Handmade Holiday Gift Guide • Simply 1 Love

http://www.simply1love.com

http://www.simply1love.etsy.com

http://www.twitter.com/shopsimply1love

http://www.Instagram.com/simply1love

http://www.Pinterest.com/simply1love

http://www.Facebook.com/simply1love

HOLIDAY SHOPPING DEADLINE

December 15th (regular shipping), December 19th (Rush) December 1st (International) 

Cat in her own words...

Do you have any fun nicknames? How did you get them? 

Haha my hubby calls me the "Snack Queen" because I always have snacks in my bag or we always need to stop to grab them before a long drive. Other than that just my name, Cat which is short for Catrina.

Tell us about you!

I am originally from a small farm town in central California and moved to San Francisco with my husband 2 years ago after he accepted his dream job working at a golf club here in the city. We were recently married in May of this year, and have one fur baby together (real babies soon to come). I love exploring new cities, driving around aimlessly & getting lost. Thrift shopping and fashion is my second love and I spend my weekends creating & sewing. Last year I started the tradition of passing out lunches to homeless people here in San Francisco. I used profits from my business and entitled it the "You Are Loved Campaign". I hope to continue the tradition annually and grow the campaign even bigger each year. Other than that I am a huge bay area sports fan and you can always find me at games all year long.

What is the name of your business and what is it you make?

The name of my business is Simply 1 Love. I hand make and sew kimonos, ponchos and accessories for women and girls. I also sell vintage and boutique clothing with a "girl next door" vibe.

How did you start your business? How has it evolved?

I started my business back in 2013 (maybe even earlier if you count the name change and selling on Facebook haha). I only sold hair accessories, many of which were hot glued (terrible I know). From there I made jewelry for awhile and then within the last year stared sewing kimonos and ponchos. Through all of the changes I have always kept the vintage/bohemian vibe and love that aspect of the business. I am sure I'll change things in the future but Simply 1 Love will always be an extension of who I am.

 

What is the meaning of your business name? How did you come up with it?

Simply 1 Love's name was created from my love of reggae music (one love) and just living simply. The brand has evolved since then but I feel the meaning behind it is still it is still the same. Also my one true love is fashion, and thats what I sell! haha

What is your biggest dream for you and your business?

My biggest dream for Simply 1 Love is to become more of a styling based business with the handmade aspect being a huge part of it. I ideally would love to throw styling parties, show women how to use their wardrobe to it's potential and eventually be able to create and grow my second company Frankie + Sirena (still in the dream stage @frankieandsirena). Maybe one day even owning a brick and mortar.

What is your favorite part? The part you don’t care for as much?

My favorite part of Simply 1 Love is being able to help women feel confident in their clothing. When I see a smile on the face of someone and know it is because of something I did it lights up my world. To be honest I am not a huge fan of sewing up orders and packaging/shipping. One goal in 2017 is to become ready made. I usually don't have stock on hand and it drives me insane when orders come piling in.

What is something we wouldn’t know about you or your business?

One thing you wouldn't know about me is that I lack self confidence and suffer from extreme overwhelm/anxiety when it comes to everything I have to do on a given day/week. To Do lists & wine have become my best friends when dealing with the huge pile of work I give myself. 

What has been your biggest accomplishment so far? What are you most proud of?

My biggest accomplishment to date has to be getting my kimonos on Sheana Shay of Vanderpump Rules. We got so many orders from her social media posts! Also it would have to launching my website and being completely self taught at everything I have done with Simply 1 Love.

What does shopping small mean to you?

Shopping small to me means supporting a dream. When you shop small you not only support a family you support a dream. You put food on the table of a family, allow a family to pay their bills and even send their kids to college. People like you and me are the ones impacted by the decision to shop small, not huge corporations.

Why is handmade so important?

Handmade is quality! I have struggled with the idea of fast fashion lately (think Forever 21) and hate the fact that most larger companies are not sustainable. I love that handmade items are made with love and are often times much sturdier than something bought from a department store. It is our job to leave the planet in better shape than what  we were born into and what better way than to buy handmade.

What are your plans for the holidays? 

