i am happy to introduce my next sponsor spotlight…jessica over at happy together!!! full of color and life, she has super cute crafts and a super cute (growing) family. she’s also one of the reasons why i started blogging! (thankful that she emailed me back with all my curious questions answered) :) get to know her and check out her blog!

what’s the story behind happy together?
Well, when my daughter was born it inspired me to teach myself sewing and crocheting so I could make things for her. My husband ended up having to go away quite a bit during the first two years of her life, so I also wanted a hobby or something. Then I found out about craft blogs. I was hooked. I decided that maybe it would be fun to start one up myself. Then with no idea what I was doing, a not so great camera, and a few ideas I started Happy Together.

what inspires you?
So much does! My daughter is my biggest inspiration. She even asks for things now and I have to come up with a way how so I can deliver. I am also very inspired by many online clothing stores, other blogs, magazines, etc. I try to keep my eye open all the time for inspiration.


what’s your favorite part about your blog?
My favorite thing is how I feel part of a bigger community that is all over the world. Sometimes being a military family is hard and when you first move you might not know anyone. But, with the blog, I feel like I always have people there with me and it allows me to meet people in the new areas we go to.

what’s the most challenging part?
Sometimes there is a pressure I put on myself to keep up with other bloggers and all. I really watch this carefully because it’s not fair to do to oneself. It’s suppose to be fun, not some chore, so when I feel that way I have to just work at sitting back for a bit until it is fun again.

any advice for others who want to start a blog?
Just go for it! I have just learned along the way. People are usually very kind with sharing information about blogging as well. So if you see someone’s blog and like how it’s put together, just email them and ask them about their html code. There are many great sites to choose from to have a blog on, or to even have your own private webpage, and they usually are very simple to set up. Just choose what it is you want to blog about and stick with it.


any special goals you have set?
Not at this moment. I have really taken a backseat right now when it comes to blogging with a new baby on the way. I know that I am just not capable to keep up like I was there for a while, and that’s okay.

just for fun: what’s something that most people don’t know about you?
Oh boy. Probably lots of things! lol. I guess most people who knew me in high school and college would not have any clue that I now am a “crafter”. I was more of a “jock” in high school and all. Another fun fact is that my husband was my first real boyfriend :), my college sweetheart.

great story! thanks for sharing jessica. looking forward to more cute crafts and watching that belly grow!

peace and love
xox

hey guys!! another lovely sponsor spotlight for ya. kaleigh over at our little lifesicle is just too cute, and so is her blog. excited to learn more about her and her little family. check her out!

tell us a little bit about yourself:
I’m Kaleigh but most of my friends & family call me Kale. I’m a “young” mom & wife. I’m almost 24 years old. I stay home with my baby girl & I couldn’t ask for a better job in the world. My husband is my best friend, as cliche as that sounds, we were friends for a long time before anything else. I do photography professionally, on the side and love live music. I wouldn’t change my life for the world.
what’s the story behind our little lifesicle?
I started OLL about a week after I found out I was pregnant. It initially was a place to document our pregnancy, I’m not much a of scrapbooker anymore and I figured a place where I put all my thoughts & feelings about pregnancy would suffice. I had always blogged before pregnancy but this is the first blog that I really connected to, probably because it had so much more meaning. It’s my daughters biography—ya know?! :) So I continued after she was born, recreating all of our special moments (and the tough ones) like a neatly typed out book. I print some of my posts so that I can put them in Lilla’s baby binder–not a scrapbook, just a binder of special thing ;) I really hope that one day she can read through how much she changed our life, and the lives of our families. I started to gain followers & people started to reach out through comments & emails and it became so much more than just a blog. It’s like a little community of encouragement & love. The story of Our Little Lifesicle is the story of my little Lilla :)

what inspires you?
Specifically for my blog, my baby & motherhood. Most of the posts on my blog have something to do with her or our days together. Motherhood changes you in ways that our language doesn’t have the words to describe. I try to blog about those things as much as possible. Other things that inspire me on a regular basis are photography, music, film & certain tv shows. (Yep, I’m a Dexter fanatic) I LOVE looking at photography, I could sit on flickr all day and browse. A good photo can make my whole day. Beautiful things in general make me feel great. Another thing that inspires me is other mom blogs, knowing that there is someone else somewhere else who knows exactly how I feel is so comforting & encouraging.

what’s your favorite part about your blog?
My favorite part of my blog is my followers & their comments. I never thought that I would have so many loving & encouraging people read about my silly life. We’ve had some pretty tough trials (she got really sick) in the first few months of my daughters life and I had so many people telling me they were thinking about me–thinking about us outside of the blogging world, like in their daily lives. I was so humbled by this. Even now when things are getting better health wise with Lilla, she’s having a rough time with teething & sleeping, I get comments with helpful advice & understanding. Another favorite part is my “Lilla’s Song” section. It’s a fun way to give my readers some new music. I post a song a week with a video & lyrics.
what’s the most challenging part?
The post challenging part right now is keeping up. Life with an ever-changing newborn is fast-paced, overwhelming & joyful. Sometimes I don’t even get a chance to sit down at the computer, and sometimes I find that to be a blessing. I am so lucky to be able to stay home with my daughter and I try to breathe in as much of her newborn months as I can. There are so many things that I would like to write but sometimes I don’t have the time. We have a pretty good routine set for our days now but sometimes with teething & lack of sleep things get jumbled and the first thing that gets set on the back burner is the blogosphere, but that doesn’t mean I love it any less. :)

