A Letter Of Introduction

Christmas at my mom's house 2010
Declin, Brooke, Mark, Kayla
Christianna, Sonja

For those of you who are new to the team, and for those members who have been with us for a long time and just don't know anything about me, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Sonja.  You may know me as VeryVerdant. I was born and raised in a small town  in south Alabama. I was blessed to marry my highschool sweet heart, a transplant from the Chicago area,  in November of 1993. Mark currently works as a Cardiac Radiographer at a local hospital. I am happy to be a full time home educating, home business managing, stay at home mom.

Together we have four children, who we have homeschooled since 2002. Our first daughter, Brooke,  graduated last year and is on her way to receiving a degree in sports medicine with an emphasis in kinesiology.
Our second daughter,Kayla, will graduate this coming May. She plans to work in ministry with young women and has a heart for orphans. Our third child is our only son. Declin is 13 now and skinny, but can eat all day long and not be full. I am sure other Mom's of boys can understand that. As he approaches high school, our son continues to feed his dream of joining the Marine Corps when he graduates. Last of all, is Christianna our 10 year old daughter and the life of our party! This girl always has something to talk about and loves life to the fullest. There is never a dull moment with her around. I am not sure what her plans are for the future; except that right now, she plans to live with me and her dad forever! I am sure that will change soon but for now, I think that sounds like a great plan!

I want to thank Linda for her vision to start an Etsy team for people who have chosen to home educate their children and for those who were home educated themselves. It is my hope that each team member will be as involved  as possible, so that we can encourage each other, both in our homeschooling endeavors as well as in growing our businesses.

                                                                           I look forward to working for you.
                                                                                       Sonja Greene
 

Change Is In The Air

There are some exciting things coming our way, several changes that I think will be good for the team. I want to thank each of you for your thoughts and prayers as I went through a few medical issues.  It is my hope to get the blog up and running again as we move into November. 

If you are a member of SHEteam and would like to contribute to our blog or have ideas or would like to know more about volunteering for the team, please, contact me via VeryVerdant.

 If you would like to know more about our team or would like to join our team, please, visit our SHEteam Page On Etsy .

Thanks,
Sonja
VeryVerdant

Interview With Mother Daughter Team Nichole and Francis

Tell us a little about yourselves:

(Mom) Hello everyone! I am Frances Reyes alias "Mom." I am 53 years of age and began my homeschooling journey almost 24 years ago while carrying my first child. The Lord was so gracious to bless me with two wonderful children, Nicole 23 (my business partner), and Christopher 21. I love crocheting, sewing, gardening, cooking, reading and collecting books, and watching old movies but my most favorite of all things is to be by the sea.

(Nicole) Hello! I'm Nicole Reyes, Frances' daughter and co-owner of Nicole & Mom's Creations. I had the wonderful privilege of being homeschooled through the 12th grade, and loved every minute of it! My interests vary from crocheting, drawing, watching old black and white movies, and of course what girl doesn't love to shop! Karate is my passion. I have been in the martial arts for almost 10 years and earned my 2nd degree black belt in 2011. Currently, I run my own school from home and compete professionally. My ultimate goal is to make the U.S. National Team someday.

How did you begin working in your craft and how did it develop into a business?(Mom) It's funny to think back on how I got started at my craft. Crocheting was something I taught myself to do as a child, just like sewing. It was just one of those things on a list I wanted to learn and it never occured to me that one day the skill would develop into a business!

(Nicole) My mom started the business several years back. I hadn't picked up a crochet hook yet and was anxious to learn when we did our first craft fair together.
I love it now!



Boyfriend Tie in Silver and Gray






 

What is one of your favorite homeschool memories?(Mom) I think my most favorite homeschool memory was the freedom of providing my children with the avenues to discover what they enjoyed learning, and to develop those things into useful skills.

What did you like best about being homeschooled?(Nicole) It was a true blessing that the Lord placed it in my mother's heart to educate my brother and I at home. Some of my fondest memories were simply being with her and spending time learning. We have an amazing relationship and being homeschooled all those years made our friendship blossom!



Bandana Scarf With Fringe



What is one thing that you liked least about being homeschooled?(Nicole) MATH!

What advice would you give to other homeschool families who are also trying to run a home business?(Mom) My best advice for any family trying to start or run a home business is to enjoy the process of learning and being together. That might mean cultivating more than one business at a time. For example we run our crocheting business, a dojo and a bookstore all from home.

Crochet Flower Bookmark

What advice would you give to other homeschool students who would like to start their own business?(Nicole) It's very rewarding being your own boss. Find something you love or are interested in learning and try turning it into a business. You never know what might happen!



Scarf Shawl in Shimmery Champagne



Where do you find inspiration for your pieces?(Mom) Being a bit of a rebel at heart, I try to create pieces that go against the flow of fashion. In other words I try to create pieces that you can't find anywhere else. I want buyers to feel like they have on something unique.

(Nicole) My inspiration comes simply from the joy of creating and watching others enjoy the finished product. Crocheting is very relaxing for me especially when I'm a bit stressed!

What is your favorite item in your shop right now?(Mom) I would have to say that currently my most favorite piece is my "Crochet Red Purse."

(Nicole) The bandana scarves are my favorite. Everyone loves them!



Crochet Purse in Red or Beige You Choose the Color



Do you have specific goals for your business?(Nicole & Mom) Creating unique, quality items is our main goal. We love to see our customers come back for more!

Do you have any other websites that you would like to share? ie, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Online Shop...(Nicole & Mom) Visit our Etsy shop at www.etsy.com/shop/NicoleandMom. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter!