CYBER MONDAY FINDS

Hi! Its been a week! I missed the blogger world while I was gone. We traveled to Milwauke, WI for the Thanksgiving Holiday to visit my husband's family. I will share some highlights later. For now, I can't help but share some fabulous CYBER MONDAY sales happening in the handmade world today:) If you are like me and avoided the Black Friday lines and madness in the stores, this is your day to Christmas Shop! Here are a few fun finds to get you started! Just Click on the image:)

FOR THE HOME:

How about these adorable Tea Towels?! - DownHomeMany -

Free Reusable Shopping bag with 40$ or more purchases.

Ruffle Pillow Cover - Hettle - 20% off EVERYTHING

HOLIDAY STATIONARY:

Holiday Gift Tags - InklingPaper  - FREE SHIPPING

Holiday Card - SimplyInvitingCards - BOGO 1/2 off!

ACCESSORIES:

Olive and Orange Necklace - FleurFatale - Free Shipping!

Vintage Pearl Cluster Ring - DownandOutChic - 10% of everything!

HAPPY SHOPPING!!

And the winner is....

So I am really excited to announce the results, so first things first!! 

*THERSA BACKOWSKI, Breckinridge, MN*

I wanted everyone to win:) But I was excited when Theresa's name was drawn. She couldn't be more deserving. She is a wonderful mother with an ambition of her own to start an etsy business. I am excited to see what yummy goodies she will come up with!

Have fun picking ANY item of your choice from In Honor Of Design~ 

How was everyone's weekend? I participated in a Holiday Fair called the "See and Sell" which proved to be very successful! My store needs to be re-stocked now. I will be offering some exciting SALES this weekend to participate in the ETSY wide Black Friday-Cyber Monday, so look out for that! 

I am leaving town for Milwauke tonight (hence the pic of Randy from A Christmas Story) for the Thanksgiving Holiday to spend time with my husband's family, so if you don't hear from me, that is why! Will try to keep up with my posting. HAPPY MONDAY!

Style For Your Weekend

"COMFORT CHIC"

Thanks to my friend Ann for being the best Style Watch partner:)

Ecote Velvet Camisole - Urban Outfitters, $48

Tissue Long Sleeve Crewneck Tee - J.Crew, $32

Pleated Clutch Purse - Bad Kitty Hawaii, $22 

Patent Glittered Skinny Belt - Forever 21, $6.80

Queen Ann's Lace Jersey Scarf - Callaghan Art Gallery, $25.00

Matchstick Cords - J.Crew, $49.99

Vince Camuto Calto Suede Booties - Zappos, $102

Dream Weaver Drop Earrings - Forever21, $3.80

Have a wonderful weekend! Don't forget to enter the giveaway which closes tonight at 11 p.m.!

Shout Out Thursday!

Have a few people to thank! First of all, thanks to each of you for your sweet words, kind hearts, and congratulations on yesterdays post. I am humbled by it really! Its an exciting time, and what makes this adventure so fun is the people I get to interact with along the way.

Thank you to Angie from CherryandViolet  for featuring my piece in an etsy treasury. She has some beautiful jewelry! Like this Vintage Repurposed Necklace I have been eyeing!

Also, THANK YOU to my good friend Natalie from BusyBudgetingMama  for featuring the giveway post  on her blog ! She is one talented lady with super chef and design skills not to mention mama skills! Check it out!

Lastly, I am advertising now on two of my favorite blogs! Thanks girls for the opportunity. You can find me here:

APARTMENT #34 

Check out these lovely shops on Lovely Clusters! I have found some great items for Christmas here!

100th Sale Giveaway!!

It was an incredible day Monday, because I reached a big goal! 100 sales in my etsy shop ! I never thought I would reach that in a month and a half! God is good. So to celebrate, I am having my first GIVEAWAY!! ....the winner receives ANY LITTLE MISS OR LADIES ITEM of their choice in my shop! Read below for more details!

All you have to do is comment to enter for a chance to win!

To double your chances of winning:

1) become a follower of the blog OR

2) Tweet about the giveway with a link to the page OR

3) Announce this on facebook with a link to the page!

Names will be entered on Random.org to fairly choose the winner. You have until Friday @ 11 p.m. to enter! I will announce and notify the winner  on Monday! Good luck!

Thanks to all of you for your support and love, and being a part of this journey with me!

Accessory Fix Tuesday

When I do wear bracelets, its with a dress. It completes a classy look. J. Crew jewelry gets me every time. i think they need to come out with a J.Crew for H & M line .... wouldn't that be fabulous? Which one of these beauties has your eyes popping?