What is your favorite way to spend the holidays? Favorite traditions? My hubby and I are spending the holidays with his parents in Santa Cruz (both Thanksgiving & Christmas) Because we are from towns close to each other all of our family lives close together and it makes it easy to spend time with everyone. Christmas day usually tops the cake by spending it at his aunt and uncle's house in Carmel by the Sea. Most traditions take place there (like this amazing breakfast called "EggThing" haha) 

Handmade Holiday Gift Guide • NursElet

www.NursElet.com

Www.Instagram.com/GetNursElet

Www.Facebook.com/GetNursElet

Www.Twitter.com/GetNursElet

Www.Pinterest.com/NursElet

HOLIDAY SHOPPING DEADLINE; regular shipping, customs, priority, international, etc.: regular shipping – 3 to 5 business days from the order placed

Rupal in her own words...

Do you have any fun nicknames? 

My friends call me Rups 

Tell us about you!!!

I am originally from India, and moved in U.S.A. to purse Masters of Science in Engineering in 2004. That’s where I met my sweet heart in New York City. After marriage, we moved in San Francisco Bay Area, California. I am a proud mother of two little boys. I am self-taught artist; pencils and colors are jam!

What is the name of your business and what is it you make? 

NursElet®. I have launched this business last year to solve motherhood easier. I have created patent pending baby products to make nursing mothers’ lives easier and comfortable.

How did you start your business? How has it evolved? 

I have created NursElet® product from my own breastfeeding challenges to make other nursing mothers’ lives easier. I have developed my prototype and tested on new moms. NursElet – Nursing Bracelet is approved by local lactation consultant and pediatricians. Mothers love this product all around the world. It has been appeared in two national magazines. Fit Pregnancy and Baby (Feb2016) and Pregnancy and Newborn (Aug2016) magazines.

What is the meaning of your business name? 

NursElet®. I derived this name from my first product Nursing Bracelet.

What is something we wouldn’t know about you or your business?

My first wholesale order which was 1000 units of NursElet® - Essential Bracelet for Nursing Mom – which I have sewn in less than 20 days! Day and night sewing!! FedEx recognized my effort and published my story on their home page intranet.

What are your plans for the holidays? 

Spend time with friends and family. My first son’s birthday is next day after Christmas, so you can imagine my plan…party!

What does shopping small mean to you? To support mama and papa shops who put lot of efforts to run it.

Handmade Holiday Gift Guide • Handmade Happiness by Ruth

handmadehappinessbyruth.com

facebook.com/handmadehappinessbyruth

instagram.com/handmadehappinessbyruth

pinterest.com/happinessbyruth

My holiday shopping deadline for Canada is December 1st, for the US is Dec 15th. 

Reagan Middle School Holiday Bazaar in Haymarket on December 4th 

Ruth in her own words...

Hi, I'm Ruth of Handmade Happiness by Ruth and I make toys.  I started making toys when my oldest was born, but didn't start selling the toys that I make until a friend saw my youngest at a Christmas party, up way past his bedtime, and instead of melting down like all the other kids, he was playing quietly with his car mat, perfectly content.  She bought 3 on the spot.  Once people realized I was selling toys, they started lining up to buy them.  

Handmade Happiness by Ruth seemed like the perfect name because I handmake every toy and they sure do bring a lot of happiness.

My biggest dream for my business is to grow to a size that I can employ women around the world, providing flexible jobs for the mamas out there who need to work, but want to be there for their children.  I have a vision that one day, when you open up a Handmade Happiness by Ruth package, there will be a card inside with the picture and a brief biography of the maker and what the positive employment opportunity means for her family.  "by Mary" or "by Tamar" or "by Sophia." 

As a licensed architect, my absolute favorite part of the business is designing new toys.  I will prototype a toy for weeks on end, having my two lead toy testers (my 5 and 3 year old boys) test out my designs and tell me what they love or don't love.  The joy they get from helping me design a new toy is beautiful to watch. 

My absolute least favorite part of the making process is making mistakes and pulling out stitches.  My seam ripper and I have a love hate relationship.

My friends all call me Ruthie because it was more fun to say that just plain Ruth.

I grew up in Tennessee in a little town just outside of Chattanooga and I now live in another small town, Winchester, Virginia (as far west from DC as you can go before you hit West Virginia).  I have a henna artist husband and two sweet boys, one who loves to cook with me, and one who loves to tell me stories. Watching them develop their own unique personalities brings home for me the reality that children everywhere are so unique, so I keep making new toys and new designs, hoping that out there somewhere is a child for whom the next design will be a perfect match.

