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You are here: Home / blog & handmade advice / featured artist / {Featured Artist: DeerLola}

{Featured Artist: DeerLola}

December 18, 2009 · Leave a Comment
Filed Under: featured artist

This giveaway is now closed!



Here at
Gussy has a lot to say we love to look at all things beautiful.
Beautiful wall art, beautiful accessories, beautiful stories about family life.


Today marks week #6 of my series on featured Etsy artists. It is my goal to introduce some drool-worthy eye-candy. Over the next few months I’ll be showcasing hand-selected Etsy artists that offer products that I think will appeal to you, my readers :)

Please join me in welcoming Ina at DeerLola.


***

What inspires you? Lots. First and probably foremost all people that are close to me. Also, I find a lot of inspiration in other artists and events or sights I stumble across in my everyday life.

Where do you call home? Are you from there originally? I live in Rotselaar, a small town about 30 minutes from Belgium’s capital Brussels. I grew up in another province until I was 18 and moved away to study elsewhere. After my studies, it just felt weird moving ‘back home’ because I had found a new home. So I stayed put, found a job and later on a husband here as well. Although I must admit that when visiting family and my parents in my home town and province, it still feels like coming home…

Name something unique to where you live. There is hardly anything ‘unique’ around here. I consider our home a very unique place. Still lots of green, nature and trees. The perfect place to come home to!

Share an interesting fact about yourself. At the moment, that interesting fact would be that I am 6 months pregnant with our second child :)

How did you come up with your shop name? And just who is Ina? I’m married, have a lovely daughter and by day I work as a full-time communications specialist in an IT company. In the evenings and weekends I love to create jewelry. When I decided to start my own shop, I wanted to do so with a catchy name. So I went with my daughter Dolores’ nickname Lola. And Lola loves deer…

If you had to describe yourself in a word, what would that word be? Inquisitive

What made you decide to open up shop? I’d been creating jewelry as a hobby for almost a year and was giving away the jewelry I made to my niece, sister, friends, family… but I was creating more jewelry than all these people could wear together, even if they changed jewelry three times a day ;) When I discovered Etsy, I was amazed by all the great artists and the variety of designs, creativity and products ! So I decided to try and sell my own designs as well. Sometimes I wish I could spend more time promoting my shop but I simply lack the time with a full-time job.

Name your favorite thing about selling handmade. Getting feedback on my work! I’m a real perfectionist so each time I send out a package with a piece of jewelry, I always double-check if everything is okay. It has to be perfect. When a buyer leaves feedback and they love what they purchased, that really makes my day!

Do you have a day job or sell on Etsy full-time? I have a full-time day job so my Etsy time and the time I can spend on crafting is limited to the evenings and weekends, mostly. Although I have to admit I will check in on my shop occasionally during the day. I’ve also joined the Etsy European Street Team, which is a fun, kindred-spirited, talented and very supportive group of artists on Etsy. We have a very busy thread and it’s difficult to keep up at times but it makes my Etsy experience a very fun one!!

Give us a little glimpse into what a typical day in your life looks like. During the week I will get up at about 7 AM. We’ll have breakfast and get our daughter ready for school. My husband will bring her to school in the mornings. I will pick Lola up after school, will prepare dinner and get her ready for bed. I have a very flexible work schedule. Some days I will work from home, some days I will go to the office to catch up at the coffee machine and for meetings. I love my job and although I sometimes wish I would have more time to spend on other things, I couldn’t miss my job which I actually love a lot!

Share with us a favorite Etsy purchase or shop. I create jewelry but am not a jewelry person myself. I will wear simple silver earrings and I wear rings. Both you can find plenty on Etsy! I will spoil myself with an Etsy purchase every now and then but keep discovering so many incredible handmade things on Etsy every day. My wish list only gets longer and longer…

List a few of your most favorite pastimes. Spending time with my family and friends, being outdoors and of course… crafting!

Read any good books lately? When I read a book, I want to finish it in one go. I can’t just read a few pages and then continue the next day… So most of the time, unfortunately, reading books is limited to my vacation… One of my favorite books is The House of Sleep by Jonathan Coe.

What is your most prized possession? I’m not materialistic at all so I don’t value ‘possessions’. I can’t really think of anything I own or possess that I couldn’t live without.

