HML Team Member Tutorial: Easy Ruffle Scarf

Today's tutorial is from Amy of Mama's Little Monkeys/Badge Reels.

You can hop over here to learn how to make this easy, cute, flirty infinity scarf.

Here is the tutorial: http://blog.mamaslittlemonkeys.com/2012/03/easy-ruffle-infinity-scarf-sewing.html

~~Amy of
Mama's Little Monkeys
Badge Reels
Seaux Comfy

Artist of the Week: Amy of Mama's Little Monkeys

Congratulations to Amy as this week's featured artist!

 

Introduction- Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am a SAHM to two boys, age 5 and 3. I am a former teacher, so much of what I make is inspired by my children or day to day needs! I've lived in La my whole life and although I complain about hurricanes, taxes and house insurance....I can't imagine living anywhere else!

How did you get started making handmade items?

Ironically, I started in the summer of 08 because I was cloth diapering my youngest son and I could NOT find cute cloth wipes (I had yet to discover Etsy at that point). Somehow, I don't remember how, through cafemom.com I think, I found Etsy and discovered this world of handmade!! My original goal was to make cloth diapers for my son and to sell...ironically...I've yet to make any!! LOL I got sidetracked by just the art of sewing and how much I could do with it. I've learned A LOT the past 2.5 years and I wouldn't change a thing!

Well, it will soon change when my youngest starts school NEXT WEEK, even only 1/2 day but I am looking forward to it. (he has Autism and will be starting a preschool early intervention program.) So once he starts that, my day will be, get the kids up and off to school, head home for breakfast and a QUICK check of the internet (that's the hard part...QUICKLY checking in), and to commence with work. I've already created myself a schedule, some days will be creating, some will be the business/online side of things, some will be working on things for my teams, this one and several others I help with. THen of course there's the day to day routine of chores, groceries (I'm a coupon freak), and just sitting quietly NOT watching Nickelodeon....

If you could tell someone anything about Louisiana, what would you tell them?

We're not all drunks who eat weird things. Of course, I love my drive through daiquiri shops! Louisiana is a wide range of art, history, music and food....if you're going to come visit...try to bring a local friend! You'll see so much more!

What is your favorite item to make?

I think my fabric buttons. They are my little self therapy. I can make a ton of them in one sitting, either for my badge reels, button ponytails, and more. I think it's the act of pushing the button in the mold...it sort of gets any frustrations out! :) I also love to make my stuffed rocketships and the Super Mario Hats...anything my kids love, I love to make because I love to see the smiles on their faces when I make something they love!

What is your favorite food from Louisiana?

Well, I actually do NOT eat most seafood and I am gluten free so that DRASTICALLY limits my choices of food. If I am going to cheat and eat gluten, I will hurt myself on beignets from Cafe Du Monde. I don't get down there often at ALL, so if I'm going there...I'm going to enjoy it! I did figure out how to make gluten free chicken and dumplings and that is awesome because it's such a walk down memory lane for me...my families good ol' country cooking :)

Any other information you'd like us to know?

I'm an open book, if you're curious about something, ask away :) Oh and I do goofy tutorials sometimes on my YouTube channel, youtube.com/mamaslittlemonkeys if you are so inclined. Most are linked on my blog also.

www.mamaslittlemonkeys.etsy.com and www.mamaslittlemonkeys.artfire.com
www.badgereels.etsy.com and www.badgereels.artfire.com
www.destashcity.etsy.com and www.destashcity.artfire.com
www.micromops.etsy.com and www.micromops.artfire.com

www.ameliaamos.etsy.com

www.napmatcovers.etsy.com

Blog? blog.mamaslittlemonkeys.com

Facebook? www.facebook.com/shopmamaslittlemonkeys and www.facebook.com/handmadelouisiana and www.facebook.com/MicroMops

Email? Concerning Handmade Louisiana: amy@handmadelouisiana.com for overall other communication, mamaslittlemonkeys@yahoo.com

Amy founded Handmade Louisiana in April 2009 with two friends she met through Etsy and she's very glad to see how everyone has grown and how our members can work together!! :) Thank you Amy for everything that you do!!

