tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24447794418132475952024-03-05T19:13:57.416-05:00EtsypreneurWe Have It All & We Want MOREUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-8043021385887489152009-08-26T22:08:00.006-04:002009-08-26T22:30:38.184-04:00Fun + Perspective<span style="font-style: italic;">It has been such a joy working with Corrie. I sincerely hope you will give her darling <a href="http://www.corrieberrypie.com/">shop</a> a little visit, after you finish checking out her interview, of course. Without any further ado, I present to you Corrie's perspective on balancing life as an Etsy girl, a mommy, and a wife:</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0gEmxFZDBFG8L08wI6FGui5O9c7ve08pTUXdKMnFn7HXOotzBvDmw_RoelsOrq2L4VgAidPNjKnvK1FqCRxfSL1rHNL-wmSlkyD9qG4TogR-c7MR7P5vVdl4Hf2tMl1IxkLfNSgMNkhld/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.86803377.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 357px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0gEmxFZDBFG8L08wI6FGui5O9c7ve08pTUXdKMnFn7HXOotzBvDmw_RoelsOrq2L4VgAidPNjKnvK1FqCRxfSL1rHNL-wmSlkyD9qG4TogR-c7MR7P5vVdl4Hf2tMl1IxkLfNSgMNkhld/s400/il_fullxfull.86803377.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374463766080585074" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29843456"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Sunset Rosebud Necklace</span></a><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Do you take time away for yourself? If so, what do you do (other than Etsy!)?</span></span><br />Yes, for sure. Let's see...a good (Etsy-free) day? Going on a date with John Jay, a nice long walk, hanging out by the pool, a good meal with friends - don't forget dessert...and I'm a pretty happy girl.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Do you take care of yourself? Do you get enough sleep?</span></span><br />Usually. But my love of early morning gets the best of me when we've had too many late nights.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrskzEK1QrSh5NKJa1RiEYJIMTIYm6Dc_dnk3szpO__pqX29qbeqIeQQ8yz3bFCLDyuWCMkw95VBI1yMy3x_FOFOdRpta-E6b7ZKAQm4rSljaKgs2Ur36ezLdQUMHUFeXZSftzCG9gX-fX/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.85021843.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 342px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrskzEK1QrSh5NKJa1RiEYJIMTIYm6Dc_dnk3szpO__pqX29qbeqIeQQ8yz3bFCLDyuWCMkw95VBI1yMy3x_FOFOdRpta-E6b7ZKAQm4rSljaKgs2Ur36ezLdQUMHUFeXZSftzCG9gX-fX/s400/il_fullxfull.85021843.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374463105671255106" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29314050"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Vintage Cat Eye Glasses</span></span></a><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">If money were no object, what three things would be at the top of your Etsy wish list? </span></span><br />I rarely let myself "shop" on Etsy - I'd be in trouble!<br />But these are lovely...<br />This <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27449390">necklace,</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span>Glasses from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7158078" target="_blank">this shop</a> & an original piece from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5687126">this shop</a>. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5687126" target="_blank"></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">What other Etsy Mom's shop would you like to see featured on this blog?</span></span><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6978127">Mary's Granddaughter!</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_2Wbq21oPVbMjTT8_pxcM1Gh_gx_QUJ5SkbgFXu-vGGYyy4iTHIL_eHQmC4fTwd_WPVC6dIhnYZyhuTo-A1npFyALPPSDPGPCi-CV-RCdMierTS-bu3sPC0s0Ux3noIha9BYkdbPpo4Y/s1600-h/-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 362px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_2Wbq21oPVbMjTT8_pxcM1Gh_gx_QUJ5SkbgFXu-vGGYyy4iTHIL_eHQmC4fTwd_WPVC6dIhnYZyhuTo-A1npFyALPPSDPGPCi-CV-RCdMierTS-bu3sPC0s0Ux3noIha9BYkdbPpo4Y/s400/-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374464569715293330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Judah...proving that a love for funky glasses is a genetic thing!</span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">What closing Etsy Success advice can you leave us with?</span></span><br />I occasionally freak out at the thought of having more kids or introducing a new craft/hobby and keeping up with it all...but I remember that when I started the shop last year I told myself I would do it as long as it's fun. Should it become "un-fun" in any way, I'll move on and let it go. I also try to remember that Judah's growing faster than I can keep up with. I don't want to miss it because I was too busy sewing. I can do that when I'm old!<br />So...<br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"> <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fun + Perspective = A Happy Etsy Shop!<br /><br />***<br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Thank you so much, Corrie, for taking the time to answer my many questions and sharing from your heart about your life as a true EtsyMomPreneur. Your passion is energizing & your perspective inspiring.</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-38439191216172156402009-08-21T14:59:00.004-04:002009-08-21T15:24:14.439-04:00Corrie's Etsy Week<span style="font-style: italic;">Welcome to the third post in our interview with Corrie of Etsy shop, <a href="http://www.corrieberrypie.etsy.com">Corrie Berry Pie</a>. Today we're asking Corrie her little secrets on managing her family, her home, & her Etsy business all simultaneously. </span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCI8r2ncBePnmFX79rYQYti57oxPM06rtcCF8EPQVD654HjdR9qlpprHAx35UAunK03alVg9kvR37tRxu_j8j8s91c4X16mSy-eB0Tzuaf5JObgMZJQ6sndEf0Sd6J9CueJ7pynSjbByTz/s1600-h/-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCI8r2ncBePnmFX79rYQYti57oxPM06rtcCF8EPQVD654HjdR9qlpprHAx35UAunK03alVg9kvR37tRxu_j8j8s91c4X16mSy-eB0Tzuaf5JObgMZJQ6sndEf0Sd6J9CueJ7pynSjbByTz/s400/-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372497229695977986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> What is your biggest time management strength?</span></span> I don't procrastinate. I always try to stay on top of things - making, taking photos, listing, shipping, emails/convos...I hate getting behind.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Weakness?</span></span> <span style="font-style: italic;">I don't procrastinate.</span> Sometimes it's nice to just forget about it and eat ice cream, but I have to work until I get to a stopping point before I can put it down...it drives my husband, John Jay, crazy! I get that from my mom (the work part, not the driving-your-husband-crazy part).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqFpKEkw94S3kmJrK08jtgn1bz_1aguXMnwsFn9JpiNtqQe26WsOiJtbOyvQpD_2e0aWov4nFpk0PoXHgSy7cHAeCajVO9z9kwtPIDuGlQsC_fFE_1egn7YgYw800kIA1eyTPQ22mmocl/s1600-h/il_430xN.63107119.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqFpKEkw94S3kmJrK08jtgn1bz_1aguXMnwsFn9JpiNtqQe26WsOiJtbOyvQpD_2e0aWov4nFpk0PoXHgSy7cHAeCajVO9z9kwtPIDuGlQsC_fFE_1egn7YgYw800kIA1eyTPQ22mmocl/s400/il_430xN.63107119.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372497470132672178" border="0" /></a><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22774456"><span style="font-size:78%;">Lemony Lemon Tree Earrings</span></a><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />How do you store your Etsy supplies & stock?</span><br />We just moved to a new apartment that has more closets than rooms! So I'm fortunate enough to have a work desk AND a "craft closet".<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Please describe your typical Etsy week.</span><br />We've designated Saturday as family day around here, so I try not to even open the computer or look at projects on that day. My favorite time to do computer work is early EARLY morning. I mean, like, dark outside early. I've always loved that time of day - I get that from my dad. Other than that, I chip away at projects whenever Judah's asleep (or not looking!).<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Do you ever use childcare in order to fit Etsy into your life?</span></span><br />No, I can't really afford it. But my sweet husband will take Judah to the park or for a bike ride to give me some time whenever I get overloaded or behind.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPd0Buq6JXqZQhNfUaWritwdKJtg828pc3S1UB4D2n2CU2JjqObaAWobm9TGKal6EIwccdhvbaxRksUB25AOYOkNi2vY-w-oyY1fX0ZJXjvXdDd-wIRUqkiIPnm6mPnjrumQRBct3fX0CI/s1600-h/il_430xN.83331635.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 329px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPd0Buq6JXqZQhNfUaWritwdKJtg828pc3S1UB4D2n2CU2JjqObaAWobm9TGKal6EIwccdhvbaxRksUB25AOYOkNi2vY-w-oyY1fX0ZJXjvXdDd-wIRUqkiIPnm6mPnjrumQRBct3fX0CI/s400/il_430xN.83331635.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372497225393004018" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28809312"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Vanilla Rosebud Necklace</span></span></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Do you feel others respect the fact that you work from home?</span></span><br />Um....mostly respect. But it's hard to say, because I'm not the best self-promoter. I'm usually not the one to tell people about what I do, so I'm not really aware of their reactions.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">If money were no object, what Etsy purchase would you make in order to help you in your job as an Etsy mom?</span></span><br />Well, I don't know if it would help with my job, but a dress from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6329012">artlab</a> sure would make me feel fancy while I work! Or anything from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6086034">lamixx</a>...everything looks so clean and comfortable!<br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6086034" target="_blank"><br /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-42847313313493779932009-08-18T23:05:00.004-04:002009-08-18T23:35:08.526-04:00Juggling Judah<span style="font-style: italic;">What's scrumptious enough to get a hard working girl to put down her needle & thread? </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">One glimpse of this little kitten and you'll see why Judah has his mama smitten. This is our second installment of our interview with <a href="http://www.corrieberrypie.blogspot.com">Corrie</a>, the creative force behind the lovely <a href="http://www.corrieberrypie.etsy.com">CorrieBerryPie</a>. Today she shares with us how she keeps mothering first and Etsy somewhere else on her list of priorities as an EtsyMomPreneur.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1262NIojiLgzoApBA4yXrQ5d5-qrwi_induHYY2PoBDi8LKXTAJIQq-c0uS5hGHHbdpDyekWmdLj6xMjXDJeb3unZ8klFE8wL5qQvEsIV1fOQEOTibAPRO0hhUTzaWzL4jUraZNGHWsp/s1600-h/-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1262NIojiLgzoApBA4yXrQ5d5-qrwi_induHYY2PoBDi8LKXTAJIQq-c0uS5hGHHbdpDyekWmdLj6xMjXDJeb3unZ8klFE8wL5qQvEsIV1fOQEOTibAPRO0hhUTzaWzL4jUraZNGHWsp/s400/-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371510318355929714" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">How do you juggle family & Etsy?</span></span><br />Judah's nap time is key. I even kick my husband out of the house! Just me, a cup of coffee and work.<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span> Judah loves the pictures of Mommy. And it's adorable to hear him say "Corrieberry Pie!" But really, I try to do Etsy stuff when he's asleep. Occasionally he'll sit in my lap while I sew, or watch me make a Treasury. But mostly I spend time with him and doing other "chores" during the day...he's learning how to do laundry right now!<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bpqFJC11h0cIw3RnQ78L9hRcPBRYsgd53h3wXb6qj18Odb6QYFM_MCXQ_mxlEmehCI-i42roWYaltix_OvHJDt3Dxpb0_8Gsyi4nwA2uQ-x0lXcu_9yB2oGzY_IMqAWBDm08HZ5QjqTB/s1600-h/-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bpqFJC11h0cIw3RnQ78L9hRcPBRYsgd53h3wXb6qj18Odb6QYFM_MCXQ_mxlEmehCI-i42roWYaltix_OvHJDt3Dxpb0_8Gsyi4nwA2uQ-x0lXcu_9yB2oGzY_IMqAWBDm08HZ5QjqTB/s400/-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371510324634370386" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27276573"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Secret Love Earrings No. 3</span></a><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />To what extent do you rely upon the TV to keep Judah occupied while you work on Etsy? </span>Not at all. We don't really do TV in our house (other than movies). So when he gets to watch Baby Einstein or Curious George, it's a big deal and he usually requests, "Mommy, Daddy, sit!" So we do. Who can say no to that?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KXM6WHg6WNO49hpYkrhJVGR3Yk1G_m4Ym7TM1XRAugsbkEC19jIJlodcK8cfGv88vrjZIaaOvgqPqdHyPckOuiQLRRe4jZec9fRxt5oKTjhyphenhyphenp9e9_Wrsox7kkgR2HJkO7QnygNfsty5D/s1600-h/il_430xN.80656702.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 399px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KXM6WHg6WNO49hpYkrhJVGR3Yk1G_m4Ym7TM1XRAugsbkEC19jIJlodcK8cfGv88vrjZIaaOvgqPqdHyPckOuiQLRRe4jZec9fRxt5oKTjhyphenhyphenp9e9_Wrsox7kkgR2HJkO7QnygNfsty5D/s400/il_430xN.80656702.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371510344005366770" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29026097"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Wooden Star House Bird Folk</span></a><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >What is your favorite family fun activity?</span> Riding bikes. For sure. There's a beautiful 16 mile trail by our house with a coffee shop at the end for inspiration.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">If money were no object, what Etsy item would you buy for your little man, Judah?</span></span><br />I adore everything at <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6104022">Star House</a>...<br />Oooooh...and maybe this table & chairs set from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24663541">sofali</a>:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0Oh7XFqhAfglbpfgu5_0A3w5p3EQuFSY4xmMGNH_SkE-Y0gsPRpf5lE_7tS0zcFBNDabMoMhByBmv-JGbvvtf2tQx4igwl51BDR7D2Ri3cxmRbA0ckT_W6ozSClLcpRP-AGSwzv9vixZ/s1600-h/il_430xN.69434153.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0Oh7XFqhAfglbpfgu5_0A3w5p3EQuFSY4xmMGNH_SkE-Y0gsPRpf5lE_7tS0zcFBNDabMoMhByBmv-JGbvvtf2tQx4igwl51BDR7D2Ri3cxmRbA0ckT_W6ozSClLcpRP-AGSwzv9vixZ/s400/il_430xN.69434153.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371510330551143762" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-43860898486788632032009-08-16T13:36:00.007-04:002009-08-16T16:27:57.205-04:00What's a Corrie Berry Pie?What's a <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6432451&section_id=5934916"><span style="font-style: italic;">Corrie Berry Pie</span></a>? Only one of the sweetest Etsy shops you ever did see! This week I am proud to bring you our interview with stay at home mom Corrie, of <a href="http://corrieberrypie.blogspot.com/">Corrie Berry Pie</a>. You are in for a treat as Corrie provides us with a few snapshots of how she manages her typical week as an EtsyMomPreneur.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju036T5gAU5M2prkH9Cd21GZ2ceJO3JY2n2wEcf6K6jJS1Y9XGMtvJRyG8Orck4Az9zWab8F_Mfk9rYeUexrx-PkkNUEhyoogm8pdWf1ZIVyI7YfviHF60dPpxhoQb0IsJqS3mLJgcg-9-/s1600-h/-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 382px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju036T5gAU5M2prkH9Cd21GZ2ceJO3JY2n2wEcf6K6jJS1Y9XGMtvJRyG8Orck4Az9zWab8F_Mfk9rYeUexrx-PkkNUEhyoogm8pdWf1ZIVyI7YfviHF60dPpxhoQb0IsJqS3mLJgcg-9-/s400/-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370657141865510626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Corrie & Judah</span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >What inspired you to start your Etsy shop and how long have you been running it?</span><br />After oscillating back and forth between family and school (several times!) I finally decided to put the Art degree on hold for a while so I could stay at home and play with Judah all day. The shop was actually my husband <span class="il">John</span> Jay's idea...a way to feed my need to create, while simultaneously helping us pay bills as he works his way through grad school. I started <a href="http://www.corrieberrypie.etsy.com">the shop on</a> November 8, 2008<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />How many children do you have and what are their ages?</span><br />I have one son, Judah, who just turned two a few weeks ago. He's the funniest, sweetest, smartest, quirkiest kid you'll ever meet. He keeps my imagination alive.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKVyvazREvbk9GfUN-c92yMe86gbLky4Ot-Ue2rA3_P1-9zYiGiiMc_-e-LBJNq7acatCfz1QfIUdFKLqY0erVhMMzt8KU_KLATzIwcCgD65gQL_R03d7ODy-Ps9lTIkcsrLC83MG4awM/s1600-h/-4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKVyvazREvbk9GfUN-c92yMe86gbLky4Ot-Ue2rA3_P1-9zYiGiiMc_-e-LBJNq7acatCfz1QfIUdFKLqY0erVhMMzt8KU_KLATzIwcCgD65gQL_R03d7ODy-Ps9lTIkcsrLC83MG4awM/s400/-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370658231500782514" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28176988"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Miss Scarlett Bib Necklace</span></a><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Please describe your Etsy <a href="http://www.corrieberrypie.etsy.com">shop</a>...