The phrase “petit chou” is French for “little cabbage.” “My shop name is a bit of a kerfuffle,” Erin Duane laughed. “I wanted something sweet and childlike, that reflected the handmade and slow-fashion aspect to my shop. ‘Mon petit chou’ is a super cute French term of endearment and I love the evocation of ‘couture,’ so I stuck the two together. However, I stuck an ‘e’ at the end of ‘petit,’ so it’s now spelled incorrectly in my business name. But, I didn’t figure that out until a few years later and by then I had a fabulous customer base and domain name, so I just let it ride.”

Duane is the apparel designer behind boho-inspired Petite Chou Couture, known for its custom dresses and tops for trendsetting tots. “The pieces I love the most to create are the ones where I incorporate quilting or applique of some kind, or the pieces that utilize vintage fabrics, trims and patterns. I have always been drawn to vintage and antique objects and there’s something about taking old fabric and putting a modern spin on it that is really exciting to me as a creator,” she said. “Plus, I love to make one-of-a-kind garments and vintage fabric often ensures that the piece cannot be replicated. I’m mostly adverse to replication because once I complete something, I am ready for a new challenge.” Duane, a self-professed fabric addict, started the shop in 2012 with encouragement from a friend familiar with the vibrant small shop community. “I learned to sew when I was a kid, but had only sewn for myself. I sewed a few sample pieces for my friend’s daughter to wear and model, she promoted my work to some of her boutique shopping friends and Facebook groups, and my business took off.  At the time, I was really just looking for a fun way to channel my creative energy and maybe recover some of the expenses related to my fabric buying addiction,” she recalled. I was initially drawn to Duane’s use of Rainbow Brite sheets and apparently I was in good company. “I have found that anytime I make something with a rainbow element, like vintage sheets or contemporary textiles, I get the most positive feedback from the community.”

From the outset, Petite Chou Couture found its focus in vintage materials and patterns. “The fabric itself, most often, is the inspiration for my designs. My process almost always starts with the fabric. The style and shape of the garment will reveal itself to me later,” Duane shared. “And, vintage fabric just speaks to me: although it’s painful to cut into sometimes, I often just look at a vintage print and see the completed garment in my head immediately. I am a huge fan of fashion history so that is always a source of inspiration, as well.” Duane’s background in quilting may also draw her to vintage bedding. “I’m super addicted to quilting, but because I have a full time job during the day as a librarian and teacher, plus two small children, I have to pick and choose my creative endeavors with the free time I have,” she explained. “Huge quilts take too long to complete, but a bodice or jacket is small enough that I can get a little taste of quilting in and still do all the other things I need to do.” And Duane has plenty to do. “I am looking to branch into (small scale) home decor with it.  You can see some of my pillows and quilting on my Instagram feed.”

Beyond her love of quilting and discovering vintage wares, Duane has found a passion for this small shop community through Petite Chou Couture. “The handmade clothing world is full of excitement and passionate shoppers and brand reps. I adore seeing kids explore their own personalities by developing their sense of style and identity in the way they dress themselves,” she exclaimed. “Each day, we make choices in how we present ourselves to the world, through our words, (inter)actions, and appearance.  The idea that my design becomes part of a child’s choice in how they present themselves to the world wows me.” Oui oui!

Check out the latest fashions from Petite Chou Couture on its website or on the shop’s Instagram account and Facebook page here.

“Each year, the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is the most sincere. He’s gotta pick this one. He’s got to. I don’t see how a pumpkin patch can be more sincere than this one. You can look around and there’s not a sign of hypocrisy. Nothing but sincerity as far as the eye can see.” – Linus, It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

Everyone knows that it is not Halloween without a pumpkin. Victoria Stewart-Hand of Kimsey Lane Crochet is helping small shoppers discover pumpkins that last longer than just a few days. “I have lots of favorites in my shop, but at this point, the crocheted pumpkins are the most popular. Fall is pumpkins on repeat,” she laughed.

