I’m so happy spring is here, that I’m having a spring clearance sale in the shop. Starting tomorrow, everything will be 35% off until March 30. I wouldn’t wait that long to buy something because once it’s gone, it’s gone. Time to seriously make room for new inventory in April.
Also: there will be an extra price cut on my braided necklaces. They are all one of a kind and won’t be made again.
There’s only one week or until everything is sold to get them at this price.
Happy shopping!
This won’t really take the shape of my happy lists, but I do want to highlight some of my most favorite things I’ve done and/or changed around here this year.
Blogging
- Started blogging again. It took me quite some time but I definitely got into the habit of blogging in 2011. And I did some serious blogging. This year I published 161 posts and most of those posts were of high quality. Next year, my goal is to try and double that amount. It felt really really good to write so frequently. I did suffer from some dry spells and my start was super rocky, but I wrote at least 15 posts every month come April. In May I wrote a total of 30 posts-my highest amount yet. July and August were the runners up with 21 and 20 posts respectively.
- Created some really wonderful series. 2011 was the year of expansion for me. I was overflowing with ideas and I got to implement quite a bit of them on the blog. I actually had so many ideas, I felt overwhelmed before even starting. I picked a few to get the ball rolling and I’ll say that this is the best decision I made. By far I think my most popular series and one I had little trouble talking about at length-to the point of writing actual articles, was Biz Talk :: Back to Basics series. That series brought me opportunities I hadn’t had prior and also brought me a lot of new supporters. Those posts were enjoyed and commented on the most. Another series, which was more personal but still got a lot of response online was my 29 at 29 list. It encouraged quite a few of my friends and supporters to do their own lists and think of things they want to accomplish this year. My third favorite series was ‘Til Monday, where I would put a list together of things I saw and loved around the internet. I am hoping to upgrade that next year, but I’m definitely continuing with it.
- Added contributors. I thought it would be fun to add contributors to the blog to talk about things they are particularly amazing at and Megan, Mariam and Marsha joined my team. It was really fantastic to add these ladies and I’m hoping to expand that as well in the new year. I would love more than anything for this to not just be a place where I’m doing all the talking all the time. I love community. I thrive on it. What better way to have that happen than to have others share their opinions on this blog as well. If you’re ever interested in being a contributor, let me know.
- Wrote guest posts. I got a taste of fulfilling part of my writing dreams by contributing a few posts to the Vianza blog and writing a post at Miss Moss. After reading some of my Biz Talk posts, I was asked to become a contributor on Vianza, which I accepted and I hope to really dig down deep in the new year and source some serious gems. I would love to do some guests posts at other blogs as well, so if you’re interested you can always contact me.
- The Great Postcard Swap. Although, admittedly I was pretty lousy at updating, I have more confidence than ever that I am great at connecting people. Over 20 women signed up for the swap and while not all of them participated fully (full disclosure: myself, included…but I’ll get them out. I must after all.) most of them did and a lot of these women have become friends. It went beyond postcard writing to letter writing and chatting and befriending one another on other sites and even getting together in person if I’m not mistaken. I am so thankful to have had the idea. I am also thankful for all the new relationships I gained because of this swap. I’ve met some real amazing women and look forward to even more next year. I will be hosting another one next year some time, with modified rules.
Business
- Shop updates. I had quite a few shop updates this year that I’m really proud of. I started really creating work again this year and it felt amazing. After taking pretty much a year off really left me in a slump. But I got my mojo back! I’m on it.
- Added new products. This year I also added two new lines to my collection: Lithe bracelets and Amis necklaces. I have made bracelets since I started this business, but didn’t really put any up for sale because I was never really fully happy with what I made. My tastes became more refined and I found my own unique niche. I’ll be expanding on the styles available next year.
- Invested. Not only did I take out ads on Miss Moss and I Adore Style, I did something exceedingly important and so timely it scared me. I purchased Danielle LaPorte’s The Fire Starter Session. By far, one of the best investments I made not only in my business, but in myself. It helped me to really define parts of what I feel my purpose is. It triggered my Biz Talk series. It has helped on so many levels–levels I didn’t even anticipate. I’ve done my part to spread the good word.It got me thinking about things not just when I was ready to, but because I absolutely needed to.
- Learned new things.I spent a lot of my time reading this year. I also spent a good chunk of time learning how to use a DSLR properly and how to create things in Photoshop on my own. There is nothing better than being self-sufficient. Without it, I feel empty. I am glad that I’ve been making the time to find tutorials and really spending time learning the program. I am tons better at it now. I still have a huge way to go with using a DSLR, but I’m getting there. I’ll talk more about this next week.
- Learning my business. I’ve always felt like I’ve spent a lot of time learning who my customer is and learning how to engage people in an effective way and I finally am starting to reap the benefits of that. There are so many hats that I attempt to wear, but with time I’ve realized that I am hurting myself by not letting go. Letting go is hard for me, but I’m getting there. The more I do it, the greater my network becomes.
So these are some of my most poignant moments and lessons online this year. I am so looking forward to growth in 2012. I am excited about the shape my business will take next year. I am excited to grow a community.
How was your 2011? Did you accomplish any or all of what you had hoped for? What have you learned? Let’s talk about it in the comments.
I thought I’d spend some time introducing all the new items I’ve added and will be adding to the shop.
Amis is French for friends. I thought for quite a while what I’d like to call this line and that spoke to me best. I’ve decided to sell them both individually and as a set for those who might want to just give one to a friend or get one for themselves instead of feeling pressured to buy two.
Every time I start to do color pairings, I’m taken back to when I was in kindergarten. I had an obsession with marrying my crayons. I would pair periwinkle with dusty rose every time. Ever since then I try to put blues and pinks together.
I would spend my time making the perfect matches then doing a full ceremony. They would even kiss at the end.
Many many years later, Andre 3000 came out with the song Pink & Blue and it’s almost impossible for me to do anything else. Almost.
These necklaces are going to be a mainstay as I think about retiring some other things. My personal take on the friendship necklace is by adding one extra bead of the other necklace to each, that way even apart they are a unit. This is my way of keeping them close. These won’t be one of a kind and they will eventually come in varying lengths.
They are available in the shop now: Necklace set, Blue with pink, Pink with blue
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