handmade wednesday: heyer designs

 Hey everyone! I'm very excited to share a new feature that will hopefully become a regular thing here at Married Lane: Handmade Wednesdays! Today I'm featuring....

Creations by Heyer Designs.

Brandon is a software developer by day who makes these awesome journals in his free time. He was kind enough to spare some time for an interview! Here's a little bit more about the guy behind the journals:

LML: Tell us a little bit about yourself!

B. Heyer: I'm a 25 year old living in Glen Burnie, Maryland (yep - he's local!) with my girlfriend Amanda, and our dog (Mae) and cat (Kessi). I graduated college two years ago with BS in Computer Science and a BA in Graphic Design and I'm interested in everything from photography to video games to reading.

What made you decide to open an Etsy store?

My Etsy started with a push from Amanda to put up some of my photographs. I was reluctant at first and when nothing really sold we decided my photos weren't a unique enough product. She then pushed me to start listing journals, a random skill I picked up somewhere along the way. While I love photography, I am glad I made the switch. I am not certain whether the photographs will stay or not, but there will certainly be more journals!

Is your shop your full time job? If not, what do you do for a living?

My shop isn't my full time job, but simply something for me to focus on and de-stress from life AND my actual full time job. I work as a software developer for a government contractor, and while I love what I do it is nice to have an ongoing creative project to come home to and to take my mind off things. I am also working on expanding my freelance design client base.

Of all the items you have for sale, which is your favorite?

My favorite journal would be this one that just sold. It was a lucky find in a bag of scrap leather I had purchased, and I managed to get just enough to make two covers out of the scrap. Sadly, the second cover has some gashes in it, so I'm not sure if I will be re-listing it or not. As for items currently for sale, my Rust Brown journal is probably one of my favorites.

 

 What would people be most surprised to learn about you?

I have the utmost fear of a blank canvas. If a project is too vague or too open I have a very difficult time starting it. Also, I can come off as a very messy individual (just looking at my desk at work or home would prove that), but if I start to invest enough time into a project, my OCD kicks in and things do a 180 and get hyper organized and structured.

 Thanks so much for stopping by! Anything else you'd like to add?

I've recently switched over to a stable supplier of leather and there are some great ones in the stacks of covers I recently cut, but they aren't listed yet. Be on the look out for A LOT of new journals soon! 

**Brandon is offering Married Lane readers 15% off their orders for the next week! Enter code LML15 at checkout to get your discount!**

ps. Don't forget about our giveaway! Entries will be accepted until 11:59pm tomorrow night!