Friday Fun! On Saturday {!}

Wow! Having the power off for so long really interrupts things...  Here is our weekly installment of Friday fun.  Thanks to all the curators who included me in their lovely collections!!

Featured Artisan: Bebby Jumpers!

I am excited to introduce you to Bebby X of Bebby Jumpers, another fabulous member of the EtsyKids Team!  She is generously offering you a coupon to use in her store: BEBBYBLOG10  It will be valid until midnight PST on September 20th.  She is always willing to customize colors too!

On Etsy!

Here's what she had to say...

           I design and handknit quality woolly items for children and  babies. I love woolly babies. I have always knitted for my family and  friends which I find very relaxing. My sister's little boy who lives in  Australia, said "Bebbyjumpers" when he was 2 years old as they were  opening a parcel of jumpers which I had knitted and sent to them. I am his Auntie  Bebby. I thought it was a good name to call my shop.

           I do not consider this my career. I do however  enjoy knitting as a hobby and get great pleasure knowing someone else  likes what I produce enough to want to buy and own it, to wear themselves, or to give away as a gift.

          I hope to continue with my Etsy shop and become better known,  as I have only been open since February 2011, with a number of happy  customers on line and locally.

          My favourite knits are the arans that I have designed and  produce in the bright colours for children, which all have traditional  touches and modern features. I shall in time use natural fibres as well  as the acrylic yarns that I have used so far, and all my designs are available as custom orders in any suitable yarn you request.

Girls Handknit Aran Sweater (Back Opening)

          I was inspired to create this design when a friend of mine was  telling me about her Aunt Pearl who used to  "knit shapeless creations  for the family and always dropped stitches and made a few but nothing  like these that you knit" which made me laugh. So I have designed this  which I affectionately call the Aunt Pearl Collection, and those who are  familiar with Aran can see I have also dropped stitches and made a few,  and everything resembles pearly stuff.

In a recent local Horticultural Show I won 1st prize with this similar aran using the same design although I have altered the neckline to include an opening at the shoulder which is fastened with buttons.

Childs sweater w/ shoulder opening

I also won several other prizes (and the cup!!) with my knits and preserves (jams and chutneys) which is another favourite pastime of mine.

          I am not trained in any artistic skills but my mum taught me  the basic skills of knitting as a little girl, and I taught myself to cable and all  the other intricate stitches that I enjoy. I think it is important to keep crafts alive and to present them in an          attractive way.



          I am inspired to create my designs from conversations I have with people, and nature around me. Also the colours and  textures of the fibres tell me what I need to knit with the yarn. I have a fondness for button collections and often see buttons which I know "just the right garment" to knit and re-home those unwanted buttons!! I have a headful of designs waiting to be knit and not enough time.

          I want to learn more about promoting myself on Etsy which  includes learning more computer skills and better photography skills. Some of my "snaphots" do not do my work justice and the colours are not true.

You can find BebbyJumpers in the following places: 

Etsy ~ http://www.etsy.com/shop/bebbyjumpers?ref=si_shop

Email ~ bebbyjumpers@hotmail.co.uk

Facebook ~ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bebbyjumpers/187799704613467

Twitter ~ http://twitter.com/#!/bebbyjumpers

Keep on Sharing the Love!
Kristin

Featured Artisan: The Adventurous Rabbit!

Hey there!  Meet one of my hometown girls, Jen Piper of the Adventurous Rabbit who is also one of my EASDC (Etsy Artisans of San Diego County) teammates.  Her shop has an eclectic mix of art and photography and while she doesn't necessarily specialize in children's goods, there are a couple of items that would be great for a kid's room... especially those hard to please tweens.  


But wait, there's more! Jen is offering you a very generous 20% off any purchase made in her shop from now until September 16th when you use the coupon code FEATUREDARTIST20

Etsy Shop

What do you make and what was/is the inspiration for your shop?  My shop is focused on art, specifically paintings and fine art photographs. I have always found art as a great way to de-stress.  I am currently in graduate school studying clinical psychology and thought starting an Etsy shop for my artwork would give me some much needed mental space from my studies and an outlet for creativity. 

