What it means to be a Small Business Momprenuer

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Being a woman who works a full time job, has a small crafting business, is a wife and a mom is not easy. It takes a lot of time management, energy, and dedication. But it is also incredibly rewarding.

I am a woman who fits all of those descriptions. And I can tell you, most days I don’t know how I get it all done. I work full time as an administrative assistant to a CEO of a bank, I have a small crafting business on the side, I am married, and I have two young children. It is a lot to juggle, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I love being a working mom. I love being able to provide for my family and to have my own career. I also love being able to use my creativity in my crafting business. And I love being a wife and a mom. I love spending time with my husband and my children, and I love watching them grow and learn.

Of course, juggling it all is not without its challenges. There are times when I feel like I am spread too thin. There are times when I feel like I am not doing enough for my family or my business. But there are also times when I feel like I am superwoman. I can do anything I set my mind to.

If you are a woman who is thinking about starting a family, or if you are already a mom, I want you to know that it is possible to have it all. You can be a successful career woman, a loving wife, a doting mom, and a creative entrepreneur.

Here are a few tips for juggling and succeeding all of your responsibilities:

  • Set priorities. It is important to know what is most important to you and to focus on those things. For me, my family is my top priority. My husband and my children come first. My career is important to me, but it is not as important as my family.
  • Delegate. If you can, delegate tasks to others. This could mean hiring a babysitter, asking your husband to help out more around the house, or having your kids help with chores.
  • Take breaks. It is important to take breaks, even when you are busy. This could mean taking a few minutes to yourself each day, or taking a vacation once in a while.
  • Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you are struggling, don’t be afraid to ask for help from your family, friends, or colleagues.

No one said that the journey was going to be easy. But it is incredibly rewarding. If you are thinking about starting a family, or if you are already a mom, I want you to know that it is possible to have it all and there is a whole support network out there if you just ask for it. It takes hard work and dedication, but it is possible.

Recapping 2019 & 2020

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It has been a long time since I’ve met up with all of you here. My last blog post was January 1st, 2019. And a lot of events and changes have happened since then. I found out I was pregnant with my daughter in the middle of January 2019. We were so elated as we’d been trying for a few months for a second child. We announced it to everyone at our sons 4th birthday party, surrounded by all of our friends and family, his last “gift” to open was a t-shirt I made that said “getting promoted to big brother fall 2019”. It was such a wonderful moment shared.

The next big event that happened was I spent a weekend with my sister in ocean city Maryland for her birthday. It was our first sisters trip that we plan on taking every year.

We made it through the summer of 2019 and our sweet baby girl arrived at the end of September, just in time to ring in my favorite season, Fall.

The end of 2019 came with a big decision to change career paths & employers and I found a position as a bank teller fairly close to my home. The hours were a bit more but the pay was right and I truly believe it was a blessing.

The beginning of 2020 came and went and we were adjusting to our new normal of job schedules, one child in preschool, one staying at the grandparents when we were working and we were getting on top of life.

Then, Covid hit. I can say, we were fortunate enough that the pandemic didn’t really affect us financially like it has millions of others around the world. My husband and I both continued to go into work through the whole thing. We juggled childcare and work but not much else because the world just shut down. We grew close, but also lazy. we didn’t have to go anywhere or do anything so, we didn’t. I let my creating come to a halt. I didn’t seem to have the time to devote to Crafty Bombshell and I grew very distant from anything crafty.

Enter into 2021. I came back with a vengeance. I started researching new crafts to try, new techniques, and I fell in love with resin products. It started innocently with I couldn’t find a bookmark that screamed “ME”. So, I bought some supplies, and I made a few. The response I received from just posting those few back in January was overwhelming! I made more, you bought more. (Thank you!)

At the beginning of this year, I was accepted for a new position at the bank I work for. I was so ecstatic because it meant no more late Thursdays, no more Saturday hours, and more financial freedom for our family. With my new position, came a new desk in a brand new building. the kind of desk that you do not want to leave a water ring on and ruin it! I started looking up coasters, and again, couldn’t find the right one to sing to me. So, again, I made a few. You love them even more than the bookmarks!

