Meet Erik of Garza Galz

 

"Well, my name is Erika Garza and I have 5, count em, 5 kids!! The oldest is a boy, he is 8, next one is also a boy, he is 6, then came the girls..the oldest is 3 (will be 4 in Sept), the next is 2 (just turned in April) and the baby, she is 9 months and will turn 1 in September.  My hubby and I were married for over 5 years before we had our oldest, and having kids has been a great inspiration for all of my craftiness, I was always a bit crafty before, but they have really brought out lots of creativeness I never knew I had!  I am a very busy mom, I have home schooled my boys, the oldest will start 3rd grade next year the the other 1st grade, this has been comparable to having kids in the first place...both very rewarding and very challenging, but a GREAT ride!!  I also am the church pianist, and a Sunday school teacher, I have had the same question often, which is "how to do have time to be crafty too?" and the answer is simple...I MAKE time, because crafting is my "me" time, it is my outlet, I love to sit back, listen to a book on my ipod and get working!!     When my first daughter was born, she had a TON of hair...but she was not very good at keeping anything in it!! 

I loved the tiny bows that I could glue on like they do at the hospital, but as she got bigger, I wanted bigger bows, and also needed better glue.  I did some searching and finally came to the conclusion that I would have to make
my own, the bows anyway, the glue is a family secret and is the best out there!!  Now I know not all little girls are born with the same hair gene as mine have been, and bald is definitely beautiful on them, but not all will leave the adorable headbands that are out there on, my glue on bows and flowers are a great solution!  I had one client mention that she loved the fact that they can stay on for days at a time, "Last night I had to take my little one to the ER at 2am (she's fine now). All the nurses were going crazy over her and her bow. I told them "good thing they stay on for days. You never know when you'll be going out and she wouldn't want to be without her accessories". haha." her words exactly.

Then I found that having 3 girls can lead to a plethora of hair clips, and mine were constantly getting lost, smashed, or just the fact that I could never find the one I wanted in the giant drawer of hair clips, I had a small memo board that I had hanging on my girls' room door,
and one day when my mother in law was over, and helping me around the house, she found some lying about (not uncommon for us! haha) and the baby was sleeping in the room at the time, she didn't want to disturb her, so she just clipped it on the board, and voila!!  I knew I needed a nice big sized one for all my girls' hair clips!  After way too much time searching and finding out that buying one can be VERY expensive, I set out to figure out how to make my own.  My favorite size is the 18x36, it is the perfect size to hang in the unused space behind the bathroom door, but I can accommodate just about ANY size!  I have also started to add hooks for the popular crochet headbands and hats, and have added a wooden dowel to hang lots of headbands on, or it even works great for jewelry, scarves and anything else!

   Then last but not least are my most popular item...my fabric covered baby wipe cases.  I wanted one to match my diaper bag, and the plastic huggies one just wasn't cutting it, I had some leftover fabric and ribbon from some wall hangings, and just started cutting and gluing, and LOVED how it turned out.  Then, since there seemed to be wipes cases all over the house, I just HAD to cover them too so they matched the decor. Since then I have seen others out there and I know I am not the only person to come up with the idea to cover them, but I am not a fan of the trim used on most of the ones I see out there, I use grosgrain ribbon and think that it not only looks better (especially on the boys cases), but also holds up better.  These have been really fun to get creative with, and I love doing custom orders, I think my favorite of all time was the one I made my sister, a Texas Longhorns case, she tells me that she gets comments on it constantly!!  I only lightly pad one side, and can personalize them."

Erika's items are great for any gift or for your own kids!  Come in and check it all out!!!  Way cute!!!
And CHECK OUT THE DEAL SHE IS OFFERING THIS WEEK, JULY 12TH-JULY 17TH!  She is offering $5 off all of her memo boards and wipe cases (including any custom orders placed).  Whoot!!!

