I Prayed. God Listened and Answered. Again.

This picture was taken of Izzy and Me Goofing Around TWO summers ago... Where does the time go? Our lives have changed so much!

Good Morning Friends! The house is still quiet this morning, and I'm taking advantage of the calmness. 

God definitely hears our prayers! Long story short, I was talking to Scott a few days ago and I was talking about fears about trying 150% to really make my jewelry business work. I told him about how stressful it was for me to list all of the changes I need to make to REALLY call myself "working" and how difficult it would be to work hard enough to keep consistent sales that are high enough to sustain a real viable jewelry business. I finally just laid it all out on the table for him: My Fears, My Insecurities, and My Anxieties about my recent decision to turn my Jewelry Designs from my current "Facebook Hobby/Shop" and Etsy Shop to a "Real Business" with taxes and invoices and consistency and insurance...and that's where my eyes fog over every time. 

Alabama Glass Necklace and Matching Earrings Set: PRICE $35

Some of the topics we talked about included:

• My fears about PHYSICALLY being able to actually PROVIDE the services I commit to offer and being able to rely on my body to not let me down.
• This stems from my fears and past experiences with Multiple Sclerosis and worrying about not being able to control the symptoms of my disease. I hate to admit, but there have been quite a few delayed package shipments, unreturned phone calls, and procrastinating working on orders that resulted in low customer service in the past year.
• While a lot of this irresponsibility can be blamed on the MS effects and my deep depression last year, I have to take appropriate credit for some of it on my "normal" shoulders. The honest truth is: my fears of disappointing customers or failing to thrive have ironically "paralyzed" my Creative "Side" many times. As a result, while I have received consistent positive feedback from customers that love their purchases, I'm sure they were annoyed with me for my lack of organization and unprofessional attitude. Honestly, I'm tired of doubting myself and dragging my heels, both of which cause my stomach to be in knots from guilt and worry. 
• How overwhelmed I am with the "Business Side" of starting a business. It seems like one thing leads to another. 
• For example, saying that I'm setting up my "Business Taxes" means that I'm having to learn all about sales tax, collecting and paying, how much to collect, paying unemployment taxes, when to pay the IRS, what I can deduct, Employment Identification Numbers (or if I even need one if I'm don't have employees NOW) but might in the future, and the list goes on and on... see what I mean?
• Slowly but surely building an inventory of thousands of different types of beads is a great accomplishment for me, but using so many types of components is difficult to track. How do I manage my inventory? How do I track sales? How do I price each piece to track AND ensure that I'm not losing money. What software programs are recommended by other "beaders" and how much does it cost? Will I be able to afford it? How difficult is the software to learn to use to benefit my business, and how long will it take me to learn how to use it?
• What exactly do I want to sell? Who are my target customers? I can't be everything to everyone, but what exactly do I want to be? What services will I offer? Should I sell exclusively online, or at craft shows, or sell wholesale to retail shops, or Etsy, or just Facebook?
• What are my goals? I can't start out doing everything I have in mind right away, so what am I going to start with? How big do I want my business to be? Do I always want to be working from home or would I like to eventually expand to a physical retail store? If I want a physical store, what city would I want it to be in? Will I physically AND mentally be able to run a business from a new location? Can I rely on my body to work for me on a consistent basis? How will I build my business?
• How can I plan NOW for the Christmas Rush to ensure that I won't run out of inventory like last year? What should I be doing NOW to be prepared for a boost in sales? Should I start to find someone that can work with me this year during the crazy Holiday busy time so I'm not scattered in 50 places like I was last year? Who would I find to help me, since I now live in a new city and I don't know anyone around me? How can I take advantage of the Holiday season and make the most of my holiday time, an opportunity to possibly reach my biggest sales for the entire year. How do I plan for slow sales after Christmas? What Craft Shows will I do next year? 

Those are just a few random things that I spewed out when I broke down to Scott the other day. 

Auburn Glass Necklace and Earrings Set: PRICE $35

Scott "did what he does best" and kind of looked through all of the "static" I was freaking out about and asked me two simple questions: 

1. Do I use my time each day in the best way possible and work hard to sell my jewelry or am I wasting a lot of time? I had to be honest, and say that I waste a lot of time and I'm making horrible use of my time all day. So he replied, "Well, there you go. You only have yourself to blame for not selling as much jewelry as you would like to." 
2. He said, "I hear you talk about blogging and posting information online, but are you really trying to "sell" your jewelry or just talk about it?" ... I didn't like hearing what he said, but I had to give it to him: He had a point.

This is my Business Accountant, Kim... who is also my beautiful Mama! (She really is an accountant:)

I stood there, running his reply over a few times in my head, and I looked at him and explained this to him:

             When I worked my craft show booths a few weeks ago, my confidence soared, along with my productivity, my energy, and my outlook on everything in my life, both business and personal, was uplifted. I was getting a lot of positive feedback Face-To-Face, and I could study behaviors to decipher the negative feedback and make improvements. I learned more in three weeks than I have over the past year, just from customer interaction face-to-face, something I'm obviously lacking selling exclusively online. I have about a month between my last craft show and my next craft show, and in that downtime lately, my confidence has gone back to my previous bottomed-out state and I've started doubting myself again.

The good news is that my recent craft show experiences gave me a tiny taste and showed me something: I CAN sell my jewelry and there ARE people out there that will buy my designs. But if I don't put myself and my business out there, they're not going to come looking for me.

This is me, Chelsea, setting up for one of my craft shows!

After pausing for a bit, I said, "I have some jewelry from my last craft show that is still packed up in my bins, and I've never photographed it. No one even knows that I have these pieces, and I feel like if I list them on Facebook, I might sell a few pieces. I just have to FORCE myself to take the photos and then edit all of them, upload the photos to an album and take the time to price and describe each piece, respond to customer comments and replies quickly, and make necessary jewelry get my orders in the mail. And when that suffocating grip of doubt and fear starts to creep up and paralyze me again and again, I have to be strong enough to push it back." His response was something like, "Well, there you go." 

