tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12917521592921860782024-03-05T04:39:56.539+00:00A Little Bird Told MeApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-89618058750199840612016-05-28T20:49:00.002+01:002016-05-28T20:53:22.899+01:00Making The Most of Free Software: Facebook Photo Editor!<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Did you know that when you're uploading photos to Facebook you can edit them? It took me *ages* to figure this out (mostly because I kept ignoring the fact it said "Edit Photo" and showed a little paintbrush when you hovered over the photo).</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8fJ8wepgg2lY8ID9-muSG9mhzMY93V97SCRqGETyF0W90YvOdWEU35XIAqVoHmpxrgEjWq1SQaXcXTk0WBuKNh_kp11j3meL8Dr18O9Tr_eembMC-qilPy3kv9HdWFj-VrDDOjw2GDs/s1600/Screenshot+2016-05-28+at+20.17.04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8fJ8wepgg2lY8ID9-muSG9mhzMY93V97SCRqGETyF0W90YvOdWEU35XIAqVoHmpxrgEjWq1SQaXcXTk0WBuKNh_kp11j3meL8Dr18O9Tr_eembMC-qilPy3kv9HdWFj-VrDDOjw2GDs/s400/Screenshot+2016-05-28+at+20.17.04.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a bit blurry from being blown up but you should see this<br />when you hover the photo after uploading it.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One day my curiosity got the best of me and I thought to myself I may as well give it a go - and plus, sometimes I can't be bothered to use my go to photo editing site: PicMonkey. I love PicMonkey, don't get me wrong, but sometimes it's nice to have an even quicker way to edit a photo.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's so simple and easy to use.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After clicking on the paintbrush (see picture above) it'll bring you to this screen:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcUMbYd-QeyZ0DbjEKD1HsR_5Evp-PydkOWzDASu3zR124p74Pvrl7xjeRerg66k3yvDMyfgGRnamx1Lmf-mIH_DIb9JJ6I3ds7PCxrFftwrmQvRuiTIcJ3XFYbvkLuYLT3kWYQh-wxU/s1600/Screenshot+2016-05-28+at+19.41.50.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcUMbYd-QeyZ0DbjEKD1HsR_5Evp-PydkOWzDASu3zR124p74Pvrl7xjeRerg66k3yvDMyfgGRnamx1Lmf-mIH_DIb9JJ6I3ds7PCxrFftwrmQvRuiTIcJ3XFYbvkLuYLT3kWYQh-wxU/s640/Screenshot+2016-05-28+at+19.41.50.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can zoom! You can crop! You can add text!<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One feature I really like to use is adding text and stickers to the photo, especially if I am running something like an offer or a giveaway. It just adds a little pizazz to your photos that I think people like to see!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Click on the stickers smiley face, seen in blue below. It will bring up a drop down menu. I like to use the "search stickers" options and type in key words in the hopes that I'll find something useful.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHyCVw0NqNRTX7fTi9YtsVop-KZ6OVJN35pg4cWD1zLzoAOpgbSyJ2nqv6BYng0mZBwJO6cMUf3IDHz6O6KBno3aavx1t-v29oWQWwnyWnWhZFJDC7NEL_WerwXUfGjJjedLCV0vGY4qU/s1600/Screenshot+2016-05-28+at+19.42.00.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHyCVw0NqNRTX7fTi9YtsVop-KZ6OVJN35pg4cWD1zLzoAOpgbSyJ2nqv6BYng0mZBwJO6cMUf3IDHz6O6KBno3aavx1t-v29oWQWwnyWnWhZFJDC7NEL_WerwXUfGjJjedLCV0vGY4qU/s320/Screenshot+2016-05-28+at+19.42.00.png" width="288" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqbVZuMmG1X_tkruYTI5YzEsD_9RE5gO7r31watfltrAuILvWb3_zIhdwOnAGlvZ7GKS_raT_jugNoymoPqrLfcmrJ_MOCMcWklv6v5NqPjMgAjxabqK9LkoYAwPWj58yjpjYrvidSok/s1600/Screenshot+2016-05-28+at+19.42.42.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqbVZuMmG1X_tkruYTI5YzEsD_9RE5gO7r31watfltrAuILvWb3_zIhdwOnAGlvZ7GKS_raT_jugNoymoPqrLfcmrJ_MOCMcWklv6v5NqPjMgAjxabqK9LkoYAwPWj58yjpjYrvidSok/s320/Screenshot+2016-05-28+at+19.42.42.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A lot of the options are just so cute, I typed in "star" to see what sort of things are on offer. As you can see, lots!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the end I opted for something that went with my library print card: a stack of books! I only wish there were more font options, maybe that's something Mr. Zuckerberg will think about adding in the future!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippRyDDpzKS9zfZ8bP4VrtdMlsWhzinlvhMlwLy3w6tMu271ls7fS_sSui8455d5-LwAJSf_RDw_w1XnaVOHTxDwrxWkairVUfjM4C-_8s2xIy6Re6ViAnmm-u57FQJ3l8_1IAj4Ii2VI/s1600/Screenshot+2016-05-28+at+19.44.04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEippRyDDpzKS9zfZ8bP4VrtdMlsWhzinlvhMlwLy3w6tMu271ls7fS_sSui8455d5-LwAJSf_RDw_w1XnaVOHTxDwrxWkairVUfjM4C-_8s2xIy6Re6ViAnmm-u57FQJ3l8_1IAj4Ii2VI/s400/Screenshot+2016-05-28+at+19.44.04.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Pros</b>:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Quick and easy - no needing to use a second party site, you just upload, edit, save, publish</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Plenty of options for filters, sticker add ons</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Crop abilities</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Add text</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tagging options</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Cons</b>:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The text option is very basic - you only have about 5 fonts to choose from and they're all quite boring!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You can only use this feature when posting photos as your real self so no using it as your business page!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It only works uploading photos to your wall or to a page wall that you are visiting as yourself. You cannot edit pictures you upload in comments.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>This one is either going to be pro or con</b>:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So far I have not found if Facebook saves these edits to your computer. Makes it a tad harder to then just upload the edited version of your photo that you've just made. You'd have to go through the process again OR you can save image yourself after it's uploaded.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Things I am not sure of</b>:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have no idea if this feature is available using the mobile app!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If this is all news to you - great! I hope it can help and gives you something new to try when you're networking and uploading photos.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cheers and happy bank holiday weekend!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Amy xo</span></div>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-1213609041530947522016-05-25T11:43:00.000+01:002016-05-28T20:53:18.937+01:00Making the Most of Networking: Scheduling!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Networking Schedule</span></b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Below is a list of three major networking sites for those who run small crafty businesses. If you see any updates I should add or corrections, please let me know and I'll edit accordingly!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdchFsXGwdMTw7ozHEnZt9dsZV01IWZTkCrc7SweBs2oivQUhbxnShYwC4VxwFAC-eBziWBrkmn8zlZyG_UP-B-hdfYQu-WcQWu0t6GJl2UJ2BhQLCxTVkjm22Smojokb7A4FSvbKFso/s1600/475fbfdaccdcf5073162af30312d4966.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdchFsXGwdMTw7ozHEnZt9dsZV01IWZTkCrc7SweBs2oivQUhbxnShYwC4VxwFAC-eBziWBrkmn8zlZyG_UP-B-hdfYQu-WcQWu0t6GJl2UJ2BhQLCxTVkjm22Smojokb7A4FSvbKFso/s320/475fbfdaccdcf5073162af30312d4966.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image via Pinterest (free printables! Make yourself pretty<br />
calendars to schedule in your networking!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>HIKE THOSE LIKES MARKET PLACE (@htlmp)</b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Monday 10am on Facebook: Day Hike</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Monday 8pm on Facebook: Ready to Post Event (not sure if it’s the same day of the week every week)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tuesday 1-2pm on Twitter: #HTLMPHOUR (not sure if this is ever Tuesday)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tuesday 9pm on Facebook: Hike Night </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wednesday 8pm on Facebook: Made To Order Event</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saturday 9pm on Facebook: Show Me Show Me Event</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sunday 9pm on Facebook: Hike Night</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daily 3pm on Facebook: School Run</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">? 8pm on Facebook: Show & Sell Event (not sure if it’s the same day of the week every week)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also have: #WowWednesdays, Early Bird and Night Owl daily, Show makes in different colours/price ranges that are then sometimes shared to the wall/placed into albums on the HTLMP page.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-83d510ad-e77c-ba3e-e0ab-6d9720d71254"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>HANDMADE HOUR (@HandmadeHour)</b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wednesdays 7:30-9:30pm on Twitter</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sundays 8pm-9pm on Twitter</span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>CRAFT HOUR (@CraftHour)</b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sunday 7pm on Twitter: #CraftHour</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Monday All Day on Facebook: Monday Marathon</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tuesday All Day on Facebook: Treasury Tuesday</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Friday All Day on Facebook: Friday Faveathon</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are also shown on Twitter and and Instagram so worth following them on all platforms</span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is *not* an exhaustive list by any means! But these are three groups that I am trying to focus on.</span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are a lot of networking groups out there - but some of the best advice I’ve seen from HTLMP is to not spread yourself too thin. You want to maybe pick 2 or 3 that you know you can devote your time to and be seen daily/frequently so people start to recognize and know you. You then become a person worth recommending to others when someone’s looking for something specific. You’ll also be able to keep up with engagement if you focus on a few sites rather than trying to post to 15.</span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you need help finding places to showcase your work and network: ask in groups you are already a part of, do a quick Google or Facebook search of something like “handmade gifts” and see what pops up, look for buy/sell groups in your area as most of them allow business posts. These are just a few ways to find new groups.</span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have found that my networking comes in waves - I’ll be really good and then all of a sudden I miss a few events, get flustered and stop for awhile feeling a bit defeated that I can’t keep up with it all. This of course means I lose my reach and being seen by the community who may be buying from me.</span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So I created the above Network Schedule as a handy reference guide to look at throughout the week. Yes these events happen weekly at the same time and dates but it can be hard running a business, running a house, running after your kid(s) to remember them all! For me, if I can see it in list form it helps me tremendously and hopefully this can help you too!</span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My next stop is printing off a calendar and scheduling in the events I want to take part in. My aim is to do this monthly: plan the whole month out so that it becomes part of the job of having a small business and treating it as such will hopefully help me keep my focus. If for some reason I miss an event, I’ll try to make up for it by participating in another.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you have any networking tips we could benefit from? Leave them in the comments!</span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here’s to networking and being seen!</span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Good luck all!</span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ea9999; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amy xo</span></div>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-50834407030735533172016-02-12T10:00:00.000+00:002016-02-12T10:00:17.433+00:00Meet The Makers: Crafty What Nots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvCa4E9hCqDxv5YlSg_KxDPCQDDGO0AIGOv7pVcxQPTOZqQZMpic-6356sCu5YmMWLhPsehuNdsdLijetUCQi6glwIosf2qJVAbvAI3T_PKoo0vRl_m9ETEOHyBSYoKy1vwc-i70XOlbY/s1600/meet+the+makers+crafty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvCa4E9hCqDxv5YlSg_KxDPCQDDGO0AIGOv7pVcxQPTOZqQZMpic-6356sCu5YmMWLhPsehuNdsdLijetUCQi6glwIosf2qJVAbvAI3T_PKoo0vRl_m9ETEOHyBSYoKy1vwc-i70XOlbY/s400/meet+the+makers+crafty.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>This week on meet the makers we meet Jenny, the creator and designer behind one of the coolest concepts out there: mystery craft boxes! There's nothing better than getting a bit of post but how great is it that you can sign up and know each month you'll receive a box filled with fabulous crafting items and tutorials?! Read on to find out more about Jenny!</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Go on, introduce yourself!</b></span></span><br />
<div class="ii gt m1525ecbdfd5ec494 adP adO" id=":fr" style="background-color: white; direction: ltr; margin: 5px 15px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; position: relative;">
<div class="a3s" id=":fq" style="overflow: hidden;">
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hi, my name is Jenny, I'm 39 and I live in beautiful Dorset with my partner and our three wonderful daughters. I am also a total craftaholic! I caught the crafting bug at a very young age and tried so many different crafts and strangely enough, in varying forms, I still do many of them! I am the designer behind Crafty What Nots, the monthly mystery postal box. I also run Jennysis where I do portraits and sell a variety of other crafty items. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When did your business launch? What was the spark that led you to starting it?</span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I launched Jennysis back in 2014, I had planned to open up an online marketplace to give sellers a platform to sell their beautiful crafts. My plans were slightly stunted by a new idea however which very quickly took over! The monthly crafty box! I had seen all sorts of monthly boxes and knew how popular they were in the US but I couldn't find one that was crafty enough for my tastes, I wanted one to contain several tutorials and some lovely craft materials. I realised there was a gap in the market and that I could create boxes full of different tutorials. I set to work and launched my first box in October 2014. My first boxes were sent out to a few bloggers to review, then the next month the sales came in. Each box contains a minimum of 2 tutorials which are in full colour. I also include all the materials needed to create the designs yourself as well as plenty of extras. I also make a little gift for each of my customers. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As time went on people were asking for special boxes for presents so I launched the One-off box, this is customised to the individual more and contains at least 3 tutorials. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I now do 5 different types of boxes. The standard monthly, one-off, the 'Whatever' box (a box of luckily dip craft supplies), the Crafty kits (kits for particular crafts) and the 'Night Before Christmas' box (a crafty Christmas Eve box). </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have loved creating these boxes and they have certainly kept my brain going, trying to design new tutorials all the time!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTEmebWr56W7scv4wogLeJx3NUvdOqyZnyOZlBwk-PzjBPDAXAuxc7EvO7asNQMYCexVM8kupCEoaTl8NJkeksmYGD0r_xZIi9v4m0VX6Z_rng4Sc1MAJPXzPjBhkJciPBoMr0or9ecs/s1600/IMG_0229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTEmebWr56W7scv4wogLeJx3NUvdOqyZnyOZlBwk-PzjBPDAXAuxc7EvO7asNQMYCexVM8kupCEoaTl8NJkeksmYGD0r_xZIi9v4m0VX6Z_rng4Sc1MAJPXzPjBhkJciPBoMr0or9ecs/s400/IMG_0229.JPG" width="398" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Show us your workspace! Do you have a shop? Strictly from home? Tell us about it!</span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I created a little video of my craft space (when it was actually tidy).</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vONaqTTMwB8/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vONaqTTMwB8?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What has been your favourite make so far? What's been the most popular?</span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ohhhh, do you know I really am not sure. I turn over so many different crafts all the time with the boxes that it is hard to have a favourite, I love them all or I wouldn't do them. When I am not doing boxes though I do love my more artistic pieces which I create for Jennysis, the portraits and paper cuts, Sometimes I just have to pick up a pencil...it's crucial!</span></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How do you generate new ideas?</span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pinterest is a great source for new ideas when it comes to thinking of new tutorials. I rarely look at the tutorials themselves on there though, I try to work them out for myself and sometimes if I do look at them I adapt them to make them easier. I also love the outdoors and derive all sorts of inspiration when out and about.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPJYjeU6VN9cq-MkwLtN1Xw5Q_uRKbLiYsUCTaddiz07omHUmGt2iB2leOSHFaysPZcan6e63pHpza3ignB2BPUdER2jNkcHfrz7o05-PWGLi7ylczBdDpSjja5_DihcGqJr5NhND7VTo/s1600/IMG_0227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPJYjeU6VN9cq-MkwLtN1Xw5Q_uRKbLiYsUCTaddiz07omHUmGt2iB2leOSHFaysPZcan6e63pHpza3ignB2BPUdER2jNkcHfrz7o05-PWGLi7ylczBdDpSjja5_DihcGqJr5NhND7VTo/s400/IMG_0227.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Describe your typical day.