</span></span><br />Textile jewelry, garlands, and other homespun miscellanea...that's the shop's tag-line. But most of the things you'll see are one-of-a-kind (or few-of-a-kind) items - often with unconventional materials incorporated into the piece. I'm a huge fan of the found object and fabric in my jewelry.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwh_6Uh9kk03F-1VNg-Rg0OL8xhh3sK1qxp-PLMwctenCFzFrcJotmi5DKTqcX5MWlil9j_SeFwKR0uJy7FXiMCd9Ac6RZvDfw4Ez5PXOib6s07_oO1sZY8xd8Vlj_zqGrbAv4i4UwBLnk/s1600-h/-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwh_6Uh9kk03F-1VNg-Rg0OL8xhh3sK1qxp-PLMwctenCFzFrcJotmi5DKTqcX5MWlil9j_SeFwKR0uJy7FXiMCd9Ac6RZvDfw4Ez5PXOib6s07_oO1sZY8xd8Vlj_zqGrbAv4i4UwBLnk/s400/-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370657140587544946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />Of which item currently for sale in your Etsy shop are you most proud and why?</span><br />Oh, wow. That's a tough one. Obviously, the goal of the shop is to sell things. But I catch myself mourning the loss of some of my favorites after they sell (like my Happy The Whale Necklace).<br /><br />One of my favorite live items:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.corrieberrypie.blogspot.com"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4V_Cs8VbzqTnPkNKa32fKDbl6oFrYhE5Yh75QmP_yZ1sIn94hTTWhwhldFT59arM_DdaZkqCBYFYmsTamKNRCgnvw3-HtkxZGXnocnJonLklqum0RvOfPwIw95Jo8U31hj_NKNBDxEqCc/s400/-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370660081795367794" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28387318"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Sundry Wrap No.5</span></a><br /></div><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27276573" target="_blank"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-9796125543002339892009-08-12T09:37:00.006-04:002009-08-12T09:50:07.099-04:00Black Dreams<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesp0iJhBLrg_Q7jtUE7INY75ofUonStjFa3n_zLk8MJLMZkNRvbSMJN5kOJMnZADqnVc9EULdDj6iw1-4A3YgSJnDQDbfY1JRbPD2GclGVZV4lWqXGBvnZiERxy1z3FgdGUh8Vc7K58zJ/s1600-h/il_430xN.25334782.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesp0iJhBLrg_Q7jtUE7INY75ofUonStjFa3n_zLk8MJLMZkNRvbSMJN5kOJMnZADqnVc9EULdDj6iw1-4A3YgSJnDQDbfY1JRbPD2GclGVZV4lWqXGBvnZiERxy1z3FgdGUh8Vc7K58zJ/s400/il_430xN.25334782.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369073288412697874" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11326968">Mod Flowered Vintage Button Handbag</a><br /></div><br />I adore this little handbag by <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5689918">Lady Fran</a>...and I was so glad to see that it has been featured in a <a href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=64144">treasury</a> called <a href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=64144">"Black Dreams"</a> put together by <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7159765">cookieletta</a>. Be SURE to visit <a href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=64144">this</a> treasury and let cookie know what a fabulous treasury she has put together!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNyRkVS54HItXx5vVARk67xYIrBmgKaxNHiR64OYY9TtYp0MvAi8Z2Y1CHtcyApJVv_nFgD23vbaCbVlhJVIMYIjdCN808m8PYJShdKBuUPflTQJXJu5WqSkS_vJQCy1sy1RWUmISTA2y3/s1600-h/il_430xN.36644496.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNyRkVS54HItXx5vVARk67xYIrBmgKaxNHiR64OYY9TtYp0MvAi8Z2Y1CHtcyApJVv_nFgD23vbaCbVlhJVIMYIjdCN808m8PYJShdKBuUPflTQJXJu5WqSkS_vJQCy1sy1RWUmISTA2y3/s400/il_430xN.36644496.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369072516871202242" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14812512">Dave & Johnny Black Velvet Formal</a><br /></div><br />Cookieletta also was kind enough to include one of my absolute FAVORITE dresses from our Etsy shop, <a href="http://www.lindelaneclothing.etsy.com">Linden Lane Clothing</a>. If you are looking for a holiday evening gown that will make a statement no one will ever forget, <span style="font-style: italic;">meet your dress</span>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-5466600430816750972009-08-09T22:15:00.005-04:002009-08-11T10:26:53.314-04:00Allison on Etsy Success<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;">"I am hoping that my children will inherit the love of crafting...."</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:78%;">--Allison,<a href="http://www.bornagainpurses.etsy.com/"> Born Again Purses</a><br /></span></div><br />Welcome to the final installment of our interview with Etsy mama Allison of the always innovative <a href="http://www.bornagainpurses.etsy.com/">Born Again Purses</a>. Today Allison shares some of her personal Etsy faves and what she does to ensure her life is not all work and no play.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_1sG8Iq4PZw8iXHcTR4zW-X8TpgpkDQnNX863FcxB2BeAPl5EOHrt1o2uXSdiohimYMzh47GzUti06op6FI_aizY4fTLnm2IfsgBTKX1T_qEYHkxM2dWV3zBIVd1-11fn9UUhcJfhnNO/s1600-h/il_430xN.64957672.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_1sG8Iq4PZw8iXHcTR4zW-X8TpgpkDQnNX863FcxB2BeAPl5EOHrt1o2uXSdiohimYMzh47GzUti06op6FI_aizY4fTLnm2IfsgBTKX1T_qEYHkxM2dWV3zBIVd1-11fn9UUhcJfhnNO/s400/il_430xN.64957672.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368157934856609794" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23329018">Mossy Glade Recycled Sweater Purse</a></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >What closing Etsy advice would you like to leave us with?</span><br />I think that success is not the selling of our products that we make but in the joy of making them. I know it is easy to say this and it sure is nice to sell, but for me creating one of a kind pieces relaxes me and grounds me. It helps to ease all my daily dilemmas and helps me take the time to dream about things I want to accomplish. I am hoping that my children will inherit the love of crafting because it is a gift that I would like to pass down to them as it was passed down to me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >What do you do to take time away for yourself, other than Etsy?</span><br />I like to do some other things besides Etsy like reading, travel, taking a walk, bubble bath, spending time with friends and family etc.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />Are you taking care of yourself? Do you get enough sleep?</span><br />For the most part I do get enough sleep, but this hasn't always been the case as my oldest used to get up at 5:00 AM for the longest time and then she would talk loudly. Each year it gradually got 15 to 20 minutes longer and finally she will sleep in a bit now that she is 13.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYhznml9gDDvF0h_jPJsbW6G4IZIt6GX-AS2sWwmhzuqOd1oSIN8TjkBgly6KK9xlicSix1t1aHcyqPQMA7rQL3Q99AZmhsxyyndVAYnlDrzOky4GSVoNzeIh8M0wwL9QdG1yi89bUgFBG/s1600-h/il_430xN.82339277.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYhznml9gDDvF0h_jPJsbW6G4IZIt6GX-AS2sWwmhzuqOd1oSIN8TjkBgly6KK9xlicSix1t1aHcyqPQMA7rQL3Q99AZmhsxyyndVAYnlDrzOky4GSVoNzeIh8M0wwL9QdG1yi89bUgFBG/s400/il_430xN.82339277.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368157941945006002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28513830.">Goat Milk Frog Soap Set</a></span><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />What three things would be at the top of your list if I sent you on an all expenses paid Etsy shopping spree?</span><br />* I would like to buy one of <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12735756">five-fortys lovely rugs made from recycled wool sweaters</a>.<br />* I love <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28564292">this shop's</a> jewelry.<br />* I am on a soap kick lately and I love everything form <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28513830.">this shop</a> that I have bought so far.<br /><br />I would also like to buy some nice items for my friends and family because it feels good to give gifts that are handmade.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />What other Etsy Mom would you like to see featured on this blog?</span><br />There are so many talented people here at Etsy that it would be difficult to pick just one shop, but I like this one and she is nice to talk to:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7171183"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 53px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin7sWTrKzDTr3hObbqowVUTknzeuXt4ZidkjmUduOAh7pXSmC4oReRjDQ0fJTJhsDtQkbIwYPj574xL2m0WVhaEqKpYXkcvkG2FIfMPUutX0ReTlRYZ_ZAzrIX6YGkG2itXrBr6ceGpvvp/s400/iusb_760x100.6272212.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368161184600935378" border="0" /></a>****<br />It has been such a joy hearing Allison's passion for her craft. Now make sure you run straight over to her Etsy shop <a href="http://www.bornagainpurses.etsy.com/">Born Again Purses</a>. I have posted a few of her sweet creations here, but she has over 90 original items in store now!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-44663979451734327062009-08-09T21:48:00.004-04:002009-08-09T22:12:17.430-04:00BornAgainPurses, AGAIN...It's been a crazy-fun weekend here in sunny FL. We had a family wedding, which meant lots of time spent with extended family and getting behind in my online world. So this week I will continue with the last two parts of our interview with Allison from <a href="http://www.bornagainpurses.etsy.com/">BornAgainPurses</a>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdwnUEGK8G0hmRaxEU6uKstEIZo-beTjgSei_J2wUJ4L_d6PIyAzNAP_mUBqptV2zZv6NrBr7XgBvCcAEmu6HB1czueAxPvjJePRdyp1TyTuP0sCDu6vaugPjtkKeAGPmD6FhVF6UwOjd/s1600-h/il_430xN.65390398.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdwnUEGK8G0hmRaxEU6uKstEIZo-beTjgSei_J2wUJ4L_d6PIyAzNAP_mUBqptV2zZv6NrBr7XgBvCcAEmu6HB1czueAxPvjJePRdyp1TyTuP0sCDu6vaugPjtkKeAGPmD6FhVF6UwOjd/s400/il_430xN.65390398.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368149502122322002" border="0" /></a><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=23457791"><span style="font-size:78%;">Sunshine Recycled Wool Sweater Purse<br /></span></a></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />What is your biggest organizational/time management strength? </span><br />I am very organized in a disorganized way but I can find everything I need. I have great intentions, but then something will happen like the kids asking a question and I am off to look for what they asked me to do. I use a systematic approach to the purses and do an assembly line to get them finished. My main weakness is having too many supplies in stock. If I see a sweater I love or an embellishment then I have to have it. I'll buy it even though we really do have enough right now.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />How do you store your Etsy supplies & stock?</span><br />I have a craft room so everything is stored in bins and marked as to what it is. We have craft fairs and consignment shops that we deal with so this helps me to organize getting stock out the door as well.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBLlC4K6CN86H0tovmdv5xHxIJXuNl-7Vm5JcdPQyRJdcoS0JInmDzr6-Vs_o3fxro9NZzQ8WdAXXIOCgyHJopzLm-AB2hsiSlv0Bzdlv8NFhvAyzM0n9VE8hz99EUiwFgl1VBtXOcEr1/s1600-h/il_430xN.42572800.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBLlC4K6CN86H0tovmdv5xHxIJXuNl-7Vm5JcdPQyRJdcoS0JInmDzr6-Vs_o3fxro9NZzQ8WdAXXIOCgyHJopzLm-AB2hsiSlv0Bzdlv8NFhvAyzM0n9VE8hz99EUiwFgl1VBtXOcEr1/s400/il_430xN.42572800.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368151722972926802" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16614434"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >A Touch of Angora...<br /></span></a></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />Please describe your typical Etsy week.</span><br />I don't have any set hours as much of my work gets done after the kids are in bed. I like having a more versatile schedule as it works while my kids are smaller. As they grow and need me a little less I will be able to put in some more time at Etsy and other venues.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />Do you feel your work on Etsy is respected by those around you, or looked at as something less meaningful than a "real" job?</span><br />I think that this job is respected by most of my friends as they are amazed at the passion I have for what I am making. They have been very supportive and are very excited when I do well here at Etsy or elsewhere.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-7951824008215055272009-08-04T22:39:00.005-04:002009-08-04T23:18:38.639-04:00Allison on Keeping Family FIrst<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;">"My creations are my time to relax...." </span><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >--Allison, BornAgainPurses</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >A</span>nd what lovely creations to behold!</span> I'm so excited to share the 2nd portion of our interview with Allison of the fun & funky Etsy shop, Born Again Purses. Read on to get a peek into how she manages working from home while keeping family first.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueMJJ0QMT-I8xxWUK-Fp5NHFAxK0POwE7B9bPfFBL29HHbzGsxmuRAgsFaIS9qrpVxrBQZ2TvAvENDok8zlVd9Eksn4N37uPkG-7qeWpyan6rfouom5xoYR2SCycmMfk4iGof9tEJHwIb/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.51263424.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueMJJ0QMT-I8xxWUK-Fp5NHFAxK0POwE7B9bPfFBL29HHbzGsxmuRAgsFaIS9qrpVxrBQZ2TvAvENDok8zlVd9Eksn4N37uPkG-7qeWpyan6rfouom5xoYR2SCycmMfk4iGof9tEJHwIb/s400/il_fullxfull.51263424.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366306450209609250" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19236553"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Hope Springs Eternal Recycled Wool Sweater Purse</span></span></a></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >How do you juggle family & Etsy?</span><br />My creations are my time to relax and I have done some kind of craft ever since I was small. The majority of my time is spent doing family type things, but at night when my kids go to bed I pick some things up to work on. Some days I will create all day but that doesn't happen all that often.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >What do your kids think about Etsy?</span><br />My children are 13, 12 and 7 so they like to do things on their own at times so this is a good time for me to get some work done in the craft department. Also two of them like to make things when I am working on something so I will help them a bit but still have some time to do my own thing. I am hoping to pass this passion of creating down to them as it gives me great joy!!!<br /><br />My middle child does a lot of my modeling of our purses on the site so she loves this. Also I find that they get very excited for me when things are sold and they see them ship to various places around the world. My middle child will brag about our shop to any one that will listen to her so she is a great spokesperson. The extra money brought in goes towards fun things that we do as a family, like travel, so this is an investment for everyone in my family!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Do you rely upon the TV to keep the kiddos occupied while you work on Etsy?</span> My children do many things and I try to keep TV watching to a minimum along with computer and DS time. I want them to be well rounded, but get time outside and learn to be a bit bored sometimes. My best ideas come from times when I am bored as it gives me the opportunity to really think and DREAM!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hkPYyEzhGofC4xouQ9KlX-UKdAde-GwXvPEKUuBpluOoX8RqgKDH7d6hq9ZJpiuYPwGH2qtJxuqCuIttzN143qnzmL3eVXzYUcGjIWntFWmAZ5orxbeimYxv72hagCc3Pb3Q1RY7LsI9/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.46682449.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hkPYyEzhGofC4xouQ9KlX-UKdAde-GwXvPEKUuBpluOoX8RqgKDH7d6hq9ZJpiuYPwGH2qtJxuqCuIttzN143qnzmL3eVXzYUcGjIWntFWmAZ5orxbeimYxv72hagCc3Pb3Q1RY7LsI9/s400/il_fullxfull.46682449.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366305669045390066" border="0" /></a><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17858978"><span style="font-size:78%;">Cottage Comfy Recycled Wool Sweater Purse</span></a></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >What is your favorite family fun activity?</span><br />We love to travel and try to do this as often as we can. We have a cottage and like to go in the Summer as much as we can. The girls love the water and the beach and our cottage has no TV, A pump for the well and we just got electricity this Year. It is quiet and we love to play by the Ocean. We like bowling and swimming as well and the girls have swimming lessons on Saturday throughout the Fall and Winter.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">If money were no object, what Etsy item would you buy for your children?