Hello there, Penny Darlings!
Welcome back to another exciting episode of Penny Darling.
There’s some VERY exciting stuff coming up including some athletic wear (highly requested!), LOTS of Halloween stuff, including a *giveaway* perhaps this Friday? Maybe? Possibly. Probably. I have Halloween inspired outfits, lazy Halloween costume DIY, mine and Preston’s couple costumes, a haul post, a fifties look book, and some other really cool things that I am v. excited for.
And I had some AMAZING meetings this week and there may be something really exciting in the works that I absolutely cannot wait to share with you, but alas, I must wait a bit longer!
As always – check me out on Instagram here! I also started a Twitter account! Find that here! Follow Preston’s brand new fashion Instagram here! I also have a selling Instagram page where I sell some of my old clothes/styles so that I don’t drown in my own wardrobe.
But for today I wanted to highlight someone really cool.
You know that I consider myself a total #GIRLBOSS and that I am living and breathing that GIRLBOSS life. Even if it literally is killing me – I am obsessed. It’s the best feeling.
So, I totally respect any and all GIRLBOSSes out there or LADY BOSS or BOSS BABE or whatever totally rad name you qualify yourself for. I LOVE bloggers and YouTubers and influencers and independent companies, female owned, girl power, small businesses, Etsy Shop Owners, Ebay flippers. All of it.
And my friend, Shelby, of StoryKnits is no exception.
What is the exception is that Shelby and I go all the way back to elementary school. We did the musicals, we did prom stuff together, we saw the last Harry Potter at midnight, we even ended up at the same college (we both started at different colleges and ended up at the same one!) and then we were even eventually roommates in our first off campus apartment! Here’s some fun pics of us from high school!
She is now a librarian. She always jokes that she works with elementary kids because she’s bigger than them and doesn’t get mistaken for a student like she does in middle school/high school! Ha!
Shelby started this really fun business called StoryKnits!
A Little Background:
Shelby says, “StoryKnits began as an idea in 2014. I was fresh out of college in the midst of trying to find a full-time job as a librarian in a public school. (I went to KU with Abby; we were even roommates! I majored in Library Science.) I realized that in all my free time I was knitting things for my friends and family as gifts. One day i thought, “I wonder if other people might be interested in my knits?” I spent a few months worried no one would like my stuff, and worried no one would buy anything. But, I decided to stop worrying and just go for it, and in 2015 my little StoryKnits etsy shop was born.”
‘Lane’ Pom Pom Beanie!
As the name StoryKnits suggests, Shelby bases a lot of her pieces on characters in film, literature, or…TV! And this one is named after the adorable Lane of Gilmore Girls (a preferred fave of mine and Shelby’s!).
And all I can think of is that episode where Lane becomes a cheerleader and she tells Rory that one of a set of pom poms is called a pom.
And let me tell you – this was by far my favorite piece. 20 out of 10 would recommend to a friend. We’ve been in this weird and stupid heat wave in PA…and I liked this hat SO much that I wore it with a romper and flip flops in the middle of 92% humidity.
IT WAS SO CUTE THAT I COULDN’T EVEN PICK JUST ONE OUTFIT FOR IT TO GO WITH.
Literally – everyone needs this.
The Big Bow Headband
This is another fave! It’s cute, whimsical, feminine, got a big ass bow, and she custom made it in this lilac purple because most of my winter coats are gray and it matches literally all of them.
I paired it with this ALL purple get up because it is just delightful.
And remember, Shelby can custom make these in ANY color. She has….an obsessive amount of yarn. Check out this Big Bow Headband here!
I asked Shelby how the name Story Knits came to be and this is what she had to say:
“The name comes from my love of books and stories of all kinds. I love knitting and crocheting and every item I create has a story. For example, I created the Stella Doll Beret during winter storm Stella here on the east coast. I knit that beret snowed in from work sitting next to my fiteplace in the dark. Another example is the cute slouchy beanie I made for Abby, which of course I named after the Penny Darling Blog. I created it especially for Abby with her color choices. I thought about which cute outfits she might pair with it.”
“Every piece of art has a story. “
And this is the piece Shelby made for me and I’m even it’s namesake!
(Which is so cool. One of the things on my bucket list is to have as many things named after me as possible! I have an Abby Omlette also!).
But this is said piece…..
The Penny Darling Beanie
This was another custom made….literally why am I clarifying that these are custom made? They are ALL custom made. And she turned THREE pieces around in like, no time, and they were all a perfect match to my clothes and coats!
And this one is my namesake piece! And it’s totally fitting.
But the other day, Jeremy (mine and Preston’s roommate!) and I were joking about funny ways to describe our personal styles and I made the joke that mine was similar to that of a ‘prissy toddler’ because it’s all tutus and pink and glitter and bows and whimsy…you know, same as the average preschooler.
And this hat was kind of the perfect combo. It’s slouchy and comfy but has this big black bow on a soft pink and white stripe. I styled it with my Society+ tutu and this amazing suede coat I got at Fashion Bug (to date this story – RIP Fashion Bug). If you tell me that this look is not the look of a prissy toddler – than I don’t know what is!
Check out this beanie here!
Shelby at Story Knits shared with me her thoughts about owning and running your own small business and what her favorite and least favorite part of it is.
“The best part about running a small business is being your own boss and setting your own hours. You set the pace for your business. The more you put into it, the more you’ll get back! (hopefully!) The worst part is getting your name out there. I tend to get nervous about making a facebook add or applying for a craft market. Many judgy things run through my mind like, will they think my business is a joke? Will they like my stuff? Will they want to purchase anything? It’s hard putting yourself and your passion out there. But, I’m learning that if you love what you make and you put quality materials and quality time into your product, chances are someone else will love it too.”
I feel that. Literally my life.
Be sure to give StoryKnits a follow!
Check her out on Facebook, & Instagram!
And of course, be sure to check out her Etsy store! And bonus: any PennyDarlings who use the code: PENNYDARLING10 will get 10% off their order!
These are great for the holidays. I am LEGIT pumped to wear that yellow beanie to NYC for mine and Preston’s annual trip!
Thank you to Shelby of StoryKnits who gifted me these CUSTOM items! You are an absolute doll. ❤
So everyone go show her some love!
SO HERE’S THE “END OF BLOG” SPIEL!
The next few weeks have some awesome stuff planned! I have a Gwynnie Bee post planned! And as I mentioned some Halloween stuff, and some romantic stuff (mine and Preston’s three year anniversary is this month!) and I’m going to do 13 Days of Halloween on Instagram. It’s going to be an absolute blast. Literally can’t wait. So everyone stay tuned, please!
And I CANNOT wait to get into the holiday season. I’ve got Halloween outfits planned, Halloween costumes, couple’s costumes, stocking ideas, gift ideas, holiday wear. Ya’ll….it’s going to be Ah-MAH-Zing
If you are at all interested in doing a collab or working with me – please feel free to check out my new Contact Me! page!
I definitely want to do more His & Her fashion. Do you guys like seeing Preston more?
Follow me on Instagram: @thepennydarling
If you want to follow my darling, Preston – you can click here!
Subscribe for updates!
Check out my Gwynnie Bee affiliate page here! (Free month trial if you use my code!)
Check out my Society+ affiliate page here!
If you’d like to donate to help me keep Penny Darling going – click here!
Comment for topics you would like to see me cover! Like to help my self esteem! What do you think so far? More fashion? More lifestyle? Do you like the mix?
Thank you for all that you do. You are truly extraordinary.
Love all you wonderful ladies (and gents!) out there!
How Very,
Abby
Penny Darling 