do you know what today it?!?
its SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY!
what are you doing to support small business today?!?
today, i have a fun interview with amanda from royal daughter designs!
[looking to sponsor a growing, fun blog in december? check out your options here!]
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1) tell us who you are/where youre from/what you do/where can we find you?
My name's Amanda. I'm a twenty-something (okay, I'll be honest: 29) year old work-from-home foster mom to three boys (ages 10, 11, and 15) and a part-time graduate student. I'm a fourth generation Texan, and while I love the Lone Star State - don't believe everything you hear. Not everything is bigger in Texas. I'm the creative mind behind Royal Daughter Designs, and I also blog about my real life (though admittedly my life seems way more exciting on the blog than in real life) at DAES of Our Lives. You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter. But not pinterest. I'm a rebel. And I'm already terrible at time management, so I can't afford to lose any more hours of my day.
2) whats your fave way to relax?
I live in the country, so sitting in my front porch swing is always a lovely way to relax. A good book usually draws me in a little too much, and my chill time becomes there's-not-enough-time-to-do-the-laundry time. A hike through the woods always brightens my day.
3) name your perfect day; what you would do? be with? be eating? etc.
A perfect day...
It would definitely involve sleeping in late, snuggling up to my warm and cozy husband. We'd skip breakfast and head to the city for a lunch date at our favorite restaurant. After an afternoon of window shopping, we'd finally settle on buying a digital SLR camera. Then we'd head to a nearby park to do a photo shoot. (Because, of course there will be no learning curve that comes with a new camera!)
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4) your favorite place to create? why?
We have a small house, and with three foster boys (ages 10, 11, and 15) there's almost always a lot of commotion. Since most of my creativity involves my laptop, I usually sit in a recliner in our living room (the center of the house) so that I'm fully aware of everything else going on around me. Distracting? Yes. Type A control freak? That's me.
5) tell us a few of your favorite sites/blogs to lurk on a daily basis
I follow lots of blogs. But there are only a handful of blogs that I'd skip shaving my legs in order to read their latest post:
Kelly's Korner
Naptime Diaries
Name Your {Joy}
Finding Beauty in the Ordinary
The Macs
Biblical Homemaking
Five Days Five Ways
Breakfast at Toast
6) what do you want to learn?
...to enjoy cooking
...how to ice skate
...how to throw a football in a spiral
...how to play guitar
...how to train for a 1/2 marathon
...to control my tongue
7) best advice you can give folks that want to start an artsy career/shop/side project?
Advertise. Set aside a certain percentage of your sales to go towards advertising. And in the beginning, it may be a large percentage. The investment is worth it. Swapping sponsorships are great. I've been very blessed by them. But plan on advertising of one or two big blogs too. There is no better way to get your name out there than to advertise on other blogs.
Also, work your at-home job like it's a "real" business. If you're willing to commit 4 hours a day to your home-based business, do it. Set aside 4 hours that are dedicated to your business and just your business.
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Now you know a little bit about me, but I don't know you...you know how you can remedy that? Stop by and say hi! Or howdy. Or hola. Or bonjour. You get the idea...
