Violet's Buds 3 Year Anniversary Celebration Giveaway (Win an Owl and 26 other prizes!!)

I love to see my fellow artisan celebrate milestones. My dear friend, Melanie, of Violet's Buds is celebrating her 3 year Anniversary with an EPIC #giveaway today through the 31st. And I am so honored to co-host it with her on my blog. Congratulations Violet's Buds.

Now, on to the list of amazing prizes up for grabs! There are so many wonderful indie handmade things!!

Talk to Me Tuesday: Violet's Buds

Happy Tuesday! I am introducing a new weekly post: Talk to Me Tuesday. Within this post, I will introduce you to some of my favorite shops. This very first week, I am honored to introduce you to one of my sponsors: Violet's Buds. Violet's Buds is run by Melanie and full of handmade pretties for the young and old.

Welcome Melanie!

Tell us a bit about your self!


Hi, I'm Melanie and I'm a craft-a-holic. I'm a 30-something wife and SAHM with an almost 4 year old daughter. (How did that happen? Where did the time go?! I can't believe my little one is growing this fast!) I have a degree in Photography with specialization in portraiture, but currently only do portrait sessions a couple times per year for friends and family. My passion has become making art with fabric in the form of hair accessories and hoop art decor pieces. My hobbies are reading, photography, cooking, and gardening. I blog about recipes and crafts, and I love to share other small businesses and crafters. I am passionate about animal rescue, and before my daughter was born my husband and I volunteered as a dog foster family with a local pit bull rescue group. I hope someday to be able to volunteer again. 

Tell us a bit about your Shop...

When my daughter was an infant I wanted her to have lots of cute hair accessories and after buying several, I decided to try to make my own. I quickly fell in love with creating and made gifts for my nieces and other friends. With the encouragement of friends and family, I started Violet's Buds around my daughter's 1st birthday. During the first year, I started making more accessories out of reclaimed, repurposed, and upcycled materials. I found buttons and jewelry at garage sales and thrift stores, and was given or traded for remnant fabrics. I am able to make unique pieces, however it does limit most of them to one or two of a kind. Violet's Buds will be 3 in March, and over the course of this time I've added hair accessories for all ages (because all women deserve to look good), fabric jewelry, lapel pins, wedding accessories, and hair bow holders. Most recently I have added hoop art decor to my line of accessories.   

What is your favorite thing to make?

Right now, I'm in love with making hoop art. It allows me to use different materials, colors, and styles that wouldn't necessarily work in a hair clip. I also really enjoy making custom orders for people. I love turning their idea into something tangible.

  
What is the hardest part of owning an online shop for you?



The hardest part for me is staying organized. I've finally found a system of storing my inventory that keeps it protected while making it easy for me to access. I am bad at keeping my supplies organized since I like to drag out lots of stuff to see what choices I have. My goal this year is to work on organizing my supplies, cleaning as I go, and make a schedule for myself. Its easy to get sucked into the computer and get distracted when I should be listing products or marketing.  

Do you have any advice on owning your own online business?

First, know that you aren't alone. We all struggle to get started, and keep going. I would highly recommend finding a community of like-minded crafters, either online or in person, to become a part of. It is so important to have a good support system with people that will build you up, allow you to bounce ideas around, and have fun. Also, plan to spend as much time, if not more, on the marketing, advertising and promotion of your shop as you do the creating. Social media is a key tool in meeting and interacting with potential customers. Owning your own online business can be challenging but if you join a community (Storenvy Community Group on Facebook is a great one!) it definitely makes the challenge easier. With others, you can learn the basics and other tips and tricks to succeed!

 

Thank you so much Melanie! It was so fun learning more things about you and your shop. You can find Violet's Buds on Storenvy | Facebook | Blog | Twitter | Pinterest Go ahead and stop by and tell her 'Hello' and share some handmade love. 

 ♥Kelly

Handmade Mania week 13

Whoa! I am so excited to share today's most viewed links from last week!! IT IS A TIE!!! And even more exciting is that the two shops are friends of mine! Thank you everyone for linking up last week! I am so excited to see what #handmadelove items I get to share this week! 

Most Views: 

Gipson Wands Potter Head button

Violet's Buds Rainbow Garden hoop art

Are they both not amazing!?! What a great items/shops to tie!! 

Staff Pick: 

Krmbal Green Garden Coasters

Violet's Buds Lavender Fields hoop art

I love both of these products!! They are cute and a wonderful #handmade spin on home decor! I am so excited to see what 'decorative' items you link up this week!!

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

Luella - a lion & friend to help others

Meet Luella Lion!

She loves to twirl, play dress up and sing. Luella also likes to share - she comes with two hair clips, one for her to wear, and one for you! Not only does she share her hair clips with you, but 50% from the sale of Luella goes to Drumm Farm, a home for kids and young adults in the Missouri foster care system. http://drummforkids.org/

Kelly from Kiser Krafts expertly handcrafted Luella Lion from socks, yarn, buttons and other materials. She is a one of a kind toy created just for this fundraiser! Stuffed with recycled materials and fiberfill, and most importantly filled with love, Luella Lion is adorned with two detachable clips handcrafted by Violet's Buds from upcycled materials.

Order Luella Lion in Kiser Krafts shop!

♥Kelly

Try it Thursday: Violet's Buds style

Hi! I am so excited to share with you an EPIC tutorial!! My friend Melanie, from Violet's Buds, makes the prettiest fabric flowers. Her shop, Violet's Buds, carries amazing hair accessories that are all one of a kind and handmade. I am so STOKED she agreed to share her tutorial with us. So now I hand my blog over to her. Welcome Melanie of Violet's Buds.

September is National Sewing month, and in honor of it I have put together an easy tutorial on how to handsew a posey flower. These flowers can be used as hair accessories, lapel pins, to adorn bags, or make a bunch for a never-wilting flower arrangement!

Start out with enough fabric to cut out 6 circles of equal size. I used 3" circles, but any size would work.

Start by folding your first circle in half, as shown below.