Featured Artisan - Sam of My Beautiful Girl

  My Beautiful Girl was born shortly after my oldest daughter. After months of searching for the perfect wetbag, I finally decided to make my own. I had been a quilter for many years and I had always enjoyed sewing, so it just came very organically. With a bit of technical guidance from my Mom, I was off and running. Three and a half years later my business has grown and changed with the market and I now offer a large selection of products including wetbags, wipes, clothing, wool interlock, eco-friendly kitchen products and so much more!

My 4 children:


My Muse:


Babywearing at the Zoo:


The Love of my Life with our newest addition:




Team Hyena::  How do you fit sewing time into your days?
MBG:  I treat my business like a regular job with extra perks! I get all the kids ready in the mornings and then head to work in my studio downstairs. The older kids are at school, toddler is playing in the family room attached to my studio and baby is in my studio with me.

Team Hyena:  What does a typical day look like?
MBG:   Get up at 6:30 am, kids to school at 8, work until 11:30 or so, fix lunch and run errands, work a couple hours in the afternoon, pick up kids, do homework, etc, dinner at 5:30 or so, clean up, bath time starts around 7:30, everyone in bed by 8 and then I work or watch a couple hours of tv before bed at 10 or so.
 
Team Hyena:  What led you to working at home (wahm-ing)?
MBG:  I started wahming because I wanted a product that I couldn't find available so I made one and I was hooked.

Team Hyena:  You make lots of different types of items ... what is your favorite thing to make?
MBG: I have self-proclaimed crafting ADD so it changes almost daily. I enjoy making OBV yoga pants, but if you would have asked me that at the end of my last coop, they were the last thing I wanted to make. I really enjoy making everything, that's why I am kind of all over the place. :-) 

Team Hyena:  What is your favorite fabric to work with?
MBG:  Quality knits! I much prefer sewing knit clothing than any other and working with lush thick interlock is just heaven! 

Team Hyena:  What do you love best about being a WAHM? What would you change if you could?
MBG:   I love being able to be with my kids. I can drop everything and go to the science fair or rock the baby all day and I don't have to explain myself to anyone.   If I could change anything, it would be the fact that I am a workaholic. I work more hours now than when I worked outside the home. 


Now ... it's giveaway time!
PRIZE:
My Beautiful Girl will give away one FREE Squishy. What is a Squishy? Luscious Organic Bamboo Velour to comfort and soothe your little one. Sized at approximately 17"x17" and perfect for your child to hold, snuggle, chew on and even as an impromptu blanket.

Value $12, Open to anyone



  How to enter: 
* Visit My Beautiful Girl on etsy and leave a blog comment telling us your favorite item


Additional entries:
* Follow the team blog and leave a separate comment telling us you are a follower
* Fan the team on facebook and leave a separate comment telling us you did so
* Fan My Beautiful Girl on facebook and leave a separate comment telling us you did so 


Please make sure to leave each comment in a separate post, and be sure to give us a way to get in touch with you in case you win! Winner will be picked using random.org on Monday, June 7th - good luck! 

* Winner =   Ľubaša - congratulations!

Funny Friday!

This cartoon is more for the yarn and fiber lovers out there, taken from http://www.the-panopticon.blogspot.com/ .



Enjoy!  This cartoon was submitted by Shannon of Gillyweeds

Featured Artisan - Judith of Jujube Baby

Jujube Baby provides a variety of goodies for your little one and family. In 2006, we began with cloth diapers and have since expanded our product line to include items for the whole family. The items range from crayon rolls to key fobs, plus hand-dyed yarn. I enjoy creating things that are functional and aesthetically pleasing.

In April of 2008, we introduced a line of shirts to raise autism awareness. Cool shirts with a purpose, they look cute while educating and advocating. More designs will be available soon.

What led you to become a wahm?

When my son was an infant I made cloth diapers for him because of the eco-friendliness of it and how nice it was on my pocketbook. Then, I began getting requests from friends and started making them for the local health food store. Many friends and customers suggested that I open a shop online, which began in 2006.

What is your favorite type of item to make?

My favorite thing to do is create coordinating sets. There are a few items that I really like to make and if I have to pick just one, it would have to be the knit needle rolls with a handmade button. I enjoy making buttons inspired by the fabric. Usually, I make a few buttons that coordinate and then decide which one fits the overall look of the roll that I am going for. The buttons can lend themselves to be very settle and blend in with the fabric, or they can yield more contrast and be striking.

What is the most rewarding aspect of being a WAHM? What is the most challenging?

The most rewarding aspect of being a WAHM has to be the flexibility of my schedule. It allows me the opportunity to spend more time with my son and attend to his needs. It really delights me when he creates his own item along side me as I am working on mine.