You can visit Erika here....
www.garzagalz.blogspot.com
www.garzagalz.etsy.com
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Lindon-UT/Garza-Galz/173649245813?ref=mf&ajaxpipe=1&__a=7

Meet Sarah and Jessica of Academy J

"We are Sarah and Jessica- two BYU graphic design and photography students. Two years ago we took a design class together.  As we gathered to work on our class projects, we discovered our talent for collaborative work  as well as our similar values and the enjoyment we got from working with one another.  Out of our love of people, art, design, hard work, and all things creative was born THE ACADEMY.

All of our headbands are made from the best materials with careful love and attention.  Because of the handmade nature of our products, each is slightlty unique.  We are continually working on new designs and we love what we do."

These are so so cute!  Come in and try some on!  Buy one for yourself, your friends and family!  

And check this out!  They are offering 15% discount on their headbands and clips the whole week at Blue Hazel, starting Monday, July 5th until Saturday, July 10th.

You can also visit them at these sites:

academyj.com or academyj.blogspot.com.

Meet Yvette of Bugaboo Kids!! (and she is running a great special that will run from Monday, June 28th - Friday, July 2nd. Details are at the bottom of this post!

 

"As long as I can remember, I've always loved making and creating things.  Every year we would travel to my Grandparents house for a week, and I would drive both my Mom and Grandma crazy with getting a project started-painting wood projects, tying quilts, going through pattern after pattern finding something that I wanted to do.  I didn't really start sewing on my own until my first daughter was born-9 years ago.  I remember that my Mom always had sewn matching or coordinating dresses for me and my two sisters, and I wanted to try something.  I started with an old pattern that Mom had sewn for me when I was little- and with a lot of trial and error, I finished that little top and kept on sewing.
Now I have two girls that I enjoy sewing for, I love making something and knowing that not every other little girl will be wearing the same dress or outfit!  I have tried to take that with me to Bugabookids.  I don't mass produce 30 skirts all the same colors/designs; instead I only make a few out of the same fabrics and usually different sizes.  So when you buy something from Bugabookids-not every other little girl will be wearing the exact same outfit!  My heart goes into each and every skirt, dress, apron, kimono, tooth fairy pillow and flower clip that I make.  Sewing makes me happy, and I hope that Bugabookids will make you happy!"

These dresses, purses, bows, and tooth fairy pillows are to die for!  I'm telling you...you really need to come in and see these!  I am a fabric lover myself, and I have seen a lot of sewn items, and Yvette is right up there at the top with her expertise!  These are sewn with such care, and your daughter, grand daughter, will look adorable in any of these!  They are great for a birthday gift, shower gift, or just simply to make any little girl absolutely darling!  Come in and see!!! 

 

 And listen to this!!  This week, from June 28th-July 2nd, Yvette is offering 2 great deals!!  
1.  All flower clips are $5, with a purchase of a skirt, dress, or kimono.
2.  Buy any 2 Bugabookids clothing items (apron, peasant dress, skirt, smock, apron sundress) and receive a flower clip for FREE!
How cool are these offers!  It's fabulous!!!
You can also visit Yvette here
Facebook: 
facebook.com/bugabookids
Etsy Shop:
bugabookids.etsy.com

Meet Devenie and Shawna!!

This vintage décor adventure starts with Devenie. She’s known amongst her friends as being the human index for all things crafty and also for making a dollar go a long way. She has many craft shows under her belt and has the hot glue gun scars to prove it.

Shawna and Dev met three years ago. Since that time Salty Bison was formed from a combination of a mutual love for home decor, inspiring conversations and girls weekend adventures! Having a desire to use their talents to add to their family’s incomes they set out to share their salty vintage décor with others!

They have 9 kids among the two of them and two very manly husbands who do all the heavy lifting.

Their main belief when it comes to decorating is to reuse and recycle. Every family deserves a fab looking home, and every recreated piece of décor deserves a good family!

Their items include apothecary jars, paper wreaths, old window art, trays, jewelry holders and a never-ending stream of inspiring transformations!

