New Feature Standards

Hiiiya!

In an effort to make features quicker and easier for both those submitting and myself, I am setting up a submission standard that I hope you can all follow! If I can have mostly put-together features sent in then I can post them up a lot easier!

This interview set up is focused more on etsy shops or small artisans, so feel free to tweak the questions a bit to suit your needs.

1. What inspires you to come up with new designs?

2. How long have you been creating?

3. Where do you do your work? Do you have a dedicated area of your home, or?

4. Tell us about a goal you have for your business

5. What is your favorite album?

6. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

7. What is your favorite thing to do on a weekend?

8. Tell us about a new skill you'd like to learn

9. Where is your happy place?

10. Type any random thought here

When submitting, please also include a short bio and a photo of yourself at least 450px wide. Also include all of your promo links like your blog, facebook, twitter, etc. If you want to do a giveaway, please include a photo of your prize. I ask that prizes be at least $20 in value. The higher the value the more comments the giveaway will receive (average is around 200).

If you're interested in writing a feature guest post or tutorial, I am looking for the following on an ongoing basis:

- recipes
- digital freebies
- etsy/small craft biz tips
- photography stories
- get this look
- tutorials
- home tours

I like to maintain a high quality of design on the blog, so please keep in mind when submitting that I want only lovely photos and well written articles!

Also, remember when submitting that my waiting list may be one month or more, but if I say I will feature you, I will :) I get a lot of submissions and have to fit in coding between the demands of my family.

My email is spikernub@hotmail.com

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

The Best Bobbies

A host of the prettiest hairpins.



1. Lovely Vintage Hairpins 2. Set Of Four BobbyPins - Classical Elements 3. Posh Pink Hairpins 4. Strawberry Lime Collection 5. Vintage Bobbies 6. Spring Snow Hairpins 7. Peachey Trio 8. Vintage Button Bobbies 9. I Heart Picnics