In the Spotlight-Deidre from We Craft Daily

So I happened upon Deidre when I was following Season Three of So You Think You're Crafty. Upon taking a look at her blog 'We Craft Daily', I realized she was local! I approached her about utilizing some of our fabric for her final project and lucky for me she agreed! Well after all was said and done Deidre was the WINNER of Season Three of SYTYC.

Take a peak into her crafty life with our little interview. I've also included some pics of her projects-I am in love with the carseat cover-especially since we have our 2nd little one due in Dec.

How did you decide to enter SYTYC?

I didn't think I was capable of doing it, but just thought I would enter and see what would happen. It was really a personal challenge. A way of pushing myself beyond my limits.

Tell us a little bit about yourself

I am a mother of four children under the age of 6. That in and of itself is a busy life, but a wonderful one at that. My husband and I are both photographers for our business, Realife Photography. That, too, is insanely busy. But it is also an outlet and something fun for us to do together. I'm a busy person... often putting too much on my plate at one time. :) I just can't say no... mostly, I don't WANT to say no to so many things. I love to do a variety of activities and hobbies... what can I say?

how long have you been crafting

I can't even give a start time. It's always been a part of my life in so many ways.

how did you learn to craft

I grew up crafting with my grandmother and painting/drawing with my other. I took senior photos for friends while I was still in high school. Learned to crochet in college and majored (for a year) in art education. I taught myself to knit and sew (with the help of my grandmother) after I had children. It's a quiet, peaceful thing to craft and create at night when the little ones are all tucked in to bed.

what's your favorite crafting activity/medium

That's tough... probably sewing. i love the joy of making clothes for my children and saving money.

do you sell your craft anywhere

Not currently. But I am working on selling custom car seat covers on Etsy. Stay tuned for that in the next week or two... http://www.etsy.com/shop/Deeedra

do you have a crafting blog/why did you start it

I do have a crafting blog called A craft a day. My goal was to do a craft a day. But honestly, with all the things that have happened in life lately, it just hasn't been possible. SYTYC really hindered me having the time to do so too. Hopefully I will get more time soon. But you can check it out at www.wecraftdaily.blogspot.com

when do you find time to craft

Lately, not often. But when I do, it's late in the night after my little ones are in bed until about 12:00 or 1:00 in the morning. You do what you have to :)

would you do sytyc again

I would consider it. It was VERY draining and yet, so self enlightening. I didn't think I could do what I did! I didn't think I was creative enough or even good enough at my craft

do you wish you could quit your day job and make crafting a business
or prefer to keep it a hobby

Not really as photography is art and art is really my love. I'm already doing that. I wouldn't change that for the world! I have done a lot of boring jobs in the past and none of them compare to what I do now. I love it! I prefer to keep sewing as a hobby that makes a little money here and there. It's my outlet from my business.

do your children craft/do you think it is/should be an important part
of their childhood

Not enough. They want to, but I find myself running all over the place so often that it's hard to do so. I do think it is VERY important and want so desperately to do more of it with them. I'm crossing my fingers that I will more this summer yet.

what is your favorite thing you've ever made

That's tough! I think my favorite crafts have been the gifts I have made for my children, a cape for my two year old, the magician costume (made for SYTYC) as a gift for my son (he hasn't gotten yet, his b-day is Saturday!), and the dress up box (featured on my blog) for my daughters birthday. But, my favorite useful craft has been the outdoor play mat (also made for SYTYC). THe play mat has been so great for my 9 month old. It's definitely my husbands favorite too :)

what are your fav craft blogs/websites

I have so many favorites, and you may even share some of mine. I love Dana from Made, Disney from ruffles and stuff, Amy from angrychicken, Char from crap I've made (love the title too:), and Grace from design sponge.

Not a Big Box Store

So I've been thinking about how to approach this post for awhile and I want to first make a disclaimer that this is not meant to offend anyone-I have the thoughts in my head but not quite sure how they will translate into the blog world!

So let me start by saying that I do not own a Big Box Store or a Chain Store or a Discount Store. I started Drawstring Studio because of a quilt I was making for my son for his first birthday. I went to the local Big Box Store looking for fabrics, I wasn't in love with any, but picked some out because I thought that was my only option. Later I was told about an independent fabric store on the other side of town. I went and the fabric selection was awesome! The fabrics were nothing I had seen before, they were heavier weight and better quality and ultimately were much easier to work with when quilting. (I ended up ripping apart all of the other squares that I had made using the Box Store fabric)

This lead me to look into it further and realize that we needed a fabric store on our side of town. Fast forward almost 6 months and Drawstring Studio was born.

