Preserve Childhood Memories with This Little Piggy Prints
Making impressions of your children’s hands and feet in clay is a neat way to create a reminder of when they were small. Marin “mompreneur” Shawna O’Connor has made a business out of creating these special personalized keepsakes out of fine china clay with This Little Piggy. We asked her to tell us a little bit about herself and her unique business. She’s also agreed to give one lucky Marin Mommies reader a gift certificate for a free double print (two impressions on one piece), a $45 value. To enter the drawing, send an email to contests@marinmommies.com with "This Little Piggy" in the subject line. One winner will be selected at random on Sunday, April 27, 2008.
These make great gifts for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and grandparents, too. Also, all new babies (12 months and under) can get a free handprint ornament. To make an appointment with This Little Piggy call (415) 472-3991 or visit www.yourpiggyprints.com.
We asked Shawna to tell us a little bit about herself and her unique business.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am married to my wonderful husband Mark who is a fireman in San Francisco. We have two girls, Eleanor (8 years) and Frances (15 months). We moved to San Rafael almost 6 years ago from Orange County in Southern California. I definitely prefer the beauty and laid back life style of Northern California and especially of Marin.
What was your inspiration behind your idea?
After the birth of my second daughter last year, I left my job as a field director for a high school exchange student organization because my time was just stretched too thin. My plan was to stay home to be with our girls full time. I was looking for a way to get a quality handprint impression of her my daughter, like the one I had made for my older daughter when we lived in Orange County. The do-it-yourself kits did not provide the quality I wanted. I used to love the ceramics classes I took in college and it just seemed like the right time in our lives for me to be able to start a business that I could work from our home. Thus the idea for This Little Piggy was born. I love it because it allows me the flexibility to be home with my girls and also nurture my artistic side.
How did you go about starting your business?
I spent several months transforming our garage into an art studio where I could work and have customers visit. As a result, our garage no longer is full of junk! Then I started making practice prints on my kids and a few of my friends' kids to get the clay and glazes just right. I started by doing fundraisers for preschools and mothers clubs and it has just grown from there.
How do you see your business growing?
I plan to grow by offering a variety of ceramic keepsake products, like garden stones, wedding prints for the bride and groom, and pet impressions. Down the road I would like to offer ceramics classes for kids as well.