</span></span><br />I love to buy my gifts on Etsy as I appreciate all the work that goes into what is made. I love <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5866563">this Canadian shop </a>and have bought some lovely items from her in the past:<br /><br />Some of the jewelry shops are nice too and my older girls are liking some of these things now, like <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5089393">this one</a>, or <a href="http://stringmealong.etsy.com/">String Me Along</a>.<br /><a href="http://stringmealong.etsy.com/" target="_blank"></a><br />I like some of the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5318323">soap shops</a> as well, and the girls love to smell all of the scents, such as sold at <a href="http://carvelcountrysoaps.etsy.com/">Carvel Country Shops</a>.<br /><a href="http://carvelcountrysoaps.etsy.com/" target="_blank"></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiltNml4fOnLHFHg9AigXET97JU-TyFxWVT6eoCChd1CU-xOYzdo59NSYpfD5Im0w6nPGMgIv9zWTGP1Chy18pT0lH7R88faYxX5dI95hdv91DNNuFQiTbkCCA-n5GE867hypKQEfsuB9dV/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.51036790.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiltNml4fOnLHFHg9AigXET97JU-TyFxWVT6eoCChd1CU-xOYzdo59NSYpfD5Im0w6nPGMgIv9zWTGP1Chy18pT0lH7R88faYxX5dI95hdv91DNNuFQiTbkCCA-n5GE867hypKQEfsuB9dV/s400/il_fullxfull.51036790.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366308389298194658" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19167925"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Canada Strong And Free Recycled Wool Sweater Purse and Matching mittens</span></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-50737706297755604912009-08-02T16:45:00.007-04:002009-08-02T17:47:11.708-04:00BornAgainPurses Mama<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAjcT9sp3mpCr6Vus96858Gjnj_HqNMdBfB5mVw_2srsxdBtPQC2S3hIjwGTWtxkNqEExuJni7BkTrIqlSF5yXsbyLSuj7pmuJ3wFA3MkDMqhR1HBsap7EIw0238KgjTgVCyGU19P29qa/s1600-h/iusb_760x100.5615849.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 53px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAjcT9sp3mpCr6Vus96858Gjnj_HqNMdBfB5mVw_2srsxdBtPQC2S3hIjwGTWtxkNqEExuJni7BkTrIqlSF5yXsbyLSuj7pmuJ3wFA3MkDMqhR1HBsap7EIw0238KgjTgVCyGU19P29qa/s400/iusb_760x100.5615849.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365470964394900530" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />We are onto our 4th interview here on Etsypreneur! This week we meet Etsy mom Allison of the super-fun shop, </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=70752">BornAgainPurses</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. So without any further ado, <span style="font-weight: bold;">here's Allison</span>...</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nOhpPa87Xc7JSxCavVRjXAKff9Q7f1cJpNkuD7wd3REYYg4XYejh0nWf9IcrnyeK9_4OppOjllgcOyPBThM4EKPCSeJnQnQH3kePuiRYyL3fu-F03jFpNyfCSCaTvyhO39FWFu6kxwMw/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.57561733.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nOhpPa87Xc7JSxCavVRjXAKff9Q7f1cJpNkuD7wd3REYYg4XYejh0nWf9IcrnyeK9_4OppOjllgcOyPBThM4EKPCSeJnQnQH3kePuiRYyL3fu-F03jFpNyfCSCaTvyhO39FWFu6kxwMw/s400/il_fullxfull.57561733.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365476446120609970" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21126218"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Lady in Red Recycled Tie Purse</span></span></a><br /></div><br />Our Etsy shop, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=70752">BornAgainPurses,</a> is made up of mostly recycled items made from clothing. We started out with Wool sweaters and have expanded to jackets and other things. We have tried lacy items and turned them into purses as well. Our shop is mostly purses but we have made other items in order to use up all the pieces of the sweaters that we have cut. We have many different patterns to create our purses and they were designed mostly by us. Originally we saw a pattern that we wanted to try but changed it to suit our own needs. We make quilts, purses, mittens, change purses,pillows, pin cushions, messenger bags, coffee cozies and bottle cozies, lined bags and so much more. There are many more ideas in my head that just have not been put down on paper yet.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >What inspired you to start your Etsy shop and how long have you been running it?</span><br />We have been on Etsy for 3 years now and I started here with much excitement to have a venue to show off our items and sell them to various places around the world. There are two of us involved in Born Again Purses.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuuATTztEYTyx3addKLwgcTi17Dww8GxGhVJq5H8QafFXAXEqoQ70eSF833Vtopz_5AH3bCKdWa7KWvgd_KOI3SQwKtMYppbvTGiZNDlQYLYypOsIMS54Kk3BGkFw8tyQqQ2lvRiKKNNv/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.46232343.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuuATTztEYTyx3addKLwgcTi17Dww8GxGhVJq5H8QafFXAXEqoQ70eSF833Vtopz_5AH3bCKdWa7KWvgd_KOI3SQwKtMYppbvTGiZNDlQYLYypOsIMS54Kk3BGkFw8tyQqQ2lvRiKKNNv/s400/il_fullxfull.46232343.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365480310596780002" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17722503"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Remember Tarten Recycled Wool Sweater Purse</span></span></a><br /><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">How many children do you have and what are their ages?</span></span><br />I have three children, my oldest two have special needs and are 13 and 12 and my youngest is 7. The children are all girls and they are wonderful kids! Melissa, the other shop creator, has two boys 14 and 9 years of age.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />What inspired you to start your Etsy shop and how long have you been running it?</span><br />Originally we found a pattern that we liked and thought we would try it out. I loved the whole concept of recycling something old into another item that could be used again. We tried the pattern but it wasn't working for us the way it was written and we changed it dramatically. Since then we have been coming up with our own patterns and love working with any type of recycled material. We have a pattern which was published last year for Earth Day in a book called Rubbish by Kate Shoup of Wiley Publishing. This was very exciting for us!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvXVt52y0FUX1VPFq0tqbi7uoX9TWM6T0rm0gRaQvwIN-NLGcoFIJuIrrE_guwuvTYwIeEqqlZ1tj8oaq1MmLuz9U2B-m7GMrnUOGajg_qjoTyQlbP4FESmJEwXd7g8yw22VzTfZ1zgzi/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.81722612.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvXVt52y0FUX1VPFq0tqbi7uoX9TWM6T0rm0gRaQvwIN-NLGcoFIJuIrrE_guwuvTYwIeEqqlZ1tj8oaq1MmLuz9U2B-m7GMrnUOGajg_qjoTyQlbP4FESmJEwXd7g8yw22VzTfZ1zgzi/s400/il_fullxfull.81722612.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365481811311466130" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28330191"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Cranberry Fields Recycled Wool Sweater Purse and Matching mittens</span></a><br /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Of which item currently for sale in your Etsy shop are you most proud and why?</span><br />I love our sets of purses and mittens which is one of the original ideas and they have sold well.<br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28330191" target="_blank"></a><br />Also last year I created a Christmas Stocking for a friend who was getting married and made it into a couples sock. This was the most fun and I will definitely make more of these because people seemed to love them.<br /><br />Another thing I love is doing a custom order for someone who has kept sweaters or neckties from someone they loved and lost and creating something they will use so that the item does not just sit in a box or their closet. We have done a few custom orders, but it seems easier and more economic if they are in the area.<br />*****<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">In a tiny bit of shameless self-promotion, I'd like to thank Maykela for featuring one of our items in her lovely treasury today! The treasury is called <a href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=62980">Plum Purple</a>. There's a great variety of items, so please be sure to check it out! </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-21611748466170004032009-07-31T15:22:00.003-04:002009-07-31T16:06:50.046-04:00How NOT to Become a Workaholic<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Anyone who works from home knows it is always a challenge to walk away from your work & maintain some semblance of "a life." Today <a href="http://www.lilbitsassy.blogspot.com/">Rhonda</a> of Etsy's <a href="http://www.lilbitsassy.etsy.com/">LilBitSassy</a> shares about her life beyond Etsy.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjidt5XnfOyyAIfCEqSxtpwGnY6oLTCt12-rtE9SccU-Gb3RD3QqoVXu5yNa4TcnK2UmEndgsvuyPDOhMBmo-Hye3F7ufEQvde2iXm8Icw__CKx9LW0a-i4BAB5zvTMXpsSdli4Tqd-8Vh7/s1600-h/il_430xN.81598745.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 311px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjidt5XnfOyyAIfCEqSxtpwGnY6oLTCt12-rtE9SccU-Gb3RD3QqoVXu5yNa4TcnK2UmEndgsvuyPDOhMBmo-Hye3F7ufEQvde2iXm8Icw__CKx9LW0a-i4BAB5zvTMXpsSdli4Tqd-8Vh7/s400/il_430xN.81598745.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364712911574554546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28293678">Flower Taggy Pillow</a></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Do you take time away for yourself? </span><br />Yes I do. To me, family does come first (even if that's just me and my other half). I tend not to plan to work on weekends (although more often than not, I do) because it's time I choose to spend with Mike. If we have no plans, then I will work, but if we do, then I don't feel guilty about not working. I also take a yearly vacation for two weeks to go down south to see my family. It's usually right when I deserve a much needed break.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Do you take care of yourself?</span><br />I do. I have realized that the one thing you HAVE to do for yourself is to listen to your body. If your body is running down and you're tired, try to rest for about an hour. I usually feel this way in the afternoons, so I will stop what I'm doing and go rest. Even if I just watch TV or read for about an hour, it helps. I have found that I cannot work when I'm tired. You will thank yourself if you just listen to your body's needs.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjColbJYENxTLxqKiw9FD4TkZPXZqhxjWV5YdfW1U_qEcbb8c12tHDAmPld9FsXyrABm2lDBffkMZy3Ktpkr2ktcMPufHXe47Eorvno53cnFtnmtCLCIsowaZgp2yEUHdhm4Ly_powQufpj/s1600-h/il_430xN.78607298.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 307px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjColbJYENxTLxqKiw9FD4TkZPXZqhxjWV5YdfW1U_qEcbb8c12tHDAmPld9FsXyrABm2lDBffkMZy3Ktpkr2ktcMPufHXe47Eorvno53cnFtnmtCLCIsowaZgp2yEUHdhm4Ly_powQufpj/s400/il_430xN.78607298.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364712909035642786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27402345">My First Frog Blankie by LilBitSassy</a></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >What other Etsy Mom's shop would you like to see featured on this blog?</span><br />I would love for you to do an <span class="il">interview</span> with <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5062394">Bit Of Whimsy</a>. She makes the cutest dolls and also sells her patterns. She's a true EtsyMomPreneur!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >What closing Etsy Success advice can you leave us with? </span><br />Be patient. Sometimes it takes a bit before buyers will find you. Once they do, and realize you offer a quality product with friendly and courteous service, they will come back and will also recommend you to others. I've found that a little patience and a courteous, respectful manner goes a long way in your success.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48QarJciSBMK4SSbAH8Y5s9kwo-IySnf5HMx9vJfMwaLvfyR9Aw1j_br6vR1AhCA6CKtca0dAAC8L04RpK8P9ImQk04mC4WXSpt-doByqqKN3kbKsMi4tMuKccMVO2pVdyjS_Y5Kslw5-/s1600-h/il_430xN.68459980.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48QarJciSBMK4SSbAH8Y5s9kwo-IySnf5HMx9vJfMwaLvfyR9Aw1j_br6vR1AhCA6CKtca0dAAC8L04RpK8P9ImQk04mC4WXSpt-doByqqKN3kbKsMi4tMuKccMVO2pVdyjS_Y5Kslw5-/s400/il_430xN.68459980.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364712903207399266" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24374464">Ava the Doodle Girl by Bit of Whimsy</a></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rhonda also runs a blog for her new projects/items. Currently, she is having her first giveaway. A lucky winner will receive one of </span><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-weight: bold;">her</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.lilbitsassy.blogspot.com/"> cat blankies</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">.<br />************<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Give us a follow! We have have more interviews with delightful Etsy moms in store! Next week: <a href="http://www.bornagainpurses.etsy.com">BornAgainPurses</a>!</span><br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-81901930787958664442009-07-30T11:00:00.003-04:002009-07-30T11:13:17.734-04:00Picture Pages, Picture Pages...<a href="http://www.lilbitsassy.blogspot.com">Rhonda</a> was kind enough to share some pictures of her adorable inspiration, her nieces & nephews! Since today is my birthday I plan to keep this post short, but be sure to check back in either Friday or Saturday when I plan to post the final part of her interview! I have a great interview lined up for next week as well!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mr5e3oYqCv9Wbqx_UXvKdujQuILz0T0gFyJHBbbi9wujND3QXzYz6uIukMb8FZesAyYoGYe-ya062JWjXagw7QvY4H6YDqio4zTXp9dVhnzETUjjKDr0mHxJ5_WxFgCgtBqeQrDA8yoG/s1600-h/-4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 153px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mr5e3oYqCv9Wbqx_UXvKdujQuILz0T0gFyJHBbbi9wujND3QXzYz6uIukMb8FZesAyYoGYe-ya062JWjXagw7QvY4H6YDqio4zTXp9dVhnzETUjjKDr0mHxJ5_WxFgCgtBqeQrDA8yoG/s400/-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364268586345492194" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >M</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">y newest great nephew. </span> He's very tiny, 18 months old and he weighs a whopping 17 pounds and is only 26" tall. I don't think he'll be a football player! He's so funny, too! Right now, he's my guinea pig. Any new baby items I make, I send to him to test out for me. While my niece was pregnant, I sent her "mommy" items so she could tell me what changes I needed to make, if any. She's very honest and I love her input.<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSxYQArVKcmDIHQCyerPKfUavfNXHCBYHOuQR1gLmyi2PhfaUJIQQEqTZzQ1ebBCirqqwyicQPgBSAq9g53cdBu4-VtLx84h_nlROX3KkgGENbw0DYrQX-75hoIg4q-Yeo6KxDKzCBh-p/s1600-h/-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 157px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSxYQArVKcmDIHQCyerPKfUavfNXHCBYHOuQR1gLmyi2PhfaUJIQQEqTZzQ1ebBCirqqwyicQPgBSAq9g53cdBu4-VtLx84h_nlROX3KkgGENbw0DYrQX-75hoIg4q-Yeo6KxDKzCBh-p/s400/-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364268682896640754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">My cutting table</span>. It folds up (shown half unfolded) so it doesn't take up a lot of room. I usually keep it tucked under the stairs.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioKpICyN7c3q8ngWZpqk9ihHt-eIeWyNFCxJjX54m9r7e2c8oe4_7WcBwsvhPcKvXVQBAtGbDSk37G1aRraczxv-QA-3vUsXIVhkxojIZav2wdqB9_VlIbQ1BtMibOar0r9HsZOPeH2Pkh/s1600-h/-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioKpICyN7c3q8ngWZpqk9ihHt-eIeWyNFCxJjX54m9r7e2c8oe4_7WcBwsvhPcKvXVQBAtGbDSk37G1aRraczxv-QA-3vUsXIVhkxojIZav2wdqB9_VlIbQ1BtMibOar0r9HsZOPeH2Pkh/s400/-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364268679141081298" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">The secretary I refinished--w</span>hat it looked like when I first got it. Believe it or not, this was Mike's grandmother's. She had bought it from Sears. I guess back in the day you could buy furniture kits that you put together yourself. I still have to attach the desk part of it and I want to paint flowers on it also. I chose blue and yellow because that's my favorite color combination.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2ftEFSjyso0liLDt2PfbwOmljddXf5rhZEw082fbcOk6niZXivh5MLOClt7SccO2hhez_Mq9mqj_zrioIEifU4wk8ZYzW52n18RhEicjeX2nlv1l0tKRDWmYoNo4WKvdDtJnxjq50MXe/s1600-h/-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2ftEFSjyso0liLDt2PfbwOmljddXf5rhZEw082fbcOk6niZXivh5MLOClt7SccO2hhez_Mq9mqj_zrioIEifU4wk8ZYzW52n18RhEicjeX2nlv1l0tKRDWmYoNo4WKvdDtJnxjq50MXe/s400/-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364268591945022194" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >M</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">y side of the family</span>. I'm standing on the right in the light blue sweater. My parents are in the middle (mom in white shirt and Dad sitting). My two brothers are standing on either side of my Mom. The rest are all nieces and nephews. This picture was taken four years ago so one more great niece and two great nephews have been added to the mix.