Product Review: Oil Cloth bag from Sheryl at Sew Happy 17.

Hi, friends. How are you? How has your week been? What have you been up to this week? Today I have the great pleasure of writing a review of Sheryl's Oil Cloth Bag.

Sheryl gave me the great pleasure of picking out which bag I would be interested in reviewing. This was a fun and difficult task since there were so many choices. Sheryl has a wide array of fabrics to choose from. She also carries a variety of styled bags. I went with a fun blue and white print that I knew would be very useful for our family. I had the pleasure of using it last week on our mini staycation with friends.

Sheryl's package arrived promptly, was wrapped really nicely and contained not only directions on how to take care of the bag but also some extra goodies for me.

The bag and my goodies!

I love the little stickers that Sheryl used.

I had the opportunity to put the bag to use immediately. I really like that it is made out of oil cloth it gave me the chance to use this really pretty bag to carry around some swim items to take to an amusement park. It is also very sturdy and did well carrying around my ipad for our youngest to use for down time at various activities during our vacation.

Look at the fun inside fabric and it has pockets!

love the size of this bag.

This bag is a great size and it also has two pockets along the inside and one big compartment. You could really put this bag to good use in many different ways. These bags are also reasonably priced. With the holiday's quickly approaching these would make a great gift for that bag lover you know!

I think my one critique would be that Sheryl's bags can only be found on Instagram at this time. I think it is a great venue to sell handmade goods, but so many people are missing out on the opportunity to own one of these cute bags.

Make sure you head over to Instagram and check out Sheryl's feed.

https://www.instagram.com/sewhappy17/

Disclaimer 1: Amazon links are affiliate links, so if you click them to look at stuff, you’ll send a small commission our way at no extra cost to yourself.

Disclaimer 2: The maker sent me a free bag in exchange for an honest review.

Meet the Maker: Evelyn from Evelyn and Lewis

Hi, friends. How was your weekend? What did you do this weekend? If you have kids have they returned to school yet? We have started back to homeschool and my youngest goes back to preschool next week. Where has the summer gone?

Today, I want to introduce you to Evelyn from Evelyn and Lewis. She makes dog collars and jewelry.

Where are you from? The Netherlands but I was born in Chile.
Where do you live now? In Eindhoven, The Netherlands
How long have you been crafting? I have been crafting forever but have been crafting with paracord and leather for 3 years now. That's great.

What drew you to crafting with paracord or what inspired you? I always have been creative, went through 4 years of school for graphic design majoring in photography but I never went pro. So since I can remember I have been creating. What lead me to create things with paracord? Well, my first English Bulldog Lewis was such a big dog and I couldn't find anything that suited his goofy English bulldog personality, only serious studded, heavy leather items. I bumped into someone who made bracelets out of paracord and I thought that would be a nice dog collar. I did my research and found out there are a few great knotters out there and followed them. I created throughout the years my own style and own braiding. That is a fun story of how you were lead to using paracord.

Is there a story behind your shop name and if so what is it? Looking for a good business name is so hard. I didn't want to use my own last name because it's hard for people to remember and decided that the reason I started was actually Lewis and I added his name. Simple and direct. :)This is sweet.

When did you start selling online? I opened my Etsy shop this March (2017) and opened my Facebook and Instagram page last November (2016)

And What drew you to sell online? To reach more people besides my inner circle and beyond The Netherlands.That's great.

What hopes do you have for your business in the future? To grow bigger slowly and to one day open a physical shop with the dog gear, from collars and leashes to bowls, clothing for dogs and humans and other fun things.What a fun dream.

What is your most favorite piece that you have made? My first dog collar with my own braiding I that designed and didn't exist until then. How fun that you created your own design that hadn't existed yet. Very exciting.

What is one thing you would love to share with others who are considering going into the handmade business? I'm just starting so I don't know if I am the one you should take advice from but what I am holding on to is that I create my items with my heart and if it doesn't feel good, I don't do it. Whether it's business wise or on a specific order or even on a picture. My intuition tells me what feels good.
Join handmade seller groups and forums, you get so much great advice from your fellow crafters.