Flash forward to March, I signed up for the new Franklin Plaza Market’s that happen every Thursday in my town. It feels amazing to get out in my community and see all the wonderful people again.

For the first time I am up in sales compared to buying supplies! I created an online store and I am constantly receiving custom orders.

I could not have gotten this far without you all. Thank you.

2021 is going to be our year!

Happy New Year from Crafty Bombshell Designs!

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2019 came in like a lamb in my household. K was in bed by 9 & my husband and I watched the ball drop on television and went straight to bed. 2018 was such a monumental building year for us. It was mostly all great things, some not so great but we are not complaining.

2018 is the year that I officially started my business, Crafty Bombshell Designs LLC. From one of my previous posts, 3’ x 3’ Local Farm Sign I talked about my sign making business a little. But a little more history about it is that in February of 2018, I was sought out by an old high school classmate, Stephanie over at The Little White Cabin in Roxbury, CT. She had plans in motion to open a small home decor store in her hometown & wanted to know if I was interested in making hand-painted signs to sell there. I had been trying my hand at some signs a few months prior, and she had seen them and my potential. I owe this new dream of mine to her and her insight!

March started my official business with tax & name officially registered. Since then, I have been going non-stop. I love this work, making things with my hands is something I was born to do. I come from a very creative family background, my mother is an amazing artist, as is my brother over at Tru Boo Images – Instagram. My Father & other brother are geniuses when it comes to building anything out of wood (or other materials). Even still my other brother & sister are wizards with all things computer. Our family is very talented & I’m proud the I’ve inherited it too!

2018 was great for business. I ended the year with my products in three separate stores, The Little White Cabin in Roxbury CT, The Brush & Pallet in Harwinton CT & Kelly’s Crystals right in my hometown of Torrington CT!

My goal for the next year is to get into three more boutique stores, start an online store & create new and exciting items for you! I want to push myself to learn new styles & techniques, new crafts such as candle making & stained glass, and also make connections within my community. 2019 will be an even better year and I cannot wait to share it with you!

Have a happy New year! & until next time,

Stay #FashionablyCrafty !

Here are a few of my favorite custom orders & projects from this past year! I hope you enjoy!

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3’ x 3’ Local Farm Sign

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Hi everyone! I realize it’s been a while since I’ve posted and my Facebook and Instagram have been pretty much devoted to my wood farmhouse signs. I wanted to post an update here because if any of you come to this blog, it has a lot to do with diy projects and not much else.

I started making Farmhouse Signs back in February when an old classmate of mine reached out to me. She was opening up a home decor and design store in her hometown, Roxbury CT called The Little White Cabin. She wanted to see if I could make her farmhouse signs and modern farmhouse decor items. I was intrigued and said yes!

My Gym Bag Essentials

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Hey all,

I wanted to share with you my perfect gym bag essentials. There truly is a craft for packing just the right amount of equipment and supplies that you need for the gym without overpacking.

Since my first day back to the gym since before I had my son is tomorrow, I thought it the perfect time to share with you What will be going into my gym bag!

