I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, crafter, and blogger living in rural New England. As seen in Martha Stewart Living, Food Network Magazine, and more! | Tutorials, DIY, crafts, parenting tips, recipes, money saving tips, product reviews, local product features, New England living, intentional living, and more! |
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Birch New Hampshire Vinyl Stickers are finally here! I’ve had this idea for literally years and the half-finished design file on my computer for forever, so it feels incredible to finally have these in my hands! The Maine version should be in by the end of the week and I’m hoping to get a Massachusetts version done soon as I had a few requests for those!
Fun Fact: The exact birch pattern on the stickers is based off the birch tree we used for our wedding centerpieces 11 years ago which makes this project even more special to me.
Wiglesworth’s Mercantile is a brand new shop coming to Portsmouth’s Market Street next month and I am so excited to share that they’ll be carrying some of our ornaments and other small crafts! The owner Anne has a great vision of making it a place catered to carrying locally-made New England products. (You know how much I love local products, and I can’t wait to visit this wonderfully curated store once it’s open!)
Here in New England we seemed to have a very late start to spring this year… after all the snow didn’t even melt from our yard until May 2nd! The rest of May has been generally cool and rainy and didn’t give us a chance to rototill and prep our garden until now. I finally planted the garden with our older daughter today and fingers crossed it does well this year! Last year our garden was a bust… we inadvertently overdid it with adding woodash the year before and nothing grew. But thanks to soil testing with UNH we have since re-set the pH and other imbalances and things should be off to a better start this year!
New sign design in our Etsy shop! These distressed CAMP signs are just what you need to bring some rustic charm to your cabin/lakeside retreat or your everyday home. This sign has a hand-painted, antique feel to it and is just what you've been looking for. Shop this sign and more in our Etsy shop:
As you know by now, I love sharing about companies and products we love on the blog and our Instagram - and most especially those made right here in New England! Next in our series of interviews from New England Makers, we have Roula Rallis from Sewcialite!
Roula Rallis is the one-woman show behind Sewcialite, a seacoast-based company best known for their gorgeous coastal-inspired creations - all made of rope, fabric, and paint!
Tell me a little about yourself and your business.
Roula Rallis: I am a wife, full time IT project manager, and mom of 2 (ages 7 and 4). Sewcialite is a part time home decor business. I design baskets, planters, wall baskets, bowls, coasters, and most recently tote bags and clutches using clothesline rope. All my designs are inspired by the coast and I am a huge fan of modern coastal interior design.
How did you start Sewcialite? Had you been making rope baskets for a while or was this a new leap for you?
RR: Sewcialite began as a hobby and has since turned into a side hustle. In March of 2017 I decided to make myself a basket for my home and I just fell in love with the design process! With the support of family & friends I opened my Etsy shop. And over the past 1.5 years I have continued to refine my designs by weaving them with fabric and hand painting them.
What does a typical day look like for you?
RR: My days are typically very long! I’m up at 6am packing lunches, orders, sometimes styling and posting products, and getting my kids ready for school! I drive my youngest to school, I then commute 45 mins to work. After working all day I am back in mom mode, I help make dinner, give baths, do homework. But once my kids are in bed the Sewcialite studio opens (my guest bedroom). My husband has been so very supportive and he does quite a bit of heavy lifting to give me time at night to design!
What is your favorite part about owning your own company? And least favorite part?
RR: My favorite part is being my own boss! Having worked for someone else my entire career it’s great to be able to call all the shots.
The least favorite part is being responsible for everything! Sometimes I wish I could clone myself! I’m designing, styling, photographing, advertising, fulfilling orders, blogging, etc. it can get overwhelming at times and I’ve had to learn to say no to be able to balance my full time job with Sewcialite.
What has been the most exciting moment for Sewcialite since you started?
RR: I’ve been so fortunate to have a few so I can’t choose just one! I am a HUGE fan of Serena & Lily! It’s one of my favorite home decor brands! They have actually liked a few of my social media posts and designs which is mind blowing! I’ve also been lucky to connect with a few amazing interior design social influencers who I’ve worked with like Jordecor and Coastal Interiors!
Also getting to meet many of the amazing entrepreneurs I follow on social media in person has also been so exciting and inspiring!
What advice do you have for people just starting out?
RR: Be prepared to take risks and work your butt off! Being an entrepreneur is not easy! Success does not happen overnight!
Make sure you have a good support system of family and friends! They will be crucial for those rough days where you may feel overwhelmed or frustrated!
What is your long-term goal? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
RR: My long term goal is to continue to slowly grow my social media presence, as it’s been the my primary channel for all of my online sales. I would also like to design a better/bigger studio space for myself too!
Who's one of your favorite New England Makers?
RR: I love
Watts in Maine
she designs the most beautiful jewelry and she works full time. I was lucky enough to meet her in Portland this year!
Update, Spring 2021: I just wanted to share that Roula from Sewcialite is still going strong and adding even more amazing rope and coastal-inspired products to her lineup, including items such as: tote bags, hand-beaded clutches, statement jewelry, photographic prints, and more. Her beautiful work has been featured online and in print. Some of these newer items are pictured below but be sure to check out her accounts for more!
