{Featured Artist :: Bundled Baby}

Here at Gussy has a lot to say {and sew} we love to look at all things beautiful. Beautiful products to help you relax, beautiful colors, beautiful stories about finding joy and inner creativity.

Today is week #24 of my series on Featured Artists, which is a bi-monthly event showcasing fun and sassy handmade shops! I love searching for new wares to show the Gussy community. You can read all back Featured Artist posts by clicking here.

Please join me in welcoming Heather at Bundled Baby.

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What inspires you?

Fabric and necessity. I adore fabric shopping and it’s not hard to find fabrics that just speak, to be practically begging to be transformed into something! In the beginning most of my product ideas came about from some need to simplify life with my own babies. Necessity really is the mother of invention and some of those products, like the Quick Trip Diaper Bag Organizer are still in the Bundled shop today!

Where do you call home? Are you from there originally?

Home now is Orlando, Florida but I grew up in the super small capital city of Alabama — Montgomery.

Name something unique to where you live.

My first instinct is to say Disney World! I know, I know … there is Disney Land but really is there anything like Disney World?

Share an interesting fact about yourself.

I have two extra ribs, seriously! They’re called cervical ribs. Look it up if you really want to know :]

How did you come up with your shop name?

I would love to have an interesting, thoughtful story to add here but the truth is that Bundled just popped into my head one day and it’s always felt right.

Share a little bit about yourself.

I’m a thirty “something” mommy to five-year-old twin boys. I dated my college sweetheart for 6 years before we finally decided to make it official and we’ve been married for 8 years. While it’s definitely the most challenging thing I’ve ever done, I LOVE being a stay-at-home, work-at-home mommy. I am equally as much a play-o-holic as I am a work-o-holic. Traveling is our family past time and I love exposing our children to all different parts of the country (we’ll work on the world when they are a bit older)!

If you had to describe yourself in a word, what would that word be?

Driven

What made you decide to open up shop?

It wasn’t until I was regularly filling orders for friends and friends-of-friends that I thought maybe I should have a website. I started out with a stand alone site which took up WAY too much time (trying to get found in the Internet sea is tough) so when I stumbled upon Etsy I knew immediately that it would be the place for me. The response has been amazing and there is no looking back now!

Name your favorite thing about selling handmade.

I love that I get to know my customers. I am fortunate enough to have a great base of returning customers and it really makes a girl feel good to be someone’s “go to” gift person! The handmade community is such a bright and shiny, supportive place and it’s really a great pleasure to be involved.

Do you have a day job or sell on Etsy full-time?

My boys and Etsy are both my full-time job!

Give us a little glimpse into what a typical day in your life looks like.

Thankfully life doesn’t start too early around here! I’m usually up around 7 for a cup of coffee and a few emails. After that I get myself dressed and ready for the day and then do the same for the boys. I drop them off at school, run any errands I may have then back home to sew, sew, sew! I pick them up from school in the afternoon, play time with the boys then dinner, showers and bed for them. Once they’re in bed I either spend a little time with the hubby or get back to work on the 3rd shift, i.e. more sewing! Sleep & Repeat :]

There is always a little time in the schedule for Twitter and chatting with girlfriends, too!

Share with us a favorite Etsy purchase or shop.

I have tons of favorite Etsy shops and purchases but I think one of my most favorites would be the monogrammed leather initial keychain I purchased from Etsy Shop Jeeta! It looks as new today as the day I received it which means a lot to me as I’m not exactly gentle with my keychains.

List a few of your most favorite pastimes.

Traveling, sewing and playing cards. I love playing with my family. We are all very competitive so it’s always interesting!

What is your most prized possession?

I still have my pink chenille bunny baby blanket … Love it!

What are three of your favorite foods?

Just three? Macaroni-n-cheese (my mom’s); cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches (preferably from this really yummy deli in Savannah, GA; anything with feta cheese and kalamata olives.

What would you like to learn to do?

I would love to have a vegetable garden. My mother has a green thumb but that trait didn’t seem to get passed on to me :]

What are you listening to right now?

The sound of cartoons coming from the playroom! As for music, at the moment it’s a mix of Jack Johnson, Michael Buble, Cowboy Mouth, Regina Spektor, Arrested Development, Joe Purdy (whom I love and first heard on the blog of the most incredibly talented photographer, Jade McCully from Savannah who has taken some of the most gorgeous pictures of our family in one of our most favorite cities) and what day is complete without a little Lynyrd Skynyrd “Sweet Home Alabama”.

Name one place you must visit in your lifetime and why.

Majorca, Spain. We were there for part of our honeymoon and it is by far the most beautiful place in the world! We are looking forward to going back, just the two of us as soon as possible and then with the boys one day, too.

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The Giveaway Goods:

Bundled Baby is giving away 2 Carrot Rattles

To enter:

Leave a comment sharing something positive about your day.

For extra entries {leave a comment for each}:

• Tweet about this: So sweet! Enter to win 2 Carrot Baby Rattles from @Bundled via @GussySews’ blog, http://u.nu/8f7qb
• Blog about it {please share permalink with us}

EXTRA INFO:

• The giveaway will close Sunday, June 13 at 10 pm CST, and the winner will be announced the following day
• An email address must be listed on your blog profile or in the comment you leave

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Additional links for Bundled Baby:
Twitter
Blog
Flickr

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Come on back Friday, June 25 for another Featured Artist post!