Pictured

  1. Goomee Hair Ties – ladies, I cant stress enough how important it is to get your hair up and out of your face while working out. There’s something about sweat on the back of your neck that I just do not like and being able to get my hair up is a major requirement for me to feel comfortable at the gym.
  2. Blender Bottle & Protein Powder – this is personal preference. I am on a high protein diet due to bariatric surgery I had back in November. I need to get 70+ grams of protein in a day and there’s no way I’d be able to without my quest protein powders. They come in so many wonderful flavors and my blender bottle makes it so there are no lumps!
  3. Eos Lip Balm – this is my favorite lip balm by far! Provides the most moisture and hydration for my lips and lasts for my whole gym time without having to re-apply!
  4. Good Sneakers – this is by far the most important piece you can put in your bag. If you don’t have adequate sneakers, you won’t have a great experience at the gym. Sneakers can make or break a workout so make sure you invest in good quality ones!
  5. Your actual gym bag – You can use whatever you want, but something that has a designated space for your shoes and a big enough space for your clothes is a great option to have! The one pictured above is on my wish list. It will be mine in the next couple of months, but for now I am using a zip up tote bag which works great as well.
  6. Active-wear – Who doesn’t love to look cute working up a sweat? These tops are definitely on my need-to-buy list. But you don’t need active shirts with clever sayings like the ones above. Ones that fit and that let you move is all you need! And don’t forget the yoga pants!!!
  7. The Right Bra – To have a great gym experience, you need to have the right size, fit and control bra. I cannot stress this enough – IF YOU ARE RUNNING ON THE TREADMILL AND YOUR BRA DOESN’T FIT RIGHT, YOU WILL GET SMACKED IN THE FACE!
  8. Post Workout Makeup – You do not need to leave the gym with a full on face of makeup, but, you probably should apply a light bb-cream with sunscreen, like this one by e.l.f. especially if you are heading out to work right after!
  9. Rinse Free Cleansing Water – I love love LOVE this cleansing water by Yon-ka! Its made with botanicals and  leaves your skin feeling soft, cleansed and refreshed! Use pre-workout and post-workout for the best effect!

Not Pictured:

  1. Your Favorite Water Bottle – My personal favorite is by Contigo. I have 3 of them that I alternate between. The oz. on the side keep me going and let me know how many ounces I’ve drunken already and how many I have to go.
  2. Lock – This is a no-brainer. You don’t want your stuff stolen do you?
  3. Headphones & iPod/phone – If you’re like me, your only motivation to actually move is music. So make that playlist, download that music app like Spotify or Pandora, and get moving!

Whatever you put in your gym bag, make sure you keep moving your booty!

Until then,

Stay Crafty!

 

New Year, New Projects!

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Hey all! It’s been quite some time since my last post but believe me that doesn’t mean I haven’t been my usual craft self! I’ve been finding it harder and harder to find the time to write down these posts. I take the photos, have all the right intentions, but where do I find the time? From taking care of my little man to keeping house and working full time, it’s almost impossible.

My New Years resolution: Make The Time!

I always find it funny when you are looking on Pinterest, and one minute you are looking at “gym bag essentials” and you wind up watching tutorials on “how to diy dye yarn”. How did I get here? Not that I mind, because it got me interested in hand dyeing my own yarn.

Whenever I go into this fancy yarn stores, I am enthralled by all the skeins of brightly colored hand-dyed yarn. But as soon as my eyes read the price tag, back it goes, intimidates to even try anything with them for fear of wasting $20+ of yarn on something that won’t come out right.

My first project of 2018 was easy, affordable, and really fun! I hope you enjoy reading about it here ——–>DIY Hand Dyed Acrylic Yarn

Until then,

Stay Crafty!!

DIY Hand-dye Acrylic yarn with Acrylic Paint

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Back in my New Years post I talked about how looking at Pinterest for “gym bag essentials” lead me to “diy hand-dyeing acrylic yarn”. I’ve always loved looking at the beautiful skeins of hand-dyed yarn at my local yarn store but the price tag always scared me away. I am so happy my pinning lead me in this direction today!

Not only did I have all the supplies on hand, but it really only took me about an hour to complete and then 5-8 hours of drying time!

Supplies:

  • 1 skein white or cream acrylic yarn
  • Plastic solo cups
  • Plastic spoons or popsicle sticks
  • Large bowl
  • Water
  • Acrylic paint – your color choice(s)
  • Rubber gloves

Step One

Start by wrapping your skein of yarn around two chairs like the photo below. This will make it long enough to do a stopping effect with the yarn if you wish to do. When you are done, wrap 4 strands around the ends and middles and tie a loose knot. This way, your yarn won’t become a tangled mess.

Step Two

Take your yarn and soak it in a bowl. Make sure it’s nice and saturated to allow the “dye” to soak all the way through. Pick it up and squeeze the excess water out. You can dump the bowl and put it away, we won’t be needing it anymore.

Step Three

Mix your colors. I forgot to get a photo of this step, but all I did was pour it halfway full with warm water, then squeeze in a bunch of acrylic paint. Mind you, your finished colors are gonna be a lot lighter than what you see in your cup.

