Baby Shower: Groovy Guitars

Crayon Roll - Mushy Bug $10
Small Wet Bag - The Pat-a-Cake Bay $18
Blankie Cape - Frank & Me $20
Baby diaper changing mat/pad - Paisley Pockets $12

A Trip to the Airshow

There was a free airshow in our area this weekend, so we decided to spend our Saturday watching the acts. This year the weather was perfect, not too hot, not too much rain. Air acrobatics are really impressive, my favorite being the formations and tricks by multiple planes.  Since it was an event out at an airfield that isn't designed for shows, we were able to stand right next to the fence and take some great photos of the planes rolling by too.

 

What a fun change of pace, to have the events come to you rather than having to travel to them.  I would so love to take a ride in one of those!  I cannot say if my stomach would agree though, with all those turns and the flying upside down, more extreme than roller coasters for sure.  For now I will  have to be content with watching.  Now it's time to start another busy week, since the holiday weekend is already in sight.

The Old-Fashioned Way

 Using the good old draw-a-name-out-of-a-bowl method, MommaD has won the Katie's Kreations pendant giveaway.  Congratulations.

Yummy - Scrabble Tile Pendant $5.75

Thanks to everyone who entered.  Katie's shops are still full of all knids of cute things, and the prices are always very reasonable, so please stop by and check it out!

Baby Shower: Orange

Headband with Mum Blossom Clip - Pretty Heads Boutique $6.99

Wash Cloths Joel Dewberry Broad Stripe 3 Pack - Pangaroo $7

sustainable vintage little quilt bib .. the citrus orange cheesecake ...limited edition - rikrak $21 

Animal Ears Fleece Hat - the June Bride $11.50

Around Town

While walking through our little town, with the camera this time, Josiah and I wandered down a little side dirt road and got a few photos of the little stream that runs through town. What a difference from my early life spent living in the busy, crowded suburbs. What a cozy place we live.

Shopaholic: Sweet Paperie

unique custom designer address rubber stamps & labels

A good friend of mine purchased one of these address stamps when she moved into her new house, and was so impressed that I had to get one too!  Sweet Paperie is full of unique, custom rubber stamps (the stamp itself is actually rubber, not polymer like some other custom stamps that are available) in a variety of styles.  There is sure to be something for nearly every taste.  And, the best part is, you can use it hundreds of times for the initial purchase price (not counting the ink), instead of repeatedly buying new stick on labels.  So, take a moment to check out all their cute designs.

Limited Edition Collaboration - Poppies Address Rubber Stamp - 905

 Custom Address Rubber Stamp - 1216

NEW DESIGN Custom Address Rubber Stamp- 2101

Behind the Scenes: Katie's Kreations and 55 Maple Designs

We would like to introduce you to Katie of Katie's Kreations and 55 Maple Designs (yes, this ambitious lady runs two Etsy shops!).  Katie's cute accessories are a must for kids through adults, and her prices are fabulous too.  Not only is Katie creative, talented, and busy mom (she has four daughters!), she is also a sweetheart.  So, enjoy her fun interview, and don't forget to enter the giveaway too!

Stylin' Button Rings $4.50

1.When did you start Katie's Kreations and 55 Maple Designs?  Katie’s Kreations started in the fall of 2006. I had been making adult jewelry for many years and happened upon ETSY and thought I would give it a try. Since then Katie’s Kreations has evolved into more of a younger whimsical site that includes accessories for the entire body (i.e. hair, fingers, ears, neck, etc.). Missing the more adult jewelry I opened 55 Maple Designs in the Fall of 2008 to display my more adult modern designs. I started that shop with just maple pendants, but will be introducing more Jewelry in the next few months.

2. How do you make and/or find such neat items for your shop?  I spend a lot of time at Craft Stores looking for inspiration…often my kiddos say, “do we have to go to Michael’s again”. There is also a local paper store that I love to browse in.

