{fill in the blank friday}

Finally! Friday!

1. I am currently obsessed with itty bitty baby boy things, crocheting & book reading .

2. Today I am tired because, I don't sleep well. One of the less glamorous parts of pregnancy .

3. The age I am is 25 and the age I feel is 20 still .

4. My favorite place is my cozy couch with a good book, a fluffy pillow, a cozy blank & a wild cherry pepsi .

5. Something I have been procrastinating is getting ready for this craft fair I'm going to next Sunday .

6. The last thing I purchased was car seat for $50 .

7. The thing I love most about my home is that I get to share it with my hubby but he lets me decorate it however I want .

{wednesday wish list}

I'm in love with this lovely dress. Now I really wish Spring was here so I could wear it!

{sneak peak}

Here's a sneak peak of my latest crocheting endeavor. Now that the weather is turning more towards Spring (even though the feet of snow sitting outside my window say otherwise), I've been dying to start crocheting some new goods besides winter hats.

I can't wait until I finish up & can share the finished product with you!

{feature:lovebug designs}

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!

{winner}

PS. Miss Amanda won my giveaway the other week.

This will be a great gift for your niece coming soon! =)

{'like' me}

Last month, I started up my own Facebook fan page. It's a great way to post items & new & exciting updates.

Head on over & 'like' me! =)

{wednesday wish list}

Last week, I stumbled onto these adorable shop filled with hundreds of lovely pieces. I'm definitely drooling over all of them!

{welcome 6 months!}

I can not believe that I have entered the 6th month already & am rounding the corner into the 3rd trimester!

Over night, my belly just popped out & doubled in size so there really is no more hiding it! Probably because my appetite couldn't be more out of control & I must eat everything in sight.

This past weekend, we were loaded up on baby clothes from my sis-in-law, 6 HUGE boxes full of clothes. Now I am trying to find a place for all of them but very thankful that I won't have to buy any clothing for this little guy until he is one!

I am having so much fun starting to nest! Now I am just have to wait it out until June & hope it comes fast so we can finally met this little man!

{feature:knot a geek}

I would like to introduce to you the lovely ladies behind KnotAGeek, Nicole & Erin!

I had the opportunity to get to know these ladies & find out a bit more about them & their great work. I hope you enjoy getting to know them as much as I did!

How did you Begin Your shop?

Nicole: I've always loved to create things for other people. Once I had my first daughter, I was always making her scarves and hats. Any time a baby was born in my family, they'd get a nice plethora of crocheted items. As I got better at crocheting, I started posting pictures of my wears on Facebook, showing off the work I was so proud of! When I saw that Erin was doing the same thing, I kind of jokingly said, "hey! You're good too! We should start an Etsy shop!" And the rest is history.

Erin: After going from a string of creative jobs, to a 9 to 5 desk job, I was suffering from a major lack of creative inspiration. Starting a store with Nicole was the perfect solution, and I think we work great together!

What is your creative process?

Nicole: Often, I get ideas randomly everyday. I'll be out shopping, or picking my older daughter up from school, or watching tv, and I'll see something cute, then I'll recreate it with my own twist. I love to bounce my ideas off Erin first. She'll add super cute concepts and suggestions! I like to come up with functional alternatives--I made my youngest a super warm and fuzzy hat/cowl that she could pull up to her eyes or wear under her chin. I got that idea while having to bundle her up to face these evil cold Wisconsin winters, realizing she'd never keep the scarf AND hat on, and she needed to keep her face warm too!

But ultimately, I feel like I'm always growing creatively. I feel like I've learned so much, even just from starting our shop a few months ago!

Erin: I keep a note book with me at all times and write ideas for patterns and colors. I love to post my items on Facebook and have my friends give me ideas for new items. Being vegan, it's also a fun challenge to take items made of wool/animal fibers and re-imagine them using acrylics/bamboo, etc.

What has been your biggest crafting disaster?

Nicole: I first learned to crochet at a very young age,

and was just taught the basics. I taught myself all the rest. Most stuff I'd just create on the fly, never using patterns or anything. So when I started reading patterns, I had no idea about the concept of gauge. I think I had one hook-an F. So I'd make hats that were comically small. I tried to make these gorgeous opera gloves, but they were like a size XXXXXXXXL. It still makes me laugh when I think about it.

Erin: Same for me! There's nothing worse than spending a lot of time on a project, only to find out your gauge is off!

What are your current projects?

Nicole: Right now I'm just stocking up like crazy for a craft show we have coming up at the end of February. I've been trying to make an item a day to ensure we have a good spread. Once the craft show is over, I'm looking for projects that can be more relevant for summer--purses, open stitch hats, lightweight scarves and the like.

Erin: I've been really into cowls lately. They're so convenient. I wear one everyday! I've been experimenting with different stitches and textures. I'm also working on a line of sewn accessories which should be making a debut in our shop soon!

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

Nicole: Keep your patience and humility. Etsy is such a mecca of amazing craftwork. Sometimes it takes a long time to even get views on your items, let alone a sale! It does help to have a friend or family member purchase from you on your shop to start getting positive feedback--I think people are a little apprehensive purchasing from a shop that has no sales. But those sales will come!

Also, utilize your networking skills! Make a Facebook page for your shop, join teams, give out business cards, just do what you can to get your name out there! As my husband always tells me: when it comes to a business, any exposure is good exposure!

Erin: Etsy can be intimidating...there is so much talent! But, I'm always amazed at how many helpful and supportive sellers are out there willing to give advice and help new shops.

Check out these ladies on Facebook & at their lovely shop. Head over now because you can save 15% off your order. Just use ARTSYMAMAFRIENDS coupon code at the checkout & get yourselves some cozy, cute items.

{honored}

This past week, I had the honor of being featured in not just one, but TWO lovely treasuries!

How fun is that??

Hopefully this means it's gonna be a good week!

{fill in the blank friday}

1. If I could only read one magazine publication for the rest of eternity, I would choose In Style .

2. If I were to run my own magazine it would be a magazine about clothing, make-up, shoes, & crafts, all the things I love .

3. I buy my magazines (at the grocery check stand or via subscription) mostly at the grocery check out when I see the latest gossip magazine that looks juicy .

4. I prefer my magazines (in print or online) in print. I love to rip pages out & mark them up .

5. The number of magazines I buy each month is not very many right now...I just got rid of all my magazine subscriptions at the end of last year .

6. My favorite magazine genre is (lifestyle, gossip, home, etc...) fashion .

7. The magazines I read regularly are Living, Real Simple, Parents, & Baby because those are the only ones I get in the mail .

{snowed in}

It has been a crazy week. My blogging computer broke Sunday on me so I have very limited access to a working to computer to blog & get caught up on my fave blogs & as you can tell, my hubby & I have been snowed in for the last couple of days which has allowed us some much needed bonding time since we both have been working crazy hrs & see each other only when climbing into bed together at night.

Now we live on the 2nd floor so our foot and a half drifts aren't as bad as the 1st floor people who can't even see out their windows!

Thank goodness it's Friday & hopefully we can make it out in the cold for a much needed date night!