I just told myself that "It's all or nothing from this point on." 

I spent many hours for the rest of the day and half of the night pulling out ALL of the jewelry I had already made, took photographs, edited each piece, sometimes multiple photos for one piece,  uploaded pictures to Facebook, Started Pricing, and just tried to aggressively be productive, probably doing more work in one day than I would usually do in one month. It was awesome for my body, providing me with a confident boost of energy to see myself being productive, and it also gave Scott an opportunity to see that the "Process" of listing items isn't quite as easy and fast as it sounds... and that doesn't include the design process, shipping process, or buying supplies process... or the business process.

I can't tell you how many times I've asked myself..."Can I do this?"

That night when I laid down and started to say my prayers, I was pretty frank with God. I asked for His guidance and asked Him to let me know if this was the path He had planned for me. While I have felt like it is indeed in His overall plan for me to start my own jewelry business, I needed a little sign of confirmation. It was more like, "God, if I'm headed down the right path, please let some of my new jewelry sell to let me know that I'm going the right direction. If I'm completely going backwards, I'll stop with this whole "Starting a Jewelry Business" deal and move on."

I have always believed that God answers prayers, but I'm still amazed at how specific He has been as He's answered my prayer this week, more than I could have ever imagined. In the past 3 DAYS, I've sold more jewelry through my Facebook Shop and through Custom Jewelry Orders than I did at all THREE of my craft shows combined! I even sold the Whimsical Little Tray below in my Etsy Shop yesterday. I feel like a HUGE weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and I can smile in relief. Our Awesome Customers we've had so far this week just don't know how much of an answer to prayer they are! I really do feel like I'm blessed, and I just feel... Loved!

Am I still scared? More than ever. Am I going to give this EVERYTHING I can... and maybe a little more? I have to... for my own sanity.

You know that old song you hear in church sometimes... I think it's called "Love Lifted Me?" Well, that's exactly how I felt this morning when I woke up... and the tune is only playing louder in my head as the morning wears on! My confidence has definitely "Lifted" and I give complete credit to "Love" ...God's love, that is.

Memory Wire Bracelets: PRICE $8

Have a great rest of the week! (Oh, and if you haven't already, I'd love for your to browse through my designs and SHARE my Facebook Shop on your wall for friends and family to see as well! Thanks so much!)

-Chelsea

Trading Pajamas for Yoga Pants... One Step At A Time

(I should add first thing that I am completely joking in some areas of this post. Ex: the yoga pants transition section. Just kidding around in a chaotic area of my life)  

Goodbye May... Hello June! Can you believe we are four whole days into June already! If you're like me then you just want to pile on the Afro Sheen and bake in the hot sun for a few hours everyday in the pool. But then we would look like this:

Yea, this just isn't going to work for me...

 The other solution is to go the Self-Tanner Route, which may work for you better than it has for me. Through past confidence wounding trial-and-error embarrassments, I have learned to avoid the foul-smelling potions as a result of my self-tanner test trials mostly ending with me looking like something similar to the beautiful mess below:

Doesn't she just make you want to give her a big hug while wearing a brand new white shirt?

On to New Shop News... (work must prevail in spite of tan line opportunities)

In the last blog entry, "Opening My Real Shop: Making the Final Jump," you gained a little insight into my BIG plan to shift from a jewelry hobby/shop, Make Up and Mud Boutique, to a real, legitimate, profitable, and legal BUSINESS. With Taxes. And a set steady sssss...schedule (I'm already having a hard time making myself agree to follow my own rules).

Rule #1 To Give Myself: No more wearing pajamas all day, even if you do work from home. 

BONUS: If the change from pajama pants to actual clothing accepted in the "real world" seems to be a bit too exhausting and traumatic, take baby steps to make a smooth transition. For example, upgrade to Yoga pants. 

Now repeat to yourself: (CALM DOWN... you do not have to actually DO yoga to wear these pants. Yoga is for people who are flexible and trying to be healthy, and that is not on your list at this moment.) 

Formula Result of Enforcing Rule #1 On Yourself: 

Sporting Yoga pants = You're totally going to be a millionaire one day, because you know how to take things slow and easy and take one step at a time. Making Progress!  

Next week we'll move on to wearing shoes for at least half a day...

Do you ever start to simply PLAN a project and find that the more you plan, the more you find avenues and open doors to underlying areas that you never even knew existed? Then you find yourself in over your head with too many choices before you can even come up for air, right? Well, that's pretty much the situation that I'm "trying" to avoid in this "Business Planning" process. Notice the emphasis on the word "trying" as that effort is still a work in progress.

While forming a business plan and setting goals can be quite confusing at times, planning and guidelines are definitely a requirement when you actually want to make real progress with your business. And I'm ready to shift out of the "Random Craft Show" and "I-might-sell-a-few-pairs-of-earrings this month" mode. At this point, I'm seriously craving organization. What sets this situation apart from my past organization ideas and pseudo-campaigns is one important detail: This time, I'm actually DOING something to promote organization and growth for my shop, instead of just thinking about doing something. 

This is Mrs. Bethany Loftin, owner/photographer of A Vintage Love Photography. Bethany not only takes phenomenal pictures (while taking care of THREE small adorable children), but she also offers her photography services at refreshingly reasonable prices. From day one she modeled her photography business plan, goals, and prices to be affordable and available   while also providing a fun experience for everyone involved. She occasionally offers various package discounts, runs contests, and surprise price reductions on a limited time basis, and her the resulting pictures are always sensational! 


