max & ellie/ an interview

Do you remember the oh, hello friend shop swap in which I participated? Well, here are the photos from my partner, Melissa from Max & Ellie! The main reason I was excited about doing this shop swap was the opportunity to learn from a fellow artist who carried items similar to mine; well, in this interview and our short exchanges I've learned much already! Something I'd love to point out is Max & Ellie's branding, just look at the clean, streamlined presentation; professional yet distinctly handmade is how I'd describe it--as were all of my conversations with Melissa. She was great to work with and always quite prompt in her replies.
I had a marvelous "Max & Ellie experience" and look forward to future exchanges! So, without further ado,

the interview

Thanks so much for participating in this mini interview, Melissa! I really enjoyed my experience with Max and Ellie and look forward to sharing it with my readers. Please tell me a bit about yourself (who you are/values etc...)

Hi Elena!  I'm glad you enjoyed the swap; they're addicting, aren't they?!  So, a little bit about me...I am a stay-at-home mom to three little ones.  Our kindergartner is a major tomboy, our preschooler likes to play in my make-up, and the baby is a real sweetie-pie, thank goodness!  We live in the beautiful and rainy state of Oregon.  We own a few acres out in the country that we hope to build a small hobby farm on someday, but in the meantime, we try to pack as much into our tiny backyard as possible!  Right now, that includes 5 fruit trees, 5 raised garden beds full of radish and pea sprouts, a hot box full of lettuce, strawberries that have spread all over the place, 4 chickens, and a bunny.  And a shed.  And a composter.  And the remains of a greenhouse.  It sounds like we have a big backyard, but I assure you, it is tiny!!

How did you get started in selling your crafts? What was the inspiration behind the adorable shop name?

My sister Emily and I both fell in love with Etsy over 4 years ago.  We talked for months about how fun it would be to have a shop together before finally deciding to just do it.  We tossed around ideas about things we wanted to make, and that was that!  We've been doing it ever since!  And choosing a name for the shop took almost as long as choosing items to make and sell.  We test drove a few (I don't even remember what they were!), but Max & Ellie was the clear favorite.  Max is Emily's little boy, and Ellie is one of my girls, and they are only 5 weeks apart in age.  And they were newborns when we were getting all of this up and running!

What is your favorite thing about what you do?

I love making things, but I would quickly run out of room to store all of my creations if I weren't selling them.  Having an Etsy shop allows me to have fun making things AND pay for them AND get rid of them so that I can make more things!  And I love hearing feedback from customers who tell me how much their child loves their apron, or seeing people I know wearing something I made for them.  I love it!!

How do you balance/prioritize your time between working on your shop and home life?

That is a constant struggle, isn't it?!  One of the things that I love about Etsy is that it allows you to go at your own pace.  I admire people whose creativity supports them 100% financially, but right now I'm OK with my shop being a hobby that pays for itself, and Etsy caters to both types of shops equally well.  Sometimes I'm on fire creatively, and I am so excited to make and list things in the shop.  And sometimes I have to put it on hold to do laundry or give the kids a bath or plan a birthday party.  And I love that I can take a break and come back whenever I want to.

Can you share with us a bit of the goals/plans that you have for your business?

I'm super comfortable with how busy we are right now--which is not very busy!!  My kids are little and I want to be able to spend as much time with them as possible, so I'm OK with my shop not being at the very top of my list of priorities right now.

When we first opened our shop, we stocked it full of cute stuff...and then it drove us crazy waiting for sales!  The items we had weren't selling quickly, and we felt like we should wait to make new items until the old ones sold--which isn't very fun!  So a few years ago, some friends and I started putting together a big handmade boutique--Bliss Handmade--twice a year in our city.  I sew like crazy getting ready for that every Spring and every Fall, and I always have lots of great items leftover to list in the shop.  So far, it is a system I'm completely happy with:  my shop is always stocked, but I don't worry if things aren't selling quickly because I know I have another boutique coming up that I can sell at.  It has taken a lot of the pressure off and made it easy to focus on having fun making things!  And between the online shop and the boutique, nothing hangs around for long, and we get to make lots of new stuff.  And that's the whole point of this!