</span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm not sure I have a typical day, I would like to say I do X amount of social media followed by crafting. In truth there is a lot of driving kids to various locations, sorting out work admin and then I get to craft. I have a 6 month old who doesn't appreciate me crafting for too long and will stay awake all day to make sure I don't over do it!!!! When it comes to designing boxes my general process is...</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Design the theme and create images to post on social media to let people know what the next month theme is.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Plan tutorials and take sneak peek photos to post on social media.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Design tutorials, taking photos of each and every step before writing them up ready to print.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-After the closing date (15th of each month) I then place orders for the stock I need for the boxes</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Start to design other things to photograph as inspiration. There is often loads of supplies left after the tutorials have been made so I like to offer ideas for what else they could make.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Start to gather all the things for the boxes.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Make the handmade gifts and cards.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-Pack boxes and send.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Each box generally overlaps so while I am doing the last few things I have already started the list again for the following month.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrBiuM3_g1NiHJuLiY6_TvtGN9ju381bcbfjd-MLSmlO623GXVdxFdFQxQkqn8LomOnSBQTDxp0JH0CMwEWkF85kjLo7kXx1Vb9BbSHEITNqJt9ZUTg0bQo8ly-iOt9xJbjh71MJOaXCc/s1600/IMG_0230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrBiuM3_g1NiHJuLiY6_TvtGN9ju381bcbfjd-MLSmlO623GXVdxFdFQxQkqn8LomOnSBQTDxp0JH0CMwEWkF85kjLo7kXx1Vb9BbSHEITNqJt9ZUTg0bQo8ly-iOt9xJbjh71MJOaXCc/s400/IMG_0230.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What are your favourite social media platforms for promoting your business?</span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I tend to use Facebook the most. I like to use Instagram as a behind the scenes platform, so there are selling items but also shots of things I have been up to. I have separate pages on Facebook for the boxes and the other crafty things but not on any platform, I post news about either on those. I also blog and that is great fun, I have met some really lovely people by blogging and it is a great way for me to post about all sorts as well as lots of free tutorials.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What are your hobbies? Other than crafting of course!</span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As a family we all love visiting National Trust properties and often visit our local ones several times a year. I love being outside and weekends are the best time to go out and explore! I was very into geocaching but I havn't done much of that in the last year but I will be back!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What three pieces of advice do you have for someone wanting to start their own small business?</span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Don't give up!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Price what you are worth, not what you think people will pay!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Seek out like minded people, particularly ones who believe in you. It is easy to feel disheartened and that you are wasting your time, you need support to help you through. I find networking pages on Facebook have been wonderful in this as well.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What are your dreams and goals for your business?</span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I would love to be creating enough boxes to fully support my family. One day, when people think of crafty kits they will think of Crafty What Nots!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You can find Crafty What Nots by clicking the links below!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/jennysiscrafts/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Jennysiscrafts" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/craftywhatnotsboxes/?fref=ts" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Facebook</span></a></div>
<div>
<a href="https://uk.pinterest.com/Jennysiscrafts/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pinterest</span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.jennysiscrafts.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Blogger</a></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Websites -</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.craftywhatnots.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">www.craftywhatnots.com</a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">and</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.jennysis.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">www.jennysis.com</a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-25235213889902818212016-02-05T10:00:00.000+00:002016-02-05T10:00:10.090+00:00Meet The Makers: Louise Bell Art<div style="background-color: white;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOAEjygsVtm-aI_OjnVn4UqFgtoVXFz3vkKSAzdfAyjAD-FDHem1j4Y0n63L_WJ9NS3mAX0HidBgFewEj_lL-_D9C-nNlLH-NTx-bU5ZSbzv9Lp89zTdZVMl5ffb7t2e6yOf32XlkzqAA/s1600/LouiseBellArt+MrsHummingbird+meet+the+makers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOAEjygsVtm-aI_OjnVn4UqFgtoVXFz3vkKSAzdfAyjAD-FDHem1j4Y0n63L_WJ9NS3mAX0HidBgFewEj_lL-_D9C-nNlLH-NTx-bU5ZSbzv9Lp89zTdZVMl5ffb7t2e6yOf32XlkzqAA/s400/LouiseBellArt+MrsHummingbird+meet+the+makers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This week on Meet The Makers we meet Louise, a paper cutting artist extraordinaire! Louise's skill with paper is truly amazing and her designs look fabulous on just about anything (look at that gorgeous bag!) - they'd make a great colouring book! Happy Reading!</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go on - introduce yourself! </span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm Louise a paper cutting artist and graphic designer from Kent, England. I'm married with two children and a cat called Daisy. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I actually have two businesses: Magentasquare, a graphic design agency working mostly in the events industry and Louise Bell Art where I create unique handmade pieces of art, cut out of a single sheet of paper using my hands and a scalpel.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When did your business launch? What was the spark that led you to starting it?</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I started Louise Bell Art in August 2014 when I first had the confidence to start up a Facebook page and to start selling my work. Before that, I had been paper cutting since 2012 as a hobby making pieces for family and friends. As more people saw my work I started getting asked if I took on commissions, so I decided to take the plunge. Everything else slowly came as a natural progression, Website, Etsy, Instagram, twitter etc.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In 2011, we moved house and also found out we were expecting baby no 2. As we now needed my office space as a bedroom for the new addition, my husband built me my own space at the bottom of the garden. It was this space that gave me the room to do more arts and crafts. Especially once my son came alone, I could leave it all out and just shut the door behind me.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Show us your work space! Do you have a shop? Strictly from home? Tell us about it!</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I mainly work from home these days because I try and fit life around my children, although every so often I work on big corporate events as graphics crew. One of my favourite places to work is the BT Tower. If I'm lucky I'll get to have lunch with the delegates on the 34th Floor.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXcgneOTxPLMbeM3EI89C6UkspmbeB2LmA97XtHF27-JTjWuAR3SpbSv90gWEQs2BPu-deCpjXOe8rRBtCO_swNsm-tmToKnk79EAq31jd0_VVtyEbzHCsV0iUPyurlQdmwxuJ1IZ3HI/s1600/LouiseBellArt+Studio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXcgneOTxPLMbeM3EI89C6UkspmbeB2LmA97XtHF27-JTjWuAR3SpbSv90gWEQs2BPu-deCpjXOe8rRBtCO_swNsm-tmToKnk79EAq31jd0_VVtyEbzHCsV0iUPyurlQdmwxuJ1IZ3HI/s400/LouiseBellArt+Studio.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at that amazing summer house shed!<br />Image provided by Louise Bell Art.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What has been your favourite make so far? What’s been your most popular?</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My favorite makes so far would have to be something from my 'Leafy Collection'. Maybe Mr Fox or the hummingbird. They have been a labour of love. Every part of the process has brought me joy. From the initial pencil sketches, paper cutting, creating the digitally coloured designs, to the merchandise I now sell on ArtRookie and Society6.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My most popular make would have to be my family trees. I've sold many through my Facebook page and Etsy. I love getting to know my customers when making them and knowing that I get the opportunity to create something special that's going to be cherished for a lifetime.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWISE5pkLHhf2LJfLs0L6wReDOI4wttM8FgM-nubhpYPrZKbrQS8Ud3YwM_eERjjZF2_mYmbAbOyslKPE28xCYsrCgR6VNnZCJjkwgBtJsLGhsqxn4EybKx9LVxva0dfBhzoQIjMt-K0/s1600/LouiseBellArt-WorkExamples2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWISE5pkLHhf2LJfLs0L6wReDOI4wttM8FgM-nubhpYPrZKbrQS8Ud3YwM_eERjjZF2_mYmbAbOyslKPE28xCYsrCgR6VNnZCJjkwgBtJsLGhsqxn4EybKx9LVxva0dfBhzoQIjMt-K0/s400/LouiseBellArt-WorkExamples2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image provided by Louise Bell Art</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How do you generate new ideas for items?</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">New ideas come from everywhere. I'm always drawing. I feel restless if I don't have a project on the go. We try to go out exploring as a family as often as possible, even a day on the beach will get me drawing fish or mermaids in the evening or a trip to the park will inspire some papercut flowers.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last year my daughter turned the right age to appreciate a trip to an art gallery and an afternoon tea! So we had a few days out to London to visit a few of the big galleries. My all time favourite artists are Frida Kahlo, Georgia O'Keefe, Lucian Fraud and Rob Ryan, of course.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rTN13j6AFUonLl4eZQAn0tWaSUjqO-0xEWLyEpvl1PDMWJIwrOM-S5Mratxb2cYJNdoi9fg5Y1Fs_utGUrVMT0emgE1DkoiZ0PH0TWu57KcsXEyn3qiuWIsUo_M8YMSYCt9KlKxj-fI/s1600/LouiseBellArt+CommissionShots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rTN13j6AFUonLl4eZQAn0tWaSUjqO-0xEWLyEpvl1PDMWJIwrOM-S5Mratxb2cYJNdoi9fg5Y1Fs_utGUrVMT0emgE1DkoiZ0PH0TWu57KcsXEyn3qiuWIsUo_M8YMSYCt9KlKxj-fI/s400/LouiseBellArt+CommissionShots.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image provided by Louise Bell Art.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Describe/outline your typical day.</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm a Mummy first so between <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1989460973" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">6am</span></span> and till the children go to school / play school it's hectic. I'm crazy running around like a mad woman, sorting breakfast, clothes, washing on, tidy the house, quick check of Social Media so when I get back at <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1989460974" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">9am</span></span> ish it's calm and I can get started with work straight away, well after I've made myself a coffee.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Everyday is completely different in my world but a typical day. I'll have a few hours of presentation graphics to design and then I'll email the designs off to my client. While I'm waiting for client amendments I'll slide my chair over to the huge table I use for papercutting and I'll either be drawing out a new design or carrying on with a customers piece. My email will ping and I'll slide myself back for more presentation graphics. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If I'm working all day my parents pick up the children for me or I'll have the school run about <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1989460975" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">3pm</span></span>. If the children are at home with me I'll do a mixture of family stuff and dinner while updating a few social media posts.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After the kids are in bed and if I've worked all day your probably find me on the sofa watching TV with the husband, if the program doesn't keep my attention I'll possibly end up drawing or perusing Social Media.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What are your favourite social media platforms to use for promoting your business?</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What are your hobbies - other than crafting of course!</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yoga, Bunny Hop (A keep fit dance class), Reading, Meeting up with my wonderful friends</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What three pieces of advice do you have for someone wanting to start their own small business (and maybe advice you wish you’d had before starting)?</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is no perfect time to start you need to make the brave leap.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Don't compare your start to somebody else's middle</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">and a big one I have to still remind myself about - Your are not for everyone, so try not to worry or waste valuable time trying to please these people. Keep being your authentic self.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What are you dreams/goals/aspirations for your business?</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I do have a few huge dreams I'd love to create a colouring book, make more paper cutting templates so others can have a go at cutting my designs and a really big one, for my papercutting work to be featured in an art exhibition. But mostly loads of the same, I'm very proud at what I've accomplished so far. My youngest will be at school full time in September so I'll have even more time to create for my customers and myself. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26QOPk1vNdeVCv_V9vjtSdF7IBfdH383YDnJ06aZmJk8P-1NGovkiBt1JjyID4V-FNk4YMruNKelsLYweIZHQ1PI4g2N-lDC3x77i2sIu3h0A7No14gCT1sueKy-IbnGDkO-Kb1Ul5lE/s1600/LouiseBellArt+ArtRookie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26QOPk1vNdeVCv_V9vjtSdF7IBfdH383YDnJ06aZmJk8P-1NGovkiBt1JjyID4V-FNk4YMruNKelsLYweIZHQ1PI4g2N-lDC3x77i2sIu3h0A7No14gCT1sueKy-IbnGDkO-Kb1Ul5lE/s400/LouiseBellArt+ArtRookie.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image provided by Louise Bell Art</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>You can find Louise Bell Art here:</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/louisebellart" target="_blank">Louise Bell Art</a></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Etsy <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LouiseBellArt" target="_blank">Louise Bell Art</a></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/louise_bell_art/" target="_blank">louise_bell_art</a></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/louisebellart" target="_blank">@louisebellart</a></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Art Rookie <a href="http://www.artrookie.co.uk/LouiseBellArt" target="_blank">Louise Bell Art</a></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Society 6 <a href="https://society6.com/louisebellart" target="_blank">Louise Bell Art</a></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-34274400181613151372016-01-29T10:00:00.000+00:002016-01-29T10:00:00.750+00:00Meet The Makers: Handmade By H<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufdoRktVr18YxW_vmMPM_Hvoyaa0uTV3ocAKhF9ScYut_vTMUhyPyJ_5jl6MpUXOKCX7Fm2Pe93L7CiOiexuVQ9Nvq-em6rBK4-PAlF-KILtlgBFt8IKVSP9zAwbCO7ndHgQKv-xA4A0/s1600/12511120_10207637810850672_235578619_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufdoRktVr18YxW_vmMPM_Hvoyaa0uTV3ocAKhF9ScYut_vTMUhyPyJ_5jl6MpUXOKCX7Fm2Pe93L7CiOiexuVQ9Nvq-em6rBK4-PAlF-KILtlgBFt8IKVSP9zAwbCO7ndHgQKv-xA4A0/s400/12511120_10207637810850672_235578619_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This week on Meet The Makers we meet the amazing Heidi of Handmade by H. Her work is truly gorgeous - the patience and steady hand it takes to create these lovely papercuts is amazing! Happy reading!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Go on, introduce yourself! </b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hello! I'm Heidi, I'm 32 and I'm addicted to to paper! He he :) I have 3 children who are 3,6 and 9 and are my biggest critics. I've been married to Andy for 10 years, he is also known as Mr HBH the frame cleaner. We have a cat called Pippy-Lou who is probably the grumpiest cat in the world, she does love to help me though especially when I have the ribbon out! We live in beautiful North Wales not far from Llandudno.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>When did your business launch?</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Handmade by H came to life in the summer of 2013. My husband bought me a papercutting kit one Christmas and I was hooked from the minute I started. I just loved what you could make from a single sheet of paper and found it really therapeutic. I cut just as a hobby for around year. With lots of support from family and friends, I decided to set a Facebook page up and to be honest I have never looked back. I started very small as I still had little ones at home so I worked mainly in the evenings. As time has gone on it's grown and grown with a couple of pieces of my work flying all the way to Australia and New Zealand! My smallest small starts full time school in September so I feel like I'm really starting to run with my little biz now and I'm excited about the year ahead.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Show us your workspace! Do you have a shop? Strictly from home?</b> </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I work from the corner of my lounge in my papercutting corner. My brilliant Dad kitted out the alcove with shelves and it's perfect for what I need. It's kitted out with lots of storage where I can hoard tons of pretty paper and stationery. I love stationery! I would absolutely love a craft room, maybe one day, we can all dream right?!