Tell us how your creativity has woven itself into your life’s journey to make you what you are today. 

Nice Wave Sketch!

I am so much happier when I am creating.  For me painting is a form of meditation, focusing on the feeling of the brush moving along the canvas.  I was likely drawn to the field of psychology because the therapeutic process is one of creativity.  In the past, my art had always been for myself and for family as gifts.  I had many people admiring my photographs and paintings with some saying I should sell them.  A couple years ago a co-worker asked me to paint a mailbox (my first paid piece of art).  So, I finally decided to give selling a try.  Although my artwork is not what pays the bills I think it is an integral part of my self-care. 

What is your vision for the future of your business?  I’d really like to have more paintings available in my shop.  I have many that are unfinished because I have so little time with everything else I do and have a ton of ideas for new paintings.  Someday I would like to be at a point where I can have prints made of my work.

What is your favorite item you have ever made?  What inspired you to make it?  My favorite painting is called “Sun is Shining” of an apple tree with a spider web, sun and clouds, and two black birds.  It’s one of the first large paintings I completed; it’s fun and a bit whimsical.  I have a photograph of the painting on my Facebook page.  A close second is a table I painted with a big tree with a heart in the middle and stars around it.  Unfortunately I didn’t have room for it any longer and it has a new owner.

Urban Hummingbird No. 2

Are you trained as an artist?  If yes, what degree(s) or certificates do you hold and where did you earn it/them? If no, how did you learn to make the items you offer in your shop? I consider myself primarily self-trained.  I have taken a variety of art classes since I was a kid and in college took a black and white photography class.  Mostly I’ve learned by trial and error.  I like to experiment with different techniques to find what works for me.  I’d like to think I have some natural talent as well.

In what other areas of your life (or interests that you have) do you see your creativity shining through?  I think my creativity is present in what I wear.  I like to layer unique items to create a look that is sophisticated and interesting.  I used to do a lot of creative writing, namely poetry, but have done less in recent years.  I think my view of the world around me can be creative and have kept my childhood imagination alive and well.

What is one thing you will be going out of your way to learn more about in the coming year to benefit your business?  I think one area I would like to learn more about is networking.  I am more of an introvert so networking is something I have to work a little harder at.

If you enjoyed this article, take a minute and visit Jen:                                                                                   

Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/AdventurousRabbit

Blog:  http://theadventurousrabbit.blogspot.com/

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Adventurous-Rabbit/127343113970171


Keep on sharing the love,
Kristin

Craft: As promised... New mini bows added to my shop!

Here are some of the new mini bows I just listed in my shop.  {More are on their way soon!} The colors are customizable, so if you love little bows... These are for you!

Keep it crafty!
Kristin

Two Mini Spiked Pinwheel Bows

Two mini spiked boutique bows

Featured Artisan: Kelly Brannan of The Adorned Abode

Fellow Sahm of Etsy teammate Kelly Brannan from the Adorned Abode stepped into my {online} office the other day for a chat about what she does.  She is so sweet to offer you a coupon for 10% off your entire purchase at The Adorned Abode valid today through August 31st.  The code is LOVEINBLOOM.  Here's what she had to say:

Woodland Jewelry Box

What do you make and what was/is the inspiration for your shop?  I make decoupaged wooden recipe boxes and divider cards, trinket boxes and lightswitch plates. My main inspiration is my children; after making most of the décor for my daughter’s “big girl” bedroom, and some for my son’s nursery, I decided to start making and selling items. And beautiful paper is another inspiration; just walking into a scrap booking store gets my creativity flowing, imagining all the things I can make. 　


Tell us how your creativity has woven itself into your life’s journey to make you what you are today.
I’ve always enjoyed doing “crafty” things, just for myself and our home. Last year I went to a painting studio where they show you step by step how to do your own painting, and I so enjoyed it and found it so fulfilling that I just had to keep making things. I’ve always been a little creative, but doing the paintings really “woke up” a sleeping creativity that I didn’t even realize was there. Compliments from others on my creations gave me the confidence to try my hand at an Etsy shop. And part of it was just a risk, a “why not give it a shot” type of thing.


