From the nature collection...

Hanging Wall/Door Name Plaques

Some of my most recent work...

Happy 1st Birthday DecorativeLabels

It is hard to believe that it has been 1 year since I opened up my shop on Etsy. To celebrate this milestone I am offering 10% off (before shipping) on all orders placed today (November 18th). Be sure to mention "Happy Birthday" in the message to seller when checking out. I will refund 10% of your order total to your paypal account.

* Don't you just love that cake! :)http://www.pinkcakebox.com/

Happy Birthday DecorativeLabels!

I can't believe it has almost been 1 year since I opened up shop on Etsy. To celebrate I will be offering 10% off orders placed on November 18th, be sure to enter HAPPY BIRTHDAY in the message to seller when checking out. I will refund 10% (before shipping) to your paypal account! :)

Some of my latest chalkboard basket labels...

What I have been working on lately...

Here are just a few of the orders I have recently completed... :)

The Fall 2009 Etsy Baby Shower is wrapping up...

This past week my Etsy Baby Shower co-host, Jessica from BuggaLove, and I have been featuring the 91 shops who have generously donated 112 gifts to 28 lucky new/expecting Etsy moms. For more information on this and upcoming Etsy Baby Shower be sure to visit the official Etsy Baby Shower Blog! :)

Aside from featuring the shops who donated in our blogs, we also held the first ever FORUM BLAST in the promotions section of the Etsy forums. We have also been curating treasuries featuring the wonderful shops and we have one final Etsy Baby Shower event up our sleeves! We will holding an Etsy Baby Shower Chat in the Etsy Chat rooms on November 5th starting at about 10pm to about midnight EST. The chat will be like a trunk show featuring the shops who donated. Many shops will be offering special discounts during the chat and you can't have a baby shower without games! We will have games complete with gifts for the winners, so be sure to attend our Baby Shower Chat on November 5th.

Some of the current active treasuries: Fall 2009 Etsy Baby Shower vol. 4 and Fall 2009 Etsy Baby Shower vol. 5

Also be sure to check out the flickr pool with pictures of the actual gifts that were donated. Both shops who donated gifts as well as the moms who received the gifts have been taking pictures of the wonderful items so that we can upload to our album. :)

Meet BabbidgePatch, VanillaKnitsandBits and DitsyBitsy from the Etsy Baby Shower

Cathy from BabbidgePatch joined Etsy in March 2008 with her adorable knit hats and body decor designer scarves. Cathy’s inspiration comes from a variety of sources, but many of her items are inspired by Maine's natural treasures. Cathy is a published designer with creations in Crochet! (a national crochet magazine) and my knitting book, "Puffins & Pine Trees," Downeast Books, 1991. BabbidgePatch was established in 1983, her three children (now all grown up) were the models for her knit creations as they were growing up and she now has 2 cute little grandbabies to dress up.

This is the first time BabbidgePatch is participating in the Etsy Baby Shower. The lucky mom matched with BabbidgePatch will be receiving a 100% cotton helmet ear flap style hat.

Cathy’s advice for new moms is to make time for themselves and relax reminding them “it will go a long way to stay balanced!”

http://www.babbidgepatch.etsy.com/

http://babbidgepatch.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/BabbidgePatch

Leanne from VanillaKnitsandBits joined Etsy as a buyer in July 2009 and started selling in September 2009. Leanne’s children, nieces, nephews and their friends are the inspiration for her products. She loves creating a hat that is just that little bit special, that is created especially for the child wearing it, using their favorite colors and style. Handmade hats are unique, each one being different to the next, even when using the same colors and/or style. Leanne’s favorite item is the beautiful pink and brown hat pictured below.
This is the first Etsy Baby Shower for VanillaKnitsandBits, and the two lucky moms receiving gifts from her shop will each be getting one of her beautiful hats.

Leanne’s advice for new moms is to teach their baby to put themselves to sleep, she says “it can be done and is much better for the baby and [mom] in the long run.” She also reminds moms to nap when the baby naps, and moms NEED naps too. One final bit of advice from Leanne is to prioritize so that the ‘absolutely have to be done stuff’ gets done and the rest can wait.

