Be Unique! :)

Welcome to my first post with Hiding Place Boutique! I am Monique Schumann (soon to be Mrs. McLaughlin -- Just another year and a half away for that official change, but that's a whole other story), and owner of Love Unique Monique (my Etsy shop)

I thought for my first blog post here I would just introduce myself to everyone.  I am a horse loving, Hello Kitty obsessed, outgoing, fun, silly, a certified crafter and crochet-oholic.  So you can't be certified in crafting (at least not that I know of), but I am absolutely obsessed.  Ever since I was a little girl, I have gotten myself into all kinds of crafting trouble.  I was the girl with kiddy scissors, dozens of paints and crayons, working away at any project I could get my hands on.  My love for crafting ran into scrapbooking, sewing, painting and soon enough - CROCHETING.  I owe a lot to my parents and their support.  They put me into painting lessons, and summer art camps to support my love in being a major crafter.  It is not my daily profession, but it sure takes up my free time.  My mother taught me to crochet when I was young and it wasn't until college (in between writing all those papers) that I needed an extra hobby, and fell back into crocheting.  And from there my crocheting and Etsy site took off. 

Now, Love Unique Monique started in November 2013. I started it all with a couple crocheted ear warmers and crocheted throw pillows.  And from there, baby booties, boot cuffs and my all time favorite (and customer favorite) - floppy style Stuffed Animals! These little friends are all made with love and as much as I love them getting rehomed, it is just so hard to not keep them for myself!! But they make the best of friends for anyone.  My dad was the one to buy my first animal.  They are a go to for baby shower gifts, baby's first birthday gifts, college going away gifts and so many more events.  My fiance gets one every now and then as a surprise gift even! And between you and me, they may end up being the face of Love Unique Monique. 

Even with all the crocheting and animals, my shop is more than just that.  I would never give up my love of other crafts.  So I sell charcoal drawings too.  Course, I won't ramble on and on about all the other stuff I sell too, that would just get boring for you! If you are interested to know, just visit my site at Love Unique Monique. 

So what else can I say about me and Love Unique Monique? Wow, is it me, or did that just sound a little conceded? Please excuse me if it did!

Anyway, stay tuned into Hiding Place Boutique and More to learn more about Love Unique Monique, and those other amazing shops and bloggers out there.

Thanks!! Remember to be unique!
Monique

Super Bowl Sunday!

Hey Everyone!

The BIG game is almost here...the Super Bowl!

Growing up, the Super Bowl game was always a big deal in my household, regardless of who was playing. My dad would whip up some tasty, awesome food for the game! It's like our second "Thanksgiving"...football-style! He would spend all day making potato skins, different flavors of chicken wings, dips after dips, mozzarella sticks, & dessert! It was such a blast, and definitely some of the best memories of my childhood!

So who am I cheering on?? The Seahawks, of course! I live in WA State & the people here are CRAZY about their team! It's really awesome & I believe that the fans' energy really pumps our guys up to play their hardest....why else would we be called the 12th Man?

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Now, let's go back to the important part of the big day...the FOOD! What kind of food will you be preparing for the big game? We will be having dinner with my in-laws, so I can't make as much food as I want to, but I am making a few things:

--I'm going to try out an artichoke dip recipe. My husband's Aunt makes a delicious artichoke dip, but she won't give out her 'secret recipe'...so I have to find one on my own! I found one on Pinterest that I think will be good! I will share the recipe after I try it!
--I will also be making a spinach dip that is incredible with sweet Hawaiian bread! I can't take credit for the dip though, you can find it on the back of a Knorr's Vegetable Dip Mix packet (you can usually find these packets in the soup aisle, or sometimes by the store's deli area)
--I also plan to make some good ol' yummy chocolate cupcakes & decorate them to look like footballs! I just want to keep it sweet & simple! I use boxed cake mix for cupcakes. I'm not the best at baking from scratch. I would hate to make a homemade cupcake recipe, not have it turn out well, and be cupcake-less for the big game! LOL I will try it one day, but NOT on Super Bowl Sunday!

Well that is about it for excitement around here. Hope everyone is having a great week! The weekend is almost here! *Happy Dance!*  

Feel free to share some of your favorite game day foods!

Go Hawks!!

Hello from Lovey Dovey Shop!

Hey everyone! My name is Courtney & I am the girl behind Lovey Dovey Shop on Etsy!

I was featured on Elizabeth's Building Bridges Marketing Blog last summer, and I was thrilled when she invited me to be a contributing author!

A little about myself:
     I'm a 26 year old (almost 27!) southern girl from North Carolina. I grew up in a big family & spent my childhood playing sports and the saxophone in marching band. I am now married to a wonderful man. We will be celebrating our 5th anniversary in March! We currently live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. We have no children, but I consider my little Etsy shop to be my baby!
     Ever since I was a little girl, I loved crafting. I always made cards for my parents, drew pictures to hang on the refrigerator, and smeared my mother's make-up all over rocks to make them "pretty" (yes, I really did that...). Whatever the project was, I always had fun & let my creativity run wild!

My Shop
     I opened up my shop in early 2012. I make yarn wreaths that are decorated with felt flowers. I also make fun clothespin magnets! I LOVE what I do, which is why I named my shop: Lovey Dovey Shop! I started making wreaths years ago to give as Christmas gifts. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to do research & watch tutorials to make better wreaths. I also discovered clothespin magnets through a DIY tutorial. I experimented with several ideas & absolutely loved making them!
     I discovered Etsy & I decided to give it a try! I worked a full time job, so I didn't really have a lot of time to put into the shop. In late 2013, I decided that I wanted to buckle down & get a lot more serious about my business. I started to put in a lot more time into my shop & things definitely improved! I am proud of where I am today! It's been a fun journey so far. I have learned SO much over the years, and I continue to learn more!


