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This past November, I had the pleasure of meeting Amy at one of my craft fairs & now I would like to introduce her to you all!

How did LoveBug Designs begin?

I have been working on my own personal scrapbooks, as well as books for family, since 1999. In 2007 I started planning my wedding and realized how much I love creating every aspect of my wedding. I created all the invitations, menu cards, programs, and even our centerpieces. Since the wedding hysteria died down, I found myself needing more ways to release my creative energy. That is when I developed LoveBug Designs as a shop on Facebook. It took only a few people to suggest I get on Etsy before I expanded my business in that direction. :)

What is your creative process?

For me, new ideas usually come to me as a light bulb moment while relaxing in the shower, or driving! I also love to pull ideas from the things around me, and I am always having the thought while in stores "I can make that". Once I have the idea, I cannot stop until I see the project through, which has lead to a lot of late nights. I just love growing and changing as an artist and always finding new ideas that will challenge my abilities.

What has been your biggest crafting disaster?

Probably with my first Wedding Client. I was so excited to have such a big order (my first large sale on Etsy) so I rushed out, bought a bunch of materials, worked and worked on creating a beautiful finished product for "my" bride. And then.... she changed her mind about her venue location. All the invitations I had worked so hard to make were all incorrect and had to be re-made. This was a disaster mostly because I had not waited for her ultimate

approval and therefore the added expenses were all mine. I have definitely learned to wait for approval from the client, and a deposit before I begin a large project like that!

What are your current projects?

I am currently "bulking up" my shop for a craft fair at the end of February. I have been creating items that are well known in my shop (such as my Word Books) so that I can have a larger stock and more choices for those craft fair shoppers! I have recently began making smaller scrapbooks made using chipboard coasters that I hope will be a hit within my shop.

What is your biggest accomplishment?

I think my biggest accomplishment is gaining the respect and trust of my friends and family to complete important projects for them. I have had several friends come to me for their wedding invitations, or graduation announcements. These are such important moments in their lives, and I am so honored that they have chosen me to be such a large part of their

memories. As a part of that, I am usually asked to create something that may be a challenge for me since they are looking for something I may not have done before. The trust in me that I will be able to try something new, and make a perfect product for them is amazing!

Any advice for those who want to start their own shop?

Start where you are most comfortable. I think sometimes we think the more variety of product we have, the better our sales will be, but some of the best selling shops have a very narrow product line. Be confident that your one type of product will do well, and expand from there.

Find more of Amy:

*Blog

*Facebook

*Etsy

Amy would like to offer my wonderful readers a 20% off discount at her shop. Simply use discount code BLOGFEATURE at checkout to receive it. This is a great deal because her shop is full of great designs!

She is also giving away one of these frames that you can customize with 3-6 letters. All you have to do is go 'like' her on Facebook & 'heart' her Etsy shop!

Go now! These frames are amazing!