I am not looking to compete with the discount stores, my prices will not match theirs, but their products will not match mine either. I am looking to support the crafters out there and to add to our community. Handmade is an art that has been making a huge comeback and I am so excited to be apart of it! I love what I do and love that I am able to share it.

Thanks for listening and if you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to shoot me an email at drawstringstudio[at]gmailDOTcom.

New Fabrics on Order!

I came across the Monaluna new Monaco Organic collection a couple of weeks ago and I AM IN LOVE! I have the order ready to go and the items are ready to ship so hopefully it's only a matter of days before I have these great fabrics in the store. I may even buy some yardage for myself to make a couple of things. Take a look and let me know what you think!!!!

Zewing Girl

I am SO very excited to announce that we are carrying Zewing Girl Items. I contacted Tracy about a month ago about making some items for the store. She stopped in, we picked some fabrics, and now we have these great items in the store.

If you live in the Milwaukee area, you're probably already familiar with Zewing Girl, she makes awesome items out of fabric including key chains, headbands, watches and more. You can check out her website HERE.

In our store we currently have keychains, headbands, rings, bookmarks and ponytail holders. I plan on expanding the variety of items that we carry from her ad time goes on and will have watches and bands closer to the holidays. All of the fabrics from the designs we have are made utilizing the fabric from the store!

Unfortunately I am not offering these items online at this time and don't have any plans to in the near future, but if you see a fabric you like in the store and would like to custom order a piece let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Sorry for the delay!

So I've had a bit of a delay in the slew of posts I've had planned for this week...manily due to the lack of internet at the store-which thankfully I remedied today!!!! Hello broadband. But these are the things I've learned along the way to getting where I'm at right now....

-Having no internet SUCKS, especially when you sell things online

-Figuring out what type and who you want to go thru for internet is entirely way too complicated

-the people who work at Best Buy near the cell phones have serious ADD-they just walk off when they are helping people, totally making the process longer

-The people at Verizon are nice, but I have no idea if they even helped me or if my broadband just decided to work

-I dont' think having Ethan in the store with me is going to work, even if it's only one day a week-I can only give him so many things to entertain himself

Ok I think that's enough of a little rant about the process of getting internet. All in all everything is A-OK and I can start listing items again and ordering.

So check back for some interviews-I'm a bit behind and have a couple of great ladies that I want to feature soon! (If you are a crafter or want to recommend a crafter to be featured, drop me a line at drawstringstudio [at] gmail DOT com)

Adios for now-I have to run and try to get my ad in before the deadline :)

The Store

Here are some quick pics I took before the Grand Opening on Saturday-I hope to have some professional ones taken in the next few weeks!

Also a big thank you to:

Charlies Catering Company

Sugar and Flour

Classy Girl Cupcakes

for providing great food and desserts!

Man vs George Design

I found this great card company when I last visited my "Shop Locally" section of Etsy. I immediately knew that the style would fit well into my shop. Just look at the tagline:

****WELCOME TO MAN vs. GEORGE, home of fun, modern greeting cards for people who think outside of the big box card shops.****

Lucky for me the cards I chose were in stock and now I will be carrying a small selection of Man vs George cards in the shop. Feel free to browse designs on the Man vs George Design Etsy Shop at manvsgeorge.etsy.com

Scrub Caps

I am now taking orders for scrub caps. These will mainly be available on a custom order basis allowing the customer to choose the fabrics and style. I have a pic of the bouffant style cap here but also make the skull cap style as well. (I knew this green head would come in handy some day!) Check out the etsy store for fabric selection or if you're local, stop in the store.

Giddy for Deliveries

I happened to look out my window and see the FedEx guy stopping outside our house...what?!?!?!? the books and patterns I ordered yesterday are already here! I'd take pics to show you all of the great goodies I unpacked, but my son took our camera into his room this morning and now is napping and I'm not quite ready to wake him.

Here's a list of some of the great items I got in for the store:

Books:

-Handmade Beginnings by Anna Marie Horner, 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby

-Sweet Nursery Chic by Susan Cousineau, Sew 50 Adorable Projects in 10 Charming Themes

-The Best of Sew Simple Magazine, over 50 Quick Sewing Projects

-What Shall We Do Today? by Catherine Woram, 60 Creative Crafting Projects for Kids

-One-Yard Wonders by Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins, 101 Sewing Project *I personally own another copy of this book and have it in the store as a store copy

-Best Ever Kids Costumes By Vinilla Burnham

-Sewing Bits and Pieces by Sandi Henderson, 35 Projects Using Fabric Scraps

-Pretty Little Presents, Presents Everyone Will Want

-Craft Corps by Vickie Howell, Celebrating the Creative Community One Story at a Time