Based in Cleveland, Georgia, Stewart-Hand started crocheting in 2014 as All Strung Up Crochet. “It was named by my son-in-law,” she recalled. She later transitioned to Kimsey Lane, a combination of the names of Stewart-Hand’s children, because “while we were having success in the beginning, the shop name started coming up in unfavorable search results.” Kimsey Lane Crochet now features handmade blankets, wearable accessories and décor created from yarn. Like many small shoppers, I have been admiring the artist’s set of three colorful pumpkins for fall decorating. The trio ranges in size from small to large and comes naturally scented with cinnamon stick stems. “I look at different pictures and make my own design. I don’t want to be cookie cutter,” Stewart-Hand said. “I know there are lots of pumpkins out there, but I want mine to be different. Just like pumpkins in the pumpkin patch are not all the same.” And, at only $19.95 (plus free domestic shipping for orders over $35), the pumpkins are practically equivalent in cost to the real thing. “I strive to keep my price points affordable. I want people to enjoy handmade,” she explained. Stewart-Hand personally enjoys seeing the growth of Kimsey Lane Crochet. “My creations have evolved as I have learned different stitches and what is popular each year,” she said of the growth of her shop. “My favorite part of crocheting is still the reaction I get from people with my finished product.”

Beyond the popular pumpkins, Kimsey Lane Crochet also offers cozy comforts for the holidays, like crocheted beanies and cup warmers. “Winter is beanies, from babies to adults and basics to textured,” Stewart-Hand shared. “I am also going to experiment with different fibers next.” Find your own Great Pumpkin in the Kimsey Lane Crochet patch… I mean, online Etsy shop or Facebook page and share your favorite crocheted design.

“You don’t believe the story of the Great Pumpkin? I thought little girls always believed everything that was told to them. I thought little girls were innocent and trusting. Welcome to the 20th Century!”

“Our ideas just arise out of a synthesis of everything that we have experienced and loved over the years,” explained Skye Saylor of MarninSaylor. “Thomas and I grew up in the 90’s, so we got to experience all the good stuff during our formative years: the first waves of anime coming over to the US, the pinnacle of Cartoon Network, Tamagotchis, Furbys, Pokemon, early internet flash animations. We also both grew up in rural locales and spent a lot of time making our own fun outside, unsupervised, for hours at a time. I think the Pastry Pets are probably a combo of all that saccharine, 90’s over-the-topness but with a dash of rural grit, adventure, and mischief.”

Saylor and her husband Thomas Marnin now inject that sweet influence into MarninSaylor, a Seattle-based small shop and home of the widely recognized Donut Cat. “I had been making plush toys for a long time, but had never sold them. In the fall of 2012, I made the first Donut Cat based on a little sketch. I put a picture of it up on Facebook and a few people wanted to purchase them for holiday gifts. I was so surprised,” she recalled. “My then-boyfriend (now husband), Thomas, offered to help me make them. We had a great time working on them together and soon came up with the idea for the Mini Donut Cats, and eventually Maple Bears.” In November 2013, MarninSaylor moved from craft fairs to its current residence at the iconic Pike Place Market. “We have learned so many new production techniques and purchased tools and equipment to leverage those skills. Both of us have backgrounds in graphic design; we love thinking about all the little extra branding, packaging, and experiential touches that can really make a product something memorable,” said Saylor. “Nowadays, we are a little vertically-integrated factory: we make all of our toys, keychains, coloring books, stickers, bags, and patches right in our studio, as well as designing, printing, cutting, and assembling all of the packaging materials for them.”

And, while it started with a donut, MarninSaylor has since “baked” an entire line of plush Pastry Pets. “The most popular Pastry Pets are definitely Rainbow Sprinkle Mini Donut Cat and Mini Honey Bun. Before Rainbow came along, it was Strawberry Mini Donut Cat, and before Strawberry, it was Vanilla. It’s always interesting to see which designs and colors our customers respond to,” Saylor shared. “We are pretty big fans of our Build Your Own Sprinkle Mini Donut Cat option. Customers get to choose the body color, furrosting color, and as many different colors of sprinkle as they like. They also get to name the flavor, and each plush comes with a certificate and a sticker made to match. It’s really fun to see the names and color combos everyone comes up with.” Sounds delicious!

