I See The Light AT The End Of The Tunnel!

I'm almost done with my website, just a few more tweaks and I'll be ready to launch! Between this and setting up marketing and promos and my newsletter, I really thought my head might explode. Of course I create a lot of the stress and drama myself and that never makes anything better, but once I calm down I'm a workhorse and things get done.

I don't have any new art to show but I'm currently working on my October freebie for my newsletter subscribers. If you are crafty and want to try this sign up for my newsletter. You'll also be the first to know about my website launch date, coupon codes just for subscribers, freebie patterns and more! http://eepurl.com/bwPx-D

So Much Work!

*Warning, general crabbiness and whining ahead* There is so much work to be done for this website! Everything takes 10 times longer than I think it will and days go by when I can't do anything work related.

Anyway I apparently don't have enough on my plate cause I started taking this 30 Sale a Day Challenge course to help me focus on my business and I highly recommend it. And guess what it's FREE!

 http://www.creativehiveco.com/a-sale-a-day-challenge/

You can work at your own pace. There are all some worksheets to download and fill out and questions to answer. I won't lie it's hard (at least for me) I really have to push myself to do these exercises but it's so worth it! Mei who designed this course is an awesome person. I belong to a Private Facebook Group of hers and it's full of great helpful people. Also Mei is active in the group and answers questions too. I follow several "social media business people" and the content Mei has really connects with me.

 So today was supposed to be my super secret soft website launch date. Yeah, that didn't happen. Yep, and I'm stressed about it too. Now I'm not sure exactly when it will launch, but my newsletter subscribers will be the first to know by a day or two, then everyone else will find out.

I've been stressing about lots of things but particularly my product photos. A couple of days ago I set up my lightbox and started shooting and was so unhappy with my photos, like seriously in a funk about it, so much so I just sat around stressing about it. Yesterday I got off my butt and shot a whole new round of photos which are better and starting to grow on me, but not perfect like I imagined in my head. Well I'm not perfect so why should my photos be?! I'll never get anything done if I keep expecting perfect, so I'm slowly learning that not perfect but trying my best is good enough.

Thanks for reading through my crabbiness and I promise to have something more upbeat next time.

Working on The Website and More!

I'm busy working away here in the studio this weekend. I managed to completely mess up my website, (I know just enough HTML to get myself in trouble!) throw it away and create a whole new one that works and looks like I want it to, finally! The walls were blue from my cussing Friday! Lol! I actually uploaded my site live and checked all my links, which all worked..squee! Then I took it back down since I don't have any products in it yet. But soon my pretties, soon!

Shopify has a built in blog you can use on your site but since I already had this blog I was able to link it to my website..whoo hoo! Quite honestly it took a while to figure out but once I did I was like "Duh". I had a lot of duh moments and can now see why people pay others to make their sites even on Shopify. It's possible to do it yourself, I did, but I have a graphics background which was super helpful on a lot of the design part, ie. making the header, footer and buttons match my logo colors. I went pretty simple and then customized from there but you could do simple just fine and use the preset default colors. Just go slow and ask for help from Shopify when needed, the have lots of help pages plus you can get one on one help when you first start.Shopify sent me an invite to a free webnar which showed the background basics and you could ask questions during and after. This was super helpful and then they sent me the video to watch whenever I wanted.

Once everything clicked, it was awesome! So I now have a website! My next steps are to finish my products, shoot photos, edit photos, write product descriptions and load everything on the site. Still lots of work and I'm kind of exhausted already, what with moving the studio and all.

Here's a workable peek from yesterday. I think he's foxy.

Oh yes the other big thing I did this weekend was go through all my social media and selling sites and make them all cohesive. I added my new logo everywhere I have a presence, changed colors and added my new tagline. If you know me other places then you'll notice a change.

I also added a link on my sidebar here to subscribe to my newsletter. So if you want to be the first to know when the website is launched, get free little diy plush and other designs to make, notices for giveaways and great things only for subscribers, you absolutely want to sign up.

Moved Into My New Studio Space!

So glad I'm done moving! It basically took a week since I did most of the moving of things on my own. My daughter helped me move her bed, dresser and nightstand out and my sewing/ computer table and display/ storage cabinet in before she called it quits. I moved my entire studio out of my bedroom, then cleaned everything thoroughly, cause wow have I been slacking in the dusting department!

I now have a lovely window I can see out of with a view of the acorn tree and my mom's bird feeders. Now I don't feel like I'm living in a dark cave! Natural light with sun streaming onto my work table is the best; I haven't had that since my studio in my son's old room at the old house over 5 years ago. It was a great space with hardwood floors and had lovely yellow walls...I really miss it.

I am going to show pics but bear with, me cause things are just placed right now so I can get back to work. Final placement, painting and decorating and investing in some new storage pieces won't happen until next Spring probably.

 So I broke this ugly ceiling fan moving a mattress. Completely and only my fault...sigh! At least the lights still work but won't be able to replace this until next year, hopefully.

 I've come to the realization that I need to sort and get rid of things I'm not going to use. Need to figure out how to have a supply sale. I have too much stuff and more just sitting in the garage which needs to fit in here somehow. My mom needs to have the car in the garage this winter, we can't have her falling again.

Maleficent is sitting in the corner and just fits on top of those storage cubes. Left side of my worktable.

 Right side of my worktable. Display/storage cabinet next to it but my printer cart is in front of it for now.

 Computer/sewing desk. Still wish I had a separate table just for my sewing machine, but well I don't yet.

 Giant file cabinet and desk that will be my shipping center. Still have to clean that out and organize it. To the right of that is a large closet that currently holds my daughter's clothes. She has enough clothes to clothe a village, it's really ridiculous. Her clothes have to stay for now but when they are gone I'm taking full use of that closet.

So yeah exciting and lovely it's not but roomy and sunny it is! I have enough room to set up my light box so I can shoot photos of my art! I can't keep it up for long periods of time but it'll work out great.

Anyway I'm super excited and I really need to get back to work so bye!