Featured Mom: Silly Mama Quilts

Good morning to all you lovely Mom Made That! readers! Today I’m really excited to bring you a little interview with the incredibly talented Brooke of Silly Mama Quilts. It’s not hard to fall in love with her eye-catching designs and attention to detail. Be sure to browse through her Etsy shop (and blog!) to take a look at her colourful pieces. I’d certainly be thrilled to cozy up with one of her beautiful quilts!

01. Tell us a little about yourself!
I am a Mom to three kids at home – 11, 9, 7 and a 24 year old daugther who is married and just graduated with her Masters and working!  I am also apart of Amanda of the Quilted Fish’s design team.  Amanda is a fabric designer for Riley Blake fabrics.  I get to design new projects that are debuted on Amanda’s blog – tons of fun!!

02. What lead you to creating your own business?
I think is covered well in the intro piece I have attached.

03. Describe a typical day in the life of YOU!
During the school year, after my kiddos are off to school, I head out on a morning bike ride to help process my day, come home to chores and errands before heading into the studio to work.  In the afternoons I monitor the kids’ activities and then take care of dinner, homework and such things.

04. What is your best piece of advice for fellow WAHMs?
Find a balance in your life that you can live with.  I have quickly come to the conclusion that if I don’t take care of me, no one else will.  I have learned to take a stand for things I need – a bike ride for sanity, time in the studio to work and or create for example.

05. The best part of being a WAHM? The worst?
The best part is my availablity for my kids and hubby which can also be the worst.  I do love being able to work around their schedules without answering to a boss about how many sick days, vacation time and such.

06. Favourite blog? Music? Book? Movie?
I have several favorite blogs I follow – mostly related to fabric designers, design team members and quilters.  My favorite music is just about anything Contemporary Christian, movie – Return to Me, Sleepless in Seattle.

07. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I hope to be doing what I am doing now plus maybe more designing.

Don’t forget to visit her shop & blog. You can also catch her on Twitter by following @scrapquiltqueen!

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Désirée Fawn is a blogger/doula from Ontario where she lives with her 2-year-old daughter, Gretchen.
She blogs at So Fawned.
Follow @sofawned on Twitter!

Babble Announces Their Top 50 Etsy Moms of 2011!

We’re all ADDICTED to Etsy right? I know I can’t get through a day without browsing through for some neato handmade one-of-a-kind, or vintage wares. And I’m always SO impressed with the personality that many sellers put into their shops. I really enjoy buying from a REAL person — someone with a story to tell, a goal, a bit of magic to offer the world!

Just recently, Babble unveiled their picks for the Top 50 Etsy Moms of 2011 — a phenomenal list filled with more talent that I can fathom!

Check out their full list for some serious shopping inspiration. It’s never to early to start thinking about Christmas! And while you’re at it, you won’t want to miss the latest listings from Mom Made That!

Who would YOU pick for the Top Etsy Mom of 2011? Are you an Etsy Mom too?

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Désirée Fawn is a blogger/doula from Ontario where she lives with her 2-year-old daughter, Gretchen.
She blogs at So Fawned.
Follow @sofawned on Twitter!

Featured Moms: LaDy LaDuke

Today we’re chatting with the lovely ladies behind LaDy LaDuke — creators of some very stylish nursing covers, nursery decor and other accessories for fashionable mamas! Find out how these two sisters handle running a business together!

01. Tell us a little about yourselves!
We are Courtney and Betina…sisters, mothers, co-owners, creators and designers of LaDy LaDuke…Unique Items For Mothers & Women.  We grew up sharing a room, playing dress up, and looking through our Mom’s old Vogue patterns, but never really knew until starting our handmade business that we had planted in us a design seed waiting to grow.

02. What lead you to creating your own business?
We were at the Halloween pumpkin patch with our sister-in-law, who was trying to nurse her newborn, while chasing her toddler, while tugging at the back of her shirt to keep it in place, and we thought, why not make something that really works for breastfeeding, mobile moms! After research and prototypes, we came up with our “Feeder Frock” nursing cover invention, and opened our Etsy shop to sell it.  We now have over 25 unique Feeder Frock styles and more.