-Crafty Superstar by Grave Dobush, Make Crafts on the Side, Earn Extra Cash, and Basically Have It All

Sewing Patterns:

-Pat Bravo, My First Playmat

-Amy Butler, Field Bag and Tote

-Brandywine Design, Hooterville Owl Quilt/Wall Hanging

-Cherry House Quilts, I DO too Quilt/Wall Hanging

-Favorite Things, happy feet clogs and slippers

-Favorite Things, The nappies cloth diapers

I don't plan on posting these on Etsy currently, just in the store but if you are interested or want more info on anything above-send me an email and we can work something out drawstringstudio@gmail.com

In the Spotlight

I am starting a new series entitled "In the Spotlight" which will feature crafters and brief interviews, and a look into what they create. So....if you are a crafter, craft blogger or know of one that does amazing things that should be shared with the world-send me an email at drawstringstudio [at] gmail DOT com

My first interview is with Sara of SaSa Originals. You can find her work online at www.sasaoriginals.etsy.com. Sara created some of her Ouchie Paks for me utilizing material I sent her. Above are some examples of other items available from SaSa Originals.

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

I am a stay at home mom of two beautiful children ages 2 1/2 and 16 months. It is, by far, the best "job" I have ever had. I love to create all kinds of things and decided to join etsy in November 2009. It has been wonderful :) (Technical difficulty-I cannot for the life of me figure out why this type won't turn black!!!!)

How long have you been crafting?

My grandma taught me to sew when I was four. I used to make all kinds of handmade gifts as a child. In college, I pursued a studio art degree because of my love of the arts.

How did you learn to craft?

I made things on my own since I was little.

What's your favorite crafting activity/medium

I love sewing and working with fabrics. A fabric store to me is like a candy store to a child. I also enjoy painting, decoupage, jewelry making, and sometimes I even do a bit of drawing.

Do you sell your craft anywhere?

www.sasaoriginals.etsy.com

Do you have a crafting blog/why did you start it?

Not at the moment, but may try one later on this year

When do you find time to craft?

My time to craft is during naptime. Lucky for me, both of my children nap at the same time, so I have a chunk of time in the afternoon to myself.

Have you ever considered participating in http://soyouthinkyourecrafty.blogspot.com/

I haven't heard of it until now. I'll check it out.

Would you rather make crafting a business or prefer to keep it a hobby?

I love what I do. I will never do anything just for the money. That said, if it turns into something big, and I still enjoy it, I would never complain.

Do your children craft/do you think it is/should be an important part of their childhood?

My 2 year old LOVES painting, playdough, crafting, etc. I think that creating art provides an outlet that children are unable to get from anything else. I think that it is an extremely important part of my children's childhood. Although, I would never force the issue if they weren't interested.

What is your favorite thing you've ever made?

A piece that I did for my senior art show in college. It was a tapestry that was entirely made of quotes that formed a circle. In the middle of the circle I made an illusion of boxes floating into space. It was definitely the one with the most meaning and very positive and inspirational.

What are your fav craft blogs/websites?

I don't really look at blogs all that much, but I do love spoonflower.com and of course etsy.com.

Daisy Janie

I want to take a moment to introduce you to the Daisy Janie fabric line. I just received our much anticipated fabrics from the Geo Grand Collection yesterday. Geo Grand is Daisy Janie's debut organic fabric collection. Fabric Nitty Gritty:

100% GOTS-certified organic cotton

4.5 oz/sq yd

44/45" wide goods

The colors are vibrant and great and all of the patterns coordinate really well with each other-I already have about a million projects in mind.

Now a little bit about Daisy Janie:

Jan DiCintio is the owner/designer behind Daisy Janie. She is a very very talented woman that has a background as a painter and once you take a look at her blog you will see she is oh so crafty too as well as an amazing photographer.

Her second line of fabrics is already in the works and I can't wait to get my hands on those!

You can check out Daisy Janie's blog HERE

I am now taking email orders for the Geo Grand Collection

drawstringstudio [at] gmail [dot] com

Introducing our New Logo!

I came across the very very talented Kathy at the Modern Polka Dot and she worked with me to create this logo for our store. There were quite a few revisions and tweeks but I LOVE the final product! And just in time for our Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday July 17th 1-5pm(I know I sound like a broken record!!!!)

We've been at the store working hard to get everything ready, I have mtgs with advertisers today and a mtg with a very crafty woman tomorrow that may be making some of her creations out of our materials to sell in the store. I'm going to wait until the details are ironed out to do a post on this, but I'm super excited about it.