I’d like to introduce you to this creative and talented lady, Sarah Reimer, who makes beautiful things.
I discovered her on instagram when I was tagged by a friend in one of her giveaway photos. I immediately fell in love with her products and her artistic style. She photographs, draws, designs, and inspires!
I saw on her instagram account that she made these cute little goal setting calendars. I LOVE setting goals and planning things out for each week and month.
Although most of my life is organized on various technological devices, I like to be able to write things down and see them in front of me. I asked Sarah if she would let me try out the goal calendars in exchange for some publicity on my blog, and she graciously agreed.
I love making lists!!
We started chatting and found out we are both from Southern Ontario, and now live in foreign countries! So we have quite a bit in common. I have been enjoying her blog, “You Me and Tuscany”, where she posts pictures of her life in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and stories of her international travels. She seems like an incredibly cool lady and I really hope we get to meet in person one day.
Such a beautiful calendar! I want it for next year!
Here are some of my favourite things in her Etsy shop!
My birthday’s on June 15th. Just saying.
I had some more questions for her about her creative journey. Here’s our interview.
1. How long have you been creating things?
Pretty much as far back as I can remember, I’ve been making things. I remember making friendship bracelets and selling them for 10 cents at family reunions. I created “car seats” for my dolls out of the leftover clementine/orange boxes at Christmastime. I even remember a time I decided to design my own shoes and I cut all the pieces out of cardboard (they didn’t last too long. Didn’t think through the “durability” aspect on that one). But most of all, I was always, always, always making cards for other people.
This interest of making things carried over into my teen life and into my young adult life. I ended up studying Interior Design at college, I dabbled with photography classes, and acquired an interest in graphic design. On top of that, I am almost always making something with my hands (whether it be knitting, sketching, painting, etc, I love trying new things). The art of making things with my hands has always been important to me. I got married in 2013 and pretty much went on a crafting frenzy for 11 months before the wedding, haha. I made everything myself from the invitations, centerpieces, even the bouquets, which I made all of fabric and lace! There’s something in me that comes alive when I am able to create.
2. When did you get the idea to open a shop?
Funny enough, my original thought of opening a shop came to me after designing and making everything for our wedding in April 2013. I had so much fun creating and then seeing it all come together, that I thought perhaps i could turn this into something. At the time, I was working full time at a kitchen design company and found I didn’t have much time leftover to pursue this idea. I let the idea rest with me a little while, until allowing myself to let it go. Timing just wasn’t right. It wasn’t until almost two years later, in late 2014 that a new idea was born. At this point in time, my husband and I had just spent two months travelling Europe, and were living abroad in England. Travelling had opened up an entirely new and inspiring perspective for me. I discovered a passion for capturing our travels through my camera lens and sharing with friends and family my unique perspective. I enrolled in some photography classes in January 2015 and through some peer and teacher critiques, I realized I had something here. The wheels really started turning in late January of 2015, when I began testing out different ideas for an online Etsy shop.
3. When did your shop open?
My shop, Sarah Reimer Designs, was launched on May 1st 2015. I believe I started with listing about 15 greeting cards online.
4. What was the biggest challenge you faced in opening your shop?
My biggest challenge with opening my shop was simply just getting noticed. I really had no idea what to expect, but I had this idea in my head that once I launched, things would just ….happen. Well folks, I hate to break it to you, but it just doesn’t happen. I slowly realized that even though we may put our heart and soul into something, it doesn’t mean that others will be as excited about it as you are (most likely, they won’t be). My respect for all the makers and small business owners out there has grown like crazy. We are all little fish in a huge big sea and to make a living off of this is tough, man (Just to be clear, I don’t make a living off of my earnings). I’ve learned some important lessons through this (that I continue to struggle with): Stop comparing yourself to others and remember the true reason why you are doing this. Personally, I pursue this because it is my passion. My focus is to create out of LOVE and NOT out of fear. (Though I’ve accepted that fear insists on coming along for the ride, and that’s okay. In fact, maybe it’s necessary).
5. What do you love most about this job?
What I love most about this job is having control of what I put into it and seeing my brand evolve. I love looking back and seeing how far I’ve come, and how I’ve created my “brand” or “look”. I continue to work on what I want Sarah Reimer Designs to convey, and have also expanded my product line from not just greeting cards but also to larger prints, canvases, calendars, hand painted plates, and more. However, as I expand, I work on keeping my brand cohesive. As I travel, I am inspired by new things and introduced to new methods of making and creating. I love taking these new experiences and inspirations and growing my business that way.
6. What are your hopes and dreams for this business?
I don’t have a set goal or vision as to where I see myself going with this in the future aside from pushing forwards. My hope is that I can continue growing with this endeavor, wherever life (or travels!) take me. It would be a dream to one day have Sarah Reimer Designs become a full time job for me, but I know that it’s one step at a time.
7. Where is the next place you’d like to travel? (Brazil perhaps?)
Up next on our list of travels (aside from exploring more of SE Asia while we’re living here) would be New Zealand and Australia. A dream of ours would be renting a van and travelling down there for an extended period of time. We’d love to get to South America at some point, as well. 🙂 We’ll see where the wind takes us!
Find her here:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahreimerdesigns/
Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/pt/shop/sarahreimerdesigns
Blog: http://youmeandtuscany.blogspot.com
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