As a small shop led by a husband and wife team, MarninSaylor faces its own unique challenges. “People tend to see that as an advantagewhen running a business, and in our case it definitely is, but it can also make things more difficult from an economic and relationship standpoint,” she explained. “Because we both run our business and have no outside income, we are constantly at work. We both have to be firing on all cylinders to keep this thing from falling apart around us, and it can be really difficult to make space for a personal relationship within those pressures. We have certainly gotten better at the whole work/life balance thing, but it always has to be a conscious decision to break away from work at the end of the day and just be with each other as people instead of as business partners.” Saylor described themselves as “just really, really scrappy people:” “We don’t own a car and do all of our commuting by bike or transit. Neither of us comes from wealthy families and we have both known financial struggle our entire lives. We went from being poor kids to broke college students to edge-riding business owners. Everything we have built has been done with maximum effort and minimum capital investment.” The small shop’s anchor logo design is a symbol of their adventure together. “In the spring of 2012, we were both working jobs we disliked and needed a change of pace. We wanted to travel but didn’t have much money to spend, so we decided to take a walking trip. We walked from Seattle to San Francisco down highways 101 and 1,” Saylor said. “When we got back and decided to start a business it just seemed right that we use the personal brand. I’m the anchor since my last name is Saylor and my family has a longstanding naval history, and Thomas always wears a big wooly scarf.”

MarninSaylor is currently working on another kind of confectionary construction: “We are opening a permanent store at Pike Place Market! We have had our booth there for almost six years and having a permanent store has been the dream since the beginning. Our projected opening date is November 15th, which is … quite soon, and we have been oscillating between extreme excitement and deep panic ever since we were offered the space.” In the meantime, pick your own tasty treat from the MarninSaylor website and the shop’s Facebook page here.

Door wreaths are no longer just for the holiday season. Just ask Whitney Brumley of WLB Designs, who creates contemporary wreath designs and handcrafted home décor for use year round. “Wreaths are for so much more than just the front door now! They look awesome over a fireplace, on windows, above the bed, in your kitchen, and even as nursery decor. Pretty much anywhere you decorate, you can put a wreath and once you starting seeing them as not just front door decor, a whole new world opens up.”

I love the designer’s use of colorful florals, like the Sunflower Pineapple and Lemon Boxwood wreaths. Brumley identified the farmhouse chic Boxwood and Lambs ear wreath as the shop’s most requested design, which is no surprise, given the lovely shades of green. Brumley constructs each wreath by hand wiring the individual pieces to the wreath base.  “I always really disliked when I would buy a wreath and something would fall off right away as it was being held on with a bit of hot glue,” she professed. “While it takes me longer, I use floral wire to ensure a snug fit and then cover the ends of the wire in adhesive so no one gets poked.”

Many of the California-based WLB Designs creations are beach-inspired. “My favorite wreath design was a custom coastal design for Christmas that was full of glittered starfish, sand dollars and more. It was such a unique wreath that allowed me to really draw on my love for the beach,” she shared. “I live about 15 minutes from the beach and spend all my free time there. The beach has always been a relaxing, almost therapeutic-like place for me.” Beyond the wreaths, Brumley also uses resin to create ocean-like designs, like serving trays, ornaments, trinket dishes and dish coasters. “All the sand used in the resin art is actually from local Southern California beaches,” she explained. “A typical resin piece takes about three to seven days. I put a minimum of two layers on my smaller pieces and usually three or four layers on my larger items. All items are then dried for a minimum of 24 hours before shipping out.”

Brumley stumbled into home décor as a styling side business. “I started WLB Designs originally to help local homeowners redesign a room and update their décor,” she recalled. “After some time offering these clients orchid and succulent arrangements, a few asked if I could recreate a wreath for their door or for wall art, which led to me offering wreaths individually. From there, it evolved and I started offering more resin art. I absolutely love crafting and always want to give everything a try so I have to force myself to keep it to a few things at once.” Seeing her works of art displayed by their new owners is still thrilling. “I love when I get photos from clients of my designs in their home! Nothing beats the feeling of knowing someone trusted me and liked my item enough to spend their hard earned money on it. Then that they take the time to send me a photo and thank me is amazing,” Brumley exclaimed.

