Her Shop- Featuring over 70 Etsy Artisans

An interview of shop owner, Laura LaChance Stubbs, of Her Shop.

What inspired you to open "Her Shop?"

I always wanted to open my own shop, but never new what to sell. Now that the kids are grown, I've been selling my candles on Etsy.com. But I found Etsy had so many wonderful handmade items, I was buying more than I was selling. My Christmas shopping is almost complete before Labor Day for the first time in my life.

So one day it dawned on me, to open a shop and sell handmade things from Etsy. I realize how bad the economy is nationwide. These crafters, like me, are only trying to make a buck to feed their family and pay their bills. So I began trading in my stocks and started finding quality unique handmade items.

What sort of items will Her Shop carry?

I had no idea what "theme" I was going to have, and being a tomboy, I'm a little surprised that I was buying mostly things for woman and babies. I have 5 grandsons, 1 grand daughter and one grandson due any day now. so I definitely wanted baby things too, for shower gifts or something unique for the new mom. I live in a small town, and I don't want to step on any toes, so I was looking for things, nobody else had.

I have met some wonderful people on Etsy and made some really good long distance friends.

I have jewelry, scrapbooking supplies, soap, my candles, bath salts, paintings, burp cloths, mamas necklace, needlefelting kits, to name a few. And because I knit and crochet as well, I wanted to carry 100% cotton yarn from Peaches n Creme, I have 49 colors! A local chain store ( unnamed) only carries 27 colors.

I also do some consignments for some friends and local people.

Where did the name "Her Shop" come from?

The name was hard to come up with, a little different for sure. But then again, my store is different.

What makes Her Shop stand out?

My goal was to put money in pockets around the nation, while supplying my store with great items. I also wanted to help my community, by offering things in town, so people wouldn't have to travel so far to get scrapbooking, yarn , embroidery supplies, or a unique gift.



HER SHOP is located in Cornish, Maine on rt. 25

Hours will be 10 - 6 pm Tuesday - Saturday

The store had its Grand Opening on Saturday Opening August 25Th, 2009

I am always adding new and interesting things. To date, I have purchased from about 70 different people on Etsy!

Thank you for allowing to share my shop with you!

Le Bella Studio-Center for Fine Arts- Emporium Grand Opening!

Le Bella Art Studio is expanding to offer an Indoor Emporium retail shop. Grand Opening will be THIS Saturday, August 8, 2009 from 11 am to 4 pm. Come check out Blooming Bouquets in person.

Location: Le Bella Studio-Center for Fiine Arts
850 Pittsburgh Street
Phone: 724.274.6330

While at Le Bella shop for new or used items from one of our many local artists, crafters and collectors. Some items available at Le Bella are:

embroidery, fabric applique, fabric art

one of a kind reconstructed t-shirts, unique patches and bags

screenprinting for babies, kids & women

polymer clay goodies

screenprinted clothing, bags and housewares

neato plastic upcycled rings/jewelry

ceramic jewelry

screenprinting onesies, tshirts

upcycled jewelry

Handmade jewelry

Hand Made Crafts

Home Made Chocolates

Comic Books

Lp's

Skateboards

Used Books


Lots and Lots of Art...Please call for more Info and for store times.

Harvest Fest

Come to Le Bella on October 24th and join us for a day of FUN! While your child is making their own Jackson Pollock Splatter Pumpkins you can pick up some fresh local produce and shop around our Emporium. Enjoy some of our local artists, crafters and collecters work and check out what our Art studio has to offer for the winter.

FREE SHIPPING! Ended August 1, 2009

That is right! We are now offering Free Shipping in the Continental US!

More about Shipping:


Shipping & Handling Options:
S/H charges for continental US addresses are as follows (HI, AK and US territories please email me your addresses for quotes.):



PO BOXES MUST CHOOSE USPS PRIORITY OR EXPRESS MAIL


FedEx Ground/Home Delivery,
(1-3 days to Midwest and East Coast, 4 days to West Coast, includes insurance and signature confirmation)


USPS Priority Mail Shipping,
(2-3 days average delivery, not guaranteed, includes insurance and signature confirmation)


USPS Express Mail Shipping,
(Overnight to most locations, Saturday, Sunday & holiday delivery, exact delivery guarantee based on zip code, includes insurance and signature confirmation)


Local Pickup/Delivery for Greater Pittsburgh Area extending to Beaver County
(MUST CONTACT ME BEFORE BUYING TO ARRANGE PICKUP) including local hospitals!