</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQHISiG4l9UQ8xbDr20WLHZMNPTMQPcCAsoBOnf6aPUfhjP3HdbBND-Q1jJETXF6Jvm93iL74v3z_iEkYBnDBq9Yr6Uo1K8Wdj5AMwX_dMUnvrG-6oDxydBzFfGh0_ORgpUY359Y_XP4/s1600/IMG_0745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQHISiG4l9UQ8xbDr20WLHZMNPTMQPcCAsoBOnf6aPUfhjP3HdbBND-Q1jJETXF6Jvm93iL74v3z_iEkYBnDBq9Yr6Uo1K8Wdj5AMwX_dMUnvrG-6oDxydBzFfGh0_ORgpUY359Y_XP4/s400/IMG_0745.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>What has been your favourite make so far? What has been your most popular?</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My favourite make so far has been my foxy papercut. I made it for one of my lovely friends for her to give to her fox loving Mum. I enjoyed creating it from start to finish. Sometimes when I'm drawing I totally forget it needs to be cut which does make for some very intricate cutting. I really enjoy the challenge of an intricate one, although my eyes tend to disagree sometimes!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My best sellers are my family trees. I never tire making them knowing the smiles they bring to other people. They can include anything the customer likes which makes them totally personal to them.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7cdjsM-CsdwwpnMTaYFqzj5tUVr43-DQUDHxX3v6xVwPNAIqAXtRDWP3ODZe6Yn_MsBdVgC4TigWT1_D_ZNEOPIg9NkNjkDNlprpwEhdY3ku9puWCq-Ip9iapE8kehKsYzjhN7x2Gssg/s1600/IMG_0264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7cdjsM-CsdwwpnMTaYFqzj5tUVr43-DQUDHxX3v6xVwPNAIqAXtRDWP3ODZe6Yn_MsBdVgC4TigWT1_D_ZNEOPIg9NkNjkDNlprpwEhdY3ku9puWCq-Ip9iapE8kehKsYzjhN7x2Gssg/s400/IMG_0264.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJUGJ54NN5DBOjY37Aui4uLkXto6ZgEKg8wBpUGKxFRv9evjUgTQIOc-lAZKPfp2IdbU4vnjNdCUB9XTemw59qnG3RppBdrMYjSz12Xtpoa32m5BDV0y9NpYc4-G_V9itkcNZJI-r59w/s1600/IMG_9534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJUGJ54NN5DBOjY37Aui4uLkXto6ZgEKg8wBpUGKxFRv9evjUgTQIOc-lAZKPfp2IdbU4vnjNdCUB9XTemw59qnG3RppBdrMYjSz12Xtpoa32m5BDV0y9NpYc4-G_V9itkcNZJI-r59w/s400/IMG_9534.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>How do you generate new ideas for items?</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I take inspiration from everywhere and everything. I have a sketchbook that I use for all my scribbles to keep them all in one place and then my ideas tend to just snowball from there. I'm forever taking pictures of leaves, trees, clouds and flowers - the list is endless. I think I'm naturally drawn to flora and fauna. I love drawing and cutting flowers, leaves and general pretty swirlyness. I also love cutting text, just one font can give me a million ideas. I would say half of my work is hand drawn and the other half is designed on the computer.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXFxDgVmfBcH8GGIVQ2rUH3_ywsYbXRDt0YTTVYZ4AFSy30P2veAK3PLE-ful9HBLDmdw_cvcOrBOYKyh-0lFNQu986Ahs4n56T5T28Oi7n1VS3iOCMt8dlqtd8bqn_dw6fC8s8w64ko/s1600/12511120_10207637810850672_235578619_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXFxDgVmfBcH8GGIVQ2rUH3_ywsYbXRDt0YTTVYZ4AFSy30P2veAK3PLE-ful9HBLDmdw_cvcOrBOYKyh-0lFNQu986Ahs4n56T5T28Oi7n1VS3iOCMt8dlqtd8bqn_dw6fC8s8w64ko/s400/12511120_10207637810850672_235578619_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Describe/outline your typical day?</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My typical day obviously revolves around my children. After the morning school runs I have a couple of working hours. I usually rush round and do a bit of housework and get any admin done in the mornings. It's been a good morning if I manage to squeeze in a bit of cutting or designing! I can usually be seen rushing out the door with minutes to spare to run round to pick up smallest small from playgroup. We get an hour before afternoon school for a bit of a play and dinner. Once I've dropped him off and had a quick chinwag at the school gates it's home to get down to work for a couple of hours with Radio 2 to keep company. End of school flies round in the blink of an eye and then the craziness begins again. The usual reading/spellings/homework is attempted but not always accomplished! Teatime, bathtime and storytime and that's the end of the day for them and the next part of my day is just beginning again. <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_570126913" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">7pm</span></span> is when I update all my social media accounts and then I cut until either my hand or my eyes give up. I always try and get a bit of downtime, it doesn't always happen but I don't mind because I LOVE what I do.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSODFUI4NBFrzUJ5uQzfb-l2HrAyrgctn7XW3AF4TTLay5O0FtvdzGSHWikiMYeoMHs3nCWsw7W7FZqVnhexW_IH-BK0_9bP90PsGsi41ym9anNRjm9TW7lKPDvK3uhLqcsFRiYCJztc/s1600/IMG_8464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSODFUI4NBFrzUJ5uQzfb-l2HrAyrgctn7XW3AF4TTLay5O0FtvdzGSHWikiMYeoMHs3nCWsw7W7FZqVnhexW_IH-BK0_9bP90PsGsi41ym9anNRjm9TW7lKPDvK3uhLqcsFRiYCJztc/s400/IMG_8464.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>What is your favourite social media platform to use for promoting your business?</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My main social media platform is Facebook, that's the one I concentrate on the most. I've been on there a while now and know my way round it pretty well. It's always a challenge to find new ways to increase your reach and get your posts out to your likers. Thankfully there are lots of groups and pages for networking and these seem to help a lot. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have recently set up an Instagram account and I really like it over there, it's a really friendly place to be and unlike facebook it shows your followers everything you post but it does move very fast. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm on Twitter too. Ummm, I don't know what to say about twitter apart from I don't get it! Oh oh and that Sarah Willingham from Dragons Den is following me! He he :) If there are any Twitter gurus out there feel free to try and teach me. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I launched a little website this year and that is where I pop all my 'ready to post' cuts. Luckily for me, my Dad has been building websites for years and was/is a massive help and is more than used to the </span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_570126914" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204 , 204 , 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">11pm</span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> phone calls shouting for help...</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>What are your hobbies - other than crafting of course!</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nothing beats family time, sometimes finding a work/life balance is hard when you work for yourself. I very rarely work weekends and I enjoy the simple things - walks in the woods, playing on the beach and just making memories. When I do get time to myself which is a very rare occurrence, I love to cross stitch or colour. I always come back to cutting though, it never feels like work and I feel incredibly lucky to call it my job.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>What three pieces of advice do you have for someone wanting to start their own small business (and maybe advice you wish you'd before starting)?</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first most important one (and probably the most boring) is to register with HMRC and keep records of all your incomings and outgoings and keep on top of your books. I don't think I'll ever get used to doing my accounts every month, I hate it with passion! Keep on top of them though, they may be a pain in the bum but they are much easier to cope with in short spurts.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The second is clear sharp photos. When I look back now my photos weren't great at the beginning and it's still something I'm learning. There are tons of photo editing apps and websites to help you make your photos better. One of my favourite websites for editing is <a href="http://picmonkey.com/" target="_blank">picmonkey.com</a></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The third one is you have to love what you do I pour my heart and soul into everything I do and I hope it shines through in all my work.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitrgTmFw3E1ncWFg_iwwq5jzI1ZeUGlV7Zs87879JuV-ZTbQwINMKPdDOInkGKDXt7JzsWtsa24y_KiYw7_JTh_F8GNQfWtuOOQy2fBjDfGYgwThWD7rVfGvuuPvS5oWK1lEfLm745Kbg/s1600/12405026_10207539557714405_476810227_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitrgTmFw3E1ncWFg_iwwq5jzI1ZeUGlV7Zs87879JuV-ZTbQwINMKPdDOInkGKDXt7JzsWtsa24y_KiYw7_JTh_F8GNQfWtuOOQy2fBjDfGYgwThWD7rVfGvuuPvS5oWK1lEfLm745Kbg/s400/12405026_10207539557714405_476810227_o.jpg" width="381" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>What are you dreams/goals/aspirations for your business?</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I feel like I'm already living my dream. When I set my page up I never dreamed in a million years I'd be where I am today. Who knows where my little business will go from here, at the moment it keeps growing month on month and I just thank my lucky stars that I have enough work to be able to be a work from home Mummy.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You can find Handmande By H here:</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/handmadebyh1/" target="_blank">Handmade By H</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/handmadebyh1/" target="_blank">@handmadebyh1</a></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
</div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/HBHpapercuts" target="_blank">@HBHpapercuts</a></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Personal website: <a href="http://www.handmade-by-h.co.uk/" target="_blank">Handmade By H</a></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">
</div>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-87173354342630682162016-01-22T10:00:00.000+00:002016-01-23T22:23:06.914+00:00Meet The Makers: Its Peak<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>I'm really excited about this week's instalment of Meet The Makers - so much bling and sparkle! We meet Anthony and Sasha, a delightful duo who work together to bring you fabulous and flashy designs in their customized footwear and clothes.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4MiPF89zKD92dKkGpn1r60EWtICnmvFAVHOgA0uivT82pr4BJMsZo9CaxZFGHq7tQN2WZr-yYWQcg_GlcNVkwzg0o4rD6TDXi-A0Bba-4ZFvy13Tyd4Ep0yox3GMXqpwvIQ9kb5YSRU/s1600/Screenshot+2016-01-20+at+10.37.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4MiPF89zKD92dKkGpn1r60EWtICnmvFAVHOgA0uivT82pr4BJMsZo9CaxZFGHq7tQN2WZr-yYWQcg_GlcNVkwzg0o4rD6TDXi-A0Bba-4ZFvy13Tyd4Ep0yox3GMXqpwvIQ9kb5YSRU/s400/Screenshot+2016-01-20+at+10.37.18.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b></b></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></b></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>
Go on - introduce yourself!</b></span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hi there, we are Anthony and Sasha. We have been married for almost ten years and have 3 children aged 13, 8 and 16 months. We are based in south east London! I make and Sasha does all the networking, sales and admin!</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;" /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>When did your business launch? What was the spark that led you to starting it?</b> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our business launched in January 2014. <b>Anthony: </b>"I've always been artistic and </span><span style="line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;">flamboyant</span><span style="line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> when it comes to the </span><span style="line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;">children's</span><span style="line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> school projects, probably taking over and doing it all myself. It was only once Sasha gave me the push, more than once, and the drive to actually put it to good use.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;" /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Show us your work space! Do you have a shop? Strictly from home? Tell us about it!</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">We do all our work from home, Sasha is the brains behind advertising, social media and getting our name out there. Anthony, is the brains and hands behind the makes. <b>Anthony</b>: "I do all the physical stuff and Sasha does all the thinking. We have regular discussions on what we could customise that will excite people and try to keep up with the latest trends. We also have an <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/itspeak" target="_blank">Etsy</a> shop that this year has been very successful.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;" /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>What has been your favourite make so far? What’s been your most popular?</b> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Anthony: </b>"My favourite make so far has to be our spiked and blinged Dr Martens boots. Our eldest child had a pair of DMs that no longer fitted her, so we thought we would try some ideas out on them</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The end product was great, DMs blinged and spiked. This year we sent a fabulous pair to the USA! Our most popular items would be both our Spiked Creeper shoes and Customised Converse, which come in a variety of styles and colours.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Inline image 1" class="CToWUd a6T" height="267" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/1/?ui=2&ik=da38a712b3&view=fimg&th=151efb57ee2625a5&attid=0.2&disp=emb&realattid=ii_151efaf2ac901642&attbid=ANGjdJ_o2MlMGgUhRiug_LyrosOg7AtL6U9cHmriYEoDsCOJ6Lr9Ola_wbZKrTzCwgkm7Yh5r6t08lwlOxnUESq8So98bAne9O22Wtd7UlSAruUPyKuFUJNYKHd4zCQ&sz=w948-h534&ats=1453285327895&rm=151efb57ee2625a5&zw&atsh=1" style="cursor: pointer; outline: 0px;" tabindex="0" width="474" /><img alt="Inline image 2" class="CToWUd a6T" height="267" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/1/?ui=2&ik=da38a712b3&view=fimg&th=151efb57ee2625a5&attid=0.3&disp=emb&realattid=ii_151efb0d8583b863&attbid=ANGjdJ9NMqPUJuiJDcE6DJ26VQJNKOECLLDJogxhnUsBNhPkVn74IJYl0_b-1wpTVGhCJjreOgSKzkFkIIG0vVtGLiAQfoYOtiMlaNtRm4qyRKlsma8CqYdYWAk-pQ4&sz=w948-h534&ats=1453285327895&rm=151efb57ee2625a5&zw&atsh=1" style="cursor: pointer; outline: 0px;" tabindex="0" width="474" /><img alt="Inline image 3" class="CToWUd a6T" height="268" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/1/?ui=2&ik=da38a712b3&view=fimg&th=151efb57ee2625a5&attid=0.1&disp=emb&realattid=ii_151efb3442110aa3&attbid=ANGjdJ8cZsxNQTEbpFahE4lvhgMcv6cR-nqawzMGgRAgu07MFjjZdD4Xg69bAy5TJeWwNJj6XBsmZjD4ZaS7SZM_HLaYCztfHhGqj0k3gHqFi253xLvXxSq_-DcoBwo&sz=w948-h536&ats=1453285327895&rm=151efb57ee2625a5&zw&atsh=1" style="cursor: pointer; outline: 0px;" tabindex="0" width="474" /><img alt="Inline image 4" class="CToWUd a6T" height="267" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/1/?ui=2&ik=da38a712b3&view=fimg&th=151efb57ee2625a5&attid=0.4&disp=emb&realattid=ii_151efb3ef644c09c&attbid=ANGjdJ99HXdzZJIXYeqlJaIwBEi7kzNNqeyeAmUqbklLWjtGp7R7fowYChzcnNegU4GhyYrKDNdwN4QwFl_CxM7SCYqChHrLY1ne3pVZx-DZAvRl2c5OyCHi7ZPIh_Q&sz=w948-h534&ats=1453285327895&rm=151efb57ee2625a5&zw&atsh=1" style="cursor: pointer; outline: 0px;" tabindex="0" width="474" /></span></div>
<div>
<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;" /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>How do you generate new ideas for items? </b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have brain storming sessions, where we go over old makes and ideas and see if we can change them or improve them to make them more relevant. We also explore recent and current fashion trends to see whether we can customise these items to give them a bit of the Its Peak flare. We also ask our eldest daughter what new trends are happening in school and what new items her friends are wearing and talking about.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;" /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Describe/outline your typical day.</b> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our typical day is vary varied as we both work shifts and work nights, sometimes leaving the house or just getting home at </span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_981369793" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204 , 204 , 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; position: relative; top: -2px; white-space: pre-wrap; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">07:00</span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in the morning. When we are not at work, during the week, it's up early to get everyone ready for school. Most of our work is done during the evening when the children have gone to bed, that way we can focus all of our attention on that particular customisation, ensuring the item is done to the highest standard.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;" /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>What is/are your favourite(s) social media platform(s) to use for promoting your business?</b> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our favourite social media platform at present is Facebook. We have generated more business through Facebook than any other social media platform.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;" /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>What are your hobbies - other than crafting of course!</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a family, we enjoy spending time with the children, taking them on days out as a family, watching movies and eating out.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;" /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>What three pieces of advice do you have for someone wanting to start their own small business (and maybe advice you wish you’d had before starting)?</b> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">The advice we would give, would be to be patient things: don't happen over night. Photos, the right picture taken at the right angle with the right amount of lighting, etc. will make the difference between no sales and possibly a dozen sales. Lastly, make something people will want to buy or actually need, just because you like it personally does not to mean to say the masses will.