It takes a lot of time and things do not come flying to you, you have to work for it to make it a success and it doesn't come overnight. So don't give up too quickly.
Someone told me in the beginning that I should design what the people want, but if " the" people don't know what they want how do they know they want it? So I create what I believe is beautiful and listen to my customers what their wishes/ideas are and hope that people love it too. So far so good. :) This is great advice thanks for sharing. We can all learn from each other no matter how long we have been doing this work. Keep encouraging others to persevere. It's hard but rewarding.

So great to get to know you better Evelyn. If you would like to find Evelyn and her fun collars on line check her out at the following locations.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evelynandlewis
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/evelynandlewis
Etsy dog gear: www.etsy.com/nl/shop/evelynandlewis
Etsy bracelets: www.etsy.com/nl/shop/evelynandjewelry

Meet the Maker: Tanya Mortson from Tanya's Wood burning

Hi, friends! How are you? How was your week last week? We took a mini vacation at home with some of our friends from the ministry group we work with. We had a really nice time. Great to have a vacation but also to sleep in my own bed while doing it. What have you been up to? I would love to hear from you. Feel free to comment below or email me. Also are you a maker? Would you like a blog interview or a product review? Either comment below,email me or fill out our typeform and we can get you set up.

Without further ado, I am excited to introduce you to our Maker today, Tanya Mortson from Tanya's Woodburning.

Where are you from? I'm from Ontario, Canada
Where do you live now? Toronto
How long have you been crafting? 2 years

What drew you to wood burning or what inspired you? I began wood burning because I wanted to come up with a unique gift idea for my mom for Mother's Day. I remembered that as a child I received a wood burning kit as a gift, and I instantly bought some wood, a wood burning pen, and started right away!

Is there a story behind your shop name and if so what is it? I really need to come up with something clever. Every time I came up with a good pun it was already taken! I vow to change mine into something punny once Christmas rolls around as my new business cards have already come in the mail!

When did you start selling online? About a year ago-- but only through Instagram and Facebook private messages. I'd like to have an Etsy shop by Christmas.

And what drew you to sell online? At first, I had no idea how to reach out to people. It was far from Christmas so I didn't even think of setting up booths at craft shows until fall rolled around! Toronto actually has a Facebook group with over 60,000 users. It's called Bunz, and it's all about trading products you don't want anymore, but you MUST trade for something else. Money isn't allowed, but subway tokens and gift cards sure are, so that was my original version of selling online and it was a hit!

What hopes do you have for your business in the future? I'd really love to make it my full-time job and have an Etsy account. I'm not sure how I'll make that dream possible yet, but I'll get there!

What is your most favorite piece that you have made? I really love one what I've done pretty recently, it's a silhouette of a family of deer with a bunch of trees and mountains!

What is one thing you would love to share with others who are considering going into the handmade business? Find something that you find happiness and excitement doing-- perhaps it's something you saw on Pinterest, maybe it's a childhood craft you did long ago. It takes practice but eventually you'll become amazing at it. And if you don't, watch enough YouTube tutorials until you can call yourself a pro!

Thanks for sharing Tanya:
You can find Tanya online in the following locations:
https://www.facebook.com/Tanyas-Woodburnings-855077171247499/

instagram.com/tanyaswoodburnings

Meet the Maker: Amelia Maupin from Crafty Lia Shop

Hi, friends. How are you? How was your weekend? Are you ready for the eclipse today? I am excited to see this phenomenon.

Are you a small shop? Or do you know a small shop that I should interview or do a product review for? Comment below, email me or fill out my typeform. We also offer features on our Instagram feed.

It is time for another Meet the Maker. Today, I will be sharing with you, my interview with Amelia from Crafty Lia Shop.

Where are you from?
I was born in Indonesia but raised in New York. My family moved to the states when I was 3 yrs old.
Where do you live now? Duluth, GA
Cool.

How long have you been crafting? about 6 years
What drew you to sewing or what inspired you? I started sewing when my mother in law bought me a sewing machine our first Christmas as a married couple.
I did not know what I was doing so I started watching You Tube, a lot of You Tube!! The more I watched and practiced, the more I got better at sewing a straight line! and making stuff, like pillowcases, bags, and zipper pouches. I also started making makeup rolls and recently have been inspired to make crayons and pencil rolls-- those 3 are the focus of my shop right now. I was inspired to make the pencil rolls when I was praying about my goals for this year. I wanted to get into the bible more and I thought why not bible journaling/coloring. I decided to get some bible verse coloring books and some color pencils-- before long, I had pencils everywhere and I always had to search for the colors I wanted to use. So, I thought why not make a pencil roll-- like my makeup roll but instead for my pencils-- that way it'll all stay in one place, easy to carry, travel with, and absolutely easier to find the colors I wanted!! I call it coloring God's word with my pencil rolls. This is really cool how you got started. I will be needing some more pencil rolls soon.

