Spring Snow in Color

For everyone here in Maryland (and surrounding states) you knew that for a minute, it seemed like Spring was really here.

And then, we received A LOT of snow. 

There was just one problem...

I had already transitioned into bright spring clothes!

I wasn't about to change that just for a little (ok a lot of) snow. 

Besides, I had just bought a new winter hat (on clearance from Three Bird Nest) anyway.

Why not go ahead and get it out?!

My point is, just because it snowed, didn't mean the color had to stop!

Now for me, there's no real such thing as a "snow day", as I mostly work from home. 

BUT I did spend so much time going through and getting rid of clothes,  bags, jewelry, office junk, etc during the entire snow (Tuesday-Wednesday) and it felt GOOD. 

I showed my niece a few photos in advance, and she said "I always love all of your clothes". 

Fun fact, my jacket was thrifted, as was my sweater! Most of my clothes are thrifted, unless I find a serious clearance sale somewhere, or I shop local!

My new hat is from Three Bird Nest, and the really cool thing about this hat, is that it has a hole at the top-that you can't see unless you use it for a messy bun or pony tail!

The earrings were a find from my trip to Mexico last year. However, my fav fashion truck (Gogo's) has some that are similar. This blue is so bright and warm. 

Three Bird Nest is a very cute online boutique that has boho clothes and accessories. So far I can only attest to the accessories,  but I love everything that I've purchased!

She has a weekly sale, so I usually watch religiously to see what it will be.

One of the biggest things that I'm excited for this spring is getting my outdoor patio and garden going! I just live for the fresh flowers, food, and sunshine!

Until then...I'm going to keep the colors alive and I'm not looking back until it's warm. 

Have a great weekend!

-SBR

Interview: Marabelle Handmade

Happy Monday!

Today I'm bringing you my next interviewee!

I hope that you all are enjoying these interviews as much as I am.

It's so much fun to meet other small business owners in the Baltimore area, and I'm learning so much from each person that I interview!

I think it's important, especially today, to highlight other small business owners (& women) who have a strong side hustle, full time hustle and just all around- hustle!

To me, it's inspiring. It helps keep me going. 

And a common theme- they are all such GOOD people. 

Enter today's interviewee- Marabelle Handmade, owned by Mary Wahl. 

Photo of Mary taken at Batch Bake Shop

I found Mary the way that I find so many talented creatives- Instagram.

No shock there if you know me (or have seen my instagram activity)!

We decided to meet up at local bakery Batch Bake Shop , it would take an entire blog post to talk about the goodies there- but let me just say the macarons, are amazing. I also had an everything bagel, made from scratch, that was equally delicious. 

A quick photo tour inside of Batch Bake Shop

Handmade bagels

Adorable sitting space

A few fun facts about Mary!

+ She is from upstate New York originally, but moved to MD 

to go to Goucher College.

+ She met her hubby at Goucher!

+ She has a sweet Husky named Mishka, who is 2 years old (obviously I love that she

is a dog person!)

+ She comes from a family of entrepreneurs, which comes in handy when 

she has questions about business decisions!

Mary, her husband and adorable husky pup!

Interview:

Q: How long have you been crafting/quilting?

A: I started when I was very young. My mom taught sewing out of our home, and I was "encouraged" to take the classes. As a child it was hard to have the patience and there were ups and downs, although I did enjoy it. Then later I found that it was a creative side that I really loved and needed in my life. Once I graduated and had more free time, I really started to dive into it.

Her newest pattern "diamond cascade", available for purchase as a PDF

-I learned during the interview that not only does Mary quilt, but she also makes her own patterns (first one photo'd above) & she teaches classes locally here in Baltimore-

Q: How long do you spend quilting/teaching/making patterns a week?

A: I work part time 20 hours a week making quilts and patterns, 2-4 nights a week teaching and it's about 50/50 between doing custom work and teaching as far as splitting my time.