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;" /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>What are you dreams/goals/aspirations for your business?</b> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our goals for 2016 are to get our website set up, hopefully in early 2016. To expand our global sales, having already made sales, in the USA, Japan, Sweden, Italy and Scotland. Also to expand our </span><span style="line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;">customer</span><span style="line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> base on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/itspeak" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/ItsPeak14" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/itspeak14/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.</span></div>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-29833190899431911462016-01-15T10:00:00.000+00:002016-01-23T22:23:19.630+00:00Meet The Makers: An Interview With Lissie's Poems<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8i8h2MRkuMdk7aXHY_U1vURbzeJgSrzBKEYD4SS4SZo5XBSWVJR7TLE0htgZISdGJ6bc-Kx6sNJZa19wyIZblr8F8kIuArTgWRiHufUD3XEnpVZIb6WI1au8WMyqReuf0jNAiRJHwk3M/s1600/Lissies+Poems+Meet+The+Makers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8i8h2MRkuMdk7aXHY_U1vURbzeJgSrzBKEYD4SS4SZo5XBSWVJR7TLE0htgZISdGJ6bc-Kx6sNJZa19wyIZblr8F8kIuArTgWRiHufUD3XEnpVZIb6WI1au8WMyqReuf0jNAiRJHwk3M/s400/Lissies+Poems+Meet+The+Makers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>This week on Meet The Makers we introduce you to Lissie's Poems! Lissie writes beautiful poetry that make wonderful and extremely thoughtful gifts. If you're looking for a truly personal gift for a friend or loved one, look no further.</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b></b></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Lissie's Poems</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hi there, my name is Lissie and I paint pictures with words. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have four wonderful children who still live with me and I am a servant to two beautiful cats. I live in Bristol but was born in Cheshire. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I took up poetry after my husband died 8 years ago. I found it helpful to put my emotions on paper rather than talk to people. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2ZgtIl16XrXUWdty9hVOAUUaxJ8fZEAuH3woH36c7zYz8VtXu3rMRvfHEZmt3X1yOw4e4vc9gEoWikr8W-nK-pRCXh9xil47H5wFN2NL8zmOIY2x75XxO7GQ8V5aCI0yKd-isyk_8Nw/s1600/12342413_649261285249949_4680015370620228961_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2ZgtIl16XrXUWdty9hVOAUUaxJ8fZEAuH3woH36c7zYz8VtXu3rMRvfHEZmt3X1yOw4e4vc9gEoWikr8W-nK-pRCXh9xil47H5wFN2NL8zmOIY2x75XxO7GQ8V5aCI0yKd-isyk_8Nw/s320/12342413_649261285249949_4680015370620228961_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I launched my business just over a year after I framed one of my poems and gave it as a gift. They loved it and suggested I framed more and sold them at markets. This I did and my business was born!</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIQ5413wG5oPs_iF6krD4WhWpSe9d3oP5_7cgvj1gb_MARZVf31AOfkUYifiAlqU4wj7UG21L1P2L9lzoXZoUFlqUARVkSnhkuNjc-sMEkmUtf58wcpFa3DQkdQj6qXeR8Xu4frhq7UA/s1600/11986366_609052012604210_7915229644899362715_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIQ5413wG5oPs_iF6krD4WhWpSe9d3oP5_7cgvj1gb_MARZVf31AOfkUYifiAlqU4wj7UG21L1P2L9lzoXZoUFlqUARVkSnhkuNjc-sMEkmUtf58wcpFa3DQkdQj6qXeR8Xu4frhq7UA/s320/11986366_609052012604210_7915229644899362715_n.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have had 14 of my poems published in three different publications, of which one was raising money for The Headway Charity during 2014 and I am now working to get a book of my own poems published in 2016.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I write when I am inspired, so can write anywhere really. Inspiration can come from emotions, pictures, colours even a sound so really anything. I love to be challenged and I am happy to take on commissions. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKzyLbOGKZFDVYJNu0PnXqObJ8upygiJJ0pSHhcjv_zMPGNb18IIjBCFyC7CFn-O5D0aVlLgxOtoUtKSylcPongIAXbf-2359OgOg1zwx8CwKBZwOiczDhOeWCQuQzqryRr5KXtr4KNo/s1600/12279218_642836455892432_1132549546813012474_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKzyLbOGKZFDVYJNu0PnXqObJ8upygiJJ0pSHhcjv_zMPGNb18IIjBCFyC7CFn-O5D0aVlLgxOtoUtKSylcPongIAXbf-2359OgOg1zwx8CwKBZwOiczDhOeWCQuQzqryRr5KXtr4KNo/s320/12279218_642836455892432_1132549546813012474_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I once worked as an Avon rep and standin manager, the best advice I was given has stuck with me ever since...<b>"Always talk to someone new about your business everyday!"</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I use many different platforms to get my work noticed: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, DeviantArt, Cosmofunnel and Blogspot too. I also sell my poems in a lovely little shop in a town just outside Bristol called Thornbury. It is a shop where crafters have come together to sell the handmade items in one place. I even man the shop once a week too. It's great fun!</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I'm not writing I love to read and listen to music, I enjoy going to gigs with my sons. I</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> also knit and crochet and sometimes sketch. I just hate being bored really.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCs659YVmWsBppnVUv8YqXv0OTTxWCsNRntUdx9n_95Ksl4FWJIkI4W1a3kXoQP_bE4z5cJTmWP-M5PLX-MA53587qmtmojtrYlH9WKUO7UwqA9ZuE5J9yJilOSAZ6br6sevjruOjeFM/s1600/11400981_556346531208092_4735447879691747163_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfCs659YVmWsBppnVUv8YqXv0OTTxWCsNRntUdx9n_95Ksl4FWJIkI4W1a3kXoQP_bE4z5cJTmWP-M5PLX-MA53587qmtmojtrYlH9WKUO7UwqA9ZuE5J9yJilOSAZ6br6sevjruOjeFM/s320/11400981_556346531208092_4735447879691747163_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Lissies-Poems-231909256985156/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Lissie's Poems</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Blog: <a href="http://lissieullpoems.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Lissieullpoems.blogspot.co.uk</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">DeviantArt: LissieBull</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Cosmofunnel: Lissie Bull user 37125</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/elisabeth.bull/" target="_blank">Elisabeth.Bull</a></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/LissieBull" target="_blank">@LissieBull</a></span></div>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-13501526847284690102016-01-08T10:00:00.000+00:002016-01-23T22:23:32.187+00:00Meet The Makers: An Interview With Tight Trash Fashion<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Hello and welcome to the very first instalment of </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Meet The Makers</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">! Each week I'll be posting a new interview with a small business owner. This is a chance to meet new people, find new businesses to support and to get in a bit of networking. I really hope you'll join me each week! If you do miss an instalment, that's OK! Just find your way to the "Meet The Maker 2016" tab on the homepage - they'll all be listed there.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8cy8wcIfk_fHVWENo4NHhqCgCnJ7s8pQclDrTrP6ZzqOoMcLhyphenhyphenkq4HtdsMeu2I67clQ9tAHYR8WulhyLpsMbAepc3pn6eEyOkaivKmgG98S1akcnypju8QrAxGfq-D77u3eebvJSwZrk/s1600/Tight+Trash+Fashion+Promo+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8cy8wcIfk_fHVWENo4NHhqCgCnJ7s8pQclDrTrP6ZzqOoMcLhyphenhyphenkq4HtdsMeu2I67clQ9tAHYR8WulhyLpsMbAepc3pn6eEyOkaivKmgG98S1akcnypju8QrAxGfq-D77u3eebvJSwZrk/s400/Tight+Trash+Fashion+Promo+Pic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666;">Our first maker this week is Jenn of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tighttrashfashion/?fref=ts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tight Trash Fashion</a> who hand makes some of the most unique and funky fun jewellery I've ever seen. The skill and patience required for each piece (such as her hand painted shoes) is truly amazing!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38;"><b></b></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38;"><b>Go on - introduce yourself!</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.38;">My name is Jenn! I sometimes go by the name of GlumCandy (designer and creator of Tight Trash Fashion). I'm 28 years old from Liverpool. I have three cats who are like my babies as they're easier to take care of with a full time business. I live with my </span><span style="line-height: 22.08px;">fiancé</span><span style="line-height: 1.38;"> Tom who is also my world. I am a very lucky lady with all my dreams coming true.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38;"><b>When did your business launch? What was the spark that led you to starting it?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38;">I launched my business in 2010 and did it between jobs, my business got big in 2012 and I had to quit my day jobs. I have always been in dead end jobs and I have always been miserable. I had to start something that made me happy and it did just that!</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38;"><b>Show us your work space! Do you have a shop? Strictly from home? Tell us about it!</b></span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38;">I work from home, I have an 8 ft table for creating my jewellery and customizing my shoes. I love my little work space. I have just got my very first house that finally have enough space for everything I need to create.</span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "handlee"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38;"><b>What has been your favourite make so far? What’s been your most popular?</b></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38;">My favourite make so far is my ouija board necklace: </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</div>
<br />
<div>
<div style="clear: left; display: inline-block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "handlee"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700;"> </span><br />
<div style="display: inline-block; font-family: Handlee; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><img class="CToWUd a6T" height="320" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/1/?ui=2&ik=da38a712b3&view=fimg&th=151e46852c18c6bc&attid=0.1&disp=emb&attbid=ANGjdJ-qB8bvFYNeLB1crmWX8gfbAT_zDYNRmaxpdE5SggmjisBHgCdrzPwevlDB2AnqfJBgVf3R0hv81UkJgP8QSBp1u6a9dNN1GmOkkzTm2ipMwsnMreIB1rwlXo8&sz=w672-h848&ats=1451730661771&rm=151e46852c18c6bc&zw&atsh=1" style="outline: 0px;" tabindex="0" width="253" /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "handlee"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700;"> </span></div>
<div style="display: inline-block; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="color: #666666;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> My most popular design is my horror hearts!</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "handlee"; font-weight: 700;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "handlee"; font-weight: 700;"> </span><img class="CToWUd a6T" height="320" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/1/?ui=2&ik=da38a712b3&view=fimg&th=151e46852c18c6bc&attid=0.2&disp=emb&attbid=ANGjdJ-12gXj5gX2TBmm779sKd5z8cN22M3-TykNWQldg1coT9kshm3qqljHWDoRL34Gf8h_2F4s4odHMTHeKpD5YvlXIyx2mbQ1JF-80KT-un70iy-kfTM3wvyetzU&sz=w758-h848&ats=1451730661771&rm=151e46852c18c6bc&zw&atsh=1" style="font-family: Handlee; font-weight: 700; outline: 0px;" tabindex="0" width="286" /></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "handlee"; font-weight: 700;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "handlee"; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38;">How do you generate new ideas for items?</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.38;">I usually get my best ideas late at night when I'm meant to be sleeping! I will get up and go sketch my ideas right away and then get working on it the following day. I am inspired by horror movies, bright colours and crazy fashion!</span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="color: #666666;">
</span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38;">Describe/outline your typical day.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38;">My typical day would be waking up around 7 by my kitten because she wants feeding. I'll go get myself a juice and head to the office, the music goes on and I get comfortable for a long day of creating. I go through my orders and work until 12 then have some sort of lunch,usually a ryvita as I'm dieting. I'll crack back on with work until around 4ish and then I'll network and respond to e-mails and wrap and post products in the evening.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38;">What is/are your favourite(s) social media platform(s) to use for promoting your business?</span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38;">My favourite social media platform is Instagram! Recently it's the only place you can be seen and not have to pay to get your products seen by your target audience! My Instagram username is: @GlumCandy</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38;">What are your hobbies - other than crafting of course!</span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38;">When it's quiet which seems to be quite rare these days I game. I love gaming and it lets me escape from the world for a little bit. Other than that I do enjoy sticking on a horror movie while responding to e-mails or doing some networking.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38;">What three pieces of advice do you have for someone wanting to start their own small business (and maybe advice you wish you’d had before starting)?</span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38;">Starting up a business is not easy. You really have to make sure you can put your entire soul into it. I live and breathe Tight Trash Fashion. From the moment I wake up to the moment I attempt to go to sleep. My little business is my passion. You need to have an original idea and testing your audience is key before setting up.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38;">I did so much research before setting up and I am lucky enough to be working alongside the Prince's Trust who are still giving me support in my business.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38;">What are you dreams/goals/aspirations for your business?</span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38;">My short term goals are to be featured in a magazine. I work with many big models in America and am hoping my products will get themselves into a magazine on these models.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38;">I am hoping to get my makes in a few more shops in 2016.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #666666; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here are a few pictures of my work. I create alternative, quirky, handmade jewellery and customise shoes. My target is to create accessories to fit you and your personality. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />All of my products can be found on <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TightTrash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Etsy</a>.</span></span></span><br />
<a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/1/?ui=2&ik=da38a712b3&view=fimg&th=151e46852c18c6bc&attid=0.7&disp=emb&attbid=ANGjdJ_e00mcOsFWI5tSXXvzsuq4RTUOvQbAIyztpROXkRdehdq7s5miAVwON0vBcAL1TLuXi0v_hIGkwWv3HUA0eh2pXYcVVM6GGfj6c-yk5ebGE6bjGQAo2D5MNGU&sz=w378-h424&ats=1451730661773&rm=151e46852c18c6bc&zw&atsh=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="CToWUd a6T" height="212" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/1/?ui=2&ik=da38a712b3&view=fimg&th=151e46852c18c6bc&attid=0.7&disp=emb&attbid=ANGjdJ_e00mcOsFWI5tSXXvzsuq4RTUOvQbAIyztpROXkRdehdq7s5miAVwON0vBcAL1TLuXi0v_hIGkwWv3HUA0eh2pXYcVVM6GGfj6c-yk5ebGE6bjGQAo2D5MNGU&sz=w378-h424&ats=1451730661773&rm=151e46852c18c6bc&zw&atsh=1" style="outline: 0px;" tabindex="0" width="189" /></a><img class="CToWUd a6T" height="162" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/1/?ui=2&ik=da38a712b3&view=fimg&th=151e46852c18c6bc&attid=0.3&disp=emb&attbid=ANGjdJ-4iCqbG_RH7G7Ew5oAriP-BqTysVuGKWemvtz-XIgAcx-vV51x1VUCugut7w5EVjAzR6ZwKgvYq1Nvs-OFfYd06gTWr7Cp_PhwwCE1HbI4G9INvgfGYCOSNTo&sz=w500-h408&ats=1451730661772&rm=151e46852c18c6bc&zw&atsh=1" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; outline: 0px;" tabindex="0" width="200" /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline-block; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br />
<div style="display: inline-block; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline-block; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br />
<div style="display: inline-block;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/1/?ui=2&ik=da38a712b3&view=fimg&th=151e46852c18c6bc&attid=0.6&disp=emb&attbid=ANGjdJ-7AkHc6tHuuCgfIrygtISyBXlr_4nFXxTnknERWlzQjV0RF6qpVIQdx7WLXRQpHrBtUrDe_2eUHsEQV8gQzK0nTTLxTYyT93zSw0rCWuDsYhtIgnQg5B4TpHs&sz=w486-h366&ats=1451730661773&rm=151e46852c18c6bc&zw&atsh=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="CToWUd a6T" height="183" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/1/?ui=2&ik=da38a712b3&view=fimg&th=151e46852c18c6bc&attid=0.6&disp=emb&attbid=ANGjdJ-7AkHc6tHuuCgfIrygtISyBXlr_4nFXxTnknERWlzQjV0RF6qpVIQdx7WLXRQpHrBtUrDe_2eUHsEQV8gQzK0nTTLxTYyT93zSw0rCWuDsYhtIgnQg5B4TpHs&sz=w486-h366&ats=1451730661773&rm=151e46852c18c6bc&zw&atsh=1" style="outline: 0px;" tabindex="0" width="243" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/1/?ui=2&ik=da38a712b3&view=fimg&th=151e46852c18c6bc&attid=0.5&disp=emb&attbid=ANGjdJ88dqQe80IQdgH3RyY9g1Bto_dVQuXfeGly5jomuoBlo7S_WRKVaE061evvowXyO1iMqYfom3huT4pmNdXHCcfpswHB9wDzsoS08GLIRl4E7PxY0Hsgl9kCzBg&sz=w428-h424&ats=1451730661773&rm=151e46852c18c6bc&zw&atsh=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8rPY8jmDbF7HeS84DJOLj9-e-SyzNeZ4Tn4V7eV2NcWe24wCs8uiDuDKYZjc9bTUfQ4x6a6e2KDZwGq7yM2-5Cnf6Io9Y9D-Fg8zIigwsQDvfmmCq1sUxkjRUHAmjE7ZIFUes6wTnvE/s1600/aa2eaa09-f854-4237-b051-b9cad5af6966.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8rPY8jmDbF7HeS84DJOLj9-e-SyzNeZ4Tn4V7eV2NcWe24wCs8uiDuDKYZjc9bTUfQ4x6a6e2KDZwGq7yM2-5Cnf6Io9Y9D-Fg8zIigwsQDvfmmCq1sUxkjRUHAmjE7ZIFUes6wTnvE/s200/aa2eaa09-f854-4237-b051-b9cad5af6966.jpg" width="171" /></a><img border="0" class="CToWUd a6T" height="212" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/1/?ui=2&ik=da38a712b3&view=fimg&th=151e46852c18c6bc&attid=0.5&disp=emb&attbid=ANGjdJ88dqQe80IQdgH3RyY9g1Bto_dVQuXfeGly5jomuoBlo7S_WRKVaE061evvowXyO1iMqYfom3huT4pmNdXHCcfpswHB9wDzsoS08GLIRl4E7PxY0Hsgl9kCzBg&sz=w428-h424&ats=1451730661773&rm=151e46852c18c6bc&zw&atsh=1" style="outline: 0px;" tabindex="0" width="214" /></div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline-block; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br />
