The Lovely Blogger List

Rachel from Lovely Clusters has started a project to organize a collection of links to creative blogs, and I think it's, well, a lovely idea! She's asked that bloggers to post an "about me" on their blog to submit to her site for the collection- so here it goes!

Hi, I'm Lauren and I'm from St. Louis, Missouri. I'm a graphic designer by day and a seamstress by night. (Though I've recently been introduced to the term thread artist, and I think it is quite fitting :) I started this blog in 2009 in anticipation of the grand opening of my Etsy shop, Clever Betty. If you come back to visit you'll find posts about people I find inspiring, funny stories, pretty pictures and everything else that encompasses my life from day to day.

My shop currently contains upcycled and handmade clutches, wallets purses and bags, and I plan to expand to accessories and potentially home decor once things get going! My first job out of college was working for Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion magazine, where I was inspired by tons of artists and crafters to dig back into my childhood love of arts and crafts and the skills I gained from a BFA from Mizzou.

I'm inspired by travel, nature, my friends and family, and thousands of bloggers and sellers. I would love to someday be among those that have "quit their day jobs" and are living the dream by creating for others' enjoyment.

I'm a big fan of picnics in the park with Sean, lounging on my balcony with my kitties Nelson and Greta, finding great thrift stores, garage and estate sales, visiting local wineries and relaxing with the DVR (Lost, Project Runway, The Office and What Not to Wear are my faves!)

Thanks for visiting! You can also check out my shop here, follow me on twitter, or check out my favorite blogs in the right column.