I love spring break. Usually because it's about the time of year I really get tired of having to wake up early to get kids off to school so it brings a welcome vacation from that.
This year I'm hoping to make it a week to dedicate to filling up my etsy shop. Tomorrow a good friend is going to come and play with me for the day.... I'm excited to see how much we can get done!
I'll be sure to post some pictures <3
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
I've Said It All Before
And most likely if you are a fellow crafter/boutique owner I'm sure you've had similar frustrations.
Being copied isn't flattering. It's frustrating. Wether done intentionally or not it just doesn't sit nicely with me.
I am an avid crafter. I LOVE to make things. I make tons of things I do not sell. If you'd like to copy (I don't care if it's an exact replica) anything I make for gifts or personal use- GO FOR IT!! This post is regarding people trying to profit from copying.
I try to create things that are different, and unique and to put my own spin on things. Rarely do I succeed on the first try either!
As a boutique owner, I've made it a practice to sell only a few items that I can do exceptionally well. I'd rather have a few items I do very well, than a big selection of things I do kinda okay. I try to sell items that are unique and will stand out when compared to others.
My Shabby Posy is by far the most recognizable BTM product! I've had poeple states away write me saying they saw someone wearing my posies out in public. It's is their distinct look that people know, so when they see other people re creating them, they tell me that too.
I have had this happen more than I care to admit. In the beginning it really upset me. The first few times I would send an email or message asking if they'd atleast change the name. I encountered a few people who responded so nicely. I ended up becoming great friends and partners with 2 of them!
Others however didn't care. They infact went out of their way to begin copying everything I'd do. This is when I came up with my own rule to deal with the situation. It was simple, delete, and block, never take it personally. That's it. No more, no less. Keep in mind, I only did this when I was pretty positive all their "inspiration" was coming directly from my items.
To be completely honest. I really don't care. Go for it. Copy me. Copy them exactly. I just choose not to see it. So if you do, don't be offended if I remove you from my page.
I will never go out of my way to draw attention to someone copying me. I may say it's time to clear out the friends list... infact I do monthly to weed out spammers and creepy people. I don't name names and I won't point fingers.
Everyone knows that trying to profit from others ideas is wrong. I've even read that it's wrong wether or not a work of art is officially protected. (if I remembered where I'd surely tell ya!LOL)
Pertaining to the "drama of the night"
Either way the drama that can unfold from this crazy crafty world on facebook is anoying at best. I try to leave it on my wall for a while. I have nothing to hide and feel I've done nothing wrong. If feelings were hurt, it wasn't by me. I will remove it, as it's extremely unprofessional for people to hold these discussions in a public manner. There are better ways of dealing with these issues. I regret even having to write this, but I'm sure I'll have questions once the posts are removed.
Being copied isn't flattering. It's frustrating. Wether done intentionally or not it just doesn't sit nicely with me.
I am an avid crafter. I LOVE to make things. I make tons of things I do not sell. If you'd like to copy (I don't care if it's an exact replica) anything I make for gifts or personal use- GO FOR IT!! This post is regarding people trying to profit from copying.
I try to create things that are different, and unique and to put my own spin on things. Rarely do I succeed on the first try either!
As a boutique owner, I've made it a practice to sell only a few items that I can do exceptionally well. I'd rather have a few items I do very well, than a big selection of things I do kinda okay. I try to sell items that are unique and will stand out when compared to others.
My Shabby Posy is by far the most recognizable BTM product! I've had poeple states away write me saying they saw someone wearing my posies out in public. It's is their distinct look that people know, so when they see other people re creating them, they tell me that too.
I have had this happen more than I care to admit. In the beginning it really upset me. The first few times I would send an email or message asking if they'd atleast change the name. I encountered a few people who responded so nicely. I ended up becoming great friends and partners with 2 of them!
Others however didn't care. They infact went out of their way to begin copying everything I'd do. This is when I came up with my own rule to deal with the situation. It was simple, delete, and block, never take it personally. That's it. No more, no less. Keep in mind, I only did this when I was pretty positive all their "inspiration" was coming directly from my items.
To be completely honest. I really don't care. Go for it. Copy me. Copy them exactly. I just choose not to see it. So if you do, don't be offended if I remove you from my page.
I will never go out of my way to draw attention to someone copying me. I may say it's time to clear out the friends list... infact I do monthly to weed out spammers and creepy people. I don't name names and I won't point fingers.
Everyone knows that trying to profit from others ideas is wrong. I've even read that it's wrong wether or not a work of art is officially protected. (if I remembered where I'd surely tell ya!LOL)
Pertaining to the "drama of the night"
Either way the drama that can unfold from this crazy crafty world on facebook is anoying at best. I try to leave it on my wall for a while. I have nothing to hide and feel I've done nothing wrong. If feelings were hurt, it wasn't by me. I will remove it, as it's extremely unprofessional for people to hold these discussions in a public manner. There are better ways of dealing with these issues. I regret even having to write this, but I'm sure I'll have questions once the posts are removed.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Auction- To Raise funds for Great Strides
The details
This is an auction to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis research. ALL PROCEEDS WILL BE DONATED. Be generous!