Dress up your front door or an empty wall in your home with a custom wreath or other décor from WLB Designs. “I just released state-shaped resin pieces and am working on country shapes as well. Plus, I am adding more ornaments including some state shaped. And, of course, one of a kind fall and Christmas wreaths are coming!” All of the available designs are in the WLB Designs Etsy shop and follow along on Instagram for new releases for the holidays.

While mainstream apparel companies are slowly trying to catch up to meet the demands for gender-neutral and gender-fluid clothing, small shop Multiplayer Apparel recognized the need for gender-bender garments for everybody and every body shape. “We are tired of seeing awesome designs made on only male shirts or only female shirts,” exclaimed Sacha Brant. “We believe you should be able to wear what you want, when you want, no matter your gender preference.” Be yourself without a label. This message speaks to me.

Brant launched Canadian-based Multiplayer Apparel this summer. “We chose the name Multiplayer Apparel as our brand because we want to scream inclusivity,” she explained. The shop currently features t-shirts, tank-tops and bandanas and consumers can customize their selected items with any design. “You can take a design and put it on any style of product you want. As a woman with masculine tastes, it is hard to find things that fit well and look good. I can wear men’s clothing, but the designs don’t often speak to me. I know others who, while born men, sure feel more feminine than I do, and if they want to wear one of my designs on a crop top, all the power to them. Multiplayer Apparel is all about helping you look good and feel good in your own skin.” One of the shop’s first designs – a snoozing Snorlax from Pokémon and My Neighbor Totoro mashup – remains Brant’s favorite, but her “most popular design to date is a poster mockup for The Craft with my little spin on it.”

Multiplayer Apparel is already a standout because it refuses to conform to gender norms. “The world is changing. I’m tired of seeing really awesome designs I love and not being able to get them in my size or style. I know there are lots of people out there just like that,” Brant shared. “We feel clothing is one of the most personal forms of expression, and yet a lot of clothing these days stills lives either in a male or female category. We want more than that. We want to give you any design on your choice of clothing, so that you can be as masculine or feminine as suits you.” For Brant, the shop gives her an outlet for creative expression. “I love to paint, love to create, and enjoy the process of taking ideas and making them into something tangible. I love to take design requests for apparel because I can offer to create something you may never otherwise see.”

Brant is working to push the boundaries and the different product offerings from Multiplayer Apparel. “We are adding more mashup designs, more quote styles, more options, and accessories too.  If you or someone you know has an amazing idea for a piece of clothing that they want to see realized, we invite all suggestions. I do my utmost to create every suggestion I receive.” Ready to level up? Pick your favorite design on the Multiplayer Apparel website here and the shop’s Facebook page or offer your own suggestions for future releases.

I have such an appreciation for fine artists. It takes a tremendous amount of skill, focus and an eye for details. Nicole Birimcombe applies those talents – literally – to the high-quality drawer pulls and doorknobs she paints for her small shop, Knobby Ni’s. “I do not use stencils. All knobs are made to order and are hand painted by yours truly,” she shared proudly. “Many knob crafters will use decals or decoupage, but I prefer painting directly on the knob to give it a sleek look. This way, my customers can customize to their heart’s content.”

Birimcombe launched Knobby Ni’s in 2013 after searching for a job in the education field. “I was working with my parents in their second hand store and starting to restore some old furniture. One of the desks I did had a knob on the drawer, so I thought it would be neat to paint a design on it,” she recalled. “I enjoy painting, so I looked online and, lo and behold, people actually sold painted drawer knobs. The name actually came to me in a dream, as cliché as that sounds. I have always liked play-on-words, and I thought the name was perfect. I do not think I have particularly knobby knees, but hey, it works!” Birimcombe later took an 18-month sabbatical from the shop to travel and live in England. “I met my wonderful husband there, and now he supports the business 110% by making my painting racks, creating display cases, and looking after our son while I hide out in my paint room,” she laughed.

