New Recipe Box and A Giveaway From Dining Out

I love to cook and bake and have designed my newest recipe box this week. This one is decorated in a cute "Pink Apron Cook" Theme.

With Mother's Day approaching I wanted to create something that is a great gift idea for all of our hard working moms out there.  These are also great as birthday gifts, or you can keep it for yourself!

This recipe box is currently on sale in the Cokie Pop Boutique. They come with a set of matching recipe cards. This is sure to add fun to any kitchen!
 
Now to the wonderful giveaway this week.  Mary has a beautiful shop on Etsy called Dining Out.  If you comment below you have the chance to win 2 beautiful Damask Hand Towels.  Now on to meet this talented artist.
 

Mary lives in Hamilton Ontario and is a retired teacher who has been sewing all of her life. Her interests are home decor and she specializes in machine embroidery.

How did you come up with your shop name?
I chose the name "diningout" for my shop because dining out is something I enjoy doing. But after I registered with Etsy, I realized that perhaps I should have chosen a more appropriate name, something that portrayed what I was trying to accomplish. Initially I tried using the name "Sewing is my Passion" but it was already  taken.


How did you get started selling online?

Since I retired from 38 years of teaching, I was looking for a new direction in my life. My very creative daughter who also sells with Etsy, encouraged me to list my products. I have done a lot of sewing for family and friends in the past. I truly loved doing all of these things but it was time to further challenge myself and grow in a different direction.

What do you want customers to know about your products?

My products are designed and created by me. I even do some of my own digitizing. All of my products are made from top quality fabrics and threads and I really try to limit myself to machine washable items.  All of my designs are interchangeable. You can choose an embroidery design, color of fabric and product, whether it be a placemat, runner or pillow cover, and create your own item through a custom listing.

What other hobbies or passions do you have?

I love to travel. One of my favorite places to go is the California coastline. I have been there many times in the past 20 years and I highly recommend it. If you are looking for a picturesque, peaceful holiday, you must go.

What’s your supply addiction?

Everywhere I go, I love to collect fabric. I always keep in mind what it will look like embroidered with one of my designs. My friends are always teasing me about my addiction and stash.
Do you have a blog? Twitter? Facebook? Website?

I do not have a twitter or blog. I do have a facebook. http://www.facebook.com/pages/diningout/306295992591

Dining Out has also been featured at The Blushing Hostess Entertains and Canartisan under Friday Five. To see more, visit her website at www.diningout.etsy.com

Remember to comment below about this post for your chance to win 2 beautiful Damask Hand Towels. The winner will be picked next Friday - April 2nd. For a list of winners this week please see the left side of the blog under "Giveaway Winners".

Take a Peek at Maggie Overby Studios

Maggie Overby Studios is hosting this week's prize giveaway. Maggie owns a wonderful shop on Etsy specializing in beautiful custom pillows, flower headbands and hair clips, and Soldier "Daddy Dolls".

Maggie is an Army wife and a native of New Orleans. She graduated from the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and the LSU school of Architecture. Continue reading the interview below for more interesting facts about this very talented artist.

How did you come up with your shop name?

I have a degree in architecture, I love interior design, I sew, I paint, I scrapbook and in general just like to get creative. I didn’t want to choose a name that would limit my designs, so what better way to express my own creations than using my own name, Maggie Overby Studios.

How did you get started selling online?
I started my career in architecture but when my husband decided the Army would be his career, and the first move was on the horizon, I knew I needed a change. I had to get creative (a little pun intended.) I wanted to stay at home with my kids but still have a little extra money coming in. I started off sewing for the new house and then for other people’s houses. Before you know it I’m making pillows, drapes, bedding, slipcovers, whatever is needed.

This year I met up with an entrepreneurial mom who allowed me a steady income working from home sewing her hand bag line. She started her business from home and still runs it out of her home making a very good income. I CAN DO THAT! At least I think I can, so here I am on Etsy.

What do you want customers to know about your products?
I am very A.D.D. I don’t like to make the same thing twice so everything I make is a little bit different. I am constantly thinking of new things to make, build, or sew. I am hoping I can pass those things along to my customers. You never know I just might come up with the next big thing. So stay tuned.

What other hobbies or passions do you have?
I guess I just love to create. I have always said my house is my hobby and I am constantly renovating, rearranging , redecorating, and changing the layers. I love to build things, refinish and repurpose furniture. I also started scrapbooking a few years ago at the insistence of a friend and I have really grown to love it. I think because it is another way to layer color and textures. I sometimes think of my pillows as a scrapbook page when I am putting them together.

Do you have a blog? Twitter? Facebook? Website?
I am not a blogger, YET, but I could fill a thousand blogs with all the ideas that bubble up in my head. I do have a personal account on Facebook with a link to my Etsy store but that’s about it right now. I would love to have a website soon but I’ve only just begun.

Anything else you want us to know about yourself?
I can make just about anything. I opened my store on Etsy 3 months ago so my inventory is still growing so if you need something but don’t see it in my store feel free to make a request. If anyone needs a sewing project done, especially home decor items, just send me an e-mail and I can whip it up for you.

What’s your supply addiction; is there a specific color or type of supply you just can’t pass up?
Oh, I love fabric. I could spend hours in a fabric store looking at the colors, patterns, trims, and buttons. I’m like a kid in a candy shop. Sometimes I buy fabric just because I love it and other times a fabric just tells me what it wants to be.

What motivates or inspires you to create?
I really am inspired by fashion and home décor. I think both are great examples of how color, textures and layers working together in the right way can create something really beautiful. I go shopping and an inspiration is around every corner.

If you enjoyed this interview please comment below. All comments will be entered in a drawing to win a flower headband of the winners choice from Maggie Overby Studios. Good Luck to everyone!