The current result of her hard work: A Vintage Love Photography continues to thrive and grow steadily in an economy where "realistic thinking" says success right now is highly unlikely if not altogether impossible. So why am I including her in this blog post? Because while giving me a wonderful friendship, I'm also thankful to have learned a LOT about managing my business just by listening to her business advice, watching her own business tactics, strategies, and trying to form a similar model for my own business. She has kept my confidence up even when we both weren't making a dime. We started developing business ideas about the same time, and we have been friends and business confidante's pretty much since day one. We've experienced failures and made mistakes together, even as we both work to open a business in completely different fields, and she has provided precious feedback even when it wasn't what I wanted to hear. I've learned many valuable lessons by watching her own business success and studying her determination, wonderful organization skills, marketing success strategies and overall business outlook. I'm extremely thankful for Bethany and her guidance!


You should definitely Click on the link above to visit A Vintage Love Photography's business page, and check out the  amazing images Bethany has captured, and while you're there, be sure you "LIKE" her page, because she has awesome contests and deals that you will not want to miss! It would be wonderful if you would tell her that Chelsea or Make Up and Mud Boutique sent you, because I'd be thrilled to see that you are being involved and helping to promote our businesses! As a result of so many of her satisfied past customers spreading the news about A Vintage Love Photography, Bethany usually books up pretty fast these days, so if you're interested in scheduling a photo shoot with A Vintage Love Photography,  whether it be for Summer Photos, Fall Photo's, and even Christmas photo's, reserve a spot on her calendar as soon as possible... In the meantime, here's a link to A Vintage Love Photography's Most Recent Special: Monthly Birthday Club Entry!

Now, Back to Business Planning:

You couldn't even begin to count how many small business articles I've read, and how much knowledge I've gained from watching videos and reading articles at INC. And notes... well, I have an entire notebook full of lists, scribbles, ideas, drawings, crazy ambitions, and the lists go on. It's enjoyable to read through the notebook to see how much research and progress I've already made this far, and helps to motivate me on sluggish days.

Remember: If we don't set goals and makes plans for our own lives, no one is going to make them for us.
You have to believe in yourself before anyone else will believe in you, and that's what I'm trying to do by stepping out of my comfort zone and reach for what I want...still a little shaky! I just keep telling myself "I can do this. I have the drive and skills to make this happen. I will overcome ANY and ALL obstacles I encounter along this journey. and so on..." Then I work to make myself believe it (and the more I "pump up" myself, the more I am actually starting to get REALLY excited about future possibilities! Where is God taking me?  :)

And this is Mrs. Kristin Moore, my lifelong best friend and partner in...well, just about everything and EVERY major decision I have ever made has had her voice echoing in the background. When you put us together, the left side of my brain shuts down and the right side of her brain shuts down, and when we combine our brain halves... we only make sense to each other. And that's the way it has always been. And although I don't like to form a habit of making assumptions, I'll go out on a limb this time and assume that we will always be this way together. From the start of our friendship (which began when we were 3 years old and in the hospital together for two SEPARATE accidents at the daycare where we both attended) until now, we've managed to create balance for each other. 


Again, you're probably wondering why I've included Kris in this particular blog entry, right? Well, it just so happens that Kristin taught me how to make my first pair of earrings, AND she bought me my first pack of beads. She got this WHOLE plan started without even meaning to. She also deserves credit for designing the bridal jewelry I wore in my own wedding and the jewelry I gave to my bridal party and a select few other wedding party attendants. 


Under Kristin's supervision, I clumsily made my first earring loop in the middle of the night, sitting Indian-style on a stage in the middle of a barn. Normal atmosphere for finding your calling in life? Not exactly. But then again, we've never really done anything the "normal" way, and I'm not ready to start now. So where does Kristin "fit into" my new Business plan? Well, you will just have to keep following this business progress project to find out :)

This process would definitely run a LOT more smoothly if YOU would give me your ideas, feedback, business advice, guidance, prayers, motivation, ANYTHING, good and bad, that could help me grow. (Yes, I'm talking to YOU, the person reading this blog!) I'm open to ALL marketing ideas, business ideas, and direction that you have to offer. And don't sell yourself short either (here comes my new-found advice thinking), you don't have to run your own business or even hold a "real" job to have useful advice that I definitely need to hear. Maybe you read an article about organization in the latest edition of Oprah magazine and you remember a few useful tips that I could possibly use... Please share with me! 

(One definite area I need assistance with: WEBSITE DEVELOPING! If you know someone that could be helpful, please send me their way!)

This is the current "Reserved Listing" design for Custom Orders in Make Up and Mud Boutique's  ETSY Shop. This definitely needs a major update and more cheerful change, so I'll add that to my ever-growing list of "a-whole-lotta-stuff-to-do"!

When I'm able to finally narrow the focus on the jumble of information and ideas randomly floating around in my head right now, I will fill you in on the broad "roadmap" I have designed for the rest of the year, the next few years, and my long term goals. If I could share more with you right now, I definitely would, because I'm more than anxious to get a little bit of this "info weight" off of my shoulders. In the meantime, I'll still keep doing a little soul-searching and necessary organizing. I'm learning to focus, and I just can't rush this process.

In the Beginning... Styles I was making this time last year, June 2011. The ONLY style I knew how to make! Thankful for my opportunities to learn and make progress! 

I've realized that I can't keep making random jewelry and accessories without any constant style or focus, so I'm deciding what pieces, items, or services I will offer. Always changing without any real constant is not beneficial to my business and most importantly, it is not fair to my customers. This might be one of the most difficult processes I'm working through, because I do not ever want to become bored with the design process or experience "artist block." I don't want to make the same pieces over and over, so I'm trying to design a plan that works with my ideas AND reality. (which is harder than you think)

I would love to offer special "Collections" of certain jewelry styles for several target markets, but I'm learning to accept the fact that I can't just reach this goal overnight; I have to work toward and build my designs to fall into place, creating the combination of styles and types of jewelry that I one day want to be able to offer to customers. I definitely have a vision, or at this point, many visions, and I'm trying to arrange each element to create a whole plan and find a way to execute the necessary steps required to reach this success. 

With business changes also comes personal and mental health improvements. While I like this picture of myself, I also find this picture to be a reminder of such a painful time in my life, therefore I channel that negative energy to motivate me to keep on climbing and trying to grow stronger in many different ways!

