sponsor spotlight: all things * jane

Category: guest bloggers | March 9th, 2011

another fabulous sponsor to share with you today….lisa over at all things * jane! and her etsy shop. learn about her then go check her out!!

tell us a little bit about yourself:
I’m married to an amazing man, live in a suburb of Minneapolis, MN, love traveling, and am always dreaming up projects. Since opening my Etsy shop, my crafting projects have become more ambitious, especially since I love the idea of DIY anything. This includes crafting of all types, re-creating favorite restaurant dishes, canning my own garden vegetables, and finding inexpensive ways to transform our home.


what’s the story behind all things * jane?
I’ve always enjoyed creating things, typically working on various projects at once, and finding creative solutions to problems. When my husband asked me about my dreams on our honeymoon, the idea of having an Etsy shop and blog began taking form. I already had a problem to solve (how to pack my earrings when I travel), so I developed prototypes, then final products, then an Etsy store, and here we are!

what inspires you?
Oh, most anything! Sometimes it’s a moment, like when you feel you’ve had an epiphany and need to share it with the world. Other times it’s an attractive color combo or a cute piece of clothing. Creativity in any shape can be inspiring, so I try to keep my eyes open to handmade shops, fashion trends, beauty in nature, relationships, etc. because you never know what will strike a chord.  

what’s your favorite part about your blog?
At the top of the list would be making connections with readers; reading comments always make me smile. Next would be supporting the handmade community via curating collections centered around various colors or themes. It’s really fun to help another handmade artist promote his/her work! And, finally, who doesn’t love having a reason to look at the world in a new way? Knowing I have posts to write has resulted in taking in each moment a little deeper, to see if maybe there’s a story there, or perhaps talent I’d like to highlight.

what’s the most challenging part?
Probably maintaining a specific focus while letting my personality shine through. My posts range from inspiration boards to cooking, promoting my Etsy shop to sharing personal ponderings, and I’m constantly trying to determine the right balance for my readers.

any advice for others who want to start a blog?
Just go for it! Read other blogs, take note of what you like, and leave comments. Don’t worry too much about a posting schedule, but do post as frequently as you can. Currently for me that’s about once a week, and while I’d like it to be more frequent, being stressed out about writing a blog post does not the writing very easy! Relax. Have fun.

any special goals you have set?
Ummm … maybe to set goals? :-) Seriously, I’m terrible with goals. The things I come up with are rarely measurable; I just want my blog to be the best it can be! I’d love to increase readership, to find a way to market my earring holders without being too sales-y, and to maaaybe include more photos of myself, but those are more notions than goals at the present time.

just for fun: what’s something that most people don’t know about you?
I have a weird obsession with Cracklin’ Oat Bran. It’s too expensive to buy, but I love to eat it, so I’ve been trying to develop an imitation recipe. It’ll make me famous. Or full. So far I’m leaning towards full.

while you check out her blog you should go ahead and check out her shop….which is on sale!! and wish her a happy birth month! :) thanks lisa!!

peace and love
xox

sponsor spotlight: the knit owl

Category: guest bloggers | March 4th, 2011

i have another love sponsor that i want to show off. meet amby over at the knit owl! she also has a fabulous etsy shop!! check it out!

what’s the story behind the knit owl?

About 5 years ago I started knitting. It was something I’d wanted to learn for the longest time, but couldn’t find anyone to teach me. I finally bought some books and watched YouTube videos and taught myself! It inspired me to start sewing again. I started making gifts for friends, then discovered Etsy and next thing you know I had a shop and was signing up for every craft show I could find! It has been a fun creative outlet for me. The name is a play on words, since I would always stay up late working…”night owl”. :-)

what inspires you?
Vintage fabric and beautiful yarns! There’s nothing like stumbling upon a box of vintage fabric at an estate sale! It immediately makes me want to sit down and make something.

what’s your favorite part about your shop?
I like being able to connect directly with customers, whether it’s a custom order or even just feedback someone has left for me. It always encourages me to keep creating.

what’s the most challenging part?
Just keeping up with it! I have a 7 month old and that has definitely made it more difficult. I’m still trying to figure out how to balance things. There’s always something new I want to make, but I have to be ok with not being able to do it all!

any advice for others who want to start an etsy shop?
Be sure you enjoy making whatever you create. If it takes off, you’ll be making a lot of it!!

any special goals you have set?
I finally started a new blog! I used to blog all the time, then life sorta got in the way! I’ve been trying to get one going again for awhile now. www.theknitowl.wordpress.com

just for fun: what’s something that most people don’t know about you?

