Thursday, December 30, 2010

new designs and a GIVEAWAY!

Hi friends! Isn't the new look perty?! Thanks to Shannon @ Persnickety Pages and More! She was a doll to work with  and she was so patient with me while my mind, ideas, and visions changed constantly. I'm in love with the final design and I feel like it represents me and my ::hopefully one day--brand:: well. :)

Now...onto the good stuff!!

My shop is open and I'm taking orders again! I spent the last few lilly nap times cutting, layering, bunching, and sewing some sweet new ruffle flower designs. I'm really loving the new look of these flowers. I especially love this:

{pink champagne ruffle ribbon necklace}

and this:

{blush ruffle flower headband with lace accent}

and these:

{eggplant ruffle hairpins}

Because I'm SO excited about my new blog and I'm SO excited about my new blog design and I'm SO excited for my new items in my shop and I'm SOOOOO excited that you've decided to follow me...I wanna giveaway $15 SHOP CREDIT to one of my followers!

Here are the entry rules:
::pretty please leave one separate comment for each entry::

Mandatory Entry: Follow my blog publicly and introduce yourself! 
extra entry #1 : Travel over to lillypie.accessories and tell me what you'd  love to spend your shop credit on.
extra entry #2: Grab my blog button and display it on your blog and tell me that you did.
extra entry #3: Like lillypie.accessories on facebook and let me know you are!
extra entry #4: Facebook about this giveaway and tell me that you did!
extra entry #5: Blog about this giveaway/link back to me and tell me that you did. :)


Winner will be announced  Wednesday, January 5th! Good luck friends and thanks for entering!

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Monday, December 27, 2010

what can you do in your cozy coupe?

eye luvs krishmash!!

How was your holiday? Ours was great once Scott and I spent 24 hours with the evil stomach flu! bah humbug to that!  Scott and I both woke up early Christmas morning, because well....who doesn't! We set everything up for the big "reveal" for lilly and guess who decided to sleep in.....
We sat out on the couch for twenty minutes debating on if we should wake her because AHHHH!!! IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!! or if we should let her rest because we were preparing for Lilly to catch the bug that we  battled.
We decided to wake her. and bless her heart she woke up to a blinding flash because this momma HAAAD to document it. :) I think the shot was worth it. I love lilly bloopers. Girlfriend woke up with a smile on her face and she toddled out into the living room to find...
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

less go mommmmaah! eye luv dis!

eye can read in hur.

eye can mash taters in hur

eye can drink milk in unopened sippys in hur!

thanks, mah!


this gal? got her dream camera this year. bye bye bad over exposed nasty flash too high ISO photos! :) and it just so happened to come with a gorgeous little camera strap cover. in eggplant ::swoon:: with ruffles  ::die::


Saturday, December 25, 2010

Friday, December 17, 2010

handmade is...

handmade is important.
 

when you buy handmade you are supporting a passion. you are supporting a dream. you are supporting a family. DIRECTLY.  i don't know about you, but I love that feeling.

i have some favorite shops. wanna see em? i don't know these women personally (with the exception of one) , but i love their art. they didn't contact me to feature them. i just love their passion. enjoy lillypie friends!

Madrin Designs--Georgeous jewelry. I own several. She creates timeless statement pieces that most of time feature asymetrical adornments of  filligree and these amazing flower beads she makes herself!! I discovered her at a craft fair this summer. Drooling madly over this:

 and this
You can find little miss Madrin Designs    


all pictures are from the Madrin Designs Etsy Shop!




Steel Dreaming Designs--Waaaaaay flippin awesome steel fabric covered magnet boards. I have disa one hanging in my kitchen

 The magnets are super strong and it's an adorable way to hold and display all the important things in your life. If I was sayyy...and organized person? it'd hold my grocery list for the next week  or say the bills that I still needed to pay orrrrr a menu of the following week's dinners.

but since I'm not? it holds pictures of my Lilly.

and it looks lovely either way.

I'd love this one:


this grey/beige color is kind of an obsession of mine right now....

all pictures are from  HERE
Which is also how you can get to this beautiful shop!