When did you start selling online? 12/2012

And What drew you to sell online? My husband and my family encouraged me to sell some of my items that I made as a hobby.
They believed in me and supported me. That is great. It is really good to have people to believe in you.

What hopes do you have for your business in the future? I hope to further my small shop and be able to support my little one in the future. My husband is the only one that works and I'm a stay at home mom. This is a great hope and goal.

What is your most favorite piece that you have made? I love my makeup roll and pencil roll. Not only is it a great organizer but it's so easy to travel with!
This is really great. Such diversity and great usefulness.

What is one thing you would love to share with others who are considering going into the handmade business? Starting your handmade business is a very slow process, you have to be patient and get social media awareness, whether it's through Facebook, IG, Pinterest, etc. I've also learned to use hashtags, lots of hashtags! Having one sale per day is a goal, but actually having one sale any day is a blessing! This is so true. Thanks for sharing.

You can find Amelia online at these locations:
instagram.com/craftyliashop
etsy.com/shop/CraftyLia/
facebook.com/CraftyLia/

Product review: A necklace from Laura of Dreamy Dutchy Designs.

Hi, friends! How is your weekend going? What have you been up to? Do you know of any shops I should interview or review their products? Leave me a comment below or send me an email. You can also fill out our typeform to be considered.

Today, I am doing a product review of a necklace sent to me by Laura from The Dreamy Dutchy. Laura is located in Wisconsin and makes crystal jewelry and crocheted items with lots of love.

The necklace arrived and was packaged very well to make sure nothing happened to the crystal. Laura gave me the opportunity to share what colors I like and she worked with it and found a piece that encompasses all my favorite colors. It is so pretty. I fell in love with it immediately. Since receiving the necklace I have worn it several times because it has several different colors and goes with many of my outfits.

There are some really great attributes to this necklace. One, it is well made. Laura's beautiful, hand-tied, macrame style is tight and well done. The wrapping surrounds the crystal keeping it in place but still displaying its beauty. Because Laura's necklaces are made with durable cotton crochet thread they are hypoallergenic, with no metal involved.

Laura has recently added a new feature to her necklaces a macrame slider-closure. I think this is a great addition to her products. Just be aware of what length you are purchasing so that it is able to go over your head. Laura is great to talk to and if you need any help figuring out which length would be best for you I am sure she would be glad to help make it happen. She also offers key chains, car charms and baby blankets in her ETSY shop. Make sure you check out her beautiful pieces at one of the links below.

You can find Dreamy Dutchy Design online at these locations:
https://www.instagram.com/thedreamydutchy/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/DreamyDutchyDesigns
https://m.facebook.com/thedreamydutchy/
https://www.pinterest.com/thedreamydutchy/
https://mobile.twitter.com/DreamyDutchy

Meet the Maker: Lynda Lundringan and family of Sitting in a Tree Boutique

Hi, friends! Happy Friday! This summer is going by so fast. Tonight, we have the chance to see our daughter in her theater camp performance. I am so excited to see all of their hard work put together. What do you have planned for the weekend?

It is time for another post in our Meet the Maker series. Today, I will be having Lynda from Sitting in a Tree Boutique taking over our blog and telling us about their family owned business. Enjoy getting to know this sweet family a little better.

We are truly a family business--me (Lynda the grandma), my daughters (Rachel and Andrea), and daughter in law (Bridget). My granddaughter, Avery, is our main bow model. And here we are three generations of women owning and inspiring our business!

I am originally from Canada. Grew up in Alberta and immigrated to the US in 1987 with my hubby and our two young daughters. We've lived all over the country.

I currently live in Scottsdale, AZ, only about 20 minutes away from Rachel and Avery. Andrea and Bridget both live in Utah, only about 30 minutes away from each other.

