Cute Yellow Owl

Hope you all had a great weekend!

I bought this owl painting in Bali in 2009. I was planning to put it as a decor in my little one's room. But of course, my plan doesn't always work. I ended up leaving this cute painting behind as there was no more room in our luggage.


A while ago, I did some 'quick' spring cleaning and how happy I was when I saw this owl again. It was still tucked in its original wrap. 

And look how similar it is with my owl stickers? :-) Yes, I can't stop making stickers. Lol.

Have a wonderful week!

Friday's Treasuries

3 Etsy treasuries I made this week, be sure to comment, click and share the love :-)

'Rustic Nature' by adorebynat

Needle felted brown hares Ruthfully $90.00	Herbal Healing Balm - Natura... WinsomeGreen $12.00	Bridesmaids Jewelry Woodland... shadowjewels $18.00	Bamboo Sketchbook, beaver ch... SunnyBooks $41.00
Owl jewelry - Owl ring - Woo... BeautySpot $20.00	Flower Hair pins, white, tea... JPwithLove $16.00	Hopscotch Mat CoolSpacesForK... $70.00	Horse Photography, White Hor... EyePoetryPhoto... $35.00
Peanut Butter & Chocolate Ca... CakewalkDesser... $30.00	Chocolate lemon barefoot sa... Mashacrochet $13.00	Detox Soap set - Vegan Soap,... RightSoap $12.00	A tiny rustic ceramic beach... orlydesign $14.00
wedding birdcage veil with r... BeSomethingNew $85.00	Sapphire Necklace with 14k G... TheNorthWayStu... $45.00	Vintage silk fabbric pochett... madlyvintage $35.00	Vintage Crocodile Style Lugg... LittleRedPolka... $45.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

'Earth where we live' by adorebynat

Sample- Little Red Riding Ho... SweetiePieCake... $130.00	Dear Earth thewheatfield $18.00	Art Print - Happiness is Hom... smalltalkstudi... $20.00	Feather Brooch - Turquoise a... Gx2homegrown $15.00
Blue Fields of Love/ Blue, G... kellybermudez $18.00	vintage french tin by Eyssé... FrenchAtticFin... $18.00	Star brooch, PICK your FAVOR... JPwithLove $12.00	Burnt Orange Crop Top Tank T... searchandconst... $32.40
Round cabochon and tiles in ... orlydesign $29.00	Butterfly howlite turquoise ... TyssHandmadeJe... $8.90	Tangerine Coral & Turquoise ... byjodi $160.00	Blue felted bowls / ocean co... theYarnKitchen $35.00
8 Pastel Candy Wool Felted... StemellinaSupp... $22.00	Long orange and green abacus... FishesMakeWish... $14.00	Coral Necklace with Antique ... PinaraDesign $45.00	Eco Friendly Soap Set / Fath... SoapForYourSou... $20.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

 

'Summer at a Prairie' by adorebynat

Botanical Flower Print - Ran... dsbrennan $35.00	Dark Brown Instant Library B... sorrythankyou7... $18.00	Vintage floral home decor em... makenziandmadi... $45.00	Summer breath. Crochet cord,... Mashacrochet $27.00
Beaded Chain Bracelet, Faux ... JeannieRichard $80.00	Organic Natural Facial Clean... WinsomeGreen $9.50	ICE crystal earrings with vi... shadowjewels $12.00	Fields of Love/watercolor pr... kellybermudez $18.00
Knit Hand Warmers / Fingerle... WindyCityKnits $16.00	Crocheted ceramic beads brac... orlydesign $67.00	REAL Dried FRUIT Ornament. F... honeyteathyme $14.92	Jewelry Box, Hand painted la... Modern101 $25.00
Aqua Silk scarf, Underwater ... TheSilkMoon $40.00	BEAUTIFUL TRICOLOR HAMMOCK veronicacolind... $75.00	Rustic Kitchen Decor Green S... BozenaWojtasze... $150.00	Autumn Photography, Fine Art... MelanieAlexand... $30.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Blog Giveway: Onesie of your Choice

Win One ONESIE of your choice from Whimsy Onesie.

Get to know Rachel, our Saturday Artisan this week.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
Contest starts now and ends on June 17, 2012. Contest opens to worldwide. Don't forget to leave me a way to contact you. Entries without contact information will be disqualified. Entries that do not follow the rules will be disqualified. Winner must respond within 48 hours after being contacted otherwise another winner will be randomly selected. 

Saturday Artisan: Whimsy Onesie

Meet Rachel, our Saturday Artisan. Take a peek at her fabulous shop, Whimsy Onesie and I'm sure you will smile, giggle or laugh after seeing her fun collection.

Let's get to know her a bit more, shall we?

