Hi, Welcome to my Blog!
My name is Tammy, but I'll answer to everything, including "Hey You"!
When I was a child, my Mom, Grandma, & even Aunties tried to teach me to crochet... I wanted NOTHING to do with it!! My Mom actually told me that I was probably a lost cause, and would not be a "homemaker."
I am a Voice Teacher by education & trade! I teach people of all ages to sing with health! It is my passion & my bliss! I LOVE it!! I have students all around the world, thanks to the wonders of the internet & webcam! If you'd like to see more about that, check out my website (http://www.voicelessonsprescottvalley.com)
Fast-forward to 2008, I met my sweetheart, and we were married a short year later!!
Fast-forward a year again, and, Labor Day 2010 I found out I was expecting our first child!
I came to the stark realization that I hadn't developed any particular talents that would enable me to create beautiful things for my children to cherish! Sure -- I could record a CD if I wanted to, but that's not exactly what I mean! I have GORGEOUS crocheted clothing & blankets from my Mom, Grandma & Aunties, things I can pass down to my children, and say "look - Gramma made this for you"!!
So, when I was pregnant with my first, my daughter, I was working 6 days a week as a voice teacher, driving 1800 miles a week, and even staying away from home at least 3 nights per week. I was the breadwinner, so it needed to be done! I did this until 2 weeks before my daughter was born in May 2011. I decided I needed to learn to make her something, so I turned to crochet. I asked my Mom a few questions, and went out and bought a TON of yarn, and began making the baby a blanket.
The saga of this blanket will put you in stitches!! I naively used an H hook, working with the chunkiest Bernat Baby yarn I could find. This project ended up covering the top of our queen sized bed and being about an inch thick, because the hook made it SOOOOOOO tight!! Needless to say, there are probably 20+ skeins of yarn in this project too, but hey, it'll be something she'll use, because it makes a much better play mat for the floor than a blanket!!
The next project that I chose to undertake is a teething/distraction necklace to wear myself while my daughter was nursing! It was the smallest yarn & hook I'd ever used, but it turned out pretty nicely.
I also wanted to try my hand at making her something fun! So, I made her a Monkey Hat (you know, big ears, big flower, extra soft & plush, PERFECT for baby?!?!)!! I got her to model it once, but she didn't want to wear it for about a year after I made it, so it was a good thing it was stretchy!
Shortly after my daughter was seen in her hat, my sister-in-law asked if I could make her a rabbit hat - and of course, I had to oblige!!
A dear friend of mine saw the pictures of the hat on Facebook. She asked if I would make one for her daughter. Of course, I agreed, and when she offered to pay me for it, I was dumbfounded! I had never thought of using my newly-acquired "talent" to bring in income for the family!
Fast-forward to Labor Day weekend 2012. We found out that I was expecting Baby #2, and MISERABLY sick, CONSTANTLY. So sick, it caused me to quit my full-time teaching indefinitely.
Of course, I not only needed something to do, but my next child also needed a "blanket" legacy from Momma! So, I found the proper sized hook & bought the Bernat Baby yarn, and began what became a beautiful blanket that I hope my son will treasure always!
Rewind to this dear friend who had "ordered" a monkey hat for her daughter. Her daughter LOVED the hat, and wore it out, wearing it tirelessly, on an Alaskan cruise, to family events, anywhere she went! I wish I had a photo, but alas, I don't. My friend ended up asking me to make her daughter a replacement hat, one that she could have as soon as the first wore out, and would grow with her a little farther. Not only that, but she also ordered 6 MORE hats for her extended family!!
I also began to respond when a friend would say "hey, I saw this cool thing, can anyone make it for me?" That's how I got started in Amigurumi! With a Dragon that a friend wanted for her daughter!
Since that time, I've made countless custom projects, and continue to learn new stitches, and patterns! Eventually, someone said "hey, why don't you open an etsy shop??" So I did, and since then I've managed to keep a pretty steady flow of projects on my plate! These projects, and the income they generate go toward putting my daughter in dance class, and other things that my full-time work used to provide. I'm now lucky enough to be a stay-at-home Mom to two WONDERFUL kids, who are also my Kumpfy Kreations Krew.
I still teach voice lessons, share knowledge about essential oils as an Independent Product Consultant for DoTERRA (http://mydoterra.com/tammykumpfmiller), and I'm a consultant with Mom's Flourish, a direct sales company of Mom invented products - intended to improve the lives of Moms & caregivers! (http://www.momsflourish.com/tammyk)
I created this blog to share my work! I may, occasionally, share a pattern (if I've created it), but mostly, I'll showcase the projects that I've made!
As always, my projects can be found in my etsy shop - at https://www.etsy.com/shop/kumpfykreations , but if something is NOT there, and you'd like me to list it, send a conversation & I'll gladly get that created for you!
I guess you could say, "I'm hooked"!! :0)
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