Well Jamie from C.R.A.F.T. hosts this amazing crafty package swap every other month. As soon as she sent out the notice that the new one was ready, I hopped on it!! Each swap is only open to the first 100 people who sign up, so keep your eye out for the next one at the end of May!

I was paired up with Susan from Homeroad and I seriously could not have had a better partner! I love her style and her creativity. She truly has an eye for turning things I would probably walk by into beautiful treasures. Susan sent me the most amazing box of crafty goodness!

It was so much fun being a part of this. I look forward to doing it again!

Here is what Susan sent…

1. Lilly Pulitzer Printed Cruiser
2. My Love Print
3. Starfish Jeweled Sandals
4. Sea Gull Lighting
5. Carved Wood Anchor
6. Viscid Watch

See you again next week!

I’m guest posting over at Along for the Ride. If you don’t already know Laura, she is beautiful inside and out and her love for the Lord is so sweet and pure. I am honored to be there with her :) You can check my post out here.

Next up…

I’m also guest posting over at Krafty Kash with Kashoan. I swear she and I were meant to be sisters! She is an absolute blast and always always always makes me smile! I’m talking about the balancing act of motherhood and having a business from home. You can see it here!

And lastly…

Something super fun going on right now is a wonderful thank you to all of you who have “liked” my facebook page! I reached 350 likes so I thought a fun giveaway would be nice. Up for grabs is a $20 credit to my shop! All you have to do is head on over, and check out the giveaway post. Who knows, you could win yourself a credit! Woo-hoo!

It’s a little guide to help add the beach life to your life.

Each Wednesday I’ll show you some products that you can easily incorporate into your home and life.

Even though you may not live at the beach, you can always bring the beach to you!

1. Canvas Espadrille 
2. You Are My Sunshine Print 
3. Outdoor Summer Wave Pillow
4. Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Chipotle Slaw and Fresh Corn Salsa
5. Rope Knot Doorstop
6. Jute Rope Knot Knob
7. Sunflower Medallion Knob
8. Nautical Pillow Covers 

See you again next week!
 

When I first opened my shop back in April 2010, I didn’t really have a clear vision of what I wanted to achieve with the products that I sold. It was a hodge podge of things… fabric covered composition books, appliques, reusable snack bags, appliqued towels, no clear connection tying them altogether. And because there was no real connection, I didn’t feel deeply connected to my shop. I loved what I sold individually but as a whole, no connectivity and it was very much a mirror of what was spiritually going on in my life at the time.
After being open for a little over a year, I had a life changing experience that really opened my eyes to the world, my world, and my shop’s world, that surrounded me. I was baptized! After that experience, my eyes opened I started to realize that this shop, this thing that I was trying to pour my heart into and yet feeling no real connection to, was missing the biggest ingredient of all… The Lord! My beliefs and love for the Lord have always played such a big part in my life so it was astounding to think that I didn’t carry them over to my shop! So after lots of prayer, I decided to close the shop and reopen with a new vision that was directed from Him.

One of the first things I started to sell after I reopened was carefully constructed. After weeks of sketching while at the beach, praying and sketching some more, and then putting together my first ever design… I knew it was meant to be. I was completely reassured when I started to do my research on the internet and found that no one, not a single person anywhere was making and selling the Vintage Dresden Clutch. Everything was directed from the Lord.

I started to branch out from there and added purses and totes and then more recently added the pleated pouches. Total connectivity, total love and passion, totally me!
The fabrics all flow together. The use of my fabrics is very much a trademark design to Sand & Starfish. When you see a Vintage Dresden Clutch, you automatically think of me! When you see that linen with vintage on top… signature Sand & Starfish!

So you can imagine how incredibly heartbroken I was to find out that someone who also has a shop had decided to blatantly copy and steal my design for the clutch. All the steps that I took… the agony on closing my shop, the mornings spent in tears crying out to the Lord and asking for His direction, the hours and hours of sketching and designing… all that taken away out of laziness and greed.
Not only does this person sell things that are using vintage sheets as well, but none of them are her original designs. They’re all copied from someone else. None of them were the signature linen with vintage accents like mine. And on top of that, she “hearted” one of my Vintage Dresden Clutches!! The nerve!