Amy is giving away a badgereel to one of HandmadeLouisiana.com's readers!! Your choice from www.badgereels.artfire.com! In order to enter you must be a follower of her blog! Leave a comment below telling us your favorite shop since she has more than one! You an also become a fan on facebook! Don't forget to leave your email in case you are the winner! (Winner will be announced on next Wednesday's post!)

Winner for last week is Jhitomi.

Black Friday / Cyber Monday Specials from Handmade Louisiana Artisans

The following shops are offering specials for Black Friday (November 27) and/or Cyber Monday (November 30). Please read each listing carefully as the effective dates/terms vary from shop to shop. Please note that this info was compiled from our member portal. I'll check the message board Friday to see if there any additions and add them to this post. Happy shopping!
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Chloe Boutique:
EARLY BLACK FRIDAY / CYBER MONDAY SALE!!!
NOVEMBER 22ND - NOVEMBER 30TH
25% OFF MY ENTIRE SHOP AND FREE FIRST CLASS MAIL SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!!!
SAVINGS WILL BE REFUNDED TO YOUR PAYPAL ACCOUNT AFTER PAYMENT IS RECEIVED!!
http://www.wildlifer78.etsy.com
*Note: Purchases made from November 26 - December 3rd will ship December 4-5. I'll be out of town those dates. However, the Sale Promo still applies to purchases made from November 26-30.

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www.stitchesincotton.etsy.com
This weekend I'm offering 10% off all sales (including all custom order requests).

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http://2VirgosDesigns.etsy.com
I am offering 15% off orders of $15 or more, buyers make Note to Seller "Black Friday". November 27 - 30.

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www.mamaslittlemonkeys.etsy.com
Buy One Get one FREE!! Black Friday ONLY! Wait for revised invoice, or will refund via Paypal.

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www.mamaslittlemonkeys.com
40% off all orders over $25 or more. Use Coupon Code "blackfriday"

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www.destashcity.artfire.com
40% off all orders over $25 or more. Use Coupon Code "blackfriday"

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Debideaux Designs
www.debideaux.com
debideaux.artfire.com
I'm offering free shipping for Black Friday and Cyber Monday

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http://shop.ladyfleurdesigns.com
I am offering 10% off your total order when you enter the code "10NO" at checkout.

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Hvnlydesigns
Buy 4 pendants and get the 5th for free. Please indicate your choices in notes to the seller. See Etsy listing: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=35087911

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gaudetsgems.etsy.com
I'll be giving away a pair of pearl earrings with every purchase over $25 made in my shop from Black Friday through Cyber Monday.

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www.lisaraspino.etsy.com
10% off any item from my Etsy shop Black Friday through Cyber Monday. Enter "HLNOV" in 'note to seller' and I'll send a revised invoice.

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www.pachamamma.etsy.com
Offering free shipping and discounts on selected items for Black Friday through Cyber Monday. Please visit shop for details. For those who live in NE LA, I will also be selling at the 'Downtown Christmas Market' on Dec. 5th from 11-5pm.

Where Are We As a Team?

GROWING! Our member list has grown especially in the last few days! I want to welcome ALL our new members and encourage you to get active in the forums. Though our team only requires you to post once per month in the forums, in order to build a stronger team it helps to get to KNOW one another through posts. To help us find your wonderful items, please tag your items with "handmadelouisiana" on any venue you sell on. If you do not sell online, but instead locally or in person, please let me know and I can direct you to our design of business cards and I can create fliers and handouts for you!

If you have not already done so, please make sure your contact info is up to date with Merry. She's out of town at the moment but you can find her at www.cheeseandchocolate.etsy.com and she'll hook you up! We want to make sure our members blogs, sites, etc are all up to date on this blog!

What are our plans for the group for the year?
*Continued monthly meetings, bi-monthly when possible
*Possible charity sampler box sale.
*Advertising, current advertising on BHRBazaar, BHRArtisan Directory and widgets are available for our team for you to promote on blogs and websites.
*Possible teaming up for local craft shows.

We are still a 'baby', born in April, and I love to see growth, ideas, and fun! Our meetings are usually very rewarding and I love getting to talk with fellow artisans who GET it!

