Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Challenge Round up

Good Morning!! Happy Hump Day!!
This last is the last week of #creativedaily and #dailyzoodle for the month February.
But you can still jump right in if you wish! 






Now I fell off and a few of these days due to having the flu in my home. One tyke got sick then the rest of us followed right after. I was one busy momma. So my re-cap is going to missing some of these prompts. And that is the cool part of these challenges. They are fun and if you miss one, no big deal. Just pick up when you can.

Day 12: Red, White, Pink ; Dolphin




Day 13: Hearts ; Chameleon



Day 14: Valentine ; Anteater


Day 17: Work; Panada



Day 18 Texture; Aardvark



Day 19: Obsession; Opossum



Day 20 Childhood


Day 24: Button


Day 25: Measure twice cut once; Shark



So now we are somewhat caught up with today. I am so excited to share that both #creativedaily and #dailyzoodle will continue into March!! That means you can join right in!! Lu & Ed and Squshies have released the new prompt graphics!! So exciting! It is so much fun to see ALL the different photos and drawings. I hope to see yours in the mix! (You can read more about #creativedaily HERE)




Kelly

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Talk to Me Tuesday: Lily and Bo

Happy Tuesday! Today, I am honored to introduce another one of my sponsors: Lily and Bo. Carrie makes the most adorable things for kids. She is super talented!

  Welcome Carrie!!


Tell us a bit about you!


My name is Carrie Toldo. I am a single mom of Ashley, 17, and Blake, 14. I am a lover of anything handmade, an avid listener to Minnesota Public Radio & CNN, addicted to yarn, beyond in love with knitting and I strive to learn something new each day.
Tell us about your shop! 

Lily & Bo was created after my two furry babies- Bretta & Lily.
I learned to knit from my little Grandma Kate when I was 8. My goal was to knit my dad a scarf. Being 8 and not having patience to sit and knit, the scarf was not knitted. Fast forward 20+ years later, I picked up some needles and learned to knit again and that scarf was finally made! Dad loved his scarf!
I knit a variety of  items such as hats, cowls & toe covers. I also make hair clips, headbands & jewelry. I love custom orders and have made hair pieces, tutu's and unique hats! 

What is your favorite thing to make?


The famous Yoda hat! It is such a fun hat to knit! 
 
What is the hardest part of owning your own online shop?

Time to advertise my business. Every day life can sometimes put you a step back. I have to set aside time each day to focus on my business.


Do you have any advice to share?

Read up on everything that you can about social media, owning a business, how to sell online- anything that you can find. Every little bit of information can help!

Thank you so much Carrie for joining us today!! You can find and follow Carrie at her SHOP | ETSY | BLOG | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | .COM . Make sure to stop and tell her 'Hello' and how you found her!! 

Kelly

A Brithday Celebration


I am so excited to share a Happy Birthday to one of my sponsors!! 



To celebrate her birthday she is having a FLASH SALE TODAY ONLY (2/25/14)!!!! 




How exciting!!! So make sure to head over to her SHOP, browse around, envy items, and maybe even purchase something special. Let's help her celebrate her birthday!!! 

You can follow Violet's Buds: SHOP | FACEBOOK | BLOG | TWITTER 


Kelly

 

Monday, February 24, 2014

Handmade Mania week 19

Hi everyone! Welcome to a brand new week! I do hope you had a wonderful weekend. Here - we had a busy one. I had the privilege of a crafting with two dear friends, Melanie of Violet's Buds and Cody of Lu & Ed on Saturday.  We had so much fun and I taught Melanie how to sew her daughter a jumper. I loved teaching so much! And she was a wonderful student! And then had a party after church on Sunday for my Mother-in-law. It was super fun! And she loved the gift I made her!

If this is your first time to Handmade Mania - Welcome!! I am so glad you stopped by and enjoy linking up. I love to share #handmadelove on my social medias.


This week we have 3 top links for Most viewed (they were tied and are shared here in random order):

Wall Art by BugaBoobear Designs
Mr. Mooris Lion by Kiser Krafts

Fox Ears Ring by Mizziexoxo Boutique
All of those are wonderful links!! All cute and fun to give as gifts to people. Now for Staff Picks, I asked for some help from a group of friends because after my families busy weekend, we were pooped out. My friends chose these awesome links:

Crochet Necklace/scarf by be you not them
Vintage Merlot kanzashi flower by Violet's Buds
Tie and Suspenders outfit by Knit Picky Mamma

Are those not EPIC awesome picks!!! Thank you friends so much for being my "Staff" this week. I appreciate it greatly.


Now onto the new link up!! Remember if you make it with your own hands you can link it up no matter the platform! 

