Mike got a late Christmas gift this year from me. I accidentally sent it to our apartment instead of my parents’ house, so he had to wait to get it. Oops. Anyway, I thought I would help him jazz up his car a bit (which is a huge deal to him as he will not keep/put anything in his car to take away from its pristine and manly look; this includes a freaking snow scraper or a stroller…).  Anyway, jazzing was a hard task due to his redonk criteria, until I found these bad boys. I was so excited and knew he would love them. Then, I found out that the guy who makes them went out of business. Wah Wah. Cue Alyssa. I found her on Etsy and asked if she could recreate them (I had permission from the guy; unwind your panties), and she did a baaaaaang up job:

Giveaway!

Now you’re wondering why I would ever show you/talk to you about car stuff. Well, Alyssa does way more than that. And, to show off her mad skills, she is giving away a $25 shop credit to a Call Her Happy reader! Read a bit about her (she’s not just car stuff; I’m telling you!), and then scroll down to fill out the Rafflecopter. Honor System.

1. How did your shop start?
Honestly it started when I bought a small “craft cutter” to make gifts and home decor for myself and friends. It was just a hobby. But I loved it so much that I ran out of walls to decorate and people to give stuff to (and my little hobby was starting to get expensive!), and I thought, why not see if I can sell a few things. All I really wanted to do was fund my hobby, but it took off and I’m so, so grateful for the huge response I’ve found on Etsy. It’s such a great environment for a small seller like me. I still have a day job, but for the first time I can actually see a future where I might be able to work full-time doing something creative, something I love, and that’s very exciting. I’m so thankful for all the customers who have found me and worked with me and helped me grow my little shop into a business.

2. How would you describe your shop to a new customer?
My business cards say “Awesome custom stuff for kids and grownups.” That’s pretty much what I aim for. I work with vinyl, and the possibilities are so huge and varied. I started with wall decals, which is still one of my favorite things to do. But I branched out to car decals and personalized gifts like tumblers, coffee mugs, and toys. Really the sky is the limit with vinyl, so you really have to come check out my shop to get an idea of all the things I do. My favorite projects are custom ones like yours! To take a customer’s vision and turn it into reality is such a rewarding experience.

3. What is in the works for your shop in the future?
2013 marks my second year in business, and I’m very excited about the future. I’m going to focus a lot more on some of my custom toys; as a mother of two young children that’s something that really speaks to me. I’ve had a lot of luck with things like personalized sand buckets and kids’ water bottles, and my Fashionista Play Tray was a big hit at Christmas (www.etsy.com/listing/111458387/fashionista-play-tray-custom-paper-doll). That particular product is kind of my baby, I adore everything about it. But overall I just want to keep offering awesome custom stuff for kids and grownups, and working with my customers one-on-one to bring their ideas to life.

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