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXqTDB_sfEdEBbVlvbZEzBaz-wE5VFSKIOafkuLRhGFYz2d7bYC6ocr_K0cd9wrku9op5nUXPfziPClT81IHLSVn_VcCcl57BiXduXw2hE9NWgtBeyDTtTYp9GiEq0EPTi7_jtZuVAl-t/s1600-h/-5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXqTDB_sfEdEBbVlvbZEzBaz-wE5VFSKIOafkuLRhGFYz2d7bYC6ocr_K0cd9wrku9op5nUXPfziPClT81IHLSVn_VcCcl57BiXduXw2hE9NWgtBeyDTtTYp9GiEq0EPTi7_jtZuVAl-t/s400/-5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364268585627337874" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Of course, I have to send you pictures of my "kids" too!</span> "Cuddle Monkey" is my kitty Scooter. She's so cuddly! I believe someone dropped her (nice I know) so we adopted her. She's very funny too--quite a personality. I do believe she's a reincarnate human because she does such "human" things. She likes eating raw potatoes and pistachios. That's just not catlike lol. "We in Love" are my other two kitties, Jezebel (orange), and Jinx. They were both feral. It took us MONTHS to tame them. But we eventually did and now they're very lovable cats. Although Jezzy still acts a little freaky sometimes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9BZtWBSlvApunfJljvVtTip5MrFZ4vYo2szCrdiiv6UcIiSKdREIq18CpUL0LvIgAty6ylWW5GBoE35u_vRj1huzgst2RRpZ4PvezurOirctkgEVc9otpcuinJEO9yd3FVfrk-cTvS45/s1600-h/-6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 178px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9BZtWBSlvApunfJljvVtTip5MrFZ4vYo2szCrdiiv6UcIiSKdREIq18CpUL0LvIgAty6ylWW5GBoE35u_vRj1huzgst2RRpZ4PvezurOirctkgEVc9otpcuinJEO9yd3FVfrk-cTvS45/s400/-6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364268580626420146" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGeyqHnzoJUIhhsCCTquM_TjdSv4IiPD7QZyla4ytJ4V_dyweEzLpPnfVVuEw5cNrJMMs0Hvw7_COclIbfMV7ek6Ph57JYabwKYnNQ4frosUx8bwvnl4b23eTkdGTk1Fl0GLxAbA9szMu/s1600-h/-7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 151px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGeyqHnzoJUIhhsCCTquM_TjdSv4IiPD7QZyla4ytJ4V_dyweEzLpPnfVVuEw5cNrJMMs0Hvw7_COclIbfMV7ek6Ph57JYabwKYnNQ4frosUx8bwvnl4b23eTkdGTk1Fl0GLxAbA9szMu/s400/-7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364268581432698674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >M</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">y little Rocky. He's my chinchilla</span>. I've had him since he was 12 weeks old (he's now 11 yrs old). He's a sweet little guy. Chinchillas don't like to be handled, but he LOVES his fat belly scratched. He's very friendly. And, as you can see, also a Steelers fan.<br />****<br />Thank you for sharing these great personal photos! It's always so nice to get to know the person behind the <a href="http://www.lilbitsassy.etsy.com">shop on Etsy</a>. We are looking forward to the final part of your interview coming up this weekend!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-16099349725226687672009-07-29T11:22:00.004-04:002009-07-29T11:50:27.906-04:00Etsying with Sass<span style="text-decoration: underline;">So what makes Rhonda so sassy? I'd say anybody who lives in an old schoolhouse can be as sassy as she wants to be. Yes, she and her husband Mike live in an old school house (</span><span style="text-decoration: underline;">along with their cats and a few bats in the belfry)</span>. Does that rock or what?<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br />We're back today with part 2 of our interview with Rhonda of Etsy shop <a href="http://www.lilbitsassy.etsy.com/">LilBitSassy</a>. Today she is sharing her tips on organization & time management.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ad1nAxA1WqJC7x151TC9LUDwBlChdgIdbYeERyL5JqTY3cmccVU_OziZGpesml487W6dYAgUX8w_gBAhACQaclyl_1QtLBrCmjY8cUFaUgVWGD4186Ko942ilLYBfIq-_MoAPxOvnMdb/s1600-h/-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ad1nAxA1WqJC7x151TC9LUDwBlChdgIdbYeERyL5JqTY3cmccVU_OziZGpesml487W6dYAgUX8w_gBAhACQaclyl_1QtLBrCmjY8cUFaUgVWGD4186Ko942ilLYBfIq-_MoAPxOvnMdb/s400/-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363904912469720962" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Family heirloom, Sears Secretary</span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >What is your biggest organizational/time management strength?</span><br />What works best for me is deciding what project I'd like to work on for the week and then scheduling my time around that. I usually wake up around 7:30 a.m., do computer work, and then try to start my projects around 9 a.m. I take a lunch break, and then get back to work right after. I try to maintain a regular work schedule--as if I worked outside the home. If I write a schedule out, I'm usually pretty good at sticking to it.<br /><br />Another thing that works for me is taking one day a week to do prep work. By that I mean cutting out projects and getting them ready to sew. I find this cuts down my actual sewing time and I can get items made much faster. I can also make them in an assembly-line type process, which makes it so much easier and more enjoyable. The sewing is the fun part--the prep work not so much.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwEaEFPdfYvOVZ9wp-vmR5CG4FvR5sABNSIzG3gOo02uWJWBnWj8miSBrFfxKjSAu9l_P478w1JEi1xHZZbZtoyTqS4Vup_p303aqI5sdqskcbXHL6y2hKiZZVvIm31uglZaGFoe2xb6w/s1600-h/-4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwEaEFPdfYvOVZ9wp-vmR5CG4FvR5sABNSIzG3gOo02uWJWBnWj8miSBrFfxKjSAu9l_P478w1JEi1xHZZbZtoyTqS4Vup_p303aqI5sdqskcbXHL6y2hKiZZVvIm31uglZaGFoe2xb6w/s400/-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363904927980100242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Husband, Mike, working on the school house.<br /></span></span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />Weakness?</span><br />Housework. I find it gets in the way of my crafting. Of course, there's the occasional laziness of not wanting to do anything at all, which I try not to give in to, but some days that's just a losing battle.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />How do you store your Etsy supplies & stock?</span><br />I'm an organizer by nature so I like to keep my stock and shipping items well organized so I don't have to shuffle through things to find what I need. Two years ago, my MIL gave me and old secretarial desk and I refinished it and decided it would work perfectly to store my stock in. For my shipping supplies, I have a seven drawer plastic cart on wheels. I can organize my bags by size and of course all my shipping labels, etc. in it. My dream is to have a sewing/office workspace. Unfortunately, our house is a bit small so that's not possible at this time. But a girl can dream!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5OIWfZ9XdM413JGaGDYdAHQmnhOdIe00j6ddFz_HGHjPllEVclFEyC3s36HLbPYuj2bfvYLIa7rfo8fNJV5y0Yackddjkw-YWsfFSKHZN1e9ZaqlJ2McoI0R8KnyHrs2RT1DGbyB4_7h/s1600-h/-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5OIWfZ9XdM413JGaGDYdAHQmnhOdIe00j6ddFz_HGHjPllEVclFEyC3s36HLbPYuj2bfvYLIa7rfo8fNJV5y0Yackddjkw-YWsfFSKHZN1e9ZaqlJ2McoI0R8KnyHrs2RT1DGbyB4_7h/s400/-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363904921548859506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Sewing table with view of the bird feeders.</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Describe your typical Etsy week.</span><br />I try to work at least 15 hours a week, usually Mon-Sun. Most of my work is done on weekends since I usually have to take a day or two off for household chores and errands. Even so, I still try to work at least a couple of hours every day.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Do you feel others respect the fact that you work from home?</span><br />I find I tend to get a lot of support from people when they realize that I work from home. I haven't had any bad reactions to my business.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MQTKC8294RnD6yB4pPDhIHYRJ5yLNPvg4NpWD0EKQGi6gvVzDONgUgUctg38M_CPeqqh2qMUtLnyWBEKEB5wmy42hCU7zUfVWvygT9KwqVmdaeUyqM9SSEgqIVVGH3uaWbTL8nWkBkQx/s1600-h/-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 275px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MQTKC8294RnD6yB4pPDhIHYRJ5yLNPvg4NpWD0EKQGi6gvVzDONgUgUctg38M_CPeqqh2qMUtLnyWBEKEB5wmy42hCU7zUfVWvygT9KwqVmdaeUyqM9SSEgqIVVGH3uaWbTL8nWkBkQx/s400/-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363904921446441650" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Refinished Secretary--actually, a work in progress!</span></span><br /></div><br />I also have a <a href="http://www.lilbitsassy.blogspot.com">blog</a> that I try to keep updated with new projects/items I am working on. Currently, I am having my first <a href="http://www.lilbitsassy.blogspot.com">giveaway</a>. A lucky winner will receive one of my cat blankies. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27402159"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVqKvxJTvMsVf0OSMa8o7qNbMqXRt9BHPhS82B3k3RAKNAdwDnycWG4RYzie9QxogK_D73BXPh14VpnlWjRXVz5tPq8xsS7LRsA2mtU8PrASveCVxumfsYcdVeWrb8xMpiBEK1hc8N3bW/s400/il_430xN.78606564.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363909249104892402" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.lilbitsassy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://www.LilBitSassy.<wbr>blogspot.com</a><br /></div><br />**********************************<br />If you have an Etsy blog, give us a follow and we will add you to our blog list on our side bar!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-41450409451528749622009-07-27T15:54:00.006-04:002009-07-27T16:53:12.844-04:00She's a Lil' Bit Sassy<span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >From time to time I may feature an Etsypreneur who does not fall into the "mom" category, but I feel her shop items and her Etsy-experience might be relevant to you EtsyMamaPreneurs. This is one of those weeks. Rhonda is a blessed aunt with several nieces & nephews who inspire her creations in her shop Lil Bit Sassy, where she specializes in hand-made mom & baby items. Welcome to Rhonda's interview, where she shares her Etsy insights on time management, organization, and more.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLS8Tm7rTi4oq6itH4fzuh373uqJD1X4x6S8PVInl9S83SOv25FFJNDxpK2mo80JXKWzRXEvzBPvArNfih4NohP2d2ig0mWUYXFFqhs08c73Kq7MDOzNlD-XA5hF5R-dAJQkxPQ6uycGXc/s1600-h/il_430xN.79780893.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 393px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLS8Tm7rTi4oq6itH4fzuh373uqJD1X4x6S8PVInl9S83SOv25FFJNDxpK2mo80JXKWzRXEvzBPvArNfih4NohP2d2ig0mWUYXFFqhs08c73Kq7MDOzNlD-XA5hF5R-dAJQkxPQ6uycGXc/s400/il_430xN.79780893.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363240433682692226" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=27751341"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Red Robot Lovey Security Blanket</span> </span></a></div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;">D</span>escribe your Etsy shop:</span></span><br />My Etsy shop is called <a href="http://www.lilbitsassy.etsy.com/">Lil Bit Sassy</a>. I sell a variety of items such as purses, household items, and children's items such as animal blankies, appliqued onesies, and toys. I am always trying out new things, so my items tend to vary in my shops. I try to keep my inventory fresh and new rather than stocking the same items. I also enjoy doing custom orders. I find they get my creative juices flowing. <a href="http://www.lilbitsassy.etsy.com/" target="_blank"></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-B_zh2CeKIOTO59DtJTXFv5EucHYQzQM17Igtb56q0CQfKq9NnmdKFudGKKyiyFnD0GiR6pJovx5bHZ6715Nc6L6Q7Srqq2D1s6_HsWFl-wn9SPAp43i9dfK6oCaO5efbFzbZhZgptLQ/s1600-h/-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 293px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-B_zh2CeKIOTO59DtJTXFv5EucHYQzQM17Igtb56q0CQfKq9NnmdKFudGKKyiyFnD0GiR6pJovx5bHZ6715Nc6L6Q7Srqq2D1s6_HsWFl-wn9SPAp43i9dfK6oCaO5efbFzbZhZgptLQ/s400/-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363238803330755826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Whoa, here she comes! Custom Baby Outfit</span><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">W</span>hat inspired you to start your Etsy shop and how long have you been running it?</span><br />I love to sew! I am the only crafter in my family and I usually give handmade gifts for b-days and Christmas. When people would see some of the items I made, they would tell me that I should start selling them. So, I decided to try selling online at Etsy. I opened my shop in 2006. I also recently opened shops at: <a href="http://www.lilbitsassy.winkelf.com/">Winkelf, </a><a href="http://www.lilbitsassy.blujay.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#000000;">Blujay</span></a><a href="http://www.lilbitsassy.blujay.com/" target="_blank"></a>, <a href="http://www.lilbitsassy.artfire.com/">Artfire</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI51NdcDfDmdbxexq21zD1JIy94hErzJxf0oj47swkTh6ywqB_qaeEyErGRBvn-b-X8cz2vqMna0xar5fyrTeKRiuduCemn2vXv4Tq8harOxZhCqd7dOT2_QSXZSAC0cxYCHkEJhnjthNr/s1600-h/-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI51NdcDfDmdbxexq21zD1JIy94hErzJxf0oj47swkTh6ywqB_qaeEyErGRBvn-b-X8cz2vqMna0xar5fyrTeKRiuduCemn2vXv4Tq8harOxZhCqd7dOT2_QSXZSAC0cxYCHkEJhnjthNr/s400/-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363238805402704274" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=26782594"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Animal Shaped Boo Boo Bags</span></a><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-size:180%;">O</span>f which item currently for sale in your Etsy shop are you most proud and why?</span><br />My animal blankies! The first one I made was from a monkey pattern I had purchased from another etsy seller. From there, I decided to make other animals, so I made a cat, lamb, robot, frog, and teddy bear. I also plan to make more animals.<br /><br />I would like to focus more on baby/children's items at this time. I have no children of my own, however; I do have plenty of great nieces and nephews and I enjoy making things for them. They also love that they get handmade items from me, which makes me feel so great. I suppose I also have a "cutesy" gene that makes me love cute things, and how much cuter can you get than making things for babies and children?<br /><br />I also have a blog that I try to keep updated with new projects/items I am working on. Currently, I am having my first giveaway. A lucky winner will receive one of my cat blankies. <a href="http://www.LilBitSassy.blogspot.com" target="_blank">http://www.LilBitSassy.<wbr>blogspot.com</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-26619128458131262712009-07-25T17:14:00.011-04:002009-07-26T12:11:00.198-04:00Lora's Life Beyond EtsySo what does a busy mom of four do in her free time? Oh, wait, what free time? Welcome to our 4th and final installment of our interview with Lora, Mrs. EagerHands.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFfZFggg3IRd5WzDstTWnMUKwoaA6iQcPY8wSJssBIMw2Pybmx7od9F_VuMIgntQZT6OoQ1ZqK-_UVf70MGzzticJ0NuUb37YqnsLXc9n6HD3LkFZKsFtkJoL1OscXEEF1keAobxhGCWd/s1600-h/-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFFfZFggg3IRd5WzDstTWnMUKwoaA6iQcPY8wSJssBIMw2Pybmx7od9F_VuMIgntQZT6OoQ1ZqK-_UVf70MGzzticJ0NuUb37YqnsLXc9n6HD3LkFZKsFtkJoL1OscXEEF1keAobxhGCWd/s400/-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362509889915820626" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.eagerhands.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Lora Today</span></span></a><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Do you take time away for yourself?</span> If so, what do you do (other than Etsy!)? <em>My husband is really great about giving me time away by myself. Having time away to be still and quiet is essential for me to keep focused on what my job as a wife and mother is all about! I also love a good date night with my hubby, and I have some amazing friends that live on my street so I enjoy walking down to their houses and visiting with them. I love deep talks and appreciating the little things in life.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span></em><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KG0hlWvih7Jpj0Xcu03ZRa2dyo7poPrUUY-F9_h7DfgDmEoLn_qHc_EllyO7kgtiYLd_VwAuaKY1sF2LIeAmCZGNJNMtoAxtBGWFWeH64mXPLMc-LohlgD7g1FJ1L8XEEhXMnaDaA8H8/s1600-h/-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KG0hlWvih7Jpj0Xcu03ZRa2dyo7poPrUUY-F9_h7DfgDmEoLn_qHc_EllyO7kgtiYLd_VwAuaKY1sF2LIeAmCZGNJNMtoAxtBGWFWeH64mXPLMc-LohlgD7g1FJ1L8XEEhXMnaDaA8H8/s400/-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362509975452350578" border="0" /> </a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Lora's Before Pic</span><br /></div><em><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span></em><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Do you take care of yourself? Do you get enough sleep?</span> <em> I've pretty much been pregnant or nursing for the last six years, so I had let myself get pretty overweight! I started doing Weight Watchers in December and I am happy to report that I've lost almost 55 pounds! (see before and after pictures) I am really trying hard to take better care of myself and eat healthier. Losing all the weight has helped my self-esteem a lot! Not to mention, I have more energy to play with my kiddos! As far as sleep goes, I don't get as much as I probably should, but I try to take naps if all of my kiddos are taking one, too. UPDATE: Lora met her Weight Watchers goal the day I posted this entry. Way to go, Lora!