For the months of October and November VanillaKnitsandBits will be offering 15% off to blog readers - use the discount code "Baby Shower" in the message to seller and you will be refunded via PayPal.

Vanillaknitsandbits.etsy.com
http://twitter.com/vanillaknits
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vanillaknitsandbits/187743824921

Editha from DitsyBitsy joined Etsy in November of 2007. Editha’s inspiration is her daughter, Elyssa. When she was still a baby (she’s now 2 ½), Editha was never satisfied with the headbands available in stores. They usually were not well made and very limited. So one day, Editha bought some ribbon and stretchy nylon headband and made her first creation for her – a white & gold double layer hair bow headband to match her angel outfit for Halloween 2007. DitsyBitsy sells hair accessories for newborn, toddler, big girls, teens and even mommies consisting of a variety of headbands, hair bows, non-slip clippies, ribbon flower clips, bow/clip organizers, crochet hats, etc. Editha’s favorite product is the ribbon flower clip. It is so adorable!

This is the first Etsy Baby Shower DitsyBitsy has participated in and she is “very excited!” One of the lucky moms paired with DitsyBitsy will be receiving headbands and hair bows and the other will be getting a gift set (crochet hat with bow, clip holder/organizer, 2 sets of mini snaps, and 1 set of non slip clips). Editha is not only donating gifts she is also one of the “MOMS” who will be receiving wonderful items from very talented Etsy sellers. She will be having another baby boy in December.

Editha’s advice to new moms is to enjoy & cherish every moment with their baby, “time goes by so fast and they will only be little once.” She reminds us moms that no matter how busy we may be, always find the time to play and watch TV with our children.

In November all hats in DitsyBitsy’s shop will be on sale, and all orders $25 and up will recieve a free gift.

http://ditsybitsy.etsy.com/

http://www.Facebook.com/DitsyBitsy

Please be sure to check out these other generous shops who also donated gifts to the Etsy Baby Shower: CiteFuzz, BubbleGirlKnits and beberagz

*~* Don’t forget to stop by Jessica’s Blog from BuggaLove to read about more of the generous shops that donated gifts to the Etsy Baby Shower! Also be sure to check out the official Etsy Baby Shower blog!*~*

Meet kjmSILKS and Cookiefleur from the Etsy Baby Shower

Kim from kjmSILKS joined Etsy in January 2007. Her first shop was kjmART which included Kim’s original art and hand-painted silks. After a year, Kim split her shop in two and also opened kjmSILKS. Kim’s inspiration for her hand-painted silks comes from many sources, including her tropical surroundings, the holidays, and modern art. kjmSILKS features hand-painted and hand-dyed silks, including silk scarves, neckties, pillows, and hair accessories. Kim says her favorites change all the time, but her current favorite is the purple & orange scribble heart scarf.
kjmSILKS has participated in the Etsy Baby Shower a few times before and says “it's always a lot of fun!” The lucky mom matched with kjmSILKS will be receiving a hand-dyed silk scarf. New moms need a lot of pampering, and a silk scarf is a perfect, one-size-fits-all gift, she can “drape it around her neck to perk up an outfit, or wear it as a headband on a 'bad hair day'.”

Kim’s advice for new moms is to sleep when the baby sleeps, and to “take good care of yourself, so you can take good care of your baby.”

kjmSILKS will be offering free domestic shipping and half-off worldwide shipping during the month of November. Just enter 'NOVSALE' in notes to seller.

http://www.kjmsilks.etsy.com/
http://www.kjmart.etsy.com/

Linda from cookiefleur “discovered the joy that is Etsy” back in Nov 2008. She joined as a buyer, and at that time, did not think that she would eventually become a seller. Linda was a florist and loves working with ribbons too, so sewing ribbon into little flowers makes Linda very, very happy. Cookiefleur was born when someone commented that her little ribbon flowers look like “cookies - good enough to eat!” When Linda started cookiefleur, it wasn't with babies or little girls in mind. It was July of this year, when a friend of Linda’s commented on how cute her ribbon flowers would look on hairclips for little girls when Linda seriously started thinking of going in that direction. Since launching cookiefleur in August, Linda has participated in 3 craft markets and the response for her products has been really encouraging. Linda’s favorite product in her store are her headbands.