Right now, I have a hobby that I love that supports itself, and that's exactly what I want to have for now.  When my kids are older maybe I'll be ready for my shop to become more, and then I'll have to come up with a new plan!

Thank you again for participating, Melissa! Before we conclude this interview what advice would you give to those who are aspiring to have creative businesses of their own?

I think you need to think long and hard about what your goals are, because your strategy will be completely different if you want a business that can support your family rather than a hobby that pays for itself and gives you a little spending money!

april in pictures

This, ladies and gents, is one of my favorite things about Springtime in Texas; usually after a good rain, the hillcountry will be covered with bluebonnets. Somehow it makes long commutes or trips downtown worthwhile...

And here are my cousins.

Yes, the one's I've made a habit of staying with whenever they have a new baby (Danny Boy didn't come with us on this bluebonnet outing so unfortunately you'll have to wait for a later time to see a photo of him--so sorry). 

From left to right: Rebecca/Becky/Becca (18 mo), Abby/Absters/Abby Lou-Who (4 yrs). Noah--the one with the claw--(6 yrs). Jacob (10 yrs), and Joshua/Sergeant York/Goob (3 yrs).

They're such a fun, wonderful bunch. : )

One of the days I was there, the two olders went on a camping trip and I zipped these three ragmuffins to one of our very favorite grocery stores for early morning cinnamon rolls (at the time they gave you a free one if you came in your jammies). They behaved wonderfully and we all enjoyed the outing (what made it especially nice was when this song was playing when we entered the store, yes, it was my kind of shopping song).

In addition to reading lots of books aloud, coloring, and telling stories, my cousins spend lots of time in the great outdoors;

Joshua particularly enjoys becoming Sergeant York as long as possible (with the tupperware bowl on his head and rifle in hand, he does remind me of Gary Cooper...)

...Becky and I just watched from the garage...

I also wanted to introduce you to my new wee friend, Seth.

He's seven, loves to swing, play hide-and-seek around the playset, is now a part of this wonderful family, 

and has a thing for ice cream.

On Wednesday's and Friday's we hang out together; from a bit before lunch to just before dinner, we swing, roll plastic balls back and forth, and generally do as much as we can together before I have to go home.

I'll be sharing more about him in weeks to come but in the meantime, here's the visual. : )

of english pillowcovers and avocados

{Burlap Pillowcover---England Flag} 

Well, hullo everyone!
The past few weeks have been filled with watching children, a wee case of bronchitis, driving around downtown Austin (love doing that), estate sales, eating a Democrat at Torchy's Tacos (great place to congregate!), meeting new and wonderful people, and spending late nights talking. :)
How about you?

Today I posted the above throw pillow, yes friends, my very own curtsy to the plethora of hits I received after this Union Jack post, who knew those simple words would cause that much traffic?? So, I figured that creating a shop item with an English theme would be the best way to acknowledge those 45+ hits a day.
I really enjoyed creating my own version of St. George's Cross, in fact, this could be the beginning of a beautiful, flag-reproducing relationship...

What flag do you think should be next?

In other news, the avocado seed is growing marvelously! What was once a homegrown, California avocado is now a budding plant, contentedly shooting out of a depression glass on our kitchen windowsill.
Now to research what to do next!

Have a beautiful week.

rodeo

Well, hello there.
Since the last post there has been a delightful combination of a job interview, giggles, baking, epic movie watching, and (of course) knitting. I'd love to share with you about each of these things but right now time is of the essence and you only need to know three things:

1. today I'm off to the rodeo

2. I'm going with my new, little friend

3. shockingly enough I have no desire for a funnel cake 

at said rodeo and will more than likely be 

snacking on my chick food nut mix.

And there you have it.  :)

In the mean time, be looking for an extensive update on my other blog and for an {inspiring people} interview on this blog soon!

what do you think?

Here lay the remains of what was once a favorite tea cup. How and by whom it was broken is irrelevant to this post, yet the question still remains, what to do with these remains? I didn't have the heart to simply throw them away, convinced that something more can be done, any thoughts?
I have seen rings made out of bits of porcelain but I'm wondering what else I could do...

