I’ve just finished my first logo project with the wonderfully talented Gretchen of Chichiboulie. It was so much fun working with her! The final result is beyond adorable and most importantly, the client loves it! If you’d like a custom illustrated logo design, be sure to view my logo packages for more details.

I was tired of my toddler throwing our ceramic coasters around the house and I decided it was time to find a softer solution. So, off to Etsy I went searching for fabric coasters and I quickly fell in love with the leaf print coasters at pjsoftgoods.etsy.com. I am very pleased with my purchase! I highly recommend PJ Soft Goods to anyone looking for quality fabric coasters.

I’ve recently released two new pre-made website templates. The Butterfly Boutique template is a OOAK design, that features a landing page design and an interior catalog design. It features soothing shades of blue, brown and yellow. The Pink Dots template is a Limited Edition template and will only be sold 10 times. It features a bright pink and black design that would work perfectly for a spa or salon business (or anything else!). Get them while you can!

Who is Baby Eco Trends?

Baby Eco Trends is a natural parenting, natural lifestyle store with a focus on organic and fair trade products.

What do you sell?

We sell items that are safe and pure, things that parents can feel good about using. We have selected toys, cloth diapers, clothing, furniture, skin care and much more that meet our safety requirements and are earth friendly. We believe it is important to minimize our carbon footprint while supporting our economy. Therefore, we feature many USA made products. We sell only what we are willing to use in our own household.

Why did you decide to start a business?

Baby Eco Trends started because we were frustrated with the difficulty in finding not just cloth diapers, but ones made of 100% natural fibers. We also hoped to find diapers that were organic and fair trade. We found a fitted diaper here and a wool cover there and wondered why we couldn’t buy all we needed in one place. So we set out to do just that.

How did you get started?

We started by talking to friends and family, other parents that were interested in natural parenting and developing a profile of our target customer. We did lots of research and asked a lot of questions. Most importantly, we started by focusing on our own values and basing our business on our beliefs.

What would you have done differently in the beginning?

If I could turn back time, I would hold off on stocking too much inventory, I would negotiate with my suppliers to reduce order minimums and in general, I would budget more conservatively.

What advice would you offer to someone just getting started?

Do your homework, shop your competition, develop a network, establish relationships with reliable and reputable suppliers. Make sure you work with a web designer that has a strong work ethic and understands your vision. Cicily has been a lifesaver in this respect! Lastly, follow your passion and do what you love and believe in.

Post courtesy of Nasrin, Owner of Baby Eco Trends

I have recently added a new sibling design for Big Sisters and Little Sisters. This custom design features an adorable hand drawn dragonfly in girly shades of pink and purple. Available on t-shirts, onesies, bibs and totes.

Confused about the benefits of Google Webmaster or want to learn more about how it all works? If so, Google has put together some great video tutorials to help you understand the Webmaster system.

Checkout their blog to view the video’s: Video Tutorial: Google for Webmasters

A fun new big brother and little brother design — featuring an original dinosaur illustration. T-shirts, onesies, bibs and more available at my CafePress shop.

Who is A Woman’s Place on Main Street?

A Woman’s Place on Main Street was built to serve the breast care needs of women in the Laurel, Maryland community. We are supported by the Main Street Pharmacy and offer custom bra fitting for all women, specializing in those that are large busted. In addition, we provide certified fitting of mastectomy prostheses and bras. Breastfeeding classes and support are offered by our certified lactation counselor.

What do you sell?

Since the business is really in three parts, I have three sets of products that I offer. In the breastfeeding realm, I offer Medela breast pumps for sale as well as weekly rentals of the Medela Symphony hospital-grade pump. Also, Bravado nursing bras, Bebe Au Lait Nursing Covers, Maya Wraps, Ergo Baby Carriers, as well as the Burt’s Bee Baby line and Earth Mama Angel Baby products. For women who have had a mastectomy or breast surgery, I offer Amoena and Jodee products. Finally, I offer Goddess, Freya, Fantasie and Wacoal bras for every woman.

Why did you decide to start a business? How did you get started?

A Woman’s Place on Main Street started very organically. I had wanted to get into the lactation field for years but as a stay at home mom and someone who wasn’t a nurse, it was a bit of a daunting task. I began on the journey by working on a certification in Lactation Education. One day, I stopped in at my local, independent pharmacy and asked if I might hang a flier about some upcoming breastfeeding classes I would be teaching. The pharmacist looked at me and said, “Have I been looking for you?” She took my upstairs from the pharmacy to a beautiful space that she wanted to be used to serve the women of the community. She offered me the use of the space for my classes and asked, “Are you interested in a part-time job? I do fittings for mastectomy prosthetics and bras for large-busted women and I need to find someone to take that on part-time.” Boy, was I interested! She said that we could build the space into one that served many of a woman’s breast care needs and that she would fund my additional lactation training. I jumped at the chance! We now offer breastfeeding classes and lactation support, mastectomy prostheses and bras and a full range of bras that are custom fit to the customer.

What advice would you offer to someone just getting started?

Follow your dream. You never know when the perfect opportunity will fall into your lap.

The Sweet Boutique template features charming shades of pink and brown. Perfect for your girly boutique! If you are the first to purchase this template, you have the option of making the template exclusive to you.

Who is Polka Dot Designs?

Polka Dot Designs is a monogramming and embroidery business that specializes in personalized baby and children?s gifts.

What do you sell?

We sell high quality, affordable, personalized baby and children items such as bibs, burp cloths, blankets, hooded towels, aprons, clothing, backpacks, napmats, and hats. We offer products from manufacturers such as Stephen Joseph, Infantissima, Swaddle Designs, and more.

Why did you decide to start a business?

I decided to start this business because I absolutely love personalized gifts. I was always searching for just the right gifts to have embroidered for friends and family and for my own daughter as well! My husband gave me a monogramming machine as a birthday gift so that I could begin creating the gifts myself and I just loved it. After a while, I realized that I could provide others with personalized gifts at a reasonable price, as well. And so, that?s when we decided to transition into an actual business.

How did you get started?

I started by researching everything and then I formed a business plan. I began embroidering items for friends and family while my website was being developed and, once it launched, everything took off from there.

What would you have done differently in the beginning?

I don?t know that I would have changed anything. It was all so new and challenging for me to go from being a stay-at-home-mom of a three year old, to owning my own business. It took many late nights and lots of researching but I?ve definitely learned so much and now I can appreciate it all a little more!

What advice would you offer to someone just getting started?

I would just say that if you have something you truly enjoy pursuing and would like to turn into a business, then you should definitely give it a try. Make sure and do all your research and then go for it. It can be a lot of work but it is all worth it in the end as long as you?re happy with what you?re doing.