I'd also like to officially introduce our official blog authors:
LisaRaspino, is one of the co-founders of Handmade Louisiana, and the blog 'captain' as I like to say.
SayAnythingNotes/Sarah, is a fantastic paper artist and will be writing mostly about artisan features, the local scene and music features (and whatever else floats her boat!)
DazzleMe/Linda, is a multi-talented lady who's photography we've featured here on the blog. She'll also handle artisan features and Inspirational quotes and Wordless Wednesdays (or whatever day we feel like doing it!)

Thank you so much ladies for your hard work and I encourage everyone to share this blog with everyone they can!

Long live Handmade Louisiana!!
~~Amy/Mama

Prep Your Business for Hurricane Season

Yes, folks, it's that time of year. That time where the first sentence of a conversation isn't usually, "So what are you doing this weekend?" but is instead, "So what did Bob say the weather's doing?" (That's Bob Breck for you un-Louisianaianas).

So what can you do for your business this hurricane season?

First off, you basically should do the same things you do for your home:

• Make your evacuation plans and plans to secure your home upone evacuation.
• Take photographs and videos of ALL your inventory, supplies and equipment. If possible, try to take any important business paperwork when you leave, tax papers, supply lists, inventory lists, etc.
  
• If possible, you may want to consider taking some of your supplies and inventory. Why? Well, this all depends on WHERE you live in evacuation country and what your craft is. If you own an extremely expensive sewing machine, you may want to go ahead and take it with you! For some people their craft supplies are almost important to them as their photographs! So only you can figure out what is most important to shove in the car!
• At the very least, take photos, preferably video of your items just as you would your home inventory. Receipts, prices, and vital information about the items you photograph/video is always helpful to. "Sewing Machine" is not nearly as helpful should you have to file a claim as "Brother Computerized CE-40 Sewing Machine, Purchased,2008, 80.00 Ebay.com".
  
• Ahead of time, prepare an "Evacuation" banner and message for your online shops. I will gladly create one and put it in our group should we need it! (Hopefully not!) If you sell on Etsy, Artfire, etc, put your shops on vacation with an explanation when you evacuate so sellers will know where you are.
• GROUP MEMBERS: Post in the forums if you are evacuating! In any occurrence of a hurricane, we will have a thread specifically for that storm for a 'roll call' and contact information. This will help us make sure you are safe, sound and how to find you when we resume our normal lives!
• Last but not least...take a step back, enjoy the summer, and remember, we've done this before, we'll do it again, and we will survive!

Here's to a safe, boring hurricane season. If you are so inclined, I wrote an article about a Greener Hurricane Recovery on Handmade News. You can find it here.

~~~Amy

Meeting Monday June 1st 7pm

Hi all! Okay, not sure what was up with the forum but it's all better now! :)

Don't forget our meeting Monday, June 1st, 7 pm, in Slidell. This time we will meet at CC's Coffee House on Gause near the Hobby Lobby shopping center. This building is a little more roomy than PJ's (although we love PJ's!)

Bring any work you'd like critiqued (or gushed over!) and let's chat, share ideas, and have fun!!
~~Amy

Summer, Food and Fun

Yes, summer is officially here it seems. Clothes are drenched in sweat by 10 a.m....that means summer is here in Louisiana! That also means it's gearing up for Festival season (as if we ever do NOT have a festival in La?) So make sure you let us know if you will be at any upcoming festivals in the area so we can come check out your goodies!! In the forums (that lovely fleur de lis to the right there---->) there is a thread for craft shows and festivals.

Summer also means FOOD! (Well, okay, for me it does...) What yummy things will you be eating this summer? Fresh fruits and produce from LOCAL vendors I hope? There is a new produce market soon to open in Slidell that I personally am eagerly awaiting to visit. Don't forget the vendors on the side of the road who could use your support to! I mean honestly, can California strawberries really even compare with Ponchatoula?

Speaking of food, remember we not only welcome handmade businesses but LOCAL, SMALL businesses. We prefer to keep the focus on handmade, but we will also support small business as well and are building a list of small businesses to include on our blog. So if you know of a small business that runs a brick and mortar ONLY in La or the surrounding areas, please email me at mamaslittlemonkeys at yahoo.com and I'll add them after approval.

Be sure to check out www.foodzie.com for indie food providers!

Artisan/Business/Musician features are coming soon...be patient!! :)

Thank you for the support!

~~Amy

Artisan Features Coming SOON!

Hi all! Don't forget to get active in the forums (click the lovely fleur de lis on the right there---->) and make sure you post in the artisan features section if you'd like to be featured. Instructions on how to do so are there. Then, please be patient! I have a lot on my plate and it takes time to write up a good feature! I don't like Q&A features, so I write them article style.

~*~*~
We had a meeting on May 4th...Okay, Merry and I had a meeting... and that's okay! We all have lives, crazy lives, and we can only do with what we can! That is why the forums are so important! I HIGHLY encourage you to jump right in, chat wherever you feel like. It's easy to keep up with new posts by simply clicking the 'new posts' button once in the forums (and the new ones will be highlighed red). Posting at least ONCE a month is a REQUIREMENT of the group. We do not ask for money and not much of your time, so we feel this is something everyone can do.

We will have another meeting May 25th at 10 am in Covington. Please see the forums for more details.

You are also encouraged to work out your own local get togethers. These need not be anything official, but please feel free to contact members in your area and get together! Share idea, brainstorm, etc. If you have anything that will help the group, please share it on the forums. The Indie Handmade lifestyle is not just about business, but fun, family, friends and laughs!

~*~*~**~~*
Again, please feel free to email me any suggestions for the blog or any questions at mamaslittlemonkeys at yahoo.com or direct them through the portal/forums.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend and gets their creative juices flowing!!