ChristieCreations Gives Back

ChristieCreations gives back! Please join us in supporting these fantastic causes:

Pancreatic Cancer Research

Bilec Bowl

All Proceeds Benefit Pancreatic Cancer Research

(In Loving Memory of Wanda Bilec)

When: Saturday July 25, 2009

Where: New Great Valley Lanes, North Versailles

Time: 1:00 p.m.

Cost: $20 - Adults; $12 - Children under 13

Price includes 3 games of bowling, shoes and

Five tickets toward the basket raffle

Raffle for over 15 baskets

50/50 Cash Raffle

Silent Auction (items include Marriott package, Kennywood package, Pirates Baseball package, Golfpackage)

Register individually

or as a Team by July 11^th

with Jodi at bilecbowls@comc

ast.net

The Superhero Foundation, (a non profit oganization) is sponsoring a family fun run/walk at North Park on April 18, 2009 to benefit the Parental Stress Center of Pittsburgh, PA. The goal is to raise awareness for prevention of child abuse. Participants are encouraged to dress as their favorite superheros and it promises to be a fun filled day for a great cause.


Superhero Foundation:
http://superherorun.com

Parental Stress Center of Pittsburgh:
http://www.pscfamily.net/


These are just a few of the recent charities that have been donated Blooming Bouquets to be auctioned off.

Next month, ChristieCreations will be feature a brand new line of "For Giana" Blooming Bouquets where all proceeds will benefit The Giana Boyd Berardi Fund.

Giana and her twin brother Dominic were born 10 weeks premature. Dominic weighed about 3 pounds 6 ounces and Giana weighed 1 pound 9 ounces. She was diagnosed with Miller Dieker's Syndrome in August 2008. She is fed through a tube in her belly and will probably never walk, or talk. She will be severely mentally delayed. She is susceptible to respiratory illnesses and needs extra special care.

For more information: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/gianaboydberardi

Do you want to help out Giana right now? This Thursday July 9th, Frontline Initiative and the Hero Program will be selling Giana's bracelets outside Wal-Mart in Monaca all day!

We must be doing something right...

ChristieCreations strives to make EVERY customer a RETURN customer! Each Blooming Bouquet is designed and handmade as though we were giving it to our own friends and family. The product is one of a kind and the quality speaks for itself. We must be doing something right because over half of our customers have made a second (or third or fourth) purchase within two months of their initial purchase.

Here are some recent customer testimonials:

I ordered four bouquets and was “over the moon” with them all! My order was shipped and received within 2 days; all of the baskets in the same condition as they were sent. I even turned them all upside down to see if anything would come out and was pleasantly surprised when nothing did! I am definitely a customer for life! Thanks Christie!

Beautiful, high quality basket, even better than the photos! Wonderful seller: great communication, goes above and beyond to provide great customer service. I will be back for more, thanks so much!

Super cute presentation and extremely fast shipping! What a great gift to help welcome a new baby girl. I will definitely be back.

My sister loved her bouquet she got it yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. I will be back in the future!

Thank you so much. My daughter in law was so surprised, when she got it, and loved it so much, she didn't want to take it apart!! VERY impressive, Great quality items , and awesome selection, in this basket!!

I love this seller she made such an adorable bouquet for m friend's new son I cannot wait for my friend to get this i just know she will love it. I would highly recommend this store to anyone having a baby shower or baby. I will definitely be back.

I have purchased two baskets and have been highly pleased with both. They are beautiful and well put together. I recommend them to everyone!

I cant even stress enough how amazing these arrangements are. The service was prompt and the correspondence between Christie and I was great. She really made my Mom's special day even better!!! THANK YOU!!

I hope to have lots more babies in the family so i can buy more of these amazing baskets! gorgeous, wonderful present. can't thank you enough!!! also, SUPER fast shipping! GREAT SELLER! THANK YOU!!!

This is totally awesome, I just love it and will be buying many more..and Christie is such a nice nice person. thank you !!!!

This seller is terrific! We worked together on the items included and she custom designed the basket to match the shower decorations. Great to work with and the basket is just perfect. First rate experience! Thanks Christie!

ChristieCreations diligently works to make every customer a customer for life!

How to throw a fabulous baby shower (Part 5 of 10) Let's talk decorations

Let's talk decorations! I am not a fan of blue and pink paper crepe streamers, boring balloon centerpieces, and those tacky paper cut outs of baby carriages, ducks, and bottles.