<div style="display: inline-block;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline-block; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br />
<div style="display: inline-block;">
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "handlee"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.08px;"><b>You can find Tight Trash Fashion here:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.08px;"><b>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tighttrashfashion/?fref=ts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tight Trash Fashion</a></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.08px;"><b>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/GlumCandy?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@GlumCandy</a></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.08px;"><b>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/glumcandy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@GlumCandy</a></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.08px;"><b>Pinterest: <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/glumcandy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@GlumCandy</a></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.08px;"><b>Etsy: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TightTrash" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tight Trash</a></b></span></span><br />
<div style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 1.38;">
<br /></div>
</div>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-91546088389332826352015-12-21T23:28:00.000+00:002016-01-23T22:24:04.650+00:00DIY: Baby's First Birthday Decorations<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I love pinning (and pining!) on Pinterest. I love drooling over picture perfect snaps on Instagram. I love reading blogs that have professional level pictures to show you how to just "Do It Yourself".</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Like with anything you love too much, there is often the down side: realising that you don't have the time, money, patience, etc. to get it look just like how "they" did it. </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For a long time I would see something, want to try it but then talk myself out of it.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"I don't have the right tools."</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"I don't have enough money to do that the right way."</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"My camera doesn't take good enough pictures: how will the WORLD know that I've created something creative?!"</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"What's the point if it doesn't look like I hired a professional to do it!!"</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The pressure was starting to mount as my little boy's first birthday approached. Now admittedly this pressure was coming from myself and literally no one else. I like coordination! I like themes! Always have, always will. However, I just couldn't justify purchasing all the items I'd saved in my shopping cart at this amazing speciality party shop (if you are wondering where I started my birthday journey then check them <a href="http://www.prettylittlepartyshop.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">out</a>).</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Not to be deterred and determined to have a lovely little theme with decorations that wouldn't break the bank, I discovered that actually, I had loads of things already in my house that I could use. I also realised that you <i>can</i> make a lot of good looking decorations on the cheap. Well, I think they're good looking! And if it inspires you to take up your scissors and a bit of card, I think I've done my job!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Invitations: I am sure now that I could have made my own invitations but this was the first thing I did and so I went with Vistaprint and found a template of a design that I liked. I am obsessed, slightly, with "Woodland."</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMraItwfxwoyVdYgjE_eMJfLSwYFZoFyO6rtMALNWohIkNGBf5daEVT-80CyiCMZup_jMo7irfPsB0lrEN2j92lgw4L4qG98ppbBR50yiFKEg26mxaXU0NekbibjZPBQdPYytqVhZzCaU/s1600/Screenshot+2015-12-19+at+23.00.59.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMraItwfxwoyVdYgjE_eMJfLSwYFZoFyO6rtMALNWohIkNGBf5daEVT-80CyiCMZup_jMo7irfPsB0lrEN2j92lgw4L4qG98ppbBR50yiFKEg26mxaXU0NekbibjZPBQdPYytqVhZzCaU/s400/Screenshot+2015-12-19+at+23.00.59.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So cute! Red heart was not included but is doing a great job of hiding my address!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Foxy Bunting and Birthday Badge: Free! Coloured card stock, white paper, glue stick, hole punch, twine, scissors.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8Tw_8BktHJ46c9v8nOvo0Qedc8raV8lpoQx4HMPCRdBMi7VzaMijDQfB4x8UtbsXkr7g6vL10m6OyBhYm5n9vCxR1BEocU4Yaxtv4y9KRmnrWmwigc2yucLpolP6b95GoL_WrWJ-wSc/s1600/2015-12-18+23.24.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8Tw_8BktHJ46c9v8nOvo0Qedc8raV8lpoQx4HMPCRdBMi7VzaMijDQfB4x8UtbsXkr7g6vL10m6OyBhYm5n9vCxR1BEocU4Yaxtv4y9KRmnrWmwigc2yucLpolP6b95GoL_WrWJ-wSc/s400/2015-12-18+23.24.59.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I had all these materials already in my house and so while yes, at one point they </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">were purchased, </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">they were technically free!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXQm9Y7wfY1bJ95ZIo5WC3phdXa1MFlvMXBrBWBxVka9iDVN8uGz6A-C05Mj7iYwnBdU2khl-nLEoj_quyutTA6zjqAbeZxvpjHRE2_AAWqutXqlMKFt7mGyuEsHbV97NIq-j2la1__c/s1600/2015-12-19+00.14.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZXQm9Y7wfY1bJ95ZIo5WC3phdXa1MFlvMXBrBWBxVka9iDVN8uGz6A-C05Mj7iYwnBdU2khl-nLEoj_quyutTA6zjqAbeZxvpjHRE2_AAWqutXqlMKFt7mGyuEsHbV97NIq-j2la1__c/s400/2015-12-19+00.14.22.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> I chose a free clip art site and once I found my favourite fox, uploaded and copied it so I could print out a few sheets with him on it. I had made my bunting by rough sketching a triangle and cutting them out with a paper guillotine. They are about the same size but I really liked that some are smaller than others and it adds to the "shabby chic" feel. This is code for: things don't have to be perfect to be lovely!</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I chose the fox and the colours because I like them! And, more importantly, they are matchy to the invitations.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The heart punch added a bit of "aw" to the rustic chic of the twine used to string it all up. Below is the finished product, embellished with months 1 to 11 pictures of the birthday boy!</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7lFy2ADwt_RaaicZrF4K2IQSLMsp6p4y95wABJhQWeFwyNrEN2cRViwGs5UUEej0LiKDWVGRtXsg7Hy-aftU1slpOrzh8fHa30OP0MuClRTEJUArCxighjLsivB3MGTOtIYzC4YFJrqA/s1600/2015-12-18+22.57.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7lFy2ADwt_RaaicZrF4K2IQSLMsp6p4y95wABJhQWeFwyNrEN2cRViwGs5UUEej0LiKDWVGRtXsg7Hy-aftU1slpOrzh8fHa30OP0MuClRTEJUArCxighjLsivB3MGTOtIYzC4YFJrqA/s400/2015-12-18+22.57.07.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywpoAXyQWm2ZTzDLTunLIAzWDJQhMpTb9kyzVntVBHXnZOx-sqXFGn6FnRWieuLW8_RRc2eMx8Dfda9Gr_ygiQkjC0J9wGhdZeSZwkTYOsq7MKyqVB3qgKJ9uj5x9AU0bT4LM-_RpW08/s1600/2015-12-18+22.58.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywpoAXyQWm2ZTzDLTunLIAzWDJQhMpTb9kyzVntVBHXnZOx-sqXFGn6FnRWieuLW8_RRc2eMx8Dfda9Gr_ygiQkjC0J9wGhdZeSZwkTYOsq7MKyqVB3qgKJ9uj5x9AU0bT4LM-_RpW08/s400/2015-12-18+22.58.01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I really love how they turned out, helped to jazz up my very bare and<br />
boring magnolia painted walls!<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Cutlery, napkins, cups, tablecloth, paper plates: £7.00, from Poundland! I knew with the number of people coming I would not have enough plates and cutlery for my guests. I was very happy when I went to Poundland for the party bag favours and came away with all the essentials in a great colour scheme. Is it exactly the same as the bunting - no, but I think it works. And I got it all for £7!</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Diamond honeycomb shapes: £3.50 from Sainsbury's. I just stumbled upon these during a frantic search for clear balloons (I had wanted to make my own cheaper versions of confetti ballons - you will most likely have to order clear balloons, impossible to find in a last minute dash through the high street!) and I LOVE them! Again, not too matchy match but I think they still went with the overall theme.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKbNd2TAwayUQ8HGXQZxSGf6ZbS2z4OXt4UrwcAeKHbPd5nuel_HwySFszBNnnZ3dF_LBe70jgBfYh0bjfwqQdUfhORLc_dfF8VqyE_FIE7yZ5oKbOGIxOJuNIMLI1AIuoRRU90CnVOY/s1600/Screenshot+2015-12-21+at+23.02.00.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKbNd2TAwayUQ8HGXQZxSGf6ZbS2z4OXt4UrwcAeKHbPd5nuel_HwySFszBNnnZ3dF_LBe70jgBfYh0bjfwqQdUfhORLc_dfF8VqyE_FIE7yZ5oKbOGIxOJuNIMLI1AIuoRRU90CnVOY/s400/Screenshot+2015-12-21+at+23.02.00.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The straws were leftover from my baby shower in the US - how nice to include<br />
them in his first birthday party! And yes, free!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9gMamd8Mvmy81CkSSDr-MzcJYMWWMhxSXOsxQcfgEKtqMSCipWmP93f1_S2G59llPch4kgutcfYE9VF-8ICWZOia78iblgW1w_yTzLsxCmSUtmx7JYOK_PApyva0CFWnvfx5N3cZVdM/s1600/Screenshot+2015-12-21+at+23.10.42.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9gMamd8Mvmy81CkSSDr-MzcJYMWWMhxSXOsxQcfgEKtqMSCipWmP93f1_S2G59llPch4kgutcfYE9VF-8ICWZOia78iblgW1w_yTzLsxCmSUtmx7JYOK_PApyva0CFWnvfx5N3cZVdM/s400/Screenshot+2015-12-21+at+23.10.42.png" width="397" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> I love that it the party decorations came together in a sort of haphazard but serendipitous way. It started with an idea, based on the invitations and wanting to do a bit of DIY.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The pictures are not perfect! The lighting and props are not professional level. The colours do not match 100%. But hey - this is the real world! Not everything is Pinterest Perfect. Sometimes it's Pinterest Pretending - and that's OK too!</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKGggMFoAImnGb6wVIbRMonyE3vl7gNbg_7K3XgYrfF4cE8gzVCsvfU_6ugfgFi6T7E9qFthJU8UNKWPEbrm8zkpQGpFg4Xjoqee7bNc1GHCUrXPuf1UeNEX-tZuFA9-T7EG1Q52duFk/s1600/2015-12-19+13.59.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKGggMFoAImnGb6wVIbRMonyE3vl7gNbg_7K3XgYrfF4cE8gzVCsvfU_6ugfgFi6T7E9qFthJU8UNKWPEbrm8zkpQGpFg4Xjoqee7bNc1GHCUrXPuf1UeNEX-tZuFA9-T7EG1Q52duFk/s400/2015-12-19+13.59.44.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't worry - there was a lot more food to go out!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-33094040050557097522015-12-07T10:54:00.002+00:002016-01-02T12:00:50.543+00:00My First Ever Etsy Sale!<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yup, you read that right! I have had my first every Etsy sale! WOO! YAY! YIPPEE!</span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">However, you may also be familiar with this as well if you've got an Etsy shop: the immediate euphoria of selling an item is quickly replaced with "holy shit, someone's now going to review my work. Someone who is not a friend or a family member. Eeeee!!"</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I first checked my email and saw "Etsy Order Confirmation" my first thought was, "Oh god have I been late night shopping again?! I don't remember buying anything..." And then I read the whole thing and realised it was a confirmation for an order that someone had placed through my shop! My shop!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was so excited I ran upstairs and woke up the other half. "SORRY, KNOW YOU HAVE WORK IN THE MORNING BUT I HAVE HAD AN ORDER THROUGH!" I danced a little jig. I may have even fist pumped (I did). It was midnight and I should have really been going to bed having finished three other orders for friends (through Facebook) but I just couldn't. I had to get it started.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I started the work I began to get nervous. Oh man. This is going to go out in the world. It's going to be a reflection on me as a person, crafter, businessperson. Holy crap. Oh man. Stop shaking, hands!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Even though I have been out there promoting myself and sharing my work on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, this feels different.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's terrifying and exciting all at the same time. It's pushing me to be better and to create something really unique that people will like, will share and will want to come back for more. It's making me think how I want my items to look when they arrive - packaging is so important! Tissue paper, wrapping, bows, tags, etc. And it's also pushing my creativity, probably the thing I love the most. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Whenever I get a new idea or inspiration for a make, it's such a rush. There has been a lot of trial and error (and I'm sure there will be much more to come!) but I've found it really empowering so far. And I'm just at the beginning of this small biz journey.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So here's to the next order! And the next. And the next!</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHvnVv0MJe-csEnxLDLWPHcCy3lje__F5LB8vFYY97aNiHajGmWQMLCoJ23ZWjBkb15jWb6UR4OtAm3dL3dgzUjkh304pjzIO3N6bydWnJwjujEqzSxOlMbchPtqtBYOA8Oa9w0yHGEg/s1600/2015-12-05+22.14.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHvnVv0MJe-csEnxLDLWPHcCy3lje__F5LB8vFYY97aNiHajGmWQMLCoJ23ZWjBkb15jWb6UR4OtAm3dL3dgzUjkh304pjzIO3N6bydWnJwjujEqzSxOlMbchPtqtBYOA8Oa9w0yHGEg/s400/2015-12-05+22.14.11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-90554992266910635782015-12-05T15:23:00.000+00:002016-01-02T12:01:21.898+00:00Use What You Got!<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One of my favourite things to do is product photography. I'm no expert and I am still learning how to take a perfect photo but I'm having fun thinking up new ways to make my items look appealing. It's so important to have clear, fun, images to go with your items - it helps potential customers see your wares in their home.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Good lighting:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> I'm really struggling with this at the moment as every single spot in my house seems to be just plain wrong for getting natural light in. Also this time of year the sunlight is often in short supply! The days are short, it's often grey and rainy, and I usually only have time to do pictures in the evenings when the little one has gone to bed.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">*TIP*: A way to help your lighting situation is by creating backdrops that catch the natural light. This blog <a href="http://www.allbymama.com/picture-perfect/?utm_content=buffere2d3a&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer" target="_blank">post</a> over on All By Mama is really chock full of helpful tips. One I have recently started using is the reflector to catch the light. I find that it even works if you have to use harsh fluorescent light in your kitchen because it's midnight and there's no daylight to be found! I had two large pieces of white card lying around and now I'm using them as a white back drop and a reflector.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTh7ZPwd0jU15jCecWlTE8see791IziI5wMT8J6J_qlprOueegbEcQDVCTAphwB7Gy2S9wRiWlynZXSwBJjLmTED0zMzjXH2BZvyT3m767bwW29EMnO_NyCCgp0UoF4YwJjnEixuFfJA/s1600/Screenshot+2015-12-05+at+12.40.42.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTh7ZPwd0jU15jCecWlTE8see791IziI5wMT8J6J_qlprOueegbEcQDVCTAphwB7Gy2S9wRiWlynZXSwBJjLmTED0zMzjXH2BZvyT3m767bwW29EMnO_NyCCgp0UoF4YwJjnEixuFfJA/s400/Screenshot+2015-12-05+at+12.40.42.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's not perfect but I think it still looks pretty good (even if it's<br /> taken under the harsh glare of my kitchen light!) and I<br /> can't wait to try it out with natural sunlight. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Props:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> You don't need to break the bank and go out and buy a bunch of props. Once I started really looking around my house to see the things I already own, I was surprised and amazed at the number of things I have that tie in with my products. I have heart decorations, old books, library "stuff", loads of baby items like plush toys and rattles, etc.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkv0u7k1Z_JjTn76aYv486JbiRDBphwmoC7Ci3qpBZm2oC7ZD-7GhW2FXxutAyWczNpqP25rmI5tQmYqV5faR12k5Z-jvPy7aVgS9swy4eNzC8ZErtqXt253mQBsXvya2QrrKP2QdvS4/s1600/2015-10-26+11.56.24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkv0u7k1Z_JjTn76aYv486JbiRDBphwmoC7Ci3qpBZm2oC7ZD-7GhW2FXxutAyWczNpqP25rmI5tQmYqV5faR12k5Z-jvPy7aVgS9swy4eNzC8ZErtqXt253mQBsXvya2QrrKP2QdvS4/s320/2015-10-26+11.56.24.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vintage books and a library card stamp work <br />perfectly with this library card frame. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabenF6I8w0exoAgbUDu2IZxtdW7mBMTDBOwzBV1MiH7FmElKD_d7YzUC1da9nJdYvFeJSxY1fOo9-mHQTck7sE4wsXvkOlQEpmf5AoDd-DInIkk7V30B25Wd6D4Lqv74hGHAr03M7QbE/s1600/2015-10-26+11.40.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabenF6I8w0exoAgbUDu2IZxtdW7mBMTDBOwzBV1MiH7FmElKD_d7YzUC1da9nJdYvFeJSxY1fOo9-mHQTck7sE4wsXvkOlQEpmf5AoDd-DInIkk7V30B25Wd6D4Lqv74hGHAr03M7QbE/s320/2015-10-26+11.40.53.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slate stag coasters: perfect little nod to the stag<br />heart decorations.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUVnuCp2qo2OOPj4xLySVoyQctAfmRXB7wK-W4cq-rpMxo6uR5vqlerpn_6zEkhmBVtBGyGQ8ZRGKQ3ztQqU4WHHJMJxwkuNH_R-ropTt0Suf74xMTw2i_ctQvN8k461PP4l-XDvWovc/s1600/2015-11-29+20.52.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUVnuCp2qo2OOPj4xLySVoyQctAfmRXB7wK-W4cq-rpMxo6uR5vqlerpn_6zEkhmBVtBGyGQ8ZRGKQ3ztQqU4WHHJMJxwkuNH_R-ropTt0Suf74xMTw2i_ctQvN8k461PP4l-XDvWovc/s320/2015-11-29+20.52.41.