Interview with California-Based Blogger & Author Stacy Brown

Floor Coverings International Concord is pleased to bring you the latest installment in our Designer Influencer Interview Series. The amazingly talented Stacy Brown is creator and author of children’s crafts site The Squirmy Wormy and writes wonderful children’s books. Stacy is also a contributor for boutique coffee website Mommee Coffee. You can follow Stacy on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Please tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Stacy Brown, and I’m a parent to a funny and creative three-year-old girl and newborn baby boy. I am a digital marketing specialist, graphic designer, children’s book author, and mom blogger. My husband and I have lived in San Diego for 11 years, having grown up in Wisconsin.

My love of art and creativity come from my mom, an elementary art teacher and artist. Growing up with minimal TV time and endless amounts of creative activities helped shape the careers for both my sister and myself.

What’s the favorite type of flooring you have in your home and why?

We have beautiful travertine floors in our home. I love how easy it is to keep them clean, and they’re so durable (we can drop anything on them and not chip, stain or scratch them). They also stay really cool in the summer, which is nice when you live in San Diego! My son just started crawling, so we had to roll out a large rug for him to play on – but he’ll be walking in a few months and then we’ll be done with that!

Why did you decide to start a blog? What do you enjoy about blogging?

I started my blog while on maternity leave with my second child and it’s been so wonderful documenting all of the creative things that we do around the house! Looking back, I can’t believe how much I was able to accomplish with a toddler and a newborn baby. But you have to keep your little ones occupied doing something other than watching TV all day, and with a new baby I was tied to the house a lot. So crafting and creating new recipes was easy!

And with Mommee Coffee, it was a natural fit for me to be able to work with them to share my experiences, since their products are perfect for pregnant and nursing mothers (aka me)! My favorite blog I wrote for them recently was “DIY Cardboard Box Project: Princess Airlines” complete with a fun video.

Where do you find most of your inspiration?

I get all of my inspiration from my kids! I created my first children’s book “Let’s Count Cupcakes!” specifically for my two-year-old daughter who loves cupcakes (what kid doesn’t) and coloring in her books. I wanted to combine a counting and learning book with a book that also teaches drawing tips. With bright and vibrant pages, it’s perfect to capture the attention of a toddler, and the coloring pages are simple and intuitive for kids. And now that I have a son (7 months), I have started adding other titles that he will like someday like “Let’s Count Bugs!.”

For my arts and crafts blogs on TheSquirmyWormy.com and MommeeCoffee.com, I focus on activities that fit my daughter’s skillset. My daughter is now three-years-old and can handle more detailed art projects. She’s learned so many skills trying different art mediums, and has found a balance between creative expression (rainbows and unicorns) and realism (using the color blue for the sky or drawing the details of the stripes on a tiger).

Can you explain a recent project you’ve been working on?

My daughter’s sweet tooth guides a lot of projects around the house! We recently worked on a “Giant Cookie” together that included painting, cutting pieces and applying them with velcro. A lot of great skills for a toddler to practice! She can take the chocolate chips on and off, count them, and apply different colors to the board. By using the velcro it makes it more interactive vs. just another painting on the wall. A fun project without the sugar high!