What is your vision for the future of your business?  I feel my shop has been pretty successful so far, considering I’ve only had it open for half a year at this point. My vision would be for that to continue and grow, and to add some new items to my inventory as I’m able to. I would also like to start advertising, though I haven’t worked that out just yet, and I’d love to try a craft fair as well. So far, I haven’t been able to get enough in-stock inventory built up to do that, but that would be my hope for the future.

Owl Switchplate

Tell us about your typical day.  I have a 2 year old son and an almost-4 year old daughter, so my typical day starts with coffee (a few cups!), and the regular day to day things regarding caring for my kids and home. I usually work on orders, or new items, at a few different times throughout the day, just whenever I can fit it in. And of course, lot of play time with the kiddos. J And then once they are in bed at night, I work some more, often into the wee hours!


Are you trained as an artist? If yes, what degree(s) or certificates do you hold and where did you earn it/them? If no, how did you learn to make the items you offer in your shop?  I’m definitely not trained as an artist, though I would love to be! The only training I’ve had is the painting classes I’ve taken, if you count that. And of course, I don’t offer hand painted items in my shop, other than painting a box at times. Actually, I don’t consider myself an artist at all, though I do think I have some artistic ability, which I really didn’t acknowledge until the past year. I have an Associates Degree, and a Paralegal Certificate, and worked as a Paralegal until I was pregnant with my son and came home full time. As for how I learned to make my items, some of it was intuitive, and the rest I learned from research on the internet and trial and error.

Recipe Cards {and Box}... for Mom!

In what other areas of your life (or interests that you have) do you see your creativity shining through?  I do love to write, and have always dreamed of writing novels (maybe I’ll try that someday after all!). I’m not a gardener at all, and have no musical skills…well, I love to sing, but I think most people would prefer not to listen to me, lol!

I think my creativity shines through mostly with my kids. I love to do age-appropriate crafts with them, and look forward to all the fun crafts we can make together as they get older. I definitely try to encourage their own creativity and imaginations!

What is one thing you will be going out of your way to learn more about in the coming year to benefit your business?  Book keeping, for one! I must learn a more organized system for keeping up with sales and expenses. And as I mentioned, I’m thinking about trying advertising, so I need to look more into that.

You can find Kelly in these wonderful places for now, but we hope she'll keep us posted if she starts up a blog later too. {wink!}

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheAdornedAbode?ref=si_shop

http://www.facebook.com/#!/TheAdornedAbode

Friday Fun!

I made a treasury this week:




and I was featured in two treasuries this week {Thank you Lisa of Leyton Smiles and Barb of Quilted Hugs Bibs!! } {Go EtsyKids Team!}:






Keep it fun!
Kristin

Craft: New Bows Available Now at Love in Bloom Boutique

It has been a while since I added new items to my shop so I added a couple...
Keep it Crafty!

Kristin

Show Stopper

Show Stopper (Too)

Friday Fun: Honorable Mention

Hi everyone!  We had a couple of surprises around here this week... First, I accidentally deleted my profile picture on my Facebook Page and now I get the white screen of death when I try to get it back... or add another one.  It left me with a big questionmark!  Oops!  Seriously, if anyone has run into this before and knows how I should hold my mouth when I click to update my photo please let me know.

Then, there was this treasury feature:




Lastly, there was the include on Believing Boldly, Summer Jo's blog in her post offering advice to brides to be.  Hooray!  There are a ton of other people's advice too, and all of it is very good advice the way I see it after  many years of dating and 9 years of marriage to my high-school sweetheart.   Pop over there and wish her a Happy Anniversary too if you have a chance.  :)

Overall, it was a wonderful week barring that Facebook thing.

Keepin' it Joyful!
Kristin

Craft: That scarf I started...

I finished that scarf I started a while ago, so I thought I'd post it for you to check out...  I'd love to read your comments since I'm thinking very, very seriously about adding a crochet section to my store in the near future.

Keep it Crafty!
Kristin

Featured Artist: Jennifer Robinson of My First Jewellery on Etsy

      I love the concept for this shop because it IS nice to be able to buy something of quality for your daughter that she can pass down to the next generation and get it at a reasonable price. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I enjoy this shop! 