The toughest part has to be paying attention to balance. In addition to this business, I have another job of working part time for an accounting firm. Even though I work both jobs from home, finding the happy medium between my family and work is a continual challenge.

Where do you get your inspiration?

My inspiration comes from many different places. It can range from a photograph, or seeing something in nature, to one of my son's current interests, and even to an emotion. How that inspiration plays out depends on the medium that is used. I may play with a few mediums before I feel that the final item fits the idea.

What's your wildest dream for your business?

I think it would be wonderful if the shift went from being more end result of an item to an artistic rendering of an idea.

Now for the giveaway!

One randomly chosen winner will receive a 4.5oz skein of Cestari Superfine yarn in our new Garden Gothic colorway. This skein is valued at $26.

The giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents.

How to Enter:

Mandatory entry:

♥ Visit Jujube Baby and leave a comment here on what this skein of yarn  inspires you to make.

Additional entries:

♥ Tweet this giveaway and leave a comment saying you did so
♥ Blog this giveaway and leave the link in the comments
♥ Follow the team blog and leave a comment saying you are a follower (if you already are, leave a comment saying that!)
♥ Fan the Team on Facebook and leave a comment saying you did (if you are already a fan, leave a comment telling us!)
♥ Follow Jujube Baby on twitter and leave a comment saying you did (if you are already following, leave a comment telling us!)

The best of luck!

Winner is Kady L!

Wordless Wednesday

Friday Funny

It's $50 after all..

Morris and his wife Esther went to the state fair every year,

And every year Morris would say,

'Esther, I'd like to ride in that helicopter.'

Esther always replied,

'I know Morris, but that helicopter ride is fifty dollars,

And fifty dollars is fifty dollars'

One year Esther and Morris went to the fair, and Morris said,

'Esther, I'm 85 years old.

If I don't ride that helicopter, I might never get another chance.'

To this, Esther replied,

'Morris that helicopter ride is fifty dollars, and fifty dollars is fifty dollars.'

The pilot overheard the couple and said,

'Folks I'll make you a deal. I'll take the both of you for a ride. If you can stay quiet for the entire ride and don't say a word I won't charge you a penny!

But if you say one word it's fifty dollars.'

Morris and Esther agreed and up they went.

The pilot did all kinds of fancy maneuvers, but not a word was heard.

He did his daredevil tricks over and over again,

But still not a word.

When they landed, the pilot turned to Morris and said,

'By golly, I did everything I could to get you to yell out, but you didn't.

I'm impressed!'

Morris replied,

'Well, to tell you the truth,

I almost said something when Esther fell out,

But you know,

fifty dollars is fifty dollars!'

Wordless Wednesday

brought to you by Shanna of Sweet Slings

Tutorial Tuesday ~ Simple Glass Magnets

I redid my workspace recently, and realized I needed some magnets for my inspiration board. And of course since it was a crafty space, I decided I needed some crafty and cute magnets and why not figure out how to make them myself, so the color scheme would be exactly what I wanted.

This is a quick craft, taking maybe 15 minutes from start to finish, depending how many magnets you're making and what supplies you have onhand. Here's what you'll need:

- Scrapbook paper or similar
- Scissors (or a large hole punch)
- Adhesive
- Magnets
- Clear glass cabochons or flattened marbles

All supplies are easy to find at a craft store and probably even at local big box general merchandise stores. In this case I used adhesive made for glass and beads, but have also used Mod Podge and other clear adhesives -- so long as your adhesive dries somewhat quickly and completely clear, it should work. These are for my own personal use for gifting and using myself, but not up to selling standards. They should obviously be kept away from small children who are still likely to put things into their mouth, and magnets should be checked occasionally to make sure they're still firmly attached.

Step 1
I start out by going through my scrapbook papers and cutting out small circles or ovals of designs I'd like on my magnets. A hole punch for the size of cabochon you have would come in very handy, but I'm low tech and just cut things out by hand and guesstimate the size. After doing a few you get a feel for the sizing.

Step 2
Next it's time for assembly! I dab some adhesive onto the back/flat side of the cabochon and press the paper onto it (design side onto the adhesive so it show through the top of the glass). Squish it into place, make sure any air bubbles get smoothed away, and adjust to center as needed.

Step 3
Then dab a little adhesive onto the paper and place the magnet onto the back. Press to make sure it's on securely, then turn over and press again to make sure everything is sandwiched together firmly and positioned well.

Step 4
Give the adhesive a few hours to dry according to the package directions, and then if you have any areas where the paper sticks out a bit, you can shave those off (I just use my fingernails) or press them down around the edges if you'd like.

Viola! Cute as can be, matches my decor perfectly, and is a simple thing to put together for myself or a quick gift with a nice little metal tin to hold them.

Submitted by Lori, Alfabette Zoope