Their goods are so dang cute!  You need to come in and check them out!  You really do!  You will fall in love with all of it!!!
Here is a link to their blog...enjoy! 
saltybison.blogspot.com

Meet Liberty Mason

This gal is awesome, and so are her products! Check out what she has to say about how she makes her soap! AMAZING!! Her soaps are sold exclusively at Blue Hazel, and she will hopefully have her full line of soaps in the boutique also. Come and check it out! You will love it!!

"With a family full of people suffering from dry skin, eczema, psoriasis and sensitive skin, I approach soapmaking from the angle of how I can heal the skin and the soul -- not just how pretty I can make a bar of soap, or how trendy it can smell.

It's taken me over a decade to perfect my exclusive one-of-a-kind recipes. I have drawn on traditional healing methods from Africa, South America, Polynesia, the Native Americans, Ancient Ayruvedic Indian wisdom, as well as contemporary holistic remedies. I have a "pharmacopeia" of over 120 different base oils that I draw from with each recipe to create a bar of soap that is soothing, healing, addresses the "issue at hand" (as in: wrinkles, sensitive skin, skin problems, oily or dry skin etc), smells refreshing and clean, provides a bright fluffy lather and is lasting. Once I complete the base recipe, I then further its benefits with the addition of organic herbs, essential oils, exotic clays and butters and other things. In addition to the physical benefits of my ingredients, I also consider and incorporate spiritual and emotional benefits (as in: Synergistic Aromatherapy, etc).

Finally, I believe that everyone deserves to be treating their skin and their bodies "as if they don't have 100% replacement warranty", so I price my soap well below the market average of even a basic bar of simple handmade soap (which mine is clearly not). Yes, handmade soap is more expensive than some chemically concocted detergent "bath bar" you can purchase at your local supermarket or bath/body shop, but it's significantly less expensive than a face lift and the effects of allergic reactions, skin sensitivities, etc.

My stuff is Vegan, and I use all natural vegetable oils and ingredients, most of which are certified organic. You can safely eat any ingredient that I put into the soap (except the lye), and the net beneficial effects of my products are backed by thousands of years of traditional, multi-cultural healing wisdom.  And, dude, really - speaking from years of experience... everyone loves my soap!"

                    -Liberty Mason

Handmade soap makes an incredible gift.  Stack 4 or 5 up and tie with a bow (super cute) or just add some to a gift basket.

Great for men, women, children, clients, co-workers, teachers, visiting teachers, etc.

Meet Brittney of Essential Swimwear!!

"After becoming thoroughly discouraged every season as I searched for the perfect swimsuit, I decided that it didn't exist. I was frustrated with expensive prices, wrong fits and the hassle of searching online for hours. Having some sewing experience, the thought came to mind, "Why don't I make my own swimsuit?"

After a lot of trial and error, I was finally able to sew swimsuits that were comfortable, stylish and flattering. I began making swimsuits for friends and family and soon the word started spreading.

I sold hand-sewn women's swimsuits in 2008 and 2009 and received an overwhelmingly positive response. I gained priceless knowledge as I personally fit hundreds of women. I was able to discover their needs, wants and insecurities. With this knowledge I was able to design a line of swimsuits for the 2010 season.

To increase the quality and keep up with demand I no longer hand-make the swimsuits, but am able to offer styles, designs and a price point that fits the needs of women.

I hope you enjoy wearing these swimsuits as much as I have enjoyed designing them!"  -Brittney

These suits are awesome!!!  Come in and find yours today!!!

Here are Brittney's sites you can visit!!!

Website: http://www.essentialswimwear.com/

Blog: http://www.essentialswimwear.blogspot.com/

    On her blog, she offers 20% off one item every Tuesday

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/essential-swimwear/274193246890?v=wall&ref=search

Twitter page: http://twitter.com/essentialswim

 

More Peeks at the Store...

Here are a few more peeks at the boutique.  Don't ya love it?  Make sure to check back this weekend!  We will be starting our vendor spotlights!  Whoot!!