i heart brickyard buffalo

This week I had a great opportunity to be a pick on the Brickyard Buffalo with guest editor Casey Wiegand.  My twinkle twinkle little headband is offered up at 40% off to customers along with other deals from some amazing artisans.  If you aren't familiar with BB they are a pop-up shop that showcases some unique finds from independent companies & handmade shops.  

If you have ever thought about doing a group sale like what they offer, but are a little hesitant, please dont be!  The ladies of BB are like your new best friends, every time you get a sale you know they want to pass out high fives or give you a giant italian family style kiss.  Its nothing but love over there and between the encouraging emails to get you started to the personal interactions during the sale, its seriously fun!  Don't be afraid to just shoot them an email to see how it all works or leave a comment if you have a questions & I can try to help.

carlymegan // brooklynrehab // butterbean leather co. // justlove.lythings

little hip squeaks // boots by becca 

If don't have a shop, don't worry this is still for you!  However, you should be warned to give yourself a spending limit because you will probably want one of everything.  They add new stuff on the daily and a deal runs for a few days- make sure to follow them on instagram and facebook to keep up!

Our sale ends in 2 days so don't miss the deals and don't forget that you are supporting small business, indie, handmade & women!  Isn't that reason enough?

ShopLocket: selling & buying made easy

I was recently introduced (as in last week!) to a great new way to sell products online called ShopLocket. Its a simple & smart program that allows you to sell your products (& obviously purchase from others) wherever you want. The possibilities are endless: sell tickets to an event, a printable, a book, shop your closet sales..etc. Easily share that you updated new items to your shop online, and include a ShopLocket widget in your post so your customers can purchase direct from there too!

One of the things I'm loving about this is the ease of purchasing directly from the page you are visiting. A lot of customers and/or readers might not have the time to visit multiple outside links or try to navigate shop pages just to purchase an item. This makes it simple, you have something- you post it right there (even on facebook) and they purchase. Seriously its like one of those 'shopping online for dummies' big yellow books they sell at Barnes & Noble- it doesn't get any easier!

Even their pricing is user friendly: there’s no up-front or monthly fees, you only pay when you sell. When you sell a product, you’re charged 2.5% plus any payment processing fees from PayPal or Stripe fees. So if you’re selling something that’s $20, you’d pocket $18.62

I love how they explained everything a little bit better in their video, plus I spy some unicorns and rainbows- so they had my attention pretty fast.



Introducing ShopLocket from ShopLocket on Vimeo.
As you can see ShopLocket is pretty simple and convenient.  I already have two online shops, but this is perfect for me to use on exclusive items, limited stock or just fun sales for readers or fans only!  Plus the widget is easy to use and you can post it almost anywhere.. I can't wait to try it out!

As an added bonus, ShopLocket is going to be randomly giving out FIVE $100 gift certificates to Michaels to people that sign up in the next two weeks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


CHECK OUT SHOPLOCKET
web // facebook // twitter

So tell me, what would you sell if you started using ShopLocket? 
I would love to know and if you do use it comment with a link below so I can check it out!

view my disclosure statement here

pen & paint {guest post & giveaway!}

Some of you may already know Lindsay from Pen & Paint and are familiar with her amazing work, but if you aren't then you are missing out! I was lucky enough to be given an amazing print from her (showing my Oregon pride!), and from our emails, her prompt delivery, the amazing quality of the print and the serious cuteness- I'm a legit fan of hers from here on out.

Today she is sharing a bit about herself, her business & finding inspiration.  Plus she is so graciously giving away a $25 shop credit to one of you.. so get to know her & become a huge fan like I am!

shop // blog // facebook // twitter // instagram // pinterest

Hi, I'm Lindsay. I'm a busy mama of two silly little boys.  I am a southern girl with a loud laugh, a sensitive heart and a little bit of sarcasm on the side.  I like to draw and paint, a lot.

After taking a bit of a break from the blogging and handmade world, at the beginning of 2012 to refocus on myself and my family, I picked up a sketchbook and an ink pen and started drawing.  The more I drew, the more ideas I developed, and I saw the need to make a change in the name of my blog and shop of three years from Paint Me a Picture, to Pen and Paint.  Now I am back gathering inspiration from the blogging and handmade community, creating happy prints.  Every now and then I still love picking up my paintbrush and creating a fun piece of art.

how long have you been an artist and shop owner?

I have been drawing since I was four years old. I began painting and selling my work in 2008, but it wasn't until I started sketching at the beginning of this year that I actually felt like I could call myself an artist.

is there any advice you would give another artist to get out there? and what are some of your favorite tips for staying inspired or getting our of creative ruts?

Yes! Three big things:

1. Connect with other artist. My artist friends have helped and encouraged me SO much. They inspire you, pull you up when you are down, and remind you your art is beautiful.

2. PLEASE put your name/site/something on your images. The internet is an amazing place but there are mean people out there who don't respect you and your hard work. You'd never write a book without putting your name on the cover so make sure to "sign" your images. It helps people find you and protects your work as well.

