The Blue Ladybug Beginnings: Two-Part Series Part 1 Laura's Story

We've been wanting to start this series for a while now.  To give you a glimpse into how we ended up here, at The Blue Ladybug.  I love to hear how other crafters/sewers became interested in their hobby,  how they learned it, and what they've done with it.  The blog world has opened so many new doors for me.  I love what I have learned, what others have taken the time to offer on their blogs, to enrich my life, and I hope to be able to do the same for others.

Well as MaryBeth talked about, in the last post, we did have a common bond through cloth diapers and many others things, but I'm going to start even further back in my life, mostly because I love to see how God has instilled this business in me from the time I was just a little girl.  Okay, I'll try to make it quick, so it's not the world's longest post.  Here goes...

I would say that my passion and experience in all things crafts and sewing comes straight from my mother.  My mom had a tiny sewing space in our basement where she worked on a variety of crafts and sewed the cutest little dresses for me and my sister.  She used her talents to bless us and loved to give them as gifts.

I think when I was around 14 or 15, my parents bought me my first sewing machine for Christmas.  I had a desire to be like my mom and sew.  The first thing I ever made on my sewing machine was a white hair scrunchy!  Haha! Remember those!?!?  But I never really made anything else.  I had dreamed of making a purse and skirt, but my fear of ruining the fabric always held me back.  So my sewing machine sat, unused... until I got married.

My husband and I lived in a teeny tiny apartment (I kid you not) the first year we were married.  We knew we wouldn't be there long, but the burning desire to nest and create our little space into a home was so great for me.  I started to get crafty.  I actually landed a job at the local JoAnn Fabrics store (for a few weeks until I began working in my education field), and I believe it was there, at the cutting counter, cutting beautiful autumn fabrics for customers, that I began think..."I can do this too."    I got out my sewing machine and made a couch cover for our strange-sized, garage sale couch, covers for the pillows and bedroom curtains.  It was fun and frustrating.  But I learned alot.  Throughout the years, my sewing machine has always found a home on a table, but has sat unused.  I just wasn't sure what to make or how to go about it.  If something needed mending, I actually made my husband do it, because he could remember better than I, how to set the thing up.

Fast forward to almost a year ago, November 2009.  I'm giving birth to our daughter (sorry if this gets to be a bit TMI), the doctor is telling me, I'm sure as motivation to continue pushing, that she has hair!  LOTS of hair. I remember him saying, " You could probably put one of those little Velcro hair bows in her hair.  That did it, one more push and she was out!  I was pumped to see all that hair.  I always knew I'd dress my little girl all up, but the thought of hair bows hadn't really occurred to me at such young age. I love hair bows!  I loved them as a child.  My mom used to make my hair bows, and I remember her curling my hair in sponge rollers, and feeling so pretty!

 A weekish later, I'm sitting home, holding my sweet little girl and thinking about hair bows.  I started searching Etsy, and was amazed by what I saw!!!!  And then I saw how much they were.  Now my husband had lost his job a few months before that, so I was in money saving mode (one major reason I started to cloth diaper our two children).  I wanted those bows bad!  So I taught myself how to make them!  And I had extra ribbon, so I made some for friends.   And I began to think, "this would be really fun to make and sell myself."

Going forward a few more months, I learn that I am also going to be losing my part time job.  Yikes!  But the Lord shows me this is the time to start the Hair bow shop I've been dreaming of doing.  While I'm in the beginning, a friend asks if I know how to make pillowcase dresses.  I google it, and learn that there are TONS of sewing and craft blogs.  I have learned so many sewing techniques and patterns just from blogs.  The visual tutorials have been the perfect way for me to learn.  So I teach myself to sew...again!  And this time I have a cute little girl to sew clothes for!

THEN....I see MaryBeth, on facebook, who's a friend through a friend, making these cute little tie onesies for her son.  I had thought they would be fun to make for my shop too.  I half joking, half for real, say, "you should join me in The Blue Ladybug" and she did!

We've come along way, and fast!  Our most popular item is our Brother Sister Sets!  We have two shops, clothing and hair bows.  I love making both.  I love the new clothing items we started offering.  But most of all I love seeing how God has grown and blessed this little business of two mothers.  He's completely provided the income my family needed when I lost my job, and I'm just thrilled to see where he takes us next.

Now I can't wait to hear all about how MaryBeth got started now!