Stephanie Girard of Lark Road Rhymes

Today's feature is Stephanie Girard of Lark Road Rhymes

Stephanie's art is so sweet and one of a kind! I love how she uses words as art!

She makes inspirational wall art and her specialty is writing  cute personalized poems. 

Tell me a little about your shop.

My shop is full of everything that inspires me. I love, love, love babies so I have 5 of them!! Now I love to write about how delicious & fantastic they are. I am mesmerized by the joyfulness of children. With my older kids I love hearing them talk about their accomplishments. It is very easy to see a child's self esteem developing. That is where the sports rhymes came from. The feeling of pride they have when they make a basket or hit the ball is HUGE!! Especially sliding into base. Sliding into base is "epic"! They love to see their names too!

Personalized Baby Gifts, New York Yankee Blue, Baseball Nursery, Kids Wall Art, Jackson

The sister in law print was written for my sister in law for her birthday. She is just an amazing person that is always there for me. She is an honest friend too. I value our relationship because she doesn't tell me what I want to hear. After I create a print I hope that there is someone out there that can relate to it. Having the item sell is fun but the emails I get from my customers are amazing. Last weekend a woman, who is decorating her son Liam's room with San Diego Giants, wrote, "This is so amazingly perfect!".  Having someone love what you create is fantastic!

5x7 Typography Art, Art Sayings, Family Word Art, Sister In Law

Have you always been interested in art as a girl?

I have always loved to rhyme. I used to sit in the back of the room in high school with a notebook just writing rhymes all day. I love the creative use of words and language. I see words as pieces of art. They are my medium. The love of language and rhyme inspires me to create.

Personalized Baby Gifts For Girls, Baby Keepsakes, Creative Baby Shower Gifts, Gianna

What inspires you to create?

I am inspired by children's authors and song writers. They are so creative and their rhymes are fantastic!!

Tell me about your daughter.

Jolie is 5. She and I are the only girls in our household of 7. That alone demands a special relationship. She is very girly, very independent, and very creative. I love watching her express herself. She has never been told not to draw, paint, dance in a certain way. She has never been told that the way she is expressing herself is "wrong". So her creativity comes from a pure place. She paints, draws, sings, dances with no regard for what others think. It 's just Jolie being Jolie for the sake of being Jolie.

I love Jolie's smile and the sparkle in her eyes. When I am writing a rhyme about twinkling, sparkling, magical eyes I usually have a picture of her in my head.

Our most special moment was in a zoo parking lot. We were waiting for the boys to get in the car and she said "Mommy I'm a giggle bot." I had written a rhyme about her being a giggle factory and I thought she was trying to remember that. When I questioned her she started moving her arms like a robot and said it again. I could not believe that she was playing with words for fun just the way I do. Then I asked if I could use her phrase in a rhyme!!!

Baby Room Wall Art, New Baby Poem, Personalized Baby Shower Gifts, Sarah

We love singing tv theme songs together. Disney Jr. has amazing theme songs for their shows. We especially love singing the song for "Gaspar & Lisa"!

What do you want your daughter to remember?

I want my daughter to always know that she is enough. I want her to know that she was made perfectly and she remains perfect. There is nothing she can ever do to have more or be more than she already is.

 What are some challenges you face/have faced in regard to your craft?

The greatest challenge I have with creating the prints is to stay true to myself. People respond to authenticity. I need to give myself what I wish for Jolie: that I am enough.

Thanks so much Stephanie!

I love how children inspire you to create!

You are an inspiration!

XOXO

Christine

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Kathy Lindemer of Bay Moon Design

Today's feature is Kathy Lindemer of Bay Moon Designs!

Kathy is a fellow jewelry artist on Etsy and I love her beach inspired creations!

Tell us a little bit about your shop and why you created it.

Bay Moon Design was born to make people have fun with jewelry and cards that bring nature and fun back into your life.  All my jewelry creations are drawn from influences found in nature, and each piece is designed to be comfortable and fun to wear. My cards often co-ordinate with my jewelry.  At the core of Bay Moon Design is quality, sustainability and supporting local exchanges. I buy locally when possible.  I use mainly vintage or materials from nature, along with locally sourced, eco friendly supplies. I reuse packing envelopes when shipping. Craft shows that I participate in are all local. I donate jewelry or cards to local charities. Everything is one of a kind or produced in small batches to preserve the fun of wearing something unique.

