I’ve been a follower of Make It and Love It for a long time now. Ashley is fabulous. Her site is full of tutorials and amazing ideas for home decor, repurposing and crafts focusing on children. And boy was I excited when she announced she was moving to the South. We’ve been emailing back and forth trying to meet up now that we are living closer to each other. Even crazier, we found out we had a friend in common. Small world, huh? Anyway, I was excited to do an interview with Ashley to find out a little more about her and her blog. This is Ashley who simply said…
How did Make It and Love It come about?
Make It and Love It started as a private log of projects for me to refer to as I was working on one thing or another. I decided after several of my first posts, to just leave it open as a public blog, for family and friends to take a peek at. It eventually grew and became my full-time hobby. It has been hard for me to assign my blog one theme because I go from home decorating to baby gifts, then recipes to re-purposing projects (oh, the thrill of turning old things into new). I have a hard time sticking to one thing because I love dabbling in everything. But that’s what makes the blog so fun for me. I use my sewing machine one day, then off to find my glue gun, staple gun, jigsaw and paint brushes the next. It’s what keeps me busy and fills that need to create something.
What are your crafting skills? And what are some skills you would like to learn?
Hmmmm… Crafting skills? That sounds like such a definite talent. And some techniques that I use are probably more like shortcuts, rather than skills. Ha! I really like to use the sewing machine best of all but I guess I have some crazy skills using the glue gun or a bottle of Mod Podge. Does that count? I would really like to learn how to knit. Aaaaah, the things that people make with their knitting needles! And quilting is another thing. But I think that’s more of a patience that I would need to learn.
How do you receive inspiration and ideas for your crafts?
You know, many times it is just by seeing something that someone is wearing or holding while seeing them at the store/park/restaurant. I oftentimes think, “Hey, I can make that!” Or at least use that idea with something else. And because I do this full-time, I have trained myself to constantly be scanning for new ideas while we’re out and I tend to formulate new projects in my head wherever I am. And I am constantly writing myself notes or sending myself texts so that I don’t forget what I was thinking about. Another source of inspiration comes from necessity. Sometimes I think of something that will make my life easier, and I seek out a way to make it happen. My ideas don’t always turn out but I love it when they do!
What has been your favorite thing/tutorial you’ve made?
My favorite things to make are the repurposing projects. I have gotten a real kick out of making old things into new things. Or using scraps from one project to complete a whole different project. Sometimes the outcome completely shocks me. So I get so excited to see them when they’re done.
How you would describe your style (home decor/fashion/design)?
I don’t know that I have a certain style. And if I did one week, it changes the next week. I am already wanting to change my home décor now that the summer is here. Funny how that changes. But maybe a little bit of traditional, with some Victorian but then I do love a good modern feel to everything. So I don’t know, what is that? Ha!
How did you learn to sew?
I learned to sew all of the basics from my mom. I always loved watching her make our Easter dresses every spring and quickly wanted her to teach me how to make my own. I also learned a lot from working with clothing patterns from the store. They can be one of the most frustrating things to tackle but it’s always interesting to learn how the designer wanted me to make something, and then figure out a different way that works better for me. From there, I have taught myself different tricks and styles. That has been the most fun, to just play around and have something work out.
How do you find time to craft/blog/sew?
Oooh good question, where I find the time. I really think that because this is something that I really like to do, I make time for it. I craft a lot at night or during nap time for the kiddos, when I could be relaxing in other ways. For me, crafting/blogging is my source of relaxing from the other stresses in life. So I make time for it and just have fun with it. I am not on any sort of schedule and don’t have deadlines to meet so I just have fun with it and share with everyone else what I have come up with most recently.
» Tell me… How do you find time for your hobbies while managing everything else?
