ITTI-BITTI BABY BOUTIQUE

Hello, I’m Erica. I’m a stay at home mommy of two delightful little boys, who are the inspiration to my Etsy shop The Itti-Bitti Baby Boutique. After being introduced to motherhood, my ideas for simplification, affordability and style became my starting point for creating my shops items. I wanted all mothers, not just me, to know that you don’t have to choose between quality, price, practicality and great style anymore! you really can have great things for a great price with my shop.

All of my items are handmade and are great for all mothers with infants or toddlers. My All-In-One Changing Pad Diaper Clutch is my number one selling item, with a diaper, wipes and changing station pad all wrapped up into a small folding clutch with an easy find, easy to grab ribbon handle, and so carrying that big diaper bag to the restroom is finally over! My Bibs and Burp Clothes are great for catching little spills and dribbles, along with those big messes that come along every once in a while…or all the time! The boo-boo bags are great to have at home for bumps and bruises, scrapes and scratches along with the occasional small burn.

Whether it’s just a grocery run, a play date or a cross country road trip, you’ll always have convenient simplicity at your fingertips all while looking chic, At the Itti Bitti Baby Boutique!

Visit Itti-Bitti Baby Boutique at  www.mommmyerica.etsy.com.

SPECIAL! Etsy Coupon code MOMMADE 15% off.  

Featured Mom: Flowerz In Her Hair

Our latest interview is with Amy Jackson, a creative Utah mama whose journey led her from the corporate world to working from home! Learn more about her story below!

01. Tell us a little about yourself!
I am a happily married (13 yrs ) mother of 3.  2 Boys Mclayne 12,  Chandler 8 & a little girl Delaney is 5.  Along with my home based businesses I am also the Vice President of our City Youth Football program.  I am also active in my church and volunteer  quite a bit of time there.  My children are all very active in sports which takes up a lot of our evenings but I wouldnt’ change a thing.  I love watching them grow and excel and succeed in what they enjoy doing.

02. What lead you to creating your own business?
I have a degree in business but quit working in the corporate world when Chandler was 15 mo old so I could be home with my 2 boys.  I began watching other people’s children in my home so that I still had some income.  When I was pregnant with Delaney (the first girl in my family of 10 grandsons) I started looking for hair accessories but was always disappointed with low quality and high boutique prices so I started making my own bows.   Flowerz In Her Hair was actually created by a wonderful lady who decided after a couple of years that she wanted her life to take a different route so she put the business up for sale.  In January of 2009 I purchased Flowerz In Her Hair.  I have kept the same concepts of the site and products but added several of my own creations as well as tried to keep up with the trends.

03. Describe a typical day in the life of YOU!
I still babysit a bit so a typical day is getting my own kids up and going and receiving other people’s kids.  First thing I do is check my e-mail and answer anything that is urgent.  After everyone is fed and ready I can usually sneak in an hour or two of bow/flower making.  Then it’s time for lunch before I know it.  After everyone is down for naps, I continue filling orders and getting orders ready that need to ship that afternoon.  I’m always checking e-mails and staying connected through twitter and FB.  By 3pm my kids are home and we start homework and shipping.  I print labels and send my hubby off to the post office.  After all the extra kiddos get picked up I start dinner, we eat, then hubby cleans up and I get to the serious work.  I have a very supportive husband who takes over in the evening so I can fill orders, answer e-mails and make changes to the website.   He does baths, stories, and bedtime and sometimes when I’m really busy I can even recruit him to make some flower clips.

04. What is your best piece of advice for fellow WAHMs?
My advice to other WAHM is LOVE what you do.  If you don’t love it’s not worth it.  It is really hard to work at home and I love what I which makes it worth it to me.  Also try and involve your family.  If your kids are old enough give them “jobs” that help you out.  My kids love to “work” for me.