This year is my first in business as I officially launched November of 2015.  So after the rush of the holidays, I will be taking 6 weeks off to rest, to recharge, to sleep more than 4 hours a night, to reconnect with my family, and to dream up new ideas for the coming year.  I am so excited for this break and what it will mean for our family to have mama fully engaged instead of half thinking of business all the time.  It will all start with my favorite part of the Christmas season: decorating our Christmas tree.  Last year, we couldn't share any photos of the fun because my then 2.5 year old insisted that he decorate the tree naked (he was potty training at the time), insisting that he WAS dressed because he had on socks. 

Shopping small and shopping handmade means so much to me, not just because it is my livelihood, but because my grandmother used to make so many things for us.  Every Halloween costume or fancy holiday dress was made for me by either my grandmother or my mother and every last one of them has a memory, a feeling of being so special.  When something is made with love and with care, it is almost as if some of that love and human connection rubs off on the item.  Handmade things just FEEL better.  Every item that I make is sent off with love and with prayers that the child on the receiving end will feel how precious he or she is to the people who gave the gift.  

Handmade Holiday Gift Guide • Just Be Designs

justbedesignsapparel.etsy.com

@justbe.designs for IG

www.facebook.com/justbedesignsapparel

Pinterest is @justbedesigns

Holiday shopping deadline is Dec 15. My turnaround time is 3-4 business days and I do not ship internationally yet.

Jillian in her own words...

My nick name is Beans or Beandip :) When I was younger my family called me Jillybean and as I got older my brothers shorten it and started calling me Beans. Now, my husband has picked it up and added the Dip! Maybe, because I want nachos for every meal, haha

This is a story all about how my life go flipped turned upside down...ha! But, seriously I was born and raised in Northwest Indiana right on Lake Michigan and am a Midwest girl at heart.  My love for the beach and sunshine brought me and my husband down to Florida after having our twin daughters. Yep, one winter and I was out! I am ok with never seeing snow again in my life, and spending my weekends in the sand. We now have three daughters, MacKenzie 11, Kaylee 11, and Presley 8. Two dogs, three cats, a few fish, and a one eyed hamster...yes, I know, I live in a petting zoo. We are big sports fans and love football and all the Chicago teams, GO CUBS! I have been coaching girls basketball for about 4 years now and I love it so much. When I am at work, I play with flowers all day. I have been a floral designer since I was 16, just about half my life.

My business is Just Be Designs, and I make fabric wrap bracelets, headbands, and bangles. I am currently working on a apparel line as well, launching 2017! I started this business a little over a year ago in October 2015. I have another small business where I hand paint wood signs and other crafts and I really wanted to change it up and do something that my kids could wear and moms could afford to get themselves a piece of jewelry thats busy life and kid friendly. The name of Just Be Designs came from the phrase I say so often that I want to "just be" You know those nights when dinner isn't done, or thought of, the kids are running around, you have no clean towels and you want to "just be". Just be happy with your life and where you are in it, happy with your family, your friends, and yourself. To Just Be is a way of life that I strive to live by and want to represent. My brother had a bad bicycle accident and we almost lost him and he is one of the most carefree, happy, giving souls I have ever met, and I am blessed to have him as a brother and when he survived all the surgeries and therapy, I knew that being happy with life is the most important gift we have, LIFE. I give some proceeds of certain products to anti-bullying campaigns in a small effort to reach out to those who at some point maybe they don't realize the gift of their life and just how important they truly are. 

My biggest dreams and goals for my shop right now seem to be endless and ever changing. I want to be able to stay home more with my girls and volunteer more. I hope to one day be able to give more back to the charities I hold dear with bigger sales, and possibly a storefront with beautiful products from other small shop and handmade artisans. To showcase style with positivity.

My favorite part of being a small shop owner is seeing someone wearing one of my bracelets! It is so heart warming and cute when I see a little one rocking Just Be! I would say one of my least favorite parts is cleaning up my office space after working! HAHA, adding products to my site can also be a little tedious work that I try to put off.

Something many people don't know about me is that I am a Pastor's daughter. My three brothers and I grew up in church all the time and moving around the area our whole childhood joining different churches and going on revivals. Crazy world that can be sometimes.

My biggest accomplishment for my business right now that I am most proud of is actually being a registered business! With all the responsibilities of paying taxes and everything, I feel legit now! 