My daughters had successful careers but willingly gave them up to say at home when they had their first child. At this point, they found that their lives had changed course and felt reborn as powerful, creative mothers. They wanted to start selling their products but were too scared to do anything but daydream. I relentlessly encouraged them to pursue their business idea. After a year of dreaming, planning, and talking, they finally launched the little Etsy shop in January of 2017! I was flattered when they asked me to be a part of it all! When my daughter in law Bridget heard what we were doing, she wanted to join the party with her incredible artistic abilities. We really have the most amazing time together!!!

When Avery was born, she had no hair and every time Rachel would take her out in public, someone would come over and say, "What a cute little boy!" Rachel started putting a bow in her hair just so folks would know she was a girl!!! Most of the bows she bought from the big retailers were not very good quality, so Rachel started making them and she always got compliments. We pride ourselves on our quality and attention to detail. Etsy just seemed like the perfect place for us to start selling on. We started with bows and have added custom hand painted family portraits, and Diet Coke mom tees! We have lots of exciting new things we are currently working on.

We hope that the moms who buy from us love their purchase and buy from us again! Repeat customers are the biggest compliment. We really try to create a friendly environment where our customers can receive answers to questions and know that they are truly valued.

Not sure if we have a favorite piece. We really put our heart and soul into everything we create and love it all!

If you are new and starting out be patient because success most definitely doesn't happen over night. When my kids were younger I would always say "Do what you love and the money will follow!" I think that applies to the handmade business. Do it because you love it and feel passionate about creating. We have met so many amazing makers through IG and feel very loved and supported by other mamas. It's a wonderful community, so take the time to cultivate those friendships!

You can find us on Etsy at www.etsy.com/shop/SittingInATreeBtq and on Instagram @sittinginatreebtq

Thanks for sharing Lynda about the family business and about your sweet family. Have a great weekend everyone.

Top Five roundup: Unique shops of the week.

Hi, friends! Happy Wednesday. How has your week been? Ours has been another interesting one. Our youngest turned four, our oldest is at theater camp and our youngest got some stomach thing. Yuck.

This post has been in the works for some time. Thank you to the artists for their patience. I love looking through IG and finding unique shops. These shops are definitely unique.

First up, meet Karen Eland from Coffee Painter.
Karen not only drinks coffee and beer but she paints with it as well. How cool is that?

http://www.karenelandart.com/

Next, we have Anthony and Crystal from Made with Bear Hands.

Their artistic and musical endeavors brought them together, and is still fueling their drive to create things with their "bear hands" (bio on ETSY). Their wooden pieces are beautiful to behold.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/bearhandsgoods

Another great and unique shop I would like to share in this round up is Lost and Forged founded by Douglas Heifetz. He makes these amazing creations from reclaimed vintage materials. I love these unique jewelry pieces. Check them out.

https://lostandforged.com/

I would also like to introduce you to Cheryl Steventon Glass. Cheryl makes these adorable handcrafted glass and stone art and sculptures that she takes her inspiration for from the English coast and countryside.

http://www.cherylsteventon.co.uk/

The last shop I would like to share with you today is Rainbow Rose Art work. This unique shop is run by Lindsey Hall in the UK. She loves rainbows and painting.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/rainbowroseunique

These shops each offer something truly different and unique using materials and things from everyday life from coffee to rainbows you can find a special piece. Take the time and explore each of their Instagram feeds and web pages and show them some love.

Meet the Maker: Clea Georgiou

Hi, friends! How was your weekend? Ours was good. We celebrated our youngest 4th birthday with some of his school friends. What fun things did you do?
It's time for another meet the maker. If you are a maker who would like an interview or you know of a shop we should reach out to, leave a comment below or email me. I am so excited to introduce you to Clea Georgiou. I hope you enjoy our interview. Have a great week friends.

Where are you from? I'm from the UK.
Where do you live now? I live in London

How long have you been crafting? I have crafted ever since I can remember. I studied art and design all throughout school and college and have a graphic design degree. Absolutely love designing and making. That's cool.

What drew you to making designed handmade and bespoke goods or what inspired you? I almost feel like I can't help myself when it comes to designing and making, it's what I do as a job too. I work for a giftware company in London and in my spare time, I love to see what other creatives are up to and get so inspired by the amazing work out there. It's nice to be able to even slightly improve someones day by creating lovely things for people. That is great that you get to work in design and that you want to improve peoples day with your creations.

