Thursday, August 19, 2010

Etsy Shop Feature- Garland and Grace

I've kept to my word, and found a pretty fabulous shop to share with you today by the name of Garland and Grace.



Filled with gorgeous items from personalized Hair Bow Holders to Christmas decorations, Garland and Grace is really an awesome place to spend some time in. Everything is beautifully hand painted with vivid colors, bold designs and exciting fonts. The great thing about Garland and Grace is that there are so many ways to personalize the items. In addition to alphabet bow holders and plaques, you can also custom order a sign or holder with the name you want or in different colors. Definitely a great place to look for gifts for that perfect little angel.

This is one of my favorites. Something about the rich black “A” against the pink and white polka dots is just absolutely perfect. Not to mention the picture just jumps out at you in the shop.



There's also a “M” for Mary (in Button Bags colors no less!)



And what little girl wouldn't want their wall decorated with one of these lovely wall plaques?




Get ready to deck the halls, because Garland and Grace is stocked up for Christmas with and assortment of ornaments and decorations, including my favorite, this lovely “Peace” ornament.



Along the same lines, my other favorite item in this shop (which I discovered my second time through) is this peace bow holder. I love it! A bright blue peace sign with green polka dots inside (matching the grosgrain ribbon no less!) and pink in the background. Fantastic!



Perhaps rather then kids, you have pooch more stylish then a three year old in a tutu. No worries, Garland and Grace has you covered with this fabulous leash holder.



All in all, Garland and Grace is a perfectly happy shop for both you and your kids. Full of bright, colorful pieces and a gorgeous banner, kick off your shoes 'cuz it's a place you'll want to stay for awhile.


In case you haven't clicked already, you'll find the link to Garland and Grace right here.

Read more about Lisa, the mastermind behind Garland and Grace, in her profile here.

Check out the Garland and Grace blog here and watch every Wednesday for her 6 featured Etsy shops.

You can follow Garland and Grace on twitter here.

And “Like” Garland and Grace on Facebook here.


And now, read a more about Garland and Grace from owner and designer, Lisa.


How did Garland and Grace get started?

Garland and Grace, LLC developed out of a personal need. I have a mom that enjoys buying bows and a daughter that loves wearing them. The problem I was faced with was, where do I put all of these bows? I started looking for bow holders in stores, and I couldn't find any. I looked on the internet and was inspired by what I found. I knew in my mind I could make my own hair bow holders and eventually have my own business. The timing just wasn't right. After a trip to Tuscaloosa, AL to visit a friend, a future business possibility seemed like it could turn into a present reality. That area is saturated with hair bows and boutiques but no hair bow holders. I felt like there was a niche market there for the product that I wanted to create. Since the University of Alabama is there, I wanted to incorporate the two, hair bow holders for University of Alabama fans. When I returned home I gathered all that I thought I would need to begin and started designing and painting. A couple of months later my friend called and said that she had a friend that would love to sell them for me in her boutique coffee and tea house. That was the motivation I needed, and in July I sent my first shipment to the shop in Tuscaloosa and opened my Etsy shop a couple of weeks later. Today is my one month anniversary of being on Etsy.


Looking back on the first day you opened your shop on Etsy, what is one piece of advice you know now that you wished you knew then?

Since I have only been a part of Etsy for one month, I feel like I am still on a huge learning curve. The one thing that I have found to be most helpful is to be a part of Etsy through the forums. I have had more people look at my shop on the days that I post in forums than any other day. What I have been pleasantly surprised about is what a fun community of people there are on Etsy. People have been so encouraging and helpful. The fun thing I discovered yesterday was how to create a Treasury. I have already created two. It's a great way to promote other Etsy shops using a common theme.


Aside from Etsy how do you promote or sell you items?

I would say overall, this has been the hardest and most time consuming. Hardest, because you don't know if what you are doing is working and most time consuming trying to cover a lot of territory so that Garland and Grace is recognized. I have a Facebook fan page that is set up as a shop. You can click on the “Shop Now” tab and purchase right then and there with out ever leaving my fan page. I also twitter, and I have a blog, Garlandandgrace.blogspot.com. I have some of my University of Alabama hair bow holders for sale at the Heritage House Coffee and Tea in Tuscaloosa, AL. For the holidays they will be selling my Christmas décor. One of my favorite signs I created specifically for

Alabama fans says, “May All Your Christmases Be Crimson and White.”

At the moment, what is your favorite item in your shop?

My favorite item would have to be the “Bella” hair bow holder. It has a green background with the name Bella in black and the border is a zebra stripe pattern. It makes me smile when I see it, and it was fun to paint.



What do you think the future holds for Garland and Grace six months from now?

I hope that everything I am doing now to promote my shop will be paying off. I would hope that I would find a rhythm that works to be able to mass produce. My problem is that I have so much fun coming up with new designs, it's hard for me to create the same thing over and over. I hope that in six months I will be steadily busy and that my designs will continue to evolve and be the best out there.


Is there anything about yourself or your shop that you want to share with us?

I have a wonderful, supportive husband that has been my right hand through this process. If it weren't for his encouragement and support, I don't think I would have an Etsy shop. I also have two wonderful children, Brayden (10) and Elle (6). I am going on my sixth year of homeschooling. It should be an interesting year juggling family, taking care of the home, homeschooling, and maintaining a business. The children are already learning about economics. I am looking forward to a wonderful year. I am blessed.



And there you have it! I hope you all enjoyed my first etsy shop feature. Let me know how I did or leave your thoughts on Garland and Grace in the comments below. Look out next week for a new etsy shop feature. Do YOU want to be that next featured shop? Send me a convo on etsy or email me at thesweetbutton@aol.com

-Mary



5 comments:

  1. Great feature and that's a lovely shop

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful blog and really great feature!

    I'm following! Saw your post on Etsy. Here's mine!
    My shop: www.kmcgiveron.etsy.com

    Blog: www.kathleenmcgiveron.com

    Facebook: www.facebook.com/kmcgiveronart

    Twitter: www.twitter.com/kmcgiveron

    www.kmcgiveron-art.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love the shop! School girl lunchbox is adorable

    BahbooBabyWrap.etsy.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great feature! Her items are very cute. ^.^

    ReplyDelete