3. Make things for yourself, things you love. Whenever I start getting foggy-headed worrying about what people will like I stop and make something I want to make, something I may never sell. It clears my head and makes me happy.

managing a family, a passion, a shop & a blog can keep you busy.. how do you keep yourself balance?

Obviously, this was something I struggled with. I took a big break, almost to the point of deleting my blog and closing my shop. Now that I am back I constantly remind myself what matters. What matters is my faith, my family and my health. I love my art and I am so very thankful I can share it and sell it, and though it matters, it cannot get in the way of my job as a wife and mother. I blog when I can now, no schedule, no plans. If I go for a week without a post, well, then the world will keep turning. If I don't make sales or don't have a new print, oh well. I have found I will probably always struggle with balance so I just try to take it one day at a time, and when I start seeing I am not happy or my family is not happy I know something has to change.

// SPECIAL JUSTLOVE.LY DISCOUNT //

take 10% off any purchase by using code: lovely10

good june 3rd-6th

a Rafflecopter giveaway

to be good natured

Today I want to introduce you to an adorably sweet & talented sponsor of mine Dani.  She has sponsored before and I adore her cute felted items and LOVE her ceramics.  Recently she asked if she could send me a few goodies ---uh of course!  When the package arrived full of amazing goodies, great branding and seriously thoughtful items I was really excited.  When I saw the mini Arthur she made though.. well I kinda sorta died.

Just going off a few photos she had seen from my blog Dani managed to make a little felt version of him!  His spots, his ears and his under-bite were all there!  A perk of this new little Arthur, he won't shed as much (evidence on the floor in the photo below) and probably won't slobber or eat too much either! Today she is hanging out to share a little bit about what she does & answering a couple business questions.  Enjoy!

Hi there!! I'm Dani!  I live in Missouri with my husband, Brandon, (whom I started dating in junior high!), and our two dogs, three cats and two chickens.  My full time job is a zoo educator.  I take animals to schools, daycares and other facilities and teach people about them.  It's a crazy fun job.  When I'm not at the zoo, I'm either working on projects for my shop, Good Natured, or I'm gardening, biking, reading, hiking, sewing or planning a traveling adventure! 

Good Natured started a little over a year ago after I discovered needle felting.  I found a kit on Etsy and fell in love!  I do a lot of other things also, like pottery and ceramic jewelry, so I opened a shop of my own. My husband helps too--he makes pottery and folds all of those tiny origami shapes for jewelry.  For now, my shop is just a part-time venture, but I'd love for it to grow into something bigger! 

I don't have a blog, but I love to sponsor awesome blogs like JustLove.lyThings to get more exposure than what Etsy can provide.  I also use facebook and pinterest to help market my shop.

What do you love about having a handmade business?  I love creating something special.  I love the time and thought that goes into making art with my hands.  And I really love the handmade community--you guys rock!  I can always find support among all of the amazing people in this community.

What are your favorite things to make?  I love making pin cushions like this one  and this one.  I just recently added my Tea Party Pin Cushion collection, which are made vintage teacups, wool and lace!  And it might be obvious that working with animals has inspired a lot of different felt critters in my shop!  These two are my favorites: here and here.  I also get really excited when customers come to me with custom requests.  Currently, I'm working on wool portraits of a girl's grandparents to give to her grandmother for a gift.  So cool!

Do you have any new items or fun business news in the works for this year?  I'm hoping this year to offer even more woolly variety in my shop.  I'd love to offer my wool critters in little sets, with maybe even some scenic wool playmats to go along!  I'd also love to delve into the world of framed wool pictures.  I have so many ideas, I can't wait to make them all happen!

GOOD NATURED BY DANI
use code justlovely to save 15%

shop // facebook // pinterest

a girls day out...

With spring here (sorta-kinda) these Stacy shoes that B.A.I.T sent my way needed to get outside to enjoy the day!  They were paired perfect with a some rolled up jeans and a simple white tee, but really could go with so many outfits -sorry no outfit post, this is all about the kicks!.  Stacy and I made a girls day of it and ran a few errands.

These are my new cute shoes for spring & summer that I will match with plain outfits since they already provide so much pop with their cute bows!  I loved how comfortable, true to size and in all reality just super cute they were!  The ladies at Bait are insanely sweet & even have an instagram (@baitfootwear) if you like to do some stalking, they always post cute shoe pics! 

Bait Footwear

shop // blog // facebook // twitter 

Stacy has some friends in different colors in case you need options!

My other favorite is the Eugenia which Veronika from Girl and Closet shows off here.

 They also have a great deal if you buy any two styles from their shop then shipping is free!

let your spirit take flight

If any of you follow Lindsay from Scenic Glory,

then you know that she is a design genius!

When she announced her shop opening mid-June, I seriously counted down the days.

Of course I had to swoop something up from one of my sponsors,

just to show some support.. but really its easy to buy something when you love it all!

{just a little hard to narrow down your choices!}