What are three of your favorite foods? I love food. I like to eat. I enjoy eating good and healthy food. So naming three of my favorite foods is a challenge ;) Anything that is fresh. The dish doesn’t have to be complicated, as long as the ingredients are fresh, I’m happy. Anything which is authentic Italian food, I love ! When we travel (which has been to Italy the past couple of years), we always look for Slow Food restaurants. Slow Food is an international organization, founded in Italy in the eighties, that encourages good, authentic and fair food. I also like ice cream and could eat sushi every single day…

What would you like to learn to do? Silversmithing ! I would love to create jewelry from scratch. I’d also like to learn Italian. Properly. So more than the few words and one-liners I picked up from spending my vacation there…

What are you listening to right now? I absolutely love soul and R&B. I love Angie Stone and Erykah Badu. Also love to listen to Bill Withers, Barry White and Sinatra. My all time favorite song which always lifts my spirits is Fly me to the moon’ by Sinatra!



Name one place you must visit in your lifetime and why. I’ve had the privilege and pleasure to travel quite a lot but have never been to Africa. So if I could… one day… I’d like to travel to Africa, discover a few countries there and probably totally fall in love with this fascinating continent!

***


Now for something fabulous!

Ina has offered to give away this wooden acorn necklace:


***

To enter:

Leave a comment with why you’d like to win something from her shop!



For additional entries {leave a separate comment}:

-Comment that you follow my blog

-Comment that you follow me on Twitter

-Tweet about this {leave a comment with your Tweet}

-Blog about this {leave a comment with your post URL}


RULES:
  • The giveaway will close Sunday, December 21 at 10 pm CST, and the winner will be announced the following day
  • You ABSOLUTELY have to have an email address listed on your blog profile, blog, or the comment you leave. Don’t make me hunt you down {‘cuz I’ll pick someone else!}



Please check back Friday, January 1 for another featured artist post!

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ABOUT MAGGIE WHITLEY DESIGNS:
Maggie Whitley weaves her writings around joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith, and simple living. She homeschools her children, enjoys a quiet room while reading, and roars with laughter over the challenges & delights of motherhood. Maggie and her husband, along with their four young children, live in metro-Detroit. She has been writing online since 2008.
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recent posts:

  • On writing regular letters. January 19, 2021
  • The books I hope to read this year. January 12, 2021
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TOPICS I WRITE ABOUT

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JOY in motherhood & homemaking 🧺🌿💓✨

maggiewhitley
Another batch of “fun mail” is headed out tomo Another batch of “fun mail” is headed out tomorrow :) small celebrations like this are very life giving! PS. thinking of starting a zoom book club — I need more sisterhood in my life. 👏🏻📖
The house is quiet. The heat is on. The pages are The house is quiet. The heat is on. The pages are turning. The tea is calm. 🖤☕️🧺📖
Breakfast with Buzz! If only you could see his ful Breakfast with Buzz! If only you could see his full costume and laser blaster and of course the Buzz action figure he flys around 🌟💚💙💨someone has discovered a superhero crush! #joyinmotherhood #slowmornings #surprisedbymotherhood // Landon @ 2.5yo
Today on my blog I have a list of books I hope to Today on my blog I have a list of books I hope to read this year. Plus my reading goal for the year. And a few practicals ways I fit in reading as a mama of four young children & homeschooling them. Basically, all the good stuff ☺️💓📖 #maggiewhitleydotcom #readersofinstagram #read #readmorebooks
It was the perfect opportunity to rearrange the fu It was the perfect opportunity to rearrange the furniture as we took the tree down Tuesday midday. Def one of my fav things to do.🎄👋🏻 We made it through our first week back to school since mid-December! It was rough to begin but ended with high fives. ⭐️✏️This morning I zoomed with a mama friend and I’m impressed with the many topics we covered. Sisterhood is sooooo necessary! ☕️👩🏽‍🤝‍👩🏼

Just a few cheery memories from my week! How about you?
Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activiti Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activities. I finished my last book moments before 2020 ended, which brought my started list to a close. Small joys add up to big joys ;)

What are you reading this year? Currently?

