Monday, December 14, 2020

Get to Know Lindsey Gaughan: Creator of Best Day Ever Ears Co.

Lindsey Gaughan is the founder and creator of Best Day Ever Ears Co. and makes Minnie ears.
If you know me at all, you know I am a major Disney person. Every time I go to the parks (RIP right now, but in general), I plan out the perfect outfit to wear that day. And a lot of that starts with the right pair of Minnie ears! My absolute favorite small shop for Minnie ears is Best Day Ever Ears Co. Lindsey Gaughan creates so many amazing pairs of Minnie ears that truly bring joy and delight! She thinks of new designs each season (not to mention each month), and painstakingly crafts them with such love and care. The quality cannot be beat! I also love that Lindsey is now making masks during the pandemic, and of course those are just as amazing. I'm thrilled to feature her! Read on to discover how Lindsey got her start making ears, the number 1 beauty product she can't live without, and so much more.

Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
I am from Pearland, Texas (Best state in the nation!). I grew up dancing competitively my whole life and I think it really helped shape the woman I am today. I went to school at SFA (Axe ’em Jacks!) and am a Delta Zeta. I have a Bachelors Degree in Sports Marketing and a Masters Degree in Sports Management, though I don't work in sports and events anymore. My favorite thing I have picked up since college has been Crossfit. I've found some of my very best friends at the gym and for that I am forever thankful.

How did you first become interested in Disney, and in Minnie ears specifically -- and what led you to start your own shop?
I've been going to Disney since I was a little kid, but we never wore ears. In 2016 I bought some ears for my mom, sister and me for our annual Halloween trip. I knew I wanted a pair to match every outfit for our 2017 trip! One of the shirts I wanted to wear was a basic Jungle Book tee I bought off Amazon, but couldn't find ANY cute Jungle Book ears. I figured, how hard could it be to make my own? So I got some materials and attempted it. I showed my mom what I did and she told me I should consider selling them!

I bought some more materials to test it out and thank goodness I did because a week later, Hurricane Harvey hit. We were stuck in the house for a whole week with nothing to do but plenty of free time to make ears! So my mom and I worked together to perfect a stencil and create some inventory and by the end of the week, Best Day Ever Ears Co. was born! Funny though, I never did make those Jungle Book ears. It wasn't until a year or so later I found the fabric I actually liked!

Minnie ears and uniglitter from Lindsey Gaughan, founder and creator of Best Day Ever Ears Co. Minnie ears.
The sparkly amazingness of uniglitter!
Where do you find inspiration for your collection?
I get inspiration from all over the place! Rides, walls, characters, and even customers! I did some ears using uniglitterlabs and that was SO much fun. I am a brand ambassador for them (Use BESTDAYEVER to save!) and they were kind enough to send me a few bags of loose glitter. It was fun to see the colors and explore what my options were with them! There were many fails but oh such beautiful ones too!

Lindsey Gaughan is the founder and creator of Best Day Ever Ears Co. and makes Minnie ears.
Lindsey's amazing corkboard ears!
 If you could only wear one pair of your ears, which one would it be and why?
If I had to pick, I'd go with the cork. They literally go with anything. Plus, you can theme it accordingly with pins!

Printed face masks from Lindsey Gaughan, founder and creator of Best Day Ever Ears Co.
A few of the fun face masks designs you can find in the shop.
I love that you're creating masks now. How did you come to make that decision, and what has that been like for you?
Masks have been such a huge take on! I knew a lot of people were needing and wanting them, and thought I should be doing my part to help. Ear business was kinda slow during quarantine, so it gave me a lot of free time to figure out a pattern and get on it! My first two releases took me WAYYY too long to make. I chose quite possibly the hardest pattern, broke like 12 needles, and almost threw my machine out the window! I almost gave up. Since then, I've upgraded to a simpler, cuter pattern that also includes a filter pocket and space to add a nose wire.

Lindsey Gaughan is the founder and creator of Best Day Ever Ears Co. and makes Minnie ears.
One of the ear and mask sets you can find in the shop. (Psst: I have that mask!)
Now that the need isn't as imminent, I am able to offer matching ear and mask sets! The biggest request is for Purple Wall ears and Mask. Making masks has given me a nice break from ears, but also a newfound appreciation of making them. It gets so boring making the same thing over and over and over. So it's nice to have a break in between!

Let's talk beauty for a moment! What are your top 5 beauty essentials?
Oh man, don't let my pictures fool you ... I am the biggest tomboy when it comes to these things! I also have pretty much given up on wearing makeup during quarantine! But when I do put in the effort, here are some things I like to do.

1. Johnson's Bedtime Baby Lotion. When I remember to take care of my body, this is my jam! I put it on after my shower and my skin feels great.

2. Brow Pencil. When I do wear makeup, I always carry a brow pencil around with me. I have blonde hair so my eyebrows are basically nonexistent!

3. Chapstick! I have a car chapstick, work chapstick, kitchen chapstick, lol you get the idea right?

4. Biore Charcoal Bar. I use this to wash my face mostly, on occasion my body. Just feels so refreshing!

5. Vitamin E oil. I've recently got into putting this on my shoulder post surgery (rotator cuff in December) to help blend in the scars. But now I've started putting it on my face and neck after showering.

What are your top 3 tips for Minnie Ears makers?
I get messages a lot on how I got started and for tips, but these are the most important.

1. Be original.

2. Do your own homework.

3. Never stop improving your process.

Lindsey Gaughan is the founder and creator of Best Day Ever Ears Co. and makes Minnie ears.
One of my fave pics of Lindsey! I loved seeing her fun Halloween-inspired outfits at Disney World!

Owning your own small shop must be fun (and time consuming!), but what do you do in your spare time?
I work 40 hours a week at my day job, then probably another 30+ hours a week for my shop. So I think it's very important that there is some free time in there somewhere. For me, that typically is after work. I head straight to the gym with my friends. An hour or so later I've decompressed and am ready to work in my office on ears and such. On occasion, I'll finish up working at midnight and think, I didn't get any ME TIME! So I'll stay up and watch TV for another hour. Always a bad idea! 

When I am all caught up, I just like to hang out with friends, be at the pool, and ignore cleaning my house!

How can The Beauty of Life readers find you on social media?
You can find me on Instagram at @bestdayeverearsco.
I've also recently gotten on the Tiktok trend lol (SEND HELP!) @BestDayEverEarsCo

1 comment:

  1. Really cool to read about a self-motivated creative person who is bringing joy to so many!

    ReplyDelete