March 22nd, 2012
Yellow Elm Interview & Giveaway [now closed]
Today I’m excited to have an interview & giveaway with Yellow Elm, a shop packed with cute accessories that are perfect for spring. In her interview Elizabeth shares how she fell in love with felting & how she fits her handmade business into her life. Contest details are at the end of the interview- good luck! :)
Update: The giveaway is now closed & the winner will be contacted this week- thank you!
Tell us about yourself & Yellow Elm! Who are you, what are you passionate about and what’s your life like?
I’m Elizabeth Blanton, owner and designer of Yellow Elm handcrafted hair accessories. I’m married to a tv news producer, have a degree in graphic design, and enjoy decorating, trying out new recipes, personal craft projects, and reading. My husband and I live in South Carolina in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and we try to get outside for hikes as often as we can and take advantage of our beautiful surroundings.
photo by getzcreative
What is the story behind Yellow Elm? How did you start and what has your business grown to today?
I took a fiber arts class as an elective in college and fell in love with felting. I originally made large felt wall hangings, but at one point made some small felt brooches as gifts for friends, which is what sparked the idea in my head. I had always loved the look of headbands but hated how uncomfortable they could be, so I found some bands that didn’t give me headaches, put felt pieces on them, and really liked how it turned out. After opening an etsy shop for online sales and having some initial success, I was able to connect with a few local boutiques who were interested in selling Yellow Elm. I did a few craft shows as well. The local feedback and support from shop owners and customers has been fantastic.
Today, I have a tiny studio space, continue to work with several great boutiques, and still sell Yellow Elm products through etsy and local shows. It’s been amazing (and a lot of hard work!) to watch my little business grow over the past few years and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
What is a typical day in your life like, how do you fit Yellow Elm in with all your other roles & commitments?
It can be a bit of a balancing act! A typical day involves working on Yellow Elm for the first half of the day, then going to my part-time job at a law firm in the afternoon, and doing more Yellow Elm work in the evenings. I try to pick a different focus each week, like marketing, new product development, or planning an upcoming local show.
I also enjoy doing a bit of freelance graphic design as I have time. I love doing the design work for Yellow Elm, and I think having some other clients besides myself keeps my design work fresh and current.
What types of materials do you use in your pieces, and how do you design & build your pieces? What is your process like?
Each Yellow Elm piece is crafted using a very ancient traditional wet felting process—similar to how tents in Mongolia are still made today. I start by criss-crossing the fibers of wool, pour soap and boiling water over it, and then scrub until the fibers interlock to make felt. I love that the process uses all natural fibers and has such a rich history.
I then add charming details like beads, ribbon, fabric, or buttons, to give each accessory extra detail. It’s so fun to capture a little piece of the felting technique and make tiny art that people can wear everyday. It’s a timeless connection with distant cultures, fashioned in a very modern way.
You post lots of simple & sweet hair tutorials on your blog, along with great photography of your products. Is styling the model’s hair on your photoshoots your favourite part of creating these looks?
I actually let my models style themselves! Part of my goal in photographing my products is to capture the everyday look of Yellow Elm, so I don’t want to photograph a look that can’t be achieved without a stylist. I am so fortunate to have many sweet and creative friends that are willing to join me for an afternoon to model Yellow Elm, and I give them guidelines like “I’m going for hippie, bohemian, nature-inspired.”
I absolutely love to see what they come up with! It adds so much extra personality and freedom to the photo shoots and makes it such a beautiful collaboration. It has given me such valuable input about how Yellow Elm products can be worn.
What kind of a creative are you- are you in love with the process of making and working with your hands, the end result of creating unique hair accessories, or both?
I love every aspect of creating Yellow Elm—it lets me touch on so many things I enjoy. The felting process is completely hands-on and can be a really great stress release, and I love the next step of turning each little felt piece into a wearable product. I also get to pull from my training in graphic design and photography and create all kinds of fun marketing materials for Yellow Elm.
The Giveaway
Yellow Elm is offering a Sparkling Wildwood headband for you to win!
