01 August 2011

Meet a Mama { The Little Dress Up Box }

Through the journey of designing jewelry, attending art shows and blogging I have met some amazing mamas. I have to admit, sometimes I don't know how we balance our jobs as mommies, crafters, business owners and bloggers. We manage a household, we raise a family AND we have a business on the side. Now that's talent!

I am so excited to introduce you to Ashleigh Harris, the woman behind The Little Dress Up Box. I met Ashleigh at a First Friday Art Event here in my home town. I immediately fell in love with her energy, her drive to succeed and her passion for doing what she loves. I invited Ashleigh to join me for a holiday event that I hosted at the restaurant and got to know her and her beautiful family a little bit better. This summer we got together for a quick photo shoot with Jessica and I realized how much I really have in common with this amazing mom. I knew she would be a perfect match for my first "Meet a Mama."

Enjoy the interview and let us know if you have any questions, we're happy to answer!


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Ok Ashleigh, tell me a little bit about yourself...
Some call me Mama, others lilʼ sister, this hunk of a dude calls me wife, and a
couple other hundred call me Ashleigh Harris owner and lead designer of The Little
Dress Up Box. I like to call myself crazy. I design, create, market, and do just about everything I possibly can for my business and if I don’t know or can’t figure something out I go to my brainiac hubby, William Harris (Marketing Magician, Computer Ninja) or my big brother, Ryan Straus (owner and lead designer for F*** Robots) for advice. The Little Dress Up Box encompasses all of the small things that make life worth dreaming for as kids and adults alike. Tutus, capes, hair accessories, t-shirts, dress-up stuff, and even some wicked photography to capture all of that dreaming!

As of now you can find me online here
Twitter
Facebook

Tell me a little bit about how you balance motherhood and owning a business on the side.
The balance act is tough but good. Iʼm a stay at home mom with no nanny or
close family for babysitting so I live by a to-do list. I try to do so many house chores each day and then during nap time I bust out a lot of my business work. I have an Iphone which makes on the go calls and emails a breeze when you’re waiting at the Drʼs office or those countless other places you seem to always end up waiting around all day! Last secret is that I am sort of a house rat, I make my trips count each week so I can minimize back and forth trips that are a waste of my precious time.

Do you have any tips or advice for other mamas who sell their creative creations?
My big tips are donʼt undersell yourself. Think of yourself as an artist and donʼt let people minimize your worth. Iʼve had people scoff at my prices and I simply say my stuff isnʼt for everyone. I usually call my big bro when Iʼm feeling a little down on my worth. He gives me this tough New Yorker talk and Iʼm ready to climb the biggest mountains! Also donʼt get discouraged when you see your ideas take place before you get a chance to do it yourself. So many times I get these great ideas just to find out Targetʼs selling it now. Use that as leverage to keep dreaming.

I know one thing we have in common is our healthy lifestyle and our love of vegan cupcakes! Do you have anything you want to share about this lifestyle?
Health transcends fruits and veggies. Itʼs the way we live life. From stress
management, sexuality, self esteem, and of course fitness & diet. As a family we are big into organic food, slowly changing our lives over to a healthier and more vibrant way of living, trying to teach our daughter the values of our convictions. And actually I have a little secret I can barely contain, my husband and I are so passionate about this message and these values that we are in the process of starting a company that serves organic, family friendly food options!


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Besides this adventure with your husband, what else are you excited about on the business end of things?
Iʼm most excited about my newest collection “The Pink Tiara”, this adorable
princess inspired collection that has little girls twirling, giggling, and being little girls for a little bit longer. Plus itʼs not officially launching until fall so you lucky readers get first dibs if you shoot me an email or facebook message with a custom order!

Now for the fun part! Ashleigh has generously offered a GIVEAWAY to our readers.

1. Be entered to win two hand painted wine glasses and one custom wine
cork made especially for you from me! All you have to do is like The Little Dress Up Box
on facebook! Simply like us, and link us to this blog. The winner will be announced on August 8th. Don’t forget to leave a comment below so we know you’re entered!

**For extra entries: follow The Little Dress Up Box on Twitter, tweet about this giveaway or follow Yellow Finch Designs Blog.
**Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH entry!


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And lastly, order a custom princess tutu dress from The Little Dress Up Boxʼs newest
collection “The Pink Tiara” and receive the goodies to go with it free of charge! The
shoes, the hair accessories, the lipgloss, and even the dream dust!

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Thank you so much Ashleigh for sharing this great info AND for the generous giveaways and gift with purchase.

10 comments:

  1. Ah Ashleigh sounds lovely! and I don't have any use for wine glasses so thank you for the giveaway offer anyway! :D her shop is beautiful!

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  2. Love the custom princess tutu dress...I want one for myself! ;) Great find Liz! And such a nice interview. ~Laura

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  3. following http://littledressupbox.com/ through google connect!

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  4. Yay - just liked on FB (and will shortly do so on twitter). This could be my perfect chance, not only did I just break TWO of my favorite wine glasses, but I have a big birthday coming up on the 7th! I can just see myself celebrating the big 3-4 with a glass of vino in a lovely glass!

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  5. Love the tutus! Liked her on Fb and following her on twitter!

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  6. Hey Liz and the lovely Ladies... Thanks for checking out my Etsy shop and my page. It's been a work in progress and we are making big changes as a company... check back again and you'll be seeing furniture, antiques, organic body scrubs, and of course other great things to make you play dress-up each and every day. I'm not sure who is suppose to announce the winner but I guess I am going to (DRUM ROLL) The winner is Chellsea... Happy Birthday I think you are going to love these glasses. Simply email me at ashleigh@littledressupbox and give me your mailing information. Thanks everyone for entering and I look forward to seeing more of you for future giveaways at The Little Dress Up Box!

    Always Dreaming,

    Ashleigh Rachel

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