An adorable t-shirt quilt example that she has done for a client

I then asked her how long it takes to make a custom quilt. She was hesitant and rightly so. It's not such a cut and dry answer. In fact, there are so many variables that go into making a quilt! She guesses a pretty plain basic standard throw size quilt would take approximately 10-12 hours total. Of course as they get bigger, they take even more time. Wow!

A simple patchwork baby quilt but with hand sewn binding
This takes longer but the end result is beautiful

Q. Where do you teach classes?
A. So far, local modern fabric shop Domesticity and the BMI have hosted me. This spring I'll also be teaching at the Maryland Flaghouse Museum and Openworks.

Teaching a class at the BMI

Q. What is something that you've learned from owning a small business?
A. How to do taxes! *laughs* But also to really trust my gut and instincts and just go for it! You also have to be very disciplined to work from home part time. It's good to keep a routine. It's also so different creating vs. doing work (at her other job) on the computer. It's very therapeutic.

Modern fabric shop Domesticity

Mary also said something that I found so fascinating and empowering, especially as a woman.

"Making your own clothes and other things can be a radical statement. 
For example, I was recently at a political event in a room full of men and women in suits, and I was wearing a dress I had made myself. I felt a sense of pride and perhaps a sneaky sense of rebellion just knowing that fact. Often, you can't really tell if I've made a specific clothing item or bought it from the store, but my own knowledge of it feels powerful."

Applique quilt made with pattern by Elizabeth Hartman

Q. How can people get in touch?
A. You can contact me via my website or on instagram! The website has a custom order form that you can fill out to tell me a little more about what you may be looking for with your quilt. For classes, I post about it on instagram, but you can also find out via Domesticity's page as well.

A quick look inside Domesticity

I have to say I love the modern quilting twists that Mary does, and they just look so cozy as well. 

Thank you Mary for interviewing with me, it was so much fun!

Have a great Monday. 

-SBR

The Deva Cut

So hair cuts are not really my thing. 

I really like length and want my hair to grow, so I never do the trims. 

It's bad, I know. 

I've been obsessed with deva curl ever since my best friend Jen introduced me to the products. My curls were already looking so much better than ever before. 

But the ends started to be bad after some time and I knew eventually, I would need to cut my hair. 

After watching the deva curl instagram, basically every day, I was introduced to the deva cut.

I was afraid the only place to get one was in New York.

But then a fab hair dresser Anjelica on instagram who works here in Baltimore at Brocatos Studio of Hair Design, posted some of her photos of the deva cut that she had just done, and it was fate!

I set up an appointment. 

Here is the before photo of my hair:

See what I mean about straggly ends? 

And I knew this, I was just trying to ignore it because I really liked my length. 

The cool thing about this haircut is that they cut the hair while dry. 

Basically, as Anjelica put it, they cut the way the hair "lives". 

Here is what I looked like after the dry cut- looks crazy at first right?

Then once it is cut, you go in for a wash! 

But here is a trick I 100% never knew.

You leave the majority of the conditioner...in your hair!

You don't wash it all out.

Also, did you know curly hair has a memory?

So you actually set your hair in the shower.

The conditioner should be finger combed and your hair scrunched in different places. 

It will retain the scrunching!

Crazy right?

After it was washed, we put a towel on the ground and I flipped my dripping wet hair over and we put the products in. The towel stayed for all of the drips, and for any that made it's way to my face (have to protect the morning makeup!)

Then I went to the heat dry.

We didn't leave it there for long, but instead went back to the chair and dried it some more with a diffuser. 

The results were AMAZING!

At first I was thinking "wow it looks so short!" but she didn't really take much length off.

Because my hair was so hydrated and healthy, the curls were much curlier!

And the shine was incredible.

So cool right? Another thing we switched up was that I'm using the more wavy products for my hair. My hair is somewhere in between curly and wavy, and the wavy products seemed to be lighter on my hair. 

Here are the products used (plus a styling cream that I already owned).

