Pocket Change and Lip Gloss

My purse is in some desperate need of organizing. 

I'm always in a dreadful panic that I might have lost my precious iphone!

Any of these beauties would make life easier and so much sweeter. 

~Chelsea Ann

of ittybittybirdy

An Interview with Steppie - and a Giveaway!

Herro! I am Steppie; an independent artist/designer, but more importantly, a lover of design with an enormous passion for creativity. I am 23 years old, and I started my business shortly after I graduated from college. I have less than one year of experience on my belt, but am already surprising myself with how much my work has evolved. One thing will stay true with my craft though: I will keep killing you with cuteness... one tee, tote, and painting at a time. :)



1.) What kinds of things inspire you?

I'm inspired by a lot of things: nature, animals, patterns, colors. But often times, it's just me and my sketchbook. One sketch will lead to another, and when I have something that jumps off the pages and makes me smile, I know I've found something. I like to think of my work as modern simplicity -- taking cute creatures + patterns, and infusing it with my own little fun twist.



2.) What is your favorite thing to create?

Ooh, this is a hard one to answer! If you take a peek into my shop, this will be no surprise as it's obvious I love working with a lot of different mediums. I think I'm more obsessed with processes and the materials that are involved in a process. So the idea of bringing charcoal in contact with a piece of wood, or pulling fabric ink across a mesh screen, those are probably my favorite parts of being creative in general.



3.) Do you have a studio, or a corner of your house for crafting?? What is it like?

Considering I just graduated from college last year, the only place I can call mine is a bedroom in my parent's house. While I would love to have my own studio someday, the space I've created in my bedroom to act as my faux studio will have to do for now! Photos of my creative space:




4.) Have you always been crafty? If not, how did you get into making things?

Yes, I've always shared a love for arts & crafts. Growing up, my mom was a wee bit overprotective at the time and didn't let me wander outside the house after school with the other kids in my neighborhood. While some may find this "limiting" for my childhood, I actually found that it helped me become more creative with how I spent my time. And in turn, helped me realize my passion for making things. To this day, I'm more of a homebody, and the thought of spending time indoors with my crafts is my idea of a good day.



5.) Tell us about a new skill or goal you have for the future, related to creative pursuits or otherwise.

A challenge I constantly have for myself is to never limit myself to what I think I can do. It's almost reaching a year since I've started my business, and I'm still learning a lot about myself and what I'm capable of. The next step for my business is to continue concentrating on my clothing line -- I want to introduce more accessories, and even start a baby/kid line! It's all new exciting things from here on out, it's just a matter of time. Oh, if only time could be my best friend!



Steppie has generously offered to give away one of her CUTE panda faced tote bags to a very lucky paper*cakes finds reader! :) Please check out her shop, and leave a comment with your fave item for a chance to win. For extra entries, you can blog about the contest, or tweet it, or post in on myspace/facebook - just be sure to leave an additional comment for each entry! The giveaway will close at Midnight Atlantic time, on Sunday.

Steppie has extended her 15% off her entire shop to any participants/readers until 3rd! She is also offering a free gift with any orders from paper*cakes readers!! Just put "PAPERCAKES15" in the message to seller box at check out. :) Yay!

+ ( BLOG ) : http://designsbysteppie.blogspot.com/
+ ( TWITTER ) : http://twitter.com/xoxo_steppie

Giveaway Winner Update:



Congrats to Lindsey Lu! Watch for an email from Steppie! xo

Flickr FRIDAY!

1. Fiesta Pink Ring, 2. Bird Earrings, 3. Bows & Buttons, 4. Lil mini Coconut Creamcheese cupcakes for a wedding, 5. Colorful Tags, 6. Bike Rides to Town polka dot clutch, 7. Vintage Sugar Pink Berry Beads, 8. Summer Roses Spa and Travel PIllow, 9. Pyrex on green hutch top in Lake View

Ruffles.

Mm, ruffles. Nothing makes me feel like a pretty lady than wearing ruffles! :) (they hide flaws, you know).

an Interview with Ez Pudewa of Creature Comforts! :)

I am so excited about this interview... EZ has long been a source of inspiration for me. Her light, airy colors and pretty style are just so lovely! In addition to two etsy shops(nicepackage for supplies and wrenandchickadee for lovely prints) Ez runs the beautiful blog Creature Comforts, where she features design, fashion, and a daily inspiration photo. Subscribe to her blog, you won't regret it!



1.) You have two etsy shops, and an amazing blog. How do you find the time for everything as well as "real life" stuff?

