2hands week {vendor feature - whoop}

{vintage bead necklace, $25}

{starry night "fascinator" hair clip, $15}

{up-cycled cocktail ring, $17}

Some pretty things from Dana's Etsy shop, Whoop. Bonus: they'll also be at the 2hands Indie Craft Market this Saturday! I'm especially in love with the cocktail ring. If I buy one do my chances of getting invited to a cocktail party go up? ;)

giveaway monday

Alright folks, ready for an exciting announcement? Giveaway Mondays are going to become a regular feature of the married lane blog! I have so many great giveaways lined up over the next few weeks and I am especially excited about this one.

Today we're giving away a nautical sailing hardware bracelet from the Dunleadogg Etsy Shop! Jill is the creative mind behind these cool bracelets (I love that they'd work for a girl or a guy) and she is offering her nautical sailing bracelet v 1.5 in the winner's choice of either red or navy!

To enter, visit Jill's shop and leave a comment below telling us which of her pieces is your favorite. Entries close Thursday, October 13 at 11:59 pm and a winner will be chosen at random on Friday. Open to US residents only.

For an extra entry, follow this blog and leave a separate comment saying you do!

Check back on Wednesday for a post featuring Jill's shop, and a discount code for Married Lane readers! 

This giveaway is now closed.

horace&mae winner

Congratulations! Thank you all for entering, and don't forget that the

discount listed in the giveaway post is still valid!

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!

feature friday + a giveaway!

*This giveaway is no longer accepting entries*

I'm really excited about today's post! Jenny from Horace & Mae is here for an interview and a giveaway!

Let's get started! 


LML: Who are Horace and Mae?

Jenny: We are a husband and wife (Horace is his first name and Mae is my middle name) who love to take pictures and get a kick out of cameras.

Why did you decide to start selling on Etsy?

I've been encouraged for quite some time to sell my photos, but felt like the kitschy tourist shop and postcard sales just weren't for me. So I decided to go to Etsy, which feels a lot more respectable. Maybe if I get desperate I'll move to postcards! 
 

Sea Glass and Seashells

Is photography your full time job?

Photography is not my full time job right now, but I would love for it to be someday!  I'm hoping to study it more (maybe even get a degree in it!) so that I could provide studio and portrait sessions. Those pay a lot more than the little projects I'm working on now! 

Which do you like better: film or digital photos? Why?

I whole-heatedly prefer film. My parents started me off on photography with a really nice digital, but it just never got the refined quality that I noticed on so many peoples' photos. I assumed that this difference was due to my lack of editing skills/any knowledge of photoshop at all but have come to realize that film was the difference. I have one film camera in particular that takes the most amazing photos and there is no digital camera that can come close to the look and feel of this camera's photos. The warmth of the colors, the grain, the negatives, the sturdy click of the shutter release...its all a part of it.

Which of the photos you have for sale is your favorite?

My favorite is probably In the Sun  I took this from another sailboat during the summer that Horace and I started dating and it just reminds of the warm days we spent on the water. I really like the spray in the bottom right and would love to make a cropped version of just the spray by itself!

In the Sun

Do you have any plans for the future of your Etsy shop?

Right now we're just trying to get it up and running, but in the future we hope to add framed pictures as well as customizable gift photos, with little sayings or quotes or something below the picture. We didn't name our shop "Horace & Mae Photography" because we want to leave ourselves the option to sell more than just photography related items.

Jenny "Mae" is even more adorable in person than she is in writing! Every once in a while she posts on her cute little blog  and tumblr.

PS. Wanna know the best part? She's my little sister! 

** Married Lane Readers get 20% off in her shop! 

Enter  LML091 before checkout!**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now a Giveaway!

Jenny is giving away any 8 x 10 print from her shop!  

To Enter:  Visit Horace & Mae. Then leave a comment on this post that tells us which photo you would pick! A winner will be chosen using random.org and announced on Friday!

For an extra entry, become a follower of my blog by clicking the "follow" button to the left.  To make things easier for me to keep track, please  comment once for your first entry, then comment again letting me know that you're now a follower.  If you already follow, let me know in a second comment.

Good Luck!

Open to USA residents only. Giveaway ends Thursday, October 6 at 11:59pm. Thanks for entering!