Step Four

Place your yarn in the cups like the picture below. I used a spoon to distribute some of the colors up and over the edges of the cups. But in the drying phase they will blend together too. Leave your yarn in the dye for 30 minutes.

Step Five

Slowly take your yarn out carefully, and dump out your paint dye. In this process I accidentally got some pure paint that hadn’t mixed on my yarn but I like it. Makes it unique! I put some rubber gloves on my faucet to protect it and I hung my yarn to drip dry. I also put a cup underneath since I didn’t want the paint to stain my sink 😋.

< strong>Step Six<<<<<<<<<
e hard part. Waiting for your beautiful yarn to dry! I have tried to use a hairdryer to speed up the process but didn't get too far with it. The only true way is to just wait it out. But I promise, the results are worth it!!

As I wrote this, I am still waiting for my beautiful hand-dyed yarn to dry and I cannot wait to make something out of it!!!

Until then,

Stay Crafty!

Easy Salt Dough Ornaments! 

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If you’re like me, you LOVE to give handmade gifts for Christmas. They are easy, relatively inexpensive, and you know they will be cherished forever!

I made these salt – dough ornaments for Christmas 2015. Kaleb’s first Christmas! Back when my baby had little tiny feet and squishing them into dough was easier.

These salt – dough ornaments are really easy to make and fun to decorate!

Supplies Needed:

  • 1/2 Cup Salt
  • 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 Cup Warm Water
  • Mixing Bowl
  • Mixing Spoon
  • Flour
  • Wax paper
  • Baking Sheet
  • Wriggly Baby Feet (optional)
  • Cookie Cutters (optional)
  • Rolling Pin
  • Straw
  • Twine or Ribbon

Directions:

  1. Set your oven to 250 degrees F
  2. Mix salt & flour together in mixing bowl.
  3. Slowly mix water together with salt-flour mixture with a spoon until thoroughly mixed.
  4. Roll out dough on a flat floured surface with the rolling pin, about 1/4 in. thick.
  5. Choose your shape cookie cutter and press down in the dough gently but firm.
  6. Wiggle the cutter around a little bit to break it free from the edge of the rest of the dough.
  7. Carefully pick up your cookie cutter, if the dough cut-out didn’t lift up with it carefully pick up your design and place it on the wax paper on a cookie sheet.
  8. Repeat steps 4-6 until all your dough has been used up.
  9. Take the straw and poke a hole near the top of your ornament so you can later add your twine or ribbon hook.
  10. Place your baking sheet with your ornaments in the oven for 10 minutes. Keep watch as oven temperatures vary.
  11. When your ornaments hard you know it’s time to take them out of the oven.
  12. Take them out and let them cool.
  13. Decorate however you want!!!!
  14. Gift them to your family and friends for a one of a kind keepsake!

Variations:

  • use your child’s footprint or hand-print and decorate
  • use your pet’s paw-print (just be careful to wash their paw after as too much salt is bad for animals)
  • use objects you can find around the house to add extra texture to your creation
  • the possibilities are endless!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stay Crafty!

Loom Knitting

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It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, but it’s because I am just so involved with my new projects I barley have time for anything else (please excuse the laundry pile that keeps growing 🤦🏼‍♀️).

The other day I decided to pick up my knitting needles again after almost a year of not making anything. But my project was progressing slowly as I am not a fast needle knitter. So like usual, I took to YouTube and Pinterest and searched for “how to knit faster.” My results? Showed some really fast knitters with incredible hand speeds, and something called loom knitting. I wasn’t completely unaware of loom knitting since my sister in law had a few round looms that she would make hats with. But I thought that’s all you could do.

Every video that I watched got better and better and I just could t stop! The next day I went to my local Hobby Lobby and purchased an adjustable long loom and some sugarwheel yarn by YarnBee.

I started my project last Tuesday night, and I finished it by Sunday! I can’t believe how easy and fast it was!

As soon as I was done with this blanket, I went on to making custom scarf orders! These and more projects can be found in my Etsy Shop!!!

Check out my Etsy Shop! I accept custom orders!!