{Win $75 gift card to Simply Just Lovely}

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Elsa, you won a $75 gift card to Simply Just Lovely! Please check your inbox for an email from us :)

What an honor it is to not only be a part of the handmade community, but to help cultivate this community. The past few years have taught me how truly important it is to learn, share and grow with one another. Today I’m excited to share with you July’s featured sponsor, Simply Just Lovely. To learn more about sidebar sponsorship please click here.

But, before I share with you my interview + giveaway with Simply Just Lovely, I must share with you some of my personal favorites from Erin’s shop: this star necklace and this triple hex necklace.

Alrighty — who wants to win a $75 gift card to her shop? Read on for the details!

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I am Erin, the designer behind Simply Just Lovely, a little shop where I create simple delicate jewelry for the everyday woman. This is just a small part of my everyday world. I am a mother to a handsome 10 month old boy named Aidan, he is my heart and soul. Ten months out of the year I am a high school fashion teacher and second mother to many other children. In my free time, I blog over at Simply Just Love, craft and sew any chance I get. I am also in the process of planning my wedding, which will be taking place on Halloween 2014, so my free time is very limited these days. I guess you can say I am one busy lady!

I am that girl that believes accessorizes are just as important as the outfit itself. I have been designing jewelry for years now, playing around with tons of materials. The simple things in life have always been the most inspiring to me and this is why I decided to design a line of simple delicate jewelry. I feel that sometimes simple is all you need. I have always been a fan of unconventional and unique findings, which is why I have used materials such as hex nuts in some of my jewelry. I took these two inspirations and mashed them together to create pieces that are expressive of simplicity and quirkiness.

I am most proud of being a mother and soon-to-be-wife. I am also proud of the woman I am today and I am especially proud of my career. It is a great feeling to know all my hard work throughout the years has payed off and I am lucky to love what I do on a daily basis. When it comes to being successful, everyone has their own idea of what success is. I am a firm believer that hard work and persistence can get you where you want to be in life. It is important to never give up. It took me over a year to finally open my shop and when I decided to open it I was 9 months pregnant. It may not have been the best of timing but I took the plunge. It has been a struggle to juggle my shop with the added responsibility of my son but I have managed to make it work and continue to try and perfect my time management skills.

There may never be “the perfect time” to begin something but if you love it enough you must give it a go. Nothing you are passionate about is ever not worth it.

I think it is important to be realistic and keep in mind that your shop may not take off overnight but dedication does pay off. Also, research, research, research! There is so much to learn out there that will only be beneficial in the long run.

When I am not designing jewelry, I love to craft and just create. My newest love is party planning. I love the excitement of planning and creating the perfect presentation which celebrates an important occurrence in a persons life. I am big on the idea that added personal touch warms the heart. One of my favorite projects was my cousins 4th birthday party that I had the opportunity to plan. The theme was princess tea party, so fun! You can see some of the decorations I created here. I am also pretty obsessed with Halloween, so my Halloween crafts would definitely rank as some of my favorites.

Gussy Sews friends can also save 25% on their entire Simply Just Lovely with code GUSSY25 at checkout.

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