Clockwise from Top:

1) Infinity Bracelet

2) Jeweled Garland Bracelet

3) Shadow Facet Bracelet

4) Fringe and Cluster Pearl Bracelet

Check back tomorrow for some exciting news!

Weekend Recap

I didn't want my weekend to end! It went by so fast. Just a small recap: went to a football game, met some new friends, made some incredible stamp calendars at a class with my sister, celebrated a birthday, tried to get things ready for the upcoming craft fair, and did some Christmas shopping....HANDMADE of course;) For instance,

I bought this adorable burlap wine bag from Frenchie and Flea

I also got these lovely bags and tags from Hooray Design Shop to use for packaging some of my items for this weekend's craft fair:)

Will be sure to share some more Christmas Shopping finds soon! Looking for a great advent calendar...any suggestions???

Friday Finds from the Favorites List

On the bi-weeks between "Style For Your Weekend" I wanted to share a few fun finds in my favorites list on etsy:) I have taken the "Handmade Holiday Pledge" from Frenchie and Flea , to buy only handmade things for the Holidays to support small businesses! I think I can easily do this considering all the fabulous things I have found lately. Here are just a few:)

Clockwise:

1) Plum Purple Crysanthemum Ring 

2) Vintage Fabric Covered Mirror with Pouch, 10$ 

3) Comfy Chocolate Cowl  

4) Modern Grass Green Ruffle Pillow Cover 

Blogs I <3 and SHOUT OUT

I want to continue to do my Shout Outs on Thursdays as well as mention a few fun blogs I have newly discovered!
So here is some "Blog Lovin'"

Thank you so much to Meggy D from Chasing Davies  for a really cute award!
I have enjoyed following her blog and all her fun shoe finds and fashion ensembles!

Here are just a few of the blogs I have discovered recently that you should definately check out!

                                                     


                                                   

                                                     

I will share a few more with you next Thursday!!

xoxo

Anna

Store Debut : The Perfect Pair

I have been meaning to post about this exciting news! I am now selling both my Ladies and Little Girls Accessories in my first boutique store here in town! It is an adorable Soda Fountain/Gift Store that I just love to be in! My items sold within the first week so I am so grateful for that. Its a lovely shop and I am looking forward to expanding to a few others in the local area. Here are a few pictures of "The Perfect Pair"

Accessory Fix Tuesday

Since "All About Accessories" was the most voted for topic for the blog, I have decided to dedicate Tuesdays to this theme:) In addition to the "Style For Your Weekend posts."

I have been noticing lately a great deal of jeweled tops. Some are over-jewelled, others clash and cling, but here is a few I thought were fantastic....

You can remove this necklace from the shirt and wear on its own...except its a pretty penny. So why not find the right jewelry to layer over your crew neck styles, or buy one already dazzling:)

aka new york neclace top

                                                 

Love this ensemble

Silk Streamers Cami, J.Crew

                                                                          

You can wear this with just about anything!

Metallic Bead Necklace Top, Forever21

So....which one catches your eye??

Weekend Recap!

This past weekend my sister Tricia came to visit from St. Louis. There is nothing like family. I am blessed to have TEN sisters and brothers, all who are each unique and all who make a big impact on my life in their own way. Tricia is getting married in April, so we had fun catching up on life, and talking wedding plans:) The weather was gorgeous so I hosted a BBQ Saturday to take advantage. She also modeled some new pieces for me that I will put up in my etsy shop soon! My husband snapped a few pictures of us trying to get serious to take a good pic:) This was after church, and we all happened to have yellow in our ensembles..

Introducing: Style For the Weekend! Brought to you by the A's of Fashion

Recently, I was asked to design a layout for an online magazine for my dear friend Rose. Its geared for young Catholic Women and shares powerful, positive content. To be included in this, I was asked to put together a Style Page. I of course asked my amazing friend from college, Ann from Daily-Ann-tidote , to help me put together a feminine and chic ensemble. We had so much fun collaborating on this that we have decided to add it as a permanent addition to our blogs! We most likely will feature a new spread bi-weekly. So here is our debut page brought to you by the "A's of Fashion" ;) Will be looking for great designers to feature so if you have any suggestions, send them our way~

Here are the links for these fun finds:

Dress: ShabbyApple.com , 79$

Earrings: Anthropologie.com , 38$

Ring: Shabbyapple.com

Sash: inhonorof.etsy.com , 12$

Clutch: Silvermint.etsy.com , 17$

Shoe: Nine West, Piperlime.com , 89$

Shout Out Thursday!

Didn't want to forget my shout outs for the week! Oh, and FYI, I got rid of my background on my blog because I was feeling cluttered when I looked at it- ha ha. I feel so much better now!