This is cookiefleur’s first Etsy Baby Shower and she says she is “excited and honored to be part of it.” The lucky mom paired with cookiefleur will be getting the The Bella Headband.

Linda says that since she is not a mom she really doesn’t have any advice to give new moms, but she would like to pass on the best advice her mom has given her: "Always try your hardest. It doesn't matter if you fail or fall. As long as you try your hardest, that's good enough. But make sure you try your hardest."

For the whole of November, cookiefleur will be running a Christmas special! Her products are great for stocking fillers. So be sure to stop by Linda’s shop before stuffing those stockings because she will be offering a discount! Be sure to enter "a very cookiefleur christmas" in Message to Seller to get 15% off entire order (excluding shipping).

http://cookiefleur.etsy.com/

http://twitter.com/cookiefleur

http://www.facebook.com/cookiefleur

http://cookiefleur.wordpress.com/

Please be sure to check out these other generous shops who also donated gifts to the Etsy Baby Shower: TessieLou, thelollipopboutique and ditsybitsy

*~* Don’t forget to stop by Jessica’s Blog from BuggaLove to read about more of the generous shops that donated gifts to the Etsy Baby Shower! Also be sure to check out the official Etsy Baby Shower blog!*~*

Meet PaintMeAPicture, StymiepieStudios and ItzFitz from the Etsy Baby Shower

Lindsay from PaintMeAPicture joined Etsy in May of this year and started listing items for sale in August. The main inspiration behind Lindsay’s creations is fun fabric and scrapbook paper, and nursery/children’s bedding gets the creative juices flowing. PaintMeAPicture primarily creates paintings for nurseries, children's rooms, and other personalized designs. Each item is hand painted by Lindsay and all are original designs unless otherwise noted. PaintMeAPicture can coordinate with customers' theme, color scheme, or bedding and is open to custom orders. Lindsay’s favorite item is her “Pretty to a T" painting.

This is the first time PaintMeAPicture is participating in the Etsy Baby Shower and she is “super excited.” The lucky mom paired with PaintMeAPicture will be receiving her choice of an 11 x 14 painting.

Lindsay’s advice to new moms is to get lots of rest before that precious little one arrives and take things one day at a time. She also tells moms not to comparea themselves to other mom's and not to solely rely on what books or articles say, because at the end of the day, “it's you and your baby.”

PaintMeAPicture has informed us that there will be a big sale on IN-STOCK items after Nov. 21st.

http://www.paintmeapicture.etsy.com/

http://paint-me-a-picture.blogspot.com/
http://paintmeapicture.etsy.com/
http://www.facebook.com/PaintMeAPicture

Leslie from StymiepieStudios joined Etsy on March 31, 2009. Leslie’s inspiration started with the reaction of one of her mural customers after finishing painting their nursery… Their reaction and the excitement of being a part of such a special time in their lives encouraged Leslie to start painting items for the home as well as decor and original artwork for children's rooms. Leslie has worked as an artist all of her life, but these past 6 months, after joining Etsy, have been the most creative period of her life. Leslie admits she cried (tears of joy!) after selling her first print on Etsy. Leslie’s favorite items are her prints, she says they are “like her children.”

This PaintMeAPicture’s first Etsy Baby Shower and she is “very proud to be doing it.” The lucky mom matched with PaintMeAPicture will be receiving either a wipes case or a print of one of her original illustrations.

Leslie’s advice to new moms is to enjoy each moment good or bad, because the baby's infancy and childhood will go by so fast. She reminds mom’s that their “child is lucky to have [them] there to savor this time... as you go thru these wonderful years together." Leslie encourages moms to "be a teacher and guide, to make [their baby] a strong, happy and positive person."

http://stymiepiestudios.etsy.com/

http://twitter.com/pixiedustartist

http://stymiepiestudios.blogspot.com/

Jen from ItzFitz joined Etsy in August 2009. Jen’s inspiration for her products comes from her childhood memories. She loved her wall hangings and enjoyed seeing her name and birthday on things while growing up. Jen combined this with her keepsakes and ItzFitz was born. Jen has several favorites from her shop, the painted tiles, felt letters and name train are a few of them.