Unfortunately, unless you have been able to visit my one of my recent craft show booths in person, you haven't even been given much of a chance to see my new styles and pieces. And they are a LOT more sophisticated and cheerful than my previously uploaded work. (I took a few online classes and read a good bit of design articles... my work needed a "pick-me-up" to offer new styles completely different from my other craft show competitors...Refreshing!)

Previous Craft Show Post w/ Photos

Due to the fact that my Facebook shop and Etsy shop inventory hasn't been updated with the new designs and pieces yet, I can't share how much past styles have grown and evolved with unique style... I can't wait to slow down and take a little time to share with you some of the best-sellers we (Scott and I) have been selling regularly at our booth! Some of my latest customers were reached at craft shows, and the marketing opportunity has been exceptional! 

The process I'm trying to create required building again from the ground up, but this time my dreams and plans will be built the right way and built to last. God has definitely been by my side during this process, and for His guidance I am thankful! For now, I'm keeping my eye on the prize, my feet grounded, my thoughts "somewhat" reasonable, and my dreams limitless... the best way to be!

On my To-Do list: Determine what sells and what doesn't. These earrings are a definite addition to the "What Sells" list of styles to keep making. I'm marking my milestones along the way, and the first sale of these earrings is still my most expensive earring sale to date...


I'll never forget:  I was riding in the car with Scott last Thanksgiving, when I received an e-mail with the digital receipt of these earrings documenting the sale for... $28.00. That's almost triple what I usually charged for my other styles, but I had to get a little out of my comfort zone to price this pair. This design was far more complex than usual, and I had to price them higher to compensate for the added materials and time, which oddly enough made me feel a little guilty.


In the time since then, I've developed even more complex techniques and made many more styles along the same level as this pair, but I'll always remember my first big earring sale.   

That's all for today! Thank you for taking the time to read and be a part of this unpredictable journey. Whether one day you ever see Jennifer Anniston sporting one of my designs or if my career path changes to carry us in a whole new direction, together we will achieve the ultimate success! YES!

Don't forget... SHARE your ideas, thoughts, things you would like ANYONE to offer you... the options are endless! 

Opening My REAL Shop... Making The Final Jump!

Hello Everyone! Well, I have to tell you.... I've really been working hard to avoid writing this blog post. I mean, every time I think about writing this particular entry, I just change my thought subject to, well... anything besides blogging.

Why, you might ask, am I dancing around this particular entry? Because as a result of my recent failures to consistently keep you updated about our crazy life, there is so SO much news that I have to share with you, and well, it's a little overwhelming to piece together to be quite honest. Right now, I feel like my brain has been in running in circles for weeks now, because I have so many ideas and goals to organize and put down in paper.

Something about my recent trip with my mom to California for the Race to Erase MS Event changed my outlook on a LOT of areas in my life... I guess I gained a little bit more confidence to be honest! For the first time in my life, I was in a city with my mom, and I was the one who knew what to do, where to go, what was safe, etc... I guided my mom for the first time. And I was surprisingly prepared and successful, something I'd really secretly worried about for a while now. Two women alone in LA... a LOT could happen! By the way, we had a BLAST and more info coming about my trip soon!

As you know, I have been designing and selling jewelry and jewelry boxes for about a year now. I've had a few successful bouts of sales, but for the most part I've put most of my time and energy into studying how to make new styles, searching for inexpensive supplies and tools, studying the market for handmade jewelry, learning how to work a successful craft show, finding and painting all of my jewelry show displays, setting up my Etsy shop, experiencing a LOT of trial and error in every finance-draining situation possible, and the list goes on. Oh, and I've learned a LOT about wasting time, too. I'm working on that flaw as I write...

SOLD!

I've been going two steps forward, five steps back, and I feel like for the first time, I'm ready to start moving forward at a much faster rate. In the past year or so, I've had a weird cycle that keeps repeating over and over again. I'll be so determined and confident, I'll take tons of pictures, update my Etsy shop, post Facebook status updates, and market here and there. Then, when I get an order, especially if it's a custom order, I would completely start freaking out inside, second guessing myself, thinking "What if their necklace breaks?" or "What if they hate their new jewelry box in person?" ... I'll drive myself CRAZY thinking like that!

SOLD!

As a result of my hesitation, I feel like I've been putting one toe in the lake, testing the water, deciding that it's the perfect temperature, but never getting the courage to ever completely jump in. And then I end up sitting there, watching everyone else swim, imaging what it would be like if I had enough guts to make the jump into the water! In this scenario, jumping into the water = Completely starting a small business, with ALL of the bells and whistles. Being confident in myself. Holding myself accountable, Meeting my own goals.

But you know what? If I'm going to meet my own goals, then I have to actually set goals, right? I mean, up until now, I've had a mixture of jumbled goals and dreams in my head. I'll spout out a few things here and there that I would like to do in the "future," but I never really addressed WHEN in the "future" I was referring to. And at the rate I've been going and the work ethic I've had, I'm pretty sure I never will never reach ANY of my goals if I don't take my business attitude up a step. Or a whole staircase.

SOLD!

A lot of my hesitation comes from my own insecurity with my medical condition. Last year, I was a completely different person than I was the year before. And now I'm completely different than I was last year. And I actually like who I am now most of all! I had pseudo-confidence before I went through my medical horror story last year, because there was no foundation under my ego. When my spirit was tested, it pretty much fell flat. What I've learned is, the confidence I'm building in myself now may be a slow process, but I feel like I'm earning it for myself. I'm working to make myself who I am, and that makes me appreciate myself more and think about my actions, my choices, and my consequences a LOT more than before.

In January/February, I shared with you that I wanted to be more organized and get more control over my life. And while I still update and add to that personal list quite often, I'm proud to say that I have marked quite a few goals off that list. That adds a little strength to my spirit right there, and I trust myself and my abilities more now than I have in a while. Also, Scott has become much more involved in my business process, and I feel like I have his support and his advice more than I ever have. With his blessing comes a lot of much needed security, because I like knowing he has my back! It makes me feel a lot less overwhelmed.

