I currently don’t really have the time to learn how to knit or crochet all the hats I would love to make for my children because being a full time home maker keeps me on my toes.  That’s why I look to Etsy for adorable knitted hats and other accessories to keep my kids looking their very cutest!

While searching for knitted hats, I came across Toile Tales and fell in love right away! They have a large selection of hats for everyone in the family and you can fully customize each style to your liking for no additional charges…music to my ears!

I was able to review an adorable Crocheted beret brim beanie in ecru in size 2t to 4t for my daughter Melody.  This hat looks fantastic as is but there was also the option to add one of the many beautifully crocheted flowers to accent the hat and I choose to go with one in the color of purple. This hat is multifunctional as it looks great paired with jeans as well as my daughter’s collection of dresses!  We love this hat. It’s made well and my daughter will be able to wear it for quite sometime!

I’m a huge fan and will be making an order in the future once I know the sex of my second child, which will be in about a week! As I mentioned before, there’s something there for everyone in the family!

I really enjoyed getting to know more about the people behind Toile Tales with my Etsy meet and greet questions and hope you do too!

1.Why did you decide to start doing this on Etsy and how long have you been?

We made an etsy store because we were constantly creating. Although we have 8 children combined, you can only make so much for each child. We’ve had an etsy store for about 2 years, however, only in the last 6 months have we put forth time and effort into making our business more successful.

2. What do you enjoy the most when creating your products?

So much of what we do as mothers is overlooked and under appreciated (although the utmost of important jobs). Creating something from nothing …a random thought or idea…gives us the opportunity to fulfill personal aspirations that get lost in the shuffle of motherhood. To have random people stop you and complement your hat/flower is humbling and encouraging.

3. Apart from creating things, what do you do?

{Lori} With 5 children, there is always someone who needs to go somewhere. We have church, gymnastics, soccer, singing lessons, co-op preschool…..that leaves little time for me to do anything else (but crochet will travel). A little nerdy I know, but I love all things Jane Austin. I have read her works several times and get lost in their simplicity of life and integrity. The downside of reading, is that it is sooo hard to crochet at the same time! {Amy} With 3 girls, there is so much going on at the house. We are constantly having spend the nights and play dates. I also sew… clothes, curtains, slip covers… you get the point. We have also been making a family lifestyle change to eat better and exercise. Biking riding and taking family walks have helped us get closer and shape-up. I wish family Wii night counted as exercise because we have a blast!

Other joint passion is photography! We starting taking classes and practicing to revamp our Toile Tales etsy store! If we had a choice of what craft to choose, it would be a close call. Seeing life through the eye of a lens makes you look at things differently. What is seemingly dull and unimportant can come alive for you through your camera. Everywhere we go, there is a constant scanning of the environment for a picture spot. Sometimes you find the most unexpected beauty amongst the weeds.

4. What inspires you?

Honestly, Amy and I find inspiration in each other. Okay, maybe the word is competition…a friendly competition. We are constantly trying to outdo each other for birthdays present creations. So many of our new products have come from just that. The new Toile Tales shelled headbands came from me {Lori} creating something original for Elora’s 8th birthday, whereas, the Aviator hat was something created by Amy for my 6 year old Cadence.

5.In five years you’d like to be…?

In the next five years, our patterns (having our crochet patterns tested as I write) will be the staple of what we sell. We see our photography business expanding in the next few years as well. Hummm, maybe we will even have a place to create outside our perspective craftrooms.

You can follow Toile Tales on Twitter and “like” them on Facebook here.

Win It!

Lori and Amy have generously offered one of my blog readers a $30 gift certificate to their store!

To Enter: Visit Toile Tales and let me know what you love! (Mandatory: Leave the url of the item)

Extra Entries:

1. Visit Toile Tales on Etsy and favorite their shop!

2. Blog this giveaway, link back to this post. (2 extra)

3. Follow on Twitter @erinlowmaster & Tweet (daily entries available)

4. Post this giveaway on a Giveaway Linky/Site and let me know where!

5. Email a friend(s) about this giveaway. (Leave name of friend)

6. Subscribe to my blog by RSS or E-mail (Feed Burner) and let me know!

Giveaway running till 09/18/10 . Winners will be notified shortly afterward by email. Please respond within 48 hours or you forfeit your prize to another participant. Giveaway is open to USA & Canada Only.

I received this product free of charge for review on my blog. No other compensation was received. The views and opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.

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