Knobby Ni’s “furniture bling,” as Birimcombe calls it, is a cost-effective and functional way to update a dated dresser, desk or closet door. The small shop offers a myriad of different themes, like galaxy splatter, mandalas, mermaids, dinosaurs, sports balls, animal prints, or Birimcombe’s current favorite, the rainbow polka dot knobs. “They have been quite popular recently, along with my mountain designs,” she said. Birimcombe’s friends and family provide an endless source of inspiration for the painter. Knobby Ni’s colorful mountain designs, for example, “were created after my sister decided to move to British Columbia,” she added. “I love the freedom that painting knobs gives me. I can be my creative self and express my ideas through my art. It also puts a smile on my face knowing that people across North America are able to enjoy my art in their home every day in a practical way.”

Over the last six years, she has continued to develop her artistic skills. “I look back sometimes and think, ‘I can’t believe someone bought that,’” Birimcombe joked. “My process has also evolved, so I am able to paint more efficiently. I am very proud how far it has come.” This fall, Knobby Ni’s is moving into hand painted Christmas ornaments. “It is very exciting! I will also be spending more time on my canvas paintings, which I am hoping to sell in the new year.” Pick out your own furniture bling (or ask Birimcombe to create a custom set for you) on the Knobby Ni’s Etsy shop or Facebook page here.

Boo! Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love the kids dressed in costumes, carving spooky pumpkins and decorating the house. I know I am not alone here. Andrea Harasek of Canadian small shop Fuzzling Monsters is a member of my Halloween-loving tribe. “I started making plush monsters back in early 2013 because my husband and I live Halloween 365 days a year! Our home has skeletons at the dining room table, a coffin coffee table and tons of spiders and bats hanging around all year round. We used to drive a white hearse for fun,” she exclaimed. “I wanted to make something that would ‘go’ with our lifestyle and plush monsters made sense. They are cute, but have a bit of a scare factor because they are monsters.”

Fuzzling Monsters are hand stitched plush creatures with fleece faces and ears, safety eyes and felt teeth. “Since I’m not good with a sewing machine, I needed to make something that could be hand stitched. Faux fur doesn’t mix well with household sewing machines so it was a perfect fit,” said Harasek. With a variety of bright, fun colors and shapes (and a price point of only $35), the Fuzzlings are appealing to all ages. “My Fuzzlings are not really like anything on the market that I have seen. I watched a lot of Jim Henson shows and movies growing up, so I know his work inspired me in my monster making,” Harasek explained. “The very first Fuzzling was round, like a beach ball. I started making them triangle and then tombstone-shaped, but they have evolved over time to an egg-shaped monster. It is an easier shape for me to cut out and stitch up and I love that because they are hand stitched and done one at a time, they each have a personality that shines so brightly!” Each fuzzy friend comes with an adoption certificate with a name, as well as care and safety details. “Recently, I also started making felt chocolate chip cookies as an add-on accessory because Fuzzlings love cookies! They have become a hit. Of course, I think most of us really like cookies,” she shared. The shop also offers limited themed Fuzzlings throughout the year, like in honor of Harasek’s favorite holiday. “Over the years, I have made Fuzzlicorn with a unicorn horn, FuzzliBunn for Easter, FuzzliBee, FuzzliFawn with antlers for the holidays, and for Halloween, I have made WereFuzzlings, FrankenFuzzlings and, of course, FuzzliFang, a vampire Fuzzling.”

Harasek had a hard time identifying what she loves most about the Fuzzling Monsters. “The current shape of their ears is my favorite part…no, I lied. My favorite part is their snaggle tooth. Yes, their little snaggle tooth is my favorite,” she laughed. “I love coming up with new ideas and seeing if I can get the pictures in my mind to work out well in real form. Moments of daydreaming are the best ways for me to think up new ideas, new themed-Fuzzlings or a new story line for my Instagram and Facebook feed.”

Right now, she is stocking up for her favorite season. “Can you keep a secret? I’m working on some new themed Fuzzlings – some for Halloween and some for the holiday season. The Halloween ones will be a reboot of a previous edition with different fur and face colours. The holiday ones are totally new and I’m still working on the prototype, but if I can get my brain and my fingers to communicate and play nicely, the holiday Fuzzlings are going to be awesome!” Adopt a Fuzzling through the Fuzzling Monsters website or Etsy shop and follow the shop on Facebook and Instagram for new Halloween tricks or treats coming soon.