Baby Blooming Bouquets actually were born in response to not wanting to use diaper cakes as baby shower centerpieces... again. I will be the first one to admit that I bought a diaper cakes or two. I was a fan. It was trendy, unique, and featured on one of my all time favorite television shows, Sex and the City. But go ahead and google "diaper cake." You are flooded with 863,000 hits for diaper cake. Anyone and everyone can either make a diaper cake (google for instructions) or buy one at a myriad of places. In case you are wondering: there are about 364,000 hits for How to make a diaper cake.

Now that I am done with my rant on diaper cakes, let's move to some excellent baby shower decoration alternatives.
Once again, I turn to my crafty Etsy friends. Here is a small selection of my favorite decoration ideas. No, none of them have been featured on a major television series...yet but you can be the cool one to introduce your friends to the new trend in baby shower decorations!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25399234
20"x28" personalized photo poster - baby's growing tree - family tree

Feature ::
-4 horizontal & 4 vertical 3x2 photos frames
-20x28 inch poster (paper size)
-free matt lamination
-poster reusable
-photos can be changed unlimited times

Print fits standard 20x28 ready made frame without matting.

www.oh-smile.blogspot.com







Practicality is key when shopping for baby shower decorations. Instead of wasting you money on paper items that you will simply toss out after the shower, why not purchase items that can be displayed and/or used in the nursery?

Another fabulous baby gift that would double as a decoration are these one of a kind, personalized clocks by 5:00 am Clock Designs: Lori's Useful and Unique Personalized Gifts.
It features a great red barn, and a barnyard complete with smiling cow & horse, family of ducks, and a tractor ready to go, all under a bright sunshine with country accents! Our vibrant graphics are on a WHITE background, and it is EASIER TO SEE both numbers and clock hands on a white background!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6237725

As I have mentioned in a previous installment of How to throw a Fabulous Baby Shower, I love using a clothesline as a practical baby shower decoration. Wouldn't this stunning personalized blanket look simply adorable pinned to the middle of a clothesline with darling onesies hanging on either side? The gorgeous matching pillow can be placed on the Mother to be's chair to help support her back during the gift opening portion of her baby shower. Who would not love to step into their baby shower to find this extra surprise?

You can purchase this item on GirlieBirdBoutique on etsy.com

One handmade applique name pillow with pink chenille front measuring 12x16. The primary fabric is Michael Miller's Carnival Bloom with coordinating fabric for the additional letters. The back is the carnival bloom and it opens to remove the pillow insert for washing. Pink pom pom trim for the trim (pom pom trim is not recommended for children under 3 years of age).

The blanket is also made with pink chenille front and carnival bloom fabric on the back with the pink pom pom trim. This blanket measures approx. 30x34.

Every Blooming Bouquet is one of a kind!

ChristieCreations has been asked numerous times why we "name" each Blooming Bouquet. Unlike similar products each of our Blooming Bouquets are designed to be one of a kind. Each gift is made with as much love and care as if we were giving it to our own friends or family members. The items inside the Blooming Bouquet are carefully selected to coordinate with each other and provide a colorful "blooming" arrangement.

Baby Blooming Bouquets are each born with a name. There are three main sections of Baby Blooming Bouquets:

Baby BOY
Baby GIRL
Gender NEUTRAL Baby

Within those sections there are speciality Baby Blooming Bouquets including:

Cloth Diaper Baby
Organic Baby
Preemie Baby

Since our bouquets are designed with a myriad of colors, providing a gender specific name for each bouquet allows a customer to quickly distinguish which bouquets are more appropriate for a baby girl, baby boy, or a baby surprise!

Baby Bouquets are regularly named after our past clients precious babies! If you are purchasing a bouquet as a baby shower gift/centerpiece or as a gift to bring to the hospital, please drop us a line and let us know what special name the parents have chosen. We will feature an upcoming bouquet in their honor!
Every baby in the world is born with his or her own special personality and our bouquets are just the same.

Names are used once and then retired.

ChristieCreations realizes that baby names are very important to the parents to be. Baby name preferences vary greatly. Therefore the gift bouquet's baby name is not shared on the custom photo gift card. The only place where the bouquet's name is listed is on the website.

Kitchen and Spa Pampering Blooming Bouquets are named using cute and corny phrases! Just another way to add a little pizazz to our product and give the buyer an idea of the theme of the bouquet items!

