Friday Favorites

It's that time again, friends! :) Friiiiday Favorites.

I love Fridays...because that means I am one day closer to having Lover Jon home with us. I treasure weekend family time, and am so glad that I have a sweet husband who enjoys hanging out with us, too!

Sappy, sappy..mush!

Okay, here we go....

I LOVE these chips! I have always loved Doritos, but these Spicy Nacho ones really kick it up a notch. Delicious!

Who doesn't love an adorable Garden Gnome?! I want some of these for the front yard, but I doubt Jon would allow that. He is a firm believer of no statues/deer/etc in the front yard.

Oh, I am LOVING the Classic Bows right now! I am adding a ton to the shop lately, AND Bow Ties for little dudes are coming soon! (Shh!)

I have really enjoyed working with Lace lately. I love the elegant and feminine look that it gives.

Oh dear Christian Louboutins...I want you so bad. so So SO bad.

I have always been a bang hater. And now I am a bang lover. WHY does it take me SO long to get on  the bandwagon?

Old fashioned/Vintage Parasols! Isn't this lovely?! If I were a professional photog, I would be ALL over these. Sooo GWTW.

This makes me READY for Halloween. Think I could convince the family to do this?!

I think I have a better chance of convincing Jon to let me do this....LOL.

Thanks for joining me!

Want a chance to win one of these Blueberry Lemonade Hair Clips?!

Just leave a comment saying what your family is planning to be for Halloween this year?! I will draw a random comment winner on Sunday.

See ya soon!

Cr o c h e t.H a l o s - Making Them My Own

Have you seen these things?! They are seriously the CUTEST things for photography props, and well; for any little one to wear!

They are soft, comfortable, and are versatile enough to wear all of the time.

I instantly fell in love with them.

There is a fine line between loving an item and creating your version; and a copy cat. The latter of which I never want to be.

In all honesty, I have no idea how others that make these sweet little Halo's make them; all I know is how I create them.

Of course, mine DO look different than others on the market, and I am not quite ready to give away all of my secrets...but, I do have one amazing stand out factor to mine; they have elastic backs.

Most of the Halo's on the market either are closed and don't have much stretch room (so you have to order a specific size), or they have 4-5" long "tails" on the back to tie them. (Can you imagine how hard that could be on a newborn?!)

The **new** Crochet Halo's from Nesto are ordered in any size that you need (NB-XL), and then since they are yarn and don't give very much...the elastic that we use offers 2-3" additional inches so that the headband can be worn for a much longer time period.

I know, I know...I am a headband genius. :P

Here are some of my newest lovely creations:

These ARE available in the shop.

Welcome Fall Collection 2011 - Starter Set

Hi again friends, fans, and followers!

I have a pretty awesome, somewhat exclusive, hair accessory starter set. This Welcome Fall 2011 Collection Starter Set will not be offered long, will be limited supply, has some pieces that will NOT be offered separately, and is a fabulous deal.


Without further ado...

Look at all the pretties!

On to the nitty gritty, here is what is included in the package:

* Dark Teal and Gold Bloom Fleur Hair Clip
* Bubblegum and Royal Blue Bloom Fleur Hair Clip
* Lavender Hydrangea Single Headband (not offered out of the package)
* Yellow Berry Bright Skinny Headband (not offered out of the package)
* Plum Hydrangea Headband w/ Gold Ruffle
* Peridot Green Double Hydrangea Headband (not offered out of the package)
* Royal Blue and Gold Satin Bow Headband
* Tan Delphinium Flower Headband w/ Lace

(The hair clips can be on a headband instead, just let me know when you order.)

Now, I know all of you are wondering how much a package like this costs..and I hope that you're pleasantly surprised!

This package usually costs 68.70, but the special "Friends/Fans/Follower" price is 52.00.


Just a few guidelines:

** This offer cannot be combined with any other offers, promotions, or coupons.
** Does not include shipping, shipping is 3.00 to US/Canada and 7.00 Internatinal.
** Colors cannot be changed in this set.
** This Collection is LIMITED, and will only be offered for a few weeks.

***If you would like to order, please email me at RobbinsNest102@gmail.com with the headband sizes that you need.***

I am reeeeeally excited about this Collection, and I hope that you all are too! :)

Blog Feature Sunday - Get to know Michelle at Beautiful Dreamer's Design

Click HERE to visit BDD!

