Custom Invitations, Personalized Stationery, Personalized Favor Bags, Prints
KB was really spoiled before she graced us with her presence. My friend’s mom made the bedding for her nursery because I couldn’t find anything I wanted. My poor parents spent countless hours with me in the craft store to pick out the perfect fabric. After my dad left for food because I was in there that long, I made up my mind and the outcome was more than I could have hoped for.
Thank you Mrs. V.!
You would’ve thought it was the end of the world the way my dramatic child was acting after my husband left for a Sunday morning meeting.
But reading her favorite book a few million times raised her spirits.
I had the pleasure of meeting Jan on twitter and I instantly took interest in her clean modern designs. I purchased one of her fabrics in which I’m making a bulletin board out of right now. It will definitely be the “pop” needed in our kitchen.
Jan’s main focus in her work is organics. Her designs are professionally printed on 100% organic cotton sateen, organic cotton/hemp blend canvas as well as a 50/50 cotton linen blend. Her committment to using organic fabrics sets her a part from other fabric designers.
So let’s meet Jan and learn more about her growing business, Daisy Janie.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m a 39-year-old surface/fabric designer who dabbles in multi-tasking, risk-taking and tiny, tiny, tiny bit of procrastinating. I’m married to the man of my dreams, and we have a soon-to-be 12 year old boy (I’m ready to stop the clock on his age). We have 2 cuh-razy doggies who make my heart bigger everyday, except for Mon-Sat at 2:15 when mail comes. My degree is in Marketing, and it comes in handy with some of my big ideas.
How and why did you create Daisy Janie?
Daisy Janie was created in late 2004, as my painting business ‘Fresh Paint’ with a business partner was dissolving. Initially, I continued painting jobs for my clients, but the physically demanding nature of the work prompted me to seek out other creative options. I started sewing & selling handbags to pass the time until I figured out what I wanted to do, but the handbags sold so well that they actually became the business! In 2005, I wanted to differentiate my handbags by using original fabrics, so I started designing & printing my own. With feedback & inquiries about fabric, fabric, fabric, I began offering my fabrics for sale and haven’t look back since.
Where did the name originate from?
I’ve always loved daisies b/c of their simple beauty – very much “what you see is what you get.” (They were the only flower we had at our wedding 15 years ago.) And “Janie” is a nickname of mine from a few close friends and my husband. I love the sweet, earthy, feminine vibe the name ‘Daisy Janie’ evokes.
What is a typical work day for you?
I get-up before the ‘house’ needs me, check email and follow-up on everything I can. After morning family routines, I check my running to-do list for the most pressing items and jump in! I keep a lot of plates spinning throughout the day and stop for snack & sanity breaks periodically. Family routine starts back-up again after school…from then until bedtime, I fit in what I can when I can. Rinse, wash, repeat.
How do you keep distractions at bay?
Basically, I turn off and tune out when I really need to focus. It’s truly as simple as that. I actually have the opposite problem in that I become so immersed that I forget to peek outside my world!
What are your best selling pieces/designs?
My top-selling fabric of all time is Bloom, followed by Maxie, Lulu and Audrey in the Damsel collection. In the Urbana collection, Boxwood, Georgia and Annika are the hot numbers.
bloom
Who/what are your inspiration?
Inspiration for my designs is a multi-layered, multi-faceted, complex notion (just like that description!). On a very broad level, raw talent and unbridled passion are very palpable and stirring for me. I can get lost in art forms whenever I sense these two. On a more basic level, I am always moved by Mother Nature’s creatures, rhythms & patterns. I don’t feel as though I’m ever at a loss for finding beauty & appreciating what’s in front of me, and consciously or not, it all finds its way back to my work.
Do you have any business advice that worked well for you that you’d care to share?
Balance. You have to find a balance between work & family & the rest of the world. Unchecked self-absorption begets more self-absorption…it’s a vicious cycle b/c you never step outside yourself long enough to know there’s more to the world than your deadline, your project, your work. Stop taking and give back instead. You’ll be much happier when you share yourself; your work will feel lighter, your ideas will flow and you’ll become much more efficient & effective. Took me 10 years to figure that out!
What are your favorite hobbies?
Working out & running, hiking, taking pics (I wouldn’t call it photography b/c I’m not that knowledgeable; I just like to snap fun angles and close-ups), laughing with my family and friends.
