Conversations with Sarah Weatherly

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Weatherly.

Hi Sarah, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Sarah Weatherly. I am 34 and a mother to 3 boys 13, 8, and 6 years old. I’ve been married to my husband now for almost 9 years. I have worked as a full-time medical biller for 12 hospitals in Kansas for 5 years. I was never a crafty person or thought I could do crafts until I started watching TikTok and got inspired by these remarkable creators. I decided to give it a chance in November of 2021. I started creating snowglobe tumblers, rhinestone pens, and straw toppers for family and friends. Then things got pretty serious when my mom got me a Cricut for Christmas that year. Several months later, I wanted to try something else but told myself I would never do epoxy tumblers. I changed my mind and bought all of the necessary things needed to try one. My first tumbler was a black base with a white alcohol ink swirl and teeth-shaped glitter. I was in shock at how fun and easy that was. I started making more of those types of tumblers and got away from what I originally started with. Then, I posted my creations on my Facebook page for the first time. Many people liked it, which inspired me to create a business page on Facebook. I named it Weatherly Creations on January 3, 2022. As I got into making more and more of these alcohol ink tumblers, I was intrigued by how alcohol ink was made. I started experimenting and researching until I found the perfect recipe.

I sent some samples to a huge creator on Tiktok, and the next day, October 1, 2022, my alcohol inks took off. I first came out with ghost inks called Ghosted Gems. Then a few days later, I dropped a neon set called The Great Barrier and then color-shifting inks called Beyond The Sky. As of today, we have a total of 16 different sets. That includes the neons, color shifting, ghost, glow, glitter, flake, and multi-chrome inks. We also have roughly 42 single inks. I’m obsessed with finding unique colors I haven’t seen yet. We’ve focused solely on alcohol inks, so we rebranded our business name to W.C. Inks on February 20, 2023. Since I have been making alcohol inks and crafting in general, I’ve noticed it helps my anxiety and depression that I battle with daily. Creating is like a distraction for me.

It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Every small business has its ups and downs. It has been a smooth ride, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t encountered some struggles. I handmake our alcohol inks at home, in an office. Other companies also sell inks, so we constantly think of new sets or single inks to create. There’s alot of research that goes into picking out colors. I also hand-label everything along with the packaging and shipping. When I started making inks, I just went with the resources I found right then and there. The bottles I first used were cheap, and I knew I needed to improve. A few months in, I did find the perfect bottles. Labeling was another huge thing. I was printing on sticker paper, cutting the label, and then applying it to the bottles. I have found a great company to print and cut my labels. Since January, orders have been constant, and I knew I needed help. My best friend, Shelley, now works with me, and we are turning her garage into a bigger workspace. We are excited about our future and what else we can bring into our business.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Since I work full-time as a Medical Biller, I’m a biller by day and a creator by night. Shelley and I work on orders during the week on our own time; then, we work together on the weekend. Alot of our followers call me the ink magician because the inks speak for themselves; they are magic. W.C. Inks main platform is TikTok and Facebook. On Tiktok, we are known for our neon inks and now our Multichrome inks. Facebook is where I post all of my Tumblers and inks as well. I go live on Tiktok to show off new inks, which also helps grow our followers. I’m most proud of everything I/we have accomplished. I’m constantly improving not only my inks but myself as well. What sets us apart from others is our homemade inks. I don’t know anyone else who handmakes their inks and sells them. Most businesses have their alcohol inks manufactured, bottled, and labeled for them. I enjoy making my inks and designing my labels.

Before we go, can you talk to us about how people can work, collaborate, or support you?
We are on the road to 10k followers on TikTok. Our Facebook page has 535 likes and 605 followers so far. That’s more than I ever imagined having for only creating inks for 8 months. This year alone on Tiktok, we’ve gained 2041 followers and have over 10k likes total for our videos. Since TikTok is known for using hashtags, I created 2. One has 140,000 views, and the other has 94,000 views. We do have affiliates that we work with. They help push our inks out by tagging us in their video or post. They even use our inks in their lives for viewers to see.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.weatherlycreations.myshopify.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/weatherlycreations
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weatherlycreations
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@w.c.inks