Please tell us a little bit about yourself.-My name is Michelle and I am a work-at-home mom of four daughters, ages 2 - 9.  I have been happily married for 13 years.  I live in Southern Alberta, Canada.  I am self-employed and am the creator/owner of Beautiful Dreamers Design.  My business is dedicated to making hand-crafted nursery and children's room decor.

Name three words to describe yourself.

-Creative, persistent and perfectionist

Name three words to describe your shop.

-Expressive, kid-friendly and whimsical

How long have you been creating? How long have you been selling your product, and what made you take the plunge to sell to others?

-I have been a creative person since the day I was born. I always loved drawing, painting, crafting. I would often do things as gifts for family and friends. Officially I started in 2008 after my husband encouraged me to take my love of creation a step further and evolve into a business. I originally started by doing interior design and implementing those design concepts into children's rooms. After my fourth baby, I decided to take it to the Internet and start making custom room decor online. I have been selling on-line for the better part of a year and a half now. My husband told me that cateering to clientel online would allow me to continue to stay at home since it was too hard to work on client rooms in their homes with an infant. I wasn't too sure it would catch on to be honest, so you can imagine how shocked I am at how successful it's been thus far,

Tell me a little bit about your creative process?

-Typically my client's give me a basis on what to work from. Design concepts seem to come to me pretty easily in my mind. Some clients are very particular and tell me EXACTLY how they want things done, while others will hand over the creative reins so to speak and tell me to go with whatever I think works. It is honestly one of the biggest compliments to have someone trust your artistic integrity to allow you to come up with something without their imput! It is also stressful because you can only hope they had the same vision that you do! LOL. I am not big on rough drafting. Usually what I come up with design wise is done as I go. I pretty much get a visual picture and go with that. The more I tend to over-think a project, the more it doesn't turn out how I'd like it to. I treat every piece as though it was going into my kid's own rooms.

I love that you're able to really take ideas and run with them! I am sure that is nerve racking, but certainly really fun.


Can we see your work space?

-LOL my whole house is my workspace really! I have things everywhere even though I have both a formal office and a workroom. I like a lot of light so I kind of follow the sun around the house. However I am pretty organized with my supplies and keep them accessible.

I am pretty impressed, Michelle!

What are your other passions?

-I have really gotten into gardening in the last few years, which is funny since it never interested me before. I love reading and I write a lot. I started writing a novel about 7 years ago, and it's a work in progress. However with my life as it is, I seldom have time to work on it! One creative muse at a time I guess! I am always looking for ways to give back to the community and to causes. One cause close to my heart is Autism awareness and fundraising. One of our twins is Autistic, so as a parent of Autism, I know how important it is for social awareness, education and understanding!

I agree, doing work for Causes is SO important! It is amazing the impact that even small/medium businesses can have through community, fund raising, and just awareness!

What are your two favorite items from your shop, and why?

-Hmmmm that is a toughie. I think the items I enjoy the most are the decorative wooden names. I love the new names, and different designs/fonts. It always keeps things fresh. I do love the piggies even though they are the most time-consuming of all my products. I find they each have little personalities and I love how kids get a kick out of them.


What are some of your favorite shops?

-There really are too many and I wouldn't feel it fair to choose some over the others. I have gotten to know a lot of other business owners and befriended them. Talk about smart and creative ladies out there! I am in good company let me tell you!

Lastly, what is some advice that you would offer to those interested in starting their own shop?

-The biggest advice is to be confident in your business! I think that anyone can have a business plan, but if you don't believe that you can succeed with it, it will never get off the ground. Don't get discouraged if things start off slow. You need to network and gain a respectable reputation. Business doubles by postiive word-of-mouth. And remember a customer isn't just someone who you exchange money for product with. It is every single person you interact with so keep it light, friendly and professional!

Now it is onto my favorite part of the feature, where I share some of my very favorite items from Michelle's shop!

Isn't this business plaque adorable?!

I love these colors together, such a cute little Piggy!

Michelle, as always, it has been a pleasure! Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to spend some of it with us! I have really enjoyed learning more about you and your creative process!


Thanks for your donation to the Mega Giveaway!