There will be no shipping costs! (woohoo right?- I hate paying for shipping)
After the auction closes, the winners will get an email with info on how they can pay their donation. I'd prefer all donations go directly to our Great Strides account. However, they do not take paypal. If you prefer to use paypal, there will be instructions on how to do that too.
The Dates
The album will be posted at midnight on the 6th of February. It will end at 8pm on Monday, the 7th.
The Reason
My oldest son, Logan, has Cystic Fibrosis. Our family is walking this year to help find a cure for him, and to honor our second son, Austin, who was stillborn 10 years ago because of complications due to CF.
This is an auction to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis research. ALL PROCEEDS WILL BE DONATED. Be generous!
There will be no shipping costs! (woohoo right?- I hate paying for shipping)
After the auction closes, the winners will get an email with info on how they can pay their donation. I'd prefer all donations go directly to our Great Strides account. However, they do not take paypal. If you prefer to use paypal, there will be instructions on how to do that too.
The Dates
The album will be posted at midnight on the 6th of February. It will end at 8pm on Monday, the 7th.
The Reason
My oldest son, Logan, has Cystic Fibrosis. Our family is walking this year to help find a cure for him, and to honor our second son, Austin, who was stillborn 10 years ago because of complications due to CF.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wow!
I surely need to catch my blog up!
As January came to an end, I found my life extremely stressful! And that may be an understatement. It has forced me to make a tough choice.
I am no longer going to be taking orders. With all the many stresses currently in my life, bows have taken a back seat. Just like any other job, I need to put my family first. (if I'd had a "real job"- I'd be quitting it right now too)
I do still have some fun events coming up! My family and friends will be participating in this years Great Strides- a walk to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.
My oldest son has CF, and we lost our next son to CF at birth. (We had 2 more children who do not have CF)
In order to raise money for our walk, I will be doing two fun fundraisers!
The first is an auction and is in honor of the son we lost, Austin, and be held on "his days". I will load the album on Feb. 6th, and bidding will close on the 7th. (times to be announced soon)
This auction will run like a typical Facebook auction. All rules will be posted in a note on my page. Please read them before bidding! At the close of the auction, you will not get an invoice, instead you will get an email from me. It will have a link, that you will go directly to to make your donation!
I am doing this for a few reasons. many people do auctions for charities. But who ever really knows how much of the money makes it there. Also, I am covering all shipping costs... this is out of my own pocket and I look at it as contributing to our fundraising goal. And, it's tax deductable for you! Win Win, right? I will know when donations are made as the foundation emails me for each donation.
If you did not win an item in the auction, but would still like to donate- please do! CFF is an amazing organization with over .90 of every dollar going directly to research!! It's one of the top 10 recommended charities to donate to! This leads me to the next Fun Fundraiser!
A Raffle!!
Those who wish to donate will get their name entered into a raffle! You get one entry for every $5 you spend! I will draw 1-3 winners depending on the amount of people participating.... and I promise you will get an awesome prize.... a Dozen Posies! If you wish to have your donation count, please leave a note that says Raffle. As always, full rules will be posted on my facebook page.
As January came to an end, I found my life extremely stressful! And that may be an understatement. It has forced me to make a tough choice.
I am no longer going to be taking orders. With all the many stresses currently in my life, bows have taken a back seat. Just like any other job, I need to put my family first. (if I'd had a "real job"- I'd be quitting it right now too)
I do still have some fun events coming up! My family and friends will be participating in this years Great Strides- a walk to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.
My oldest son has CF, and we lost our next son to CF at birth. (We had 2 more children who do not have CF)
In order to raise money for our walk, I will be doing two fun fundraisers!
The first is an auction and is in honor of the son we lost, Austin, and be held on "his days". I will load the album on Feb. 6th, and bidding will close on the 7th. (times to be announced soon)
This auction will run like a typical Facebook auction. All rules will be posted in a note on my page. Please read them before bidding! At the close of the auction, you will not get an invoice, instead you will get an email from me. It will have a link, that you will go directly to to make your donation!
I am doing this for a few reasons. many people do auctions for charities. But who ever really knows how much of the money makes it there. Also, I am covering all shipping costs... this is out of my own pocket and I look at it as contributing to our fundraising goal. And, it's tax deductable for you! Win Win, right? I will know when donations are made as the foundation emails me for each donation.
If you did not win an item in the auction, but would still like to donate- please do! CFF is an amazing organization with over .90 of every dollar going directly to research!! It's one of the top 10 recommended charities to donate to! This leads me to the next Fun Fundraiser!
