I’ll be the first to admit that when I wander the isles of a craft show, the phrase “I can do that” runs through my head…and then I try it and discover that there is a definite learning curve that goes into many arts.  One of my failed attempts was at the art of making mosaics, and after a very disastrous run, have decided that I will leave that up to the talented mosaic artists that truly take this art form to another level.

One such talent is Lauren, who lives in the historic town of Annapolis, Maryland with her loving husband and their dog,Quincy.  While her formal training is as a Librarian and has worked in many government and academic libraries, she loves to spend her time working in her rooftop garden and working with the Big Brother and Big Sister program as a big sister!  She always loved creating, everything from cross stitching to making cards to quilting, but those things were just hobbies to pass the time.  It wasn’t until Lauren stumbled upon mosaics that she found her true passion.

Lauren began, like so many handmade businesses, making mosaics as gifts for her family after a friend, who worked mainly in broken china mosaics, taught her the basics of the art.  As she began to experiment, however, she became engrossed with the combinations of materials and colors to get the look she was after and very soon discovered glass tiles which opened up an entirely new world.  She loves to work with custom orders since she gets the opportunity to form a personal relationship with her customers and make amazing one of a kind creation that will be treasured.  There is something very special about taking a customer’s vague idea and making it a reality for them.

Soon, her friends and family gently encouraged her to branch out and sell her work…and Green Street Mosaics was born.  Named after the lovely tree lined streets of historic Annapolis, Lauren began selling her work online as well as at local craft shows around her area.  She has found the rewards of meeting people from across the country who admires her work encouraging but the business end of marketing, SEO, shipping and accounting a bit more of a challenge.  Despite this learning curve, Lauren’s business is growing and expanding every day.

With all this on the job self training, Lauren advises people that want to join in the handmade marketplace to only do so if they are truly committed to success.  She found, through experience, how much behind the scenes work there is to running a successful business and how much time it really takes out of your day.  She highly recommends networking with other creative people to learn tips from their experience.  Bottom line, hard work pays off and if you are willing to put in the time, the business can be a success.

If you are not lucky enough to live in Maryland and run across Lauren at a local show you can still admire her work online!  She has a stocked Etsy shop that is a sight to behold as well as a Facebook page where you can keep up on her newest creations or you can track her on Twitter.  Wherever you find Lauren’s work, you will instantly be confronted by her eye for color and design and her obvious love of creating.