You got q's, I got a's!

Thank you so much for all the support and sweet comments,

 this new adventure of mine is way more then I ever expected and I'm so grateful for it all!

I thought I would take the time to answer some questions that I see in the comments from a few of you!

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR BROWN KRAFT BAGS FROM

 THAT YOU PACKAGE YOUR PRODUCTS WITH?

I originally ordered them from etsy seller Notable Notions,

but due to the high demand in my pieces and how fast I'm going through the bags..

I have had to look into other options, so I think I'm going to be ordering from

ULine next time since they come in bundles of 1000 for dirt cheap!

(or wouldn't these be cute? the flower could peek through!)

DO YOU MAKE EVERYTHING THAT YOU SELL ALL BY YOURSELF?
Um, Yep!
I have recently showed my mom how to inspect each finished piece and how to package it for shipping
(you can see that process here)
She helps on days when I feel super overwhelmed, and it gives us some quality time together.
But as far as the pieces go, I make everything by hand. 
Unless its for the bows (sewing machine), all flowers are designed and hand sewn by me!
For the jewelry that I make, which isn't in my shop yet..
I order pieces and find trinkets here and there, but design & assemble as well.

YOU SEEM SO BUSY AND I THOUGHT I READ SOMEWHERE THAT YOU OWN THREE BUSINESSES AND YOU ARE MARRIED,
HOW DO YOU KEEP UP WITH IT ALL?
Well, one thing is that I don't have babies (for this reason) yet...
Another is that since I am self-employed I'm able to make a great schedule for myself.
I recently sold my hair salon to a friend that will take over mid-April
and I will rent a station from her for 3 days a week.
And for the photography, I have the rest of my year pretty much scheduled for all my weddings
Which are mostly on Saturdays and then I can easily schedule in other shoots here and there,
which leaves the rest of the time for this!
However, I try to get everything I need to do done before my husband gets home from work.
He goes to work (wakes up at 430am) pretty early so I get up with him and do my stuff..
sometimes to be efficient I write up an entire blog post
and schedule it to post later when I'm busy doing something else..
So far, I have worked out most of the kinks and I think that this new schedule of mine
 will work so good for maintaining a life, and a business!

WHAT KIND OF CAMERA DO YOU HAVE, I LOVE YOUR PHOTOS YOU POST!
Currently I shoot with a canon 5d,
but another camera I use for super quick close up shots of my items is my backup camera (my old camera) a Canon Rebel XS..
I have a couple different lenses that I use..
the stock xs lense is a 17-55mm and it gets details pretty good..
 the one that is usually always on my 5d is a 50mm 1.8 its cheap (since I seem to break things) and works great.
For almost all of my edited items I put up on here I use Lightroom 3 & Picnik (<--so fast to use!)

YOU SAID YOU LIVE IN A SMALL TOWN,
HOW DO YOU FIND THE THINGS TO MAKE WHAT YOU DO?
Well, a downside of living in a small town is not having a lot of resources.
Which in turn teaches you to make due with what you have..
I go to thrift stores and antique shops (& yard sales soon!)
to find vintage materials/supplies, sometimes I cut up clothes if I love the material its made of.
We do have a local fabric store here, its little but the ladies are nice
 and they call me when they get new fabrics in that they think I will love.. isn't that sweet??
And if I get desperate to a point where I need new fresh things
and I can't make it to my favorite places in Portland (about 250miles away)
then I hit up Jo-Ann Fabrics or Craft Warehouse in Medford (30miles away)

HOW DID YOU GET SO MANY FOLLOWERS SO FAST?
I don't really have exact advice on this, I know that marketing is essential to any business
and I'm not afraid to market myself and my business(s) so that has never been an issue for me.
Finding your market however, does take some research..
for this particular blog and my product its aimed towards women..
So my first stop was finding very successful blogs who catered to my target audience,
my first stop was with Ashley at Little Miss Momma she has a great blog and her readers simply adore her,
I didn't just ask to sponsor though.. I started reading her blog I commented on things
and I got to a point where I felt I wasn't just trying to buy her opinion about me..
I told her that I thought my product was a great fit for her blog and if she felt the same I would love to advertise,
I also sent her a piece so she could really see for herself if she liked it too..
To this day Ashley, Paige (my first giveaway place) and Maggie (GussySews) drive the highest traffic numbers to my blog..
they are also all blogs that I love and believe in and I'm so very happy to support them as they support me!
I actually advertise & do giveaways on a few different types of blogs and it is worth every dime to me..
when you sponsor my blog, that money goes to me sponsoring other bigger blogs driving more traffic to both of us!
 Other great social networks like facebook and twitter, get the word out on your business..
help you support other businesses and honestly, allow you you gain friendships along the way!
I know that my product can't completely sell itself, I sell it. 
My personality, my business etiquette, the love I put into everything I do.
If you love what you do and stay true to yourself while reaching for goals, I promise you will achieve them!
I might seem outgoing and confident (believe me I have issues, I'm not) but I'm actually very humble
 and all of this new attention and the compliments are something I'm not completely used too.
It still surprises me so much how well these things are doing.
When I package something to ship to the East Coast,
sometimes I pause and think to myself "what am I doing, how in the world did I get here"
I put everything I can into everything I do (hair, photography, this..)
so to see something be fruitful and prosper like I dreamt it, is by far the greatest reward!
This is how I am, and what has fortunately seemed to work for me.


Okay I have got to jet out of here, its shipment time
and then I'm off to set up a photo booth for a wedding I'm shooting tomorrow!!!
Thanks for all your questions, I have a a FAQS section here if you wanna know a bit more..
but ask away either in the comments or email me as I will start doing these posts once a month!
.Happy Friday.

*oh i almost forgot!*
Since I love y'll here is a coupon for the weekend =)