any advice for others who want to start a blog?
Start a blog for yourself! Don’t start a blog in hopes of getting tons of followers or promos. When I started my blog over a year ago I never thought I would have 105 followers or people from companies emailing me to do giveaways. I made my space for my family & friends to watch our pregnancy & for myself to document and look back. Don’t make your blog feel like a job or it will get old. Post when you can, don’t feel pressured and LOVE what you write. I enjoy having my own little journal space. Beware of the happiness-suckers. Some people blog-surf in hopes of making other feels crumby. As sad as that sounds it’s true & I’ve only had small bits of this happen to me. Some of my blogger friends have had it way worse, just be ready for opposing opinions & people who don’t think you’re genuine. The best way to prove them wrong is continue to be genuine, you can’t please them all!
any special goals you have set?
I would really like to keep OLL going until Lilla is about five years old. That’s a really long time, but I guess that’s my biggest goal. I would also enjoy doing more giveaways, I love giving people presents ;)

just for fun: what’s something that most people don’t know about you?
Something most people don’t know about me is that I don’t want anymore babies! I’m so happy, full & satisfied with Lilla. My heart is exploding for her. My husband and I have decided that we’re done with one–we had always kind of said “one & done” but now that we have our little lovey that’s definitely our plan!

thank you kaleigh!! you and your precious family are adorable. love reading about your experiences and thoughts. thanks for being a sponsor!!

peace and love
xox

hello folks! i wanted to start my sponsor spotlight with a good friend of mine, felicia at lovella bowtique. read about her here and then go visit her super cute shop!

tell us a little bit about yourself: I am a stay at home mom, turned work at home mom, to a beautiful little baby girl named Ella! I was told I would never have children and Santa surprised us with a positive pregnancy test on Christmas Eve last year! I have been smiling until my cheeks hurt since then!
what’s the story behind lovella bowtique? I’ve always had an Etsy shop because I love crafts and making things myself!  When I found out I was having a little girl, I went nuts on Etsy buying her bows and clips. I realized quickly that I wanted to start to make things myself and I loved it. I opened up a new shop dedicated to just Lovella Bowtique.

what inspires you? Sweet Baby Ella of course. Not only is it fun to make things for her but the money we make allows us to not worry about finances. She can go to the zoo whenever she wants. :) I say “we make” because my husband, Jeremy mails everything for us and Ella is my little patient model.
what’s your favorite part about your shop? I love the rosette headbands! They are fun to make and I love designing them. I love shipping to other countries also! So far I have shipped to Ireland, Australia, Belgium and of course Canada! I like thinking something I made is in another country!

what’s the most challenging part? Having a 5 month old baby keeps me busy. I only get to truly work from 10:00PM to 1:00AM. That can be a challenge. She comes first so there are some days that I don’t get to create at all. I always keep turn around times in my shop announcements exaggerated just in case. I usually ship out no later than 48 hours though to keep customers happy.
any advice for others who want to start an etsy shop?
-Research what is selling! You can have great things for sale but if it’s not what people want at the time, it won’t sell! I don’t really like zebra print, it’s just not my style. I am more of a polka dot girl. I went ahead and started some zebra pettiskirts because they are selling well and I sell at least 2 a day!
-Find a model to wear your items if you can! Statistically it is more likely to sell because customers can see how big it is or how their child might look! Professional pictures SELL your product! A lot of photographers will message you about trades. I declined these offers because I would lose money. I offered a discount and we were both happy! I also went ghetto-fabulous and set up my own photo-shoot area for Ella. I threw a blanket over a chair as the background and laid her on her Boppy pillow. Natural light is best and I always edit my pictures to match the actual color as much as possible.
– Create a Facebook business page for customers to “Like”! You can show new listings, promote coupon codes and offer giveaways. About once or twice a month I have offered a free pettiskirt or headband for whoever gets the most friends to Like Lovella Bowtique. I usually sell double the orders those days and I get at least 150+ new likes. Great advertising!
-Only make things you enjoy! I was selling onesies for awhile and I started to loathe making them. I finally decided to not sell them anymore. They will come back in the future but I am coming up with better designs that have a higher quality.
-Don’t wait until you are done making everything to open your shop. Add to it as you make things. I still have tons of college, Minnie and holiday bows to add! The day I started to upload things, I sold a bow without trying!
-Renew your top selling things everyday. It puts them at the top of the list. Be careful on renewing though because it can get your Etsy fees high! I usually only renew 2 or 3 things a day. (20 cents per item)
-Tagging is very important. Don’t just tag a headband as baby and headband. Think outside of the box. Photo prop, birthday outfit, etc.
-Vistaprint.com offers free business cards and postcards. I created my own postcard and I use it for a product backing card.
-Also, having lots of color options for personalization is a great idea. Plus if you like something…you can get one in each color. ;)
any special goals you have set? My goal is to sell over 1,500 items this year. I would squeal if that happened! So exciting!

just for fun: what’s something that most people don’t know about you? I am one of “those moms” that is afraid my daughter will get a headache so I rarely put a headband or bow on her. :) The girl has enough to last her 10 years. I need to get over that.

thanks so much for sharing all that fabulous information! i’m happy to have you on my blog, and hope everyone goes and checks our your precious baby and adorable goodies! hope everyone has a great friday!!!

peace and love
xox

not sure if you’ve noticed but i have some pretty awesome ladies to the right! my lovely sponsors!! i am so excited to have them on PLC! throughout the month i will be featuring each one. :) get excited! i’m excited to learn more about them!

(ps- thanks for being patient with me ladies) :)

peace and love
xox