Your Local Brand

Selling online is a wonderful opportunity to sell your creative endeavors all over the world.

I have been lucky enough to sell Additions jewelry to lots of exotic location. Sometimes it seams weird to think about people in Australia,  Malaysia, and Finland, walking around in my jewelry.

Building your brand locally is just as important as building your online brand.

I owned an art school in my community for several years and taught many children and adult jewelry classes. Being part of the community and teaching classes helped me to sell my jewelry, at art shows, in local shops, and at workshops I taught.

When I am out running errands, or hanging out with my family, people still come up to me and say "hey your the jewelry lady". I taught several classes all over my community and the surrounding communities for years, and I still do occasionally.
 

Here are a few ideas for building your brand locally:

Teach classes - Kids and adults love the opportunity to learn something new.

Do art & craft shows - This is the best way to build your brand locally.

Donate items to local charities - It's and opportunity to share your brand with a variety of local groups.

Attend art openings and community events-  Bring business cards and network.

Sell to local shops - Great way to make money and get feedback from customers.

Sharing your brand locally will benefit you and your business. It's a great way to make a name for yourself, and to share what you do and love with the people in your community.

How do you share your brand in your community?

Ready for the Weekend

OK, I know you are tired of hearing about my daughter and how she is graduating from high school on Sunday so I promise this will be the last post.

I am so proud of her, she has worked really hard this year in school, participated in lots of after school activities, and is working a part time job.  She's my baby and I love her lots.

I just want to let you know their won't be a new post until Tuesday 5/31. I was going to try to have a new post on Monday but everything is getting a little crazy with all our family in town.

Don't forget Motivational Monday will start June 6.  I have gathered lots of ideas so we can be motivated all week long.

If you are looking for low cost advertising opportunities, look no further.  Everyday Inspired has a spot for you.  Click here for more information.

I am always open to ideas, suggestions, or even a  message just saying HI. Feel free to email me anytime at additionsstyleblog@gmail.com

Have wonderful three day weekend!

What's Holding You Back?

I am one of those people with big ideas.  I see the potential for growth in everything. What I am not good at is putting those ideas into action.

I love to do research and gather ideas, because it's safe.  Once you put your ideas out there for everyone to see you better be right or ready to fall on your face.  Well at least that's how I thought.

I am currently working changing that thought process, and stop letting my fear of doing something hold me back from the success I want to achieve.

I have some big ideas I am going to share with you later in the summer, be on the lookout for more information.  (I figure if I put that out there I am going to have to actually follow through now).

What about you, what's holding you back from the success you want to achieve?

Be Inspired - Celebration

Words to Inspire

“If I need a cause for celebration
Or a comfort I can use to ease my mind
I rely on my imagination
And I dream of an imaginary time.”
Billy Joel

Idea to Inspire

Design and create your own confetti for your next celebration.

Photos to Inspire

I am in celebration mode this week as we prepare for my daughters high school graduation.  I found some amazing photos of different ways to celebrate on Flicker.  I hope you are inspired by these fun photos.


Celebration of Light USA by Lloyd K Barnes Phtotpraphy


Streamers by tiffanywashko


Balloons by Bondseye


Confetti by catcetera

Let's Talk Books

I have mentioned it before, I love books.  I listen to books when I am creating, cooking, and cleaning,  and I try to read a book every night.

I am looking for some new titles to read and listen too.  I would like to put together a list of books to add to my summer reading.

I am currently reading Creativity is a Verb by Patti Digh, which is a great book so far. I just started it recently, but each night I can't wait to read another chapter.

So, what book have you read that has inspired you, and why?

Review an Old Idea

I am getting ready to have a house full of family for my daughters high school graduations this weekend. I have been cleaning every room and organizing along the way.  

I was cleaning our home office (it's going to be a bed room this weekend) and I stumbled across lots of papers I printed out while preparing to open my Etsy shop.

I took a little break and decided to look through all the papers.  I re-read lots of the great tips on setting up shop,  marketing, and selling.  

Here are a few that I think will make a nice additions this year:

Selling gift certificates - it something I always thought about but never really started.

Doing customer surveys - this is a great way to find out what my customers are thinking.

Refer a friend program - I recently found an Etsy application that can help set up a refer a friend
program for your Etsy shop.  Its called Anafore.

Gift wrapping - another idea I wanted to start but never did, maybe this year.

I enjoyed going through all those old papers and reviewing all those ideas.  I also got three rooms organized and ready for the weekend.

Have you look through your old marketing ideas lately?  What's an idea you read about when you opened up shop you might like to give a try this year?

Garden Journal

Do you like gardening?