In other news, I am pleased to be preparing a post on my recent experience in the oh, hello friend shop swap---post and pictures coming soon!

dear kyleigh

                       
 Dear Kyleigh,


First of all, Mica and I miss you dreadfully. It seems that every day we talk about the wonderful times we had in Dubai and how we treasure the time spent getting to know you. Though it's still too soon to talk about visiting again (our dear family must still recover from the six week separation), I am looking forward to it.


Secondly, I wanted to let you know how pleasantly surprised I was to be tagged in your post! It's been quite a while since I participated in something like this but here we go!


This is an open tag, so anyone who would like to participate is welcome.

1. Sometimes I have a green smoothie, an orange, and banana with peanut butter and honey for breakfast, love those mornings.
2. Thus far I have traveled to eight countries.
3. Oh, bother, this is rather awkward...
4. I love traveling.
5. My favorite films include but are certainly not limited to Life is Beautiful, The Bourne Trilogy, Return to Me, Braveheart, Sherlock Holmes, The Young Victoria, and...
6. I regularly make biscotti for my doctor (after all, who wants to be remembered by their medical chart?)
7. Pavlova is something I am still trying to master (love eating it but have trouble making it...)
8. Decorating, wedding/event planning, knitting, crafting, collecting are hobbies I make a business of doing.
9. Learning different accents and languages is something I love doing.
10. I rarely get the opportunity but I love horseback riding and performing on the stage (not simultaneously).
11. When I was a little girl, I lived on peanut butter sandwiches and a mexican version of spaghetti o's, played "house" just about every day, and colored and painted when I wasn't playing "house", and whenever we went to the pool I wore three swimsuits---at the same time.

What am I reading right now? Well, I have a few things going right now: Travel guides for France and England, Pygmalion, and The E-Myth Revisited are on our little book table in the bathroom, Muslims and Christians at the Table and Family Shepherds are books I've been slowly reading through, and I'm speed reading Girls Like Us.
What's one that that's impacted my life more than anything else? Wow, this one brings to mind many things but the biggest one that stands out is 2 Corinthians 4; since being saved, this passage has been one that I continually read and refer to many times during many seasons of my life. I've seen hardships, trials, joys, and times of wonderful normalcy, in each of these (and many in between) the book of 2 Corinthians and specifically chapter four has come to mind.
What's my favorite noise? It would have to be a collection of babies cooing, church bells, a thunderstorm, the ocean, deep and rich cello notes, and the sound of uncontrollable, belly-aching laughter.
What's the weirdest food I've eaten? Escargot, by far. It was a stormy day when we girls were stuck in an airport, just wanting to get on a plane (was that too much to ask??).
What's my favorite game? I really enjoy playing group games like "Empire" and "Charades", group games of hide and seek are pretty fun too. ; )
What would I do if the world was going to end tomorrow? Hm...that's an excellent question...
If I could be a movie/book/tv character, who would I be and why? What a question, well, after MUCH thought, I can't seem to think of anyone else besides Jane Bennet and Elinor Dashwood (not sure what is the source of the Austen tendency but there you have it).
Scuba diving or rock climbing? I'd love to give scuba diving a try one day, though I do love a good mountain hike (probably because you can have conversations at the same time, not so with underwater activities).
Where's my favorite place in all the world? Call me sentimental but my favorite place is to be with people I love. As I was looking back to all the places I've lived and visited I remember that I only went to those places because my family or dear friends were there. Now, sentiments aside, I absolutely loved being in Germany, Europe in general and Germany specifically. We had a great experience there and I'd love to go back someday. Scotland, I'd love to go there too...
What's my favorite weather? Well, here in Houston it can be cold, rainy, sunny, and breezy all in the same day. After much deliberation, I decided that it might have been better for me to have a multiple personality disorder (just kidding!!) because I love a breezy, sunny, warm day on the beach and a grey day with a crisp breeze and slight rain (with a cup of something please).
What's my favorite conversation starter? Whenever I meet people, I try to use my Sherlock deducing skills and observe as much as I can about the other person, then ask questions that will confirm or deny my observations (Are you from Pakistan? What sort of band do you play in? How long have you been a celiac?). I love talking with people, especially people who like to share about themselves.

new tidings

{vintage inspired dessert pedestal---spot on floral} 

We're taking a brief break from our regular blogging schedule to fill you in on a few of the happenings.
First, I wanted to show you the new listings in the etsy shop! If you've been looking for a dessert pedestal or place to lay your keys, our new vintage inspired dessert pedestal will do the trick! Perfect for dainty delectables or any collections of items, these two dessert stands are sturdy, upcycled, and quite vintage.