This is the first time ItzFitz is participating in the Etsy Baby Shower and says “it’s an awesome idea!” The lucky mom matched with ItzFitz will be receiving a personalized 8" x 6" hand painted tile with the child’s name and birth info on it.

ItzFitz will be offering blog readers 10% off, excluding shipping. Just convo Jen with your order and special code BABYBUY. This offer is good till November 16th, 2009.

http://www.itzfitz.etsy.com/

Please be sure to check out these other generous shops who also donated gifts to the Etsy Baby Shower: alphabulous and GrowinLikeAWeed

*~* Don’t forget to stop by Jessica’s Blog from BuggaLove to read about more of the generous shops that donated gifts to the Etsy Baby Shower! *~*

Meet SandysCapeCodOrig and Ahmelie from the Etsy Baby Shower

Sandy from SandysCapeCodOrig joined Etsy in November of 2007. When making her products she is inspired by babies. Sandy designs and writes crochet patterns from Cape Cod Mass for SandysCapeCodOrig. Her favorite item is the pretty in pink cocoon pattern.

SandysCapeCodOrig has donated to the Etsy Baby Shower before. The lucky mom paired with SandysCapeCodOrig will be receiving a sweater set!

Sandy’s reminds new moms that their babies will grow up fast so “love them while you can.”

Blog readers can get 3 free patterns at ravelry.com, check under sandypowers designer.

http://www.sandyscapecodorig.etsy.com/

http://www.capecodconsignments.etsy.com/

http://www.anniesattic.com/

http://www.epatternscentral.com/

http://www.craftingforacause.org/

http://www.crochetinsider.com/

Ahmelie from Ahmelie joined Etsy in April of 2008. A smiling child is the inspiration behind her products. Ahmelie says she likes to “create something out of the ordinary with vibrancy and high quality.” Her favorite product is the swaddler, because they are very versatile and can be used past the swaddling stage. The swaddlers in Ahmelie’s shop are larger compared to store bought ones so they can be used to swaddle longer.

This is the first time Ahmelie is participating in the baby shower. The lucky mom matched with Ahmelie will be receiving a Hooded Towel.

Ahmelie’s words of wisdom to new moms are “You can never give too many kisses to your baby!”

Attention blog readers- a free handmade card is inluded with every order from Ahmelie's shop.

http://www.ahmelie.etsy.com/
http://www.ahmelie.com/

Please be sure to check out these other generous shops who also donated gifts to the Etsy Baby Shower: lemondropbay, bellassweetboutique, and joeyandaleethea

*~* Don’t forget to stop by Jessica’s Blog from BuggaLove to read about more of the generous shops that donated gifts to the Etsy Baby Shower! *~*

Meet SweetDesignsByMaryum, PlumTreeStudio and BoutiqueLuckyStars from the Etsy Baby Shower

Maryum from SweetDesignsByMaryum joined Etsy in February of 2009. She says her children are her inspiration she makes everything, including custom orders, their personalities and unique style in mind. SweetDesignsByMaryum features fun kids clothes for that stylish little man or woman in your life. Maryum says that each kid has their own personality and she tries to offer something to fit them all. Maryum also offers baby accessories that are fun and bold and they make great shower gifts. Her favorite product is the wide leg or ruffled minky pants; she says “they are just so soft and comfy.” The first time her little girl tried them on she said "ooooooh mommy these are nice.”

This is the first time SweetDesignsByMaryum is participating in the Etsy Baby Shower. The lucky mom paired with SweetDesignsByMaryum will most likely be receiving a cute comfy tiny t-shirt dress in a fun bold print, but the mom will get to make the final decision.

