About Me

Introduction:

Hi! My name is Sarah and I am an artist from Missouri. As an artist, I believe there is an intrinsic value to handmade art as it allows us to connect with each other on a distinctly human level. That is why I created Akimbo ACA: to bring art from my hands to yours.

About Akimbo ACA:

Akimbo ACA is the name of my single-member small business. I got the name "Akimbo" from my mom. It means "hands on the hips" and is a name I was often called by her growing up because I love to stand with my hands on my hips. The "ACA" stands for "arts, crafts, and animations" because I love all three of those things. I love animating on the side of this business, and am hoping to enter the animation industry soon. I also, of course, love arts and crafts. Whether its drawing, sewing, or sculpting, I love almost every form of art!

What You can Expect from Me:

1. Art that is made by me, and me alone, without the help of generative ai.

2. Cute packaging filled with whimsy! I love making things look bright and fun! In case you couldn't tell from my shop, my favorite colors are yellow and turquoise, and that is reflected in my packaging:)

3. Prompt and understanding customer service. As many of my customers from Etsy have mentioned in their reviews, I have a reputation for upholding good customer service! My response rate is usually under 24 hours and I am open to help with any issue!

4. Quality products. While each of my products will differ slightly and may have slight imperfections as they are handcrafted, I uphold them to a standard. Each piece is designed and crafted by me with love and attention to detail. 

The Processes:

I love each of these forms of art. Each of them have a special place in my heart and require different skills. Here is a brief explanation of how I make each type of item:

Polymer Clay Creations:

All of my clay items are made in the same way. First, I sculpt them out of polymer clay, (usually Sculpey II, Souffle, or Fimo) then I shade them with chalk pastels. This helps them look more realistic. I especially like doing this with food items like my bestselling cookie earrings! After shading I also occasionally add texture, usually with either an x-acto knife or a ball of aluminum foil. I then add in eye pins and bake my pieces, after which I coat most of my pieces in UV resin. The resin provides both shine and durability to my pieces. Finally, I attach any extra jewelry findings (such as lobster claws and earring hooks) and then I admire my work!

Soap Making:

I make my soap, more specifically cold process soap, from scratch. In this process, I first make lye water by adding sodium hydroxide (lye) to distilled water. Once it has cooled, I add the solution to a melted combination of oils and butters (including olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil***, castor oil, and shea butter). This process is called saponification. It is the process in which the lye water mixes with the fats in the oil/butter mix to create soap molecules. After my mixture has reached the right consistency, called "trace", I then add in fragrance, colorant, and sometimes additional additives such as pumice powder and/or kaolin clay. You can find the ingredients in each individual soap both in the online listing and on the physical packaging. After I've added everything in and I have the colors I want, I then pour my soap into a mold. I use swirling and layering techniques to create different designs. As seen in the picture, I also occasionally add a soap "frosting" by letting some soap thicken and piping it out. 

After the soap has fully cured, (it takes around 4-6 weeks for all the water to evaporate out of it) I test its pH with testing strips to make sure its within the recommended pH range. I also test a bar on my own skin to make sure it doesn't cause irritation. That being said, as I state in product listings, if you have sensitive skin I would not recommend using my scented soap and would instead recommend my unscented bars.

***In light of recent findings in regards to the ethics of using palm oil, I will either be finding sustainably sourced palm oil or ceasing the usage of palm oil in my soaps altogether. For the time being, I do have some extra palm oil to use up but once that's gone I will be switching to one of those two plans.

Stuffed Animals:

Stuffed animal making was one of my first hobbies. Over time, I have streamlined my process and become increasingly more independent with it. Now, I design my own animals and patterns. 

First, I design my animal and pattern pieces in my sketchbook. Then I digitize the pieces in a drawing app and import them into my Cricut, which I use to cut out the fabric. From there, I add in safety eyes and use my sewing machine to sew all the pieces together. Finally, I stuff the animal and hand sew the last gap shut. 

A New Process: Starting soon, I will hopefully be changing the way I make patterns. I am hoping to start designing them with a 3D model in Blender, and then transform them into patterns with Plushify.net. This will allow me to make my animals even more customizable as I will have even more control over how they turn out. 

 

Stickers:

Stickers are my most recent addition to my long list of art hobbies. I recently purchased a Cricut, and I have been using it to cut out pattern pieces and stickers. As I mentioned above, I love all forms of art, including drawing. I draw my stickers on a drawing app called Procreate. From there, I import them into my Cricut Design Space and add adjustments as needed. I then print them out and cut them out with my Cricut. I enjoy being able to implement some of my more illustrative passions into my store!

 

Questions?

I know that was a very lengthy introduction, but if you have any further questions feel free to reach out on my Contact Me page!