DO YOU OWN A NEW ENGLAND-BASED BUSINESS AND WOULD LIKE TO BE FEATURED IN AN UPCOMING INTERVIEW? OR WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN HAVING ME STYLE, REVIEW, AND FEATURE ONE OF YOUR PRODUCTS? Please drop me a note.
As you know by now, I love sharing about companies and products we love on the blog and our Instagram - and most especially those made right here in New England! Next in our series of interviews from New England Makers, we have Carrie Meier from Wolfeboro Candle Company!
Wolfeboro Candle Company is best known for their New Hampshire-inspired wooden wick soy candles. Each scent is developed by Carrie to capture the essence of New Hampshire's diverse regions, and each candle is hand-poured and made by her right here in New Hampshire. Recently Carrie has expanded to offer scented soy wax melts in addition to candles, and will be expanding the candle line in the future.
Tell me a little about yourself and your business.
Carrie Meier: I'm a wife, new mom, and creative person living in rural New Hampshire.
How did you start Wolfeboro Candle Company? Had you been making candles for a while or was this a new leap for you?
CM: I started Wolfeboro Candle Co in Spring 2016. At the time, I owned a small gift shop in downtown Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. I couldn't find exactly what I wanted for the store (locally made wood wick soy candles), so my supportive husband suggested I start making them myself. I had never made candles before, but I've been a creative person most of my life and decided I would give it a try. We ordered supplies, wax, and a variety of containers and fragrances to mess with. After lots of reading, and trial and error, I figured out the best technique for me and the best temperatures for different stages of the candle making process. Next came figuring out the branding side of it - what do we call ourselves? What fragrances/blends, and fragrance names will work best for the image we want to create? Being also on the retail side of the business, I came up with the names and fragrances that I thought would sell best not only in our store, but for potentially other stores in the future.
What does a typical day look like for you?
CM: Well a typical day doesn't doesn't necessarily involve making candles (we aren't to that demand - yet!), but I also try to make large batches at a time as the set up, warm up, and clean up processes can add up doing lots of small batches. In addition to making candles, I have also recently been setting up a new website, updating my Etsy site, creating our new wax melts, and testing out new containers and fragrances for a new line of candles.
What is your favorite part about owning your own company? And least favorite part?
CM: I love being able to be creative, with the additional reward of selling a product and having feedback from people who use what I have made. I suppose if there is a downside to this project, it's moving all the 50 pound boxes of wax around!
A custom-branded candle - Wolfeboro Candle Company also offers custom scent and label options for buisnesses, wedding favors, and more!
What has been the most exciting moment for Wolfeboro Candle Company since you started?
CM: I think the most exciting moments are obtaining new retailers, coming up with new products, and receiving positive feedback. Positive reviews from customers never get old!
What advice do you have for people just starting out?
CM: Ask yourself - what are your goals? If you want to have a side business that is more about an enjoyable hobby that you can profit from, rather than just a job and business, then stick with what you can see yourself doing over and over again but still enjoy. I say that candle making is both an art and a science, which is what makes it enjoyable for me, in addition to coming up with new ideas and having the ability to add on new products when I'm able to.
What is your long-term goal? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
CM: I'd like to continue growing the business and make our way into more retailers both in New Hampshire and in neighboring states. I'm working on a new candle line with a slightly new look, different sizes and fragrances, and that are not based on our state of New Hampshire in order to reach a larger audience.
Do you own a New England-based business and would like to be featured in an upcoming interview? Or would you be interested in having me style, review, and feature one of your products? Please drop me a note.
I'm a born and raised New Hampshire-ite. I love this state and everything it has to offer - from the mountains, to the ocean, to the historical cities and villages - I feel like NH is just the perfect mix of everything and I'm honored to wear my NH pride. | This post contains affiliate links and features product provided by The Home T |
Sugar Hill Lupines - by Adrian Pelletier
This weekend I was excited to wear my new New Hampshire Home T t-shirt to our annual pilgrimage to the Lupine Festival in sleepy little Sugar Hill, NH. The whole town is sprawling with the colorful blooms and getting up early to drive around and see the flowers (and of course grab some breakfast at the famous Polly's Pancake Parlor) before heading home was a must. I was excited to sport my new shirt to one of our state's fun annual events.
My Home T t-shirt is probably the softest shirt I have by far. It's super comfortable and perfect for everyday adventures in-state and afar. The Home T offers shirts, other apparel, and home goods for every US state and some international locations, as well as fun novelty shirts for Disney, regions of the US, sports, and more - and they're made in the USA.
My favorite part about The Home T? They donate 10% of profits to Multiple Sclerosis research. I love any company that makes it a priority to give back and the Home T does just that.
I got plenty of compliments on my NH Home T shirt on our Lupine Festival adventure and I know this super-comfy shirt will be on regular rotation for my day-to-day wardrobe from now on.