What’s currently on Jan’s wish list?
I don’t really have anything on my ‘buy’ list – of course I haven’t tried on any of my jeans yet this season so that could change in a week. More than anything, I’d like to get some projects done around our house. Lots of unfinished business!
Name your top 3 website/blogs.
Scoutie Girl
Café Cartolina
Print & Pattern
Thank you so much Jan for sharing you and your work with us!
website | etsy shop | blog | twitter | flickr
I’m not sure why I never took a picture of this beautiful blanket my best friend made for KB but I’m glad I waited. Now that I have my new camera I can give the proper credit to T. She hand sewn this blanket in patch work and we love it. I love how random, vintage, and truly unique this is. We keep the blanket in her “house” in KB’s playroom and when we read she loves to curl up with it.
Sara of Our Cozy Nest! Congratulations! Hope the decorations come in handy for Katelyn’s second birthday party. Please send an email to info@perideaudesigns.com with your mailing address.
Thanks everyone for entering!
I’ve been playing with my camera and unfortunately my daughter and random objects are the victims of my obsession.
When I came across a post from Cool Mom Picks I knew how I was going to decorate for my daughter’s birthday. And the shop owner, Kirsten, is so easy to work with to boot.
I love hearing and writing about moms who are able to successfully juggle it all. Home business, motherhood, life. It’s not easy but Kirsten, owner of Pom Love, does just that. Let’s see how she does it all, shall we?
Tell us a little about yourself.
my name is kirsten and i live with my husband and three kids in oregon. we’re all into art/creating in our house, so it’s not uncommon to see one or more of us fidgeting around with paper/pens/glue what-have-you. my six year old is obsessive about crafting. she already has several future etsy shops in the works…. we are a lot alike and i’m thrilled that she’s found her talents at such a young age, just like i did. i started out drawing, from age 3 and didn’t really lose interest until my early twenties. i sort of replaced one artistic avenue for another (several times) and went on to fall in love with crafting. i love paper. really, it’s my favorite material to work with. hand printed scrapbook paper just melts me! someday i hope to own a vintage press & print my own.
How and why did you create Pom Love?
pomlove was completely created out of the blue. my daughter was turning 5 and we ordered some tissue paper pom-poms from good old martha for her party decor. i loved them but decided i needed more, so i made some of my own and realized that mine looked a lot better than the others. from that point on these little ideas kept popping into my head. there were so many color combinations that i wanted to try. i didn’t know what i was doing at first, but decided to order some tissue paper and get some photos taken. i think by that point i knew i wanted to add them to my etsy shop. ekohdesign was the first etsy shop that i started. i made paper covered tins, boxes and lots of other fun, yummy eye candy. but when i added the poms to my shop, things went kinda nuts and everyone wanted them. i realized then that i had to give them their own space. enter pomlove.
Where did the name originate from?
the name pomlove just sort of popped into my head one evening. i love naming things and feel like it’s just one of those things that i’m good at. i’m not trying to brag or anything, i just have a knack for it, and really have fun doing it. i love simplicity, and this name is pretty self explanatory. it’s easy to remember as well, that wasn’t one of the reasons that i picked it, but it’s a plus. customers are so funny about it, they’ll say “hi pomlove!” like it’s my actual name, or “i can’t wait to get my pomloves!” it’s so cute, i love it!
What is a typical work day for you?
workdays are crazy! i’m all over the place. i wake up around 7 -usually by way of my 1.5 year old boy jumping on my head. then get the kids all ready for the day, school, etc. by 9:30 i’m in serious need of caffeine, so i make my coffee run and drop packages off early. i like to get shipping out of the way first, it sort of clears my head for the morning. i’ve never been a very scheduled person, so my days are never the same. i love playing with my two youngest and getting some one on one time with each of them. whenever they are too busy for me, i’ll sneak upstairs to my studio and get some work done. this method seems to work really well for me. for now anyway! as with most stay at home sellers on etsy, naptime is essential. for my kids it’s usually only an hour, two if i’m really lucky. but once i get started working things move pretty fast and i make sure that none of that time is wasted. when the kids wake up i stop working and then we’ll usually pick up my 1st grader from school. the rest of the day i am at their disposal, and i don’t go back to work until after they fall asleep, usually around 9 or so. if i’m feeling very brave i’ll stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning finishing orders or just cleaning up my studio. but i always pay for that the next morning!