How many books are you planning to read? What’s your goal?

I’ll share what’s on my list for 2021 soon as I received some nice titles at Christmas. 📖✨🤍
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Ohhhhh, this year. Ohhhh, specifically these last Ohhhhh, this year. Ohhhh, specifically these last 3 months. I’ve had more anxiety than ever, and it’s seriously putting me on my knees in prayer —almost daily. My mind and chest aren’t unfamiliar of the attacks, but the grip it’s had on me since September has been so strong. The attacks are painful. But... Worship music has been one of my main healers. 🎶I know God is close to the broken-hearted (Psalm 34:18), and singing this truth really soothes me. Social media has been a big trigger for anxiety for me. I don’t want to “miss out on my life”, which is why I’ve hugely stepped back in posting and scrolling. 

One song in particular comes to mind:

“We step into Freedom. 
We step into all you have for us.” -Bethel Music & Jenn Johnson

There IS freedom from the anxiety attacks. For me: music, scripture, eating healthy, vitamins, rest, crying, prayer, honesty — these things help tremendously. Also getting up and MOVING when my anxiety sits on me like a boulder, that helps too. 🖤

Another soothing truth is from the end of Psalm 34:19 — “many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the lord delivers him of them all.”

Seriously. Thank you lord. Thank you for music and for rest and for the words in your book. I need them. I need You. I need Your freedom. I trust you’ll deliver me.
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I brought our basket of mittens and gloves and hats. The older two brought RC cars. Bauer the dog came along; we had a wonderful time on our walk.

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Well kiddos, we had a great summer together! 🥳👏🏻🛴⛱🍦🤸🏼‍♀️🎨🎹🏊🏻‍♂️🧺🎠📚📺🍿🌿🌷☀️🚲

Thanks for coming along with me to the pool, nature trails, the park, hosting friends in our backyard, reading adventures, popcorn & movie night, art, planting flowers, planting a garden, bike rides, neighborhood walks, lake swimming, and supplying the ice cream truck w/ roughly $84 this summer. 

I loved our time together! 🥰🧒🏼👩🏻👧🏼🧒🏻

And the great news is this: we have autumn to enjoy together, too! 👏🏻🌾🍃🍂 so thankful.
Even if you don’t have students learning at home Even if you don’t have students learning at home, these ten “field trip” ideas will give your day a boost. 

When your mind feels foggy, step outside. When your home feels too small or too big, step outside. When the bickering is loud or your internal criticism is high, step outside. 

Give yourself (and your family) the joy of an adventure away from the home. 

🌾Visit my blog for the full post, link in profile or #maggiewhitleydotcom
It’s come to my realization there’s plenty of It’s come to my realization there’s plenty of time these days to craft a letter when I wash dishes, take my kids on a walk, or take care of our garden. All that silence, it makes my internal monologue even louder 🤣. 

Many times we are out & about in the neighborhood and I think, “oh the flowers surrounding your porch are lovely!” Or, “wow” (to the elderly man) “you have such a great smile, thanks for sharing it with us!” Wouldn’t it be great to jot that down in a card and send it through the mail as well?

We are always in need of community & kind words! 🌷💬

I remember many years ago, when nearly pregnant with another baby and our personal finances were THE PITS, my best friend came over with $500 cash. Just to bless us. She also included a personal note. Of course, I’ve always known how special personal notes are, but this card really meant so much.

And so I’ve decided as the year-end nears: wouldn’t it be nice to send a letter a week for the final 20 weeks we have left in 2020. Me thinks so 🙂. 

Community & kind words: I’m coming for you!

PS. wanna join me in sending 20 cards by Dec. 31?
🖤working on our school room, mid-process update 🖤working on our school room, mid-process update! this wall is inspired by @mygrandparentschair 👏🏻 

I saw her feature in a recent issue of “Better Homes & Gardens” and I was all 🤩🤩over her foyer. I’m using 1/2” black masking tape (mistake-making friendly) instead of paint, also renter friendly. 

Working on this project has been so good for my mental health. Doing > worrying.
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devotionals written by Maggie:

the (in)courage Devotional Bible:
Proverbs 14:1 and Lamentations 5
31 Days of Prayer for the Dreamer and Doer:
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