Still for sale!
www.etsy.com/shop/makeupandmudboutique

So what is my "Make Up and Mud Boutique" plan? Well, that's what I'm working on. Trying to work on, actually.

In the past, I didn't have a real goal, so I've had no real direction as a result. I haven't been organized and rigid with myself, and my financial records look like a 5 year old arranged them. My receipts have pieces of skittles stuck to them from being crumpled in the bottom of my purse. I have 4, yes FOUR, receipt books with absolutely no order to either of them. They are all partially completed, each new book being the resulting purchase of the previous book unable to be located. And if I got really busy, I didn't write a receipt at all. My jewelry inventory is actually quite organized in plastic bins. As far as being organized on paper with my costs to reference for prices... I haven't done that either. I'm fortunate that I have put so much time into building my bead inventory, one sale at a time, and I can seriously tell you where each and every bead came from and how much I paid for the packs. And I have thousands of beads! That's great, but I HAVE to get all of this information out of my head and into my computer files!

To sum it up, I have goals and the opportunity to thrive at my own jewelry business by taking advantage of many different outlets, such as craft shows. So far, the main thing holding me back has been lack of motivation and confidence in myself to succeed. So, fear of failure to be honest. (Something I've refreshingly found to be the most common reason for people never starting their own business... which makes me even more determined to be successful and make that leap!)

• So, what is my next step? Make a BUSINESS PLAN that involves and organizes EVERY goal, plan, dream, idea, direction, etc, so I can use it as a guide for me to use to stay on track. 
• I need to set daily, weekly, yearly, etc goals and determine exactly what I have to do and what needs to happen to reach those goals and plan my next steps. 
• I have to figure out where I see myself in the future and what I want to be doing. 
• How much money do I want to make? 
• What do I want to contribute to my family? 
• What do I deem to be successful for my own life? 
• What are my weaknesses, and how do I overcome them?
• How can I work in Multiple Sclerosis and live around the hard times?
• How am I going to market my items?
• What am I going to sell?
• Where do I need to focus the most of my attention?
• How do I see my business growing?
• What would I like to offer to my customers?
• Do I need a website or continue to use Etsy?
• What are my shop policies? Hours to work each day/week?
• Will I always work from home, or would I like to strive to have my own shop out of my home in several years?
• Do I want to change my shop name while I have the chance?
• Do I really want to be accountable to REAL, SERIOUS orders and be held accountable by the IRS to pay TAXES? (That scares me to death!)
• How can I make myself like going to the post office? (Threw that one in for laughs... haha)

The truth is, I desperately want all of those things. I'm so anxious to have all of these questions answered and down on paper, and have some direction in my life. One thing about me is that when I put my mind to something, I do whatever it takes to make it work. I know this will be very hard work, and it will get a tiny bit easier when I get used to a schedule. It's hard though, when you're "working for yourself" because you are required to have discipline with yourself (add that to my list of weaknesses). You have to be responsible enough to TURN PINTEREST OFF! (Yep, add that too!)

And trust me, I have a LOT of weaknesses to overpower, but I know I can do it. I'm stuck right now, pushing each day and wasting time, because I'm scared... of failing. But I can't let that stop me or use that as an excuse to do lousy business anymore.

Working craft shows with Scott really boosted my confidence level, because for the first time since I started creating, I actually felt legit. People were actually taking me seriously, and there were complete strangers complimenting my work and asking for my business card. I'm not going to lie... I worked my butt off before every single show, ALL hours of the night. And though I was so tired, it paid off at each show and I LOVED every minute of it! But it got me thinking about how much time I'm wasting and how, if I could be successful at each show by being focused and working hard, just imagine how I could do if I put 100 % energy into the other areas of my shop. What is I actually made this a REAL business with all of the bells and whistles? (GASP!)

There were two wake-up calls for me: 

1.  I was on the phone with my mom, and I was talking about one of my friends deciding to focus on her career before having kids. My mom caught me off guard when she said, "Well, that's something for you to think about, because you're not doing too bad yourself!" It might sound small but there was something about the way she said it that let me know she thought I had the ability to be successful at what I'm working for... and I needed that boost.
2. The next wake-up call came in one of those brutally honest conversations with Scott when I was telling him what my goals and dreams were, but I told him I was so scared of failing, and he said, "Well, you've already proven that you can make money." ... and simple as that sounds, it was my confirmation that he was indeed noticing that I had SOME ability to pull this thing together. 

Those little instances are small, yes. But when you're battling with your own thoughts and standing on two shaky legs... those words mean the world! And I'm going to need something from you too... When I have everything up and running (You'll definitely know when I'm SET-UP for REAL), I'll need YOU to please SHARE this This Blog, SHARE my Facebook Shop, SHARE my Etsy Shop, TELL your friends about my shop, anything you can do to get my name out there! I'm considering selling mainly from a website, but you'll know more about that later!

I don't want to be working on my "crafts" forever...

If you were to ask some of my closest friends and family about my work progress, they would probably say the same thing... She's really SLOW at making things! (Ahem... Mrs. Leslie, Mrs. Tracy and Mrs. Shree and my cousin, Hannah... you've been so patient with me MANY times!) I hate to say this but, I've made a bad habit of putting my Etsy customers in front of my "local" family and friends, and I want to change that. If I had an actual schedule planned and organized for each day and week, I wouldn't have this problem, so there's something to fix right there. 

I need to answer e-mails more quickly, and just pretty much re-structure almost every way that I've been operating, because not only does it make me look unreliable and possibly lose business, but it also creates so much unneeded chaos and stress for me... something I DON'T need to bring upon myself. I have control over my health and my life and my family time. Now I want control over my business. For me, to have an organized work space and have a consistent work flow and complete all projects on time, that will be HUGE for me! It will be the first time!