Everlasting - Natural Maple Wood Pendant $9.55

3. How do you balance being a mom and a business woman?  I often find this balance very hard. The business end started as something that I did at night when the kids were in bed. It gave me something to do. But, as they are getting a little older, their bedtime is getting later…this presents more of a challenge because my creating and business time is shrinking. As my small business has grown, I have found the need to steal time from my day to do some of the more tedious busy work associated with a business (i.e. packaging/shipping). I think this is the part that has surprised me the most about having a business…how much time needs to be devoted to packaging and shipping. :)

4. Are your daughters creative?  My oldest two daughters are SUPER creative! The oldest has an eye for design and is an impeccable matcher (even helps her Dad). The next oldest loves to experiment with color, she makes the most amazing colorful pictures. The next two little ladies I’m sure will emerge as creative souls too, but they are pretty young yet (2 and 4).

5. Do you have any spare time, and if so, what do you do?  There isn’t much spare time these days with running a very busy household of 6 people (keeping everyone fed, bathed and on time to their many events), but what little time there is, is usually spent being active. I am either at the gym or can be found on our new rail trail biking, walking or rollerblading.

Blazing Orange - Boutique Style Snap Clip Set $5

6. What is something you're looking forward to in the near future?  I’m so looking forward to my kids being out of school and having some unstructured time with them. The school year seems so rushed and structured. I love waking up late in the summer and not having a care in the world.

7. What kind of things do you enjoy and what is your favorite book?  Lately the thing I enjoy the most is having a glass of wine with friends both old and new. I also love to read, but it has been a VERY long time since I have read a book. My favorite all time was Kite Runner, but I was very disappointed with the movie.

8. What kinds of things do you shop for on Etsy?  I try to support handmade whenever possible. I shop for lots of supplies on ETSY, but LOVE to shop for unique “thank you” gifts for others.

Meandering - GoGo Maple Wood Pendant $11.55

 
9. Do you have a favorite purchase or shop (or two)?  These are my two all time favorite shops:
Whimsy House - Molly has the greatest unique goodness. My favorite item from her shop that I bought is my Gratitude - Leather, Silver and Mother of Pearl Bracelet.

My other favorite is: Elm Studios – Erin has the most beautiful dishes…I have several in my home and have shared with several friends as baby gifts, shared with my kiddos grandmother, a neighbor and a teacher or two. When looking for that perfect thank you I usually shop with Erin first. Plus she is super nice! :)

10. What do you want to be doing in the next few years? In the next few years, I want to continue what I’m doing now…staying at home with my beautiful 4 girls and continuing to make people happy with their little purchases from my shops. At some point, I will probably have to get a “real job”, but hope to be able to continue with my business venture. I would also like to find a little time to read a book or two. :)

 Personalized Dainty Flowers - Scrabble Tile Pendant $6.25

Not only was Katie kind enough to share a little bit about herself, she's kindly giving one lucky winner their choice of a Scrabble Tile Pendant from her shop, either personalized or not.  To enter simply leave a comment on this post with your favorite item from either Katie's Kreations or 55 Maple Designs (or both if you'd like).  You can also earn extra entries by doing the following, just make sure to leave a comment (and link to your Tweet):

• Following our blog
• Following Katie's blog
• Tweeting this giveaway

The giveaway will be open for entries until Tuesday, June 23rd at 9am, the winner will then be drawn at random.  Good luck and thank you again to Katie!

Baby Shower: Frogs

 

Ribbet, Ribbet Frog Tee - SugarBebe $14
Preppy Pink and Green Frogs Soft Baby Toy - Wood Pond Designs $17
Knit Froggy Hat - sassafrass2 $20
Leaping Frogs Diaper - Baby Behind Covers $7

Shopaholic: Gabriel's Aunt

Essential Oil Scented Tea Lights Pack of 10 Hugs & Kisses

When looking for candles, soy are an excellent choice, they burn longer and cleaner than wax, and are available in a wide variety of scents.  These tea lights from Gabriel's Aunt are a great purchase, each one burns for six hours, compared to the hour or two a wax tea light usually burns.  And the scent was amazing too!