I would say I have an obsession with Christmas!!! I start decorating way too early because it takes about two weeks to finish! We have a very fun, colorful, candy themed home during the holidays and we love it! We have three trees so we always go out ornament hunting each year. Our favorite Christmas tradition would have to be watching Home Alone and just cracking up every single time. It is the best! 

Shopping small to me has become a way of life, I have always loved craft fairs and little downtown boutiques. Growing up in Indiana we were surrounded my small town love and markets. I know how hard other shop owners work and what they have to sacrifice to make that beautiful scarf, or hand painted family ornament, so to me it is about showing them you love them and their talents. They you appreciate their time, their families sacrifice, those nights they stayed up late, knowing they had to wake up extra early to bake cupcakes for their kids birthday. To know that I didn't purchase all my kids Christmas gifts from a big box store makes me so happy, and honestly cute packages coming in the mail fill my heart!! Throw some twine on it and I want to buy it! LOL

I love thinking about what life must have been before every corner had a Walmart or Walgreens and being able to walk to the corner store and actually know the owners. To be able to go to your local market on the weekends and get your gifts there, or trade for items you were looking for. The idea of family, community, fresh, handmade is dear to my heart and something I hope to pass along to my daughters in this world of endless technology, and hustle and bustle. I want them to  embrace the fact that now they can go online and order gifts and choose to do it still with a handmade artisan, not always Amazon :)

Handmade Holiday Gift Guide • Chocolate Milke

www.chocolatemilke.com

Instagram: @chocolate_milke,

Facebook: @ChocolateMilkeApparel

Twitter: @chocolatemilke1

Pinterest: @chocolatemilke

HOLIDAY SHOPPING DEADLINES

Regular: 12/16

Priority: 12/20

International: 12/5

Angela in her own words...

Do you have any fun nicknames? How did you get them?

Punky Brewster - I got this name from my parents.  As a kid, I loved dressing up in crazy outfits and loading on accessories like bangles and bandanas.

Charlie Hustle - I was on my husband’s theater’s softball team and people would laugh at practice when I’d run full tilt, and then dive into the dirt to get a fly ball.  I always give 110% to whatever I do.

Tell us about you!

My family is from Pittsburgh, PA.  I grew up in Simi Valley, California and now live in Redondo Beach.  It’s pretty quiet, but full of lovely people and fun things to do.  We love going to the Redondo Beach Pier.  

I’m married to an amazing actor and father - Mike Lanahan (you may have seen him for about 2 seconds when he slams a door in Frankie Valli’s face on Jersey Boy's) - and together, we have a precocious 3-year-old daughter named Finley Rose.  She’s a little pistol…just like her mama.

I love to exercise, but rarely have time since starting my business.  Yoga has played a major role in my life over the course of many years.  I love doing flowly, level 2/3 classes and really sweating out my problems.  lol.

My other big joy is cooking. I used to have a cooking blog called $h*t I Bake: http://stuffibake.blogspot.com.  We’ve been featured on Slate.com, among other places.  It’s completely dropped off since my daughter was born.  I still cook often, but haven’t had time to document with photos and posts.

What is the name of your business and what is it you make? 

My company is called Chocolate Milke.  We make crazy soft leggings from eco-bamboo fabrics.  Our products are sewn with flat-lock machinery, so they are awesome for being active in.  Because of the gorgeous hand-dyed effects and super duper soft hand-feel, they also work well for chasing your child at the playground or upgrading the leggings you wear out for errands.  They can be styled up or down, so our stuff is totally versatile.  My girlfriends call them #nakedyoga pants.

How did you start your business? How has it evolved?

I’ve been a Designer and Design Director in the fashion industry for about 15 years.  When my daughter was 1 1/2 years old she started getting really high fevers every few days, and just stopped sleeping.   She was sick all the time, and my husband and I took turns sitting on the couch all night and holding her upright, so she could breath and sleep.  Finally we took her in for surgery - removing her adenoid and putting tubes in here ears.  

While we were in the thick of her health problems, I was launching a new active line at a multi-million dollar company.  Even though they had financial resources, our team was incredibly small, so I was working 12-14 hour days and full weekends.  The management there had unrealistic expectations of what could be done, so I was pushing myself daily to do impossible amounts of work.  I started having panic attacks and lost over 15 pounds from anxiety.  I knew, for my child, that I needed to make a change so I took a huge leap of faith and quit.