05. The best part of being a WAHM? The worst?
The best part is I love what I do and I get to be home with my kids doing what I love.  The worst part is, I never get to leave my job.  It’s here all the time and I feel like sometimes I work 7 days a week 24 hours a day and if I had a regular job it would only be 40 hours a week

06. Favourite blog? Music? Book? Movie?
I love a lot of different blogs but I love personal ones the best.  Where people share their lives and help encourage other’s through their own experiences.  My favorite music is anything that gets me moving.  I like pop, rock and pretty much everything.  I’m an avid reader but  I can never pick a favorite but I love John Grisham books, and I mostly read fiction. I enjoy any movie that entertains me.  I’m not picky, if it was entertaining in some way I liked it.

07. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In 5 years I hope that my business is still growing.  I love making bows for the everyday mom, but I am also trying to get into selling more wholesale.  Especially as my children get older and I can travel more and do more marketing I hope to see my business grow.

Find Amy online!
Shop :: Facebook :: Twitter

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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!

BlogHer Handmade: Are You Going?

I think by now we’ve all heard about BlogHer and their fabulous yearly blogging conference (which I hope to meet some of you at!) but do you know about BlogHer Handmade?

This year, the lovely folks over at BlogHer are teaming up with the brilliant minds behind The Creative Connection to bring you a jam-packed handmade, social media, entrepreneur and food extravaganza! BlogHer Handmade will run September 15-17th, 2011 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in St. Paul, Minnesota and promises to be QUITE the affair!

From the event’s website:

We are partnering with the pioneering women behind The Creative Connection to serve two active and eager communities:

• Women who have turned their handmade creativity into enviable small businesses and who want to learn more about how to use social media to promote and distribute their work
• Women who are blogging their handmade creativity and building loyal, enthusiastic supporters, and who want to learn more about how to take their craft to the next level and turn a hobby into a business

CLICK HERE for more info about this spectacular event!

Stay up to date with exciting event news via The Creative Connection’s Twitter & Facebook!

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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!

LEHLA SHOP

Lehla Shop specializes in Couture style tutus and Unique Children’s items.  Every Lehla Shop tutu is hand crafted and created as a unique piece of art. Tutu styles include Traditional, Knotty Girl, Pocket and Petti-tu tutus!  In addition to tutus, you can find custom birthday outfits, burpies, bow & headband holders, messy blooms and key fobs!

A favorite at Lehla Shop is our SuperYou superhero shirts! As seen on “Tori & Dean, Home Sweet Hollywood!” & the Cover of Star Magazine!  Lehla Shop’s newest addition includes custom clothing and Graffiti Sneakers!  I am a creator at heart and I love challenging myself to constantly create new items for your sweet ‘little bits’! I hope you love what you see as much as I love making it all!  I flourish with new ideas, so if you don’t see something you like, let me know! I would love to work with you to create exactly what you want!  And don’t forget, everything at Lehla Shop makes a great gift too!

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!

VITAL EARTH TRADITIONS

Vital Earth Traditions is an Herbal & Aromatic Company that creates natural chemical free products for you home and body.  All of our orders are made fresh as orders are placed to ensure the longest quality shelf life and then shipped directly to your door.  Our product preservation is a natural process using natural preservatives that have historically been known to act as preservatives, have scientifically proven to act as a preservative, provide the skin with valuable nutrients, medicinal value and that have anti-aging qualities.  Because of our handmade process you will find bits & pieces of small herb in the bottom of the bottles and jars from Vital Earth Traditions.  As always, you will be satisfied with your product or it will be replaced at no cost to you.

Our mission is to provide you with product made with the freshest natural ingredients possible.  All of our creations are made by hand as orders are placed to insure quality.  Our skin is our largest organ and it should be cared for with the utmost respect and not taken for granted.

Visit Vital Earth Traditions at www.vitalearthtraditions.com.

SALE!  35% Off Sale Starting Oct. 1^st Use Promotion Code  “MOM09” at Check Out.