~RULES~

You can link up to two individual products from your shop below for some networking/sharing fun! Select two products from the collection to share via social media using #handmadelove so I can find and share what you have shared. And please share in a comment what two products you share and where. Thank you!

(Do not share to Pinterest without the express permission from the shop owner.) 

By doing this, you'll be able to share EPIC handmade goodness and build shop your network! Also, Please share this link up with someone else. The more people we have join in, the more our items will be shared! I am super excited to share some EPIC Handmade Goodness!!

How to link up:
Click "add your link"
Box 1: add the URL to your individual product
Box 2: add the product description
Box 3: put in your email address
Submit then select a thumbnail photo!

You never know, your item might be the feature of next week’s link up!!





Kelly

Friday, February 21, 2014

Week 51 & 52 shares

Whoa! time is flying by!! Here are two weeks of #happyhanmade shares!! There ARE SO many AMAZING handmade items...it was super hard to choose! Daft Crafts does an amazing job of hosting this link up! There is still time and space for you to join in week 52 HERE! Love to see you link up!

Week 51:

Wall Art by be you not them

Tick Tock by Penelope's Eclectic Closet

Mini Pull Chain Wand by Gipson Wands





And just because I am ready for some spring flowers -

Spring Fever Plumeria flower headband by Violet's Buds



 Week 52 - One year celebration!!

Kiki the Kokeshi Doll by Sugar Crumbs





Cop and Robber Peg People Play set by Landon's Toy Box

Felt Shape learning Chart by Blue Umbrella Designs

Wonderland Sticker Pack by Scrawny Girl

Be Your Own Hero by Krmbal



Wonderful, inspiring items!! What a great couple of weeks of link ups!! Excited to see more new shops/items!

Kelly

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Try it Thursday with Violet's Buds

I am so happy to have a guest this week teaching us how to make our very own hoop art!! I had the privilege of her teaching me in person!! It was so enjoyable to be able to keep a outfit of my sons in such a wonderful way! Welcome Melanie!



Thank you Kelly. It is hard to believe that next month my little baby will be four years old! I'm sure I'm not alone with wanting to keep baby clothes, especially the ones with sentimental value. Rather than leaving everything packed in a box, I wanted to do something special with some of her clothes and turn it into wall art for her room. The process is fairly easy, but the hardest part for me was actually cutting up the clothes!

"The Accident" design from Threadless
I selected one of my favorite onesies to turn into hoop art. I bought this design while I was pregnant so she could match her daddy. Here they are when she was around 1 years old in their coordinating shirts.
 

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Talk to Me Tuesday: Squshies style

Welcome to another Talk to Me Tuesday shop feature! Today, I have the pleasure of introducing you to Danielle of Squshies. She is wicked talented and super creative.


Welcome Danielle! 


Tell us a bit about you! 

My name is Danielle. I'm really bad at describing myself and usually just randomly list off the first things that come to mind so here goes! I love cartoons and studied 3d animation for many years. I currently do some volunteer work on an animated cartoon series on Youtube. I love animals, especially weirder and less loved ones (vultures, elephant seals, hyenas). I have a cat named Hazel., she's a big cranky tabby. I'd love to have a Sphynx cat someday. I think they are adorable. I love to read and do puzzles. I tend to be a hermit, if my hobbies weren't an indicator. I love baked goods, especially cake.



Tell us about your shop! 

My shop is Squshies and it is a collaborative effort between myself and my husband, Jason. Currently we make felt animal ornaments and hoop art. Making felt animals started out as as a fun thing for me do between job searches. I'd been looking for a job for almost 9 months since moving to California. Once I started making Squshies, I found a job almost immediately. It was a entry level retail job, the type of job I'd held for years and wanted to move away from. I took the job but it was made me miserable. With much help and encouragement from family and friends, I realized that maybe instead of doing the same thing I'd been dong for years I should try something completely different. I've been focused on the Squshies ever since.  



What is your favorite thing to make?

I really like making hoop art. It is fun to get to combine the Squshies with sayings, props, or scenery that I can't normally do with their original ornament form. I also really like making animals I've never made before.





What is the hardest part of owning your own online shop?

It is awesome to be in control of your own shop and making all your own decisions, but it is also really hard sometimes! There are so many decisions to make it can be a bit overwhelming at times.


 

Do you have any advice to share?

Take yourself seriously. I don't mean that you should be super formal or pretend that you are a big company. You're running a store. You have a business. That is a big deal. If you can't take yourself seriously, it will be hard for others to take you seriously. Also to value your time. The time you put into your work has worth, no one can do it just like you. That makes it valuable.


Thank you so much Danielle for joining us today! You can find Danielle at Etsy | Website & Blog | Storenvy | Instagram |Facebook | Twitter .Make sure to stop by and give her some crafty love. 


 Kelly