I’ve always wanted to have my own business, but it took me fully burning out to finally have the courage to take the leap.  We had saved a down payment for a house but decided instead to sink it into Chocolate Milke.  I started 1 year ago with 1 kids legging.  It came in 4 sizes and 4 colors.  Since then, we’ve introduced adult leggings and mommy & me dresses as well.  We’ve grown to include over 100 SKUs.  I found an investor to help us keep growing.  We are planning big numbers for 2017!

What is the meaning of your business name? How did you come up with it? 

When I was a kid, my mom would give me chocolate milk as a special treat.  If I got hurt, it was always chocolate milk to comfort me.  I now have Sunday Starbucks dates with my daughter, where she always orders chocolate milk and a scone or muffin.  It’s something special and different but not too far of a leap from the everyday.  It’s comforting.  

What is your biggest dream for you and your business?

The business was always intended to have a give-back angle.  Similar to a Toms, but instead of the 1-for-1 model, we’d give a percentage of sales to charities that teach leadership skills to girls and young women (such as SheJumps.org, Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls (amysmartgirls.com) and GirlsLeadership.org)  My dream is that we will get big enough in our units to really drop our price of goods, allowing us the margin to partner with these charities and using Chocolate Milke to make a difference in the issues that are closest to my heart.

I’d also eventually like to buy a home and convert the garage into our office and photo studio.  I love working from home and as we grow, I want to keep the connection to home and family an important angle to what we do.

What is your favorite part? The part you don’t care for as much? 

My favorite part is how freaking much I am learning.  I’m a great designer, but that piece is so little.  I have met people who are helping me with marketing, with my website, with collaborations and social media growth.  I feel like I’m on a crash course to being a real entrepreneur and finally at a place where I am advising mom bosses like myself who are just getting started.  I love meeting our fans and followers at these markets and events, as well.  The makers community is lovely and I’ve really enjoyed becoming a part of it.

I don’t care much for book-keeping, planning and running our numbers.  But I have to do it if we are going to have the growth I want.

What is something we wouldn’t know about you or your business?

At one point we made woven rompers and crocheted scarves.  When I was trying to get traction for us, I was testing a lot of different items.  Ultimately, it’s important to focus on one thing and to be the very best at it.  That’s the model we are following with our leggings.  

What has been your biggest accomplishment so far?

Alyssa Milano posted about our leggings on her Instagram.   I’ve been such a huge fan of hers since the days of “Whose the Boss”.  She is an outspoken proponent of breastfeeding and she seems like an incredible mom.  I totally freaked when I saw her post.  

What are your plans for the holidays? What is your favorite way to spend the holidays? Favorite traditions?

We typically go to Virginia, and then Pennsylvania, to visit with our families, but this year we are doing something completely different.  My husband is performing in a musical Off-Broadway, for the month of December (NY peeps, here is the shameless plug - go see His Royal Hipness Lord Buckley - http://www.59e59.org/moreinfo.php?showid=267).  Finley and I are flying to New York and we’ll be celebrating Christmas there with Mike, his co-star Jake and Jake’s family. My daughter can’t stop talking about the trip.  She is so excited and so am I.  I can’t wait to show her this city that I love so much.  We will be ice-skating, drinking hot chocolate and checking out the amazing store-front displays.

What does shopping small mean to you? 

Several things…  

For the customer it means a personal relationship to the maker you are buying from.  If you have a question and send an email, you will hear from the person responsible for every aspect of your order.  

It also means limited edition.  These aren’t mass-produced items so, similar to thrifting or inheriting  a special piece of jewelry, you own something that is rare and special.  Not everyone can go and buy it from Target.  Our leggings are hand-dyed in Downtown Los Angeles at a small, family-owned dye house.  Every one is a little different making it 100% unique.

Lastly, your purchases go directly to paying someone’s mortgage, or getting their child ballet lessons…not part of a CEO’s giant bonus at the end of a year.  That part really sunk in for me when I got started.  I’m hyper aware now of small businesses and boutiques in our area.  I do my best to give them my business first, before going to a chain for purchases.  This holiday I’ve pledged to only shop small for my gifts.

Why is handmade so important?