Tell us a bit about yourself and what arts/ crafts that you make?
I am a Christian, wife, best friend, mom, daughter, and self-proclaimed craft-a-holic.  I am always working on this or that - from sewing (seen here on my sweet Ella - razMamma designs Etsy shop) pillowcase dresses, to making prayer/memory jars, creating monograms on my baby's old blankies, to painting, and amateur photography.  I am happily married (5 years this year!) to my best friend, Ben.  We have 2 incredibly funny, whimsical, unpredictable, wonderful children- Benjamin the fifth (yes, the FIFTH, can you believe it!?) is 8 months old and just about the cuddliest little baby boy.  Ella is our spontaneous, imaginative, unpredictable 2 (going on 12) year old.  I've been a stay home mom since Ella was 8 months old, and before I was home I taught music/chorus/beginning guitar/handbell ensemble at the middle school/junior high level.  I am currently working on a host of designs for our Whimsy Onesie shop and on a custom made baptism dress for my best friend (made out of the wedding dresses from her wedding and her mother, and mother-in-law!).  Life is good!

What is the story behind your shop name? 
Ahhhh, good question! It all began when I read "Love Does" by Bob Goff (a MUST READ, I cannot stress this enough, it is amazing!).  He lives a life chock-full of whimsy, fun, and admirable stories.  As I was reading I realized that he lives an AMAZING story.  I want to live a story like that too - I don't want to get to the end of my life and have a lot of "what if I had..." memories.  I would rather try something and fail, than just not try at all.  Soo, Whimsy Onesie was born as part of my story of whimsy, and life, and creativity, and spontaneity.

Who is your target market?
Pregnant moms, new moms, new dads, new grandparents, families with newborns - young kids, those shopping for a baby shower/birthday/Christmas/holiday gift, basically anyone who knows someone who has or is about to have a baby!

Which part of creation process that you like to do the most?
DESIGN! There is nothing better than realizing a joke or some funny saying would make for a great onesie design.  I love putting my kids in shirts that make people smile!

For us who love to travel, could you share a bit about your beautiful town/ city? 
We live in the beautiful state of (drum roll please....) Florida!  We live on a small-ish island, called Merritt Island - population a little over 34,000. Just up the road is Kennedy Space Center, Cocoa Beach's famous Ron John Surf Shop, and some breathtaking beaches.


Could you share on how your organize your products, we all can use a little tips here and there in this department?
I have everything pre-organized by design on my computer, so as soon as I receive an order, I just print the design and get it on the onesie - simple as that.  I've decided that the simpler my process is, the easier it is for me to be consistent with it.


How does your day go in general?
Wake up to hear, "good morning, mommy!" from my smiling 2 year old (who happens to be standing on the side of my bed), grab the baby from the crib, make breakfast for everyone, hit the gym, picnic with PB&Js for lunch, home, work on designing/shop stuff while the babies (hopefully!) nap, get ready for Ben to come home, hugs and kisses as daddy arrives home, dinner, Jeopardy (yes, we know it makes us sound like old people), bubble baths, bed time story, tuck the kids in bed, RELAX with the hubby, and bed. Sleep and repeat!

 

How do you balance your personal and work life?
Hmm, I don't think I have perfected this or that I will ever feel as though I have arrived.  I think my husband, Ben, would need to answer this.

What inspires you?
God, my family, our friends.  Seriously, I have a hilarious family.  I NEVER know what is going to be said or done.  Who knows what caper we will be involved with. That being said, many of the shirt designs are based on funny things that have actually happened.  Honest to God, the other day I asked Ella what she ate that day and her exact words were, "Daddy lets me have pizza for breakfast." And a new shirt was born!  Perfect really, since Benjamin has some really sweet clothes now.

What is your goal for 2012? And are you on the right track?
 This has nothing to do with my shop, but with my family.  Since Ben and I are celebrating 5 years of marriage this year, we decided that we would do it BIG and in style.  So, we are celebrating ALL YEAR. :)  On Valentine's Day (anniversary of our engagement) we took a ride in a bi-plane over the beaches and Kennedy Space Center.  In June, we are going to Ireland.  In July we are going on a cruise to the Bahamas (for our actual anniversary). Then, we have another couple of smaller trips planned. PLUS, I am excited about my (SURPRISE!) 30th birthday party that I know Ben is already planning for me. (HAHA!)   And we are right on track.  Not getting lost in your work is important, so this year is a great way for us to focus on us and our family.

What is your favourite tool that you cannot live without?
Microsoft Publisher.  I have no idea why, but I LOVE it.

 

What is your motto?
Love God, love people; serve both.  I honestly center my whole life around this one phrase.

Any advice for others running their on-line shop?
Check copyright and trademark laws.  The last thing you want is to get a message from Etsy (or worse off a lawsuit from a major company) for copyright, trademark infringement!  There are a few websites you can check to make sure you are good with those things.  Above all - HAVE FUN!  People buy handmade because they know the items are made lovingly, by hand, by a real person - not a machine!

 

Saving money is important; tell us one thing that you do to save money?
No cable!  We have an antenna that picks up almost every major network on tv.  It is amazing how much we save ($80+ a month!).  Plus, the new tvs have converters, so we still watch in HD. Yay for saving!


Stay-tuned for tomorrow's giveaway!