A few of our favorites include:

Open up and Say Spaaaah

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25283563



You had me at Merlot

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24089520





















Espresso Yourself

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25855223

Something Fishy

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25960183

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21962777

Have an idea for a cute name? Let's hear it!

YART Sale time! Yard + Art = YART

It is summer and what does that mean? Yard Sales! This was one of my favorite activities to do with my mom. You could always find a bargain! Fast forward twenty years and yes, they have figured out how to have a VIRTUAL online yard sale. On Etsy is is called a Yart sale. What exactly is a “Yart Sale,” you may ask? The term Yart is an artistic spin on the traditional yard sale:

Art + Yard Sale = Yart!

The sale will take place June 10 through June 14, 2009.

If you have never purchased from Etsy before- this is the perfect time to give it a try.

Shops will be offering extra special discounts, free or reduced shipping charges, freebies, and more!

ChristieCreations is participating with a 14 item YART SALE section. All orders over 60.00 will ship for FREE!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6176691&section_id=6059404

Happy Bargain Hunting!

Do you tweet?

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users' updates known as tweets. Tweets are posts of up to 140 characters, displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have subscribed to them (known as followers).

ChristieCreations is now on Twitter! Make sure to follow us for periodic coupon codes. Are you on twitter? Leave your twitter info as a comment and let's us follow you!

http://twitter.com/Bloomingbouquet

Complimentary Photo Cards with Every Blooming Bouquet!

ChristieCreations offers a complimentary 4x6 photo insert card with every purchase.

A keepsake photo of the Blooming Bouquet is displayed on the front of the card so that its beauty can be enjoyed and remembered long after the gift is taken apart. On the inside of the card, there is a complete list of the bouquet's inside contents written in beautiful calligraphy. This allows the gift receiver to know what fabulous items will be found when she unrolls the "blooms."

Since the majority of our Blooming Bouquets are sent directly to the gift receiver, a personal message can be added to your complimentary photo card.

Introducing Spa Pampering Products

There is only so much room to discuss the fantastic products featured inside ChristieCreations Blooming Bouquets on etsy.com. In our blog, we get unlimited about of space to show you the quality products selected for the various themed bouquets.

Today we are introducing you to the new lines of Ms. Manicure and Ms. Pedicure products included in the Spa Pampering Blooming Bouquet line.

Look like a pro did your nails with my Tips & Toes set. I've put together all the tools you need to give yourself the ultimate pro manicure or pedicure. This set includes a Toenail Clipper, Cuticle Trimmer, Cuticle Pusher, Washable Salon Board, Wood Cuticle Sticks, Pumice Stone, Nail Brush, and Toe Separators.

Handy Dandy Mani set is a tidy carry-all that has every tool you could require to manicure yourself solo. If you like to have your own personal tools when you go to the salon, just take this set with you! This all-in-one tool kit includes a Cuticle Nipper, Nail Clipper, Nail Scissors, Wood Cuticle Sticks, Nail Brush, Washable Salon Board, 4-way Nail Buffer, and Slant Tip Tweezers.



My Sweet Feet set includes 6 necessities to pamper your feet! Exfoliating Foot Scrub (one of my very favorite products!), Moisture Rich Foot lotion, Emery Boards, and Toe Separators.


Get your toes in tip-top condition with my Best in Toe set! This compact set includes the best basics for a great pedicure! Toenail Clipper, Mini Salon Board, Nail Brush, Pumice Stone,Wood Cuticle Sticks, and Comfort Toe Separators

To further pamper you, we have included:Pamper your feet while lounging in these super soft, washable cotton Spa Socks. Great to cozy up with on cool nights at home or when traveling. Fits shoe sizes 4 - 10.


These bath & shower gloves lather quickly and gently scrub your body squeaky clean. Plus, the textured nylon helps stimulate circulation for healthier, refreshed skin.


Here’s help for dry, overworked hands. These gloves help lock in lotion so parched skin soaks up a rich, conditioning treatment. Enjoy noticeably softer hands. Moisture Booties also available.

Quality Baskets Always

ChristieCreations pride themselves on using only the highest quality products in their Blooming Bouquets. Each gift is handmade and delicately arranged as though we were designing it for our own friends and family members.

The containers that hold the unique blooms are considered just as important. ChristieCreations is often asked where we purchase such unique, durable baskets! Today we are sharing our secret with our valued customers. The majority of Blooming Bouquets are designed using Andrea Baskets.