MT Designs - another fantabulous jewelry designer of whom I know personally. She uses semi precious gems and creates....well? masterpieces. The kind of jewelry you plan an outfit around. Oh who am I kidding, the kind of jewelry you BUY an outfit for.



gorgeous, no?
Planning on snatching up the fist necklace real soon. I think it will help keep the spirit of sping alive in the dead of Indiana winter come February.

Find MT.....HERE!!


Seams Mod-  I adore any woman that can sucessfully handle a sewing maching. Maybe if 6 hours were added to my day I could learn. I would love to make bags and pillowcases....and dresses. I found this store while trying to come up with a solution for a diapering delima.

DELIMA- No longer need my hauuuuuge petunia picklebottom on a daily basis. A quick run to target doesn't requrie the big honker anymore. I've been tossing diapers and wipes into my purse.....but it's really not cute when you're looking for your debit card only to find it tucked into the clean diaper in your purse.....on principal alone---it's gross. 

SOLUTION-- diaper clutch. Found this little shop and fell in love. again.  {do i use that phrase too frequently...}


Toss this puppy into my purse....good to go.
or... Or OR! ORRR!!!!!!
Toss gloss, keys, and debit into this pretty and go from there.

{however that prolly won't solve my debit card in diaper problem...} still.

Find SEAMS MOD here
.
Last one, OH DIER - I stumbled upon this lovely gem while browsing an etsy treasury. Having been an ex-uppercase living demonstrator, you KNOW I love words on walls. I used to have one in every room and have slowly taken them down one by one because I became...bored ...with them. Money down the drain. and now? BAM ::oh dier:: has come into my life. More words! yay! I love their vintage wooden creations! If I follow my crazy hair, I'd love this hanging in my kitchen ;) This is probably on my top 25 words to say list. Yes, I know. ..
however, this one is a bit more realistic. ::sigh:: still gorgeous nontheless!!

Find Oh Dier products and photos featured HERE
 

Monday, December 6, 2010

crawfordsville craftSNOW!

i've always been a fan of a good craft fair. i'm ALWAYS up for traveling to a gymnasium at a high school, booth in a park, or building --and luckily? so is my best friend since ferever... :)

::we luv craft fairzz::

and NOW that I've been a vendor at one???

i'm addicted!!!!!

this past saturday, i did my first craft fair. i was invited to participate in a small artisan show and it was the perfect show to get my feet wet. after tossing my babe in the tub after the applesauce "incident" i threw myself into trying to design a shabby chic, eclectic, crafty but not CRAFTY display. piecing together my display was almost just as fun as creating my designs.


overall the show was good. it happened to snow 4 inches that morning and i think that kept a lot of potential shoppers at home. i made money. met some amazing new artists. networked. passed out lot of business cards. had a blast with my life long bestie.


::heeeeeey buy some ruffle flowerzzz::


::hi pretty::



this momma also learned a few crafty fair lessons

1. an 8 foot table does NOT fit in an elevator very well
2. no, a table is NOT just a table. it does make a difference how much the table weighs. I borrowed my classrooms table ::shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh:: and goodness gracious. that table is SOLID. a SOLID 100 pounds. I'll be investing in a quick foldeminhalfandgo30buckaroo table from costco next time. :)
3. bring a calculator. craft fairs make you automatically dumb at basic arithmetic.
4. one table= crowded and cluttered table
5. two/three tables = less crowded, simplified streamlined look =happier lillypiers. :)



::happy girl::

Friday, December 3, 2010

CHECK YO DAUGHTER

story time, friends.


most times i feel like i'm always 3 steps behind my mind. my mind is thinking, scheming, dreaming, planning, organizing and my body? gets distracted.

i always have great intentions. those only get you so far. right now i'm loving my busy life. holding down three full time jobs. mommayyy to lillers. teacher to the 4th graders. crafter and creator of lillypie. the jobs begin to blurrrrrrr together a lot of the time. i think of headbands and sewing at school. i make mental notes of a project or an assessment idea while feedin my darling her peas; or i step away from my craft room to read "Go Dog Go" for the 5th time in one evening.

Sometimes? I slack. and neglect.

