Update

Hi Everyone,
So sorry it has been so long since I wrote a blog. Life got a little crazy. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Family and Friends. Since Thanksgiving I have been going to weekly appointments, relaxing, Christmas Shopping and preparing for out little one to arrive in January. Well Our little one had a different plan for us. Friday December 9th I starting feeling some of what I thought was braxton hicks contractions. They weren't close together and I wasn't having any problems so we didn't think much about it. I was still having the Pain off and on Saturday December 10th so I laid around and tried to relax. Saturday night I went to my cousins wedding and did okay. So again we thought it was nothing. Sunday night I was really starting to feel the pain but the contractions weren't close together and were every once in a while. We had a Doctors appointment the next day at 11:30 so I decided I would just wait and go to the doctors in the morning since I was not having any other issues.

Monday December 12th (34 weeks along) I went to my doctors appointment and come to our surprise I was 3 cm dilated. They sent me to Labor and Delivery to try and stop my contractions. They gave me some meds to try and stop labor and wanted to wait 2 hours before checking me again . By the next time they checked me I was 5 cm. I was in active labor. They got me to a room and all ready for our little ones arrival. I thought for sure I would be in labor for ever but to my surprise I had a very quick , smooth and easy  labor and quick delivery.   At 10:23 p.m  Our little guy was welcomed in to the world. He weighed 5 pounds 14 ounce and 18 1/2 inches long.
We were very worried about him since he was so early. They had NICU nurses in the room ready for his arrival to take care of him and make sure he was okay. They checked him out and he was perfectly fine. He didn't have to go to the NICU. Which was a miracle. He got to stay with us in the room and got to go home with us when I was discharged from the hospital. We are so blessed on how well he did for coming early. He has been doing amazing since we got home. We couldn't be happier for our early Christmas Present..He is such a miracle. We are so in love with our Little guy:0)
I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas... I know we sure will.

Resting and Crafting

Hi Everyone,
I have been busy resting and taking easy while being on maternity leave. Even though my shop will not re open Until Feb. I have been busy working and creating a little bit for our grand re opening. I just can't stay out of my studio completely ( But I dont stay in there all day like I use too).
Before Expressions By Devin was doing Party Supplies I use to make Hand made greeting cards. I just love to Stamp. Well I decided to make some styles of Greeting cards and add them to my shop in Feb. Here is a Sneak Peek... Let me know what you think.

Christmas Decorations!!!

Hi Everyone,
I am so ready for Holiday Season to begin Next week. In our house we always put the tree up the night before Thanksgiving. I am ready for the Holiday Season to start Shopping , Baking and Decorating.
This year will be a little different around here with the baby due mid January and being 36 weeks the week of Christmas we have decided to just put up the tree. The less we put up the less we have to put away.. Just in case our Baby decides to make a  early appearance ( which we hope not but we are on the baby time so who knows)
I love Decorating the house and making it look festive.

Since this year I wont be decorating as much . I have decided to find some of my favorite Christmas decorations have found on etsy and share them with you.

 http://www.etsy.com/listing/85381953/christmas-decorations-snowflakes-set-of?ref=sr_list_33&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=christmas+decorations&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_ship_to=US&ga_view_type=list&ga_page=2&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade%2Fhousewares

http://www.etsy.com/listing/85998113/christmas-wreath-red-white-ornaments

http://www.etsy.com/listing/84488130/christmas-stocking-choose-your-color?ref=sr_list_4&ga_ref=auto&ga_search_query=christmas+stockings&ga_view_type=list&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade

I hope this post gets you in decorating mood. Keep checking back for more holiday post, holiday crafts etc

Blog Feature on Crocheting 4 Baby

Hi Everyone,
Today's blog feature is on a fellow etsy kids member.... Crocheting 4 Baby.
She make beautiful Crocheted items... Great gifts for all ages for the Holiday season.

1)How did you first hear about Etsy?: My cousin started selling on Etsy and sent me her shop link. After lots of time just browsing on Etsy I decided to open a shop. I had just had my daughter and loved crocheting all things baby!

