Today we’d like to introduce you to Laila Khater.
Hi Laila, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Making crafts and working on Art projects has been a passion for me from a very young age. After moving to Austin in the summer of 2004, that passion continued to grow with me, and I have shared it with my own daughters too.
Later on, I started to create décor items for my own house with all the customizations that I had in my mind. Making custom t-shirts for my girls and gifts for family and friends. It all took a serious turn in the direction of building a small business on the side when I created a gift for a very special occasion celebrating an outstanding achievement for the school where I work as a teacher, and people started asking me to make similar items for them.
And now, I’m running a small online shop to sell my handmade items. And I participate in local bazaars and art shows a few times a year. And I’m also a volunteer who runs an Arts and crafts club for young kids in one of the main community centers in the North Austin area.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
With the support of everyone around me (family, colleagues at work, friends and local community), it has been a smooth ride. And I’m very grateful for such a support system.
The ongoing challenge for me is to keep up with all the new trends and needs of the local market related to what I create.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a full-time teacher and creating décor items and other handmade items is something I enjoy working on during the weekends and school breaks. It is similar to the nature of all other professions, keeps you in the hunt for new learning experiences, there is always something new to learn, practice, and be confident in doing/creating.
My small shop focuses on custom-made items and personalized gifts. I work with wood, cardstock and many other materials. And now working on adding laser cut\engraved pieces for all occasions to my shop.
Two of the most beloved items that are created are Door signs and décor items that celebrate the main Islamic celebrations: Ramadan and Eid. It was always hard to get such items here in Austin, so I have created my own and people loved them.
The other one is personalized shadow boxes that come in different sizes and filled with hand-rolled paper flowers; these are very popular as they make the perfect gift for almost any occasion.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I grew up in a family where many of its members are artistic and creative, my mom used to create beautiful, unique handmade décor pieces for our home. And my oldest brother did a lot of sketching and painting creating beautiful artwork.
For me as a kid, I loved watching my mom creating beautiful pieces all around the house, and it was always exciting to help her too.
And this is exactly how it is in my small family these days, where all of my three daughters help me in many different ways and they are always an inspiration to me. They are also the ones who came up with the business name.
Pricing:
- Door hangers/signs: $45-$60
- 3D Cake toppers: $18-$25
- Shadow boxes: $38-$60
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CisforCrafting
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/cisforcrafting
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100075735825919