<br /><br /></em><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBM9Vf8n2FLclzcl0OOZBB-gGUE_1wX8B6zRyHoePx2p0IkzlcGIdejD90R436Hacv54g2DkGfml1M1NyxxY2JxcN3NgybmO3CZzsA3soPaTfHs6neCNz0GQCrW_mtvN6K_xg5gu7X-h50/s1600-h/il_430xN.56709625.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBM9Vf8n2FLclzcl0OOZBB-gGUE_1wX8B6zRyHoePx2p0IkzlcGIdejD90R436Hacv54g2DkGfml1M1NyxxY2JxcN3NgybmO3CZzsA3soPaTfHs6neCNz0GQCrW_mtvN6K_xg5gu7X-h50/s400/il_430xN.56709625.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362516604254262146" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20870008"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Blue Cameo Rose Baby Quilt from whimsiedots</span></span></a></div><em><br /></em><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >What closing Etsy Success advice can you leave us with?</span><br /><br /><em></em><div><em>1. Try to add new items everyday, or at the very least, renew a few items each day. I think that is really important to maintaining a strong presence on the website.<br /><br /></em><em>2. Having great pictures is also essential! If you're having trouble with that, you could ask a friend who's good with cameras. Don't give up - it took me a few years to figure out my camera and get the shots I really wanted!</em><br /><em><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><br /><br /></span></em><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCeGE-oLVyoyUJX7ujERB3JbsevO6LSbm4DMqSRijVxBJTYuYLm8xoDxjmyx6PPI4FLXiIg4rpaDaBZpHS4ffj8jUoyntYdyRQ7LQynw4oBGegkMJ3Hne-h3e4dDHMf28IJ1138Hah_FMm/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.80646718.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCeGE-oLVyoyUJX7ujERB3JbsevO6LSbm4DMqSRijVxBJTYuYLm8xoDxjmyx6PPI4FLXiIg4rpaDaBZpHS4ffj8jUoyntYdyRQ7LQynw4oBGegkMJ3Hne-h3e4dDHMf28IJ1138Hah_FMm/s400/il_fullxfull.80646718.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362518411859750914" border="0" /></a><em></em><h1 style="margin: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; text-align: center;font-size:18px;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28009979">Vintage Holly Hobbie Friendship Plaque, eagerHands</a><br /></span></h1><br /></div> <div><em>3. Treat your customers the way you would like to be treated. Go the extra mile with communication and customer service- a thank you email and a hand-written note with pretty packaging make a big difference! If you make a good first impression, chances are, the customer will come back and shop again.<br /><br /></em></div> <div><em>4. The most important piece of advice that I ever got (from a dear Etsy friend and mentor) is that your etsy shop should not be about the money. It should first be about the <u>people</u> and the relationships that are formed through the business. That's what it's all about. I pray that I can somehow use my etsy shop to form meaningful connections with others and show them a little bit about the God that has inspired me to use my eager hands to express His love. </em></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><em><br /></em></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1DegURp_8qsUfymSsvLtvY2860TYnsRPtfPPPMSBBmSKPL6HnAUQ2uPTrw9_779rBGETOqZmy2faAbY9zVAC5wcfZGXLnaL_j2_UUYdDhpVGXHpWVbAPnxNd_puTAW4Q15u1SUwN62Lz/s1600-h/il_430xN.74557187.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1DegURp_8qsUfymSsvLtvY2860TYnsRPtfPPPMSBBmSKPL6HnAUQ2uPTrw9_779rBGETOqZmy2faAbY9zVAC5wcfZGXLnaL_j2_UUYdDhpVGXHpWVbAPnxNd_puTAW4Q15u1SUwN62Lz/s400/il_430xN.74557187.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362519357329610034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ></span><h1 style="margin: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=26190381"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Mother Nature's Gifts Necklace, madebycarashop</span></a><span style="font-size:78%;"> </span></h1><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><em></em>If money were no object, what three things would be at the top of your Etsy wish list? </span><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20870008">* This</a> beautiful quilt with vintage fabrics from one of my favorite Etsy people!!<br /><div><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=26190381" target="_blank">* I am a huge fan of Etsy's MadeByCaraShop</a> - I love this shop!! Amazing necklaces..<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2nuMvll_2btzTBr3KXGJ9quSX7LsxZwYgHt2wix5CYWau0UAnipKWr3VqHmZi9Lq-BOOLxdW319-zLmWXUTJJ-mYpEE3zi22zHntEvdAnKAnFzvPDNf-aPKzKsWIgA7epdD1tNvyOw4L5/s1600-h/il_430xN.68625931.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 201px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2nuMvll_2btzTBr3KXGJ9quSX7LsxZwYgHt2wix5CYWau0UAnipKWr3VqHmZi9Lq-BOOLxdW319-zLmWXUTJJ-mYpEE3zi22zHntEvdAnKAnFzvPDNf-aPKzKsWIgA7epdD1tNvyOw4L5/s400/il_430xN.68625931.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362520431730131986" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24424351"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Healing 8x10 Fine art Print</span></a> <span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >by tiffysart</span><br /><br /></div></div><div>If money were no object, I would want the original painting of <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24424351">this print</a>. The artist is actually a friend - isn't her work amazing? She uses old hymnbook pages on her pieces. I love this one!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjce69KNVDCxh3PMRJX01mmtHGPvwS7VFIWFcoPJM5YRXIRHVyyraGkp7S3AZlb2Fvzx9J00mLrHLZWDbs0WLLcBw2RI4xR_BtUJuprmVfhAiRUUnvF0Wj52o6jZfcl7XdPxb0R3C7CodPt/s1600-h/il_430xN.25470034.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjce69KNVDCxh3PMRJX01mmtHGPvwS7VFIWFcoPJM5YRXIRHVyyraGkp7S3AZlb2Fvzx9J00mLrHLZWDbs0WLLcBw2RI4xR_BtUJuprmVfhAiRUUnvF0Wj52o6jZfcl7XdPxb0R3C7CodPt/s400/il_430xN.25470034.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362521821252536642" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11370739">Upcycled Napolean Dynamite T Shirt Tote by WhimsieDots</a></span><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />What other Etsy Mom's shop would you like to see featured on this blog?</span></div> <div><em>My sweet etsy friend and inspiration, Mandy from <a href="http://whimsiedots.etsy.com/" target="_blank">whimsiedots.etsy.com</a>. She is AMAZING, and an incredible role-model and example for me as a wife, mom, and etsy-shop-owner...She has been SUCH an encouragement to me, especially when I was just starting up.<br /></em><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-4960413797727625792009-07-23T21:27:00.000-04:002009-07-23T21:59:20.386-04:00See Lora Etsy<div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size:180%;">"I would be remiss if I didn't<br />give all the credit to God."<br /></span></em><div style="text-align: right;"><em><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">--Lora, <a href="http://www.eagerhands.etsy.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">EagerHands</span></a></span></span></em><br /><em></em></div><em><br /></em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQFrFsP21WwEFm0lqKqPWOAmCl7JBf98ySQ0vo6_2qt8sp8BcRy29MZjbAXufO4tnh7s3IV-AsUoH1W60mYDFGZ0O_cBZOyQXShMY_SkLGBwPuxYqUIHxxttsg0xx2beDqLu_lUwMdTPxU/s1600-h/-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQFrFsP21WwEFm0lqKqPWOAmCl7JBf98ySQ0vo6_2qt8sp8BcRy29MZjbAXufO4tnh7s3IV-AsUoH1W60mYDFGZ0O_cBZOyQXShMY_SkLGBwPuxYqUIHxxttsg0xx2beDqLu_lUwMdTPxU/s400/-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361832215624495874" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.eagerhands.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Even little Leo has eager hands!</span></span></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Welcome to our third installment of our interview with Lora of <a href="http://www.eagerhands.blogspot.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">EagerHands</span> Blog</a> & <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Etsy</span> shop of the same name, <a href="http://www.eagerhands.etsy.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">EagerHands</span></a>. In this post we'll see how Lora works out the little details of her <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Etsying</span>, from time management to organization!<br /></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >What is your biggest organizational/time management strength?</span><em> I like to make lists! I find that if I write down all that I have to do for the day, I am more apt to do it. I also work better on a deadline than in planning way far ahead. So, I think I've grown in the fact that I don't really get stressed out about last minute projects that much. I am much more efficient and work better and faster when I have to get something done on a last minute basis. (I wonder if that stems from my college days when I pulled all-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">nighters</span> for exams the next day... :) )<br /><br /></em></div> <div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Weakness?</span><em> I've got too much stuff!! I desperately need to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">de</span>-clutter! I like to be clean and have everything organized, but with a family of six, it is difficult at times to stay neat and tidy! My husband and I both have a lot of hobbies and interests, so we have a lot of stuff between the two of us!! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">haha</span>... One of these days, I'll get it all under control.<br /><br /></em><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOIru5I3FsePbOxJ02McutN3-u5vGZ8hfzMJoMC0iF4UfuzUdc4S0PHrlndJMNK2G87cH_QbIc26VVgbuTINqL1PhjMJZ09YHAyPyAsFwTHwiwkIBV886O8KTuP8M6bVGGDvqa2P5MVY5/s1600-h/-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOIru5I3FsePbOxJ02McutN3-u5vGZ8hfzMJoMC0iF4UfuzUdc4S0PHrlndJMNK2G87cH_QbIc26VVgbuTINqL1PhjMJZ09YHAyPyAsFwTHwiwkIBV886O8KTuP8M6bVGGDvqa2P5MVY5/s400/-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361832203109520514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Formal Dining, Lora's Workspace</span><br /></div><em><br /></em><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >How do you store your <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Etsy</span> supplies & stock?<br /></span></div> <div><em>My workspace is in my formal dining room (which we only use a few times a year as an actual dining room, so it works perfectly for me as a place to do my work everyday). I love all the natural light that streams in through the windows. I sew there at the window and cut fabric on the dining room table. The apron on the dress form was made by my husband's grandmother.<br /><br />All the items listed in my shop and fabric waiting to be cut into yardage and fat quarters are in all the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Rubbermaid</span> tubs. Works in progress and fabric to be cut into quilt squares are stored in the drawers of that great vintage art-deco buffet that I picked up a few years ago at an estate sale. I am surrounded by photographs of my family and little vintage vases, dried flowers, candles, a vintage globe and a wonderful vintage family Bible - all the things I love and find inspiration in</em>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqVK7br09RLD3K-avUX1UiS9kZ8rF88hCJS5h01_U_KcAWwY1ohhFeik6v4PUNi3Ztick0spla3ayRgpdRR-6EikrxeiceJYSwZ4Hr4vRcI09UrH3Rw9mzf8uLV5R-Stsk84kma_JS94H/s1600-h/-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqVK7br09RLD3K-avUX1UiS9kZ8rF88hCJS5h01_U_KcAWwY1ohhFeik6v4PUNi3Ztick0spla3ayRgpdRR-6EikrxeiceJYSwZ4Hr4vRcI09UrH3Rw9mzf8uLV5R-Stsk84kma_JS94H/s400/-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361832208530584610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><em>vintage art-deco buffet</em></span></div><br /></div> <div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Describe your typical <span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Etsy</span></span> week.<br /></span></div> <div><em>I ship orders out on Tuesdays and Fridays, so my busiest days are Mondays and Thursdays. I iron all the fabric that has been purchased and pack all the orders up to be shipped out. Usually, I am up pretty late on those two nights working and getting things ready. I pay a lot of close attention to how my packages look -lots of little details - handwritten thank you notes, little extra gifts, fabric wrapped up in a cute way, etc.. I've found that a little goes a long way, and my customers have really appreciated that! This is my favorite part of the job - personalization and putting my heart into every order!<br /><br /></em></div> <div><em>I spend my other free moments (when the kiddos are napping or late at night) cutting, sewing, and keeping my shop updated with new or at least renewed listings every day.<br /><br />Lastly, I go shopping once or twice a week (which I LOVE to do!!). My husband is very supportive and watches the kids so I can go all by myself. It is one of the highlights of my week. I love to treasure hunt!<br /><br /></em></div> <div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Do you feel others respect the fact that you work from home, or do they tend to disregard what you do as something less than a "real" job and therefore not very important?</span></div> <div><em>I have been so encouraged by my family and friends in this area. They are so proud of me and the success I've had with <span class="il">eager</span> hands. It has been a real blessing! But, I would be remiss if I didn't give all the credit to God. He has been the absolute number one reason why I have been successful with my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Etsy</span> shop. I constantly give this little business of mine back to Him and pray that I can be a blessing to my customers and somehow express His love to them through what I do.<br /><br /></em><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ICX-hhxZbrR3Lui4K5N3lQUv2PGDqGf5mhwGov1OCh8nBHbXbQ4cRq5_-_ovh3eqUtH62aP5ojLr72uhz6fvuX1iBuf2Uvvw6lKE10R6iOx1qFd5S-Fbjs1s_3A4FolGKIOApUEdsHAx/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.49760512.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ICX-hhxZbrR3Lui4K5N3lQUv2PGDqGf5mhwGov1OCh8nBHbXbQ4cRq5_-_ovh3eqUtH62aP5ojLr72uhz6fvuX1iBuf2Uvvw6lKE10R6iOx1qFd5S-Fbjs1s_3A4FolGKIOApUEdsHAx/s400/il_fullxfull.49760512.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361836038593314162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18781036&ref=sr_list_3&&ga_search_query=bookcase&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&order=price_desc&includes%5B%5D=tags&includes%5B%5D=title"><span style="font-style: italic;">Antique Cabinet by Materials Unlimited</span></a><br /></span></div><em><br /></em><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >What item would be at the top of your <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Etsy</span> wish list in terms of helping you in your job as an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Etsy</span> mom? </span><br /></div> <em>This amazing antique cabinet to store all my fabric in!!! Especially for fat quarters and quilt squares...Heaven!</em><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18781036&ref=sr_list_3&&ga_search_query=bookcase&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&order=price_desc&includes%5B%5D=tags&includes%5B%5D=title" target="_blank"></a><br /><br />**<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Be on the lookout for our final post with Lora coming soon to a blog near you! I also look forward to presenting Etsy seller <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5017454">LilBitSassy</a> in the coming week!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-60227637567356935832009-07-21T23:53:00.000-04:002009-07-22T00:34:13.380-04:00Mrs.EagerHands on Etsying & Mothering<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><em><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:180%;">"Having a side business at home is not worth it if I neglect my little ones."</span> </span>--Lora, of <a href="http://www.eagerhands.etsy.com/">EagerHands</a></span></em></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em></em></span></div><em><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></em><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzVvUg6Q-dSyW-tJ8QdEY2NtImFfqrAWKluIR6dShwd9jR7aZOPLo_gGswy0rrXE4XsOkl2Grel7OiZUk0Lo7JcWZqjoNdFs0GqiD3_im004bWYVN48WLMUdwDJtVF9wyxKMGMEiGNy04/s1600-h/-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 380px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzVvUg6Q-dSyW-tJ8QdEY2NtImFfqrAWKluIR6dShwd9jR7aZOPLo_gGswy0rrXE4XsOkl2Grel7OiZUk0Lo7JcWZqjoNdFs0GqiD3_im004bWYVN48WLMUdwDJtVF9wyxKMGMEiGNy04/s400/-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361129135245907922" border="0" /></a><a href="http://eagerhands.blogspot.com/2009/07/goodies-in-mail.html"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Ruth, 2 yrs old, Etsypreneur in the Making!