2)Tell us about a little about yourself and your favorite craft/art!: I am a mother to a 19 month old who is extremely active! I originally started my shop planning on crocheting blankets, but as my daughter started crawling, then walking, and now running, I decided to create things that are a little less time consuming. I am loving making spring beanies at the moment!

3)How did you get started as a designer? I have always been crafty thanks to my mom. When I had my daughter ideas just kept on pouring into my head and I love trying new things. I just purchased a Cricut machine which gives me more tools to create!

4)What inspires you to create?: My daughter for sure! I just love dressing her up and making things for her. She has pretty much one of everything that is in my shop.

5)How do you get the word out about your shop and Etsy?: I have a Facebook and a blog. My blog is more about being a parent than my Etsy shop, but I throw in an update every now and again.

6)Any advice you would give to aspiring designers?: Create what you love! I never feel like it is work to create! I absolutely love each design and item I make and I love creating custom orders. It is great to mix a buyers ideas with mine!

Make sure you check out her shop:
www.crocheting4baby.etsy.com

On Maternity Leave

Hi Everyone,
I have closed up my shop for Maternity Leave to prepare to Welcome our First baby due in January, and to take some time for some much needed rest.
I am still fulfilling and shipping out orders that have been purchased but will not be taking any more orders at this time.

I will definitely be available to answer any questions you might have.
Feel free to contact me anytime time.
... We will hopefully reopen in Feb 2012 with a new look, new stuff, and of course the new baby!

I am still going to blogging and Updating my facebook with sneak peaks of new themes that will be posted when I re open.

Blog Feature on Petite Tuques

Hi Everyone,
Happy November 1st. I can't believe it is November already. This year is zooming by. Today's feature is perfect to kick off November holiday season and the cool chilly weather. Today's Feature is on a Fellow Etsykids Member : Petite Tuques.
She make beautiful knitted items for your little one and all ages.

1) How did you first hear about Etsy?:
I heard about Etsy when I started searching for handmade shops to sell my products. I didn't open a shop right away, because I wanted a Canadian venue, since I live in Canada. After 6 months of being online, I wasn't as sucessful as I wanted to be, so I opened a shop on Etsy and have since made more sales.

2)Tell us about a little about yourself and your favorite craft/art!:
I am a stay at home mom to two boys. I started to knit when I became pregnant. I was overwhelmed with all the creative ideas, and was really excited when I learned how to make my first sweater.

3) How did you get started as a designer?
After learning from patterns, it was easy to start making patterns of my own. I have a couple of resource books, so I am constantly looking through them for my next project.

4)What inspires you to create?:
From an early age, I wanted to make things. When I started knitting again in my adulthood, it just came together. When my boys were little, they inspired me to make cute little boy sweaters and hats/mittens sets. I like to figure things out, and knitting to me is like solving little puzzles. I'm always thinking about my next project, when I think of a baby, or see a cute baby picture on etsy.

5) How do you get the word out about your shop and Etsy?:
I use different social sites, like Facebook and Twitter. I joined a few Canadian Communities, like Follow Me I'm Canadian, and Canadians Moms. I also use The Mom Shoppe for advertising.

6) Any advice you would give to aspiring designers?:
Never give up. Blog regularly. Develop relationships with other people in your craft.

Make sure you check out her shop.
shop: http://petitetuques.etsy.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/petitetuques
Twitter: http://Twitter.com/petitetuques

Not much time....

My shop will be closed the first week of December through the month of January to spend the holiday season with family and prepare to welcome our first child.

If you where planning to purchase some party supplies for a party or event in the month of December , January or early part of February you still have a little time to place a order before I close in December.

Since I am in my 3rd trimester and am really starting to slow down a bit I will only be taking a few orders at a time to make sure I can stay caught up. So make sure you get your orders in

If you have any question. Please feel free to contact me on etsy or on my here using the Contact tab located above.

Blog Feature on Ella Minnow Pea Boutique

Hi Everyone,

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Today's Blog feature is on Ella Minnow Pea Boutique.

