Featured Designers: Redneck Hillbillies

Tell me 5 things everyone should know about you
1. I am a wife and mother first, everything else comes second.
2. I try to learn at least one new thing each year. Usually it becomes an obsession until I grow bored of the subject or something else distracts me.
3. I *love* living in the country. It calms me, keeps me grounded, and inspires me. I think I would be a complete basket case in the city, where others might go stir crazy living a day in my shoes. which reminds me...
4. I have gumboots, workboots and snowboots - and not a single pair of high heels. You think I'm jokin' about being a hick, but it's what I am.
5. Life for me is about more than keeping up with the Joneses. I might not have all I want, but I have what I need and I want all I have. That being said, a little pocket change never hurt anyone either and that's why I'm here ;p

How and when did you find zazzle?
I found Zazzle in late November of 2009. In my searches for information on POD sites I kept finding blog articles complaining about certain PODs while praising the virtues of others, like Zazzle. I signed up for an account but it sat empty and unused while I puttered around on CP which was the only name I was really familiar with. In late January 2010 I took another look at zazzle, and uploaded my first few designs to test the waters. It works well for both my farm photography and text based designs. I found it fairly straightforward, loved alot of the features, and have devoted all my attention to zazzle since.

If you spilled coffee on your mouse pad and needed to replace it with a mouse pad not from your store, which would you choose and why?

This mousepad design was posted in a "show and tell" forum a week or so ago. I've never sung Karaoke, but It's how I imagine I would sing my heart out if I had the guts to do it

Karaoke Queen by Toonboy
View other Karaoke Mousepads

Do you have any formal art or computer training?

No. Anything I have learned so far, I've learned through trial and error. (Some would say mostly error!)
I taught myself basic html and played with paintshop pro in 1999 for my first website by reading books and online tutorials. I've often thought about going back to school for a course or two, but real life and home responsibilities keep me busy enough as it is.

What is the best advice you received since starting zazzle?
There is so much good advice floating around the forums that it's hard to pick just one nugget of wisdom. For me, it would have to be to promote, promote, promote. "If you build it, they will come" is not a very effective strategy, so along with trying to add new products consistently I have to always be mindful that nobody will buy my merchandise if they don't even know it's there!

If you were abducted by aliens and knew you would have to wear the same shirt for the rest of your life - which one from your store would you want it to be?

Ok, I LOL'd at this question; definitely not something I have given any thought to yet!
Um.... it would have to be my "Hick Chick" tee.
It doesn't get many views, got mixed reactions from family, and hasn't sold yet - but I loved it the minute I created it and still do because it's lighthearted, cute, and fun - something I am not but try to be :D I think it would be just the right fit for an extended stay in a stressful situation with E.T.s