</span></span></a><br /></div><br /><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">How do you juggle family & Etsy?</span></div> <div><em><span style="font-size:100%;">I've got to be honest - it's a challenge! Day by day, I am easing into more of a routine with all that I have to do - from taking care of the children, being a <span style="font-weight: bold;">happy</span> and attentive wife to my husband, keeping the house clean, cooking meals, doing laundry, and all my Etsy shop work (ie. shopping, washing fabric, cutting fabric, photographing items, listing items on shop, networking, ironing/packing orders, and shipping). It's a lot of work! I try to keep it all balanced. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Having a side business at home is not worth it if I neglect my little ones.<br /><br /></span> My family has to be my first priority! I try to work on my shop while my kids are napping or asleep at night. If they are playing happily in the kitchen, I can use that time to iron fabric and pack up orders. My "studio" is in my dining room in the center of the house so I can cut fabric, take pictures, or sew while my kids are playing and still be with them. I try to take little breaks and not work for super-long stretches at a time, too. That helps all of us to not get too overwhelmed.<br /><br /></span></em><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jNnpdakqJ2DBjdVijk2cMLB2ykzlndSR5BB8yfai1B9Js5At4z8YheZQzzoMXfL32yiQY3nsNdIdN_fs9-wr3Musey5AOJPw4OCR6yffNis_sPtazec3Zs63xLR4m1ZDDEbmD_PuzOEs/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.71834369.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1jNnpdakqJ2DBjdVijk2cMLB2ykzlndSR5BB8yfai1B9Js5At4z8YheZQzzoMXfL32yiQY3nsNdIdN_fs9-wr3Musey5AOJPw4OCR6yffNis_sPtazec3Zs63xLR4m1ZDDEbmD_PuzOEs/s400/il_fullxfull.71834369.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361135464517143378" border="0" /></a><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25377049"><span style="font-size:78%;">Vintage Blue Sheet with Retro Flowers Hem - Full Flat XL</span></a></div><em><br /></em></div><div style="font-weight: bold;" class="im"> <div><span style="font-size:130%;">What do your kids think about Etsy?</span></div> </div><div><em><span style="font-size:100%;">They don't really know about Etsy. They just know that mommy is "working on her fabric" so that we can have money to buy the things we need. My kiddos are all so young - they haven't totally figured it out. They appreciate what I do when I take them to the thrift store with me and they get to pick out a book or video, though! They are also excited when I make a sale - I've got my own cheering section. It's so sweet.</span><br /><br /></em><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUrKLpqxceAGQSQFzDgelqVLrIxH5o03FDEgx4IJSn9tHsYR-6l8x3jFff9M5BTWkGxJrBa3cAM4sN5y_NFc_4TUif8TEBk_c9Ul6pK6owlaJ2ra8yDWoW0yLyrLwHrAxuM0Fe9egl76c0/s1600-h/-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUrKLpqxceAGQSQFzDgelqVLrIxH5o03FDEgx4IJSn9tHsYR-6l8x3jFff9M5BTWkGxJrBa3cAM4sN5y_NFc_4TUif8TEBk_c9Ul6pK6owlaJ2ra8yDWoW0yLyrLwHrAxuM0Fe9egl76c0/s400/-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361129144288938434" border="0" /></a><a href="http://eagerhands.blogspot.com/2009/07/what-can-you-get-for-two-dollars.html"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Benjamin & Leo</span></span></a><br /></div><em><br /></em></div> <div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">To what extent do you rely upon the TV to keep the kiddos occupied while you work on Etsy?</span></div> <div><span style="font-size:100%;"><em>This is another area that I am growing in as a mom. We don't have TV, but it's so tempting to put in video after video and let that "babysit" my children while I do other things. I confess that there have been days where this has been the case. I am trying to make more of an effort to use videos/dvds only in situations when it's the absolute last resort. They can be really helpful, though, during the time when I am cooking dinner, or when I have to pack up that last minute order before the mail comes. I really try to do my work while the children are sleeping or happily playing and don't need my help. My two older boys really love to play together and build train tracks, towers, etc., so that works out great when I have to get some work done while the two younger ones are having their morning nap.</em></span><div class="im"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">What is your favorite family fun activity?</span></span></div></div> <div><em>We love to go to this Latin-American mall up the road and eat some amazing authentic Mexican food and listen to the live bands that play incredible music. This place also has a gigantic play area and fun arcade, too. It's a great afternoon for all six of us when we go.</em><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjldxEX_vlHk6-AFv0YdPmIGBSHYhI28axMrPrBpJsnH_VWVOOx1b41-eTm7YHgtwxkHtxl2Fq-WJ3CRwVT1ywhgTevR6I_kkRRSLSAKJEG0enkE6h0_RZuR0cpDu8ojtS0MhSkaQDQ9dXs/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.52177775.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 273px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjldxEX_vlHk6-AFv0YdPmIGBSHYhI28axMrPrBpJsnH_VWVOOx1b41-eTm7YHgtwxkHtxl2Fq-WJ3CRwVT1ywhgTevR6I_kkRRSLSAKJEG0enkE6h0_RZuR0cpDu8ojtS0MhSkaQDQ9dXs/s400/il_fullxfull.52177775.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361132440231979138" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19513574&ref=sr_list_1&&ga_search_query=play+kitchen&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&order=price_desc&includes%5B%5D=tags&includes%5B%5D=title"><span style="font-size:78%;">Jennifer's Large Kitchen from imaginethatwoodshop</span></a></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >If money were no object, what Etsy item would you buy for your children?</span><br /></div> <div><em>I think my kids would love <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19513574&ref=sr_list_1&&ga_search_query=play+kitchen&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&order=price_desc&includes%5B%5D=tags&includes%5B%5D=title">this</a> play kitchen from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19513574&ref=sr_list_1&&ga_search_query=play+kitchen&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&order=price_desc&includes%5B%5D=tags&includes%5B%5D=title">Imagine That Wood Shop</a> and would have so much fun playing together with this.<br /><br />*******<br />T<span style="font-size:85%;">hank you again, Lora, for a refreshing look at running an Etsy business from home with little ones underfoot. Your answers are inspiring, which is exactly why I started this blog, because I know there are so many lovely Etsy moms out there with so much experience to offer that we can all learn from. I love how you mentioned being a <span style="font-weight: bold;">happy</span> wife. Some days it can be such a challenge not to be a <span style="font-weight: bold;">grumpy</span> wife! I look forward to the next section of our interview where we cover some of your oganizational tips.</span><br /></em></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-42928964609944078112009-07-19T21:44:00.000-04:002009-07-19T23:15:48.716-04:00Introducing Mrs.EagerHands Herself<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfpNJtyTXyBvXB04mOt9_AsXawbkk62OlPkOJadDL73NGaic4KIWDXLyfV34d1KE8qiEkOjIa0MSl4MPPWRsnJu4rsRB4f0cC8SEoxil_yEhjVgyqkKodGj2EVRnXGI-XwNm7CsUBCZtg/s1600-h/-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfpNJtyTXyBvXB04mOt9_AsXawbkk62OlPkOJadDL73NGaic4KIWDXLyfV34d1KE8qiEkOjIa0MSl4MPPWRsnJu4rsRB4f0cC8SEoxil_yEhjVgyqkKodGj2EVRnXGI-XwNm7CsUBCZtg/s400/-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360357456745922194" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Lora & Baby Joseph</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>I am thrilled to introduce our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">EtsyMomPreneur</span> of the week, <a href="http://eagerhands.blogspot.com/">Lora</a> of <a href="http://www.eagerhands.etsy.com/">Eager Hands</a>. I love<span style="font-style: italic;">love</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">love</span> the verse Lora has at the top of her blog, <span style="font-style: italic;">"She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands," Proverbs 31:33</span>. As a busy mom of four & dealer of vintage fabrics, Lora gives us a glimpse into living life as a modern day Proverbs 31 woman.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_lO_G9pRp6JdLglKNymVq-gxTLL55L7X3FUPMiv42RUM632bhFw3KQmDWQLAjTzz8I-0pKm7igoT1ezliwTC3OeI-MSqmFdcDLy070uwhRZOoEXDKIRvO7AwMPVupk0jZXOPIZPU_HM4/s1600-h/il_430xN.80003169.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_lO_G9pRp6JdLglKNymVq-gxTLL55L7X3FUPMiv42RUM632bhFw3KQmDWQLAjTzz8I-0pKm7igoT1ezliwTC3OeI-MSqmFdcDLy070uwhRZOoEXDKIRvO7AwMPVupk0jZXOPIZPU_HM4/s400/il_430xN.80003169.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360357440230901170" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27817952"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >One Hundred Rotary Cut 6X6 Quilt Squares of Vintage Fabric</span> </a></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >How many children do you have and what are their ages?</span> <em>I have four amazing kiddos: Benjamin, 5, Leo, 3 1/2, Ruth, 2, and Joseph, 8 months. I am a blessed mommy!</em><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3-HFHpOxH1VRYqutnRtV2b0fuAA4ktxNy-hd4Rvu0z0qM7gbpLQkS4hP_C9N7Tm7QX1tdVj9Rd07_fiBUApUpwLHpCa-_VsffY8fxmmMQ6qxvKlS2PMMvyZ7qgpl3kfyJlJn9rbyi85t/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.79040490.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3-HFHpOxH1VRYqutnRtV2b0fuAA4ktxNy-hd4Rvu0z0qM7gbpLQkS4hP_C9N7Tm7QX1tdVj9Rd07_fiBUApUpwLHpCa-_VsffY8fxmmMQ6qxvKlS2PMMvyZ7qgpl3kfyJlJn9rbyi85t/s400/il_fullxfull.79040490.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360357216024771026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27531387">Vintage Fabric Stack -- Happy Retro</a></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Please describe your <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Etsy</span> shop:</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><em>My <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Etsy</span> shop, <a href="http://www.eagerhands.etsy.com/" target="_blank"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">eagerhands</span></a>, offers mostly vintage fabrics, including all kinds yardage, fat quarter stacks, pillowcase sets, quilts, curtains, table linens, aprons, etc. I also offer some handmade by me items as well, such as baby quilts, bags, and jewelry. </em><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ></span><em></em><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3aVijVvdl-TTo9hC8MXS7zPq84AYalPxqQmwSnURR9G7j-YHn4KFQ8RLepEZwd-uJW3JsL_YE5Z8ldc4E3oQSeCjcxfkWe26JKp47bXh5H8zKyhqP1PLukbKlH2zdteJ6A5rNtynLK-P/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.66240808.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3aVijVvdl-TTo9hC8MXS7zPq84AYalPxqQmwSnURR9G7j-YHn4KFQ8RLepEZwd-uJW3JsL_YE5Z8ldc4E3oQSeCjcxfkWe26JKp47bXh5H8zKyhqP1PLukbKlH2zdteJ6A5rNtynLK-P/s400/il_fullxfull.66240808.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360371140831495458" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23712911"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Everyday Button Bag featuring vintage fabric and buttons - Sweet Girl</span></a></div></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >What inspired you to start your <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Etsy</span> shop and how long have you been running it?</span> <em>I opened my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Etsy</span> shop in December of 2005 a few months after I had my second child. (Wow, I can't believe it's been that long!) </em><em>When I first joined <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Etsy</span>, I wanted to have an outlet to sell the items that I was making--mostly crocheted items and jewelry in the beginning. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Etsy</span> was the perfect place to do that!<br /><br />When I relaunched the shop a few months ago with my new vintage sections, I was looking for an opportunity to combine my love for vintage fabrics and my love for crafting. </em><em>That's when things really got busy! </em><em>It has been an awesome opportunity for me and has allowed me to make some wonderful friendships with customers from all over the world. I am also so thankful to be able to help out my family financially. It is a blessing all the way around!</em><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurZh4km9Z3YCLCg8JWsTeSQc_3YfR64cRpbZx-bOmHdVkkkf1qaApOcnFLmQe2Ce0dhRtjff8zlexObmlNjsTcR9Pt8_ZNUoTC8rBdKd3M06NAOQV9w90CkpDAWEqJPtGLOunDN8tVmtW/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.69968264.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 331px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhurZh4km9Z3YCLCg8JWsTeSQc_3YfR64cRpbZx-bOmHdVkkkf1qaApOcnFLmQe2Ce0dhRtjff8zlexObmlNjsTcR9Pt8_ZNUoTC8rBdKd3M06NAOQV9w90CkpDAWEqJPtGLOunDN8tVmtW/s400/il_fullxfull.69968264.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360357228769452594" border="0" /></a> <div><h1 style="margin: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24822966">One of a Kind Seventies Vintage Hand-Tied Quilt</a></span></h1><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Of which item currently for sale in your <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Etsy</span> shop are you most proud and why?</span></span> <em>It's hard to pick just one item! I get a huge smile on my face every time I discover a "treasure". I love the idea of finding beauty in the cast aside and forgotten. It's so redemptive and goes along hand in hand with my faith in God. Probably my favorite thing in my shop right now is an amazing <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24822966" target="_blank">vintage quilt</a> that I found at an estate sale tucked away in a cedar chest. It is truly incredible and one of a kind! I LOVE all the great vintage fabrics. And I love imagining the woman who made it sewing away late at night when her kiddos were in bed asleep. :)<br /></em><br />*********<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Thanks so much, Lora! This first part of your interview brought true joy to my heart! </span><br />*******<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcAjULoO8GxqJf-x9AwenFht9Z8pw6q14cQO9UfQlww9wdph-ol6UIAYVuDQ12B9xk0uYMtQ056LCJIHzTUdQDgA9SCTKAGvsp3g7h0JMFlE9b87SOfVfipX14__Nzy_3YdnWQDZixodDP/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.66241297.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcAjULoO8GxqJf-x9AwenFht9Z8pw6q14cQO9UfQlww9wdph-ol6UIAYVuDQ12B9xk0uYMtQ056LCJIHzTUdQDgA9SCTKAGvsp3g7h0JMFlE9b87SOfVfipX14__Nzy_3YdnWQDZixodDP/s400/il_fullxfull.66241297.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360357444223871042" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23712911"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >Everyday Button Bag featuring vintage fabric and buttons - Sweet Girl</span></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">**********<br />Keep checking back, everyone, as I will post more from Lora over the coming week. In our next installment she will share her insights into the ultimate ventures in multitasking--<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Etsying</span> & Mothering. Not to mention you will get to see pictures of her three other adorably scrumptious little ones! They are just too cute!<br />***********<br /></div></div></div> <div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-9304569164037912972009-07-18T12:31:00.000-04:002009-07-18T13:27:29.586-04:00Rebecca's Life Beyond Etsy<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuyjIr_jLrS8nsSk6TbLWg4_AYSiBDVG586PLqiAVW02li9sjmk0pF15_t7Gf4fI00UaZW7Wb4L-NskskPK-zh7eIOCaLGokcy3FfGSO5X1seJ5ZiT8Vn96IWmCllie9GMfVdL0Ovz_jjn/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.35169482.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuyjIr_jLrS8nsSk6TbLWg4_AYSiBDVG586PLqiAVW02li9sjmk0pF15_t7Gf4fI00UaZW7Wb4L-NskskPK-zh7eIOCaLGokcy3FfGSO5X1seJ5ZiT8Vn96IWmCllie9GMfVdL0Ovz_jjn/s400/il_fullxfull.35169482.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359843125696686738" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14359467"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Lime green maxi dress</span> from <span style="font-weight: bold;">mavenhaven</span></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><em></em></strong></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Do you take time away for yourself? If so, what do you do (other than Etsy!)? </span><strong><em> <span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:85%;" >I am sort of a homebody and would rather be home with my family than "out with the girls", but my husband and I make it a priority to have a date night 1-2 times a month.</span></em></strong><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Are you taking care of yourself? Do you sleep & eat well?