Friday Favorites

It's that time again, friends...Friday!
Do you have any exciting plans for this upcoming weekend?! I am pretty sure that we don't have any; probably have lunch with the family Saturday, and maybe hit the pool. I NEED to go to the pool, it is sweltering hot here...and it is making me miserable!

Okay, enough of my complaing, let's get to the things that make me happy!

Freshly mowed yard. (Nope this isn't MY yard, but it IS pretty!) Thank goodness our yard guy comes today!

Shamelessly addicted...I can't.stop.watching.

I loooove Rompers! Too bad they only look great on toddlers and super skinny ladies. I am neither, so I, unfortunately, cannot partake.

I am really into Pink Pearls as of late. I just think they are such a beautiful twist on an old classic. I am expecting a Pink Pearl Cluster necklace any day now, and I cannot wait.

I am seriously digging these colors together. Mint and Chocolate were made to go together. Weeeell, at least in color form.

Hydrangeas. The more and more I see them, and USE them for hair accessories; the more and more I like them.

Braided hairstyles. Seriously, C U T E, right?

I came across this looking for things that were "Chocolate & Tan". A lot of Dachsaunds came up (Not a fan, sorry!), and so did this. I would love for my bedroom retreat to look like this. Wow.

I may be lame, but I went to Build A Bear on my 16th birthday. It came around MUCH later than when I was a little girl, and I desperately wanted to go. LOVED it. Now we take our kids every year, and their favorite stuffed animals are the ones from BAB.

 And because I am a shameless self promoter, I am also loving this shot from Jenn Hunter Photography:

Isn't she stunning?! I love her little mouth...beautiful. Thanks so much Jenn!! This sweet baby is wearing one of our Bloom Fleur Headbands.

Well, that about wraps it up! Thanks for stopping by, see you soon. 

Photography Shout Outs

A HUGE part of the Etsy-selling world is having amazing photographs of your items. Sure, there are some shops that have really bad/uninteresting pictures and still get sales, but it is definitely more common for the amazing pictures, pictures of the items being worn, etc that are the big sellers. There are several competitors of mine on Etsy (let's be honest, a LOT of people make accessories), that are HUGE sellers. I am talking 15-25 sales PER DAY!

I definitely am working towards that goal, and it is my hearts desire to get to that point one day. I would love for my items to "fly off the shelf" so to speak.

When I take a look at the competition, I notice two things... #1, they re-list ALL the time! Etsy is a super concentrated website, with a lot of awesomely talented folks. When you list an item at 9AM usually by 9:06AM it has moved back a few pages. You want to stay towards the top, and the only way to do that is re-listing. (At .20 per item, it can add up really quickly!)
#2, they have fabulous photos. Professional shots of their item/s being used, as well as a really fluid and cohesive concept throughout the entire shop.

I have been working with a Brick backdrop for my photos, and I absolutely love it. I love the colors, the contrast, and the overall appearance. But my item/s were still lacking those adorable newborn and toddler shots of my pretty creations being used.

You all have heard about my work relationship with Maddi Leigh Photography, and lately I have sent out sweet little "Photographer Packages" to several other photogs. I cannot WAIT to see my item/s on their amazing subjects. I know that the pictures will just be incredible.

Here is a shout out to some of the photographers that I am SUPER excited to work with in the coming months:

Twiddle Dee Photography

Christina Evans Photography

Karlen Kleinkopf Photography

Sarah Sweetman Photography

Browntography

Jenn Hunter Photography

<3 Thanks to Denise, Christina, Karlen, Sarah, Kathy, and Jenn for agreeing to work with my products.

Classic Elegance - New Shabby Fabric Flower's

I am so excited about the launch of this new line of Fabric Flowers. They are classic, elegant, beautiful, and come in an array of different fabrics and colors.

Each Flower is hand cut, and expertly arranged for a perfect, full appearance.

I cannot wait to create more of these beauties and get them added to the shop.

Aren't they L O V E L Y?

Peach Lace Vintage Inspired Classic Elegance Headband

Cerulean Blue Classic Elegance Headband

They are on the upper end of the price range offered at Nesto, but they are really time consuming. The Lace Flower took me over 45 minutes from start to finish. Of course, they are well worth it! :)

Do you love them?