I need to focus on photographing and adding consistent new inventory a LOT more...Currently, I have about 150 pairs of earrings and 50 necklaces that I don't even have online yet! And a LOT more bracelets and rings too... I have SO many areas to organize!

My Christmas sales were good last year, higher than any other time, but I did not have enough merchandise made, and it was too late to make more when I realized what business the holidays would bring. This year, I refuse to let that happen again! I want to have ALL of my personal Christmas gifts that I will make for our family and friends finished before August, so I won't have to be worried about frantically making them two days before Christmas. We've already been looking around at Christmas gifts, because I can't wait until the last minute this year.

I've already started ordering a few supplies at a time and stocking them away to build my Christmas bead inventory and jewelry box inventory, so I won't have all of those new costs at one time. I'll share more info later, but some of the ideas we're (We meaning, Scott and me, because I've found that his ideas are essential to my creative process) tossing around include DIY beading kids for multiple ages, a few items especially for little boys, tossing around a LOT of ideas for stocking stuffers, participating in about 4-5 craft shows around Alabama, creating DIY journal kits, children's jewelry boxes and the list goes on.

Like I said earlier, I'll go into more depth later in more posts, because we're still brainstorming right now. I'm going to have everything ORGANIZED and will have decided on EXACTLY what we're going to sell and plan by August 01, so I can start making Christmas gift inventory early and avoid the crazy holiday hassle. If this Christmas is like last Christmas, trips to the post office will keep me crazy busy... and I PRAY that God blesses me with the GREAT health, the unending desire to create, and a HUGE amount of loyal customers to make this Christmas season an ultimate success for my business as well as for my customers!

As most of you know, my mom is an accountant. So, we're working together some in June to set up all of my tax information. Business License, Tax preparation, Expenses, State/City/County License/Tax, Self-Employment Tax... the works. I'm buying a bead inventory software program and taking inventory of ALL of my beads. Thousands of beads... Each kind has to be either weighed or counted, qty documented, photographed, given an inventory #, etc. Then, my finished pieces have to be inventoried, counted, named, organized, etc. THEN, my wooden organizers and craft boxes... and the list goes on. All the bells and whistles.

I'm going to be crazy busy. Or I'll just be crazy... I haven't decided yet. All I know is I want EVERYTHING to be organized, and I want to know exactly what I have, what to charge, what services I will offer, where I've been, where I'm heading, and how to get there. I don't want to just make earrings forever... I want to make beautiful jewelry, have beading parties, do craft shows... and the list goes on! I need to focus! And if I'm being held accountable by an accountant who just so happens to also be my mother, which gives her the ability to say what's on her mind... you can bet that I'm not going to slack with her seeing all of the ugly details! 

I have a LOT of work to do, and I'm going to be a little out of touch for most of June. I've let a lot of my "tasks" pile up over the past few months, and I'm ready to add my shop to my list of POSITIVE changes! Please remember to include my new adventure in your prayers!

My first goal of business... July 02, 2012... Taking my first step as a REAL business in the state of Alabama. I can do this... :)

Winding Down For A While!

I know, I know... I've been slacking in the "consistent blogger" department lately. In my defense, Scott and I had booth's at THREE craft shows in 3 weekends in a row. Have we been super busy? Yes. Are we thankful for a break for a few weeks? Sort of. Did we have an absolute BLAST in our booth and find an awesome way to connect and spend time together? Definitely!

Until now, my jewelry has been my "deal." I've handled everything alone: creating, buying, selling, advertising, marketing, promoting, online shops, craft show application, ideas, etc... and the list goes on! It's a little late right now, so I can't go into detail right now (more to come shortly), but it's safe to say that my husband just might have a creative bone after all!

I'm exhausted tonight, and I have to be up super early in the morning, so I'm going to cut this one short. All I can say is, when I have time to sit down and tell you all about out craft show experiences lately, it's going to be a long, hilarious post! Be sure to subscribe to my blog so you can receive updates when I post new entries! :)

Here's a sneak peak into our last craft show. Unfortunately, every single picture was taken before the booth was completely set up, so you can't see all of our new jewelry! (And there is a LOT!) I'll be sure to post a lot more photos soon! This will have to do for now... :)

Don't forget to check back to soon to read all about our crazy Craft Show stories!

Never Play With Scissors... Warning: NASTY Photo!

I had a "Crafting Injury"... I accidently stabbed myself in the leg! I have this small pair of sewing scissors that I use when I have to cut small pieces of paper, mainly because of their compact size. The only thing is, they are REALLY sharp!

Well, today I was sitting indian style in the floor, pricing my necklaces for my craft show tomorrow, and I decided to stand up for a minute. Well, I must have been moving too fast, because as I started to rise up I felt the scissors go into my leg. And I froze. When I looked down, the scissors were hanging out of my leg!

For those who do not know, I can handle anything in a morgue, crime scene, gruesome stuff, just about anything you can throw at me about death... but I CANNOT handle live people bleeding and hurting! Especially myself.

Needless to say, I stood there for a few seconds, my body completely cold, trying to not pass out and work up the nerve to pull the scissors out, and finally I just yanked them out. And this is what I was left with after a few seconds of blood GUSHING out. (Ok, so it was more like a trickle, but that's not the point).

Needless to say, I'm giving myself permission to be a little dramatic about this. I was home alone, stabbed myself in the leg with miniature scissors, pulled the scissors out of my own leg, grabbed my phone to take a necessary picture for proof of my incredibly traumatic experience, and then cleaned my own craft battle wounds...

All in all, I think I'm going to live. Maybe. 

MS Update: I'm Getting Better!

I KNOW your prayers are working! I feel such a relief that I've had so many people praying for me when I couldn't find the strength to pray for myself! And, now I'm at a place where I'm confident enough to say that while I'm still climbing that uphill battle, I'm gaining so much ground and getting a lot stronger everyday. I'm almost a completely different person than I was this time last year. And I thank you for praying for that! So... what's changed for the better?

