A Creative Life: Rice Babies

I am always just floored by all of the amazingly talented moms and readers out there. Kellie recently wrote to me about her Rice Babies. I was so taken by these adorably patterned stuffed dolls, especially in her inspiration behind creating them. To visit her Etsy site, Click here!


Tell us about Rice Babies. Where the did the inspiration come from?

The Rice Babies was born out of the lack of Asian dolls out there. I didn't like going out there and picking up blonde haired dolls for my beautiful dark haired, dark-eyed nieces. I also teach art, and in my classes I noticed that some of the little girls (Asian) didn't like to draw themselves as they were; they would draw blond hair, big eyes. I wanted to make a change. So I took what Gandhi said literally, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."

What are some of the rewards of creating your own independent business?

I am an Art Major with a minor in Child Development, as an artists, you ARE your own business. It's rewarding to reach people, to do what you love and still have time for your kids.

What about the challenges?

The challenges can be the balance of deadlines and babies. I am a part of a large group of women, you might be one, we call ourselves midnight crafters. You have to wait till the littles are tucked away to get down to business.

What's a typical day-in-your-life like?

A typical day, doesn't exist in our house. ha ha If I had to pick a day , it would go like this:

My 9 month old gets up at 7 am, we spend some time in the quiet, just the two of us. Sometime in there I get a Bible study in before the big one wakes at 8:30 am. We all sit and eat as Dad heads off to work. Little one goes back to sleep, big guy and mom have some time together. We usually go to the play room, he is really into dinosaurs right now. I then make some time for design, pattern reading, and blogging. The little one is up, we eat, play, then all go down for a nap. In this time I try to sew, print, whatever I can while both nap. Dad comes home, we all play, maybe get a family bike ride in after dinner. When all are asleep, that's when I can sew in the quite (well, actually with music). This day doesn't include the days I teach art,that's a whole new routine. We can get quite busy but we always find time for fun!