MommyCoddle

Sponsor Giveaway : Lettergirl

And the random winner is Comment #1 (I've never had that happen!) Annette who said:

I really like the violet address stamp, with the little scalloped edging. Cute and simple.

Annette, I'll be in touch shortly!

I'm so happy to welcome back MommyCoddle sponsor Lettergirl. Gina is a creative mom who has a lovely etsy shop featuring custom handwritten stamps. Gina says, " I hope my simple products will give your ordinary tasks a touch of the extraordinary. "

I asked Gina to share a bit about herself and her work:

What inspired you to start Lettergirl?

I’ve been designing stationery for almost 19 years through my studio in Minneapolis, Dreamland. In 2008, I decided to try etsy and the name “Dreamland” was feeling a little dusty, so I started my shop as Lettergirl. I really never get sick of writing things out by hand. In fact, I recently added a section of my shop called “Quote of the Week”: I wanted to offer either a print or a digital file of one of my handwritten quotes each week, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I’d rather be writing than scanning or printing…so I decided to offer a handwritten original instead. It sounds crazy, but I don’t mind writing the same quotation six or eight times in a row (especially since I get to pick the verse in the first place!).

How do you balance it all–work, family…?

Isn’t that the struggle for all of us? I’m a big fan of touchpoints – sitting down periodically to assess where I’m at and where I want to be going. Last summer I identified three priorities for where I’m at in life right now and that gives me a lot of guidance. Taking care of my family comes first, earning a living is second, and growing as an individual is a goal I don’t want to ignore so that’s third. I find it’s a lot easier to manage the stray stuff that comes along when I look to those three priorities first. (I’m still working at making the third one a little less vague!)

What is inspiring you right now?

I just went to the American Craft Council show in St. Paul last weekend, and it was so inspiring. I’m really enamored with artists who are thorough and detailed craftspeople. Some of my favorites at the show were:

mary + louann

Patricia Palson

SoMi Tileworks

I’ve been exploring textile art the past few years and am trying to build a body of work I can be proud of. This always seems to be the low spot on the priority totem pole!

some of Gina's textile work:

Gina will be celebrating her blog anniversary during the week of May 16th and has a newsletter that will be available soon.

Gina is giving away a custom red rubber stamp (value up to $46) from her shop in the winners choice of designs –address stamp, bookplate, gift tag, etc. To be entered in this giveaway simply take a look at the Lettergirl etsy shop, then come back here and leave a comment letting us know which custom stamp design catches your eye! One random winner will be selected and announced on Friday!

And the random winner is Comment #1 (I've never had that happen!) Annette who said:

I really like the violet address stamp, with the little scalloped edging. Cute and simple.

Annette, I'll be in touch shortly!

I asked Gina to share a bit about herself and her work:

What inspired you to start Lettergirl?

How do you balance it all–work, family…?

What is inspiring you right now?

mary + louann

Patricia Palson

SoMi Tileworks

I’ve been exploring textile art the past few years and am trying to build a body of work I can be proud of. This always seems to be the low spot on the priority totem pole!

some of Gina's textile work:

Gina will be celebrating her blog anniversary during the week of May 16th and has a newsletter that will be available soon.

50 Comments

lessons in mass

We went to Easter Mass this morning. Actually, our family is not Catholic, but often times we run pretty close and feel pretty content among the liturgy and ceremony. On these holiest of holy days, we enjoy the pomp and circumstance, and often find ourselves walking through the doors of my grandmother's catholic church.

As I sat there this morning, wrangling a squirming baby, watching families file in, searching for enough seats together in a row, I enjoyed seeing the blending of generations. The constant whine of a baby somewhere in the church, the chatter of teenagers, the dainty nose-blow of the petite old lady in front of me.

It is something we don't get enough of. This mixing. This being together, shoulder to shoulder with someone half or twice our age. We have so much to learn from each other.

But the longer I sat there, and the more time I had to people-watch, I was struck by the teens and younger people around me. I watched the boy in front of me, blasting through levels of a snowboarding game on his phone. I watched the girl in the pew just down from our family, aimlessly scrolling her thumb back and forth across screen after screen of iphone apps while she uncomfortably glanced around the church and bobbed her crossed leg.

A boy across from me was sending a last-minute text.

Beside him a lady, greying and old, sat. And did nothing. She flipped through the missal, smiled at people as they found their seats, stared up at the light streaming through the stained-glass windows.

Another man, closer to the front was kneeling, head in his hands. Doing what I imagine was quieting his heart and mind for the coming celebratory service.

And it occured to me, in those moments how nice it must be to be part of that generation. To not be bogged down and distracted by apps, and texts, and emails. To be completely unavailable for whole chunks of time. To have no anxiety over what you're missing while you're "away". No worry that someone may have wanted you and you weren't there to answer the call. To have no other "world" to check in to. To be fully present in the life you are living.

The truth is, our reality is much different than theirs. And for most of us, life requires us to be connected in some way. And for many of us, this connecting is completely enjoyable and good. But just for a moment, don't you ever wish you could turn it all off? And just experience life that much more simply? To know what it's like to be unavailable, and undistracted?