03. Describe a typical day in the life of YOU!
I get up early and check e-mails, etc. Betina and I live in nearby cities, so we communicate via e-mail a lot.  Then, I sew orders, package them, and try to make the last shipping time at 3:00.  After orders are out, I can check in with customers, check in on social networks, tend to our blog, tend to my husband, etc.  I sew again in the evenings before and after dinner.  All regular household chores are running at the same time that I’m sewing, like laundry, breaking for cleaning, etc.  I make checklists daily to complete what I have to do, so that I can make it!

04. What is your best piece of advice for fellow WAHMs?
Don’t ever doubt your abilities or what you can accomplish.  You just have to decide that you will do something, and you’ll notice that the more you do, the more you can do.  You also never know what you can do until you do it.  So always push forward and try, and if you didn’t get to it today, try again tomorrow!

05. The best part of being WAHMs? The worst?
There is real freedom in being your own boss, working in your home.  Moms lose themselves a bit while raising kids and being selfless in that respect.  Having your own personal goals and achievements through your business can keep you happy, sane and satisfied, making you an even better Mom.  The worst part of working at home is juggling the business and family, when there is no distance from the work place.  You don’t get to punch in and check out, and go home to family. It’s all right there, all of the time.

06. Favourite blog? Music? Book? Movie?
Blog: NiceGirlNotes…www.nicegirlnotes.com Music: Too much to name…Chopin, Rolling Stones, Bluegrass, Alternative, INXS, Heart. Book: All Jane Austen Movie: Pride and Prejudice

07. Where do you see yourselves in 5 years?
We see our brand bigger, with more to offer…being the place that Moms think of not only for something they need that solves their problems, but for something they want, because it is special and chic.  All the while, never losing our custom, personal handmade relationship with our customers.

Visit LaDy LaDuke online or check the Mommy LaDy Club! They can also be found on Facebook, YouTube & Twitter.

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Desiree Fawn is a blogger/doula from Ontario where she lives with her 2-year-old daughter, Gretchen.
She blogs at So Fawned.
Follow @sofawned on Twitter!

Featured Mom: Santa Barbara Creation

Today’s interview is bound to inspire us all! This creative mom is running her Etsy shop at age 90! It’s never too late to get started — see what Santa Barbara Creation‘s Sheila Ehrman has to say about her crafty biz.

01. Tell us a little about yourself!
I was born in Liverpool, England in 1920 (yes, I am 90!) and loved to knit, crochet, sew and do crafts from a very young age. I have lived in California since 1950 after marrying my World War II American sweetheart in Chicago. I have two children, Judi aged 60 and Brian aged 58 and their spouses and children. My husband died in 1959 at age 45.

02. What lead you to creating your own business?
My grand-daughter, Lisa, was my inspiration to start an Etsy shop. After seeing my beading work and crocheting, she said “You should open a shop on Etsy” and I replied “What’s Etsy?” I soon found out and started Santa Barbara Creation in May, 2010 which I set up and invited a friend who loved to knit to join me. She has since opted out of the project so I am running it alone.

03. Describe a typical day in the life of YOU!
Because I am unable to drive due to age and disability, I spend a lot of time at home. After brewing a cup of tea in the morning my next action is to check my e-mail to look for an Etsy sale and messages from friends far and wide. After completing my household chores, I usually work on beading or crochet for a couple of hours. I like to work in my garden and also enjoy searching websites for the pleasure of seeing other artists’ creations. I enjoy having lunch with a group of younger friends (all between 50 – 60 years old) from my art group who call me “Momma She”!! I spend a lot of “quality time” with my daughter and she, her hasband and I share the same home. Incidentally, I crocheted the neck scarf, earrings and necklace I am wearing in the picture.

04. Your best piece of advice for others working from home?
My advice would be to keep creating so when the big break comes you will have plenty of inventory.

05. Favourite music? Book? Movie?
I enjoy Show Tunes music; biographies and nature stories: romantic and mystery movies.

06. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
It is anyone’s guess where I will be in 5 years time but I hope I will still be running Santa Barbara Creation!!!

Shop Santa Barbara Creation online!

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Desiree Fawn is a blogger/doula from Ontario where she lives with her partner & daughter.
She blogs at So Fawned.
Follow @sofawned on Twitter!