Andrea Baskets http://www.andreabaskets.com/

Back by popular demand: The Bushel Basket

Two sizes available

Yellow, Blue, Green, Pink, and Tan Perfect for the Baby Blooming Bouquets and Spa Pampering Blooming Bouquets







































With the new addition of the Organic Blooming Bouquets and Cloth Diaper Blooming Bouquets, ChristieCreations is now offering an array of Eco-Friendly Handmade Baskets.

For those who prefer a more traditional looking handled gift basket:

Multicolored woven baskets are now back in stock.

How to throw a fabulous baby shower (Part 4 of 10)

Where do your guests get the first impression of your baby shower? The invitation! This simple, yet incredibly important element sets the stage for your entire event.

The invitation is more than just a practical way of dispersing the who, what, where, and when but conveys the theme, formality, and general demeanor of the party.

In a time where electronic invitations are getting increasingly popular, your gorgeous custom invitation will be even more valued.

And before we continue, let me mention how cheesy and inappropriate it is to send a baby shower e-vite. First of all, not all of the invitees will have access to a computer. Most showers have a combination of young friends and the full gamete of family members. I know there are some hip grandmothers out there that are "silver surfers" but the majority still prefer the old fashion paper invitation.

Now that we have established that the paper invitation is the way to go- let's get a feel for the extraordinary selection of baby shower invitations.

Handmade Custom Invitations: Are you looking for an invitation as unique as you? Etsy.com is filled with talented artisans ready to make your baby shower dreams come true. Here is one of my favorites from graciegirlnotes.etsy.com



Gather your friends and family to the shower your hosting with this sweet, flat invitation. This listing is for 8 custom invitations and address labels. This heavy-weight, white card measures 4.25 x 5.5 and features an adorable pink, handmade, polka dot onesie embellishment. Chocolate brown envelopes (with custom address labels) included. $ 20.00

graciegirlnotes.etsy.com

TinyPrints.com features a huge selection of invitations. For those of you considering a "Bring a Book" themed baby shower consider this cute invite!

Bedtime Stories: Cream Prices start at .99 per invitation

Encourage the growth of a new generation of baby bibliophiles with a book exchange and this delightful baby shower invitation! Created by Petite Alma, this snoozing babe must be having sweet dreams about the wonderful world of literature.

On a tight budget? Do-It-Yourself Kits are economical and a great way to save money! This kit sold on Target.com includes everything you need for only $ 24.99

• Invitation Kit
• Features Blank Cards
• Contains 50 Cards, 100 Envelopes , 50 Seals , 50 Thank You Cards
• Cards: 6x9 "

New Avatars!

Help me select the new avatar to represent the brand new ChristieCreations!

Option 1: flower with "Do your gifts bloom?"
Option 2: Flower with name on petal
Option 3: Large name with flower
Option 4: Just flower- no name (not shown)

How to make gorgeous pomander/kissing balls

How to make gorgeous pomander/kissing balls

This was one of my last DIY projects for my wedding. I almost did not do it but I am so glad I did. I received so many compliments and it really added elegance to the aisle.

Let me preface this by saying it will take a TON of flowers to do these. I literally used 35-50 rose stems on each ball. I used varying sizes and shades of red and burgundy to give the ball dimension. All stems were medium quality - it would have cost a small fortune to use the same high quality roses I used in my centerpieces.

Supplies needed.. glue gun.. low temp, glue and melting pot (you can buy at Pat Catan's for 5 bucks) styrofoam balls (I recommend the green ones) wire cutters, rose stems, ribbon, and a few straight pins (I used the ones with pearl tops).

Things to keep in mind: when selecting the size of your foam ball, remember it will be much larger once all the flowers are in place.

Prep Work: Cut all rose (or other flower) stems and leaves off. Keep 1-1.5 inches to press into stryofoam ball. If using varying stems like I did, seperate into groups of color and size.

Begin by placing the largest roses on the ball first. Dip the stem into the glue melting pot making sure to cover the stem and bottom of rose. Fill in with the medium size roses and then the small buds to complete your pomander ball.

To attached the ribbon, hot glue the bottom of the ribbon into the top of the ball inbetween the roses where it can be completely hidden. To ensure it holds properly, use straight pins to secure to ball.

I hung my pomander balls from iron shepherd hooks special ordered from Pat Catan's (9.99 each).