Craft Space Decor

I would love to have my own crafting room. It's not going to happen right now, but one day I'd like a room to call my own. So for the day when I no longer have to sew at my dining table....here are some photos I like for my "one day" craft space. :o)

All three of these beautiful photos are from Freckles & Fairytales on Etsy. Maybe one day they'll grace the walls of my craft room! :o)

It's Christmas in July!

It's Christmas....

.......In July!

Artisan Spotlight featuring Auntie Di's De-lites

Remember the something new and different I mentioned from a previous post?? It's here!

Don't you think it's interesting to people watch? I mean people are so interesting! I could sit and people watch for hours and I don't think they'd ever get boring. I also feel the same way about looking at items on Etsy. However, I often look at items on Etsy and wonder things like: "What's this person like?", "How do they come up with these ideas?", "What's their favorite product?" And that's when I got the idea for "Artisan Spotlight".

Artisan Spotlight is a new series I'm starting that will feature Etsy Sellers that I love. The idea is simple really.... I'll ask them a few questions, share with their answers with you, and highlight a few of their products!

And up first in "Artisan Spotlight" is Auntie Di's De-Lites. Actually Auntie Di has three shops....Auntie Di's De-Lites, Auntie's Card Shop, and The Tempting Tart. I have ordered items from both Auntie Di's De-Lites and The Tempting Tart, and I can tell you for sure that her candles and tarts DO NOT disappoint! I'll admit at first I was a little nervous purchasing candles on-line. I mean, aren't you supposed to go to a very smelly store and smell every candle before deciding on the one to take home??? So, I started out small and ordered a pack of tarts. I wasn't expecting it, but I fell in love! Her tarts were wonderful! I'm not sure if she remembers but I complimented her tarts in an Etsy chat room, and someone said, "If you think her tarts are wonderful you should try her candles!"

The first candle I tried was Hot Apple Pie (which also on sale this month b/c it's the "scent of the month"!!). One of the things I love about her candles are that they are made of soy wax. Soy candles burn longer, burn cleaner, and hold and throw scent better than paraffin candles (oh so true). Soy is also a highly renewable resource which helps our friend the farmer! The wicks in the candles are all cotton cored, so no worries about burning wicks with metal cores! Her 16 oz. candle also burns for 110+ hours! Not to mention she has great prices! They are awesome! But enough about what I have to say....what does she say?? See the interview below!

(psst...clicking on the pictures below will lead you to the item in her shop!)

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SweetSamantha: You have 3 wonderful shops! How do you manage your time between all 3? Have you ever accidentally posted a listing in the wrong shop? Because that's totally something I would do!

Auntie Di: I'll let you in on a little secret.....most of the time I'm flying by the seat of my pants!! I have 3 kids, a four legged child, and a soldier husband who is frequently not home, so lots of times I'm running Mock 5 with my hair on fire. If there wasn't some level of 'crazy' going on, it wouldn't be me! My general rule is processing in the order things are received. As for time to create, I do that when I get the chance to think a complete, coherent thought without "Moooooooooooom, he looked at me!" "Mom, I'm bored!" LOL Every once in a while I have an idea that makes me lose sleep at night, so I lock myself away in my workshop, and threaten life and limb for interruptions.

SweetSamantha: Your candles are to die for. My favorite is the Hot Apple Pie. Do you have a favorite scent?

Auntie Di: I love the Cinnamon Buns, it's always been my favorite, however, I have really never met a baked food scent that I didn't like! Most recently, this has been carrying over into fruity scents also.

Cinnamon Buns - Yum!

SweetSamantha: What's your favorite part of the creative process? (coming up with an idea, buying materials, creating the product, etc)

Auntie Di: I reach a stage of nirvana when I get to create uninterrupted. (Come to think of it, it hasn't happened any time recently!) Lots of my ideas come from the Food Network, so I do enjoy coming up with new ones, I always have it on in the background when I'm creating! Cook books, family recipes, magazines all have delicious treats in them that I often wonder to myself "I wonder how this would smell as a candle?"

