Spring Fling in Baxter Village.

I have been waiting for this day for a long time.  The Chatter's very first public event and I couldn't be happier to share it with two special Momprenuers Lucia Clark of L.C. Designs and Misty Grant with Pampered Chef and Dot Dot Goose.

We will be in Baxter Village, Fort Mill SC this Saturday, March 19th  from 2:00-6:00 participating in the festival which is sure to be loaded with many great activities and family fun.....  

Look for us in the sidewalk showcase.

NOT TO MENTION.....

 Our VERY First Giveaway loaded with unbelievable stuff from my incredible sponsors and friends

My way of saying

To all of you who have made Lakeside Chatter so successful. 

Check back soon for more Giveaway Information. 

 I am still compling it is going to be big!!

Thinking Etsy?

I have to admit, it took me a long time to figure out what the heck "Etsy" meant.   What a name right? "Etsy"  What does it mean? Are they initials?  Is it a new exotic food, a new moisturizer?  After much curiosity and seeing blog designs offering Etsy Shop backgrounds I decided to check out this "Etsy" craze.
I am now an Etsy customer and Etsy addict,(even the name Etsy is addicting)  Because if you are a creative buff like myself and love to shop and love to see other peoples creative talents, not to mention great prices (and did I also mention shopping?) than you too will love all the uniqueness of Etsy.
And if you are a crafter, a creator, a get your hands dirty, draw, model, sew, build, DREAM then you too will love Etsy and may even turn to them for help getting your business launched.  Like all new business ventures, getting started is the hard part, so I hope to provide great articles like this one form helpful sites like WAHM (work at home moms).  This one focuses on getting started with Etsy and how you can succeed if you have a skill, hobby or trade you just can't wait to promote. 
Your Etsy Business: 6 Tips for Turning a Profit - WAHM.com
Good luck with your business venture and if you use Etsy regularly please feel free to leave me a comment.  I would love to hear from you.

Amy's Woven Ribbon Headbands.

Happy Monday chatter family.  Hope you all are adjusting to the daylight savings time 'changearoo.  Lots more sunshine during the day means one thing, Spring is HERE.  So what a great way to show off some really cute and creative headbands for girls ages pre-school through teenage years.
Meet Amy Johnson with "Amy's Woven Ribbon Headbands".  Amy is Mom to daughter Ava (8) and son Maddux (5) and lives in the Steele Creek area of Charlotte.
Like most mompreneurs, Amy's skill came from a hobby she started a few years ago.  She began making different and colorful looking headbands for Ava to wear and within weeks, people began asking her where she got them from.  It didn’t take long when Amy starting receiving request to make headbands for friends and family members. 

Ava.

Things eventually took off and Amy began crafting headbands for Ava's school festivals and has appeared at local craft shows in the Berewick neighborhood. 
Her headbands are tightly woven with high-quality ribbon.  Ribbon ends are heat-sealed to prevent fraying.  The plastic headband if pliable and won’t poke behind the ears. 

Here are some more photos of headbands by Amy.  

Spring time Colors.

Sports Team colors.

Christmas and Halloween.

You can choose up to four colors as well as pick out matching ribbons to coordinate with outfits.  Amy is more than happy to meet with you personally, and discuss what you are looking for, as well as look at an outfit you have in mind and match it to the ribbon she has in stock.

She also offers headbands that coordinate with school uniforms.

Winget Park and Palisades Episcopal.

Rivergate Elementary.

Prices are $8.00 each, and you can buy in multiples to save.  Shipping is also available up to 5 headbands for $3.00 s&h.
Amy has been making headbands for over three years and has plenty of talent and experience when it comes to creative and adorable designs.  They make great additions to any outfit and also make great gifts. 

For more information you can contact Amy at amylhjohnson@gmail.com  You can also view more of her examples and designs on the "Amy's Woven Ribbon Headband" page on Facebook.

Listen up Momtographers

If you follow me on Facebook you have probably figured out that I LOVE to take pictures. My husband calls me the "Paparazzi" when ever we go anywhere with the kids and my dear cousin Lori, most recently refered to me as "Nana" meaning I am following in the footsteps of the one lady who took more pictures of me and my sister growing up than my own parents. I still remember Nana's old wind em up rectangle shaped camera, and I still remember her thumb prints in just about every shot. I so love these sort of memories because it makes me think about my childhood, how far I have come and how much I love being able to capture a special moment.
So I take pictures....And pictures....And okay fine MORE pictures. I make no apologies people. I love me some photo taking.
So recently I made a little tiny purchase for myself. A Canon Rebel XT along with a 50 mm lens. I call it my post Christmas/ post Valentines/ pre- St. Patricks Day/ pre birthday/ purchase to myself. I NEVER buy stuff for me (who) so I was trilled when I found a great used Cannon and a great local photo store for my lens.
I AM IN LOVE.
And to add to the LOVE I recently took a course geared towards Mom's who are looking to learn more about their DSLR as well as tips on how to take better photos of our kids.
THE CLASS WAS AWESOME.
And so was the teacher, and fabulous Momtographer Erin Jackson withMadison Lane Photography. So good news for all you Momtog's... She will be holding another class on Sunday, May 1st from 1-4:00.
This will be the last class she is offering before she goes out on maternity leave! You can Email her at madisonlanephotography@gmail.com for more info.

Here area few pictures I have teken recently after I took her class. 

All the neat tricks in these photos, you too can learn.



My six year old Evan and his big smile.





My five year old Ryan and his amazing sweet face.




Two boys who own my heart.

 

The bribery I used for them to cooperate.





Day of class, practing shots on flowers and got another classmate in the photo by accident. 
Yet I love the way it came out. 





The neckline on my wedding dress I wore 8 years ago.  It was what drew me to the beautiful dress in the first place.



Teddy Bear in Bushes. It never would of occurred to me to take this picture before.  Now it is one of my favorites.

Seriously I feel like a pro now.  Well, okay not quite a pro. But it is so nice to have more knowledge now and to offer up to my future chatter peeps the ability to take professional grade photographs on their products or services. 
So make sure to check out Madison Lane Photography for more on Erin and her services and if you can't get to her class this time around you can read about some great photographing tips she offered up as a guest writer back during the holidays, http://lakeside-chatter.blogspot.com/2010/12/picture-perfect.html