Crochet Addict CFS: Guest Blogger Week 13 Little Rays of Sunshine

I WOULD LIKE SAY A BIG WELCOME TO Kim FROM:
Little Rays of Sunshine

Hi everyone! My name is Kim from Little Rays of Sunshine, and I am thrilled to be here with you today. Before I jump into the exciting reveal I have to share today, I’ll give you a little background on myself!

I’m a twenty-something wife to my loving and hard-working husband Scott, as well as a SAHM to our beautiful 19-month-old Emma and our handsome “furbaby” Maximus. The road to becoming parents was not easy and, in fact, it was the story of my daughter’s birth that inspired me to start blogging. While in the midst of four miscarriages and an enormous amount of heartache, I decided to create a blog as an outlet for sharing my emotions—the good, the bad and the ugly! By God’s grace, we eventually did find the answer to our problem and welcomed Emma Grace to the world on September 20^th, 2010. She is without a doubt the GREATEST gift, blessing and miracle that God has ever given us, and we wait in eager anticipation for the day when he blesses our family with one more child to adore! {For the full story of our journey, feel free to visit my bio here.}

The name of my blog came from the joy I have every day in my family and, most importantly, in my Lord and Savior. While I won’t sit here and pretend that everyday is all rainbows and kittens, I am constantly reminded of the wonderful light I am living in, the hope of things to come and the beauty of what has already been—my little rays of sunshine. J

Other than spending time with my family, the things I most enjoy doing in my spare time are cooking, reading and—you guessed it—CROCHETING! It’s a hobby my mom taught me as a little girl, and I only picked it up again after having Emma. I kept seeing adorable hats and patterns all over the internet, and my daughter inspired me to dig in and tackle something new.

Well, here I am a year later with a closet FULL of hats and hair bows I’ve made for miss Emma and a crochet shop, to boot! There are so many cute patterns I’ve used for items in my shop, and I’ve even come up with a few of my own original creations, but my three favorites have to be…

the Princess Ear Flap Hat:

the Sock Monkey Hat:

and the Big Bow Beanie

I took the plunge and opened up shop in November of 2011, after a whole lot of convincing from family and friends and a whoooooole lot of doubts being cast aside. Business was slow and discouraging at first, but after setting up a shop page on Facebook and advertising for the holiday season, my hands were crocheting non-stop by Christmas! Sales have been slow again as warmer weather approaches, but I’m finding it to be a nice break before the Fall and Winter are upon us again. I don’t know how “successful” other shop owners would consider me to be, especially those who are booming on Etsy, but my one piece of advice to anyone wanting to sell would be this: consider every sale a success. Pat yourself on the back for every item you sell and let it motivate you to make the next one. Let it push you to brag on your items to family and friends, to ask for their support in getting started, and to show others that you believe in what you are making. Be assured of yourself and, most of all, HAVE FUN! ;)

Now for the fun to begin—a reveal of my latest free pattern! I came up with the Springtime Slouchy Hat back in March and have written it in both toddler and adult sizes. Today I have the toddler-size pattern to share with all of you!

Not only is this hat lightweight and breathable—perfect for warmer weather—but it also incorporates a gorgeous and incredibly fun crossed stitch technique. For tips on how to work a crochet crossed stitch and for access to the free pattern, you can visit my blog here!

Thank you all for taking the time to learn a little about me and for visiting my blog. I’d love to have you follow me via any of the follow social media connections: