Tuesday, November 8, 2011

How Can It Be?!

Can it really be just 16 days away from Thanksgiving and only 46 days until Christmas?! Time just seems to move faster and faster these days. Our artistans have been working long days and many nights to prepare for the holiday season. New items are arriving daily, each one cuter than the next. If you're looking for unique, one of a kind, locally handmade gifts for your friends and family this holiday season....that's exactly what we do here at I Am What I Am on Main Street!


Thanks for stopping by!
~ Jessi ~

Monday, October 10, 2011

Progressive Pink Party

Thanks to everyone that spent the day on Main Street for the Progressive Pink Party! Beautiful, strong, caring  women coming together to share, laugh, and spread breast cancer awareness...that's awesome!















Thanks for stopping by!
Jessi

Friday, September 2, 2011

You Need Your Girlfriends!

 Us ladies need our girlfriends! Friends are there to hold our hands when we need a little extra strength, to hug us when we need a good cry, to make us giggle 'til we pee our pants ; ) Just as important as having our girlfriends is taking a break once in awhile from the everyday rush. We have so many fun events happening in the store for you and your girlfriends to take a break together! Follow the links below for more information.




Thanks for stopping by!
:)

Monday, August 22, 2011

We LOVE Local Artists!!

In fact, we only carry local artisans items in our store! Did you know that our artists also work in our store? It's nice to know when you purchase something that you can speak to and get to know the person that created it. Each of our artists pays special attention to detail and puts a lot of love into their work for you, our customers and friends. We'll be introducing you to our artists and crafters over the next few weeks. Please take a few moments and enjoy a little Q&A with our artisans to learn more about them and what goes into the fabulous works they create!

Linda Ramirez of Livi Lu Creations


What do you create?
I make handmade greeting cards and paper crafts.



What is your bestseller?
My best sellers are the “mature” lady greeting cards and the personalized baby and wedding cards. The “purse” bags are gaining in popularity as they contain four greeting cards or come empty for filling with your special gifts and treats.


What goes into making it?
For custom orders, communication with the customer is crucial in determining exactly what they are looking for. I make suggestions on the overall design of the card and the verse for the individual occasion. Once the customer’s theme is determined, my creative mind gets going to create the card’s special look and feel. Review copies of the card are sent to the customer and changes are made as necessary to meet the customer’s needs. When creating a new card, I try to design artwork that is cute, funny, special, or seasonal for general use. My cards incorporate color using ink markers to achieve a one-of-a-kind look. Of course “bling” always adds pizzazz to the cards as appropriate.


Do you take custom orders?

Yes, I love custom orders!


Who are you outside of the business?

I am retired from a sales profession calling on major retailers and enjoy spending time with my family. I have a wonderful and supportive group of friends who are there for me and encourage me to pursue my talents and creativeness. Along with my paper crafting, my hobbies also include gardening, cooking, and enjoying friends and family.



What do you enjoy most about selling your handmade goods?

The joy and pleasure they bring to my customers. I love to hear feedback on how the card or gift was received. It makes me feel good to know I have brought some special meaning & enjoyment to someone. It is very rewarding.



Why do you buy handmade?
When a person receives a handmade item it displays more meaning and thought from the giver and expresses more heart felt feeling toward the receiver. Overall, I believe most people appreciate receiving something with meaning rather than something off a shelf. When buying handmade you know it is unique and was carefully designed and made for the individual person. I love seeing and hearing reactions from people when they read some of my verses and designs.



You can see more of Linda's work on Facebook and in our store:

Monday, August 15, 2011

We LOVE Local Artists!!

In fact, we only carry local artisans items in our store! Did you know that our artists also work in our store? It's nice to know when you purchase something that you can speak to and get to know the person that created it. Each of our artists pays special attention to detail and puts a lot of love into their work for you, our customers and friends. We'll be introducing you to our artists and crafters over the next few weeks. Please take a few moments and enjoy a little Q&A with our artisans to learn more about them and what goes into the fabulous works they create!

Amy & Jeffrey Johnson of Handmade Family


What do you create?
Back to basics toys, blankets, accessories and wall art, focusing on growing families. Our little family and our friends' families bring us such joy that we would like to share that warmth with our customers. 



What is your bestseller?
Our best seller has got to be the Key Ring/Luggage Tags.  Big enough that you can find them in a purse filled with stuff, small enough that they can fit in your pocket.  The loop fits over your hand so you can carry groceries without putting your keys down.  And the colorful webbing and printed ribbon make finding luggage in a sea of gray suitcases a breeze!