How do you keep distractions at bay?
i have many distractions. the biggest one right now is facebook. it’s a little out of control but am trying to limit it! other distractions are: my bed. my room is right off of my studio, so if i’m really tired i’ll just keep staring at my bed, having an inner struggle! i beat this one by turning up the volume on my ipod and just forcing myself to focus. the kids do get curious and will come upstairs to see what i’m doing, but i’ve learned that if i try to ignore them they just start destroying things, so that’s when i have to take a break with them. after all, i need my space to be organized and i can’t deal with little bits of cut up tissue paper all over the floor -something that my kids love, they think of it as confetti!
What are your best selling pieces/designs?
autumn colors are huge right now, everyone seems to love the “brown sugar” and “caramel” colors. pomegran-its have always been a big seller, customers love all of the different shades in one pom, i think they’re my favorite, too. not far behind are the baby pom mobiles, they are so sweet and it seems like everyone wants one for their nursery.
Who/what are your inspiration?
i get a lot of inspiration from fashion. i’ve always loved all of the eye candy in vogue and other fashion magazines. if i see colors put together that i love, i usually write it down or cut out a swatch. i’ve got a huge folder full of ideas, it’s just finding the time to make it, photograph it and talk about it that seems difficult! but i can get inspired by just about anything. one of my girls’ favorite stories is “the princess & the pea” and i turned that into a mobile.
Do you have any business advice that worked well for you that you’d care to share?
i am not business savvy at all. i had no idea what i was getting into, luckily i have a lot of help with the “numbers” aspect of all of this. if i could give any advise i would say just get your name out there. i’m not the most chatty/social person but if someone wants to talk about my shops, i’m all over it! i take profile cards with me everywhere, i blog, i talk about my items on facebook, i send out moo postcards…. the list goes on! good photos are always a plus with an etsy shop. after all, if your picture isn’t aesthetically pleasing at first glance, not many will click on your listing. also, patience. it took a while to get the sales that i wanted, but i refused to get discouraged. instead i just put my energy into new designs & color combinations, things like that.
What are your favorite hobbies?
free time is like gold for me! i love to read, so if i get a few minutes here and there, i’ll pick up a copy of dwell, or try to finish one of the many novels that i have sitting around. is napping a hobby? if so i am way into that! i also love to bake & entertain. cooking i’m not in love with, it’s more about the details for me. anything having to do with decor. i absolutely love it!
What’s currently on Kirsten’s wish list?
my wish list? hmm….
dansko boots or vintage frye boots
any jacket from littlehouses.etsy.com
any clutch from morelle.etsy.com
a vintage copy of pride & prejudice
an eames hang-it-all & rocker chair
a green thumb
Name your top 3 website/blogs.
marta is a great writer, one of the many reasons that i love her blog. she’s always got some fun story, recipe, giveaway, or diy project and she’s just a sweet person!
ms. rikrak has an amazing sense of color, i love looking at all of her fab collections & again, just a genuinely nice person….
i think that the design alphabet concept is brilliant. each day jo picks new designers (their name beginning with that day’s letter) to be featured on her gorgeous blog. love it!
Kirsten has been so kind to offer a custom 7-piece Pom Kit to my one of my lucky readers. Simply post what color combination is your favorite and you would get if you would win and that’s it! I’ll randomly draw a winner and will post the winner on the blog Friday. Giveaway entries need to be in by 11:59pm EST Thursday September 24, 2009.
Last week I was reading Simply Seleta’s post about organization and she directed us to Cuisinenie for a recipe for peanut butter cookies to use as a possible thank you gift. It got me thinking how it would taste with soy nut butter. With my daughter having a myriad of food allergies, I’m always on the lookout on how to tweak recipes to accomodate her. This one was easy. I simply substituted soy nut butter for peanut butter, egg substitute, and Earth’s Balance vegan butter. And voila! Yummy soy nut butter cookies. It was a big hit in this house.
Earlier in the day we went to a local farmer’s market and scored some yummy apples and unique eggplant. Looking forward to dinner tomorrow. Check out some of my pictures here.
Hi, I'm Bridgett! I'm a wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend who loves to cook, bake and workout. I blog about my journey as a small business owner and daily musings. Grab a cup of coffee, sit down and join me!
One of my favorite designers, Sam of