First, I wanted to give a shout out to Gina from Hettle Blog . She asked me to answer the question "What inspires you"...she has the loveliest etsy shop and blog!! Thank you so much for letting me be a part of it!


Also, thanks to Rachel from LovelyClusters (one of my top ten faves) for featuring one of my pieces this week!! If you haven't seen this girl's blog yet, you will FALL IN LOVE.


Lastly, thanks to my Shop,Swap, and Blog partner Mandy from 2sweetthings, for writing the nicest piece about our exchange. It was so fun working with you! Her shop is simply adorable!!!

Thats all for now! See you tomorrow for a new blog theme debut! Its fantastic!!
xoxo
Anna

Holiday Craft Fair Madness!

Forgot to write about the craft fair! This past weekend was the local Holiday Fair which I participated in. I wasn't sure what to expect since this was only my second one and the first was much smaller. It ended up being a huge success! I went beyond my goal in sales, and had so much fun interacting with different people and helping them shop for their friends and family. I had a blast, and I can't wait  for the next one. Here are a few pictures of the items on my booth:) This was after the morning rush of ladies who ransacked the headbands:) Stay tuned for the Thursday Shout out!

                                   

                                    

Now That's Good Photography! Featuring: Simply Hue

After all the votes, I have narrowed down what my daily post topics will be. Fun Finds by color was one of the top three voted for. Under this category I will be featuring different photgraphers according to shades of color, since their is nothing better than a colorful photograph to brighten up your day:)

I simply love Simply Hue. Visit her fabulous blog here . These are a few of my favorites that each have hints of soft yellow:

                                                     

                                                     

You can purchase her prints on her etsy shop ! They are perfectly priced:)

SHOP SWAP AND BLOG!

Sorry I have been MIA all weekend. It was CRAZY FUN. Will post about the craft fair later. For now, I have some exciting things to share. I participated in Structured Chaos' Shop Swap and Blog. We were assigned a  partner who blogs and crafts, and we sent each other items from our shops. I was partnered with Mandy Pfeiffer from 2sweetthings. Let me tell you, this woman is TALENTED. I can't say enough good things about her.I felt like it was Christmas morning when I opened up her adorable package. Here are the photos, and then I will tell you a little about her! See her links below and pay her a visit!

The whole package.

Precious Baby Girl Booties.

Look at the lovely tag! Her packaging is exquisite!

Matching Burp Cloth and Boy Booties!!

A little bit about Mandy:

I am a student of Jesus, stay-at-home wife to one patient man and to two lovely little ones, Remy (3) and Halle (1). I have always loved creating things, and started blogging about these things about a year ago. I think in the last year making has helped me find a bit of myself that was lost after having kids and devoting all my time and energy to them. I'm learning (baby steps) that I have to do things for me! =) I was fortunate to grow up in a home where creativity was always encouraged. My mom sewed, sawed, painted, and my sister and I were always right in the middle of it with her. I grew up believing that there was nothing I couldn't at least try.

What made me start my business:

2 sweet things (named for my own '2 sweet things', my kiddos) sort of just started on its own. I think I always daydreamed about making and selling things, but it just stayed in my head. When I had Remy, I was really frustrated that there weren't more cute things for babies, especially little boys. (I didn't know about etsy!) I was pregnant with Halle when a friend gave me her old sewing machine. I went to the fabric store almost immediately and bought fabric to make some cute burp cloths, and it sort of snowballed.I started with just bibs and burp cloths in funky fabrics and started adding shoes & things I loved for my own kids. I began making dresses when I grew more frustrated with sizing.I hate that you spend lots of money on things size to only get a few months worth of wear. My goal was to incorporate extended sizing so that the items grow and change with the child.

What you plan to accomplish with your business:

I am already shocked at how 2 sweet things has grown in just the 4 months since I began listing on etsy! This winter I am going to be having a booth at two different craft fairs and I am also going to begin selling items at a local boutique. My goal once the holiday craziness is over is to really concentrate on building a seasonal collection, most likely starting Spring '10. I would also love to grow my etsy business and find several "brick and mortar" sores that would carry my designs.

What you get most out of your business:

I think for me this is sort of the fruition of a dream. I feel really blessed, satisfied (and tired!) after a day of creating. I am so thankful for each sale and the opportunity to provide people with cute and funky things for the 'sweet things' in their lives.

Your Favorite online shop:

I absolutely can't choose! Every day I look through the amazing shops on etsy and find about a zillion that I could live in! Recent discoveries that I love are Crafty Mama Designs , who makes the most darling hair clippies, and Kori Clark Designs , who makes wonderful stationary. I am trying to narrow down which Christmas card I'll get this year from all her great ones!

Visit Mandy!

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