SweetSamantha: You have excellent customer service. Would you care to share what you think is the best customer service advice?

Auntie Di: I am a firm believer that customer service is second only to an awesome product! My customers ARE my business, without them, where would I be? I try to be prompt, fair, and treat them well, much as I would like to be treated when I place an order, whether it be from an Etsy shop or a big box store. Sadly, I think many times companies really get away from that. I have promised myself that my customers will always come first, no matter how big I grow.

SweetSamantha: How did you come up with the names for your shops?

Auntie Di: I started my candle business 10 years ago. My niece was then 5. She decided that I should call myself 'Auntie Di's De-Lites'...and so it was. I started my paper shop next, so the natural progression was "Auntie's Card Shop". When I started my tart shop most recently though, I wanted something a little 'tongue in cheek', so I thought long and hard and came up with "The Tempting Tart".

Check out some of her products below!! (p.s. I realize I posted a lot of food scents, but those are just my favorite! She has a wide variety of scents that anyone would love!)

From Auntie Di's De-lites:

Hot Apple Pie - 16 oz. (Scent of the month - On sale through July)

Vanilla Smoothie - 8 oz.

Cucumbers and Melons - 8 oz.

From The Tempting Tart:
Apple Brown Betty Tarts

Almond Coconut Cookie Tarts

Creme Brulee Tarts


And last but not least, From Auntie's Card Shop:

Orange Creamsicle gift tags

Feeling Fishy Get Well Card

You're a Peach Thank you cards

And that wraps up my very first Artisan Spotlight! I highly recommend checking out the products that Auntie Di has to offer....I promise you will not be disappointed! Thanks so much Auntie Di for being such a gem to work with!!

Little Dresses

Below is one of my favorite dress patterns..... Why? Because. It's. Simple! All of these are dresses I made last year. I have yet to make one this year, and I really don't know why *ahem*. It might be because we moved and had boxes everywhere for a while; or because my sewing machine was packed away and had to be found; or because I went through a little period of time where I wanted to sew, but I just couldn't bring myself to drag out all of my materials. In this case, "all of the above" would be a correct answer. Moving put me into a little bit of a sewing (or not sewing) funk.... digging my materials out of boxes, sorting things, trying to re-organize....I just wasn't up to the task for a while. However, NOW I am ready....I'm energized...I'm excited. I want to make new things....and put new twists on old things. I want to really give my shop a GO. So....there are a few things I'm going to be doing differently, but you'll just have to stay tuned to check it out.....

But until then, here are the sweet little dresses I adore.... (I also adore the sweet girl wearing them)....

This last one is actually longer than the intended length (which is supposed to be just below the knee)....I made it so it would fit her this year too, and it does. :o)

Home Sweet Home

I love looking around Etsy. My favorite part is looking not only at the items, but also the photography that's used to capture the beauty of a product. As I was looking around today, I found several items that were beautiful and also reminded me of the feelings of home....feelings like comfort, familiarity, warmth, and heart. So, I grouped the items together and made my second treasury titled, "Home Sweet Home". I hope you'll go check it out and let me know what you think!

So Nice

I just love it when people are nice, don't you? Last week I received an Etsy order for my hot pink zebra print pillow (it is by far my MOST popular pillow!), and the customer who purchased it could not have been nicer! She really made me feel great about my shop and my work. I am so thankful for all of my customers, and I sincerely appreciate your words of encouragement! You guys rock!!

Would anyone else like to share something nice that happened to them? Tell me in the comments section!! I love to hear from you!

Something Sweet

Lately I have been craving pie.... Pie designs, Pie shapes, and especially the sweet potato pie from Kroger with whipped cream of course! So I did what anyone else would do... I created a treasury at Etsy of some favorite "pie" things! These items are Sweet as Pie (and their creators are pretty sweet too)! So go check out the sweetest things that have caught my eye lately!