What goes into making it?
Mostly rainbows and ground up unicorn horns. No Muppets were killed in the making of our products.


Do you take custom orders?
Absolutely!  All of our products can be customized with different fabric patterns or colors. Did you know we also do embroidery? If you would like an embroidered image, name or quote, we can do that too. Also, Jeffrey can do custom illustration to help tie together those troubling spots in your little ones room decor.


Who are you outside of the business?
Ha-ha-ha! It's not exactly the kind of business you get outside of much, is it? Amy works as a preschool teacher. She loves kids, which is a big part of the reason she got into making things in the first place. Jeffrey is a stay-at-home-dad during the day, and a freelance Illustrator and Graphic Designer at night. He manages to squeeze in a few personal Illustrations and blog posts using the remaining 10 minutes before bed. We both enjoy playing games, reading and movies.


What do you enjoy most about selling your handmade goods?
We appreciate everyone we meet in this community. With television and the interweb, it's sometimes easy to forget that there are actually real people out there to meet and talk to. 


Why do you buy handmade?
Rebellion against the Empire. Knowing that there are still quality products, made with quality materials out in the world that are made by actual people is a big deal to us. It makes us a little sad that the big-box culture which continues to develop around us seems to have legitimized a lack of quality. As I think about it though, the problem seems to go deeper than that. Not only have people gotten used to buying junk, they've also gotten so used to paying so little for it that the prices of high quality products seem unreasonable.  So by supporting handmade and local while turning away from the big-box stores maybe we can return balance to the force.



You can see more of Amy & Jeffrey's work through the following links and in our store:



Monday, August 8, 2011

We LOVE Local Artists!!

In fact, we only carry local artisans items in our store! Did you know that our artists also work in our store? It's nice to know when you purchase something that you can speak to and get to know the person that created it. Each of our artists pays special attention to detail and puts a lot of love into their work for you, our customers and friends. We'll be introducing you to our artists and crafters over the next few weeks. Please take a few moments and enjoy a little Q&A with our artisans to learn more about them and what goes into the fabulous works they create!

Debbie Reed of Pink Seven Designs


What do you create?
I create handmade accessories and gifts for babies, children and adults.


What is your bestseller?
Hmmm...right now it's wine glasses!  


What goes into making it?
I hand paint the glasses with a monogram letter or a cute saying! Then paint polka dots, zebra print, etc to give it some pizazz!! Then I bake the glasses to set the paint in! Then add ribbon/tulle and crystals to make them extra cute!



Do you take custom orders? 
Most definitely!! Email me at pinksevendesigns@yahoo.com!


Who are you outside of the business?
I am a personal trainer/fitness instructor!! I teach cardio kickboxing 5 days a week! Been married for over 3 years to one awesome guy and lovin it!! :)


What do you enjoy most about selling your handmade goods? 
I love the fact that I LOVE my job!! I get to work from home and do what I enjoy most - crafting!!



 Why do you buy handmade?
You know when you purchase the item, somebody took time, effort and heart into making it for you!! Totally worth it!!




You can see more of Debbie's work through Facebook, Etsy and in our store:

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

We LOVE Local Artists!!

In fact, we only carry local artisans items in our store! Did you know that our artists also work in our store? It's nice to know when you purchase something that you can speak to and get to know the person that created it. Each of our artists pays special attention to detail and puts a lot of love into their work for you, our customers and friends. We'll be introducing you to our artists and crafters over the next few weeks. Please take a few moments and enjoy a little Q&A with our artisans to learn more about them and what goes into the fabulous works they create!

Nikki Hickman of Belladue


What do you create?
I created upscale, unique and hand-crafted children's gifts.

 
  
What is your bestseller?
Our bestseller changes seasonally. With Back to school we sell a lot of backpacks and "Kindergarten Rocks" t-shirts. Through the holidays we sell a lot of monogrammed t-shirts. And birthday sets are always popular.



Why do you buy handmade?
I buy handmade to support other local artists. I am truly blessed to be able to create things in my home studio. That way I can be home with my kids and still have a creative outlet. I love helping others who may be trying to accomplish the same goal.










What do you enjoy most about selling your handmade goods?

I love selling hand-crafted gifts because they are made with love. They are completely customizable. So if you purchase something from us there won't be a million available at the big box stores. I love that people appreciate the effort that is put into creating something new. It makes me smile :)









You can see more of Nikki's work through the Belladue website and in our store:


Thanks for stopping by! :) Jessi