Winner announced

Thank you to the lovely Michelle of Wildflower Studio, and to everyone who entered her giveaway.  I've again used the Random.org number generator for this giveaway, number this comments in their sequential order.  And the winner is...

Aki who said, "I love the Butterfly Tote."  Aki wins two lovely cards of her choice from Michelle's shop!

Thank you to everyone who entered, check back next week for a new interview and giveaway.

Father's Day Ideas

Sorry this is a little late, the spring seems to be flying buy, but here are some ideas for Father's Day gifts, good thing dads are forgiving!

Deluxe Metro Man Bifold Wallet - Sewlutions by AMO $60

Laptop Sleeve - Bikelane - I Heart My Laptop $39

Fine Silver Leaf Imprint Dog Tag Necklace - All Those 3hrees $32.50

TRIPLE TURBINES - Feral Empire $20

Rock Super Star - Stuck in the Coop $30

Feel free to add your own Father's Day suggestions in the comments!

Shopaholic: Special Edition

This week for our Shopaholic column, I thought I'd share my recent purchases, which I picked up Monday from the post office.  I'd also like to mention that everything came very sweetly packaged, with tissue, ribbons, the whole nine yards.  However, I was in the middle of running errands and didn't think to snap any photos before ripping into it!  So, here are a few of my new favorite things:

Sophie Isobel Designs:  Custom brooches out of my Hartfield fabric

I spotted Sophie Isobel Designs on another blog a while ago, and have been eyeing her cute brooches ever since.  When I finished my first Jane bag, I thought the brooches would make a cute addition, and Sophie agreed to do a custom order for me.  They turned out just perfect!

 

Sweetness Jewelry: Vinyard Bracelet and Plum Earrings 

As I mentioned in the Behind the Scenes interview with Kelly of Sweetness Jewelry, I actually won a piece of jewelry from her shop, and I picked the lovely Vinyard Bracelet and then asked Kelly if she had any earrings to go with it.  She listed the Plum Earrings for me later, and they're perfect.  I was able to wear both for the first time yesterday with my deep purple sweater (yes, it is still sweater weather here), and they were the perfect compliments.  I will get a lot of wear out of these lovely pieces.

 

Ragnazidar: Custom Cashier Journal

I have been drawing up some ideas for quilts I'd like to make, but having a terrible time making them accurate on the graph paper I had.  Not to mention, carrying around a large pad of graph paper wasn't really working out for me.  After doing a little searching on Etsy, I still couldn't find what I was looking for, so I made an alchemy request.  Randi of Ragnazidar contacted me and said she thought she could make what I was looking for.  After a few convos she created these two lovely journals with the 8 x 8 grid paper I was hoping for, I've already started putting them to use!

Behind the Scenes: Wildflower Studio

As you may have noticed, we tweet on Twitter.  Today's Behind the Scenes interview is actually the result of an artist/shop discovered on Twitter.  Michelle of Wildflower Studio agreed to do an interview and a little giveaway for us.  So, please read on to learn a little about this amazing lady and enjoy a sampling of her art and photography.  As an added bonus, some of Michelle's photographs and prints are available on T-shirts, onesies, and the cutest tote bags.  Enjoy.

1. How did you get started in art and photography?  I am definitely self-taught, although I would love to give myself the gift of taking some classes as my kids get older.

2. How did art and photography go from a hobby to a business for you?  As a child I planned on having my own greeting card business and also becoming a photographer.  As I grew older I outgrew my confidence and what was before an affirmative statement of doing those things, became a far off dream that I longed for but wasn’t sure how to get it going, and was paralyzed with fear of judgment and critique from others. In 2006 I had a devastating miscarriage and I was stopped in my tracks.  I wanted so badly to make a baby, but I needed some time to heal. I looked at my life and how delicate and short it is. I sort of stopped everything I was doing and looked within and asked myself what I wanted out of life. I re-realized my dreams that I had been putting on the back burner for so long. I decided I would do all I could before I got pregnant again.  I turned off the critical voices in my head, put some blinders on and went for it.