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> I bought these chalk coasters from Avon and<br /> hadn't used them much. Ta da! Perfect signs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2xIUlGUD_KKBn_uihs4HXMBPaVjUAWFMSbXvPFdQDsTiTFV6-W4q6TXe_jGlOsW93s0aBlwVkGSpaC68mBrtwelgOTJSQr3YdgIUmvhARprKYT2GcS5FhHk71mAC35VDuBLxW6h44LE/s1600/2015-11-29+21.26.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2xIUlGUD_KKBn_uihs4HXMBPaVjUAWFMSbXvPFdQDsTiTFV6-W4q6TXe_jGlOsW93s0aBlwVkGSpaC68mBrtwelgOTJSQr3YdgIUmvhARprKYT2GcS5FhHk71mAC35VDuBLxW6h44LE/s320/2015-11-29+21.26.28.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twine and mini pegs - easy peasy! It's important to find<br />items that also tie in with your brand and how you'd like #<br />your business to come across to customers. I like twee things: mini<br />pegs, lots of hearts, pastel colours for signage, etc.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwdKW14cPU0pDpptuTCCvYsv_cA94MbMoyg2zLyu6Bw7v2VCun-1ylVmSYZdKNYwviktW-ZYp-83CTcyfFjzyqAP2QHARSQoaLu1w8dFR9O1X90HnthCa8BJLpySs5-0m4oRGyt7uhIM/s1600/2015-12-04+21.51.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwdKW14cPU0pDpptuTCCvYsv_cA94MbMoyg2zLyu6Bw7v2VCun-1ylVmSYZdKNYwviktW-ZYp-83CTcyfFjzyqAP2QHARSQoaLu1w8dFR9O1X90HnthCa8BJLpySs5-0m4oRGyt7uhIM/s320/2015-12-04+21.51.49.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Something simple: a bit of a ribbon! I have loads around<br />the house now for Christmas wrapping. Simple and sweet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0_6NbqukdK2ifePUra91KSJGjBol8URMP4_pewBgva2ResKx_Kb6bTEwl2Y33tff19Ad9Jyoh4xlTsdnRRuSJb_nPFiNbUqVZ4S8hXTif8iu3AhBtaP2cKH6w4H97CD3poLd5W-8HXI/s1600/2015-10-26+11.29.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0_6NbqukdK2ifePUra91KSJGjBol8URMP4_pewBgva2ResKx_Kb6bTEwl2Y33tff19Ad9Jyoh4xlTsdnRRuSJb_nPFiNbUqVZ4S8hXTif8iu3AhBtaP2cKH6w4H97CD3poLd5W-8HXI/s320/2015-10-26+11.29.39.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I bought this key ages ago as prop to use at my wedding<br />and it looks great next to a frame.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Photo Editing Site:</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Yup, I'm going to mention it again: PICMONKEY! If you are not using this by now, or something similar, you need to! Doing a quick edit on a picture or creating a fun sign to promote a sale or giveaway I think elevates your brand and make it look more professional. I tend to use the same colours and fonts so that there is a continuity across my pictures. Below is a selection of designs I've created to use across all the social media.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLf87RL8UX-sk93o1Xvj-DHDteN0YR_SK9iZymFeyp5EEZ0a43d4nsqnDXsOeFSAcBaA9IHw_GRsTDDpxFRe9TaZU-Lr1a25o-zG0J_LRPLxV0hPYxBF5sDkr1f1JAkfGsuqqXG8wd0U4/s1600/2015-11-13+12.25.12.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLf87RL8UX-sk93o1Xvj-DHDteN0YR_SK9iZymFeyp5EEZ0a43d4nsqnDXsOeFSAcBaA9IHw_GRsTDDpxFRe9TaZU-Lr1a25o-zG0J_LRPLxV0hPYxBF5sDkr1f1JAkfGsuqqXG8wd0U4/s320/2015-11-13+12.25.12.jpg.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbaFIllxMWN1gCSTeiY0-XyCwllhALY184nXlBoQsv0vp5wl_ICbglgQ4VhxlxY9mde11Pi6EANZvdiE-htYAxUigvXdC-r9wVuJdnkOfhWaoPUd3UVdK19BU3Jn10ZZYS27dIiCFt7hA/s1600/Placing+An+Order+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbaFIllxMWN1gCSTeiY0-XyCwllhALY184nXlBoQsv0vp5wl_ICbglgQ4VhxlxY9mde11Pi6EANZvdiE-htYAxUigvXdC-r9wVuJdnkOfhWaoPUd3UVdK19BU3Jn10ZZYS27dIiCFt7hA/s320/Placing+An+Order+%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4Z6Oiw7Vjrp-vO-nvRoVeUnjhEOD4mfMfcOOA7Es6GJU35PULxdxJX2pDx4OIfJE4LZK5f7M8Q9yu0TrkLFOo6CD2W5_gdyyx6IAiFWd4YoHWZlYPwQeGeRLrZiWxtuFU4dyhJdeXsc/s1600/Mother%2527s+Day+Sign+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4Z6Oiw7Vjrp-vO-nvRoVeUnjhEOD4mfMfcOOA7Es6GJU35PULxdxJX2pDx4OIfJE4LZK5f7M8Q9yu0TrkLFOo6CD2W5_gdyyx6IAiFWd4YoHWZlYPwQeGeRLrZiWxtuFU4dyhJdeXsc/s320/Mother%2527s+Day+Sign+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6OryyyJv6INol8f-Nm5zsC97Kj6d8WGLh4G6Huq8IFwqpHFtEzFMfwyn_Ks1aZq-iT3JTcjg_Whw2ICcJ1SEdluEX3f0jjsudHL1nb2zmL0hRtpTg7ntmBJiQuIVByZkG0oBtHX892z4/s1600/Screenshot+2015-12-01+at+12.23.35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6OryyyJv6INol8f-Nm5zsC97Kj6d8WGLh4G6Huq8IFwqpHFtEzFMfwyn_Ks1aZq-iT3JTcjg_Whw2ICcJ1SEdluEX3f0jjsudHL1nb2zmL0hRtpTg7ntmBJiQuIVByZkG0oBtHX892z4/s320/Screenshot+2015-12-01+at+12.23.35.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-0DbiBodRUjLOq9qa2xnTIlGecrWXsFTUFygvEnnSWmjNXndV2opkE0JiLSqjn19QD6tU_QHlNlXczM265qtQ0GvwzpxwOstlRG0fykxsoONsUzV02ztsMbDJ2lsFyrv_THvAWS0BlQ/s1600/Screenshot+2015-12-04+at+23.55.06.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-0DbiBodRUjLOq9qa2xnTIlGecrWXsFTUFygvEnnSWmjNXndV2opkE0JiLSqjn19QD6tU_QHlNlXczM265qtQ0GvwzpxwOstlRG0fykxsoONsUzV02ztsMbDJ2lsFyrv_THvAWS0BlQ/s320/Screenshot+2015-12-04+at+23.55.06.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hopefully the above can help, maybe even spark that light bulb "Aha!" moment about something you have in your house that will help elevate your product photos or give you an idea on how to create marketing strategies, for free!</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-72698564999036730292015-11-26T23:01:00.000+00:002016-01-02T12:01:28.248+00:00The Place To Be (And Be Seen)<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Righto - the biggest thing I've discovered since launching One Little Chickadee is that you really have to get out there on social media. You have to engage. Yes, there are obviously some people who launch and from the word go they are fulfilling orders, they're popular and everyone's talking about them.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But let's be real: that is probably not going to happen for everyone within a month of launching, within 6 months, maybe even within a year!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I've said before, I am not an expert. And though I am a beginner who is finding her way through the social media marketplace, there are a few things that I am noticing here and there. A few tips and tricks that I think are worthy of passing on.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I think it's important that you cover all your bases: if you can devote the time to all the main ones, do it!</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. To me these are the 4 big ones and if you can spend some time on them you should do it. I'm not gonna lie, it can be really overwhelming and I still have not found my marketing groove. I worry all the time that I'm not posting enough and I'm probably not.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are ways to make this easier: scheduling! I've mentioned this before but TweetDeck is your friend. You can also schedule posts on Facebook. Do it! As far as I am aware you cannot schedule posts on Pinterest and Instagram - I could be wrong so if you do know of a way, please leave a comment!</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The second big thing is participating with <i>others</i>, not just posting your stuff here and there and that's it. You have to interact with the community you are a part of. It just makes sense! By creating friendships or connections with other similar businesses, you are creating links: each person is a potential liker, commenter, sharer, customer of your goods.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I don't advocate doing dumps of your pictures in other people's links or adding the same comment as if you're copying and pasting. You should be genuine and interact with people you really want to interact with: like their items, links, photos, etc. Engage in their posts that ask questions of their audience. Share their contests, etc. Sure some of these people may be your direct competition but I truly think it's better to foster a positive environment. What I have seen so far on Instagram with the people I follow is a community of mumpreneurs who lift one another up: they chat, share one another's pages and photos and just seem like a lovely bunch. I was very hesitant at first to sort of insert myself in some of these situations but if you don't put yourself out there first, you may be waiting a verryyyy long time for someone else to do it for you. So get chatting!</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The last big point is finding pages that will help you achieve your goals and can help you with finding your community. So far the two big pages that I have seen are <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HikesTL/?fref=ts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hike Those Likes Market Place</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/crafthour/?fref=ts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Craft Hour</a>.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Again, still a newbie here, so I do not completely know the ins and outs. But both pages do similar things: they have a schedule for posting certain things on certain days (Tuesday are #TreasuryTuesdays on Craft Hour for example). They share pages and they really help promote your stuff. You've got to be vocal and participate but it's worth it.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I shared something with HTLMP and although it didn't result in a sale (yet), I had so many people commenting and asking the price of the item I was beyond thrilled because I had yet to have that happen. I also had an item chose by Craft Hour as part of a group of cute items for baby. The exposure was fantastic and more than that, it was a boost I needed to remind myself that "Hey, you're doing good things!"</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSe-ihM4VPz1ax2e8e9mKXgvphNNFknhNZnB7o1-LNO1SXFSvZ_sn2v5Om-F2BIiYiiSUUe_pVMTQRmFwsewR8TDVyXJog03j4EnPATras8Lubfv_zmCBHXq-cauuq1i725aI1BN7Lbk/s1600/Screenshot+2015-11-26+at+22.59.58.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSe-ihM4VPz1ax2e8e9mKXgvphNNFknhNZnB7o1-LNO1SXFSvZ_sn2v5Om-F2BIiYiiSUUe_pVMTQRmFwsewR8TDVyXJog03j4EnPATras8Lubfv_zmCBHXq-cauuq1i725aI1BN7Lbk/s320/Screenshot+2015-11-26+at+22.59.58.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's my bauble!<br />Image via Craft Hour</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">To sum it all up? Networking is your bestest friend!</span></div>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-46544894235727540882015-11-18T21:00:00.000+00:002016-01-02T12:01:34.398+00:00Running A Competition On Facebook<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm not an expert when it comes to running a business page on Facebook - I'm very much a beginner! Finding useful blog posts and articles as well as seeing how other businesses operate their pages has been extremely useful in how to run mine. Does this mean you should go out and copy a bunch of posts? NO! But I would have had no idea where to start if I did not look to my fellow crafters for guidance.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have been very interested in running a competition from my page but felt a bit overwhelmed when I first contemplated it.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Do I open the competition internationally? What if I get 14,000 entrants (Hey! A girl can dream...)? What if I get *no* entrants? How do I pick a winner?! </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">These questions made me put it off as I didn't have the confidence. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After ruminating a bit I decided I wasn't going to let this put me off as a running competition seems to be a really good way to generate likes for your page, get your name out there and I think overall shows that your business is fun and cares about its fans.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After doing some proper research I found that running a competition is not that hard and there are tools out there to help you make it that much easier.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. Pick a product that you'd like to use in your giveaway and if you can pick something "relevant". For my competition I have decided on a custom Christmas bauble - as we're nearing Christmas, I think it just makes sense!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. Make a fun and interesting image to go with the competition: make it bright and cheerful! This is the best way to grab someone's attention. I used my go to image editing site, PicMonkey, to create mine.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKrkuTDtoJNN_MmPxGo8GFXJQ3Aoay0sdJm6m1JBt8dWfcpoVcExqBaSuAIgKgSAS3AbgCMD2Y70NHGjZvzjgJt5WYoUJdLQcFUMpVjZ7caOXtqYQeOLhsB9TZc6OovurQ-tKnMRGlFU/s1600/100+fans+competition+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKrkuTDtoJNN_MmPxGo8GFXJQ3Aoay0sdJm6m1JBt8dWfcpoVcExqBaSuAIgKgSAS3AbgCMD2Y70NHGjZvzjgJt5WYoUJdLQcFUMpVjZ7caOXtqYQeOLhsB9TZc6OovurQ-tKnMRGlFU/s400/100+fans+competition+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The image is bright, showcases the prize <br />and it's clear what it is all about.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3. Promote yourself! This is admittedly my biggest hurdle: I have a hard time putting myself/business out there. But if you're trying to get new customers and get started, you just have to do a bit of self promotion. Obviously you don't want to go overboard and clog up everyone's news feeds with spammy posts about your competition. A good way to get them out there throughout the day/week/month is to schedule posts. You can schedule posts on Facebook as well as Twitter (using TweetDeck). Spend 15 minutes scheduling posts (changing up the language so they don't appear too "cut and paste") and then you don't have to worry about getting the word out there.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">4. Decided on the conditions of your competition: how long will it run? Who can enter? How can they enter? What about posting and packaging - will you include it for all entrants, if the competition is open internationally?</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">5. Make sure that you follow the rules of running a competition on Facebook. The best place to read the rules is from Facebook itself.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4J7YUvu5RmeWPhAoxkoQteQ5iA4ptIRzVFSz_ecoiJHQ34ELpJMZomXAVFvylGyOwYRHuMK0BCz2zovbpvLMwSKhEKkm7beAnXgjpRytX2rY3w69a7Cw_r9MuYXvC2-PaT_7o9DBiJA/s1600/Screenshot+2015-11-18+at+20.28.32.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4J7YUvu5RmeWPhAoxkoQteQ5iA4ptIRzVFSz_ecoiJHQ34ELpJMZomXAVFvylGyOwYRHuMK0BCz2zovbpvLMwSKhEKkm7beAnXgjpRytX2rY3w69a7Cw_r9MuYXvC2-PaT_7o9DBiJA/s640/Screenshot+2015-11-18+at+20.28.32.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The biggest takeaway from this is: You can ask them to like and comment as a means of entering (or both) <b>BUT you cannot ask them to tag friends or share the post </b>to get an entry in the competition as a condition of entry.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">From what I can see from the many competitions by other businesses that I have looked at, is that you can say that people can share the post as it's welcome but NOT mandatory, and to be very clear about that.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK90o7wS8rayyWs4aKy7IHQXzjtX8PQC-1Bq-1pslY6g6n3DFXi6-4W5r_EpJ9AmdO7lvtqnmRJ6L5RXvu4wlAPpXNfnbrrWQ_Pg5ADNKqS5WLYFh8-KPF3ncs_wAEu56vWoVGihCAhtE/s1600/Screenshot+2015-11-18+at+20.38.11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK90o7wS8rayyWs4aKy7IHQXzjtX8PQC-1Bq-1pslY6g6n3DFXi6-4W5r_EpJ9AmdO7lvtqnmRJ6L5RXvu4wlAPpXNfnbrrWQ_Pg5ADNKqS5WLYFh8-KPF3ncs_wAEu56vWoVGihCAhtE/s400/Screenshot+2015-11-18+at+20.38.11.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">It is also very important that you mention the competition is in no way endorsed/affiliated with/sponsored by Facebook.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">6. Pin the post! Make sure you pin your competition post to the top of your page. That way, when people visit they do not have to go searching for it and scroll through your page. Also, anyone new visiting your page will see it right there and will *hopefully* enter.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">7. And finally, find a good method of choosing your winner. I always wondered how people went about doing this - some competitions have hundreds or thousands of entrants. Do they go through every single one? Do they use an app? How do they make it fair? I found this great blog post about two different apps that help you choose winners. Visit this <a href="https://www.postplanner.com/2-free-tools-run-facebook-contest-on-fan-page/" target="_blank">link</a> to read about both tools in depth.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I've decided to use Woobox as it pretty much does everything for you. It's free and it's really easy to use. All I had to do was sign in to my personal Facebook account, go Woobox's site, create an account (by linking up with my Facebook account) and then it just pulled in all the relevant information. When my competition ends I'll be able to select the appropriate post and then use their tools to pick a winner.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I plan on taking a video as I do this so that all those who participated in the contest can see that it's done by a third party app and in a fair manner. I also think that having a video is a bit different - I've not seen many people do this. It adds a level of excitement to the whole thing!</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">So there you go - if you're a beginner like me, I hope that this can provide some good information to get started!</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Also if you'd like to take part in my competition...you know where to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OneLittleChickadee/" target="_blank">go</a>!</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br /></div>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-21713699637012582422015-11-10T20:27:00.004+00:002016-01-02T12:02:15.560+00:00Double O: Order & Organization<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Crafting from home, out of your spare room can be tricky. I'm sharing the space with a chest of drawers, wardrobe and a tiny desk. When I get working on a new project I find that before I know it my desk is covered in paint, glitter, and scraps of paper.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The floor is also covered in the same. I start losing track of stamps and my scissors. It can be very frustrating as my goal is to work smarter, not harder! I like order and organization. Which I've quickly figured out is not always conducive to the creative process. Sometimes you just have to get messy.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That doesn't mean I can't <i>try</i> to be more ordered and organized. And that's where the binder comes in!</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3KX55bs26xqMnsBk7Ts7dX4FX-eu7Dlu431bMkoHYAw7MEzpsB-2k7vAc-iG0mv2UXVpORIcQ7iozt_CxG0wOH670nt41bRNjARYyWw5yYMMV45k7tFR3wXg7x6taZarSWLJ2lG9OPI/s1600/2015-11-10+15.22.