

Sir Bubbadoo http://www.etsy.com/shop/SirBubbadoo

2. To which Etsy Teams do you belong?

SF Etsy

3. Please tell us about the items in your Etsy shop. What do you make? How did you learn your craft? What is involved in your creative process?

My shop is a baby boutique that primarily sells modern baby blankets, bibs, and burp cloths. I also make custom items like crib sheets, changing pad covers, and baby quilts. My goal is to provide parents with an alternative to pastel colored and generic items that can be found at shops like babies r us, target, etc. Baby's accessories should reflect the parents style and so I strive to create modern, hip and brightly colored items that do this. 

I taught myself how to sew when I found out I was pregnant with my kiddo because I couldn't find anything that I liked in the stores. I ended up falling in love with it as I could make things exactly how I wanted them to be. (My mom is an avid sewer and I guess I should have paid attention to her when she tried to teach me when I was little!) There are so many lovely fabrics out there that it was hard to choose (and afford) just a few of them when I was making items for my son, I wished that I could make more things but it didn't really seem practical. When we decided that I would stay home full time after our son's birth, I opted to try opening a shop on Etsy to help pay for my new found hobby. Little did I know that it would change my life completely and become a second full time job!

For me my creative process is all about the fabric. When I see a fabric that I want for my own kiddo I know that I want to create items for others with it and hope that they like the prints as much as I do. I am constantly looking for new fabrics and hope someday soon to be able to design my own line of fabric.

secret garden and raspberry bubble dot minky

4. Tell us two (or more) other interesting things about you.

I am a traveler. My husband and I lived in New Zealand for a year after we got married and it is one of the most beautiful countries you'll ever go to. We've now been to six of the seven continents and hope someday to make it to Antarctica. 

I have a Bachelors of Science in Genetics and Plant Biology from UC Berkeley. I guess I am not using that so much now. Funny how life will take you in a different direction than where you planned to go.

5. What is your biggest challenge related to your Etsy shop?

Finding enough hours in the day. Being a stay at home mom and a wife is a full time job as it is and adding another full time job to the mix makes for many late nights. But if I didn't have my Etsy shop I probably would have had to go back to a 9-5 job by now. I am so thankful that I get to stay home with my son all day, and every time I ignore him during the day to answer customer questions, I try to remind myself that this is what makes it possible for me to be with him the rest of the time. 

6. What is your favorite item in your shop (currently for sale or previously sold)? Why is it your favorite? (Please provide a link)

My favorite item was the Aviary Quilt. https://www.etsy.com/transaction/52240619 I love the colors in it with the super soft organic backing. It was just lovely. I am so glad that it has gone to a good home but part of me wishes that I had kept it. It was really hard to mail it off.

aviary quilt

7. What advice do you have for other folks selling or buying on Etsy?

My advice would be to make things that you love. If you don't love them then your customers won't love them. It is so hard not to get caught up in what everyone else is selling and making in your "category" that it is easy to forget your original goals and stay true to yourself. I think that having a cohesive store (style) is important and feels more like a store and less like a garage sale. I've found that when I get caught up comparing my shop to others on Etsy, I remind myself that I am not here to compete with them, my goal is to provide an alternative to all the generic baby gear out there and to create things that I would want for my own kiddo. I am constantly trying to improve my shop, my photos and my products.

woodland friends bibs

8. What crafting skill(s) do you wish you had or hope to learn someday?

I wish I could knit. Hopefully someday I will get there.

9. What has been your biggest success and/or proudest moment since opening your Etsy shop?

My first sale. I listed my first 4 items one evening after my kiddo went to bed and I was so anxious about taking the step to put myself 'out there'. When I woke up the next morning I checked my shop and only 3 were listed. I thought that one had been removed because I had done something wrong. Then I realized I had sold something. I ran downstairs shaking out of control and told my husband (who was in the shower - getting ready for work) and completely freaked out not knowing what I should do next. Do I contact them, do I ship it now, how do I package it? I was completely unprepared as it hadn't actually occurred to me that when I listed my items that someone would buy one.

owl baby blanket

10. Where else can we find out more about you and/or your creations? 

Blog: http://www.sirbubbadoo.com/
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sirbubbadoo/
Facebook (just signed up!): https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sir-Bubbadoo/152748161526335
My Other Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/fabricbubb

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Katy or Steph about joining SFEtsy!