I truly believe handmade is the future.  Without getting (too) political, most Americans are frustrated with jobs being sent overseas, yet so many people shop at Walmart - the largest perpetuator of incredibly low prices that can only occur with outsourcing to 3rd world countries.  I’ve been to factories in China, Sri Lanka, India and Vietnam and I’ve watched as companies I worked for had to jump to different countries as prices went up.  Chinese workers have left factories now that there are better options, such as working at the mall (because it has air conditioning and most factories do not.)  Fewer people are producing in China now.  Many companies are even going to Bangladesh and parts of South Africa to make clothing as cheaply as possible.

I think customers are having doubt in these big corporations who turn incredible profits by doubling and tripling the mark-ups on goods made for pennies overseas.  As a community, we love the uniqueness of a hand-made, small-batch items.  We also know there is true love put into a handmade product and, even thought it may cost a bit more, in exchange for our purchases we get quality and the knowledge that we are doing something better for ourselves and our community.  

Handmade Holiday Gift Guide • Wire and Honey

www.wireandhoney.com

www.facebook.com/wireandhoney

www.instagram.com/wireandhoney

www.pinterest.com/wireandhoney

www.twitter.com/wireandhoney

HOLIDAY SHOPPING DEADLINE

Domestic shipping: December 15th

International shipping: November 30th

Sarah in her own words...

Do you have any fun nicknames? How did you get them? One of the reasons my mom named me Sarah was because she doesn't like nicknames. Ironically, almost no one calls me Sarah. My husband and most of my friends call me Rah. I honestly don't even know how it started but it stuck. I love it. 

Tell us about you!!! 

I grew up in a suburb of Baltimore, MD and I live in the city now. I adore it here. Baltimore gets such a bad rep but it's such an artsy, quirky city. Most of my inspiration for my line comes from the city we live in. I live here with my husband, Steve. He is a programmer by day and the muscle behind Wire and Honey at night. We have a 3.5-year-old son named Brady (after Brady Anderson--Baltimore, baby!) who pretty much runs things around here. We also have two dogs, a pug named Dewey and a golden retriever named Maximus, and we just adopted a hairless kitten named Lisbeth. We have a lot of creatures crammed into our little house! We wouldn't have it any other way. 

What is the name of your business and what is it you make? 

Wire and Honey. We make clothing with a message. My husband and I are both liberal bleeding hearts who are passionate about issues such as gender equality, fighting racism, women's rights, and global health. We are the first brand to take these issues and put them on children's apparel. We get a lot of blowback that we shouldn't expose children to "adult" issues and that we should just let kids be kids. However, from living in the city we have learned that these issues ARE children's issues. So many kids are facing racism, bullying, and sexism daily. We believe that the children who wear our clothing are the ones who are going to change the world so it's important to teach them to stand up for what is right at a young age. 

How did you start your business? How has it evolved?

I kind of fell into this business. I have zero business experience, my background is in education. I was a middle teacher before Wire and Honey. After I had Brady I had to go back to work when I was only 5 weeks post partum and I didn't take it well. I had horrible Post Partum Anxiety that I thought I could fight on my own without the help of doctors or medication. The combination of my PPA and the stress of teaching pushed me to the brink of a nervous breakdown. It came dangerously close to Post Partum Psychosis and I would go days at a time without sleeping and started having auditory hallucinations at night. Quite frankly, it was terrifying. With the encouragement of my husband I quit my career and got the help I needed. I still struggle with my anxiety but I'm medicated now and under a doctor's care so I manage it well. 

Although leaving my career was the best thing that I could have done for my mental health, I missed it. I taught in a low income area and worked with the most amazing kids and I missed helping people. I felt like my purpose was gone. In the meantime I found the amazing world of small shops and started shopping small exclusively for our son. My husband saw a spark in me that had died and was the one who gave me the confidence to start a shop of my own. When we started, we were mostly producing trendy, pop culture designs. We had one controversial design, Vaccines Save, Bro, and that is what really launched our shop and became what we were known for. As the years have gone by we have slowly moved away from most of the trendy  tees and have instead decided to focus on the issues that matter most to us. We use our clothing to raise awareness and then donate a portion of all proceeds to different charities each month that deal with those issues.

What is the meaning of your business name? How did you come up with it? 