3. What do you do when you’re not painting/photographing?  Playing with my kids, hanging out with my hubby, connecting with friends and family, managing the business side of Wildflower Studio: restocking stores, putting orders together, updating my blog and website, returning e-mails, oh and trying to clean my house, lol!

4. Do you have other hobbies?  Yes, I just wish I had more time to do them! Creating in general, Sewing, surfing, hiking, travel (that one is on the backburner for awhile, but before kids was a big one for me), writing. I love to try new things. Life is so short, so whatever sounds fun,I write it down to try it at some point.

5. What is your favorite way to unwind?  I love going to the beach in late afternoon/evening with my little family. It really benefits all of us.

6. Favorite vacation location?  Before kids I loved to travel the world, backpacking to remote locations, trying to go to a new place each time.  Now, with children I try and choose places that are in the states and have natural resources and space to run and explore.

7. What would you like to be doing in 10 years?  Ohh, what a good question! In 10 years my kids will be 11 and 15! That seems like a lifetime away from a 1 and 5 year old. By then I hope to be traveling and camping with my family more often. That is really important to me, to take special time away with my family and create more memories. I know they benefit from the local day trips I take them on now, to the beach and hiking, etc. But you can do so much more with an 11 and 15 year old! (My dream would be to travel the world with them, showing them amazing works of art, architecture, and different cultures, but that may have to happen a little later than 10 years.)

In 10 years I would like to be more knowledgeable in the business world (I know I will be because in just 3 years I have learned so much just by getting out there!) I hope to have a solid foundation for my company, and more freedom to let it work by itself.

I really look forward to having more opportunities to create! Also, I plan to continue learning new ways of self expression and creativity my whole life, so learning new processes is something I definitely would like to be doing as well.

One thing high on my priority list is to continue learning more and more about photography. I want to be able to continue to improve my skills not just for myself, but so I can provide others with amazing memories. OK, I know I am going off on a tangent here, but I also plan to write a book at some point. Nothing crazy and long, just something simple and sweet to inspire and lift people's spirits. Along that note, I am actually in the process of illustrating a children's book for my husband. It keeps getting put off, and he gets really frustrated with me. So by then my illustrations better be done, Lol! Lastly, in 10 years, and beyond I want to continue to meet more interesting and authentic people. I am so inspired by genuine, authentic people.

8. What is your favorite handmade/small business/local purchase?  I have this beautiful Kimono style robe made by Sophie Golightly from a local boutique called “Rituals”. Unfortunately the store is now closed! It was owned by a wonderful woman, Beth, who carried my cards and “Wearable Art”.

9. What inspires you?  My Inspirations include nature, the ocean, simple details and overlooked beauty, my children, my husband, and my dearest friends and family (especially those few who are supportive of my work and give me wonderful feedback and support, it means the world to me!). All the amazing creative souls out there, as well as all of the wonderful supportive comments I receive on my blog, on my face book page, through e-mail, letters, over the phone, or in person from these lovely people from all over the world. The positive feedback really keeps me inspired and keeps me going, and I treasure them all.

And now for the giveaway!  To enter to win two individual card prints from Wildflower Studio, visit Michelle's website and come back here and leave a comment about your favorite item.  To earn extra entries you can also do the following, just let us know in your comment (if you tweet the giveaway, leave a link to your tweet):

1. Follow our blog
2. Follow Michelle's blog
3. Tweet this giveaway on Twitter

Because it has taken me so long to post this interview, we're giving you until Tuesday, June 9th at 7 am.  The winner will be drawn and annouced later that morning.  Good luck and thank you again to Michelle!

Baby Shower: Lavender

Feeling Groovy Car Seat Strap Covers - Valley Momma Boutique $5.50

Baby Croc-Inspired Shoes Lavender, Newborn - The Hooker In Me $15

Lavender and Purple Embroidered Felt Flower Clip - Little Keira's Bows $4.50

LOVE Hand-Stitched Applique Onesie - Daisygator Designs $20