When did you start selling online? I started selling online a few years ago, but it is all still new to me. I haven't actually sold much.
And What drew you to sell online? I liked the buzz of someone buying something you have created and using it in their everyday life. It's amazing to be able to sell something you created. Although I have not sold much, I am not very good at promoting myself! I hope this blog interview will draw some business to your quaint shop. It is amazing to sell something you have created.

What hopes do you have for your business in the future? I hope to sell much more and create a lot more products. I am a bit of an all-rounder, I like everything so I will probably have a strange variety of products. I also love pompoms and neon so hopefully, I will make a lot more of these items! I want to also be able to sell my services for people to create bespoke products like stationery for any occasions or graphics for small businesses. This is great, I hope that some of these hopes come true for you.

What is your most favorite piece that you have made? Not sure really I like a few of my surface pattern designs and illustrations, for example, these teal and pink baroque style motifs and also my pompoms and neon designs!Cool.

What is one thing you would love to share with others who are considering going into the handmade business? I would say keep going. I always have days where I really hate everything I do and days where I feel like I am never going to have any success. You just have to keep going. I have a long long way to go yet, I don't think I've done enough of what I have dreamed about yet. This is true. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for joining us, Clea. It has been great to get to know you some.

You can find Clea online at the following locations:
Website: www.cleageorgiou.com
Depop: www.depop.com/cleageorgiou
Instagram: www.instagram.com/clea_georgiou
Etsy: www.cleageorgiou.etsy.com
Pinterest: www.uk.pinterest.com/cleageorgiou
Twitter: www.twitter.com/clea_georgiou

Meet the Maker: Jann Gam of Jeg by the Sea

Hi, Friends. How was your week? Welcome to the weekend. We attempted to start our first full week back to homeschool this week. It went okay between illness, lice, and life, we got through some of it. What fun things did you do this week and what do you have planned for the weekend?

I hope you are enjoying our Meet the Maker series as much as I am. Are you a maker or do you know a maker that I should meet and interview? Comment below or send me an email.

Today's Meet the Maker is Jann Gam from Jeg by the Sea and she will be taking over our blog for today. Without further ado here's Jann.

Hi, I am Jann. I was born and raised in Northern California, on the Pacific coast. Even though I’ve moved a few times and am now far from my homeland, I believe I will always consider myself a Pacific NW’erner at heart. I now live in Palm Coast, in NE Florida, near the Atlantic ocean; it's between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach. My husband and I had been land-locked for over 20 years, so when he retired (we were in So. Dakota), we both agreed we wanted to be near an ocean when we left the long, cold winters behind.

I began making jewelry about 16 months ago. I took a class at Michael’s to create a bracelet. It was just me and the class instructor; I had her to myself! I hadn’t been doing anything creative for quite awhile and really wanted and needed to find an outlet. During an annual visit back home in No. Calif. to see family, my sister and I went into a bead shop where they help you make your own jewelry. I was definitely inspired by that visit! I chose to make jewelry with a touch of the sea in each piece. The sights, sounds, smells, and feel of the ocean and sand are my spiritual touch stone. Always.

I began selling online about a year ago; I have mainly been selling in a beach lovers’ buying/selling group on Facebook. I do have an Etsy shop and a page on Facebook. But the FB selling group has been the most successful by far, for me.
Selling online just seemed like the natural way to go; I love having a home office and working from there!

In the future, I hope to become more involved with building up my Etsy shop and building a stronger customer base. My most favorite piece I made was a triple-strand bracelet with turquoise, black, and silver-tone beads; I consider the tri-strand bracelet my “signature” piece but and this one was especially pretty to me.

To those of you who are interested in starting a small shop view your trial-and-error moments as a positive, learning experience! It’s a wonderful thing to create and sell, but it requires a learning curve. It’s unrealistic to think you can set everything up perfectly right away. Be kind to yourself as you learn.

Thanks Jann for sharing about yourself. It is really great to meet you.

You can find Jann online at the following locations:
https://www.Etsy.com/shop/jegbythesea
https://www.instagram.com/jegbythesea
https://www.facebook.com/jegbythesea