Mom Made That! Mentioned on Etsy

Thank you to Amanda Steinberg, from Daily Worth, who mentioned Mom Made That! in today’s Etsy blog post titled Seven Steps to Understanding Online Advertising.  We have had amazing traffic and interest as a result of the article, which is very exciting!

You can read the article HERE.

Please take the time to shop through our mom businesses, who work very hard to provide unique, quality products and services.  In addition, if you are interested in promotion with Mom Made That!, you can LIST HERE.

So far, 2010 has been a super year!  BUY MOM!

NEW Moms in Business Group on Savvy Source!

Amy Bellgardt

Moms in Business

Guess what?  I’m leading a Moms in Business Group over at the Savvy Source!  I’m so excited to finally have a platform to discuss business one and one with you all. (or anyone who will listen)

It’s easy and painless to join the group HERE.

We’ll be discussing marketing, social media building, working from home, working outside the home, etc. Everyone is welcome, not just parents, so pass the word on!  If you haven’t started your biz yet, but need ideas, this would be great for you as well.  Our main goal is to support one another in this crazy journey we call business.

I would love to have you, please consider joining us!  If anything, you’ll love the Savvy Source website anyway, so win-win.

Again, you can join my Moms in Business group HERE.  See you there!

Business Tips…by a new MomPreneur – PART I

Make Networking Meaningful

When I first started selling on Etsy, I noticed that a lot of other sellers mentioned teams in their shop announcements. Some people were on local “street teams” – others were on teams organized by craft. Artfire has something similar, called Guilds. I was looking for a way to get my name out there, so I decided to investigate.

One of the products I sell is personalized/initial jewelry for moms. So, I thought it would be only natural to seek out mom-related “teams” on Etsy – thinking I’d find my target market right there. And while I did learn some very interesting tips (I’ll be sharing one in particular in my next article!) the group itself wasn’t quite the right fit for me. So I sought out a few more.

Two months later, some of those groups STILL haven’t contacted me back. In the meantime, I’ve kept searching. One group got back to me right away – I jumped in, and I’m so glad I did.

When I set out to find a team on Etsy, I did it with sales and targeted audiences in mind. To date, I haven’t had any sales within my group (I did make one trade!) but I have gained so much more. Etsy’s Team CAC discussion thread is one of my first stops each morning and one of the last stops I make at the end of my day.

The reason I keep going back is that selling online is HARD WORK, but within that team I can find a great deal of support and feedback. There are people there who I can celebrate with when I do get sales, and people who can pick me back up when I’m feeling discouraged. And we’re ALL thinking of ways to support and promote each other – something you definitely need to succeed when you’re selling online.

Getting into a team, guild or group is something I’d recommend to any online seller. Here are my suggestions for making it work for you:

• If you’re on Etsy or Artfire, start with their internal message boards. The people there know exactly what you’re going through.
• If you’re solo, check out Yahoo! Groups, Café Handmade, Ning and other social networking sites. If you have a suggestion for a site not mentioned here, put it in the comments so others can find it!
• Shop around. Check out multiple groups. You may not find your fit right away.
• Remember, it’s a TWO-WAY (or four-way…or ten-way…conversation). You can’t just drop in, promote yourself, and walk out and wait for the sales. If you only talk about yourself, you’re really just teaching people to ignore your posts.
• Remember that age-old rule from junior high – if you want to make friends, you have to BE a friend. It’s very, very easy to feel ignored online. Don’t take it personally! You have to work at your online friendships, just as you would in your “real-world” ones.

When it comes to networking through teams, groups and guilds, the payoff can be much more rewarding than money. You can find mentoring relationships, emotional support, honest feedback and plenty of other value that make message boards worth your time. Just make sure to budget your time – so that your chatting doesn’t take away from your business.

Heck, you might even find some sales. While I haven’t sold to the people I’ve networked with, I have bought from them. And when Christmas comes around, I already know where I’m getting a lot of gifts. Because I know the person behind the shop, I can’t wait until I have the chance to support them.

Kristin Walters is a writer, crafter, and mother. Her shop, www.one9designs.etsy.com combines her passion for all three. Check out that site for personalized, hand-stamped sterling silver word jewelry in creative inspirational and family-related designs.