On Etsy

      

      What do you make and what was/is the inspiration for your shop?  I make birthstone and heirloom jewellery for little girls. My 6 year old daughter Lauren gave me the idea when she saw the jewellery I was making for women and asked for her own gemstone necklace. I thought, “Why not? Little girls appreciate beautiful things too, sometimes even more so that adults.” Soon after, My First Jewellery was born.

Tell us how your creativity has woven itself into your life’s journey to make you what you are today. I have always been a crafter. I have dabbled in beading, needlework, crochet, scrapbooking and other paper crafts, drawing and sewing. I studied Interior Design in College, and designed custom closets part-time for several years. When I decided that I wanted to craft full-time, I considered many different mediums. But the very first time I picked up some sterling wire, a beautiful gemstone and some pliers, I was hooked. I knew that I had found the right medium for me, because I couldn’t get enough of it. The fact that I love sparkly things helps! After almost two years I am still as excited about jewellery making as I was on that very first day. And I’m finally using those sketching, proportion and colour theory classes that I took in school, just in a different way.

Pink Tourmaline for October

In what other areas of your life (or interests that you have) do you see your creativity shining through? Definitely writing. If I hadn’t become a jewellery designer, I may have ended up writing for a living. My favourite type of writing is poetry, and I have written dozens of poems, mostly geared to children. It’s on my To Do list to have them published some day! For now, my audience is one appreciative little girl who is learning to appreciate poetry in the same way I did when I was young.

What is your vision for the future of your business?  I want to develop a line of birthstone jewellery for girls aged 3-tween. My product line will include many core styles that I will always have available, with new designs being introduced regularly in order to keep things fresh and interesting. I want to expand into wholesale at some point, as well as showcase my work at jewellery parties which I find are a lot of fun for everyone. As much as I want my business to succeed financially, my lifestyle is of equal importance to me and I want to sell in ways that support that lifestyle. While my daughter is young, attending weekend-long craft fairs is not reasonable for me. So I hope to achieve success online, through wholesale, and parties that I can plan around our family’s schedule.

Tell us about your typical day.  I take Lauren to school in the morning and then settle down with my coffee in front of the computer. This is my time to check my three shops, catch up on Facebook and twitter, check my various e-mails and chat about business in the forums. I allow myself until 10:00, but after that, I must move away from the computer or else before I know it, half of the day is gone! The bulk of my day is spent doing a combination of the following: designing and making new jewellery, photographing, listing jewellery in my online shops, ordering supplies, packing orders, mailing orders and communicating with customers. Lunch is about 10 minutes long and is eaten at the computer, then it’s back to work. At 3:30 I pick Lauren up from school and we have some time together reading, talking and snacking. When she’s ready for some downtime, I go back to work until 6:00 when my husband comes home and starts looking around for dinner (yes, I’m the only one who cooks). I tear myself away from my craft room and make dinner for my starving family. Then there’s the usual kitchen clean-up, dog-feeding (we have a large furry family) and bathtime. While Lauren’s in the bath, I sneak back into my craft room so that I can list an item for those perusing my shop in the evening. Sometimes I can make a necklace, photograph it and list it before I hear the tub draining! Moms have to be efficient. After storytime and bedtime, I spend a little time online before my husband gives me that look. The look that says, “Are you going to be on there all night?” That’s my cue that my work day is over. And you know what? I can’t wait to get started again the next day!

Are you trained as an artist?  I hold a diploma for Interior Design from Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. And though I’m not designing spaces, I find that many of the elements that I studied all those years ago come into play now. The most prominent one is colour, which factors into all types of design. Proportion is also a main element of jewellery design, as is the ability to sketch out an idea and        make it a reality. I am trained to look for inspiration in everyday things, magazines, stores, the outdoors. This comes naturally after studying design for three years. As far as designing jewellery is concerned, I am self-taught. I picked up a free booklet one day in a craft store that showed how to create a wrapped loop with wire. I tried it, and the rest is history.