I love cooking and baking. I keep a journal of recipes that I make up. Sometimes they don’t turn out so great, sometimes they do! Either way it’s fun.

thanks so much amby! love your name! and the background to the knit owl’s name too…and your stuff, and your boy! haha. thanks for your sponsor!

peace and love
xox


sponsor spotlight: ribbons and rickrack

Category: guest bloggers | March 2nd, 2011

please welcome ashley from ribbons & rickrack to the spotlight! here’s another fun shop to go check out for cute and handmade designs!! but first learn a little about her….

tell us a little bit about yourself:

I’m Ashley…I work in College Admissions and run Ribbons & Rickrack on the side with my mom.  I love graphic design, indie music, and traveling – my husband and I were lucky enough to travel to South Africa twice last year to visit his family!

what’s the story behind ribbons & rickrack?

For as long as I can remember my mom and I have wanted to own a monogramming machine and we finally decided to take the plunge last year!  We travel around to Holiday Markets in the Fall/Winter and recently opened our online shop. I love that the majority of our products are handmade – always a unique gift!

what inspires you?
Graphic Design!  If I could look at typefaces all day I would – each one is so unique and takes so much creativity.

what’s your favorite part about your business?

My favorite part is working with my mom!  We have always been really close and it has been so much fun to go on this adventure with her.

what’s the most challenging part?
We often have so many crazy ideas in our heads that sometimes we just have to take a step back and realize that we can’t do it all!  There are only so many hours in the day (and even harder when I work full time!)  and sometimes doing EVERYTHING that you really want to do just isn’t feasible.

any advice for others who want to start a business?

Don’t give up!  Starting a business is a lot of work and takes a ton of patience. Our products have gone through SO many revisions over the last year  – we don’t even offer half of the products that we originally started out with because things keep evolving and getting better.  We’ve learned to be patient and work through all the mistakes to get the best end result.

any special goals you have set?

For now, we are just trying to make it through our first full year of being open – we’ll see how things go! : )

just for fun: what’s something that most people don’t know about you?

In college I was a contestant on Wheel of Fortune – and not only did I win some money, but I also won a trip to Spain!  It was such a fun, once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget.

thanks ashley!!! such an awesome opportunity to work with your mom. keep up the great work!!
**ps. i totally watched that episode of wheel of fortune. small world. gotta support the tx school!! :)

peace and love
xox

sponsor spotlight: the pepper and her pups

Category: guest bloggers | February 28th, 2011

i’m happy to introduce another crafty mama to PLC. liz over at the pepper and her pups has a love for crafty things too! check out her blog and shop!!

tell us a little bit about yourself:

I am a stay at home mama to our beautiful and lively 11 month old daughter Adrienne and furry son Tator. I always have to start my day off with an intense workout and a good ol’ cup of coffee or all else fails. I recently started my own shop Pepper & Her Pups Designs to capture my love for crafts/hair accessories & jewelry for both women and their tots. When I’m not busy crafting (which only happens during nap times and/or late at night), you’ll more then likely find us outside taking in the fresh air, roaming around a local flew market, or just spending some peaceful quality family time together.

what’s the story behind the pepper and her pups?
It’s an inside joke that came about quite a few years ago. Pepper is the nickname a friend gave to me when we were all out for dinner one night and someone tried to tell me I had a piece of pepper above my lip, when in reality it was my teeny tiny beauty mark that I’ve always had. So when I was throwing around ideas in my head one day, Pepper & Her Pups came about & the rest is history!

what inspires you?
Our daughter is a huge inspiration to me everyday, I’m constantly playing around with different styles and techniques for all of our shop items that I would absolutely love to see her wear and have fun with.


what’s your favorite part about your blog?
I love that it’s a huge creative outlet that I can keep all of my favorite diy projects together for future reference and capture all of our family moments to always look back on.

