respecting the art

I originally wrote this on the evening of Feb 24th, I read it to a couple of friends & my momma, but I didn't post it..

 I did however save it as a draft.  And I find it very fitting to post today.

If any of you follow me on facebook then you know why I'm posting this.

*When you copy others, you show no imagination.

(*disclaimer- this doesn't apply to diy crafts or recipes okay!)

I don't want to be the big bad bully here, in fact I share.

I share a lot.

I share too much.

I help too much, and for what??

I had to do this all by myself.

I created a product, I created my blog.

I didn't ask for help, I taught myself.

If I didn't know something I found resources.

It took a while to get things right, and I'm proud of where I am and its only the beginning.

But when you steal or copy from someone else, you stop creating.

When you stop creating, you don't see anything new.

When you don't see anything new, everything looks the same and the original design is lost.

The credit to the person who created it, is lost.

There is a difference from being inspired and copy/stealing.

(I love being inspired and I hope you do too!)

I was asked over the course of 3 days these things:

How do you make your ruffle headbands?

Do you sew your ruffles to felt or something else?

Where do you get your elastic from?

Where do you get your buttons from?

Where did you get your labels from?

How did you make your blog?

How did you start your etsy shop?

Where do you go for printing?

How did you sponsor a blog?

Where do you buy your fabric from?

Where did you buy this, this, and that?

Most of the questions were just out of curiosity, but that wont always be the case.

I answered every single one of them.

Why?

Because, I'm not mean. (at least today I'm not)

I answered them because my mom taught me to share.

I answered them because I'm flattered they asked me.

But then tonight, I thought about it.

Do you call KFC and ask for their "11 secret herbs and spices" ?

see what I mean..?

I'm just a girl who has big dreams, who started something that is very precious to me.

I'm so lucky that it is even getting off the ground and I appreciate all the encouraging compliments

I'm not the first person to make a hair flower and I won't be the last, so I hope that you understand this message as a whole and not just about the things I make.

But as a business woman its been a weird thing to me when people come into my salon for instance and ask me where I purchase my retail from, or into my photography studio and ask where I print from. I even had a girl pretend to be a potential photography client just to get my pricing info, then she copied it word for word and put it on her page.. really?.. really??

Those things are precious to me.  And if its not to much to ask I would like to keep it that way.

Not to be a meanie meanie poo poo head (whoa i just used two words twice right there!!!)

but because I had to work to get these things, and so should you.

So take this as encouragement, if you dream something go for it.

You can do it!

and if you do it yourself you will be even more proud.

=)

I really hope you take this in the way it was meant to be taken.

positive and nothing else

Its great to teach others, its great to learn.

But learn something for a good reason.

I'm not asking for you to stop messaging me, in fact I love chatting.

If you honestly need help, I'm here!

But I just ask that if you don't have good intentions, then please just don't do it.