Garden Giveaway #3 Sponsored by Miss Atlanta from Bonny Blue Historical Clothing

Hello, my dear readers! How delighted I am to have Miss Atlanta, 

The owner of the lovely Bonny Blue Historical Clothing shop: 

And Etsy shop:

And writer of the lovely blog Story of a Seamstress:

Here in my garden to-day!

~The Interview~

Me: Hello, Miss Atlanta! How delighted I am to have you here in my garden this lovely, spring afternoon! Do think you could tell me and my readers a little bit about yourself and a little insight of your normal, ever-day life?

Miss Atlanta: Thank you for inviting me into your garden! I'm so happy to be here. :-)

Well, I'm a 20 year old country girl who loves Jesus and my family most of all. I'm the oldest of 6 siblings (3 boys and 3 girls). I also enjoy reading, history, sewing, painting/drawing, hunting, and reenacting.  A normal day on the ranch begins with milking Bessie our jersey cow, checking/maintaining  my online shop and answering emails, taking any pictures of new products that need to be taken while the morning light is good, and taking packages to the mailbox. After lunch I'll work on sewing orders most of the afternoon, and sometimes into the evening. But I usually try to leave at least a couple of hours to rest or spend time with family. :-)

Me: How long has your lovely Etsy shop been in full operation? What sparked the opening of your shop? {specific inspiration}. 

Miss Atlanta: My shop opened n February 2009, but didn't really take off until the following August.

I was looking for a way to make some income from home, wanted to be a bit more independent and be able to pay for my own expenses, and hopefully save up some for the future. I was looking at selling artwork on ebay, then a friend told me about Etsy and it looked like such a wonderful opportunity that I set up my shop that very day. The focus eventually turned from artwork to sewing....

Me: What is your inspiration for your products?

Miss Atlanta: The influence of my long-time love of historical fashion can be easily seen in most of the items in my shop. For the historical items, I want to be able to offer clothing that uses period constructions techniques and correct fabrics

Me: What is perhaps, to you, the most enjoyable part about being an Etsy owner and seamstress?

Miss Atlanta: Getting to "meet" people from all over the world is always so interesting! Knowing that one of your handmade items is traveling to a far-off place and making someone happy is a pretty incredible feeling.

Me: What are some of your best selling item{s}.

Miss Atlanta: Regency dresses and corsets,

 'Tangled' Rapunzel costumes,

{Didn't she do an amazing job????}

 vintage 50s dresses, 

and girl's Red Riding Hood capes.

Me: Tell me, what are a few of your favorite Etsy sellers/shops?

Miss Atlanta:

As you can tell, on Etsy I love to shop for organic beauty products, supplies, and vintage items! I always try to buy from fellow Etsyians when I can. :-)

Me: Thank you for sharing those! I too love Orange an Thyme, and Ophelia's Apothecary as well as Clancy's Classics are neat shops that I'll have to look into sometime:). 

Do you have a goal for your Etsy shop this year?

Miss Atlanta: I would like to offer a wider variety of ready-made and vintage items. Lately I've been doing almost all custom orders, and while that is lots of fun and very interesting, it can be exhausting. I'd like to have a little more time to experiment with some new original designs.

Me: Well, whatever you come up with, I already know they will be beautiful!:) Being an experienced Etsy owner, could you possibly share a few tips to the beginning Etsy owners among us?

Miss Atlanta: It took about 9 months to get my shop off the ground, while I read everything I could find about how to make Etsy work, and kept trying to get better pictures and offer a wider variety of items. Here are a few things I learned:

- Renew at least one item every day. So important.

- Do some research before tagging your items, and see what tags similar items have, and whether or not they are getting any views. Be aware of new trends, because this can also affect how you tag your items. And of course, use all 14 tags.

- Be as professional as possible with pictures, shop banner, answering convos, shop polices, etc. Let people know they can trust you to be trustworthy and business like. The only way shoppers can judge if buying from your shop is a good purchasing decision, is by what they see on their computer screen. So make a good impression.

-If you have an awesome item, don't be afraid to talk it up and be creative with the description. Shoppers like to have as much information as possible before buying. And  always use all five pictures.

Thank you so much, Miss Atlanta for allowing me to interview you! I absolutely love your shop, and I hope that you have multiple sales this year. :) 

~A Peek into the Shop~

Miss Atlanta is a very talented seamstress and sells the most beautiful dresses and costumes that all young ladies have dreamed about, and makes them into reality:

She sells the cutest little girls' costumes!!!

And the prettiest costumes for young ladies....

{Most dresses are custom orders}

I'm sure that whatever challenging dream dress you put before Atlanta, she will make it reality {and far beyond your fairytale dress}. 

She also sells in her Etsy shop a lovely arrangement of vintage clothing:

The prettiest wedding gowns....

{I love this one!:)}

And she sells many, MANY vintage patterns:

~The Giveaway~

Miss Atlanta has kindly offered to sponsor a giveaway during my May Garden Party event!

The blessed young lady shall receive her choice of...

A 1860's or Regency Paper Doll Dress Kit!!!!

You draw and make your own paper dolls!

How fun, no? SPECIAL thanks to Miss Atlanta for contributing this lovely kit! I know that some lucky lady will be blessed by this kit! 

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Here's how to win it:

{Leave separate comments per entry you complete}

~Required entry~

Follow my blog 

and 

Heart Atlanta's Etsy shop

~Extra Entries~

After completing the mandatory entry you may gain extra chances to win to...

Add Miss Atlanta to your Etsy circle ~1 entry

Let me know what one of your favorite costumes she has made {you can view a lot at her blog here} 

~1 entry

Follow Miss Atlanta's blog ~ 2 entries {leave two comments}

{Love her header ;)}

Leave a sweet comment on one of Miss Atlanta's post and giving me the link {don't forget to tell her I sent you ;)} ~1 entry

Follow my photography blog {if you want to} ~1 entry

Post either my May Garden Party button or my personal button on your sidebar ~1 entry

Post about this giveaway including one of my May Garden Party buttons {please include the link in your comment} ~2 entries {leave two comments}

Purchase something from either Atlanta's Etsy shop or regular shop ~25 entries {leave twenty-five comments}

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This giveaway is open to US residents only. {I'm sorry to my Canadian friend :(}

Giveaway ends later this month {see program for specific dates}. 

Alrighty, ladies! You may begin your typing...NOW!