Peridot for August

What is one thing you will be going out of your way to learn more about in the coming year to benefit your business?  Without a doubt it is the business side of things, namely the necessary bookkeeping and income reporting that comes with any business. While I do keep track of expenses and sales, I need to do it in such a way that will make it easy come income tax time.  It’s a necessary evil.

What steps are you taking to ensure your products follow applicable child safety laws?  My first idea for my line of jewellery for little girls included less expensive materials, namely silver plated chain, Swarovski crystals, lampwork beads and colourful enameled charms. Then I started reading up on child safety laws and quickly realized that this was not going to be possible. The chain that I was buying was from other sellers and I didn’t know what the base metal was. Having each item tested was not going to be financially feasible. So I switched gears and started buying only sterling silver chain and findings from a major wholesale company that can guarantee the material and provide me with lot numbers. The stones that I use are all genuine, natural gemstones and pearls. There is nothing in my jewellery that is harmful to children, and I’m happy now with my new direction. Instead of fun, costume jewellery, my pieces are meant to be given as gifts to flower girls, at christenings and for birthdays. They grow with the child, so it is jewellery that is kept and cherished for some time. This is a good choice in a tough economy where people are looking for things that will last.

Here are the links to My First Jewellery and Jennifer’s Facebook Page for women, which she sometimes uses to promote the pieces she makes for little girls.  http://www.myfirstjewellery.etsy.com http://www.facebook.com/livjewellery

First "Real" Featured Artist... by that I mean someone who is not me...

I have long awaited the day when I would begin featuring other remarkable artists who make great things for kids.  Hooray! Today is the day we feature one of my fellow Etsy Kids Team members,  the fabulous Rebecca of:

on Etsy

What do you make and what was/is the inspiration for your shop?  I specialize in hand dyed and stenciled onesies, but dabble in some sewing projects like pacifier clips, hair bows, look books & I SPY bean bags. I'm just starting work on a line of fabric appliqué's of my favorite onesie designs.  I think about what I like, what my kids like and go from there. I'm not a pastel & puppy dog kind of girl so my onesies are bright & designs usually un-"baby". Though the occasional animal does slip in there. Who doesn't love a baby crawling around in a little cute animal onesie?

How cute is this?!?! I love Vespa's.

Tell us how your creativity has woven itself into your life’s journey to make you what you are today.   I worked as an HR Director in NYC for over 7 years. Working until 9pm, having dinner, going to bed and then waking up to do it all over again was not how I wanted to spend the rest of my life. I'll say this though, it helped me realize that if I really wanted something, only I could make it happen. Going from Wall Street to Stay-at-home-mom was tough. My desire to have my own projects and have an identity other than WIFE & MOM is really what fueled me to keep going with Max & Magnolia. I learned from my own mother that having your own "life" is healthy and ok. She managed to have her own activities and hobbies on top of being a wife, mom, sister & friend.  Plus, I have a husband who really understands that I need my own outlet and "me" time. I'm convinced providing that for each other is key to our great marriage. 

What is your vision for the future of your business?  Things are plugging along great lately. If I can continue to earn my own $ to support the nasty shoe-buying habit I picked up in New York, I'm happy :)  Oh, & If I could find some time to build my own website that would be wonderful.

Tell us about your typical day.  What I plan & what actually happens often don't coincide at my house.  I imagine my day is much like any mom who works from home. I aim for:

-Boys up and fed. By their father, I'm not a morning person.

Perfect road trip toy...

-Play time with mom

-Announce "Mommy has to work for a bit". They are usually pretty good at letting me check my Etsy shop, emails and Facebook for about 30 min.

-Stories and train tracks re-built.

-Lunch

-Naps for boys. During their naps is usually when I fill any non-sewing orders that have come in that day.

-Afternoon play date or trip to park

-Cartoons while I attempt to make dinner

-Dinner with Dad

-Family time

-Bed time for boys- usually around 7:30 or 8

-Sewing time . Any sewing can't happen until after the kiddos go to bed, or if Daddy takes them on a bike ride. My machine is in the family room where they play and if I'm in the room they selfishly insist that I be doing something with them.