</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" ><strong><em>I sleep OK. It's the eating that's a problem!!! I literally could go 2-3 days and have only eaten a few pretzels (or whatever I've picked off the boys' plates) & coffee</em></strong><strong><em></em></strong></span><strong><em><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >. But then I'll eat a HUGE meal & it will hold me over for another few days. This is TERRIBLE I know, but admitting it is the first step, right! Oh & I have a weakness for eating a whole, large bag of peanut butter M&M's in one sitting. NOT GOOD, I know. I do try to work out for 30 miutes or so, 4-5 days a week, so I'm not all bad.</span></em></strong><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-rP2sO8WSUOoBZO9w4QyeOTOxPz_PiXWTvCl4Da4lVhAi5NG5QMYI9hCpOWg52BOb3hT7jAitOwJFVdAlvXVYjTuRcCDZmFgLsFLPAawqHkQPKsNFSKDDCu6iurhcQzCvz5S_0BA7R0o/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.62622971.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 329px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-rP2sO8WSUOoBZO9w4QyeOTOxPz_PiXWTvCl4Da4lVhAi5NG5QMYI9hCpOWg52BOb3hT7jAitOwJFVdAlvXVYjTuRcCDZmFgLsFLPAawqHkQPKsNFSKDDCu6iurhcQzCvz5S_0BA7R0o/s400/il_fullxfull.62622971.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359848728333248802" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Retro Canister Set from <em><strong></strong></em><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6811063">26OliveStreet</a></span></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >If money were no object, name three things would you buy for yourself from other Etsy shops?</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><em>I fell in LOVE with this Custom Made Posey Ring </em></strong><strong><em> from </em></strong><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19011968">KathrynRiechert</a><strong><em> the moment I saw it</em></strong>.<br /><br />I<a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19011968" target="_blank"><strong><em></em></strong></a><em><strong> am also CRAZY about <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14359467">this</a> Lime Maxi dress from MaxMaven. </strong></em><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14359467" target="_blank"><em><strong></strong></em></a><br /><br /><em><strong>Finally, I am quite fond of <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22630134">these </a></strong></em></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Retro Yellow Green Orange Lacquer Stack Canister Bowls</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><strong> available from </strong></em><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6811063">26OliveStreet</a></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >.</span> <div style="font-weight: bold;"><strong><em><br /></em></strong><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZpwgLzixXaN2i0SdzRpcoVfzqZ5iCrKpHZ9d3vcdexDKZBShRbm9jkrzrMMZI6aDJn4UZIM7nL4vYcWc8BnEODwoErDWawF8wOPcuEok_omLVvJDA0LcbKJkph0iR7DAuXYszJBbUy23/s1600-h/il_430xN.50520805.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 324px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZpwgLzixXaN2i0SdzRpcoVfzqZ5iCrKpHZ9d3vcdexDKZBShRbm9jkrzrMMZI6aDJn4UZIM7nL4vYcWc8BnEODwoErDWawF8wOPcuEok_omLVvJDA0LcbKJkph0iR7DAuXYszJBbUy23/s400/il_430xN.50520805.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359841497793285090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:85%;" ><strong><em>Custom Made Posey Ring </em></strong><strong><em> from </em></strong><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19011968">KathrynRiechert</a></span> </div><strong><em><br /></em></strong></div> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >What other Etsy mom's shop would you like to see featured on this blog?</span> <strong><em><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5850263&ga_search_query=enveJEWELRY&ga_search_type=seller_usernames">enveJEWELRY</a> & <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5354158&ga_search_query=uncorked&ga_search_type=seller_usernames">uncorked</a></em></strong><br /><br />******<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Thank you so much for letting us pick your brain, Rebecca! You have gorgeous shops & a beautiful family. I have enjoyed this interview & learned so much from you!</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><strong><em><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><br /></em></strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-53024619443541252402009-07-17T11:59:00.000-04:002009-07-17T12:50:30.533-04:00Rebecca's How to Etsy in the Home<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCc6Lp6rVjVWsM70HI8EhvpXQWoGclBr9VZgyPAsF9m-jfkYccU4E9xAuf2qs8OEMgG6a-u4-GlWeKUHUIkjA3y0ja172nhzazFdCgbe6OsP5VKMpP5LY33DjzGAWcfYDudTdxMeAzh7g/s1600-h/-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCc6Lp6rVjVWsM70HI8EhvpXQWoGclBr9VZgyPAsF9m-jfkYccU4E9xAuf2qs8OEMgG6a-u4-GlWeKUHUIkjA3y0ja172nhzazFdCgbe6OsP5VKMpP5LY33DjzGAWcfYDudTdxMeAzh7g/s400/-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359460517668709186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Ms.Vintage's Work Station</span></span><br /></div><br />It's finally here! Installment 3 of our interview with EtsyMom Extraordinaire, <a href="http://www.thevintageblog.blogspot.com/">Rebecca</a> of The <a href="http://www.thevintagecloset.etsy.com/">Vintage Closet</a> & <a href="http://thevintagedress.etsy.com/">The Vintage Dress</a>. Today we are privileged to hear some of the details of how Rebecca runs her wonderful shops all from the comfort of her lovely little home.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Do you work from your sofa, at the kitchen table?</span> <span style="font-size:85%;"><strong style="font-weight: bold;"><em></em></strong><strong style="font-weight: normal;"><em>I have a desk in the living room or I stand at my shipping station in the EVERYTHING room.<br /></em></strong><strong style="font-weight: bold;"><em><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></em></strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">How do you store your Etsy stock & supplies? </span></span><em style="font-weight: bold;"><strong></strong></em><em><strong>Until my husband is able to build me closets in the "EVERYTHING Room" (which will be the last thing finished in there) my supply of vintage clothing hangs in the boys' closet <span style="font-size:100%;">locked up tight</span>, which works out well since they don't really have many clothes that hang & their toys are in the EVERYTHING Room. The rest of my inventory (shoes, purses, hats, etc.) is organized in storage containers under my shipping center in the EVERYTHING Room.</strong></em></span><br /><em><strong></strong></em><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Do you work set hours or do you fit in Etsy as you can?</span> <em><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:85%;" >My schedule differs depending on how well my shops are doing, but normally I try to set up days for each week: a shipping day, photo day, editing day, listing day, shopping day (my favorite) & an organizing day. I also spend about 1-2 hours a day on normal shop upkeep: convos, treasuries, blog, networking, etc.</span><br /><br /></strong></em> <div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Do you ever use daycare/babysitting for your children in relation to Etsy? </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><em><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I don't get a babysitter because it seems kinda silly to me to pay someone to watch my boys, so that I can try to make money. I take my boys with me on my shopping trips to the thrift stores (they always get to pick out a book, so they don't mind). My husband is in the midst of transforming our garage into the "EVERYTHING room"</span><span style="font-weight: normal;color:red;" > </span><span style="font-weight: normal;color:black;" >(playroom</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">, workout room, theatre, etsy shipping center, etc). While I package my orders or organize my shop stuff, the boys play in there with me. The one thing, though, that is VERY difficult to do while they are awake is take photos, so I try to do this while they are napping (Harry has gotten to the age where he can help me, though).</span></em></strong></span><br /></div> <div><em><strong><br /></strong></em></div> <div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLEYppN1uuLnbFrxI1Gl2JTXUsL_E-RNP56JPSeevQI90MggFEY0i4h2tgLDZ76u_UhG5-uYmImUvWi7AImgxMbVTprygrKWDGt6MyabCPqTVYkgN2I80qr1fPi0JZSHMbSAQk5KM9Pp-/s1600-h/-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLEYppN1uuLnbFrxI1Gl2JTXUsL_E-RNP56JPSeevQI90MggFEY0i4h2tgLDZ76u_UhG5-uYmImUvWi7AImgxMbVTprygrKWDGt6MyabCPqTVYkgN2I80qr1fPi0JZSHMbSAQk5KM9Pp-/s400/-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359464184565053218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Easter Sunday 2009</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">If Estypreneur stopped by your house in the middle of a normal week day, what look would we find you sporting?</span></span> <em><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:85%;" >On the days that I shoot pictures I look GREAT, but the rest of the time it's hit and miss. If I don't plan on going anywhere, I sometimes stay in my pajamas (boxers & a tank) all day. I'm not really a "princess" so to speak & I don't feel the need to ALWAYS look perfect. I kind of find it liberating to just be Me at times. On the flip side, I do LOVE any reason to wear a fabulous vintage outfit with all its trimmings.</span><span style="color:red;"><br /><br /></span></strong></em><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Do you feel others respect the fact that you work from home, or do they seem to treat your work as something less than a "real" job? </span><span style="font-size:85%;">I think so, but I'm not one to really care if someone takes me seriously or not, which I think is sort of a blessing, but can come across the wrong way as well.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUzVZfsPgexWeo0PymG-sudI0yZ00k_sIpR2RCXYMxC_p1n1e02797F-mRbNi5LOge6_h9YWTaesQ-YlWZ-BIAj-Ae8gbIfyt4edH90OsKOLirTNHtPu5fDCDoV32MozL_ftk9qvLCa05/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.76311472.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 328px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUzVZfsPgexWeo0PymG-sudI0yZ00k_sIpR2RCXYMxC_p1n1e02797F-mRbNi5LOge6_h9YWTaesQ-YlWZ-BIAj-Ae8gbIfyt4edH90OsKOLirTNHtPu5fDCDoV32MozL_ftk9qvLCa05/s400/il_fullxfull.76311472.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359467746726435938" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26716550"><span style="font-size:78%;"><em><strong>Children's Activity Table</strong></em></span></a></div><br /></div><em><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span></strong></em><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">If money were no object, what one Etsy item would you splurge on to help you in your job as an Etsy mom?</span></span> <span style="font-size:85%;"><em><strong>I'm not sure if this counts, but I'm pretty much CRAZY about<a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26716550"> this Children's Activity Table</a> from Etsy seller <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7286895">DennisKing</a>.</strong></em><em><strong><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=267165502" target="_blank"></a></strong></em></span><br /><br />**********<br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Thank you, Rebecca, for sharing your tips on keeping organized while running an Etsy shop from home. I love that you have a "day" alotted just to doing general "housekeeping" for your shops. It seems that is the main area I struggle in. I love to shop & the thrill of selling, but when it comes to keeping everything tidy, I tend to turn a blind eye. I will have to add an organizing day into my routine! And the children's activity table definitely counts, and spoken like a true mother. I am too am always on the look out for constructive ways to keep my kids occupied & engaged in beneficial activites while I finish up some of my work.</span><br />**********<br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Stay tuned for our fourth & final installment of our interview with Rebecca as she shares a little on how she manages to have a life beyond Etsy.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-71382621014321827882009-07-13T00:02:00.000-04:002009-07-13T00:58:06.748-04:00Three Little Indians<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Welcome to our second installment of our interview with Ms.Vintage where she gives us a little peek into how she manages Etsying & Mothering. She has three darling little boys & runs two successful Etsy shops. How does she do it all?</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJq63P2d0Ui0KdlgzRhZHAOoUPHmlxWWbYfkFwegxYRfDUC2X1BvpX7WHGo9r7A6H7HWEp-f-JveIv5Trm7dyFdxb6TMR-x5-wY3NJgdqBRUWf67CAyr6ET0S3NKEkSfuBuBixTMHzKMVy/s1600-h/001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 306px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJq63P2d0Ui0KdlgzRhZHAOoUPHmlxWWbYfkFwegxYRfDUC2X1BvpX7WHGo9r7A6H7HWEp-f-JveIv5Trm7dyFdxb6TMR-x5-wY3NJgdqBRUWf67CAyr6ET0S3NKEkSfuBuBixTMHzKMVy/s400/001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357798093418301842" border="0" /></a><a href="http://thevintageblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-to-vintage-stressed-out-mother-of-3.html"><span style="font-size:78%;">Stressed Out Mother of 3...</span></a><br /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >How do you juggle family and Etsy?</span> <span style="font-size:85%;"><em><strong>Um, well I don't think I do very well. I definitely drop a few balls or so quite often while juggling. I try to designate certain "etsy time slots" throughout my day & it seems the days that I actually follow through with my "plan", things are much smoother.</strong></em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >What do your kids think about Etsy? </span><strong style="font-weight: normal;"><em>Harrison helps with the pictures & occassionally asks me how it all "works". They all join in on the excitement of a sale or Front Page exposure! but on the flip side, they get a little annoyed with the computer if I am in the middle of something and they want milk or peanut butter toast NOW!</em></strong><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27065997"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikXM53YI-9ACm6GcoTA6j64s4bY_zqw2Vif-mAyhAdnwFafhzMWPPsNLB5-35IJOraLRgPKFBoqd8DahdqSrrOUAKNeCJRVP06AjMfKh1lzgpRhIRTj9Qj_unGcdXtrZEt54dK3bn0Vraf/s1600-h/003.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikXM53YI-9ACm6GcoTA6j64s4bY_zqw2Vif-mAyhAdnwFafhzMWPPsNLB5-35IJOraLRgPKFBoqd8DahdqSrrOUAKNeCJRVP06AjMfKh1lzgpRhIRTj9Qj_unGcdXtrZEt54dK3bn0Vraf/s400/003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357802511784395042" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span></div><em><strong> </strong></em> <div style="font-weight: bold;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >You also home school. How do you manage to do all this?</span> <strong style="font-weight: normal;"><em>Well, I am blessed to have 3 boys, close in age who LOVE playing together, so they don't require much "playing" time with me, allowing me to get housework & other responsibilities accomplished. We work on "school" together in the mornings; the younger two are learning preschool stuff & Harry is finishing up Kindergarten. Next year will be a little more of a challenge as Harry will need more one-on-one learning time with me for First Grade.</em></strong><br /><strong><em></em></strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><a href="http://thevintageblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-to-vintage-stressed-out-mother-of-3.html"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></a><div style="text-align: left; font-weight: bold;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >To what extent do you rely on the TV to keep the kiddos occupied while you work on Etsy? </span><strong style="font-weight: normal;"><em>We don't have cable, but we get DVDs from the library each week & we have many VHS tapes that I pick up from the thrift store for a quarter. I am all about the VCR, since the boys can't scratch the tapes like DVDs. But as far as how much they watch, it differs day to day depending on how hot it is outside. They usually watch approximately 30 minutes in the morning & afternoon before Daddy comes home (giving me time to get the house clean) & a few evenings a week we'll watch something together as a family before bed.</em></strong><br /></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"> </div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6gYqP4aqOcs2GDWu49qizhH2pBxHY6KpNJVsoFHhIAWawZtkS7bCqMHYmervHekz6vXCzyxepVWDaJbWTVuQQjNSUBPomPrOqSsPpkjoQ6sx4TfG0DBGMDbLpOg7DMVnnQYDrpUYK1mW/s1600-h/014.