There is something to be learned, I believe. If nothing else, those moments in the pews reminded me to take chunks of time and turn off. To disconnect. And as overused as the saying is, to be more present.

And like the incense of the Easter Mass that clung to our clothes as we left the church, I hope this lesson clings to my heart and mind as I step back into my life this week.

It is something we don't get enough of. This mixing. This being together, shoulder to shoulder with someone half or twice our age. We have so much to learn from each other.

A boy across from me was sending a last-minute text.

Another man, closer to the front was kneeling, head in his hands. Doing what I imagine was quieting his heart and mind for the coming celebratory service.

And like the incense of the Easter Mass that clung to our clothes as we left the church, I hope this lesson clings to my heart and mind as I step back into my life this week.

23 Comments

good finds

April Sponsor Giveaway :: Gathered & Sown

And the winner is IrishMama7 who said:

So cute thanks for your finds!

Congratulations!! I'll be in touch shortly!

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Good Monday morning, friends! So happy to start this week with a sweet giveaway from one of my April sponsors, Gathered & Sown. I asked shop owner, Angie to share a little bit about herself and her shop. More info about the giveaway at the end of this post.

If we could all have friends like Angie's, who leave bags of vintage fabric hanging on her front door….

What inspired you to start Gathered & Sown?

Gathered & Sown was more or less started by accident. My friend and I made bags for ourselves, and before we knew it we had people asking if we could make some for them, and it snowballed. When I really started to think of this as a business, I was inspired that I could do something I love, while contibuting to my family's income. I love sitting down with a new idea and just the process of putting it together. I design my own products from start to finish, so when I hold a completed product in my hands, it inspires me to do it again!

How do you find time to balance it all–your business, your family…?

It can be difficult at times, but I have found a few things that work for me. Most people think that since I work from home, I have a lot of "free" time. So I have had to learn to tell people that I am working. I have set myself regular work hours, and I try to schedule appointments, and even fun things around my work schedule. In that schedule, I allow myself one hour in the morning, after my daughters are off to school to get my house in order. (I hate coming up after working all day to a crazy, messy house!) I usually work until my kids get home. I also try really hard to adhere to "off" hours. When my whole family is home, I limit my computer time, my sewing time, even my phone time. I try to be as available to my family as I can. This allows me a balance of being Gathered & Sown by day, Mom and wife by night.

What is inspiring you right now?

I love the thrill of the hunt… looking for fabrics! My friends and I enjoy those fun, vintage finds while we are scouring garage and estate sales. And those out of the box ideas, like taking a beautiful vintage curtain and seeing it as a large piece of fabric! And I am so blessed to have a group of friends who loves finding things for me, so it's not uncommon for me to find a bag hanging on my front door with "inspiration" in it!

My design ideas are usually inspired by the fabrics I find, but it can also be the other way around. When I found this funky blue and orange vintage plaid fabric, I knew when I saw it that pleats would be perfect for it, so I designed the pleated tote around that particular piece of fabric. Another time, I had a friend tell me she was looking for a tote bag that could be converted to a backpack. I had no idea how to do this, but once I figured it out, and showed her the sample, she excitedly called me to tell me she found the PERFECT fabric for that bag. And this is how I work. So you could say I am inspired by life. People tell me an idea they had, and I challenge myself to create it. Or I can come home from an afternoon with my friends with a literal a pile of "inspiration" to turn into beautiful things!

Gathered & Sown is giving away this cute red print vintage-inspired wristlet (pictured below) from her shop to one lucky MommyCoddle reader. Simply enter a comment on this post to be entered. The winner will be randomly chosen and announced on Thursday.

When you only need the basics, you are all set to go with our wristlet. This popular bag works as a wallet, holding all of your nescessities, but giving you the option of pulling it out of your purse and using it as a purse on it's own. The clasp on the strap gives you the freedom to secure the wristlet wherever you need it. On your stroller, diaper bag, purse strap, belt loop, shopping cart, you name it!

Inside you will find two built in credit card pockets. The strap is 8 1/2 inches long when open. The wristlet measures approx. 7 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches.

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And also welcome to new April sponsor OhPlah! (On a personal note, I have one of these teething cuffs and I LOVE it! If you are having a baby or needing a great little baby/shower gift, definitely check out this sponsor. I think I might just need to freshen up with a new color for spring.)

And WELCOME BACK to our sponsors:

And the winner is IrishMama7 who said:

So cute thanks for your finds!

Congratulations!! I'll be in touch shortly!

________________________________________

If we could all have friends like Angie's, who leave bags of vintage fabric hanging on her front door….

What inspired you to start Gathered & Sown?

How do you find time to balance it all–your business, your family…?

What is inspiring you right now?

Inside you will find two built in credit card pockets. The strap is 8 1/2 inches long when open. The wristlet measures approx. 7 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches.

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And WELCOME BACK to our sponsors:

42 Comments