-Catch up on my taped TV shows

-Bed time for my by 10:30

Are you trained as an artist?  If yes, what degree(s) or certificates do you hold and where did you earn it/them? If no, how did you learn to make the items you offer in your shop?  Nope. Mostly I’m a self-taught girl dying, stenciling & sewing away. Although I have to say my mother is a great quilter and sewer. She attempted several times in my youth to teach me. I was too impatient to absorb most of it.

In what other areas of your life (or interests that you have) do you see your creativity shining through?   I do have a small garden, but I don't enjoy taking care of it. So I guess that doesn't count.  Hmmm... probably in my GNO's. I have a fun group of friends and we try to get together at least once a month for a craft night. Projects are selected by the hostess and we sit around and craft, gab & eat.  I also like to make things for my boys. Dad's dress shirts or sweaters have become shorts or vests & some fabric from a friend became a Teepee.

What is one thing you will be going out of your way to learn more about in the coming year to benefit your business?  Definitely website design. I'm spending time researching how I want my page to look & work.

What steps are you taking to ensure your products follow applicable child safety laws?  Thankfully a lot of this is just good common sense. People want to know what your product is made of & how to care for it, and babies should not be chewing on things that are small enough for them to choke on.  I put all that in my ETSY listings and on the tags I put on each item.   Google search & fellow shop owners were great resources as well.

Where can we find you?        

www.maxandmagnolia.com

www.facebook.com/maxandmagnolia

Surprise! Recent Treasury Features for Love in Bloom Boutique

My shop was recently featured in the following two treasuries!  Special thanks to Little Owl's Nest and  Hi Mamma  for the beautiful T's.

Let's Get this Party Started! AND Featured Artist... (Ok, it's me... but I wanted to tell my story too)

Image Courtesy: The Felted Kitten

I was thinking about how we could get this blog a little more exposure, since I'm going to really work at it now.  So, I thought we should play a game:  You get a point for doing each of the things listed below and putting the links to show it in your comment to this post, up to a total of 10 Points... Winner gets a free item of their choice from my shop.

    1) Follow this blog if you aren't already doing so, one point to you if you are already
    2) Blog, Tweet, Facebook or use other social   media to spread the word about this giveaway with a link to this post...
     3) Add my badge to your blog or other website
     4) 'Like' my Facebook page and post a comment there with the name of your favorite item currently in my shop
      5) 'Follow' me on Twitter and post a comment there with a link to your favorite item currently in my shop

Just like in school, you have to show your work... So don't forget to comment on this post with the links to what you did.  Whoever has the most points by Midnight PST on Friday, July 15th wins.  If there is a tie, the winner will be chosen by Random.org.

Good Luck!

Image Courtesy: Love in Bloom Boutique

Hey, so here is the interview I did with myself.  Maybe it's a little schitzo... but oh well!  Mostly, I wanted to tell a little of my story and give people something to check out while they are thinking they may want to be featured on this blog.

     What do you make and what was/is the inspiration for your shop?  I make boutique style hair bows and ribbon flowers and am dabbling in other areas soon (I hope) to be introduced to Love in Bloom Boutique.  I started making accessories, because I had a hard time finding things that weren’t too grown-up or filled with too many other colors to go with my daughter’s school uniforms. I have since ventured into many other colors and love making sweet adornments for girls of all ages.

Tell us how your creativity has woven itself into your life’s journey to make you what you are today. (What instances helped give you the confidence/motivation to pursue this as a career?)  I have always loved playing with color in it’s various forms, from art projects to clothing and makeup choices to light… I love playing with it!  I always wanted to do something creative but just didn't pursue it for lots of reasons.  Anyway, I kept trying to figure out what creative thing I could do for the first five years I was a stay at home mom and finally happened upon this.  I kept getting compliments on what I was making, so I started a little business and here I am.

What is your vision for the future of your business?  Right now I’m just trying to make it through the stage of life where all of my kids aren’t in school yet, so for the short term I’d like to make a couple more good wholesale contacts do a few small shows, and pick up my sales on Etsy and I’d like to branch out by making more types of items (because I like to mix things up a bit). In the more distant future, I'd also one day open up a brick and mortar shop with all kinds of wonderful handmade items.