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3KX55bs26xqMnsBk7Ts7dX4FX-eu7Dlu431bMkoHYAw7MEzpsB-2k7vAc-iG0mv2UXVpORIcQ7iozt_CxG0wOH670nt41bRNjARYyWw5yYMMV45k7tFR3wXg7x6taZarSWLJ2lG9OPI/s400/2015-11-10+15.22.21.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSl2BoN2D_CM2Q_C3laMedeV9GG18BeBOhHy1ewvJCVqvv3GAv-OYXaEBz_3PbWJ4enu8Q11zVadMPpUArwZ8rtGWrN4zIICpJApR-IszCYUl7XfA-cjMRv49ekXxNWWe89p4Q7nu3Q44/s1600/2015-11-10+15.22.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSl2BoN2D_CM2Q_C3laMedeV9GG18BeBOhHy1ewvJCVqvv3GAv-OYXaEBz_3PbWJ4enu8Q11zVadMPpUArwZ8rtGWrN4zIICpJApR-IszCYUl7XfA-cjMRv49ekXxNWWe89p4Q7nu3Q44/s400/2015-11-10+15.22.34.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Apologies for the poor picture quality but trying to take a picture in good lighting in my house is damn near impossible. It also doesn't help that it's now pretty much always gloomy and grey outside.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">So far I have sections for my: glitter paper, samples, matte, labels and envelopes.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Ideally I would like to have this bad boy (maybe even two) from Hobbycraft.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Ahhhh, storage dreams!</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/supplyimages/572895_1000_1_170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/supplyimages/572895_1000_1_170.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Until then, make use of what you've got to help create a sense of order with your tools and supplies. It really goes a long way in helping you craft a bit smarter.</span></div>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-11353562449227835232015-11-03T19:34:00.001+00:002016-01-02T12:02:43.511+00:00The Power of Glitter<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My current obsession is GLITTER! Specifically, glitter paper.</span><div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It really jazzes things up and I think it adds a certain pizazz without being too <i>much.</i> I also love how it looks paired with the hearts punched from dictionary pages. I like my work to have a bit of sparkle but still remain somewhat "simple" - if that makes sense!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMHdvLlYMAJ35zE18xjBdS37PIbPwoY0IGtomBWhK7sRWFDXy7rVYlBWfJCOb8wuEJFlB-9uxYF-EcIN8cAFPagXsPETzYpFosTtradNFUSEZd1kT_hTE8cZ70Hgvs1ZxMOV9duGKYWdE/s1600/IMG_20151102_111026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMHdvLlYMAJ35zE18xjBdS37PIbPwoY0IGtomBWhK7sRWFDXy7rVYlBWfJCOb8wuEJFlB-9uxYF-EcIN8cAFPagXsPETzYpFosTtradNFUSEZd1kT_hTE8cZ70Hgvs1ZxMOV9duGKYWdE/s400/IMG_20151102_111026.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another discovery has been metallic or foil paper. I've currently got silver and gold, and wow - does it pop! When the light catches it it just flashes, it looks gorgeous! Below is a new piece that will be up for sale on Etsy and Facebook. I'm currently looking into frames as even though I've got my trusty Vintage Grey, I think this needs a black frame. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobxpFedq5r4xu6DJsr3CE1NxAGs66cvELrjigM0CIK1rz9sjaLbY4dGAln3KFtlIfx5g1T4ROho3Wj8qqkR4MNh9d6gTlSPw0U5URBthZbE41PKnuUWVBwEY3cVe7Vq_0d48W_zXmvi8/s1600/20151026_132904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobxpFedq5r4xu6DJsr3CE1NxAGs66cvELrjigM0CIK1rz9sjaLbY4dGAln3KFtlIfx5g1T4ROho3Wj8qqkR4MNh9d6gTlSPw0U5URBthZbE41PKnuUWVBwEY3cVe7Vq_0d48W_zXmvi8/s400/20151026_132904.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've also decided to use a bit of glitter for the "A is For" Dictionary Name Page Print. The polka dot paper is still on offer but now I've added the glitter option as well as having the two options for additional personalisation: "baby quote" OR "baby name meaning". In the example, my son's name Calvin is French meaning "little bald one". This could also be switched to something like a nickname perhaps as not all name meanings are well, cute (I'm think of my husband's name meaning: gravel yard. Hmm...) Of course if you like simplicity, no additions are fine too! After doing a bit of market research though I think people like being able to customize their gifts.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5FdSRmnbhUJifo03N1rmj-CcroEnX5ueSdY_cM7KYT_cJPXmA2HKNOj60FUoWoh-kXGv0FbiokHV63LbyDaI6YjEP9qKCDWz7ZNKjiJJFvXcqrpP5t5IeiBN1TtOmEuWGUq6jz4xvacY/s1600/20151103_184822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5FdSRmnbhUJifo03N1rmj-CcroEnX5ueSdY_cM7KYT_cJPXmA2HKNOj60FUoWoh-kXGv0FbiokHV63LbyDaI6YjEP9qKCDWz7ZNKjiJJFvXcqrpP5t5IeiBN1TtOmEuWGUq6jz4xvacY/s400/20151103_184822.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry for the crap angle and lighting - taking pictures in the evening is ridiculous!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-AIE65505JKv2HQQ6zxmrHyl-dgMfafdLWVoPhxjC8W6UfWMNOQhZK9YM504WtsDsLyW58zsTf7Ordpv6cR77dhj6TbKAR68JWTwIz4q8Qz6ZkrU0LIPqOWwW-ssIWT6HQ0lBQzWRsY0/s1600/20151103_185324.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-AIE65505JKv2HQQ6zxmrHyl-dgMfafdLWVoPhxjC8W6UfWMNOQhZK9YM504WtsDsLyW58zsTf7Ordpv6cR77dhj6TbKAR68JWTwIz4q8Qz6ZkrU0LIPqOWwW-ssIWT6HQ0lBQzWRsY0/s400/20151103_185324.jpg.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-12874107935935438542015-10-26T23:35:00.002+00:002016-01-02T12:02:58.361+00:00Forget The Dream Journal!<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of my biggest concerns about launching One Little Chickadee was that I would only have about 4 ideas for items and that was it. Even though there are plenty of business out there that specialize in a few products (and do it *really* well) I didn't want to get stuck and then feel like, well, who's going to keep coming back for more if all they keep seeing are the same 4 things?</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm happy to report that I am not short on ideas. I used to keep a dream journal (read: I kept a journal on my night stand and never remembered to write in it) but since the launch I am bursting with ideas. I am regularly waking up just as I'm about to drift off to sleep to jot something down so I don't forget it. There are times when falling asleep is actually difficult because I think "Oh man, I could do that with that paper and add that to the design I worked on yesterday."</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But, I </span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">also </i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">don't want to get my site bogged down with things I'm trying to turn out really fast that lack in style and quality because I feel pressured to get things made like, <i>now,</i> and get them listed. The key: work smarter, not harder. Take my time when sketching out an idea. Take my time when making a sample. And I think overall: this is a marathon! Not a sprint. There's no need for me to have to start with 15 or 20 items.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's fun and exhausting and overall I am feeling really encouraged in myself which in turn makes me excited to keep crafting and making and doing. I like the idea of putting a lot of hard work in to something to create a beautiful and bespoke gift that someone would be happy to have in their home.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm also surprised at how creative I can be and I'm really loving trying my best to be original. You'd be amazed at how difficult that can be - or maybe not if you've scrolled through Etsy. There's so much that's so similar (and by no means am I truly unique) but it's fun researching an idea and having that moment "Aha! Here's something that gives my item a bit of an edge."</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So here's to filling up that dream journal with something a bit more grounded in reality!</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>What I'm Working On</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I recently bought some metallic gold paper and I love it. I can see myself using it quite a bit as it really adds some glitz and glamour.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm not sure exactly how I'll be framing this but I think I'm going to try it out in a Vintage Grey 8 x 8 (if you can't tell, I love these frames). It may need something a bit more bold though so maybe I'll go with black. Or white. I don't know yet!</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlcyrFI195Q9IKoHHHFdyKbkEdfLBkxliXBEupTlGnB0AiN57xpvCdDB-h4PWo__yFpRZ2OQIoWAficM3G8JLU7IRNKflv8tgqHWlA2IfUVgz1PB3IKkosJ8LqBOC-0YlobBXbmheQm0/s1600/20151026_132904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlcyrFI195Q9IKoHHHFdyKbkEdfLBkxliXBEupTlGnB0AiN57xpvCdDB-h4PWo__yFpRZ2OQIoWAficM3G8JLU7IRNKflv8tgqHWlA2IfUVgz1PB3IKkosJ8LqBOC-0YlobBXbmheQm0/s400/20151026_132904.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-10453914926180940432015-10-21T21:14:00.001+01:002016-01-02T12:02:58.358+00:00I've Opened My Etsy Shop - Now What?!<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/OneLittleChickadeeCo" target="_blank">Etsy</a> shop is now OPEN!</span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It went live last night and after many hours tweaking and editing it - I think it's just right (for now!).</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had to open it under OneLittleChickadeeCo. A tad annoying as I had previously searched for One Little Chickadee and nothing came up. I later learned when I finally went to register my name, without the Co, that I couldn't because as per Etsy guidelines if there is a shop/username that is currently/ever used (even if it's now disused) can NOT be registered.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A bit of a bummer because I've already "established" myself as One Little Chickadee. And by established I simply mean that I had opened my Twitter, blog, Facebook under it and made business cards of it and I created all these designs under it. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I decided it's better to just go with the Co because I couldn't stand calling it something like "Little Chick" or any variation because I thought it'd go too far off piste.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8CDduC7tVWZjWArapoXv_CL5O_4KWJ9mC0Fg6-TfeihK9c3vvVdTwffrzixrj3hNKe6qG2KfMFXvAOISdq9rhxqE_JtRSEGY0pC845qnbrWUD8INnXyMGD53SYp8dHUTID3uve6cRLs/s1600/Untitled+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="83" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8CDduC7tVWZjWArapoXv_CL5O_4KWJ9mC0Fg6-TfeihK9c3vvVdTwffrzixrj3hNKe6qG2KfMFXvAOISdq9rhxqE_JtRSEGY0pC845qnbrWUD8INnXyMGD53SYp8dHUTID3uve6cRLs/s640/Untitled+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Etsy shop's banner! Made with PicMonkey.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So with the shop open: now what?! I must admit that I am feeling a bit like a headless chicken, running around trying to get everything up and running and post here and schedule Tweets there and finish the 3 new products I've mapped out, all while keeping on top of Facebook postings and getting my name out there on Instagram.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whew. It's a lot to take in!</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Current goals:</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Master the Tweet using TweetDeck.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Expense tracking. I think I am going to do this via Excel spreadsheet. I tend to like the ol' fashion way of making lists/notes in an actually notebook but for something as important as bookkeeping, I think it needs to be via spreadsheet.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Orders book. I have my first customer order! Full disclosure: it is from a friend BUT it's my first paying customer and I am so pleased as I am intending to use this as a sort of guinea pig order. What works or doesn't in terms of my packaging, customization of the product, shipping costs.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Find out about getting involved in a Christmas fayre.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. I currently have 4 new ideas for products and ideally I'd like to complete these before Christmas.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-23333749670576122682015-10-19T21:31:00.003+01:002015-10-20T08:58:09.009+01:00PicMonkey Perfection<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm sure I've talked about this before in another post but I am currently having a torrid love affair with <a href="https://www.picmonkey.com/" target="_blank">PicMonkey</a>.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you've not heard of it/used it before: you must. You simply must.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's free (but you can upgrade and pay a monthly subscription fee to unlock more features/fonts). It's so easy to use. It instantly can give your photos or designs a more professional look. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I cannot recommend it enough if you've been stuck or looking for way to jazz up your images or create designs from scratch.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OK so this is a bit silly but I think it demonstrates just how much you can get from them - and this is seriously only a fraction of what's on offer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjvstrWbPnzks2Ki8v5RDpmojMJ4dcHafVY5zjRybGn41P12lZk9cMxU0xZl1oOnT5ZqM91tGDem-Zy1UHFbJzCQa8IkJBn27Cg1y7IWNGPAnB1QBAzS_zeJ7EEcJiJarEatfjuiNYEQ/s1600/Untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjvstrWbPnzks2Ki8v5RDpmojMJ4dcHafVY5zjRybGn41P12lZk9cMxU0xZl1oOnT5ZqM91tGDem-Zy1UHFbJzCQa8IkJBn27Cg1y7IWNGPAnB1QBAzS_zeJ7EEcJiJarEatfjuiNYEQ/s320/Untitled.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My recent, and serious, use of the site has been to create clear and stand out images detailing my product information. Below is the one used for P+P costs.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRx_k3uzwHaXoc6o04_AtVnt6x1LrUaj3qkMveCABuV5hgCuyXy94vyRHXnOF7jKAw4x02sJer8hqXKmXoBkdMey0LesRVP3yMVfruu6WAycnBbvZ0i888y42NOnKemUd-lzsUXfJSbhk/s1600/Posting+and+Packaging+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRx_k3uzwHaXoc6o04_AtVnt6x1LrUaj3qkMveCABuV5hgCuyXy94vyRHXnOF7jKAw4x02sJer8hqXKmXoBkdMey0LesRVP3yMVfruu6WAycnBbvZ0i888y42NOnKemUd-lzsUXfJSbhk/s400/Posting+and+Packaging+%25282%2529.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think there's something to be said for having things clear and concise: it means your potential customers won't get lost and give up when trying to find out some information on your site (ESPECIALLY if you're not self hosted with a custom built website).</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you're selling on Facebook, a handy tip to make the most of your PicMonkey creations is to use the "Pinned Post" feature. For example, I have created an album titled "Information" and uploaded all the documents detailing prices, shipping info, etc. and pinned it to the top of my wall. That way whenever anyone visits my page the information is at hand. They don't have to go searching all around the many tabs of Facebook to find it. It's a great site but it's not always the best in terms of ease of use when selling.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hope this helps and happy picmonkeying around!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-80086961694498344122015-10-18T22:16:00.000+01:002015-10-19T12:03:23.584+01:00Products & Photographs<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Woo hoo!</span><div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've finally got the photos done for most of the products currently on offer.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the top of the blog there are separate pages with pricing information, shipping information, pictures, details on how to order, etc. Please, check them out!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've also have them listed on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OneLittleChickadee?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://instagram.com/onelittlechickadee/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and I've scheduled plenty of tweets using TweetDeck to get them promoted.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My next step will be creating pins for my Pinterest account.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am currently feeling a mixture of: pride, fear, excitement.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am sure I have made some errors and will need to do some tweaking. I need to double check my P&P costs (made a tad bit more frustrating as the Post Office in my town has actually shut and will not reopen until sometime in December!!)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I feel like a chicken running around with its poor ol' head cut off. Trying to keep track of ALL THE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS is a bit daunting so I am hoping to get into some sort of schedule. TweetDeck is a start - you still have sit down and draft out a bunch of Tweets but I figure if I take an hourish a day to get them all scheduled for that week, I should be able to leave it (sorta).</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-74362144743783989942015-10-18T11:45:00.004+01:002015-10-18T22:08:01.208+01:00Work Smarter. Not Harder.<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've learned something about myself over the last few weeks when it comes to working.</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I often make things harder for myself. More frustrating and complicated. It stems from wanting to do a perfect job - every time. And wanting it to be done <i>now</i>.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've always been this way (with school work particularly) so really it shouldn't have come as a surprise when I was getting just *SO* frustrated at myself and feeling hypercritical.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But this morning as I worked out an idea and began testing it to see if it'd make a viable product (it will, it's cute, can't wait to show it off!) I realized if I just slooooow down, take my time, I will save myself so my hassle and grief.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Work smarter. Not Harder. Yes one of those annoying Instagrammy platitudes that's probably hash tagged on some bohunks workout pics but you know, there's something to it.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the biggest frustrations with stamping by hand is the effort it goes in to getting your stamps in order. It just seems so faffy and time consuming. I was often going all willy nilly and haphazardly, picking up stamps and then setting them down in a different spot thus making it that much harder when I needed it again. Even using my ice cube storage tray was not 100% working as I have SO MANY STAMPS.