Melissa Pettit wants to welcome guests at your home. The head crafter behind small shop East on Twenty Designs uses vinyl stencils to create, among other things, custom doormats for the front door. “The most popular design so far this year is the ‘Welcome to our Lakehouse’ doormat,” she shared. “This spring, I brainstormed about what I would want in front of my door and we were in the process of trying to buy a lake house, so many of my new designs revolved around the lakes and woods.”

Pettit was gifted her first cutting machine last August and she immediately got familiar with how to use it. “I honestly didn’t even know what it was but I knew it had something to do with crafts. I watched videos, read blogs and joined groups, so that I would be an instant pro. Instant pro I was not, but it was love at first cut,” she professed. Pettit soon expanded into screen-printed t-shirts, personalized gifts, and of course, her popular doormats. “The doormats started selling well and I just kept adding designs. In the fall, I found a winning design and could barely keep up with the orders,” said Pettit. “I was not new to Etsy, as I had been running a successful crochet shop for four years. For a little while, I had them both open at the same time, but that was short lived because I became way too busy with the new venture to continue with the old. And this was way more fun!”

While Pettit is having fun crafting, she is also extra conscious of costs for her customers. “I offer my items for affordable prices with quick turn around. As a thrifty mom of four, I understand what it is like to want nice things for my home on a tight budget,” she explained. “I charge as little for shipping as possible and when I am able to ship for less than quoted, I refund the overage.” Her favorite part of the design process is “being able to take a customer’s rough idea and turn it into something that they love. So often I think I’m sending a mock-up that maybe isn’t a real winner, but then they end up loving it. I also enjoy seeing my designs randomly around the small town where we live. I just can’t help but smile. “ The shop name East on Twenty Designs originates from Pettit’s own home in Indiana. “I live about a quarter mile north of US Highway 20, which spans from coast to coast. Because my business is based out of my home, I was constantly telling people from my small town to go east on 20 to come pick up their orders,” she smiled. “Plus, I’m a New England girl transplanted in the Midwest. When I want to head back to see my family in Connecticut, I have to go east on 20.”

East on Twenty Designs recently introduced a new product to market: “I just started selling neoprene drink sleeves. They come to me blank and I have many designs to choose from or customers are welcome to purchase a custom design. I am the only shop on Etsy that sells these. They are great for iced coffees, frozen drinks and even sodas from the famous drive-thru restaurants. They keep drinks cold longer, prevent the annoying puddle of condensation and keep your fingers warm, which is important for those crazy people who drink iced coffee in the winter. The sleeve by itself is such a great thing and being able to have them personalized is just an added bonus.” Sounds like a perfect hostess gift! Check out all of the custom gifts from East on Twenty Designs in its Etsy shop and Facebook page here. Plus, use the code AUTUMN19 to save 15% off anything in the shop. Thanks Melissa!

Lauren Calhoun is punny. “I brainstormed all kinds of names and knew I wanted to include the word ‘sew’ somehow using a play on words,” explained the designer behind small shop Sew Sweet It Is. “I thought I was pretty clever naming my business after the Marvin Gaye song, ‘So Sweet It Is’ until my husband later informed me that the song lyrics were actually ‘HOW sweet it is to be loved by you…’ Either way, the logos were already made and that was my business name, but I still love it.”

Sew Sweet It Is specializes in feminine dresses adorned with girly ruffles and bows. “I love taking a basic pattern and changing it up with trims, sleeve lengths, ruffles, buttons, you name it,” Calhoun exclaimed. “Pattern mixing is my passion and there is always something new to try.” She started sewing while pregnant with her daughter, Piper. “At that point, I was pretty much only sewing straight lines, but I wanted to make her clothes. I am thankful to friends, YouTube and sewing groups for helping me get started sewing girls clothes (which was a new ballgame compared to the pillows I was making),” Calhoun laughed. “It was so fun and addicting that I wanted to make more, so I started sewing for friends, trying to pay for this ‘hobby.’ Now, I am thrilled to be a part of several designer showcases and am excited about some new opportunities on the horizon.” Many of Calhoun’s designs are driven by different fabric options. “Fabric is my first inspiration, so I am in several fabric groups getting new releases and visit my local stores enough that they know me and my daughter pretty well. I also get inspired from other seamstresses and how they use patterns, trims and fabric placement.”