Are you also a curly hair girl? Let me know if you've ever tried Deva Curl!

By the way...

Deva Curl is

 +Sulfate-free

+Silicone-free

+CRUELTY-free

+Paraben-free

Definitely a product that I can get behind. 

Thank you Anjelica!

Have a great week!

-SBR

Interview: Myth & Moss

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Fri-yay

Fry-day

Whatever you want to call it!

I’ve been getting into more small businesses interviews lately on the blog (have you noticed?), trying to do at least one a month but I may kick it up a notch. There are so many awesome local businesses in Baltimore that I think deserve attention and so many hard working people either doing it full time or as a side gig. I respect the hustle, and also love their work! I already have another in the works coming in a few weeks. Stay tuned!

Myth and Moss Logo

I first came upon Myth & Moss on instagram (no shock there) scrolling through other Baltimore creative pages and the macrame caught my eye- first the plant holders, but then the other hangings as well. Then I saw they were in Baltimore, and I was so excited! Based on my home décor on my instagram you probably know that I LOVE macrame, and I also love Baltimore local businesses- ESPECIALLY that are women owned. Because well, I also own a small Baltimore business, and am of the woman variety. But still, shoutout to all of the Baltimore businesses, women or men owned- it’s not easy!

Taylor, owner and creator of Myth & Moss

I reached out to Taylor because I wanted to get to know her and her business better, and we sat down at Artifact coffee to chat and meet up. So much fun learning about her business, the background and her! She’s so easy to talk to, has so much great information, and we had a great time- for 2 hours! Side note: those biscuits at Artifact Coffee are to die for & the mint tea latte is my FAVORITE.

So I wanted to share what I learned, and tell you to check her out!

Instagram- Myth and Moss

Etsy-Myth and Moss

What is Myth & Moss?

Myth & Moss is handmade macrame, weaving and other home décor made in Baltimore

by Taylor Riley.

The name comes from a sense of childhood nostalgia for folklore, whimsical play, and curiosity. Moss is a favorite plant of Taylor’s and has a similar texture to the fibers used in her handmade products, but also matches the natural vibe of her products. Combining nature and whimsy gives this company a name that suits its products, for sure!

One of her awesome planters!

How long have you been creating these types of products?

“I’ve been weaving for about a year. I actually took a macrame class at the Baltimore Museum of Art and loved it! I love textiles and fiber art and I’ve been knitting, crocheting, and sewing since I was a child.”

In fact, her boyfriend, an engineer, actually made her a wooden loom (it’s very impressive, I saw a pic!). Taylor went on to say that her mother has always had a crafting talent and she learned from her - the skill runs in the family. As a child, she learned to knit and sew from her mom.

What do you love most about this type of work?

Taylor said she feels the work is therapeutic, especially after her regular 9-5 job in healthcare. She likes to come home and just work on a project a bit at a time and it helps her unwind after a long day. Much of the work is repetitive, making it almost meditative and very enjoyable. It’s also a great creative outlet to come up with new designs and color schemes.

Macrame Wall Hanging

Can you do custom pieces?

Yes! She can. Her work can be customized in size and color to suit your home décor needs. In fact, when I was there, I told her about how I wanted planters around my bay window, and she actually designed (in 5 minutes) how I could do it. I was impressed! She doesn’t necessarily offer that as a service yet, but can give AWESOME direction. Photos coming soon!

Adorable Coasters

I love to ask this question of all my interviewees:

What is the biggest thing you’ve learned so far being an entrepreneur/or small business in Baltimore?

“I was born and raised in Baltimore and I love this city. There are so many amazing artists, shops, and beautiful houses to be inspired by every day! There is also an incredible community of creative people here and everyone is so encouraging and supportive. Owning a small business has opened me up to meeting new people and being a more active participant in this community.”

Thanks Taylor for doing this interview with the SarahbethRamsey blog!

I enjoyed meeting you and can't wait to see my finished window with planters.

Have a great weekend all!

-SBR