The pain in my neck is manageable on a daily basis, so I'm not holding my head crooked anymore. I still have issues with aches and weakness if I ride in a car or have to stand for an extended amount of time, but I have a neck pillow that helps if I rest my head on it from time to time.

The daily chronic migraines have shifted to regular daily headaches. Sometimes the headaches come every other day if I'm lucky! Now you may cringe at the thought of having a headache pretty much every day, but if you had a migraine almost everyday for over a year, you would feel SO blessed that the pain was reduced to a simple headache. The same kind of stress headache that every normal person gets from time to time. I don't even have to take migraine medication anymore! I take ONE goody powder either every day or every other day. I have to be careful taking Goody powders, because I'll get bleeding stomach ulcers and horrible heartburn if I take more than one each day.

Hmmmm.... What else has changed?

The pain in my joints still aches, pops, cracks, and wiggles around everyday, but one tiny muscle relaxer, Flexeril, helps me keep the pain manageable (such a blessing!). I feel stiff a lot of the time, but I could also contribute SOME of that to sitting a lot. I sit in the floor when I make jewelry, paint, upcycle my jewelry boxes, watch movies, write blog entries, etc... Pretty much just about everything I do is done sitting on top of a pillow in my living room floor, propped up on a huge lounging pillow. This isn't new, and I've been a "Floor Person" for months, since around November 2011 when I started having really REALLY bad upper back pain and dizziness. I wasn't nearly as nauseous when I was closer to the floor, and the room didn't spin as bad if I was "grounded." And the pain in my upper back could only be relieved if I was sitting in the floor, propped up on something.

The pain in my upper back was almost unbearable. It felt like someone was squeezing me as hard as they could right around my bra strap. It was hard to do much of anything without a lot of extra effort, even breathing.

• Good news, it was just the MS Hug, (also referred as Girdle Band pain) and it is something that comes for a few weeks and then GOES away. 
• Bad news is it will most likely come back in the future. 

I guess after the Girdle Band pain left, it just felt normal to do everything sitting in the floor. After all, having the Girdle Band pain force me to do everything in the floor MADE me learn how to adapt to doing a LOT of things sitting down. And I guess I'm just a lot more comfortable there now! Whatever works right?

Moving on...

Most of you know that I cut off all my hair last summer. And when I say "all my hair," I'm not kidding. The hair on the back of my head was shorter than an inch long. Maybe at one point it was half an inch, if that. I was having so much sensitivity on the back of my head and neck that I couldn't even stand my hair brushing against my neck. Finally, I just went in my bathroom one day and cut off all of my beautiful curls. I know I did what I had to do, and last year I wasn't in any position to keep my long hair fixed, washed, dried, curled, etc. In saying that, I am now growing my hair back out again! It's a long process, but I'm enjoying each inch I get back! About a year and a half, and I'll be back to normal "hair-wise."

My hair length as of March 2012

A BIG issue: My Weight has gone up quite a bit. When I got married in March 2011, I weighed about 93 pounds. Now I weigh about 125, give or take a few pounds. I struggle with accepting this weight, because I am making a conscious decision to maintain this weight instead of losing back to where I'm comfortable, which is about 105-110 pounds.

I'm really fortunate weight-wise, and Scott doesn't fail to let me know this (although I contribute it more to will-power than genes). Basically all it boils down to is if I wanted to lose 15 pounds, I have enough self-control not to eat sweets, drink only water, eat healthy, etc until I lose down to my goal weight. It's hard work, but it's doable and I've done it before many times.

Well, Scott and I still want to have a kid or two in the future. Not right now, obviously because our home is so small, the kid would have to sleep in a carseat on the porch. Maybe in a year or two (or three), not quite sure. What most of you don't know is before we got married, we planned on trying to have a baby as soon as we said "I do." Like 5 days after we returned from our honeymoon, I started to go downhill healthwise. Instead of thinking how hard it would be to take care of a baby AND me, we were thinking more like, "What if I only get worse from here and I can't ever have a baby because my body is so weak?" So, we just decided to keep trying. And month after month... nothing. I've had several female surgeries, so there is always the chance that it could take longer than normal to get pregnant. (It took Scott and his ex-wife about 18 months to get pregnant with Izzy, so he really wasn't as stressed about it as I was.)

In mid fall 2011, I was so weak, we were having a rough time dealing with the effects MS was taking on our new marriage, we weren't any closer to having a baby, Izzy and Evan had a lot going on, and the toll of my missing paycheck was REALLY starting to hit hard, and it all just built up and up. We had to deal with each issue one at a time. We decided to move to Valley to be closer to the kiddo's and their activities and save money on rent and gas each month, and we decided now was NOT when we needed to bring a kid into the chaos we were drifting through. I needed to focus on myself, my health, my marriage, and getting control over my own life back. I was disappointed the first couple of months, but I had an instant relief from the pressure off my shoulder each month.

Good news is my doctor said that when we do want to try in the future, I need to come see him about taking Clomid or a mild fertility drug to boost the "process." So how does this have anything to do with my weight? Well, I was really malnourished when I was so skinny, and my low weight made all of my female issues really "irregular" and "inconsistent," making conceiving a baby really difficult, if not almost impossible. That could have had a HUGE effect on why we didn't get pregnant (although I think it's nothing more than the fact that God knew that I would never have been able to take care of a baby the way I've always dreamed about. I was way too sick and far too depressed to have been able to be a good mom... I believe God will send me a munchkin when HE knows it's time!)

 So, the way I see it is I'm at my ideal weight. I am not going to work so hard to get down to a comfortable weight only to have to gain it all back in a year or two when we start to try again... I'll just stay where I am to make it easier in the future, so if we encounter fertility issues no one will be able to blame it on my low weight. I can do this... (A LOT of books I've read talk about how the first year after a MS diagnosis is one of the worst you will ever have, if not the worst. Not only because of the pain and adjustments you have to learn to deal with, but because of the horrible depression a lot of people deal with as they grieve about their diagnosis. So true! I'm in my second year and I'm almost a completely different person, a lot of which I contribute to me overcoming a year of deep depression!)

