Exciting Giveaway: Spread the Love

You know how kids feel when they get a lollipop? that's kind of how I feel today with this giveaway, yes exactly, excited! VERY!

To the point, today's giveaway come from extremely sweet Melanie of Spread the Love. I am honestly in LOVE with her artwork. Maybe it's the romantic in me, maybe it's the gorgeous colors, or {most likely} it's just the delicious beauty of Melanie's art, that caught my eye. Please tell me these prints wouldn't be a great gift for a couple's first home (or second who cares!)? The custom made wedding poster (for your guests to sign and tell you how much they love you) is also a great idea if you are planning your big day. And on top of all that, Melanie ALSO does truly gorgeous custom wedding stationery at Love Your Invite.

Is it morally ethical to enter my giveaway?

PLEASE Melanie, tell us a who you are.

My name is Melanie Linder and I live in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania with my radical husband and adorable little dog. (along with 4 chickens, a flock of very persistent canadian geese, and whatever else roams around our crazy yard) My work is a mix of new and old. I like to take the familiar PA Dutch style from my area and family roots and combine it with naive illustration, bright colors, and fresh techniques.

I have a long and twisted road of odd jobs and inspirations. I graduated from Kutztown University with a major in Communication Design in '02 and just didn't see myself as a traditional graphic designer. I concentrated in Illustration with my degree and really wanted to make art with my hands first and computer second. So, I got a job at a coffee shop. Ha! Sounds about right, huh? Well, I loved that job and the people it lead me to... I began painting with a sign painter from Kempton and learned that you don't have to be really organized (or even a little organized) to run a business, make a living, and love what you do. Then I got a job designing jewelry for Sorrelli jewelry which is a locally based/nationally sold company out of little old Kutztown! Say what? Yep, crazy. Well, I loved designing and soldiering prototypes for designs which got to be seen in super high-end ads and sold in fantastic places like Lord and Taylor – but there was much more to it and it was not proving to be so great on the creative soul. The highlight was when I got married. The owner/creator let me design fabulous earrings for my wedding and I felt it had all wrapped up so nicely – it was time to move on. A week after returning from my honeymoon I wrote up my resignation letter on my lunch break and jumped ship. It was totally insane. I owe everything to my husband who supported me and lived vicariously through my "quitting with no plan" tendencies. A couple weeks later I created Love Your Invite a small and extremely custom invite shop. From there came the time and inspiration to pursue my wildest dreams – somehow make it as an illustrator and hacking down my own jungle path to get there...

I look around and daydream a lot, watch documentaries, listen to music, relish in color, and keep a sense of humor about it all. But most important : I learned how to work with my inspiration. I must take immediate action or it goes away. I usually get inspired while I'm working on another project – all of a sudden I have a really short attention span and need to work on something completely different. I used to feel so distracted and fight that urge as if it was a negative quality I needed to fix. But now, I bow down to it and give it the respect it deserves and I've found that it always rewards me in the end. Also, I love being inspired by friends, family, and customers. Some of my customers have had the greatest suggestions and I really owe them for their support and contact.

I'd love to keep doing what I'm doing and maybe expand more into textile design. Lila Rodgers as a Rep may be my ultimate dream come true! But mostly, I'd love to become a mother. I've been battling endometriosis and trying for the last three years to make it happen... I think it will be my best job yet.

Just do it! I know so many people held back by fear and perfection. I worked at my shop on the "slow and steady" train and I'd recommend it to anyone. You'll learn as you go instead of trying to predict what obstacles you may encounter before they even happen. Also, people like me shouldn't read those Craft Business books – unless you want to be scared stiff and never try anything spontaneous. Once you got it going – create and list new items as much as possible. Always try to keep it new and fresh, don't under sell yourself , make sure you make money in the end, be good to your customers, make crafty friends, give help and accept help, and most important : don't be a slave to your ego! If you're only pursuing the highlights and cool/hip/awesomeness factor instead of being true to yourself – you may be severely disappointed in the end. I know it sounds lame but make your heart happy first and I promise people will see it and follow –

And NOW the best part:

Melanie is offering my favorite print from the shop, the "Wherever I'm with you..." to one lucky winner.

How to enter - 3 easy ways - 3 separate comments: 

1. Follow along and let me know (if you follow, yay, thanks! let me know too please)

2: Visit  Spread the Love  and let me know in a 2nd comment what you like most.

3rd entry: Twit, blog, FB. Spread the LOVE please, just come and comment so I can account your extra chance to win.

{the giveaway will end Tuesday night and I will announce the winner on Wednesday  xo}