Consider recording the happenings of your flower, vegetable or container garden. Even if you are not a gardener, keeping notes of the changing plants outside is one way to attune yourself to the natural world around you.

A garden journal is kept to record your daily memories, successes or failures of tending or creating your garden. You can collect leaves, petals or seeds, take photos of your favorites, add in sketches, drawings, or painting of the items in your garden.  Also consider adding in seed packets, diagrams of your garden layout, or illustrations of plants.

Their are so many options.  Do what feels best to you.  You want this to be a fun process and something you can refer to year after year.

Even if you live in an urban environment where gardening is a challenge you can still keep this type of journal. You can grow plants in your home, or go to a park and chronicle their garden.

If keeping a gardening journal is not for you, then grab your journal/sketchbook and take a few minutes to write and enjoy some quite time in a beautiful garden.

What types of things do you like to journal about?

Learn the "Language of Flowers®"

The "Language of Flowers®" represents 200 years of traditions, and is the specific meaning of each individual type of flower and their color.   

Flower symbolism and meaning reaches back to the early Chinese Dynasties, and was introduced to Europe in 1714.  Once introduced it flourished and grew into a very popular cultural movement in France, and then England and America.

The phrase "Language of Flowers" was first used in print in 1809 and during the 1800's more then 400 flower language dictionaries flooded the market.

The "Language of Flowers" is about romance, beauty, and traditions. Using the "Language of Flowers" is a wonderful way to share flower traditions to the people you love. 

Here is a short list of a few common flowers and their meanings.  Click here to see the complete list.

Red Rose - Love

Tulips - Declaration of love

Bluebells - Constancy

Mixed color carnations - Pride & Beauty and Health & Energy

Daisy - Innocence (my personal favorite flower)

Lily - Beauty, elegance, sweetness

Sunflower - Pride, appreciation

Zinnia - Thoughts of absent friends

What is your favorite flower?  

Don't forget to check the list and see what it means.

Check This Out...

This is a monthly post where you can share 3 things about yourself or your business. Giving us an opportunity to get to know each other and our businesses.

Suggested ideas:
-business goals or goals you have met
-books you are reading
-a new project you are starting or doing
-places you have visited
-blog posts you have enjoyed
-a post you have written that you would like to share
-new items you have added to your shop
-new materials you are working with
-family plans or an event you are excited about
-need help with an idea - ask for help

All I ask is that you are a follower of my blog to participate and that you check out a few links from the other people who leave comments.

Let me know if you have any suggestions,  ideas or questions.  You can contact me at additionsstyleblog@gmail.com.

Be Inspired - Spring Trees

Words to Inspire

“Nature often holds up a mirror so we can see more clearly the ongoing processes of growth, renewal, and transformation in our lives.”

Idea to Inspire

Sit outside under a tree today for a little inspiration from nature.

Photos to Inspire

It's always amazing to me how one week the trees are bare and the next the are full of blooms and green leaves.  These photos from Flickr have captured the essence of the spring tree.


The Spring Tree by Nordicflower.com


Gorgeous Spring Maple Tree by Stan Zimny


spring tree by Yollah


Spring tree by pninaN


Spring Tree in the Sunlight by amyboemig

Creative Business - Create First

There are days when I go through the whole day working on the computer.  I start each day with the intention of making jewelry that day, but for some reason the computer sucks me in and I run out of time to create.

The reason I started my business was so I could make jewelry, but some days I let running my business take over.

I have found a few ideas that have helped me find time each day to create.  Give these tips a try when you need to find time in your day to create.

♦ Have a creative day once a week - Here is a post with a few ideas - Plan a Creative Day.


♦ Schedule creative time on your calendar everyday - Use a timer to help you know when to stop working on the computer.


♦ Start your day creating and turn on your computer in the afternoon - One of my new favorites.  I get more done when I start my day this way.

All are easy ideas, you just need to make the commitment to give yourself time to be creative.

Do you find time everyday to create?

Motivation Monday

I am on my own personal quest to stay motivated everyday.  I have big plans for my business and I am preparing for all the changes.

Sometimes my challenge is staying motivated everyday, and I am always looking for ways to inspire myself to keep moving forward.

Starting in June I am going to have Motivation Monday.  A blog post with inspiring idea and creative ways to stay motivated for your business and your creative life.

I look forward to having you join me on this journey.

What motivates you?

Share your ideas, stories, and inspiration for staying motivated, I may share your story in one of my Monday posts!

Journal Prompt - Being Outside

I love this time of year.  Watching the trees and flowers come into bloom, the smell of grass that has been mowed for the first time, the sound of the birds, and the warmer weather.  I love to be outside (before the mosquitoes are out in full force) and enjoy a quite afternoon.