The Sparkling Wildwood Headband is handcrafted from a circle of soft wool, with a tiny sparkling rhinestone in the middle, surrounded by delicate stitching. You can see it on Etsy here
To enter, visit the Yellow Elm Etsy Shop & leave a comment here with your favourite accessory.
The contest will be open until Friday March 23rd- good luck!
Can’t get enough of Yellow Elm? You can visit the Shop & the Blog to learn more about Elizabeth & her sweet business.
I think my favorite item of hers is the Royal Blue with Beads and Shells. So many pretty things to choose from!
What an amazing etsy shop! I can never wear headbands to accesorize my short pixie cut because they always give me the worst headaches! Elizabeth acknolwdges how headbands can do that and she makes sure her headbands are head-ache-free. How awesome! The Peaceful Garden Headband in Yellow is my pick. Such a great collection!
The sparkling wildwood headband is actually my favorite! I love the mustard yellow color (it’s my favorite).
The peaceful garden collection is so beautiful for spring, I love them all!!! I am a huge fan!!!
I just ordered the light blue headband with shells. LOVE your work, so beautiful! :)
How pretty! I love the Lauren Yellow Flower Felt Headband!
Love the Stella headband in bright pink! Pink’s the color for me and the details on this headband bring it to life! She’s truly a gifted artist.
i love the sweet rose headbands. LOVE!
I like the sparkling wildwood headbands, so pretty. Actually the orange one for the giveaway is my overall fav!
My favorite is the Lauren Yellow Flower Felt Headband! http://www.etsy.com/listing/88003809/lauren-yellow-flower-felt-headband Love the rich Yellow color! :) Yellow Elm makes great headbands. They are super comfy and cute! :)
LOVE the Bridgette Blue Feather Headband, but they are all so cute!
I like the Clemson Tiger Headband in Orange Purple and White. I think it you squint really hard, it looks a little like a goldfish! :)
I like the Sparkling Wildwood headband in cream and mint and the Peaceful Garden headband in pink. All of the Sparkling Wildwood ones are cute!
I’m loving the Peaceful Garden headband in yellow :)
Wow! Added to my ETSY favorites– & I love the emerald rosette bobby pin~*
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Beautiful shop! I love the Sparkling Wildwood Headband in Pink :)
Yellow Elm is an amazing hand made business. I like very much the sparkling wildwood headband . Great accessories for charming ladies.
I liked the Bridgette Blue Feather Headband. It would add quite a bit of fancy to my scalp. :)
I do love all of these and wish I had the talent and patience to create such awesomeness.
These are adorable! My favorite is the stella headband in bright pink :)
I love the Peaceful Garden Headband in Yellow. And the Valentine Heart Headband in Dark Red and Black…I think it would be fun to wear any time of year, when you want to show some love :)
I love this giveaway! And that her shop makes her so happy! I love the peaceful garden headband in yellow! Perfect for the spring!
What a great interview! I really like the Emerald Rosette Bobby Pin – looks like it could add a little something unexpected to a basic hairstyle!
I think my favourites are the peaceful garden headband, but i can’t make up my mind between the beautiful colors!
LOVE the peaceful garden headband in yellow. What a great sense of style!
I like the Sweet Rosette Headband with Green Polka Dots.
The Peaceful Garden headband in yellow is such a perfect little pop of spring.
Hi Kat! Thank you for entering the giveaway- I’m happy to let you know that you won! Please e-mail me with your shipping address and I’ll connect you with Elizabeth. Congratulations! :)
I love the peaceful garden headband. so delicate and lovely. I also love Elizabeth’s outfits in the photos accompanying the interview — great style!
I absolutely love the sparkling wildwood bobby pins, they are so sweet!. I know follow her. I love felt handmade products and i hope to venture into that some day. I love to knit and crochet for now. This is a lovely giveaway for all ages. Thanks for sponsoring this. Good luck to all!
I like the sparkling wildwood bobby pin.
<3 the Emma Green Feather Headband. Perfect emerald green.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/79905026/felt-headband-turquoise-with-blossom So many to choose from! All equally as lovely.