Puppy Love

Kelly is the owner of Gone Doggie http://www.etsy.com/shop/GoneDoggie and is an avid dog lover and owner. Gunner is one of the dogs she has rescued and plays a very important role as he is a certified therapy dog. Kelly and Gunner volunteer at one of Kelly's local schools as a reading buddy. Children who have difficulty reading will bring a book and sit and read to Gunner. Kelly and Gunner work with grades K-2. Gunner is bigger than most of the kids that come to see him each week but, they are not afraid of him. Enjoy reading about Kelly and her wonderful shop.



by Gone Doggie

My name is Kelly. I am an avid dog lover and owner. As a little girl I would help my mom at her craft shows and I would always find little things to make to sell at the shows. As I got older I kept dabbling with different things. It was when I got my dogs that I took my love for creating and dogs and married the two and created GONE DOGGIE. I got my first dog and just fell in love. I adopted a second dog and it was after her adoption that I became involved in animal rescue. I began volunteering at the local animal shelter then began doing foster work. I then adopted one of my foster pups which made the third dog for my husband and I. I recently adopted my fourth dog.

I began creating my dog collars after trying to find fun but durable collars for my dogs. I needed something that would stand up to the rough housing of three large dogs. I played around with different materials and did lots of research on different hardware manufacturers. I finally came up with a collar a like and one that could be fun and durable but, still be made a reasonable cost. I donated many collars to my local advocate group then friends began asking me to make collars for their dogs. Next thing I knew I was signing up for craft shows and setting up my online shop www.gonedoggie.etsy.com.

In between my sewing I have my own pet sitting business. I do volunteer work with two of my dogs that have become certified therapy dogs. I also do work for our local animal advocate group, so needless to say I keep myself pretty busy.

I have a room in my home dedicated as my craft room. However I still spill out onto the dining room table and have even begun taking over another bedroom in our home. I keep telling my husband I just need an addition built onto the house for all my craft stuff. I have two different kinds of sewing machines and recently added an embroidery machine to my collection. I am always trying to come up with new things that are pet friendly and owner friendly. My next project is dogs beds.

The one piece of advice that I can give is to LOVE WHAT YOU DO and DO WHAT YOU LOVE! I know it's not easy but if you can figure out that balance you will be a much happier and satisfied person. I have been blessed to be able to do what I love fulltime but, it also took me a long time to know what it was that I really wanted to do.

You can read more about me and my dogs and see a list of craft festivals that I will be doing at http://www.gonedoggie.com/. Check out my online shop http://www.gonedoggie.etsy.com/ to see collars and other handcrafted items available for sale.

Eclectica

In keeping with the "Eclectica" in her shop name, Jan makes crocheted wearables, afghans, and throws; collaged greeting cards and ACEO's; and her signature Tabletop Labyrinths. Jan shares her belief that beyond that, the sky's the limit! Enjoy her feature and a visit to her shop!

by EclecticaByJan

Be sure to enjoy a visit to Jan's shop http://www.eclecticabyjan.etsy.com/

Jan's blog: http://www.jan4geo-glow.blogspot.com/

I have been needleworking and crafting since I was a kid - that's over half a century with a crochet hook & yarn in my hands! In keeping with the "Eclectica" in my shop name, I make crocheted wearables, afghans, and throws; collaged greeting cards and ACEO's; and my signature Tabletop Labyrinths. Beyond that, the sky's the limit, and I will be updating my offerings as my creative nose leads me onto new paths.

I freely admit that organization is not one of my strong points, but I want to share one thing that really works for me:

These folding canvas bins, which are available at variety stores like Target and Kmart, are great! They fit perfectly on the built-in shelves in the photo, where I use them to store sewing supplies and notions. The lowest row of bins holds books and items I don't use very often. I have more bins on freestanding shelves in my collage room, where I store markers, paints, embellishments, photos, floral materials, and so forth.I like the bins because - first of all - the bright colors lift my spirits when I see them lined up like this. Then, I don't have to be too organized to corral my clutter when I toss it in the bin. I put just like items together in a plastic bag, and I'm good to good to go. On the handle of each bin, I've hung colorful tags to identify the contents. Not bad for someone who's organizationally challenged!One last thing: I really can't work without a studio cat! The second photo shows my cat Luvlee, helping me out with a fabric-sorting project. And I've included a picture of me holding the furry culprit, just before we head off for some noms :)

Lindy's Place

Jessica named her shop after her grandmother. She loves to make a variety of jewelry, crochet and handmade paper. Check out her very cool and funky record bowls. A unique collection to your decor.

Visit Jessica at http://www.jdfootloose.etsy.com/

My name is Jessica jdfootloose.etsy.com my shop name is Lindys place after my grandmother. I create jewelry, crochet and handmade paper. My work space is a whole lot more cluttered now than it used to be, I had my own craft room until my brother moved in with me... Now my desk and supplies are squished into a corner of my bedroom. I use a lot of babywipe containers and Record Bowls for storage use of beads and other smaller supplies. I have a garbage bag full of yarns and a plastic dresser full too.

My scrapbook supplies are mostly in tote bags in my closet.

Design In A Bottle

Zo-Be Designs and her wonderful organizational tips are fantastic. I love that she uses bottles and mason jars to store her items. They are neatly organized, look great and the clear see through bottles easily display what is inside. I will definately use this tip in my space.

Zo-Be Designs found at http://www.caelum.etsy.com/

shows us what amazing organization and imagination can look like. I am inspired by her creative space. I can imagine walking into this room and being so excited to create that I could hardly contain myself~like a child in a candy store.

Zo-Be Designs shares some of her tips and tricks with us:

As for my craft room, well I'm extremely lucky to have a whole room to myself. It wasn't always that way, I used to have everything stuffed in one cabinet and under the dining room table! The shelves in my room were already built in, they almost made me cry the first time I saw them.

I love using mason jars, as you can tell. It's great to be able to see all my embellishments and I think they look really pretty. I bought a case of them at Walmart and I've used them all. Baby food jars and spaghetti sauce jars are also great.

I keep all the things I use most often right on my table, like buttons and ribbon. I'm using a spice rack as storage for brads and other small embellishments. I find it really helps my creativity to be able to see what I have. I built my paper racks out of the wire cube racks you can buy at Target or Walmart. Up next is building some kind of ribbon rack on the back of the door. I have to recruit my hubby for that project!

Visit her blog at http://zobedesigns.blogspot.com/