{floral whimsy} 

As always, we love doing international shipping and gift wrapping, so please let us know in a message or "note to seller" if you require either/both---we're very happy to oblige!

{nursing cover---amy butler lou lou} 

Also new in the etsy shop is yet another hip, fun nursing cover! Don't you think Amy Butler fabrics make breastfeeding in public so fashionable? We are really loving the stormy grey/warm pumpkin combination, the light blue adds an interesting dynamic to the fabric.

As I were listing this item, I realized how many different names there are for this one item!
Nursing cape, nursing cover, breastfeeding apron, hooter hider, and breastfeeding cover just to name a few;
what do you like to call them?

This week I'll be meeting with a few people to discuss an upcoming work opportunity (more on that later) and preparing for a baby shower, among other things (like chasing little munchkins, having tea parties, eating raw macaroons, making biscotti, and braiding hair). Around this time last year, I was preparing for the bridal shower of a sweet friend, now I am preparing a baby shower for the same friend---it's very sweet. :)
Also, I am working on a few projects for my crafty partner in the Oh, Hello Friend Shop Swap; this will be my first and I've really enjoyed it so far, pictures to come soon!


What sorts of tidings does your week hold?

how I got started (part one)

It was the fall of  1980ish when my parents met at the bright age of twelve---just kidding, this post is about how I got started with Lemons and Blueberries; though my parents did meet at a bright, young age, I wanted to tell you more about the how's and why's of my craft business. So, get cozy and a cup of whatever-you-like, we'll be here for a bit. ;)

Creating things began about fifteenish years ago, when my parents made the decision to educate us girly girls at home (though I was coloring and playing dress-up long before then); what started off as a decision to keep me home for health reasons (I was a pretty pathetic asthmatic child) turned into a desire to give us a better, wholesome educated; something in which we could learn at our own pace, avoid the influences of playground conversation, and most importantly, being taught to fear and honor the Lord. All of this gave my sisters and I opportunities to color, read, play, and learn in different ways. We tearfully persevered through mathmatics, thrived in Literature and History, and learned to be excited about the Sciences; we went on countless field trips (from blood banks to donut shops),  wrote many reports and papers, gained much book and head knowledge, read thousands of books, spent a semester pretending we were Laura Ingalls volunteering as reenacter's, and whenever we had the slightest opportunity, we rode horses and swam until it grew dark. Additionally, my Dad spent much time teaching us to prioritize our time, use it well, and make the most of our opportunities; he signed us up for art fairs, sports, and all sorts of things we thought we didn't want to do---later learning that we loved it (I'm the only one who didn't do well in any kind of sport, no surprise). At very young ages, he and my Mama encouraged us to get out of our routines and try new things; sometimes it was fun and other times we came home dejected and tired. When I was twelve, we moved to Germany for about six months---it was one of the best sixth months of our lives (remember, I was only twelve). We learned German, walked everywhere, gained appreciation for a plethora of new things, and grew so much closer together as a family. That trip is probably what awakened our gypsy-like love for traveling and going to new places. :) How does this all connect with Lemons and Blueberries? It definitely got me started with the character aspects of a business; anyone can sell their craft and make a few bucks (that's U.S. dollars for you international readers), but to create a sustainable, lasting business one requires more. I've learned that planning, prioritizing, diligent work, and sound wisdom from others can make all the difference; and looking back, I can see how my parents prepared me by instilling these habits and character qualities from a young age. Now, making the transition from a hobby to actually making a selling a product was a bit of a challenge but...

And that concludes this part of the story! Tune in Monday for part two!