Well, I've told you about the struggles I've overcome, the pain I've fought, the prescriptions I've chunked out, and how I'm getting stronger every day. I haven't told you about my most debilitating symptom that I will always have, due to where my brain lesions are located: Cognitive Dysfunction and Sensory Processing Disorder. This is the main symptom that keeps my "working shoes" still sitting on the shelf, because I haven't learned how to control it. I'll explain it in my next entry, so don't forget to check back for Part 2! It's pretty interesting. Well.. I'll try to make it interesting for you. You never know who you will meet in the future that has MS, and you would like to know a little something about it wouldn't you? I wish I had known about it.

UPDATE: Since I posted the information above, it has come to my attention that I may have been too vague or misleading in some of my words. Just to make it clear to everyone, we are NOT trying to have a baby right now! We are still trying to make sure my health is stable, we're still organizing and settling into our home, we're enjoying our special time with Izzy and Evan and focusing all on them, we're still enjoying our quiet times and loud crazy movie nights with each other, all of which cannot be done with a new baby. While we DO want 1-2 more kids in the DISTANT FUTURE, we are NOT trying to make that happen now. I'm sorry for those who I mislead or stressed out! I'll try to be more clear in my future entries.

Spring Brings In The Crafty Fun!

Well, it's about that time of year when the weather is getting a bit warmer, and there is a fine blanket of yellow powder everywhere, otherwise known as pollen. The only good thing about pollen is that soon after we get our yearly dusting, we can see the whole world start to come alive with Spring Fever. And I LOVE Spring (My most favorite time of year!).

(Picture from techfilled.com)

I can't imagine living in some huge city like New York, where you kind of have to "miss" the joy of Spring each year. If you live in the country, during the Spring season, you can step outside early in the morning and hear the birds and creatures waking up with you. You can literally watch the flowers and trees bloom a little more each day, and slowly everything around you starts to come alive. It's bright. It's colorful. And best of all, it's completely nature at work. If you live in a big time city, when you walk out your front door, you just follow the concrete and asphalt to work, while all you hear is horns honking and brakes squealing. Same thing, day after day, no matter what season it is. You really do miss a lot living in the city.

I'm so so far away from the topic of this entry! (as usual)

Another welcome arrival with Spring and warm weather is... Craft Shows and Craft Fairs!

I. am. SO. EXCITED! I have two craft shows in April, on the 21st in Wetumpka, and the 28th in Auburn. I did my first show, sort of a CHRISTmas Holiday Market, in early December, and it was everything I wanted it to be. I get really excited when I have e-mails or compliments online about my designs, but there is something wonderful about having someone standing right in front of you, admiring something that you put your hard work and time into. And until you know what that feels like, it's hard to understand. After my first show, I knew that it wouldn't be my last.

I don't struggle with what to bring to my show. I don't struggle with trying to decide how to price things. I do, however, struggle with how to set up my booth. I don't want to be too boring, but I don't want to blind people with BRIGHT colors and take the focus away from my jewelry. I want to have a sophisticated flair, but I don't want to seem uptight. I want to cater to college age girls, as well as older women. It's just complicated to try to find a happy medium.

I did learn from my mistakes at my first show, and I'm trying to work on improving those rough areas.

I had to send in some photos of what kind of items I plan to sell, so I got to practice with some of my stands and props. It's a little difficult trying to find creative ways to display necklaces, and I'm still having a tough time with that. I'm sure I'll come up with a fun way to show all of them, but I have a lot more than I did for my last show. I'd love to hear your ideas!

Here's a peek of the type of things I plan to sell at my craft shows. I've already sold some of the pieces you will see in the pictures, but this will give you an idea of my "style"!

Auburn/Alabama Jewelry!

Charm Jewelry!

Make your own Charm Jewelry! 100's of charms to choose from! (I'm not sure if I'm going to have this at my booth this time. It might get a little hectic if I'm having to put together charm bracelets at the show. I'm might just make several finished charm pieces to sell at the show. Haven't quite decided yet...)

Earring Stand! (I still have to paint it white so the earrings will show up, and I'll probably have different styles than what's in this picture!)

Grab Bags! One for $6 or Two for $10 (Just a fun little basket to sift through!)

I just LOVE Turquoise Jewelry!

Necklaces, Necklaces, Necklaces!

Still have to make a few more lanyards!

I've got to figure out a fun way to hang these!

One of my risers... Just experimenting with color schemes!

Still haven't decided if I'm going to sell jewelry boxes or not...

Metal Stamped Jewelry! (I need more ideas!)

As for everything else, I have all of my earrings in a big storage bin right now. Next, I have to sift through them all and figure out which ones I want to sell at my shows. I don't want to bring too many, because sometimes too much is NOT a good thing. Too many choices to choose from and someone may not choose at all!

After I pick the ones to bring, I'll have to price them earrings. And I still have to price my necklaces. And my bracelets. Okay, I have a lot of pricing to do!

I have a few more pieces I want to make for both shows as well. I would LOVE to sell so much at my first show that I have to spend the next week making more for the next weekend, so we'll see! That would be wonderful! In the meantime, I'm going to be making more "Display" necklaces, cell phone charms, charm bracelets, and a few badge holder clips.

I went last week, and got some new beads and pendants. I still need to buy more pendants, but I'm good on beads for a while. I'm going to be a little busy for the next couple of weeks!

I'm going to try to squeeze in some more time to finish some jewelry boxes and wooden organizers that I've been working on. I have them all primed, and some are half painted. It's a long process, so I'll leave out all of the details, but I'll tell you a few. Next, I have to completely paint all of my pieces, drawer by drawer, side by side. After full painting,  I distress the edges of EVERYTHING and decoupage the decorative papers to each piece. I cut out most of the pieces last week, but I still have a few more to do. And then I continue the rest of the process, and FINALLY I'll be able to list them in my Etsy Shop.

More to come soon!