I rushed home Tuesday evening to a to do list a bashillion miles long.bashillion? yes....that long.  dinner. lilly. facebook update. check email. complete 2 orders. package. respond to emails. etsy. relist items. feed lilly. bathe lilly. clean kitchen. design a craft fair table. my brain was on over load. OVERLOAD. i started dinner and sat down to check some emails and facebook. lilly was cooking her own "dinner" on the floor with a potato masher and tupperware lid. GOURMET.  Checking away. and click clackin around on the computer I saw her reach into her diaper bag. wasn't phased. didn't care. i became engrossed in a silly status update of facebook and zoned. you know the one. the facebook zone. where you are thinking" Why on earth did they post that. seriously? oooh people commented. lemme read demz. alllll"

:::NEGLECT:::

5 mintues later?

MY DAUGHTER IS COVERED HEAD TO TOE IN APPLESAUCE.


 and nomming and clawing her little chubby fingers into the container that she successfully opened with her masher. Ingenious little gal.


I laughed. Then turned the laptop around and videoed the girl. Who was BEAMING with pride.


my to do list changed a bit after that incident.

WATCH YOUR DAUGHTER
check email. facebook.  CHECK YOUR DAUGHTER.relist on etsy. check paypal. WATCH YOUR DAUGHTER. cut fabric. singe fabric. WATCH YOUR DAUGHTER.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

::i'll sleep later::

i'm not going to sleep tonight until i've made 7 necklaces, 20 headbands, 3 sets of shoe clips, 10 sets of pins, and I tag them, price them, package them, and figure out how to display them in a funky, cool, lillypie kinda way.


i have my first craft show in 3  days!!!






holymothercow!!!!!!

:)

Monday, November 22, 2010

::it's beginning to look a lot like christmas ::

vertigo makes you dizzy and nauseous. teaching while nauseous and dizzy could end in an epic teacher fail of the year moment. i decided to stay home this morning and try to get the world to stop spinning. i have not yet been  successful.

wanted to show you what i've been working on lately.

i love the holidays. i love the decorations, the smells, the spirit, the SHOPPING!, the love, and the coziness of the next month. i've been working on some holiday designs. in my opinion all of these designs are meant to be shared. meaning....baby wears it one day. mommy wears it the next! is christmas not the time where you can take risks? and dress festive? HELLO!!!! Have you been to a school lately? not my school surprisingly; we are all stylish and have retired our jean jumpers.

anyway, my idea is that this collection is versitaile. the perfect trimmings on a beautiful outfit and spirit.







Wednesday, November 17, 2010

inspired

What inspires me to create?
Well....it of course changes daily if not hourly  because....
1. I am a woman
2. I am Laura

RIGHT now I simply cannot get enough of ruffles.
The chips are tasty, and I'm so glad they have riddddddddddddddges, but I'm talking light, airy, add a touch of whimsy ruffles.

::SWOON::: ruffles 

Tonight I've been creating some new designs for my shop for the holidays. I found my self creating a ruffle pattern over and over. Ruffles and layers.

So tonight, err-- today what-have-you I'm inpired by pretty ruffles.

Ruffles on petticoats for baby birthdays {with a matching headband of course}
 umm...yes please!



 these shoes immediately caught my eye...which is ironic because if I was wearing them?
I'd no doubt need catching. as  I stumbled down the stairs, street, outta the car, while attempting to breathe.

What has been inspiring you lately?


all photos found {here}

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Benefit Holiday Craft Show

Craft fair. Lillypie accessories is about to have a booth at a craft fair. :)

I was contacted by a friends mother in laws friend cousin's baby-mommas nieces aunties (hehe) whose a photographer and whose friends are hosting a benefit holiday craft fair. I was so excited to be asked.  I freaked out and practically fell outta my chair when I was asked!

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE CRAFT FAIRS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sure, you have the random hand painted wood plaques and the homemade pillows shaped like Mrs. Claus. You'll have that. But there is nothing better than discovering a little shop and FALLING in love with the one of a kind NO YOU CAN'T Find it at Target  feeling. Nope, no one else will have one like it. Nope, you don't have to worry about it falling apart because it's handmade. One of a kind(ish). and when people ask you were you found it? You get to say and sound so artsy "OH I discovered this charming little shop at a craft fair." BOOM. :)

I've found my favorite pieces of jewelry at a craft fair. Buying handmade is important to me. It always kinda has been, but more so since starting my own business. My views and passions of buying homemade is a post destined for another time. Because right now I wanna let you know where you can find LILLYPIE live and in living color in a few weeks.