This is the perfect time to write and draw in my journal/sketchbook and reflect on the beauty around me everyday.

Take out your journal/sketchbook and spend a few minutes outside just enjoying to sounds, sites, and smells, around you.  Then write or draw about what you enjoy most about being outside.

This is a great time of year to open up and get your creative juices flowing.  Let your journal/sketchbook guide you to new discoveries outside.


What is your favorite thing about being outside?

Pile It On

Layering your jewelry is a trend that has been around for awhile and is big again for this summer.  Stacking on bracelets and bangles, wearing long and short necklaces, and rings, lots and lots of rings is all the rage. It's even a big trend for guys to layer on the jewelry.

This trend is easy to wear, pull out your favorite 3, 4, or even 5 piece (the more the better) and wear them all at the same time.  Even if you are not into wearing a lot of jewelry or big jewelry you can still stack on small and daintier piece to achieve the layering look.

I found some wonderful piece on Etsy, check out these shops for more layering ideas.

Multicolor Leather Cord Bangles with Silver by MaribelleCampa

Aurora Borealis Shimmer Stack by KateDalDesigns

Layered necklace with bezel set glass by BijuBee

She Rocks Reclaimed Necklace Jewelry by ecoblingcouture

stacking rings in 14K gold filled and sterling by preciousjd

Copper Twist Diamond Stack Ring by RootsJewelry

Will you be wearing the layering jewelry trend this summer?

Planning

Sometimes writing blog posts are challenging for me.  Trying to work on this post was frustrating because I had not planned out what I was going to write.

I usually create a plan at the end of the week, so I can sit down on Sunday and crank out my posts for the week. I did not do that last week and I have been flying by the seat of my pants coming up with ideas all week.

I am the same way with my to do list.  I get more work done if I create a list at the end of the day, planning out what I need to get done for the next day.

When I create sterling silver jewelry I sketch and plan out every piece. Creating the hardware jewelry I never plan.  I sit down in front of all my supplies and just start pulling thing out.  I arrange and rearrange until I figure out something I like and then I create.

So, today I have this question:

Are you a planner?  Do you plan your business goals and your creative projects, or just do what you feel like doing and see what happens?

Be Inspired - My Vacation

Words to Inspire

“As I gaze upon the sea! All the old romantic legends, all my dreams, come back to me.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Idea to Inspire

Take out your vacation photos and relive the memory of your time spent away.  Use those memories to inspire you and your creative path today.

Photos to Inspire

Today I am going to share with you photos my sister and I took while on vacation.  They had wonderful warm weather in Myrtle Beach, SC and we saw beautiful flowers and found very cool things by the sea.  So here is our collections of inspiring photos.

Creative Business - Make T-shirts

Marketing materials are essential for your business.  Business cards, postcards, tags, are just a few marketing materials that we use everyday.  To spread the word about my business I decided I wanted to print some t-shirts for my family and friends to wear over the summer.

I was thrilled when I  found a Etsy shop that created screens for screen printing giving me the opportunity to print my own t-shirts. Fibra Artysta creates high quality screens at very affordable prices.

Now if you are up for it you can create your own screens otherwise Fibra Artysta is easy to work with and very helpful so you get exactly what you want. Printing your own t-shirts requires very few supplies and the final quality was exceptional.

My t-shirts turned out great.  My sister and I wore them all week on our vacation and I will be printing t-shirts for everyone in my family. Printing was easy and once I got the hang of it fun.

Check out Fibra Artysta and start printing your own t-shirts.

What marketing materials have you had fun creating lately?

Renewal

A view from the car window

Last week I had a wonderful time with my sister on our road trip to Myrtle Beach SC. We had the opportunity to travel through 8 states seeing mountains and cities, and the best part we got to spend a few days by the ocean.

We spent a lot of time on our trip relaxing.  We walked on the beach and boardwalk, laid by the pool, visited a museum, and drove around exploring Myrtle Beach.

We got up early for the sunrise on our first day on Myrtle Beach

It was so amazing

It was a great way to start our day

It turned out to be a beautiful day

We did have an adventure on our drive back.  We took a route that turned out to be a lot of back roads and very lonely highways.  Even thou we had a couple of challenging days, it did give us the opportunity to see farms, ranches, plantation, and really small towns up close.

This trip gave me an opportunity pull together some business ideas, and to get a lot of reading done. I feel so renewed.

I am not a big shell collector but here are a few I loved

I hope she wants to go on another vacation next year! Sister what do you think?

Are you planning on doing any traveling this season?