Tell us about your typical day.  There is always something different happening for me just due to having young children. But in general, I check and briefly respond to any e-mails and convo’s in the morning, work on my blog or making things at nap time and spend three or four nights per week working on designs after the kids go to bed.

Are you trained as an artist?  If yes, what degree(s) or certificates do you hold and where did you earn it/them? If no, how did you learn to make the items you offer in your shop?  I am not trained as an artist. Oh, how I would have changed that if I could re-live my college years!  It’s laughable how little formal art education I have, but I have learned that anything you want to do can pretty much be found in a free tutorial on YouTube or elsewhere on the web.  That being said, I have experimented quite a bit and significantly altered what I learned about making bows (and tutus) with much better results than just following a tutorial verbatim.

 In what other areas of your life (or interests that you have) do you see your creativity shining through? (Gardening, music, performing arts, writing, creative ‘foreign’ language expression etc.)   I love pretty things of all types, so I have a little cottage garden I scratch around in.  I think it’s fun to decide how to mix colors as well as forms, scents and tastes outdoors and often solicit my kids for their ideas.  I also wrote a children’s book that maybe I’ll pluck up enough courage one day to try and have published, but for now I enjoy it with my kids.  I love to cook delicious and healthy things to eat too.  But most of all, I love the beauty and richness of American Sign Language, Deaf culture and the Deaf themselves.  I am regularly involved with interpreting music at the church I belong to and will be starting back to school this fall and working toward the goal of completing the Interpreting Training Program at a local junior college one class at a time.

What is one thing you will be going out of your way to learn more about in the coming year to benefit your business? I’ll be working on managing the work-life balance better for sure.  Long nights in the basement may be fun and productive for the time, but cost much in what I can give my kids the next day.  If any of you have any helpful tips on this, let me know.   ;)

What steps are you taking to ensure your products follow applicable child safety laws? Safety has always been something I have taken seriously.  Because of this, all my items are made from a combination of items that either don’t require lead testing or are certified to comply with lead regulations.  I test items to see if they meet choking hazard regulations and label items for age appropriate use with the idea that parents should be informed enough to make great choices about small parts for their littlest ones.

Where can we find you?                                                                                                                                                                       Http://www.loveinbloomboutique.etsy.com  

Http://www.facebook.com/loveinbloomboutique

Http://twitter.com/#!/loveinbloomshop

And of course, here on Live Love Bloom Craft!

Keep it crafty!

Kristin

Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!

Congrats to Heather Smith who won my Rockstar Bows on Max and Magnolia's Facebook Giveaway! Here's what she had to say about what she won, "Hi, I recieved my amazing bows today that I won from you through max and magnolia! Thank you so much!! They are even better in person!!"

You are so very welcome, Heather!!

It's Give-Away Time!

When I reach my short-term goal of having 50 people following this blog, I will be giving away a $10 . 00 gift certificate redeemable at my Etsy shop: www.loveinbloomboutique.etsy.com .
You or a friend could be the lucky winner!

Craftfully yours,
Kristin

My first Blog post!!!

I am so happy to finally get this off the ground!  I have thought about blogging for a long time, but didn't think it would be so easy... I was wrong!  Oh well, life goes on and it starts now.

I plan to do the following with this blog as time and sanity permit:

• Live: Share tidbits I've found that help me in everyday life from dealing with my kids to cooking to having a happy home
• Love: Promote handmade businesses/makers that I think are really cool and whose specialty is making great things for kids and/or the homes they live in
• Bloom: Share the things that are growing me as a person/business owner/maker on this crafty journey
• Craft:  Share things I've made, pictures, and tutorials I find on the web that inspire me to get my craft on!

If you are a handmade business owner who specialises in children's goods or home decor items (or if you know someone who is) and would like to be featured on this blog,  please e-mail your request to me at kristin@loveinbloomboutique.com  I will be sure to send you an interview questionnaire once I develop it. ;)  Please don't get mad if I don't choose to use your interview... you win some and you lose some, but you never know what will happen unless you try.

Feel free to let your friends/fellow makers know about this blog if you think they would be interested in what I'm doing and let's rock the net together!!