Small Business Spotlight: Chamblii on Etsy.

Temia Chambliss is a native of Grand Rapids, MI, who's never had a trouble with expressing herself. Especially style-wise, she's not afraid to wear what she wants, which is is exactly how she designs her pieces. And I know all of this because she's my linesister. (:

In March 2013, Temia brought her designs online by opening up her own Etsy shop, Chamblii. Chamblii features handmade knits by her, by which she calls them NinjaNecks.

Buy Any Means Necessary: What was your inspiration for the business and how did it get started?
Temia Chambliss: I am inspired by many things. Life is my greatest inspiration, from the people I meet and the places I've been, to the things I've seen and where I desire to go in the future. The birth of Chamblii was this place that I go to free myself creatively called Heartside Ministry. Heartside is a inner city ministry where community members are are allowed to shed of themselves creatively through art, pottery, wood shop, etc.

BAMN: How long have you been knitting for?
TC: This March, marked a year that I have been knitting. My ultimate goal is to have my own Chamblii boutique where I can showcase both my loves; knitting and sewing.

BAMN: What's behind the name, Chamblii?
TC: Chamblii is a derivative of my last name. Every Chamblii item is a direct reflection of me, my ideas, my hopes, my dreams, my visions and my soul; I wanted the name to represent this idea.

BAMN: How do you come up with the designs for your pieces? Do you sketch or just freestyle?
TC: I'm really big on creating one of a kind and unique pieces, for most of my designing I do in my sleep. I usually have a dream about a simple silhouette and from there I sketch it out on paper just to help me remember it or just to give me a template of where I want to go with the NinjaNeck. But the final designing is a process. While I am knitting I make alterations and enhancements to the simple silhouette I began with.