Finding balance is something that I've been working on a lot lately. The truth is that when you are a blogger there is always more you can do...more inspirations to be had, more talents to feature, and so on. I'm trying to schedule my time more diligently so that I don't spent 14+ hours on the computer and instead can hang out with my daughter more regularly. So far I've taken to writing myself a loose schedule every morning. I try to stick to it as much as possible. When I know that I have 1 hour to write posts or have set 15 minutes aside to clean my dishes... it's much more likely to get done. So far so good!



2.) Your style is so fun, light, and pretty. What inspires you?

Thank you so much! Honestly (cheesy as it sounds) I find inspiration in almost everything. As a kid growing up this was hard because I was very easily distracted...I got in trouble a lot for not paying attention. I guess not much has changed since then, except that thankfully nobody sends me to the principles office any more. For example, I can be working on one thing and then suddenly the sunlight shines through the window at just the right angle and my mind goes off to some new and wonderful place. Of course this only lasts until the next thing distracts me...maybe a bird fluttering past, or the smell of the roses outside my house (and so on and so forth)...I believe the official term is ADD. It's frustrating at times, but really I see it as a gift and not something I want a cure from. : )



3.) Do you have a studio space, or a corner of your home for creating? What is it like?

Well, I spend most of my time at my desk in front of my computer...but I do have a studio space in the loft of our house. Truthfully, at the moment it looks like a craft store exploded up there, but I'm hopeful that all the organizing for my move will help me start my next creative space off on a better foot.



4.) What kind of camera do you use? Do you have any photography tips for us?

I am fortunate to have a Nikon D300 which I'm in love with (if my house was burning down and I could take two possessions with me, they would be my camera and my computer...is that sad?). I'm really new to photography and am teaching myself as I go along, so I don't have any official tips. However I would say, take TONS of pictures. Try out different settings and lighting (daytime, indoors, etc). Always experiment and don't be afraid of "messing up"... there is no such thing as a mistake in any creative venture. Regardless of how the shot turns out you are sure to learn things along the way.



5.) Tell us about a new skill or a goal you have for the future, related to creative pursuits or otherwise.

Part of being easily distracted (or inspired) is that I constantly have a million and one ideas flitting around in my head. There are some top secret ones I'm working on right now, but as for goals...I would really love to improve my photography and styling abilities and potentially book some jobs using these skills. Wouldn't that be fun?! No matter where life takes me I'm sure it will be exciting and full of inspiration!



EZ Is moving soon and is currently having a sale in her shop - today is the last day! Be sure to check out WrenandChickadee to take advantage of this amazing deal! (click the image to go to her shop)



Thanks for reading! xo

...and the moment you have all been patiently anticipating! :)

I'm going to post each winner as I draw them. Please be patient with me as this is going to be a long process! The first winner is:


Cherie of Cherie Blossom Designs! She won the lovely coffee sleeve from Karley.


Amber of The Butler Clan! She won the $15 credit from Verbena Custom Blends.


Tracy of Tracy B Designs! She won the notecard set from Lemon Drop Studio.


Kateof Bird Cage Cards! She won the notecard set from Amy Hatch.


Kim! She won the prize package from Kitty Robot.


Spotted Sparrow! She won the ring and earrings from Pretty By Pistachio.


Susan Cahill! She won the headband from Paola Luciano Designs.


Sweet Design Inc! She won the gift tags Percival Road.


Aik! She won the brooch Chicy Creations


Swish Designs! She won the unicorn soap from Soap Lane


Msjazzyfresh! She won the photo of her choice from Modern Classics Paper


Kristen Wilson! She won the re-usable snack bag by Fraybaby


Paula H! She won the intial necklace Arete


Anette! She won the fabric bundle from Flairforfabric


Cherie of Cherie Blossom Designs! She won the breakfast soap from Sunbasilgarden.


Melanie of Whimsical Creations! She won the embellishments from Tracy B Designs.


Parkermama! She won the dictionary pages from Dde4est.


Inu Inspirations! She won the cupcake toppers from The Tomkat Studio.


Sherri Boyce! She won the earrings from LimeGreenModern


Rachel Roberts! She won the chenille bib from Olive and Ollie


Ember! She won the relaxing tub tea from CherieBlossomDesigns


Naddezz! She won DIY owl pattern from SnugnLuv


Ms Kwitty! She won the $20 credit from Cheepvintage


Princess Tomato! She won the fortune cookie necklace from Tenthings


Spamgirl! She won thevintage sheet music from Paper*Cakes