Hey y'all, I thought it was high time I told everyone a little more about the girl behind the store...
WHO WHAT WHERE
Pork Chop is a one woman business run by me, Leonie, out of my little back room in Western Sydney. My craft space is tiny and cluttered but my window faces north and I have a lovely view of the magpies in the gum trees. I am a mum to Tyler, 2 ½ and Holly, 8 months. I also work three days a week as a graphic designer / marketer. I love that I am able to earn some pocket money doing things that I love although I don't think I'll ever be able to effectively juggle working, crafting and mum-ing to the point where I don't feel I should always be busy trying to get through something to get to the next thing. My goal is to just 'be', and be happy and centered in my life.
WHY PORK CHOP?
My business is named after Tyler. It’s like calling a skinny guy Fat Tony. Ty has a naturally a lean build but lost lots of weight at around 8 months old and looked like a little stick man. Calling him pork chop was my way of covering my fear that he would continue to lose weight. Luckily he is now a happy healthy boy although he is still a skinny minnie. Holly on the other hand is nicknamed muffin top because she is the opposite size and shape; she’s my little Kewpie doll.
MY CREATIVE PROCESS
- I imagine I’m selling face to face at a market, and I think about the kind of person who would buy my things and what they are into.
- I then try to create something sweet in keeping with their style and aesthetic.
- As you may have gathered if you have read my blog for some time, I REALLY like fabric shopping. I select and buy each fabric as I need it. This is a convenient excuse to visit Spotlight whenever I can.
- I make every piece from start to finish on my little Brother sewing machine, with hand finished details on some pieces.
- I carefully wrap and pack each order with pretty touches (I love wrapping presents! I always peak to early at Christmas then can't remember what's under all the pretty wrapping for everyone).
- I don't have a regular posting day; I try to send orders as they come in within a day or two of receiving payment, dependent on how cranky the kids are and whether I am at work or not.
My fang bunnies are all cut without a pattern so each one is unique. Their personalities come to life as they are being pieced together in my hands. Sometimes they almost demand a cranky face, sometimes their dumb vacant expression materialises without much help from my needle. Their little bio's are mostly made up of snippets of my family's personality.
I AM ALLERGIC TO CAT HAIR
My house is smoke free and (hairy) pet free although I do have a jungle python called Rumble and a centralian carpet python called Station who supervise all the goings on from the other side of my craft space. We have also had three other snakes, two shingleback lizards, 20 spiny leaf insects and a stupid bird called Sparky who was obsessed with feet and screaming. We did have a kelpie cross up until recently but she was very old. I'm not actually allergic to cat hair. I love cats. I just can't eat a whole one. Yes, I'm one of those people.
PERFECTIONIST TO THE POINT OF ANAL RETENTIVENESS
I'm a perfectionist. I like to sharpen pencils then lay them out in colour order, just because. I like my tea towels hung just so over the oven rail. I can't stand loose ends in any shape or form, or things that don't fit into a space or can't be filed under a category.
I hope you can see the love, time and effort that I put into each item in my store. When you buy something I have made, you can be confident that it is extremely well made, special and touched by caring hands every step of the way.
A big thanks for supporting me, both here as a blog reader and through the store. Hearing your lovely comments and great feedback makes my heart soar.
xo
