An Interview with Susie Gainor of SmiLe aGain Creations

I promised to introduce you to some of my favorite creative people, and the first in my interview series is my “ETSY Friend” Susie Gainor, the do-it-all woman behind SmiLe aGain Creations.  Susie and I have never met in real life, but we have quite a bit in common – which is probably why I like her so much :o)  As you will see, Susie is able to upcycle those outfits you just cannot bear to part with, but that are doing nothing for you stashed away in an attic!

Susie is a busy Mom to 2 sweet girls, ages 4 1/2 and 17 months.  And as if they weren’t enough to fill her day, she also works outside the home 30 hours a week.  And since she obviously wasn’t busy enough, she decided to go into business for herself.  As she says, this choice was “The best decision ever!! I love creating purses and such out of outgrown clothes.  Every item I have made has truly put a SmiLe on my face!”  You can fund Susie on ETSY and on Facebook.

*Why did you name your business SmiLe aGain Creations?

I named my business SmiLe aGain Creations for a couple reasons...

• "SmiLe" -  because the outfits that I create with made me SmiLe when my girls wore them and I am sure the outfit my customers choose also made them SmiLe and "SmiLe aGain" - because the bags created have made me SmiLe aGain :) as is my hope for all of my customers!
•   The "S", "L", and "G" are capitalized after my girls, Sami and Lacie, and our last name Gainor.

Additionally, each creation also has a name with meaning ; these 2 are the most precious to me:

• ZipperBeans - we nicknamed our Lacie "Little Bean" when I was pregnant and still call her Bean!





•  SamPie - I often call my Sami, SamPie!





*When did you start sewing? 

Hard to believe but not very long ago! I have always been a creative and crafty person and when I first started creating SmiLe's from my daughter's outfits the idea was just for me and for them; I didn’t have a sewing machine so I used sewer's glue to create them! The glue worked great and was super easy but when I decided to make a go of this I invested in a sewing machine and haven't stopped sewing since!

*How did you come up with the concept for your creations?

Just watching my girls quickly grow out of adorable outfits that we had spent way too much money on was incentive enough! But I would say my Ah-Ha moment was at my first garage sale last year. I had already created several purses for my girls but as I stood there selling off some of those clothes I got sad and as the day came to an end I looked around at all the clothes that hadn't sold and I started to "see" them as purses! I began pulling outfits off the tables about an hour before the sale ended ‘cause I knew they would make great purses. I can honestly say I will never sell any of my girls’ clothes at a garage sale again; in fact I will probably be one of those garage sale stockers :)

*Do you have a favorite piece? 

I have 2 favorite pieces:

My Belly SmiLe is the bag I carry every day. I created it from a maternity shirt that I wore throughout both pregnancies so the sentiment behind the bag is everything. Also, I have never been a fan of "diaper bags". I have always just carried a big purse, so the Belly SmiLe is perfect for me!  (Lisa’s note: How perfect is this for going playground this spring & summer?! )





And this SmiLe purse:  I created this one for Lacie's first Birthday, the crazy thing is the outfit has no special meaning she only wore it once before outgrowing it!! But the outfit was adorable and turned into the sweetest little purse.





*What prompted you to open your shop on Etsy?

Less than a year ago I had never even heard of ETSY, when I started talking to people about my idea they all said "you have to open an ETSY store!" so I looked into ETSY and love everything about this place. I am so glad I have become a part of the ETSY community, everyone is so supportive!

I hope you enjoyed “meeting” Susie!  Don’t forget to check out her sites: ETSY and Facebook.

Oh, and watch this space – I just ordered my first ZipperBean, and will be sharing the before and after pix! 

xox, Lisa

My Review of "The Midwife's Confession" by Diane Chamberlain

I said I'd be sharing (and hoping you share) great books here - so here's one I love!  I was recently lucky enough to receive an advance copy of the latest book by one of my favorite authors - Diane Chamberlain. While I enjoy all of her books, there are some that are absolute stand-outs.  And I'm happy to say that "The Midwife's Confession" is definitely in that category.  Below is my review of the book, and here's a link to the book on Amazon....

A shocking suicide, an unfinished note and an unimaginable secret – these events form the basis of Diane Chamberlain’s latest work, “The Midwife’s Confession.”  A haunting, layered story told through flashbacks, as well as the voices of several main characters, it grapples with the question of how well we really know those we love.   “The Midwife’s Confession” is Diane Chamberlain at her best.  You simultaneously want to finish it, and never want it to end. 

I was sucked into this book from the first 2 pages.  I couldn’t put it down, until one of the twists was so emotionally wrenching I had to put it down and wipe away my tears.  The tangled tale of Noelle, Tara and Emerson will speak to you, whether you are a mother, a friend, or a confidante.  I have ready many of Ms. Chamberlain’s titles, and easily put this book into the class of “The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes” (one of my all-time favorite books).   I find myself replaying passages, looking for what I missed, or for why I was so sure the story was headed in another direction.  A stunning, heart-rending tale, I am already looking forward to re-reading it!

xox, Lisa

Against my better judgement...I've started a blog

Ok...not to start off on the wrong foot here, but I never wanted a blog.  I work full time, I have 3 little girls, and a husband who travels (A LOT) for work.  Oh yeah, and I bead and maille.  Basically, I already have enough going on that eats into my all-important Farmville, Cafe World and Zuma Blitz time.  I mean really, I finally got the twins potty trained - do you know how many games of Zuma Blitz that gives me back in an average weekend?!  But then I found out I cannot do giveaways or contests for Twingle Beads on Facebook.  Ah, but I can do that through a blog, and I can talk about my blog on...you guessed it: Facebook.  So, now I have a blog.  And now I have to make it interesting.  Oh dear.

So, this will be a bit of everything: new pieces I'm making, mommy-isms that are both mine and better ones that will be artfully liberated from other more exciting moms, sharing of good books and interviews with some of my favorite Etsyians.  I hope you have fun here.  I'd write more, but I have crops to harvest....xox, Lisa