~~~
Amy

Benjy Davis Project in May and June---Anyone Wanna Go?

Hey guys! Here at Handmade Louisiana, we not only support handmade artisans but we support local musicians! So, is anyone interested in going with me to see the Benjy Davis Project?
May 7th, in Hammond at Chevy's, Time and Tickets TBA.
Also, June 20th, in Mandeville at Howlin' Wolf.

Anyone up for going? I'm going to hit at least one of the show! These guys are awesome! :)

Support your local musicians!!

~~Amy

May Meeting! Come on Down!

Don't Forget! We'll have a meeting, Monday, May 4th at Books A Million in Covington at 7:30pm. Hope to see you there!! If you can come, please visit the forums and let us know! We also want suggestions, ideas, etc for our group, even if you can't attend the meeting! We're small, but growing!

Bring an item if you want it lovingly critiqued, and any questions you want answered! I may have the business cards by then also and can hand some of those out.

Don't forget to keep an eye out for local musicians, especially indie ones (they are indie only if they are unsigned by a major label..they'll tell you if they are.)

So, I'll see you there!

Don't forget to visit the forums, introduce yourself and get involved! We have set it up so you need approval to join the forums and we require you to post at least once a month or you'll be removed from the portal. Please visit HERE and please reply that you AGREE To the rules!

Thanks!
Amy

Want to be Featured on This Blog?

Then leave a comment on this thread with the shop I can contact you at, or if you do not sell online, an email I can reach you at! We will randomly pick artisans from Louisiana and surrounding areas to feature!! So get involved, drop us a comment and let us know! You can pretty soon be feature!

Remember, I promote ALL my blogs, including this one, on my Plurk, TWitter, Facebook and Blockhead Radio! Big exposure!

Let us promote you!!

~~Amy

Don't Forget the Portal!

There is a nifty little blue widget over there on the right that you can click and take you straight to the portal! Now the portal is not without it's issue, because yes, we're new at running a portal!! So please, if you have ANY issues with the portal, signing in, posting, etc, PLEASE contact me, or just leave a comment here!

We want this to be a fantastic group and I know we can be because of the fantastic members! So let us know how we can help you as a group!!

~~Amy

Welcome!!

to Handmade Louisiana! This is a brand new blog for ALL handmade artisans in Louisiana! This is also a great blog for those who want to PURCHASE excellent handmade Louisiana items! We will have a fearless blog leader, Lisa, who you can find at www.lisaraspino.etsy.com, who will basically be your blog go-to gal!

Want to JOIN Handmade Louisiana? Then you can contact Merry at www.cheeseandchocolate.etsy.com or visit our BRAND NEW FORUM at http://handmadela.informe.com/portal.html

So come on down, get involved in Handmade Louisiana life and have fun!

~~AwesomeAmy
Admin/Group Owner