Giveaway For You! Sponsored by oh, sweet joy!

 clockwise from top: covered button earrings, single rosette headband, party skirt, reusable coffee cuff, owls, and assorted headbands.

If I were to say I don't love Etsy, I would be lying not only to myself, but to all of you. It's so full of wonderful products-- and wonderful people, to boot! The wonderful Kim of oh, sweet joy contacted me recently about doing a giveaway just for all you lovely readers of mine, and I just had to accept. Her shop is packed with pretty headbands, dresses, owls (yes), and earrings-- and I just adore her cute reusable coffee cuffs! Plus, 10% of the sales from her shop go to Love 146, an organization fighting to end sex trafficking. That's a pretty good deal, if you ask me.

But before I get to giving you the goods, I know you want to meet our awesome sponsor, right?

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Who are you?
Kim

Where are you from?
I'm a Texas native, residing in Colorado. We (the hubs and I) both grew up in north Texas and met at Texas A&M University (gig 'em ags).  We needed a change of scenery upon graduation and we are very happy in the mountains!

How old are you?
I just turned twenty three at the end of march. Young, huh? :)

When did you start your Etsy shop and what inspired you to do it?
I started this shop in October of 2009.  I had a shop before (hemmedinvintage.etsy.com) that will make a comeback soon, but I really needed a break from apparel. I wanted to just "craft" for a while and this (oh, sweet joy) is what came of it! A big inspiration was falling in love with designer fabrics. I wanted to do something where I could work with fun fabric and not just knits.

You have a whole bunch of plush owls in your shop. Is there a story behind these little guys?
Yes, actually! I nanny a couple of precious kiddos and when one of their birthdays was coming up, I wanted to make him something. I drew up an owl, bought some eco-felt, used some of my designer fabric scraps and went from there. Since then, I have used different colors of eco- felt and designer fabrics to make owls with different "personalities." I've sewn a lot in the past few years, but the owls have definitely been my favorite project/venture. They bring out my inner-kid who just wants to eat goldfish crackers and play all day.

You sell reusable coffee cuffs, which is a really great idea to help our environment. Is there anything else you do to "go green" at your shop and in your everyday life?
A lot of my projects involve fabric scraps. I try my best to use everything, down to the last scrap.  This drives my husband crazy because he's a tidy fella and I am quite the hoarder. I also buy fabric scraps from other etsy sellers so that nothing goes to waste.  Covered button earrings were a project solely for scraps.

Furthermore, my owls are all made from eco-friendly felt, which is made completely from recycled plastic bottles. In my everyday life, its just about simple steps for us. Recycling when we can, riding our bikes as transportation (when it isn't negative 20 degrees outside), turning lights off when not in use, using energy-efficient lightbulbs, using re-useable bags at the grocery store, and showering every other week to preserve water. I'm kidding about the showers, I promise.

Any advice for people hoping to set up an Etsy shop of their own?
It's all about patience and customer service. A sale isn't going to come right away. As long as you are being creative, loving what you do, and not copying other etsy seller's work, sales will come.  Don't get caught up in the whole "relisting" your items at peak times and all the jazz. Work hard, make quality projects out of good materials, love what you do, and don't get caught up in all the things that etsy tells you to do.  I think it's just a way for them to make more money.

I've been completely blown away by the support I've had.  Great customer service will always bring another sale later on.  Take care of your customers and make them feel important.  Thank them every step of the transaction because they deserve it! After all, they are keeping you in business.  I am so thankful that I can make things that I love and make money from it. God is good, that's for sure.

Want to tell us about your perfect day?
Hmm. Ready for this?
A good quiet time with my Jesus, a bowl of kid cereal (better believe it), a good cup of coffee (one splenda packet and some hazelnut creamer), working with Anna Maria Horner fabrics, TOMS shoes on my feet and a bike ride on my townie to the park with my kiddos that I nanny, sunny and 80 degrees, getting a nice tan line, an iced caramel macchiato, a lunch date with my husband at our favorite restaurant in town (Sugah's cafe), a good afternoon's worth of sewing, Priscilla Ahn or Fleet Foxes playing in the background, new fabric coming in the mail, fresh flowers on the kitchen table, a good phone date with a friend from Texas, cooking a meal for my hubby and not being rushed to eat it and him volunteering to do the dishes, an episode or two of Law & Order SVU, sleep. Perfection.

And I have to ask: chocolate or vanilla?
Both in a swirl from Jason's deli. Jackpot.

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What We're Giving Away: a single-rosette headband in the color of your choice (like this one).

How to Enter: Do one or all of the following three things (for up to three chances to win):
                        1) Comment on this blog post, including your e-mail address.
                        2) Tweet or blog about this giveaway and leave a comment telling me you did.
                        3) Send me an e-mail for Love 365 and mention you want an extra entry to the giveaway.
                            You don't have to leave an extra comment-- I'll assign your e-mail a number.

This giveaway will end at 11:59 P.M. EST on Sunday, April 18th. The winner will be drawn at random and announced on Monday, April 19th.