Today we've got our Extra Large sponsor (and my crafty gal pal), Elle from
Elle.mnop indulging us with a sweet little interview and insights on her crafty life with her sweet pup and fella! I know several of you read Elle's blog already and I think all the rest of you should as well! It's a really fun and inspiring blog which will motivate you to break away from the computer and get your hands dirty! (Seriously... we made mosaic pots two nights this past week and we were covered in glue and grout! Dirty!)
Hi Elle! LCH is super tickled to have you as our Extra Large sponsor this month! I already know tons about you so how about you introduce yourself to the rest of the Honeybees? Tell us what makes you tick!
-Kaelah thanks again for letting me sponsor LCH this month I am so excited about it! Well for those of you that don't know me I have four loves in my life: my boyfriend Bryan, my awesome dog Riley, my career in web design, and of course crafting projects and creating things. I spend around 8-10 hours every day in the computer designing and as much as I love it it is very important to have a break from it at some point in the day. This is where the crafting comes in... There are many different ways to stay creative and inspired and as much as I love to look at other designer's work I get the most inspiration when I am creating and getting hands on with something.
So you write a blog called Elle.mnop… That's a super clever name! When did you start Elle.mnop and how did it come to fruition? What's the buzz all about?
- Well my name is Elle and at a serving job I had at Macaroni Grill everyone had nicknames and after many failed attempts of nicknaming me they came up with the nickname "lmnop" for me. At first I hated it and then I decided to embrace it and have loved it ever since! So when thinking of a blog name it just seemed right.
What are some things you hope to accomplish with your sweet blog?
-I have been blogging for almost a year now and I really love it! At first I mainly posted on online inspiration like artists and designs with a few craft projects sprinkled throughout. For the month of April I have done a craft project everyday and while its been challenging to complete sometimes I have loved how creative it has made me. For the future of Elle.mnop, I hope to continue to inspire people and create tons more projects that everyone can do.
Since you dove headfirst into blogging, what has been your favorite part of the experience? How about least favorite?
-My favorite part has got to be all the people I have meet in the process along with the great feedback. It makes me so excited to hear that people have actually tried some of the projects that I have created! My least favorite part was probably the beginning and starting it all. I found it to be hard to keep writing and creating for my blog when only a handful of people actually read it and it was mainly family. I am so glad I stayed with it though and didn't give up. Of course I want tons of people to read my blog but I had to learn to focus on the people that were actually reading it and keep them inspired.
What is a "typical day" in the life of Elle like?
-I am a hardcore multitasker so my days are pretty packed! I work at a web design firm in downtown Nashville from 9-6 and then head home to walk the dog. Walking the dog is actually my favorite part of the whole day because it lets me unwind and relax and of course get outside and walking around which I don't do much during the day. Next I try to cook a nice dinner for myself and Bryan but I'm still in the learning stages of cooking so sometimes its not so nice haha. The rest of my evening involves working out, creating, doing the next day's blog post, playing with the dog, and the occasional tv watching. Somehow I get it all done and don't sacrifice too much sleep which is always good!
Where do you find most of your inspiration? Do you read loads of other blogs to get the fire burning or do you find it in more unexpected places?
-I read tons of blogs and normally have around 300 posts each day sitting in my Google Reader. I get a lot of my inspiration from fellow bloggers and designers but honestly most of my inspiration comes while driving. I drive an hour rounddtrip each day to work so I think a lot in the car. A lot of my craft projects come about from an idea while driving or a desire to recreate something with a twist on it.
What are some of your daily reads that you can't get enough of?
- I of course read LCH everyday to find out what you are up too since I don't get to see you that much (sorry probably my fault) and I also love to read A Beautiful Mess, Design Sponge, Oh Joy, Turquoise Ink, the Martha Blog by Martha Stewart, and so so many more. One of my favorite things though is finding new blogs and new bloggers to get inspired by.
If you could just imagine awesome things into being, where would you see yourself in five years? What would you be doing?
-In five years I would love to see myself with a greeting card line in local boutiques along with options for custom invitations for weddings and baby announcements. I used to do illustrations for a shop in Murfreesboro, TN and I absolutely fell in love with how creative you could be and how much you could impact someone's special days. As much as I love web design, my dream has always been to own my own business so I would love to see myself working towards that goal in the next few years.
Any parting words of wisdom to the little honeybees looking to start their own blog or delve into a handmade life?
-I definitely recommend both to everyone! My main piece of advice would be to not focus on the number of people reading your blog but more enjoy writing it and just have fun! Write about things you want to and not just things you think people will read because your heart won't be into it then.
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Elle is offering up a lucky winner two handmade journals with custom marbleized paper along with a hand sewn binding. If you don't win the giveaway you can find both of these DIY projects HERE and HERE!
All you gotta do to enter to win is visit Elle.mnop and leave a comment below!
You can earn extra entries by following her on Twitter and/or "Like" Elle.mnop on Facebook! Just leave a separate comment for each entry (up to 3 total)!
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