Ready?........................ CRAWFORDSVILLE Artists Show Support Holiday Show

When?  Saturday, December 4th
Where? The 2nd floor of the PNC Building in Downtown Crawfordsville
Time? 10:00 am-2:00 pm
Admission? $1 and all proceeds go to the Faith Alliance Breast Cancer Resource for Montgomery County

What will be there..............

MEEEEEE!!!!! and some beeeyooootifulll accessories.

Matilda Jane. ::squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee:: 
Word Art
Art
Paintings
Pottery
Clothing
Accessories
Jewelry
Handbags

 Grab a Peppermint Mocha, get in the car with your girlfriends (kids optional), drive to crawfordsville, shop, say hi to muah, go to lunch at Little Mexico (FAMOUS!), drive home, wrap up your goodies you found at the craft show, and marvel at how much fun you had and how SMART and AMAZING you are than you have a unique gift to give and how cute you'll look in the item you just happened to treat yourself to.

:)

Perfect day!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

if you're happy and you know it....

I've been crafting and creating accessories since June. Not long. Right? I've never had a complaint about a product, however I've spent lots of time stressing over what people think of what they've purchased.

I want people to be happy. I try to be creative with my headbands. I also try and keep the cost low. I've made changes to many of my products to make the quality better.

I had my first complaint today. And I'm taking it personally.

A headband was shipped last week that had an edge that was fraying. I always heat seal the edges of the fabric to prevent this. I must have missed this one. I feel silly. sad. and a little dumb.

I want people to be pleased with the product and I'm really having a hard time with the fact that someone isn't happy. 

My husband, in trying to cheer up this sad headband maker, has reminded me that one unhappy customer shouldn't overshadow the 200+ happy customers. I'm focusing on the one.Because one unhappy customer really bothers me.

I'm in the process of fixing the problem. I hate the feeling of disappointing someone.

If you've purchased...and been happy....I could use a little pick me up. :)

How about a song...

Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiif you're happy and you know it, leave some love. ::clap? clap?::

Thursday, November 4, 2010

i {heart} etsy

Do you remember the day you first were turned on to etsy?


I do.

I spent the rest of the week stalking. and dreaming. and "hearting" everything in sight.

I was 6 months pregnant.

I was hooked.

I remember saying. " I wanna dooo thaat!!"

I spent the rest of my pregnancy and new motherhood months thinking about a skill that I could acquire so that I could open an Etsy shop " hhhhhhhhhhaaaalllelujah!"

Going on week three of lillypie on etsy. I'm having so much fun. I've shipped orders to  a photography studio in Australia, a new mom of a preemie to Chicago, a few friends from town ::thanks ladies::, and multiple orders to the wonderful western states. 

Etsy is changing my life. One accessory at a time.



Wednesday, October 20, 2010

accessories make an outfit

Some of you know that I have a little side business. This little side business is fun. This little side business allows me to be creative. I don't have to grade papers while doing this little side business. THIS LITTLE SIDE BUSINESS IS NOW ON ETSY!!!! Woot. Woot!

I started lillypie.accessories back in June. Remember?  I started on facebook and took custom orders through email. In a few short months I have made over 400 headbands/clippies/accessories. I've gotten this tiny bit of success from friends telling friends. I'm so appreciative!!!

I'm launching my etsy site tomorrow. THURSDAY! :) and to celebrate all my designs are on sale. ALL!! I have  headbands going for 2.50. TWO FIFTY!!



 I'd love for you to take a peek at my shop. I have lots of diverse items. I have accessories for newborns, infants, toddles, grade-school gals, and mommies!! I design headbands, clippies, shoe clips, and statement necklaces.


If you're browsing and like what you see...consider 'hearting' me? Pretty please with a cherry on top?
Let me know what you think. I'm dying for some feedback. :)