Maryum’s advice for new moms is to take everything in stride and one step at a time. She said “[babies] like to throw monkey wrenches in any plan you try to make… just go with the flow and let baby take the lead sometimes.”

SweetDesignsByMaryum will be having a different sale each week between now and Christmas. This week is 15% off all Christmas items, so be sure to stop by her shop.

http://www.sweetdesignsbymaryum.etsy.com/

twitter.com/sdbymaryum

http://companies.to/sweetdesignsbymaryum/

Dana from PlumTreeStudio joined Etsy in June 2007 and this is her first time participating in the Etsy Baby shower! She is giving one lucky mom a choice of either a one-piece or a custom bib and burp cloth set.

Plum Tree Studio’s inspiration currently is her nieces and nephews. Plum tree studio started because of one of her nieces. The plum tree studio collection includes unique appliquéd tees and one-pieces. They carry items for both boys and girls ranging in ages of 3 months up to 5 years. Their collection has recently expanded to include accessories like bibs, burp cloths and button ties. You can see the “Ships Ahoy Tee” here!
We asked Plum Tree Studio what advice she might have for new moms. She said, “I am not a mother yet, next year is my time. The advice I would give is from an aunt's perspective and many years of watching friends and family members. Enjoy the time you have with your children, play with them, laugh with them, love on them. But don't forget to give them structure.”

Starting November 1st, Plum Tree Studio will be participating in EtsyKids's Santa Sleigh Ride Team Holiday Sale. Receive a discount of 10% off any purchase of $50.00 or more (does not include shipping).

http://www.plumtreestudio.blogspot.com/
http://www.plumtreestudio.etsy.com/

Jennifer from BoutiqueLuckyStars joined Etsy in November 2007, but didn’t open up her shop until November 2008. Jennifer is inspired by fabrics, when she says that when she falls in love with a fabric she is determined to find a use for it. Life experiences and my children are also an inspiration. Jennifer recalls a fishing trip her family took spent Father’s Day weekend down in Key West. Her 3 and 4 year old daughters fell in love with fishing and their excitement was priceless when they reeled in their first dolphin. From this experience her mahi mahi t-shirt was born.

BoutiqueLuckyStars specializes in handmade organic cotton t-shirts and organic cotton bodysuits, super plush chenille burp cloths and chic baby wipe cases for that little star in your life. Sustainable, organic and/or eco friendly products have been chosen when possible in designing each and every product and is carried all the way through to the labeling and packaging using recycled paper products and biodegradable jute for the hangtags. Jennifer says “life is a full circle...everything we put on the ground, in the air and in the water will eventually come back to us in the products that we consume so we must take care!” Her favorite design is currently the “Surfer Dude” organic t shirt because it reminds her of the beach. This design has three surfboards on an organic cotton blend and recycled polyester t-shirt with navy, aqua and green coordinating fabrics. The beach is her favorite place in the world to relax and let go, and luckily it is in her backyard (well, almost)!

This is the first Etsy Baby Shower BoutiqueLuckyStars has participated in. One of the two lucky moms paired with BoutiqueLuckyStars has chosen the Funky Tie Organic Cotton Baby Bodysuit and the other will receive the Lucky Star Organic Cotton Long Sleeve Baby Bodysuit (slate star).
Jennifer’s advice for new moms is to have a sense of humor, keep a camera or video handy and remember to write down all those proud, mischievous, and fall out of your chair funny moments or you WILL forget. Jennifer has a journal of memories in a Word Doc with hopes of one day making a scrapbook for her children when things slow down, she asks herself “but do they really ever?!”

BoutiqueLuckyStars is offering 15% off and Free Shipping with Code ETSYKIDS for the months of October and November.

http://www.boutiqueluckystars.etsy.com/
www.facebook.com/BoutiqueLuckyStars
http://twitter.com/BLuckyStars

Please be sure to check out these other generous shops who also donated gifts to the Etsy Baby Shower: elisehooperdesigns and whimsyranch

*~* Don’t forget to stop by Jessica’s Blog from BuggaLove to read about more of the generous shops that donated gifts to the Etsy Baby Shower! *~*