My New Obsession....Pinterest!

I have to be honest, it took me a while to warm up to Pinterest. I joined quite a while ago started some boards and them ignored them. I was having a hard enough time keeping up with my Etsy site, Facebook and Twitter to dive in at the time but with the new year I have wanted to make a bigger push to be more involved with social marketing. I am now obsessed with pinning and repining and absolutely love all the fabulous things I have discovered on Pinterest!

I have been inspired to cook new recipes, try new craft projects, revamp my wardrobe, and change my hairstyle.

If you have not discovered Pinterest be sure to check it out and request an invite, you won't regret it! When you join be sure to visit My Boards and follow if you like.

Shawna

Wags and Wiggles Is Going To The Oscars!

Thanks to The Artisan Group, Celebrities will receive two Wags and Wiggles toys in the Swag Bag they receive at the GBK Productions 2012 Academy Awards Luxury Gift Lounge. The event will be held at The W Hotel in Hollywood California, February 24th and 25th.

The road to the Oscars is a long one! I had this great ("great" said with clinched teeth) idea to not only gift a dog toy but a cat toy too, wouldn't want to leave out the celebrity felines! Well, that meant not 100 toys to make but 200 toys to make. I always start out with the best intentions of allotting time everyday to chip away at the sewing...yeah, ends up with many late nights the week before the deadline and my items arriving one day before the deadline. What can I say, I am an adrenaline junky and love the last minute stuff.

Needless to say, I am now relieved that my gifts are safe and sound awaiting their final destination in the hands of the Nominees, Presenters, and Honored Guest of the GBK Productions Academy Awards Luxury Gift Lounge. I will be sure to update everyone after the event as to which Celebs took a special liking to my toys and posed for pictures with my toy display.

Oscar journey to be continued...


Shawna

The Artisan Group

As a charter member of The Artisan Group, I have been fortunate to see the quick growth of this extraordinary group in such a short amount of time.

"The Artisan Group is a group of talented artisans who collectively provides a lovely sampling of our products to celebrities and members of the press.  Most celebs even pose for a professional photo holding our displays!...Our group is exclusive, and we select only the best-of-the-best to represent"

Valerie Guerrero and Nikki Cutro, founders of the group, lead with such enthusiasm and professionalism that I truly feel that Wags and Wiggles would not be where it is today if I was not contacted last year and asked to join. It is not just the celebrity exposure I have received at Award Gift Lounges but the self confidence and business knowledge that has been gained by my involvement.  I have always lived by "quality, not quantity" when it comes to friends but I can say that I have gained so many friendship through this group without every meeting one member face to face.  You really get the feeling that we are all in the together and are there to help each other in any way we can.  I enjoy and cherish this group and those that are members very much.  Thank you Valerie and Nikki for The Artisan Group, and thank you The Artisan Group for your support in growing my "pet toy and accessory" business. :0)

Off to finish my celebrity gifts for the Oscars! (future blog post to come...)
Shawna

I'm back....

 

Wow, what a crazy holiday season it was for me!  Wags and Wiggles sales were fantastic, I was very fortunate to participate in the GBK Productions Golden Globes Gift Lounge thanks to The Artisan Group, built a new sewing "studio" in a corner of my house, and enjoyed a fantastic holiday with the family!

Now on to 2012... I have been having such a great time designing some new toys for my Etsy shop, I hope everyone like them as much as I do. I promise to elaborate on the happenings of Wags and Wiggles/me more in future (and more often) with many exciting blog posts. First,  I need to meet my deadline of shipping off my Oscar Celebrity Swag Bag Gifts...yep, Wags and Wiggles is going to the Oscars!

More to come in 2012!
Shawna

Sweet Paul Magazine: 2011 Holiday Issue

I was contacted a while back through my Etsy shop by the editor of Sweet Paul Magazine requesting some information on one of my toys for the upcoming Holiday issue. I sent the info right away but tried to keep a bit reserved about it just in case. Well I received a blog update email from one of my favorites, Design Sponge, and there it was...a mention of the Sweet Paul Holiday 2011 issue being out. I held my breath, clicked the link and scrolled through the contents. "Woof" section, could it be? Could it really be? Yep, there is was on page 49... Wags and Wiggles Doxie Dog Toy!

I am in love with this magazine (no, not just because I was included!). The photos, the recipes, the articles, they are all so intoxicating I have read the digital versions of the past issues sometimes more than once. I am so honored that one of Wags and Wiggles toys was included in one of my new favorite magazines, Thank you Sweet Paul!

Birthdays... At least we don't count them in dog years.

 

Today is my birthday....if you know me you know that just saying those words are so out of character.  For as long as I can remember I have not wanted a big deal made of my birthday, I always want the event to be ignored and November 16th to begin.  As I lay awake last night dreading the clock turning 12:00am because this would mean another year of my life has passed and I would have to add a "+1" to my already large age number, I thought..."not this year!"

I started thinking of all the life experiences and accomplishments of all the years that have passed and thought it is really not right to push those moments, or the ones to come for that matter, aside with my head hung low.  This year is different I am going to embrace the life past, present and future with my head held high.  Yeah, sure that head has gray hair and a face with cracks and creases that use to only be seen when I was super close to the bathroom mirror but now can be seen from across the room, but that head is also filled with so many memories and life experiences from the past forty-t(cough, cough) years that I would not trade for anything.

At the very least I will take joy in the fact that I am not a dog, because if I was my age today would be ....181. Wow, there would be no way to make that number sound good.  :0)

Here's to embracing our age and all the stuff (good and not so good) that comes with it!

Shawna

LaunchHer Gift Guide Is Out!

I just love what LaunchHer is doing for us women entrepreneurs. It is such a great company that truly cares and helps promote women who are striving to have a successful business while following our passions and dreams.

I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to be part of this fantastic Gift Guide and have really starting thinking about that  holiday gift giving list I need to start.  Since there are so many outstanding handmade products out there I think I will try to have my list consist of many of my fellow artisan peeps!  I am thinking some lovely smelling handmade soaps for my teenage boys...for those of you with teenage boys you know why I am leaning towards the lovely smelling soaps!

Enjoy the guide everyone!

Shawna