Wow- what a crazy week!

This week has been so crazy! I had 5 orders come through for growth charts (YAY!) and I've had a few more people message me to ask me about my growth charts so I'm expecting a few more orders in the near future... keep your fingers crossed! :) I feel like I have been out buying supplies for my orders almost everyday this week... I have also been getting some supplies for my new 'office'. I hope to everything completely set up soon- I'll post pictures, just in case anybody is interested. :)

Another bit of good news... DecorativeLabels is featured in the 'Weekend Deals Gift Guide' on etsy's website. For orders place this weekend (7/31-8/2) I am offering 10% off you entire order from my shop, http://www.decorativelabels.etsy.com/. Just mention weekend deals in the message to seller box when checking out. Here is the link to the gift guide in case you want to check out the many other great shops offering discounts this weekend- http://www.etsy.com/gift-guides/189?page=5.

At this risk have sound too 80's- I want to finish off by saying TGIF! I'm so glad it's Friday, not because I'm looking forward to NOT working during the weekend, but because my 2 1/2 year old son will spend some much needed time with daddy while I can actually get some work done on my orders! :)

Have a great weekend! :)

My new office!

Call me crazy, but I am very excited about two things... First- I have just printed up some very nice business cards. I've been wanting to do this for a while. I feel more 'professional' now that I have a business card. I plan on handing them out and sending a few in each package with every order I ship out. I have scanned the font and back of my card, just in case you are interested:

The second thing I have been so happy about is I finally have an office... OK well, not exactly- but I do have a place specifically devoted for prepping and painting my orders. I bought a folding table and put in the the corner of the garage. It's in the garage, but it is a place I can call my own! I have put all my supplies like my wood plates, paint, paint brushes, ribbon etc in a nifty little 3-drawer organizer and neatly put it under my table... :) I have so many more ideas for my new 'office' I can't wait to get them all done.

I need your help...

Facebook now allows you to create a username so that you have a shorter url and you are easier to find... Well, it turns out that for fanpages to get a username, they need to have at least 100 fans- I'm not quite there yet. I could really use your help to get me to 100 fans. Please, pretty please...

Here is my facebook fanpage for decorativelabels: http://www.facebook.com/pages/DecorativeLabels/90393655904

Or you can use the Become a Fan button at the bottom of my blog.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! :)

PS If you have a facebook fanpage, feel free to leave your link in the comment section (preferably after becoming a fan of my page first.) ;)

Link Directory for Handmade Items

I came across this link directory for handmade items and wanted to share it with those of you who sell handmade items. :)

Handmadefeed.com - Linking all your handmade links


Also, here is a general link directory: Add Url

A touching story...

I recently completed order for someone who ordered two growth charts... I enjoy making all my orders, but I especially enjoyed making these two charts. I don't want to mention names because I'm not sure if she would want me to, I'll just refer to her as the 'mother of two'...

Anyways, we e-mailed back and forth several times discussing colors and themes for the two growth charts. This wonderful 'mother of two' also sent me pictures of her kids bedding and bedrooms so that I can get a feel for what I was trying to match. Even though we have never met, our back and forth dialogue and her brilliant idea to send the pictures of her kids' bedding and bedrooms made me feel like I knew her family. It really felt like I was making two growth charts for a friend's kids. After completing her growth charts, I shipped them to her and the next day I get a message from her stating she received the growth charts (they were shipped within the same state) and that both she and the kids loved the growth charts. This was one of the best complements I could have gotten.

After a few more messages back and forth, this terrific 'mother of two' stated that she had just adopted her two kids from foster care and that they had been together for only about 2 weeks... It immediately melted my heart. She even sent me pictures of the growth charts once she got them hung in the kids' bedrooms and pictures of the kids in front of their charts. You can really tell how excited the kids were to have their very own growth charts in their bedrooms from the pictures. It put the biggest smile on my face.

Here are the pictures of the growth charts hanging in each of the kids' rooms. Unfortunately, I cannot post the heart-warming pictures of the kids in front of their charts because you cannot post pictures of foster youth on public media...

And the moral of the story is... Working with this amazing 'mother of two' made me realize that there are wonderful, generous people out there. I truly am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with this awe-inspiring 'mother of two.'

Still working...

Well, I'm still in the process of figuring out this whole blog thing. I know blogspot is perfect for people who may not know a whole lot about blogging (like me), but it still takes some time to get the ins and outs of the whole thing...

I must say I'm still not 100% sure what I will write about exactly... I think my blog will turn out to be a mixture of both business and pleasure.... Well, I really enjoy my 'business', so I guess you can say my business and pleasure are intertwined. I would like to share some of the lessons I have learned about motherhood as well as share my excitement and enthusiasm about my online shop. :) As for the 'lessons learned' part I'm not talking all sentimental emotional stuff, I'm thinking more along the lines of what things I would look for in a stroller, car seat or restaurant high chair cover etc now that I have had some hands on experience using the ones I already bought.

I think my first few posts will be my back story... I have written a little bit in my profile, but I would like first introduce myself and explain how I have gotten to this point in my life.... just in case anyone is interested.... :)

Well... I finally did it...

I have my very own blog! I am very new to this, it will be a learning experience- but I'm sure it will be fun. :)