what’s the most challenging part?
Trying to find time to blog and comment on others is a tad tricky on days that are pure hectic for us. I don’t make blogging something that I feel I HAVE to do, it’s always been and always will be something fun and relaxing to take on. So whenever I have a moment to myself is when I get online and catch up with everything and if I don’t happen to have the time one or two days out of the week, then I just don’t sweat it!

any advice for others who want to start a blog?
I would have to say make sure that your passionate about what your doing and to always make sure your having fun with it! The last thing you want to do is feel like your blog is taking over or that it’s a hassle of any kind. Play around with some fund designs on Picnik to make your own header if you don’t have the expense to get a professionals help and stay true to yourself. There is such an amazing community of wonderful and inspirational ladies out there in blog land, so don’t be shy and join us:)

any special goals you have set?
I don’t really like to set any type of goals because I always end up forgetting about them in the mix of things. So it’s just better if I do everything a little spontaneously.

just for fun: what’s something that most people don’t know about you?
Most people don’t know that my name is actually spelled Lizabeth instead of the traditional Elizabeth. Even long time friends from school never put two and two together since I have always gone by Liz.

those are some cute pics of Adrienne. :) looking forward to seeing what other cute things you’ll make. thanks for being a sponsor!
happy monday!!

peace and love
xox

sponsor spotlight: cinnamon sticks

Category: guest bloggers | February 25th, 2011

happy friday!!! i have another great lady to share! autumn over at cinnamon sticks (and her etsy shop) is a dear friend of mine! and i’m proud to have her as a sponsor…she’s an amazing person…see for yourself! :)

tell us a little bit about yourself:
I’m a work-at-home-mom with an amazingly funny 2 ½ year old daughter, Iris, and a ridiculously messy 8 month old baby boy, Legend. They are my world. For now. We will be welcoming a sibling group into our home in April, as my husband and I are becoming foster parents! I have one big empty room I get to decorate (EEEK!) and we can’t wait! I’m a writer and an artist, though I consider them to be the same thing. Writing is just art with words, right?


what’s the story behind cinnamon sticks/etsy shop?
Cinnamon Sticks is a blog I began to share my home life, projects, tips, recipes and crafts. I took a 1 year hiatus but I’m back now, and happy to get everyone caught up on life at the Morgan’s! My Etsy shop is a collection of a new art technique I have fallen in love with. I carve words, phrases and designs out of linoleum blocks and print them on heavy cardstock in all kinds of fun colors. Everything I do is customizable. Funny story- I told my husband I had a brilliant idea to make my own linoleum blocks with ONLY the letters of the alphabet on them. That way I could switch them out for longer phrases. He looked at me kind of confused and then I realized that wasn’t a new idea at all. That is what they call a “printing press”. hehe


what inspires you?
Earth, nature, people, quotes, other writers, life, words and most of all, my children.


what’s your favorite part about your blog/shop?
My favorite part about my blog is the feedback I get (and I always like more!!) people get excited to try my recipes or organizational tips. The best thing about my Etsy shop is putting up a new product and watching all the “hearts” appear.

what’s the most challenging part?
The challenge has always been TIME. I am much like a kid myself, so I like to play with my kids a lot. We go to the library, museum, playdates, and of course the park any chance we get. Our favorite game to play is “leaf fishing” where we catch leaves in the river with a long stick. Ok, it’s MY favorite game!

any advice for others who want to start an etsy shop?
My advice would be to let yourself grow and evolve. I began another Etsy shop last year, and I just played around with a LOT of different art mediums and techniques. I learned a lot and then discovered all kinds of new ways to make art. If I had stuck only to what I knew, I don’t think I would have gotten to the place I am now. I intend to continue growing and exploring, but keeping to the central theme of words and letters. I am just fascinated with them.

any special goals you have set?
Well my biggest goal was just accomplished, when I published my first personalized children’s book. (YAY!) I guess my next goal would be to write another. My more immediate goals are to be the best mom I can to all the children in my home, biological or not, to be inspired by each of them, to inspire them in return, and to sleep at least 8 hours a night. Ok, 7.

just for fun: what’s something that most people don’t know about you?
I am hopelessly obsessed with penguins.

thanks autumn!! :) excited for all your new adventures with family and work! you are an inspiration!! :)

peace and love
xox