Celebrating handmade, day 2!

In case you missed yesterday's post, I'm doing 3 days of celebrating handmade and featuring some of the Etsy shops we've been buying from for our wedding! This is day 2. Make sure to check back tomorrow for the third, and final post! You won't want to miss it!

It took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to give as gifts for our ring bearers. Since we have 5 (Yes, FIVE! We have a lot of little boys in my family and I didn't want to exclude anyone!) I knew I had to find something that would work for several age groups and also be budget friendly. I wanted to give them something useful too, so I started thinking about what they were going to wear on our wedding day and bowties came to mind. I couldn't get Mando to wear one, so why not my ring bearers? I thought they would be a fun and unique gift and the parents could re-use them after the wedding as well! Once I had the outfit planned out I started my search for the perfect bowties. My sister found Dana Eckert on Etsy for me and I contacted her to see if she was up for the project. Not only was she excited to work with me, but she was very knowledgeable and quick to respond (if you've ever planned a wedding, you know how important that is!).

The ages of our ring bearers will be 15 months, 22 months, 2.5 years, and two 9 year olds. Those are huge age differences so I was excited to learn that Dana's bowties range from sizes 6 months - 9 years. I sent her a photo of the color I was looking for and she found a fabric that matches perfectly and shipped out the bowties in no time! I was so excited when I got them because not only are they adorable, but super well made! I'm pretty sure they'll last a long time even with toddlers wearing them! Here's a picture of how they turned out... I'm obsessed and can't wait to see all my favorite boys rocking these on our wedding day!

Here's a little bit of background info about Dana and how she got started on Etsy:

Growing up in a family with my mother as an artist, it seemed only natural that creativity would be an essential on the daily activity list in our house! I started sewing at a super young age of 9 years old, and have always kept it up. Sewing was a way that I could create and make items that are “just me” and pattern making is a craft that I learned to do through the years. My grandmother and mother were super experienced sewers and taught me the skills needed to make anything as professional and beautiful as your imagine would let you!

How did start up my Etsy Shop? After years of making handcrafted gifts for friends and family, a woman in the grocery store suggested that I start selling my dresses….so I did! It has given me the freedom to work from home, and jump on any new inspiration that may appear!

I reside in a small little town in Ontario, and am so pleased to able to do what I honestly enjoy doing! Having so many wonder and loyal customers has enabled me to continue doing what I love- and be inspired by all requests and feedback that everyone brings to me! I am for sure a lucky girl!

Don't you just love the personal stories behind each Etsy shop? It makes me even more happy to support these small businesses! Now one of you lucky readers will have the opportunity to win one of these adorable Dana Eckert polka dot bowties! The winner can chose whichever of the colors they like below and the size they need! These would be perfect one-of-a-kind gifts or keep them and use them to dress up your little one on Valentines Day! To enter, just make sure you are a follower of my blog via Google Friend Connect and leave a comment telling me which color is your favorite!

Follow Dana Eckert Designs on Twitter @DanaEckertDesigns or on like her on Facebook here. The giveaway is open to everyone worldwide and will be open until Friday, January 13th. Good luck everyone! I know you will fall in love with these sweet handmade bowties like I did! XOXO