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAKs9QnMIW4agbe517Zf2okVzUMY5TDzENXBjFBsg7yIvzoktmjJ2z8WkcglxjYHYdOFOagsxG9eunIAUQ45RocUC6Z80hK-elCIsY4p22PO-e8Td-TwVIugQhoi4ON8l1DYUUDUqKeM/s1600/2015-10-18+10.59.42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAKs9QnMIW4agbe517Zf2okVzUMY5TDzENXBjFBsg7yIvzoktmjJ2z8WkcglxjYHYdOFOagsxG9eunIAUQ45RocUC6Z80hK-elCIsY4p22PO-e8Td-TwVIugQhoi4ON8l1DYUUDUqKeM/s400/2015-10-18+10.59.42.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So dumb! And so silly. I'm not sure why I've been doing this as it creates a messy workspace which leads to messy work.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm taking it slow. This is not a race. I want to produce quality. I want someone to see something of mine and think "That's cute, I'd love to have it in my home."</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am planning on more ice cube trays to hold the stamps upright as I still think this is the best way for storage and space, using a cork board and taking the time lay out every stamp I'm going to use makes a lot of sense.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They are all in order, on a non grip service and I am taking the time to put them back where they belong. It's amazing what this simple step has done for me.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A top tip as well when stamping - go slow, check hands and fingers for any ink smudges as there is <i>nothing </i>worse than completing a project, looking down and seeing a tiny dot of black that shouldn't be there. I am now wiping my hands with a baby wipe in between and any time I see smudges. Baby wipes are handy, cheap, take the ink off immediately and your hands will dry quickly (or you can use my method - dry on your trousers!).</span></div>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-72348367489665598452015-10-17T19:56:00.001+01:002015-10-18T22:07:46.707+01:00Progress Update!<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How about a little progress update - I've been a bit quiet but that doesn't mean I've just been lounging about (what's that again?!).</span><div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have completed 4 products that will definitely be offered.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A new baby announcement card (pink/blue/yellow offered at this time).</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A print that would be suitable for a house warming present.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Two different style prints for a new baby, one of which incorporates dictionary pages.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have two more solid projects for prints (an ABC one and one suitable for weddings/anniversaries).</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And last but not least I have just ordered the supplies today for a mightily big Christmas project - that's one I'm <i>really</i> looking forward to and I can't wait to blog about it.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a name='more'></a><br /></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My next stage is getting the photographs for the blog and my Facebook page sorted.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The light today in my house was just utter shite so there was no chance of getting any taken. However, I have been using the site PicMonkey to mock up one of the prints. If you haven't checked it out, <a href="https://www.picmonkey.com/" target="_blank">PicMonkey</a> is one of the best sites out there for editing and creating. Editing and creating what, exactly? Literally <i>anything</i>. So far I have used it to create my logo, add text to pictures and of course the mock up which you can see below.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I really like this because it gives the customer a visual guide to what they will be getting and what they can have personalized on this particular print. I have the details listed in the description but I think this still adds something and is worth including. I am planning on doing this for all my products where appropriate.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDf73jSeL9zv3ctWmmO4LbgikGK23UsqUZxk75eZ8_lK6EdKMowyJwDlSxid5AKlhJBxNpU70hHZOZ3K0QVuOXoltVoSYK7KWCmI3NvVSHBdnmlAqwf7Nje4gNdbn3XIRKL2jWbZMFCs/s1600/Untitled+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDf73jSeL9zv3ctWmmO4LbgikGK23UsqUZxk75eZ8_lK6EdKMowyJwDlSxid5AKlhJBxNpU70hHZOZ3K0QVuOXoltVoSYK7KWCmI3NvVSHBdnmlAqwf7Nje4gNdbn3XIRKL2jWbZMFCs/s320/Untitled+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The text in this print is lovingly stamped by hand - NOT printed. The heart and the <br />house are printed on a high quality piece of card in cream. It will be <br />#placed in a vintage grey frame, 8 x 8. Picture of that to come!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What else is new then? I've designed some business cards and will hopefully be getting those printed in the next few weeks. They're really cute and also practical - more on those in a later post!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I've finally signed up for a business account through PayPal as I have decided that I am going to start with the blog/Facebook page/Instagram/Twitter for taking orders. I am still on the fence about Etsy.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know that I should go self hosted as soon as possible but my current situation doesn't allow for that. I really am hoping this this takes off and I'll be able to get there sooner rather than later.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One step at a time though!</span></div>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-44790222922879295372015-10-02T23:55:00.000+01:002015-10-03T00:17:48.848+01:00How To Store Rubber Stamps<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I first started using my my wooden stamp set, I was immediately annoyed at how quickly the stamps became messed up and out of order. If you're stamping out something that requires a lot of letters, the stamps just seem to get everywhere. You spend have your time frantically looking back and forth as you look for the "A" stamp. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I tried using both the lid and the box to split them up. I still found it cumbersome and messy.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I tried just laying each stamp out on a piece of paper but you'd be surprised (or not depending on how much you use ink!) how quickly ink smudges covered the paper, my hands, the table, etc.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After spending some time racking my brain for a solution, I came upon one that's easy and in theory, something everyone will have in their house already. This is the type of solution that I love because there's nothing worse needing <i>something</i> and then having to wait to order it/go to the store to buy it.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here I present my clever storage hack - yes! I used the word hack!</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2mZkjLUDehsAw9MLaXnjKJipw5jIcDp-kOkLG4mEvl0Te2jB0iRH_efmGaa0H2wL83cmonWBhq3dkjQAr9gSez4DzSOx3ui-HNvwXkB6rqFI_reWsTBD1VdOSkZc3HIJlty11R8ZXFVE/s1600/2015-09-20+15.31.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2mZkjLUDehsAw9MLaXnjKJipw5jIcDp-kOkLG4mEvl0Te2jB0iRH_efmGaa0H2wL83cmonWBhq3dkjQAr9gSez4DzSOx3ui-HNvwXkB6rqFI_reWsTBD1VdOSkZc3HIJlty11R8ZXFVE/s400/2015-09-20+15.31.49.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wish that my ice cube tray had space for all the letters but I think this is pretty good, for now. It alleviates some of the fuss of hand stamping.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is this something you've done before or would consider doing? I'm always interested in clever storage ideas - so please, feel free to comment!</span></div>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-70819838957330722192015-10-02T23:28:00.001+01:002015-10-03T00:18:16.719+01:00Creating A Workspace & DIY Studio Backdrop <span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have created some samples of the products that I will be selling but to be honest, I haven't done nearly as many as I'd like or I should have and that's because for the longest time I've had no workspace. I started out with sitting on the floor in front of the TV, dodging the dog and the baby. It hurt my back and my knees and I kept screwing up: carpet is not for crafting! Also, TV is highly distracting. And the baby kept putting things in his mouth.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfphY-CD6FwrQHJRXTVgmMtkMPbsuWh5e-olPGUB2i9Z1vYYBoMJ3wg58__Hj5SNAJv6ydKUWqvpl2OrFFYwJUuM5Lz2kGfQGEQhI1lPeS8uyvGe0EdyQ1jaMxh6uzSAn7snauNSYFYcw/s1600/2015-09-20+14.53.17.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfphY-CD6FwrQHJRXTVgmMtkMPbsuWh5e-olPGUB2i9Z1vYYBoMJ3wg58__Hj5SNAJv6ydKUWqvpl2OrFFYwJUuM5Lz2kGfQGEQhI1lPeS8uyvGe0EdyQ1jaMxh6uzSAn7snauNSYFYcw/s400/2015-09-20+14.53.17.jpg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have since created a temporary workspace in the spare bedroom. It's not perfect by any means. I'd like better storage for my supplies and a higher desk instead of my DIY coffee table as the main area for crafting. It's a bit blah, save for some fun solar lights hanging on the wall. However, it does include elements that I would/will include in my dream workspace, if I ever get it! I do have a <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/amyshawvollans/my-dream-garden-craft-shop/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> board that details how I'd like it look (more on that in another post!).</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The only thing missing was an area to photograph my products because it is a fact that the key to getting your stuff noticed and sold: you NEED to have good pictures! They need to be bright, clear, packed with color and show off your item like it was in the spread of a high fashion magazine. I've not yet posted my work anywhere because it seems like the light in my house is just wrong, regardless of weather/time of day/area of the house.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After pinning away for a good hour the other night, I found a lovely <a href="http://www.makermama.com/2015/03/diy-home-studio-backdrop.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">post</a> from the Maker Mama Craft Blog about a DIY Home Studio Back Drop. When I saw her set up I had a serious "AHA!" moment. Up in my closet was an old roll up blind that I have from Ikea. When we moved into our new home, we had no need for it so it was packed away and forgotten about.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkD91dCK_rbvWENJYEuaqN0PPnmGLHh3vQHjW9-xCJrk192WtFWUlSdE4j0EbQ1FJgPGIvPf2Hwmn4-NWuPwBPOFA69dbXM6-KLgHK4ldzNgySP2yX1JWtgSy-dVy9q31vUHzlmJVBNt0/s1600/2015-09-20+14.53.52.jpg+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkD91dCK_rbvWENJYEuaqN0PPnmGLHh3vQHjW9-xCJrk192WtFWUlSdE4j0EbQ1FJgPGIvPf2Hwmn4-NWuPwBPOFA69dbXM6-KLgHK4ldzNgySP2yX1JWtgSy-dVy9q31vUHzlmJVBNt0/s400/2015-09-20+14.53.52.jpg+-+Edited.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The blind is just a simple roll up blind in cotton. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGRhCJgNlc8h_YVFNbHVmHbWZYQM2xybUxswF7sANI-Vv4tdQdpu8is1x1g6v-u-8-Ejkkc127jGWbPeyv5by3of11xCTE17dNN6bA2GnmqkJ62UNOV_r6yEloJk3_vQMxw_jqi8nkz4/s1600/2015-09-20+14.54.37.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGRhCJgNlc8h_YVFNbHVmHbWZYQM2xybUxswF7sANI-Vv4tdQdpu8is1x1g6v-u-8-Ejkkc127jGWbPeyv5by3of11xCTE17dNN6bA2GnmqkJ62UNOV_r6yEloJk3_vQMxw_jqi8nkz4/s400/2015-09-20+14.54.37.jpg.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It has this nifty plastic that slides through the bottom - helps <br />
keep it weighted when being used a blind.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi75TYDb-MKe6gr1B_8P9Mq-SdmdzQo2OAlOjTW_-Z_w7He_Fsu5zsFRJ508Aw9JW5rpcDNjHwIlwk8Tk0k_kOSm-1hWXMgQqX5SbZqwxLO-1gU93rFyU7CK14iG-nx9iSs8INtjZkiBk/s1600/2015-09-20+14.55.35.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi75TYDb-MKe6gr1B_8P9Mq-SdmdzQo2OAlOjTW_-Z_w7He_Fsu5zsFRJ508Aw9JW5rpcDNjHwIlwk8Tk0k_kOSm-1hWXMgQqX5SbZqwxLO-1gU93rFyU7CK14iG-nx9iSs8INtjZkiBk/s400/2015-09-20+14.55.35.jpg.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In this case, I rolled up the blind so that the height would<br />
be perfect for slipping the plastic rod into the crooks<br />
of the wardrobe handles - it worked perfectly. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHN5Uxt8kwRWrEa5VKVMaSNDl93kCLx4eBQLBwcOah00THuxo6Q0GtWDCHIGUyIVQbHfqTicnrpjEhDi6HirEzaidhtAal9k2ZS1X_Hhy_qSDaJyifeEgVNpP7GG-Lh43VHqF_DLbKk-c/s1600/2015-09-20+14.58.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHN5Uxt8kwRWrEa5VKVMaSNDl93kCLx4eBQLBwcOah00THuxo6Q0GtWDCHIGUyIVQbHfqTicnrpjEhDi6HirEzaidhtAal9k2ZS1X_Hhy_qSDaJyifeEgVNpP7GG-Lh43VHqF_DLbKk-c/s400/2015-09-20+14.58.59.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After a few adjustments, I flattened it out so <br />
that it would rest perfectly on the floor.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That Ikea blind is getting a new lease on life and I'm on my way to better photographs. Win win.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Again, it's not perfect. I am going to iron it as I don't really like the wrinkles - I don't think they add to the aesthetic.</span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Has my DIY backdrop and studio allowed me to take professional, amazing photos? No, of course not! I still have a long way to go but I think this is a pretty good start. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you're looking for a quick and simple video tutorial for product photography, check out this one from <a href="https://blog.etsy.com/en/2011/etsy-success-product-photography-for-beginners/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Etsy</a>.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-87248233081061599062015-09-25T22:03:00.003+01:002015-10-03T00:18:54.853+01:00Chalk Paint: The Cure All For Down and Out Furniture<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18.48px;">Over the summer I had been itching to get rid of all my living room furniture and start again. I also want unlimited pizza every day and that hasn't happened either. So, rather than rob a bank to fund any new purchases, I knew I should look into giving some of the pieces a bit of a facelift.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18.48px;">I had a beat up, cheap, boring, laminated side table from Argos. All our living room furniture is currently Argos buys and I liked it at the time but 4-5 years on, I look at it and just go "What the hell was I thinking?" I have since learned that the answer to your bad furniture woes is: CHALK PAINT! Seriously. It just goes over everything so easily it makes doing a spot of DIY that much easier. If you have something that you're tired of looking at, give it a new look with chalk paint.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18.48px;">I'm pretty pleased with this piece as it looks a bit like white birch and that was what I was going for. Well, to be honest I had no idea what it was going to end up like but there's nothing like taking something that's a bit crap and making it a bit <i>less</i> crap.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #666666; line-height: 18.48px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhjbxWWjYXs2ASzeNVv5OqYAv8vtC5gOJ4PwwNi6LBZtDlwaQ3l3YBWQB_ax5oj6m_Sv0tq82lpxp1D7rGqhwOfPmL8nfwQa3bWU8ulZhnRZh26ZVvyum3cM2B9PML8KuUMXiEFEK0hQ/s1600/2015-04-11+15.46.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhjbxWWjYXs2ASzeNVv5OqYAv8vtC5gOJ4PwwNi6LBZtDlwaQ3l3YBWQB_ax5oj6m_Sv0tq82lpxp1D7rGqhwOfPmL8nfwQa3bWU8ulZhnRZh26ZVvyum3cM2B9PML8KuUMXiEFEK0hQ/s400/2015-04-11+15.46.52.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQnZa4MJJgmjBiCky5bNEzqyMm01aH1M5dRXONz-DOr7ePhYjQvFLdVvbd0VryXCs8GbblNg2XYdlDCdJ8NNT-7172h-OKDIfYIo0XvBq0sm7ImCaLLctwiaYFF0OMG7XHhAPKs5AHqCg/s1600/2015-04-11+15.50.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQnZa4MJJgmjBiCky5bNEzqyMm01aH1M5dRXONz-DOr7ePhYjQvFLdVvbd0VryXCs8GbblNg2XYdlDCdJ8NNT-7172h-OKDIfYIo0XvBq0sm7ImCaLLctwiaYFF0OMG7XHhAPKs5AHqCg/s400/2015-04-11+15.50.19.jpg" width="265" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Tools:</b> Sand paper, Rustoleum chalk paint in Clotted Cream, Rustoleum furniture wax</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Method</b>: I didn't even bother to sand the table before applying the chalk paint. You probably could but this was a cheap piece of laminate furniture from Argos and it didn't seem worth it to put <i>that</i> much work into it. So I just wiped it down to ensure it was clean. Then I slapped on two coats of the paint, allowed to dry, and took my sandpaper and went to town distressing it. Easy peasy.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Props:</b> Chalk heart coasters from Avon (really!)</span></div>
ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1291752159292186078.post-45810696670978915542015-09-16T19:54:00.001+01:002015-10-03T00:19:15.558+01:00What's Next: Creating Business Plan<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As per my last <a href="http://onelittlechickadeeblog.blogspot.com/2015/09/a-work-in-progress.html" target="_blank">post</a>, it has become very clear to me that if I don't get organized and have a business plan set in stone then this little bird won't ever fledge from the nest (haha!).</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So here are the next steps I need to take, in list form of course! Future posts will be dedicated to each of these points in depth.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Mission Statement</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Goals</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Schedule</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Suppliers</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Pricing</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. Packaging</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7. Sites</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8. Ideas</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9. Stockists</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10. Workspace</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's a jumble and not really in order of importance.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But it's a start and it helps to see where I am, where I need to be and an idea of how I'll get there.</span>ApparentlyAwkwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08629710285621386683noreply@blogger.com0