Friday Give-Away~ AbbaDabba Bags

http://www.abbadabbabags.etsy.com/

I love this shop, as I love all the ones I feature. Monica, the shop owner, has good taste in fabric and applies that skill to her diaper bags, tote bags, wrislets, and hobo bags. She offers her desirable bags in a variety of sizes and fabric selection. Even the insides are adorable! Good job Monica! Here are a few of my favorites from her shop:

And now, a little about Monica:

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

I am a 33 year-old mother and wife. I have a 4 year-old son and a 1 year-old daughter. My husband and I are celebrating our 6th anniversary this spring and we live in the South Shore of MA (South Boston). I worked for 10 years in the financial industry before becoming a stay-at-home mom when my daughter was born.

2. How long have you been creating?

I have been sewing since I was a teenager when my mom first helped me to make some clothes. I made my first bag in 2004 when my son was born. I really wanted something different for my diaper bag and didn't like what I saw. So I bought a pattern and gave it a try. I only followed about 25% of the pattern but it was a good starting point. Shortly after my daughter was born a friend asked me to make a diaper bag for a shower gift. i did, and AbbaDabba's was born. As other people saw the bags they contacted me for more orders. I also started giving them to friends and family as gifts, which was a lot of fun. With every custom order I was able to try new fabrics, colors, shapes and sizes until I finally had developed patterns of my own.

3. How did you find Etsy and what made you decide to sell on Etsy?

Another good friend ordered one of my bags and then sent me a link to check out Etsy. I fell in love with it immediately and knew I wanted to open a shop. It took about a month of research and making inventory before I opened AbbaDabba's. Before Etsy I made each bag to order so I didn't have existing inventory. I love that Etsy allows me to set my own hours and gives me a place to send potential customers to see my work.

4. Where did you learn you creating skills?

My mom taught me to sew. She was a home-ec teacher before having kids. She is like a pattern-whisperer. She showed me that you can read through a pattern and cross out whole sections, add new steps, and really make it your own. Without that foundation I wouldn't have had the confidence to make my own creations and put them out there for people to buy.

5. What was the inspiration for your shop name?

My daughter's name is Abigail. When she was first born we called her AbbaDabba a few times. My son, then 2 1/2, picked it up and began calling her AbbaDabba all the time. Since I was making diaper bags it seemed fitting to use a name that had special meaning to my kids.

Thanks Monica, you are awesome!

And now, THE GIVE-AWAY!

This week, AbbaDabbaBags is offering this cute little wristlet!

Just post a comment to win. Mention what you like about AbbaDabba's store or maybe your favorite item. You have until Thursday at noon Mountain time to post. The winner will be announced Thursday afternoon. Good luck!!