On April 29, 2012, Liz Taylor Handmade, had put this item in her shop.

You can now see why I was and still am completely heart broken about this.

I have contacted the shop owner. And because of her response, I have had no choice but to reach out to you, my friends, my support, to ask that you not only be aware of this copycat, but that you also choose not to support her.

This is my letter to her:
——————————–
Listing: www.etsy.com/listing/98696630/clutch-dresden-canvas-vintage-sheet
This letter is in regards to the clutch listed above. You have clearly copied my design.

Here are some examples of my work:
www.etsy.com/listing/96256377/vintage-dresden-zippered-clutch-hot-pink
www.etsy.com/listing/96256219/vintage-dresden-zippered-clutch-pink
www.etsy.com/listing/96257092/vintage-dresden-zippered-clutch-summer

You have copied the dresden use.
You have copied the use of vintage fabrics.
You have copied the colors.
You have copied the use of the name.
You have copied the use of my description.

This design was 100% original and made by me. I take great pride in my work.

Remove this listing now or I will pursue legal action.
——————————–

and this was her reply:
——————————–
I am sorry that you feel this way, but I did not copy your design. I have made other items with the dresden design, which is a pattern that is probably 100 years old. Also, my dresdens are different than yours, and the clutch that I sell is a different size.

If you look through my shop you will see that most of the products that I sell use vintage sheets. You do not hold the patent on using vintage sheets. I used the colors that I had in my stash and I don’t feel that they are the same as yours.

I am sure you are aware that in the handmade world, there are often times many people who come up with similar ideas on their own. I certainly didn’t mean to offend you, but I honestly don’t think that my design is an infringement on your work.

Liz
——————————–

Now I understand that the dresden design itself has been around for a long time. I fell in love with it the first time I saw it. It’s beautiful. It takes a lot of preparation. I also know that there are a lot of people who use vintage sheets in their shops. And I love that! I love vintage sheets!

But she’s completely missing the point. What she did was and is completely wrong. Remember…
She copied the dresden use.
She copied the use of vintage fabrics.
She copied the colors.
She copied the use of the name.
She copied the use of my description.

She didn’t offer any products in her shop using the linen as a main fabric with vintage as the accent. She copied my look, my look that I have very much embraced and wrapped myself and my thoughts and my future products around! This look that the Lord and I have created together! And the fact that she “hearted” one of my clutches really goes to show that she did not in fact come up with that idea on her own!!

I took screen shots of the her clutch. Multiple screen shots in fact. And I’m very glad that I did because since sending her that letter, she changed her description! A sign that blatant copying was done!

Did you know that your work is protected  by copyright law the moment it is introduced into commerce?! That’s right!! So the second I placed that original clutch in my shop, it’s mine and it’s protected!!

On her most recent blog post, she stated that she has added two new clutch designs to her shop, while forgetting to add that the design of the first one is not her design at all.

Liz Taylor Handmade knowingly and willfully copies others hard work and has no problem doing so.
Her shop description even has the phrase “I also like to combine vintage sheets with modern fabric for unique items that you won‘t be able to find anywhere else“… except for my shop where they were created with passion and love first!

So please friends, continue to support the real artists out there. The ones like me who seek original product designs. The ones who pour hours and hours into new designs. The ones who take pride in their work and stand upon a firm foundation that it is indeed their work.

Do not support copycats. They are lazy. They have no passion. They feed off of others and will not grow. And this will show in their work!

Copying in the handmade community is frowned upon and will not be tolerated! Please, don’t just sit back and let people get away with this. Make your presence known. Make your buying concerns known.

I love all the support that you all have given me with the designs that I do add to my shop. I love hearing how you react to them and it truly lifts my spirit and helps me know that closing my shop and inviting God to help me was in fact the best decision I could have done. Your love and support really help me stand strong and tall regarding this situation. This is not an easy thing to write about nor is it an easy thing to have to confront, so really…

I LOVE YOU ALL!!