 Again, a nod to the city we love. Baltimore is best known to those who don't live here by two things: the HBO show The Wire and Baltimore Hons (think Jon Waters films like Hairspray). Hence, Wire and Honey.

What is your biggest dream for you and your business?

My dream is for Wire and Honey to become successful enough that I can start my own nonprofit to help my city. Ideally, I'd like to develop a program to keep middle and highschool students off the streets and help them get into college through grants and scholarships. I'd also like to grow to the point where we can hire employees and can hire the "unemployable" like those with criminal records and special needs. I desperately want to give back to the city I love.

What is your favorite part? The part you don’t care for as much? 

My favorite part, hands down, is seeing customer photos and hearing customer stories. Our hope is that our clothing can provide teaching tools for parents to address complex issues such as racism and tolerance. We don't just want children to wear our clothing we want them to know WHY they are wearing it. So it's so beautiful and rewarding when parents tell us about the conversations they have had with their little ones because of our line. It lets us know that we are making a difference, however small, in this world. My least favorite part is time management. Like all moms, I suffer from immense guilt when Brady asks me to put my phone down or my computer away. There are days when he begs me to play and I just can't. That hits you right in the gut. I'm constantly learning and adjusting so that he comes first but I would be lying if I said it wasn't a struggle. 

What is something we wouldn’t know about you or your business?

I'm a total introvert and I hate confrontation. Most people think I am loud and outgoing because of the controversial nature of our shop but that couldn't be further from the truth. I am passionate about these issues so I do what I do despite my discomfort. It's not easy to deal with the constant hate mail and backlash but I believe so strongly in these causes that I force myself outside of my comfort zone to advocate. Deep down, I am essentially an 80-year-old trapped in a 32-year-old body. I spend my personal time quietly reading and watching the Golden Girls. I'm really painfully boring. 

What has been your biggest accomplishment so far? What are you most proud of?

We were officially backed by the National Meningitis Association which was huge for us. We are strong vaccine advocates and to have an organization that we respect so much recognize our efforts was incredible. As far as what I'm most proud of, it's standing up for what I believe in despite the backlash. We have received hate mail, threats, had our photos and address posted publicly for people to harass us, basically anything you can think of to try to scare us into stopping what we are doing. We won't back down though. I wasn't made to be subtle or to follow the path of least resistance. I'm proud that we keep fighting and advocating despite all the obstacles in our way. 

What are your plans for the holidays? What is your favorite way to spend the holidays? Favorite traditions? I love the holidays! Eating is pretty much my favorite thing in the whole world so Thanksgiving is my jam. We are really quirky in our Christmas traditions. Ever since I was little I have been obsessed with Charlie Brown Christmas. So, when it was my year to pick a tree (we cycled who got to pick a tree each year) I would find the smallest, saddest, ugliest, half-dead tree on the farm and cut it down. My family HATED it! Thankfully, my husband loves me despite my quirks and let me continue that tradition into adulthood. I'm hoping that Brady inherits my love for ugly trees so we never stop! We aren't religious so on Christmas Day we always go to the movies and at night we get together with our friends for sushi. I love it. We see our families on Christmas Eve but Christmas Day is all ours. 

What does shopping small mean to you? 

Supporting passions. Building dreams. Knowing that every purchase I make pays for a little girl's clarinet or a little boy's dance lessons. I love knowing that there is a real person behind a shop and that every item was made with the love, creativity, sweat, and tears of a man or woman trying to support their family and not a giant corporation. It's rooting for the little guy and letting them know that their dreams and aspirations are appreciated and valid. 

Why is handmade so important?

For all the reasons listed above. You aren't padding the pockets of millionaires. You are helping a family put food on the table and supporting someone's dreams.

Are you doing any local holiday events? Let us know the dates, where, etc.

No! I ran myself ragged last holiday season. I want to be able to enjoy the season with Brady this year. He's 3.5 so this is the first year that he really gets it and he is so excited about the holidays.

What else makes you super special, Rah?

I am super awkward and quirky. I almost went to mortuary school and have a fascination with the macabre. I'm afraid of penguins. The sound of someone biting into an apple gives me chills. If you tickle me I get really, really angry. I have to place all the remotes in the house upside down or I can't relax. I don't like having my knees touched. I am horrible at making small talk. It's painful. I'm so awkward that if I see an acquaintance out in public I will hide so that I don't have to make small talk. It's embarrassing how weird I am.