I had the pleasure of meeting Ofunneka on Etsy, a very friendly woman who is very passionate about her shop and her family. She runs her shop C3N2KIDS, which features a lovely collection of stuffed kid toys. This wonderful mommy creates some of the most unique stuffed toys I have ever seen, any child is bound to fall in love with any and all of them; I know my son fell in love with all of them. Some of her creations are the "little monsters," featuring a lovely array of colors, it's like an abstract work of art for children. Ofunneka doesn't only create stuffed toys, in her shop you can also find beautiful "mini greeting cards," and very cute felt books! Why not get your little one a great toy and include a nice greeting card to go along with it. Ofunneka's passion shines through each and every piece created in her shop. When you read through the interview you will see what I mean.
Let's all "Meet" Ofunneka, the creator of C3N2KIDS:
"Hi my name is Ofunneka Anyanwu, I am 36 years old and recently moved to Australia about 2 years ago, a move which I believe was destined, since I had part of my high school education in Papua New Guinea, spending most of our school holidays in Brisbane, Australia, so it seemed only natural for me to move here with my husband to start our family."
Your first crafting experience:
A. I believe that right from when I was a little girl in primary school I enjoyed drawing and can vaguely remember my mum getting a tutor to assess my drawings and he told me I did have a future in drawing, although I only recently explored it while making patterns for my sewing, which leads me to when I started sewing. My first formal exposure to sewing, like many young kids would have to be during Home Economics class in high school and I remember playing around with lots of scraps of fabric, sewing them with needle and thread, quite enjoyed those moments and only recently discarded some of those pieces on moving to Australia two (2) years ago.
So I had pretty much always loved sewing, as far back as when I was just a little girl, when I used to embellish my clothes using needle and thread, or sometimes even went a step further to sew them from scratch, still using needle and thread, but they were more often than not, quite ill-fitting (but I didn't care then. This practice carried on, even up to my days as a single gal, sewing appliques and making amendments to my clothes using needle and thread, tools I thought were sufficient then.
I also had the privilege of growing up with a mum who made it a point of duty to make our (my siblings and I) outfits during festivities, we always looked forward to the final products and making dolls, which she said didn't' turn out so great, but I guess as children we couldn't tell the difference and didn't care, mummy's was always the best
A. Yes I do work outside my Etsy shop, as a social entrepreneur, running my not-for-profit organisation back home in Nigeria, Africa, where our main focus is to help educate the disadvantaged girl child, although we started off setting up libraries in public schools, but because of my move to Australia two years ago, we had to move away from capital intensive projects and those that required my continued physical presence. I also write for and am the managing editor of an African magazine, called Change Magazine, based in Adelaide, South Australia. In all of this I still find time to volunteer at an public school here on Bathurst, NSW, where I assist in teaching bible study to year 1 and 2 school children, a truly fulfilling experience.
How do I find time or balance it all? Hmmm!!!! Balance did you say!?! I dedicate my days to my little angel from 7.30am to 12.30pm when she goes down for her day time nap, giving me a mirror of at least an hour to get some things done, or prepare my patterns for the soft toys I make. Then she (21 month old ) gets another 5 or so hours from me, filled with reading, colouring (which I truly enjoy...), TV time, dinner and whatever else she deems necessary...lol!!!!, before she goes down at night at about 7.30-8.00pm, after which I do my victory dance and get on with my sewing, before hubby gets back from work, I sort him out and I pretty much stay up sewing, editing the magazine or writing articles and working on my material for my NGO till about 3am then crawl into bed and do it all over again the next day.. does that count as balance? it has worked for me so far, not sure what I'll do when I go back to University in August, oh help!!!!!
The Creation of the shop name C3N2KIDS:
A. The name C3N2KIDS is actually coined from my name and those of my hubby, two step sons and daughter. It actually means C3: Chika, Chidi, Chima (my hubby and sons names ) , N2 : Nne (short form of my name and what my family call me at home), Ngozi my daughter's name. But for business purposes , it is called Creative Carefree Children Nurtured Now, which I guess also works.. KIDS referring to the items in the shop being for kids, part of the C3N2 consortium. There will however be different brands under C3N2KIDS, one of which is GOZ-GOZ (my daughter's nick name), I am hoping it will catch on in a couple of years…;-)
How do I find time or balance it all? Hmmm!!!! Balance did you say!?! I dedicate my days to my little angel from 7.30am to 12.30pm when she goes down for her day time nap, giving me a mirror of at least an hour to get some things done, or prepare my patterns for the soft toys I make. Then she (21 month old ) gets another 5 or so hours from me, filled with reading, colouring (which I truly enjoy...), TV time, dinner and whatever else she deems necessary...lol!!!!, before she goes down at night at about 7.30-8.00pm, after which I do my victory dance and get on with my sewing, before hubby gets back from work, I sort him out and I pretty much stay up sewing, editing the magazine or writing articles and working on my material for my NGO till about 3am then crawl into bed and do it all over again the next day.. does that count as balance? it has worked for me so far, not sure what I'll do when I go back to University in August, oh help!!!!!
How were you introduced to Etsy?