She makes adorable items for your little one. Read below how her business got started. Make sure you check out her shop to see all of her adorable items.

1)How did you first hear about Etsy?:
When I was pregnant with my daughter back in 2007 I was browsing the internet looking for designer diaper bags. That's when I came across Etsy and all it's amazing items! I was blown away by how many gorgeous and unique pieces I found. Living in a time where everything looks the same and is made in a factory, it really made me happy that I could shop on a site and buy something that is uniquely mine. Everything that I have bought on Etsy is wonderful and very well made.

2)Tell us about a little about yourself and your favorite craft/art!:
My name is Angela and I've been a stay-at-home Mom since 2008. I am married to my very dear friend and soul mate Dakota. He is a wonderful Father and a fantastically super hottie Husband ;) God really and truly blessed me when he brought Dakota into my life. He inspires me to go out and try new things and he totally supports me and my new business. I don't think I would've opened up Ella Minnow Pea Boutique without his support. My children inspire all of my items. Everything that I make in my shop is something that I use with my own children. By being an actual user of my products, it helps me figure out little changes that might make them better. I totally 100% believe in what I sell at Ella Minnow Pea Boutique and that passion I feel reflects in my product description as well as when I talk to people about what I sell. I always felt that if you truly believe and love what you sell, others will too and want to buy.

3)How did you get started as a designer?
I've always loved to sew and when I made a couple items for my children, people took notice. The child care lady at my local gym was blown away by the diaper clutch I made my daughter. She said that it look like I bought it at a high end baby boutique and she said I should start selling them. My husband always encourages me to try new things and not worry about failure. So I went online and opened up my shop. At the time I was teaching my daughter her ABC's and her favorite part was LMNOP so that's where the name came from. I also found out later that it's the name of a book, lol! Go figure!

4)What inspires you to create?:
My children, my hubby, my friends, and strangely enough fabric. Sometimes when I'm in the fabric store browsing each design I just let me imagination take the best of me and let the fabric tell me what it wants to be. Yup, I'm that crazy fabric lady. At least I'm not frolicking through the isles...yet.


5)How do you get the word out about your shop and Etsy?:
Facebook, business cards, Etsy groups, diaperswappers.com, bumper sticker, word-of-mouth, friends, etc. The biggest one is actually using what I make. If I'm going to the pool, I bring along a hooded towel for each my kids. When my daughter goes to preschool, I pack her lunch in a designer diaper clutch (it works as a fabulously adorable lunch bag too!). For birthdays or holidays I make the kids items from my shop.


6)Any advice you would give to aspiring designers?:
Just do it, seriously. If you are thinking about doing something, do it! What's the worst that could happen? Each day is a possible sale :)



♥ ♥ ♥

Etsy Shop:  http://ellaminnowpeadesigns.etsy.com

Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/ellaminnowpeaboutique

Halloween Party Inspiration

Hi Everyone,
Sorry I have been missing for a few days. So much to do and so little time to do it..
Halloween is just right around the corner. I just love mason jars at parties. They are so fun and just so darn adorable. I came across this DIY Halloween Mason Jar glasses and had to share.

The set by set directions are on ediTORIal by Tori Spelling. If you are not a member of her website you total should. So many fun and creative ideas for parties and family crafts and so much more.
Here is the link to the Mason Jar... How To:
http://www.torispelling.com/post/halloween-craft-spooky-mason-jars

Happy Crafting!!!!

Blog Feature on The Tutu Palace

Hi Everyone
Today's Blog Feature is on a Fellow Etsykids Member The Tutu Palace.

1)How did you first hear about Etsy? - I actually was watching Good Morning America and Tori was on, talking about how mom's could earn extra money at home. A couple months later, I actually got laid off and was looking for a fun way to make money at home and remembered that episode. I crafted, but not "full time," just here and there, and decided that I could give Etsy a try. At 20 cents a listing, it's not like I would be out a WHOLE lot of money if I didn't succeed, so I gave it a shot.