What to expect from me!
     I am super excited to be a contributing author to the Hiding Place Boutique Blog. I look forward to sharing so many things with you! I want to share some crafting tutorials & fun ideas, as well as shop updates!
     I have lots of other interests too! I love to cook, bake, go shopping, watch movies, and go sight-seeing! So be on a lookout for some recipes, shopping tips, and pictures of places I love to visit!
     Also, don't be surprised to see some Pinterest finds on here too...I am obsessed with Pinterest (I mean, who isn't?). I'm also an avid coffee drinker, so don't be surprised to find a blog post about how much I love coffee! LOL Okay, I probably won't write about how much I love coffee, but you get the idea, right?


Alright y'all! I hope you enjoyed my first blog post! It is super late here, so I am going to call it a night!

Thank you for reading & you are MORE than welcome to visit my shop & follow me on Instagram & Facebook

XOXO
-Courtney

    
    

Brand New Shop!!! HIDING PLACE BOUTIQUE

 Check out my brand new Etsy shop!! It has been an amazing ride and I am so thrilled to see this dream come alive! Pictures are worth a thousand words so here you go! If you have any questions feel free to email me at hidingplaceboutique@gmail.com or message me on Etsy - www.hidingplaceboutique.etsy.com.
Would love for you to like my Facebook page too!!! Much love to all!

Thanks for reading and checking out my work! I would love any feedback you have to offer!

Welcome to the Strange and Beautiful World of Art by Al Molina

I had the honor of meeting Al Molina & his lovely wife, Stephanie, at a Comic Con in Houston, back in August 2014. I was so enamored by his Harley Quinn "Cute and Crazy Love" print, that I asked if he would like to be featured! So without further ado let's dive in and see some of his amazing work and learn about the man behind the art!

Hi my name is Al Molina (Artist) I was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas,  I have been an Artist since I could hold a pencil, One of my first memories of drawing was in the First Grade, It was right after lunch, I went inside the class room and started drawing on the chalkboard, drawing on the chalkboard wasn't what I scolded for it was the assignement on it that I erased, Yep! I'm a rebel, I've been an Outlaw Artist ever since, Ha!!.

I'm married to my beautiful wife Stephanie, and I have three kids, two Daughters, Savannah and Sierra, and one step son Michael, we also have a boxer mix, Jackson, he is a handful but a good dog.

I started painting about 6 years ago, There was a painting I wanted to buy and I thought to myself, I can do that, so I bought all the material and took a stab at it, and when I was done I went back to the one I wanted to buy and I thought my painting was better, this began my love for painting, I started painting everything that I loved, Movies, Musicians, and it wasn't until I joined up with a local art group that I fell in love with Dia de los Muertos, we were doing a show for Halloween and Day of the Dead, it was the first time I painted a portrait of a woman painted up like sugar skull, I loved the dark tone of the theme, but the beauty and the color of the holiday and the meaning behind it all, to honor the loved ones that have passed on. it is a beautiful holiday.

I have a full time job and my painting business I do as a side job, I hope to one day turn it into a full time business, but I'm always looking for more creative ideas to do with my artwork, I make prints, buttons, mirrors, coasters, and I have a few more things to come. Art is very important to me, it has opened up several doors, I've been able to meet celebrities, musicians, and I've made several fans around the world, I've sold painting through out the united states I've even sold a painting to a fan in Australia, giving me the title of international artist, it is truly a honor to have some many people enjoying my art.
I joined Etsy after a few of my artist friends told me that they are on it and have been successful on it, so I thought it couldn't hurt, and after a couple of months, I've made a few sales, its pretty exciting, and I hope to make more sales as more people discover my site.

I've always wanted to have a business where I could sell my work, so I bought a computer and slowly did some research on how to start a business, and after a few years I've built up a following, and my business is slowly growing and hopefully it will continue to grow. one of the first pieces I sold was a Dia de los Muertos paiting, the excitement that the person that bought the painting had, inspired me to paint more, I knew this is what I wanted to do.
I do take commissions, and special request, when someone wants a custom piece, I determine the price by the size and the detail of the subject, I require half down before I start the piece and then the remaining balance when I'm done.
The best part of owning my own business, and being a painter is the freedom I get when I am creating something from a blank piece of canvas, I have a twisted sense of humor, I often mash-up cartoon characters with movies, which often gets a big reaction from people, they laugh out loud and often want to show it to their friend so they also enjoy the work, seeing the reaction they have about my work motivates me to paint more. it makes me happy to see them have such a good time seeing my work.
One of my favorite pieces is "Mi Amor detras del Velo" it was a piece I donated to a charity event, it now hangs in a tattoo show, it is one of my more popular pieces, I've sold several prints on this piece, my Dia de los Muertos is some of my most popular works, I received a letter from a teacher in Florida, she said that she used my work as a teaching tool to inspire her students about the art. I felt so honored that she used my work as an inspiration for her students, that was one of the biggest compliments I have ever received, it makes me feel like i'm on the right path.

At the moment I've only attend Texas shows, I'm hoping that within a year or so, I will branch out to out of state shows. hoping to expand my fan base, I do have fans via internet that span from the United State, Canada, South America, Europe and Australia, and hopefully more is to come.
In closing what I want people to know about me is that I'm pretty easy going, I love my fans, and if I can inspire anyone to pick up a pencil or brush, then it will have made what I'm doing all worth it.

Al, thanks so much for being such a wonderful artistic presence in not only Texas, but around the world! My Harley Quinn print is hanging proudly on my wall and I cannot wait to purchase more from you in the future! Have a wonderful 2015! Check out his Etsy shop HERE. Al Molina resides in Corpus Christi, Texas
with his wife and kids and his crazy dog.