Come meet Ally of CrookedSmileCreation!

by lolasjewels



LJ: Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about yourself.
CSC: Hello, my name is Ally. I live in Tampa, Florida. I am married and have one daughter who is 23 years old. My husband and I have come back home from living abroad in the UK for two years. We've actually been home for almost a year, now that I think about it. Time has flown by. His job required us to move to Bournemouth, a town on the southern coast of England. While we were there we enjoyed traveling around Europe and had the opportunity to see many things and meet some interesting people. It was a unique experience that we would not change, but we are tremendously happy to be back home in the US.

LJ: When did you start making your bags and what was your inspiration?
CSC: I have always been into crafts, in one form or another for as long as I can remember. While my husband and I were living abroad, I had a lot of time on my hands, so I spent much of that time sewing. It was during that time that I began to experiment with many ideas in sewing. One thing led to another and now I make bags. My inspiration comes from so many areas. Sometimes I see some fabric, and I know exactly what I want it to be. Other times (usually when I'm about to fall asleep at night) I get an idea and I just have to try it.


LJ: Is there one bag that is your favorite and why?
CSC: My favorite bag is always the one that I am working on at that time. I really have enjoyed making every one of them. In looking at my shop, I would have to say that the autumn leaves bag is a favorite. Have you ever had an idea, but you’re not sure it will come out how you envision it? I was elated as I was making the Autumn Leaves bag. It came together exactly how I wanted it.

LJ: What inspired you to open your Etsy store?
CSC: I had never heard of Etsy. Then my daughter mentioned that a friend of hers had an "online store" (turns out it was an Etsy store). Shortly after that, I was reading in the local paper about a Tampa get-together for Etsians. When I started to look further and I saw all the Etsy resources and the support in the Etsy community, it all started to come together for me. It was a process that took some time to gel, but now that my store is open, I am truly enjoying it.

LJ: Tell us about your repurposed bag.
CSC: The repurposed bags came about in an interesting way. My daughter had some jeans that she couldn't wear anymore. It was a shame because they weren't old or worn, they just didn't fit her. I took them off her hands not sure what I was going to do with them and thought I might just give them to a charity, then that late night light bulb lit up and that's when I started repurposing the denim into purses.

LJ: What are your personal dreams for the future?
CSC: I try to live for the present, so I really don't get too detailed about the future. My personal dreams for the future? A simple life.

LJ: Favorite quote or saying...
CSC: "People don't care what you know until they know that you care."

Thank you Ally for taking the time to tell us a little something about yourself! Please visit CrookedSmileCreation to see even more beautiful designs.