{sponsor feature: Just Lovely Things}

This giveaway is now closed.

Today’s sponsored feature & giveaway is from Heather of Just Lovely Things. Heather is an AMAZING photographer & designer and her products are gorgeous! If you love girly hair accessories this is a perfect match for you ♥. There’s a fun gift at the end of this feature, too! Be sure and check it out. [xo]

Hi, I’m Heather! I guess you can call me a busy body. I like change and creativity. I don’t necessarily have a day job, but I do lots of things! I recently sold my hair salon (but still do hair 3 days a week), I own a photography company and I’m right in the beginning of wedding season {sooooo fun!} and I have the accessories company and blog that I keep up with too! I make pretty little things that I would love to wear, but can’t be stingy so I share them all with you! So I do all of that, everyday!

For as long as I can remember I have always made things… I come from a family of crafters & artists so I like to dabble in a bit of everything! I’ve always made jewelry or things to wear & I’ve been into photography for as long I can remember. When I started {just.lovely.things} with a clear vision of hair accessories in mind last year and it received great feedback from friends (and strangers) I knew I had chosen something good! Its great that I can mix all the things I know together!

I’m most proud of being myself, and following my dreams. I have tried lots of things and done plenty too.. but no matter what I have people around me that support me and all my crazy little decisions and I’m proud that I’m able to dream and live them all! I’ve done the college thing, I’ve done the 9-5 .. none of it was me. I’d like to think that when I make my parents proud, and my husband sees that I’m happy with this life I’ve chosen (which makes him a happy hubs)… well that makes me feel good!

Some advice I would share with someone who’s thinking of opening a shop would be to not lose who you are trying to compare yourself to other shops or blogs. Be true to yourself and find your right image, brand, products … etc. If you spend too much time comparing yourself or even copying others ideas you will waste all the good stuff you have of your own! Follow your heart and it will lead you where you need to go.

I’d encourage you in that if you’re wondering if you can do it, just try! I promise you that if you try and it works you will be so proud… if you try and it fails you will still be proud that you took a chance… I’d say that’s a win-win situation!

Oh geez, I have a couple struggles I’m trying to overcome as a business owner. One is saying NO! Its hard to not want to upset anyone, but really I have 3 businesses and I do like to see people happy, but sometimes I forget that I also need to be happy and when I’m busy pleasing everyone else how will I have time for me? Another is separating business from personal. You really do need to make yourself a schedule and stick to it so that it doesn’t seem like work, work and more work! My husband wakes up at 430 am (yuck i know!) so I try to start early with him so that I’m done with all my stuff when he is off and the evenings are ours… Make time for your own life and you will make a better business owner because you wont lose your passion for it!

I’m real… I have struggles all the time. My studio gets messy, I like to have lazy days, I have fertility issues, I get bloggers block and skip a whole week of posts (naughty I know!) and sometimes I want to throw in the towel… But I honestly love what I do…

Leave a comment below and *two* of you will win $25 shop credit!

Heather will be gifting two readers with a $25 shop credit, each! How fun is that?! Gosh, I have my eyes set on this ring and this headband. And this bow :]

♥ This giveaway will end in a few days; I’ll announce the winner here and email them directly.