Moms on Mondays - Danette from DJ's Handsies

This week I am honored to feature a mama from one of my favorite handmande shops that I found on IG, Dani from Dj's Handsies.  I found her shop because of her coveted fox dress, wrote to her on Facebook to see how I could get my hands on one and the rest was history.  For Lemon's 2nd birthday this year she made her a custom lemon dress and I just about died, it was the cutest thing I'd ever seen.  This mama is so talented and her dresses are like nothing I've seen before, you must head over to her website and order one today!!

Hi, I am Danette and my shop's name is Dj's Handsies. I am also on Instagram and Facebook.

I focus on making little girl dresses that combine my love for crochet and sewing. I also make toddler purses and crochet rugs. I am open to custom orders too.

I made a crochet pixie hat for my daughter in fall 2012 and posted a picture of her wearing it on my Instagram. I got a lot of hat sales through Instagram, since it was Fall. Once winter passed I felt I needed to make something that was not seasonal based, something that I could make all year round. I had made a few crocheted dresses for my daughter, when she was a baby, so I thought I would try selling them. Once I posted a picture of my crocheted fox dress the response was overwhelming. I felt I could not keep selling on Instagram and that I needed to open an official shop and get more organized. It has been once year since I started selling the dresses. 

I studied interior design, but did not pursue it as a career. I moved to Canada from South Africa in 2005. Without a working permit, I started volunteering at a veterinary clinic once I was legally allowed to work. I was happy at the clinic, got hired as a receptionist and worked there for 5 years . After the birth of my second child, I decided to become a stay at home mom and now I guess I get to call myself a work from home mom. :)

Here comes a cliche, I have been happily married for nearly 9 years to my high school sweetheart. My husband, Marcell, is one special fella who works very hard so I can stay home with my babies, and I feel so blessed to have him and my two children. Jude is 5 years old, and he loves Lego and Star Wars, and Danni Jean is my 3 year old chatterbox who loves dress up and princesses.

Starting this business has not only helped our family financially, but also it helps my need to be creative and keeps me sane. While I love being home with my children, I have always loved being creative too, I still felt I needed a creative outlet. While we all know being a stay at home is already a full time job, adding the shop to the mix has certainly made my life even busier; but I have never been happier. 

I am currently running my business alone. I don't have anyone helping me with my shop, with the exception of my husband helping me set up the online shop. It's just me "DJ"and my own handsies. :)  Balancing my time has been hard. Most of my work gets done during nap time and after the kids have gone to bed. I feel it's important that when I am with my kids I give them all of me. It is not always easy, and sometimes I fail, but I try my best to keep living by that rule. 

I am happy where I am with my business right now. My kids are little, and we all know how fast they grow, so I am not planning on expanding until they are a bit older so that I can enjoy this precious time with them. I don't know what the future holds. I have always been a "live in the now" kind of girl. Things have a way of working themselves out. I once read "The work you do when you  are procrastinating is probably the work you should be doing for the rest of your life." When I am not doing dishes I am playing with my kids. When I have a pile of laundry to fold, I make a new dress. I feel I like live up to that statement and it makes me happy. Once I accepted that I can't do it all, I was a lot happier. [I am loving that quote!]

The fox dress that I have in my shop is my favorite. It's so special to me because it was the first dress that started it all. The watermelon dress hits a close second. 

My advice for other moms wanting to start a business would be to trust your creativity, it will only grow the more you create. Don't compare yourself, or your business, to other small business . Focus on your own work or product, and your success will come in time. 

Throughout the Instagram community I have found some amazingly talented moms who I get to call my friends. Honestly, I could list so many but the two who stand out to me is Brynn who had two shops:  E.G.G. Handmade, for sweet baby clothes and also Thread x Twill that focuses on unique home decor .We actually met on Pinterest! With our similar pins and interests it was inevitable that we would become friends and I hope to meet her in "real life" one day! Another shop is Nooks Design. Ruthy make boots, dresses and rompers. This girl is a risk taker and it certainly pays off. Her dedication is admirable! 

Thanks Dani, loved your post!!