A Raffle!!
Those who wish to donate will get their name entered into a raffle! You get one entry for every $5 you spend! I will draw 1-3 winners depending on the amount of people participating.... and I promise you will get an awesome prize.... a Dozen Posies! If you wish to have your donation count, please leave a note that says Raffle. As always, full rules will be posted on my facebook page.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
I'm a Dork....
1- I get excited to get packages. Even if it's just boxes. I love it! Fabric orders= Christmas!
2- There are nights it's 7 o'clock before I notice I haven't fed my kids dinner.
3- When my husband is gone...(often)... I will go on week long crafting binges and totally neglect house work.
4- When I say my house is a disaster... it's never an understatement. Don't be offended when I don't invite you in.
5- Sometimes... we eat desert before we eat dinner.
6- If I make brownies.... we eat them for breakfast the next day. Always.
( Rule 6 also applies to birthday cake.... or pie)
7- I hate getting everything ready for the post office. When I'm super busy... it can take all day!
8- I have brainwashed my children into believing any time I'm on the computer... I'm "working"... and they need to leave me alone.
9- I never work on "work" while taking my kids to practices. That's their time.
10- Most of my great ideas come to me while I'm in the shower.
11- It drives me absolutely crazy when people copy me. It's not a compliment. If I wanted everyone to make the things I make... I'd sell tutorials.
12- Don't ask me to sell you a tutorial.
13- Yes. All my posies are hand cut. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. I have callouses to prove it.
14- I don't sew. I pretend to. There's a HUGE difference.
15- There aren't enough hours in the day, or dollars in my bank account, to do even half of the projects I'd love to do.
2- There are nights it's 7 o'clock before I notice I haven't fed my kids dinner.
3- When my husband is gone...(often)... I will go on week long crafting binges and totally neglect house work.
4- When I say my house is a disaster... it's never an understatement. Don't be offended when I don't invite you in.
5- Sometimes... we eat desert before we eat dinner.
6- If I make brownies.... we eat them for breakfast the next day. Always.
( Rule 6 also applies to birthday cake.... or pie)
7- I hate getting everything ready for the post office. When I'm super busy... it can take all day!
8- I have brainwashed my children into believing any time I'm on the computer... I'm "working"... and they need to leave me alone.
9- I never work on "work" while taking my kids to practices. That's their time.
10- Most of my great ideas come to me while I'm in the shower.
11- It drives me absolutely crazy when people copy me. It's not a compliment. If I wanted everyone to make the things I make... I'd sell tutorials.
12- Don't ask me to sell you a tutorial.
13- Yes. All my posies are hand cut. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. I have callouses to prove it.
14- I don't sew. I pretend to. There's a HUGE difference.
15- There aren't enough hours in the day, or dollars in my bank account, to do even half of the projects I'd love to do.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
WEEDS!!!
I mass produce Shabby Posies. It's a process. A very long one..... and unfortunately not very exact. I am always left with a few random pieces of each fabric and nothing to match them with.
I now have 2 gallon ziplock bags full of "posy pieces". I was about to toss them all. I'm tired of digging through them not finding what I want, or thinking I have something and the color is off.
It was at this moment while organizing and cleaning my studio (see new years res.) that it hit me.... "What if I purposefully go out of my way to make them not match?"
So I pondered and consulted with one of my #1 customers.... and came up with the name Weeds.
I put some together, and honestly... wasn't sure if they'd be a hit. Alone they're not the cutest.... but group them together... and Oh My Gosh! Cuteness!
Cheaper than posies, and sold in sets of 3, these cuties have little button centers, but are otherwise exactly the same as a Shabby Posy.
Within an hour of posting 3 sets of them, one has already sold. I've also recieved tons of positive feed back.
Looks like I sell weed now..... go figure! HAHAHAHA
Happy 2011!
I hope everyone enjoyed ringing in the new year as much as I did!
It's noon.... we just finished brunch.... are all still in jammies.... and snuggled up on the couch!
This year promises to bring many changes to my family this year. A scheduled deployment, busy BUSY kids, and a growing business will surely keep things interesting! MY new years resolution is.... (drum roll)..... to keep my bow room picked up!!
That may not sound like much.... but trust me it's HUGE! I have also set a few monetary goals, both for my personal finances and my busines.
NOw I'm off to get some of the first items of the year posted on etsy <3
It's noon.... we just finished brunch.... are all still in jammies.... and snuggled up on the couch!
This year promises to bring many changes to my family this year. A scheduled deployment, busy BUSY kids, and a growing business will surely keep things interesting! MY new years resolution is.... (drum roll)..... to keep my bow room picked up!!
That may not sound like much.... but trust me it's HUGE! I have also set a few monetary goals, both for my personal finances and my busines.
NOw I'm off to get some of the first items of the year posted on etsy <3
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