2)Tell us about a little about yourself and your favorite craft/art! - I am Mommy to Coco and Mabel, the names I like to call my kids. Coco is a 4-year-old, get-into-and-onto-EVERYTHING boy and Mabel is my 2 year old baby girl. I craft for them. I don't have any boy items in my shop because it's SO HARD to craft stuff for him, so he mostly gets PJs and the like, things I can sew. As for Mabel though, she gets EVERYTHING. I make felt food for her, bows, dresses, tutus... literally anything you can think of, I can make it for her. I love to craft because not only is it fun, but it saves us a TON of money on things (even though my husband ends up spending the money on things for the kids anyway!).

3)How did you get started as a designer? I actually learned to "craft" when I was young and participated in 4-H. I don't know if that's a southern thing or if it translates all over the place, but it's basically a DIY group for youth for everything from planting and canning to raising animals and sewing. I hadn't done anything in forever but when my daughter came along, I decided it was a good time to get back to crafting because every single bow I looked at online, I thought, "I can do that. Wow, they are charging THAT for that bow?!" LOL.

4)What inspires you to create? My kids. It's so cliche, but it's so true. I see things they like at the stores, and go home and create them for the little booger snatchers. From clothes to cloth toys, if I've seen it, I can probably recreate it. And yes, bows always go with the clothes, and if I can add some tulle or a tutu under a skirt, she's got one. ;)

5)How do you get the word out about your shop and Etsy? I have a Facebook page... just search The Tutu Palace.And I just started a blog. www.doingmischief.blogspot.com I envision it being a little bit of everything from my life to DIY crafts and more. As a professional writer, I can't NOT write, but as a crafter and mom, I had to find a way to blend all of that and blogging seems a good place to do it.


6)Any advice you would give to aspiring designers? Be creative and do what you want. Sure, trends dictate sales, but seriously, why not create your own NEXT trend? That's always my goal, to try and create the next trend.

Make sure you check out her shop and the links to her blog listed above:
www.thetutupalace.etsy.com

A blog about tons of stuff

Hi Everyone,
I can't Believe its October 1st already. We been having nice fall weather around here.
Tons of Local fall Festivals are happening around here in the next couple of weeks. I love this time of year. I love going to all the Festivals buying from local crafter's and of course eating some awesome food.

Just wanted to give my Fans/Customers a heads up.
My shop will be closed sometime in December and all the month of January to spend the holiday season with family and prepare to welcome our first child.

If you where planning to purchase some party supplies for a party or event in the month of December and January you still have time to place a order before I close in December. Our shop will Re open In Feb.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend:0)

Blog Feature on My Baby Sweet Pea

Hi Everyone,
Today's Blog Feature is on a Fellow EtsyKids Member My Baby Sweet Pea!!!
She makes adorable Accessories for your little ones!!!

1)How did you first hear about Etsy?:
  I first heard about etsy through a friend. I sold her some hair clips and she told me about the site

2)Tell us about a little about yourself and your favorite craft/art!:
 How did you get started as a designer?
I am a sahm at this time, I have a beautiful baby girl who was born with a full head of hair. She wore hair clips the day I brought her home. She inspired me to make my items. I coudn't find small delicate clips for her, I didn't want anything over the top she was so small, but she needed something for all that hair. so by nature I like to make things, so I started making her clips. she has a clip for everything, to match outfits, special holidays etc... then I started making her crystal pacifiers and pacifier holders, I then noticed that i was now making them for everyone else. So I checked out etsy and thought this would be great! I am a fine artist so I love to draw and paint, I also love making jewlery and cookie & pretzel decorating.

3)What inspires you to create?:
I think I am probably like every artist out there. There are days that I don't have the time or the energy after keeping up with a very active soon to be 3 year old. But then there are the other days that I can stay up till 3 and make 4/5 crystal items and a dozen clips. Everything inspires me, I wish I had more time in my day to get things done!

4)How do you get the word out about your shop and Etsy?:
I  leave my card everywhere, the coffee shop, my daughters gymboree class, I have a facebook page and I also ventured into doing a vendor shows.