These days, Piper’s closet is full of original Sew Sweet It Is creations. “I am pretty proud to look at my daughter’s wardrobe and say that I have made most of it. Everything I design, it is because I love it and would want my daughter to wear it,” said Calhoun. “I love sewing for all the seasons and challenging myself with new techniques and fabrics. I sew mainly for girls and it is so much fun making extra frilly things that adult women can’t pull off.” A small shopper herself, Calhoun also prides herself in supporting other makers. “I love the phrase ‘Her success is not your failure.’ I love cheering on other businesses and working together to build one another up,” she professed. “I love to buy things I don’t make from other small shops, like bubblegum necklaces and bows. I have met so many awesome boutique owners and love to collaborate in giveaways, promos and made to match items. We are all in it together and to have fun, so let’s stop being jealous.”

Calhoun is designing for Halloween and Christmas now. Think plaids, peplum and short sets and suspender skirts. Also in the works, “a little break for me as we are expecting our second baby in late October. Another girl!” How sweet it is! Join the Sew Sweet It Is Facebook group here to place custom orders before the holidays.

Stephanie Munden Jones initially launched Love Yourself Bath Co. in 2017 under the name “Mommy & Me Beyoutiful.” Her varied life experiences taught her that all children should believe they are beautiful as created. “When my daughter Rochelle was around three years old, she came running into the house after playing with the neighbor girl and was crying so profusely, I could barely understand what she was saying. The little girl had informed Rochelle she was ‘blaaaack!’ I am assuming from the cries coming from my beautiful daughter that it was said and taken in a negative manner,” she recalled. “This truly broke my heart; I could not imagine my child feeling less than for being who God created her to be. From that day forward, I have always made it my life mission to make my child feel and believe she was beYOUtiful just the way she was.” Years later, Jones’ godson Joshua was born and diagnosed with microcephaly and cerebral palsy. “You can trust that Joshua is so much more than his diagnosis. He is an inspiration to me and many others,” exclaimed Jones. And then, in 2008, she took the steps to become a foster parent. “In this journey, I learned even more that we must raise our children to believe in themselves and to believe in their own beauty and worth. So many children go through life believing others’ perceptions of them. They are too dark, too light, too skinny, too fat, not smart enough, too different, etc.,” Jones explained. “I want all children to know they are exactly who God created them to be. BeYOUtiful! I believe it is our jobs as mothers to instill in our children the self-confidence, self-worth, self-love, and the ability to be who they are and know they are beautiful just as they are.”

Jones now expresses this passionate sentiment through Love Yourself Bath Co. “About six months after the creation of our shop, we changed the name to better reflect the what and the why and Love Yourself Bath Co was born,” she said. “Spending time together with your child whether it is bath time or hair care time or even doing facials together gives a child an opportunity not only to bond with you, but feel important to you.”

The small shop features handmade soaps, colorful bath bombs, bubble bath, shower steamers and soaks crafted from high quality ingredients. “My favorite is our classic Manic Mango. The scent is just so relaxing and refreshing to me,” Jones shared. The shop’s surprise toy bath bombs for kids are the most popular and come in scents like “Fruit Loops” and “Lemon Sugar.” My boys are still playing with the baby shark and rubber duck toys that came atop their Love Yourself Bath Co. bath bombs (baby shark, do do do….), and I was impressed by the beautiful colors of the shop’s moisturizing Summer Cloud bath bomb. “We are always trying to evolve and revamp to better, brighter, and more exciting. I love coming up with something new and beautiful and the anticipation of the bath art the product will create,” said Jones.

This fall, expect more pumpkin-scented bubbles from Love Yourself Bath Co. “Lots of yummy fall scents are coming. Fall is my favorite season and I love all the smells that give you those feel-good memories.” All orders over $49 ship free (in the U.S.) and turnaround time is about a week. Check out all the fizzy fun on the Love Yourself Bath Co. website and get sneak peaks and discounts in the shop’s VIP Facebook group here.