Purple Bracelet, Lavender and Green Leaves with Lilac Flowers Click to see this on Etsy

To help us get to know you a little better tell us 1 favorite.

I love to watch Grey’s Anatomy, Downtown Abbey, and House.  I still haven’t recovered from House ending.

Have you always been interested in art as a girl?

I was interested in art as a girl.  My mother did some painting and I enjoyed art class at school.  I also liked crafts and learned how to knit and crochet from my mother.  

How do you stay driven to create new pieces?

Recently, I have become involved in bead exchanges and blog hops.  I am often sent beads and findings that I am required to use in a design or I am given a picture to inspire a creation.  These bead exchanges and blog hops have really driven me to do some of my best work.

Lime Green Fish Necklace with Unique Artisan Ceramics and Wire Wrapping

What are some challenges you face/have faced in regard to your craft?

I have dupuytren's contracture which is a genetic disease and affects my hands.  Last summer I had surgery on my right hand which resulted in a 2 week recovery and occupational therapy for 6 months.  This Spring I am trying an new treatment which involves an injection rather than surgery on my left hand.  So far, it doesn't stop me from making jewelry or cards, but it is unpredictable when or where it will flair up.  I try to limit my crafting to a few hours a day.

What inspires you to create?

I am interested in learning new techniques.  I will make a few things with one technique and then more on to another. Recently, I have been focusing on using different color combinations and Irish linen thread.  I would like to go more in the direction of using more mixed media in my designs.

  Anything else?

I never make any jewelry that I won’t wear.  I try to wear everything that I sell in my shop once before I sell it to make sure I like the way it looks and feels. 

Sea Glass Necklace in Blue Purple Brown Shades with White Sea Glass

Tell me a little about you and your daughter.

My daughter and I have changed roles recently. I just retired after 40 years in the work force. I worked through 2 pregnancies and all while my children were growing up. Needless to say, I was a busy person. Now that I am retired I enjoy traveling, making jewelry and cards, swimming, yoga and reading. I also spend way too much time on the Internet. My daughter recently entered the world of work after 20 years as a student. I get a kick out of listen to her thoughts on being an adult with work and household obligations. She doesn’t have any children. Wait until she sees how that changes things! She has commented numerous times about my leisure life style. I think deep down she knows I have earned it but she is jealous.

Beautiful picture of Kathy and her daughter Christina!

How does your daughter inspire you?

Her ability to set a goal and accomplish it inspires me.

What is the most special moment you share?

The most special moment that comes to mind is my daughter’s recent wedding day. We worked together on it for a year. I discovered that my wedding ideas from the 1970’s were very different than her ideas of a wedding. I made it a goal to get through the wedding without too much conflict. Everything we planned worked out. It was a very modern wedding on the beach on a beautiful day and everyone had a great time at the reception. 

What do you love and admire about her?

I love her outgoing personality and her admire her ability to hold her own in the male dominated work environment that she works in as an engineer. She gets her personality from her father. I would like to think that I served as a positive role model for a woman in the work place.

What is so special about your mother daughter bond?

I am very happy that I was able to have a son and a daughter. I have what they call the perfect family. I treasure both, but I do believe that there is a special relationship between a mother and daughter just as there is between a father and son. Only women can relate to the importance of such feminine frills as prom dresses, bridal veils, hair styles, nail polish, jewelry etc. Major life events such as childbirth and marriage can only be viewed in similar ways by the same sex. I am glad that I had a daughter to relate those experiences with.

What do you want your daughter to remember?

I want her to remember to treat people with kindness. 

Any words for your daughter?

Remember, always have one of my business cards ready to hand to those who compliment you on your jewelry! :-)

Kathy, It has been so enjoyable learning more about how and why you create such lovely jewelry! Hearing about your wonderful mother daughter relationship gets me excited about my new adventures as my daughter grows up!

Thanks so much! 

XOXO

Christine 

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