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6gYqP4aqOcs2GDWu49qizhH2pBxHY6KpNJVsoFHhIAWawZtkS7bCqMHYmervHekz6vXCzyxepVWDaJbWTVuQQjNSUBPomPrOqSsPpkjoQ6sx4TfG0DBGMDbLpOg7DMVnnQYDrpUYK1mW/s400/014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357801607214665618" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />What is your favorite family fun activity? </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong style="font-weight: bold;"><em>We live 4 miles from the beach, so we frequent there often, but we actually enjoy staying home together. My husband has transformed our backyard into a wonderland, so the boys, more often than not, would rather just stay home and swim & play.</em></strong></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" ><span> Also, </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" ><em><strong>this probably sounds strange but I actually like watching them wrestle with Rich, my husband. A few other "funzies" that we enjoy are: singing, dancing & "Go Fish" is a fave right now.<br /><br /></strong></em></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCvMrACw2A7uuLedhDH6yliq5q8s6fXXFCQ2wCs2hJujIAC06D1hEKDNdAtxmN4_Lus3vKJ5IretbwF39V-asSVbqHURos1MSBWaKeY_PCyQ170QAvAq2Uiq_iriYhvKm5mWNNM6BSjfE/s1600-h/il_430xN.77480429.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCvMrACw2A7uuLedhDH6yliq5q8s6fXXFCQ2wCs2hJujIAC06D1hEKDNdAtxmN4_Lus3vKJ5IretbwF39V-asSVbqHURos1MSBWaKeY_PCyQ170QAvAq2Uiq_iriYhvKm5mWNNM6BSjfE/s400/il_430xN.77480429.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357790554557632578" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27065997"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Child TeePee by GracieBeanBaby @ Etsy</span></span></a><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">If money were no object, what Etsy item would you buy for your children? </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">This </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27065997"><span style="font-style: italic;">Child TeePee by GracieBeanBaby</span></a>.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">T</span></span><em><strong><span style="font-size:85%;">hey are VERY into fort & tent making right now</span>.<br /><br />***<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:85%;" >Stay tuned for the next part of our interview where Rebecca reveals her organization tricks for running her Etsy business from home.</span><br /></strong></em><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-6962310155996248752009-07-11T12:40:00.000-04:002009-07-11T13:57:11.271-04:00Meet Ms.Vintage<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhijycE8rl76BQW4v-0R76g-5fKLAzocFJumBDquoLuH3o8IAzhZfFSOtO81AFWtYHXPqdVsQzhgml3Wjyl8ddPQRZVSsgx6TUQgUi1BfBso5mg-yPZZ170JffwSj73Nmk9eLpMwDeXhr1_/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.77564153.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhijycE8rl76BQW4v-0R76g-5fKLAzocFJumBDquoLuH3o8IAzhZfFSOtO81AFWtYHXPqdVsQzhgml3Wjyl8ddPQRZVSsgx6TUQgUi1BfBso5mg-yPZZ170JffwSj73Nmk9eLpMwDeXhr1_/s400/il_fullxfull.77564153.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357245127042075650" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13769594"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >blue, red and white .vintage. house dress</span></a><br /><br /></div>I am excited to introduce our debut Esty-Mom<span style="font-style: italic;">preneur,</span> Rebecca, aka <span style="font-style: italic;">Ms.Vintage</span> of <a href="http://thevintageblog.blogspot.com/">The.Vintage.Blog</a><strong><em></em></strong>. Rebecca is a personal & close friend of mine, and I was absolutely thrilled that she found time to take time away from her demanding day of chasing around her three little boys & simultaneously running her successful Etsy shops to answer my many questions. Rebecca is bubbling over with inspiring tips on growing a thriving Etsy business while taking care of an endless list of tasks as a stay at home mom.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >Describe your Etsy shop</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:100%;">:</span> </span></span><strong><em><span style="font-weight: normal;">well, i actually have two--</span><a style="font-weight: normal;" href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5579124">The Vintage Closet </a><span style="font-weight: normal;">{ fashion that transcends the decades } & </span><a style="font-weight: normal;" href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6031608." target="_blank">The Vintage Dress</a><span style="font-weight: normal;"> { EXQUISITE vintage dresses }</span></em></strong><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqAqeD2hQAxO5WGQXkMhjLRBp4LGSX_TmtkZ41NjiF0eY9XoxU1WDOxmCXayWsPQC7jWJCIvKx8fffYzTQSCvwP6TfZbyAN7N0o79yCnQVxUUQoZpwuLACQE8Z2MOQ-NOt5Nt7AeOb9kYa/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.76773693.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqAqeD2hQAxO5WGQXkMhjLRBp4LGSX_TmtkZ41NjiF0eY9XoxU1WDOxmCXayWsPQC7jWJCIvKx8fffYzTQSCvwP6TfZbyAN7N0o79yCnQVxUUQoZpwuLACQE8Z2MOQ-NOt5Nt7AeOb9kYa/s400/il_fullxfull.76773693.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357256568793452274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><strong style="font-weight: normal;"><em>"in my dress shop i am CRAZY about <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26854154">this wedding dress</a></em></strong>..."</span><br /></div><strong><em><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></em></strong><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">How many children do you have and what are their ages? </span><em><strong><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />3 beautiful, enegetic, fun boys! harrison: 6, jefferson (jj):4, & edison (eddie): 2</span></strong></em><strong><em></em></strong><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />How long have you been an Etsy Mom? <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><em><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">since january 2008<br /></span></strong></em><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >What did you do before becoming a WAHM?</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><strong>My boys were VERY young & close in age, which pretty much took up all my time, so I was just a SAHM.</strong></em></span><br /><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9iMFK9VYnDVHkvY0VPVsTC6dUmdxUhMgR42Ir6Fbtn1cbYTd2kNN3bs4kputmZMQ5c5yS4mRwY1PHnzVpyXFhW4h8PWI934RFQ13tVvOypmE91ij-e4mDzgkmn55E2Y7zzMKvMVJsuBXh/s1600-h/-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9iMFK9VYnDVHkvY0VPVsTC6dUmdxUhMgR42Ir6Fbtn1cbYTd2kNN3bs4kputmZMQ5c5yS4mRwY1PHnzVpyXFhW4h8PWI934RFQ13tVvOypmE91ij-e4mDzgkmn55E2Y7zzMKvMVJsuBXh/s400/-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357261965583288178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><em><strong>harrison: 6, jefferson (jj):4, & edison (eddie): 2</strong></em><strong style="font-weight: normal;"><em></em></strong></span><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />What inspired you to start your Etsy shop and how long have you been running it?</span><br /><strong style="font-weight: normal;"><em>I have always had a passion for VINTAGE & thus frequented local thrift shops for myself, a friend thought of me when they discovered etsy & turned me onto the site and suggested that I sell some of the amazing finds that I come across, but might not want for myself.</em></strong><br /></div> <div><em><strong><br /></strong></em></div> <div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Do you currently have any other at home businesses? </span><em><strong><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:85%;" >Hmmmmm......well, 3 small boys, homeschooling, church & Etsy pretty much keep me busy enough...</span></strong></em><span style="font-size:85%;"><em><strong>but it seems that my head is FULL of money making ideas & my goal is to one day hire on my husband, so that he came be home with us all day, everyday!!!</strong></em></span></div> <div><em><strong></strong></em><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSXRsgIu4gw6kxD3fKB6wj52w5WCskcS_VCoWdaKqe4yqfuIGjSSt2rwMp9QHJg6NtQDNmPUw6TjUwK0Z8cFEWYxhi7EGsyfy1fDsK74dY9Lm_KgfNWYZDkDN9nkdPlbGV1X3lo0LbiuK/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.77571384.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSXRsgIu4gw6kxD3fKB6wj52w5WCskcS_VCoWdaKqe4yqfuIGjSSt2rwMp9QHJg6NtQDNmPUw6TjUwK0Z8cFEWYxhi7EGsyfy1fDsK74dY9Lm_KgfNWYZDkDN9nkdPlbGV1X3lo0LbiuK/s400/il_fullxfull.77571384.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357260964305524050" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27092898"><span style="font-style: italic;">brown .vintage. fedora</span></a></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Of which item currently for sale in your Etsy shop are you most proud and why? </span><strong style="font-weight: normal;"><em><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />I</span>n my dress shop I am CRAZY about <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26854154">this wedding dress</a></em></strong>: <strong style="font-weight: normal;"><em>It is simple, yet STUNNING & you can feel the rich, history of it when you are both in the same room!</em></strong><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Which item in your shop is the best reflection of your personal style? </span><em><strong><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">I am very much a hat person & this season I have been wearing a straw fedora, so </span><a style="font-weight: normal;" href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27092898">this listing</a><span style="font-weight: normal;"> pretty much reflects my style.</span></strong></em><br /><br />*****<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">More to come! In our next post with Ms.Vintage she will share her insider tips on Etsying & Mothering. </span><br /><em></em></div> <strong><em></em></strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-78030159914722060552009-06-28T15:18:00.000-04:002009-06-28T16:44:27.218-04:00Treasure Hunt #1<div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">A Complete Linden Lane Look: Gunne Sax Perfection<br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgRvru3ssfORqbpRazYaOAJyQZydQvm97i4EtYCzs7gWIHT1327Xnz9kqdOsZJKDhEwtEjVMDt0M7GMw_46g-paGifOcdpqCVlGT8LwVhWVycaEjoiS6z_whuLrqinn4kDOS3gBs-42Cq/s1600-h/il_430xN.77522358.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgRvru3ssfORqbpRazYaOAJyQZydQvm97i4EtYCzs7gWIHT1327Xnz9kqdOsZJKDhEwtEjVMDt0M7GMw_46g-paGifOcdpqCVlGT8LwVhWVycaEjoiS6z_whuLrqinn4kDOS3gBs-42Cq/s400/il_430xN.77522358.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352461254728400514" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27078488"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Vintage Gunne Sax Prairie Dress, $64.95</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Linden Lane Clothing</span></span></a><br /></div><br />This little slice of American pie is now up for grabs in our Etsy shop, <a href="http://www.lindenlaneclothing.etsy.com/">Linden Lane Clothing</a>.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Complete the look with these amazing finds from other Etsy sellers:</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqhI_qa-NSz1GnG5q3g8qC_8C4Ns7exS0JX0HvLT8pcF7so9oOrxgrhtzidangnE98AmDwCU1GXYDU_zrxcr-C0z6JxOKl73TO6qQW_BfbwqoQOPtI5NqS5_GeVkr7SzeluL9GF26g-sW/s1600-h/il_430xN.76784823.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 383px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqhI_qa-NSz1GnG5q3g8qC_8C4Ns7exS0JX0HvLT8pcF7so9oOrxgrhtzidangnE98AmDwCU1GXYDU_zrxcr-C0z6JxOKl73TO6qQW_BfbwqoQOPtI5NqS5_GeVkr7SzeluL9GF26g-sW/s400/il_430xN.76784823.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352464262888497474" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26857915">brown leather lace up boots size 9, $28.00</a>, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26857915">nosam nosila</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJP0w81iO1s1RH7RNnV-n6PeWJdhs4u3jUJXS4Z-lDxUWhmJk87mSExQJp3I5tTkxVBfMd0Sb8ssa-f7p5mdXDSUBUR2WvtUIxJL7nRpABqqtGnNvhE89mX8ymAtUg2oqa0wDVo1YzFqzO/s1600-h/il_430xN.72736786.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJP0w81iO1s1RH7RNnV-n6PeWJdhs4u3jUJXS4Z-lDxUWhmJk87mSExQJp3I5tTkxVBfMd0Sb8ssa-f7p5mdXDSUBUR2WvtUIxJL7nRpABqqtGnNvhE89mX8ymAtUg2oqa0wDVo1YzFqzO/s400/il_430xN.72736786.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352467704483953922" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25647464&ref=sr_gallery_17&&ga_search_query=vintage+pearl+silver+earrings&ga_search_type=all&ga_page=2&order=date_desc&includes%5B%5D=tags&includes%5B%5D=title"> </a><h1 style="margin: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25647464&ref=sr_gallery_17&&ga_search_query=vintage+pearl+silver+earrings&ga_search_type=all&ga_page=2&order=date_desc&includes%5B%5D=tags&includes%5B%5D=title"><span style="font-size:85%;">Vintage inspired pearl and filigree chandeliers</span></a></h1><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25647464&ref=sr_gallery_17&&ga_search_query=vintage+pearl+silver+earrings&ga_search_type=all&ga_page=2&order=date_desc&includes%5B%5D=tags&includes%5B%5D=title"><span style="font-style: italic;">$36.00, jinyana</span></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnqw2kJ5QHDKPF-wWhxzEo3ZDWXHWD3hjWxDweIG5ldH0-FuYu0zbLhuIC2R_NvRn44E5nKZQXXshNAYm_JhElMQySx2_UHjDgBs_8KF3C3cK3Wy2ppyUkQLfTgAbayGEIhiuA7ldSWU0/s1600-h/il_430xN.77271887.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnqw2kJ5QHDKPF-wWhxzEo3ZDWXHWD3hjWxDweIG5ldH0-FuYu0zbLhuIC2R_NvRn44E5nKZQXXshNAYm_JhElMQySx2_UHjDgBs_8KF3C3cK3Wy2ppyUkQLfTgAbayGEIhiuA7ldSWU0/s400/il_430xN.77271887.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352469174833957602" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=27004500"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >"A darling necklace! A vintage, aged brass bloom holds a creamy white pearl."</span> <span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >$19.00, ERMoriginals</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Be sure to visit these fabulous shops and complete <span style="font-style: italic;">your</span> Linden Lane look today!</span><br /><br /><br />Stop by later this week to find out more about the gals from <a href="http://www.lindenlaneclothing.etsy.com/">Linden Lane Clothing</a> & get all the dirt on our Etsy story.<br /><br /><br />Please <a href="http://www.lindenlaneclothing.etsy.com/">contact us through Etsy</a> if you are a stay at home mom selling on Etsy. We would love to pick your brain and feature your shop here on our blog!<br /><br />*<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2444779441813247595.post-26176149246058327512009-06-26T14:43:00.000-04:002009-06-26T16:47:12.039-04:00Gunne Sax Love<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZeg0j4Hg5GZ5J7qMtvTKeF1PrXIboFHu8MovI5Y24rLN5Yg1haCIaq3qZrnxESFAXQ8jvzM0jdXZmtihWl9aRETOCZHn40ihQMIfbhruHDM240Q1fzdbBByMwGRhSpCZMDehi_FE5RE4/s1600-h/DSC03376.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 307px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZeg0j4Hg5GZ5J7qMtvTKeF1PrXIboFHu8MovI5Y24rLN5Yg1haCIaq3qZrnxESFAXQ8jvzM0jdXZmtihWl9aRETOCZHn40ihQMIfbhruHDM240Q1fzdbBByMwGRhSpCZMDehi_FE5RE4/s400/DSC03376.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351709040659851474" border="0" /></a><br />Nap time is Etsy time for Mom around here, but as you can see, today Leighton is skipping his regularly scheduled siesta. He was contentedly enjoying a little tummy time when I dove into a bag of vintage treasures ready for measuring & listing over at our Etsy shop, <a href="http://www.lindenlaneclothing.etsy.com/">Linden Lane Clothing</a>.<br /><br />I couldn't resist introducing myself to you for the very first time in my priceless Gunne Sax prairie dress. I am madly in love with it. I first found it at one of my favorite shops in downtown Tampa. It had been mistakenly hung with the Halloween costumes, or I'm sure it would have been grabbed up by one of the many vintage wear enthusiasts of Tampa Bay. I snagged it as fast as I could, ran to the dressing room, and tried with all my might to zip it up around my very pregnant torso. No luck. At 30 weeks, even the empire waist was not on my side. With a sigh I bought the dress for <a href="http://www.lindenlaneclothing.etsy.com/">Linden Lane</a>.<br /><br />Today I am going to measure this red & white gem and offer it up to the world of Etsy. I will miss my darling piece of Little House. I will pray that the listing expires and that nobody buys it so that it will be mine, all mine. Alas, one day I will slip my heart into a white poly mailer, slap a shipping label on it, and send it away. But at least I will have these fun pictures of Mommy at work, an Etsypreneur extraordinaire.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9BNYm1d6LXHyvUyjgpxtNhmDvsR8vl46VqSj_GajUN2JvduXmboFa8_lWpqI_XZ-wdtT76YyhZZBN_dw4ZakUZa340NSZTbC95EsK3ybiv04NXJXgleCi_nzgBghZcGDKP5E1TMZo3PG/s1600-h/DSC03377.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9BNYm1d6LXHyvUyjgpxtNhmDvsR8vl46VqSj_GajUN2JvduXmboFa8_lWpqI_XZ-wdtT76YyhZZBN_dw4ZakUZa340NSZTbC95EsK3ybiv04NXJXgleCi_nzgBghZcGDKP5E1TMZo3PG/s400/DSC03377.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351709046485755762" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1