A. I vaguely remember in 2012, after I had my daughter I went on a hunt for any creative websites that would inspire and just basically keep me sane after a full day of playing mum and wife, which is how I stumbled upon Etsy, although I never really had much time to be active until now, when I took the plunge to start my business and then to put it online.
The Birth of your Shop:
A. I started my shop May 2013
The Creation of the shop name C3N2KIDS: 
Inspiration for Creations:
A. I believe the true inspiration for my shop came after I had my now 21 month old daughter.
When my little angel came along, I wanted to make beautiful, unique outfits for her and just had to invest in a sewing machine (thanks to my husband's Christmas gift to me in 2011). Having explored sewing her clothes for a while, I still felt that my creativity was stifled, this burning desire to explore all angles of my creativity birthed my second baby, C3N2KIDS, a shop for soft toys, throw cushions and mini cards for all occasions, catering specifically for children of all ages...
Favorite Materials:
A. I love working with African prints, but I recently started a new creative romance with felt and I am loving it, because you can either use it on its own or combine it with just about anything. I also love working with fleece cause it is so soft to the touch.
An item with a special story:
A. The dark rag doll, being the first doll / soft toy made for my daughter is very dear to me. It is actually called "Taddy" at home. A name I needed immortalised, cause that is the nickname we gave to my daughter when she was still residing in my womb and my hubby and I were not ready to disclose the pregnancy. So we coined the name "taddy" from tadpole and we actually still call my daughter that, from time to time. It is a name that i want to stick around forever.
Enlightening words for beginning shops?
A. Just try to enjoy the journey and savour every moment that you have in making your items or in my case "little treasures" at your own pace, because when the orders start coming in , you will be begging for days when you could just lounge, work at your speed without having any deadlines to meet. Also do not be discouraged by the slow pace, in terms of sales in the beginning, as I am now learning, let your passion and the joy for what you do see you through these times. I just feel like there are enough consumers out there to patronise us, guess we just need to find ways to reach out to them.
Find C3N2KIDS & Ofunneka Online:
A. I consider myself , a die hard creative mind, who derives much joy in expressing myself through creating what I call "my little treasures" for children of all ages. I get satisfaction also from running my NGO dedicated primarily to educating the girl child, in Africa. I also see myself as an adventurous spirit, having participated in the popular BIG BROTHER series, in South Africa in 2007, amongst other adventures I ventured on, before I became a mum and wife…..oh those days!!! ;-) I have a blog where I delve into soul searching and our path in life,although I haven't blogged in a while, I hope to get back to it soon
africandownunder.wordpress.com
Farthest travel:
A. Papua New Guinea
Pets:
A. I grew up always having dogs around, but don't have any right now, because my husband thinks they are too much work, especially when you have to travel. But my daughter knows about dogs and even barks sometimes. My bid to convince my husband otherwise, although it hasn't worked yet…
Any items you may have lost you would like back?
A. Are we restricted to mentioning just one, there are so many items, many of which would seem totally absurd to the readers, so I will spare you all…LOL!!!
Favorite dish:
Coconut rice (Rice cooked in coconut milk with a mix of vegetables), served with a combination of sea food…yummy!!!
A. Past time??? do you still have those when you become a mum? I used to enjoy reading before going to bed, but seeing that since I started my shop, I am up till 3am, there isn't much reading, just for leisure happening, just SEO, BNS and what have you, all work related, unfortunately.. Soon enough the two novels hubby got for me for mother's day, sitting on my bed side cabinet will be read, even if I have to do it 15mins everyday locked up in my toilet to get away for my precious little angel, the toilet being the only safe haven, although not always…;-). However I still find time to go for my daily walks, it helps me clear my head and prepare for that day or the next day, depending on the time of day I am able to walk and at least I can do this with my daughter in her stroller, thank God….Surprising Fact about yourself:
A. I have always had a fear of failing and making a fool of myself, with an audience watching, this prevented me from learning how to ride a bike during my childhood and unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to try again…or maybe I am still too scared!!!! Lol!!! Hope to do it before I die, anyone willing to teach me?
You can win:
THIS GIVEAWAY IS OPEN INTERNATIONALLY
In order to be eligible to win please make sure to follow all the required rafflecopter entry methods completely (options in bold, must be completed). ALL ENTRIES WILL BE VERIFIED!!
Prize:
You can win:
If you're a mommy, an aunt a grandmother, a father, a grandfather, an uncle or just know a child that would love to have one of these wonderfully crafted felt books, then this is a giveaway you must enter. Up for grabs is a MINI ANIMAL STORY FELT BOOK featuring approximately 4-5 pages with beautiful animals. This book is made using: felt, non-toxic safe glue, embroidery thread and up-cycled crinkle material. This book measures approximately 8cm x 10cm (3.5" x 4.5") a value of $25.00
THIS GIVEAWAY IS OPEN INTERNATIONALLY
**Please be advised that this prize will ship from Australia, so please do allow enough time for Ofunneka to create your Mini Felt Book, and allow time for shipment.**
In order to be eligible to win please make sure to follow all the required rafflecopter entry methods completely (options in bold, must be completed). ALL ENTRIES WILL BE VERIFIED!!
On the day the winner is announce, the winner will be contacted; the winner of the giveaway will have 48 hours to claim his/her prize, failure to do so will result in a forfeit and another winner will be chosen.