5)Any advice you would give to aspiring designers?:
I would tell an aspiring artist just to do it! Etsy is a great site because you don't have to invest a lot. You can get your work out there for people to noticed and then branch off from there!

Make sure you check out her shop for more adorable items!!!
Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/mybabysweetpea?ref=seller_info

Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Baby-Sweet-Pea/182275848467675#!/pages/My-Baby-Sweet-Pea/182275848467675?sk=wall

Under The Sea Themed Party Supplies

Hi Everyone,
The past few days I have been busy working on orders and shipping them out. One of the orders this week was a Custom requested theme for a returning customer. I just loved how it turned out and had to add it to my shop. 

Birthday banner, Cupcake toppers, Centerpiece sticks and Party pack are now in my shop available to place a order.

Check out the items here for details on the items:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/DevinPrather/search?search_query=under+the+sea&search_submit=&search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_5318504&shopname=DevinPrather
I hope everyone is having a WONDERFUL Week:0)

Feature Blog on Tiny Stitches

Hey Everyone,
Today's blog feature is on another Etsykids team member.... Tiny Stitches!!!
She makes classic boutique accessories for babies, tots and kids

1)How did you first hear about Etsy?:
My friend Heather, started her Etsy shop in 2006, http://www.etsy.com/shop/heatherhalesdesigns. It was my first introduction to Etsy and I loved it’s premise and how attainable it made having an online store front.

2)Tell us a little about yourself and your favorite craft/art!:
I’m a 30-something mother of five living in the sunflower state. I love to make things. I dabble in lots of different mediums, but my main medium is sewing and fabric.

3)How did you get started as a designer?
I learned to sew as a tween. As a college student, friends started getting married and having babies. I needed baby shower gifts that fit my meager budget. I quickly learned that with a few dollars of flannel, I could make a really nice, practical, chic baby gift. Over the years the response has been really positive. It’s been so rewarding to see blankets and burp cloths I made being used by toddlers and get passed on to younger siblings.

4)What inspires you to create?:
My children are absolutely my inspiration. Every item in my shop was first created to meet the need of my children, and my desire to provide them with high quality custom made items that won’t break my budget.

Burp Cloths … My babies were spitter-uppers. Cloth diapers are hands down the best burp cloths, but I didn’t want my burp cloths to be mistaken for cleaning rags, nor did I want them looking like everyone else’s, so I trimmed them out with jumbo ric rac and cute ribbon trims. Pillowcases … Having multiple sets of twin sheets that mix and match, makes laundry and bed making much easier. But my children still love to have bedding that is tailored to their loves, and they really get into having themed pillowcases for holidays and special occasions. Over the years, our kids pillowcase collection has become quite extensive, and it’s now a favorite birthday gift option for friends.


5)How do you get the word out about your shop and Etsy?:
Over the years I’ve gotten involved in two Etsy Street Teams (subset groups within Etsy centered around a commonality): a local team, the Kansas City Etsy Team (KCEtsy), and genre team, EtsyKids. I write for both team blogs, etsykids.blogspot.com, kcetsy.blogspot.com, helping provide increased exposure to my teammates handmade wares, and in turn hopefully bringing exposure to my shop. I blog, www.tinystitches.wordpress.com about projects with the kids and for the kids, and I blog a bit about the shop too. I also dabble in facebook - http://www.facebook.com/TinyStitches.Etsy; and twitter http://www.twitter.com/tinystitches.


6)Any advice you would give to aspiring designers?:
Give everything your best effort – even if it doesn’t turn out, learn from the experience so you can improve.

Make sure you check out her shop and all the links listed above:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/tinystitches



I hope you enjoyed today's Blog feature. Make sure you check back later this week for another Blog feature on another amazing etsy seller.

Customer Photos

Good Morning Everyone,
I am up bright and early today working on orders and getting them packaged for the post office. I just checked my email and got a email from a customer with some photos from her son's party. I just had to share.
This theme was a custom theme for her son's Grayson First Birthday Party... Beach theme.

I hope you have a wonderful day!!!