makersmovement Archives - The Sweetest Little Life

How to succeed at Etsy.

January 18, 2019January 17, 2019by WeddingsbycourtneyLeave a Comment

The funny thing with change is people either completely embrace the chaos, changing too much to enjoy the fruits of their labors, because they become bored and need something new, or you have the person who lives in fear of change and never takes that first step. The woman who wants to crawl in the corner and cry, they become so terrified of failing that they never even make that first big launch which could turn into something beautiful and life changing.

I know both women well, because at one point or another in this lifetime I have fit the shoe for each one.

As Mompreneurs we need to learn to embrace the word No, You Can’t Do That, how will you support your children with that? You shake your head, you smile, you let it go in one ear and out the other knowing that you are in the making of following something that feels right for you. With every stumble, look with a new perspective. This is a learning lesson to grow your business and bloom as a person.

This chapter were not going to think about it, were just going to do it. Dive right in. Accept this just might be the scariest moment you have ever encountered of the unknown. Put on your Unicorn Costume and let’s do this!

First things first. You have your vision. Mine looked a little something like this when I wrote them down.

Make six figures by year 5 on Etsy.
Write a book and self-read it on Audible.
Help other mamas feel inspired through blogging.
Plan Events to bring together women in my community.

It was simple, clear, and concise. You need an action plan – a to do list if you will. Your clear on the mountain you want to climb, but how in the world will you achieve this?

Taking each goal, you have and breaking it down in to a to do list is step one – every day do at least one thing on that to do list.

Starting your Etsy Shop –

Create your Business Name. – Make sure you are checking google to make sure no one else has a name like yours. – The last thing we want is someone to accidently type in weaves and woodwork and a cleaning shop come up on Facebook ads. This is where being unique comes into play. What is important to you, cupcakes? Mommy hood? Woodwork? Painting? Take a few words and write them down. Play with how they flow together. What are you selling? Is it one specific item or a plethora of items you create. You want your target audience to be drawn to your shop by the appearance and title it holds. Before moving on come up with a catchy headline which will appear under your title. For example, mine views “Handcrafted and Made with Love.” Get creative and in 3-5 words tell your customers what your shop is all about.
Find a logo and branding – Personally I love supporting other people like myself so all my logos and branding I have had created through a fellow maker on Etsy. It’s a more personal experience and their people just like you who WANT to make sure their supporting your vision and dream.
Decide what Niche you will sell. – When you first start out stick to one thing for at least 6 months and become an expert at that one thing. After your pro status then expand.
Set up your policies and information. This step is tedious but oh so vital. Your customers need to know where you stand with shipping, delivery times, how your shop ticks and tocks.
Write your about page. Don’t even blink twice on over thinking this. Your customers just want to know who you are, what they are supporting, and how your shop came to life! When I first started out it was a paragraph that slowly just grew as customers asked me questions and I realized the need of what everyone wanted to know about my shop and myself!
Connect your social media accounts. In my experience Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, WordPress and Facebook are an absolute necessity in driving traffic to your Etsy. You can launch fun giveaways and peak interest to gain followers and get the word out about your new shop. (We will go into detail on the importance of social media in a future chapter.) For now, just link whatever you have available, so we can launch! If your feeling extra peppy go ahead and start transferring everything social media to a business page, its usually two clicks and voila your ready for action!
Now this is the exciting part – Girl get ready. This is the biggest action step yet. The first item listing. Use your I phone, get some natural lighting and a sleek background that fits your brand (for my first year I used a slab of reclaimed wood to place my items on and photograph.) We will go into a full chapter on photos, lighting, tips and tricks, and how to capture the perfect angles but for now just GET IT UP. Let go of perfect and step into work in progress.
How do I name my item? Here are some simple tips to help you get everything launched and ready for action with a beautiful title that is sure to catch the buyers eye.

Research trending key words for your items. Google AdWords has a keyword tool you can enter in as well to find out what people are searching. For example – Let’s say you have a Unicorn coffee mug, you want to make sure that Unicorn Coffee Mug is in the Title, but you can also hyphenate to a trending key word to be looked up more often than a competing shop. Unicorn Coffee Mug – Magical Horse Cup with Glitter.
The Etsy Search Bar is a powerful tool as well! See what people are looking up, what are they searching for, get in on being in. (Normally I am so against comparing your shop or self to any one else because you want to make sure you are staying on top of the trends, so you can deliver an excellent product that clients are searching for.)

If you are struggling with key words and titles you can also download a program for free such as Marmalead or Etsygadget to help you get flowing with key words and make SEO (search engine optimization) not so scary!

Pricing – How to come up with the perfect pricing on your items? This can be tricky! I completely failed at this starting out my Etsy Adventures. I wanted to sell my items at a dollar store price, create Nordstrom style products, and gain amazing customer five-star reviews. This doesn’t work. If you are putting an hour into making something, 30 minutes into crafting and creating the perfect packaging, and then $20 on supplies for that one item, you need to charge accordingly! For example: When beginning the adventure of mompreneurship I started selling coffee mugs. I figured $7.50 was a fair price to sell them for. What I wasn’t accounting for was my time, my supplies, my shipping, and the biggest factor…ready for it…COMPETITORS. Similar shops like mine were selling the exact same item for $19.50. It took me a year to realize I was losing out on thousands upon thousands of dollars in sales. When I raised my prices, I was terrified no one would buy any thing because it was too expensive. Guess what happened? My sales quadrupled. I went from making $100-200 a week to making $500-700 a week, this happened overnight! Customers understood I was a hand made business, they wanted to support me, just as they would want to support you and the thousand of other makers online! Do a little research, find what similar items are selling for, and mark accordingly. Remember the best part of this all is we are a work in progress and Etsy takes 5 minutes to edit a listing and completely change it all over again! Beautiful right?
Writing a seamless description. This can be broken into simple sections. What is it? Can it break? How does it wash? What is the size?

At this point were besties, right?

I am going to give you a huge leap point here because my goal is to get your shop launched and selling as soon as possible. Here is the description I use on all my items (the only difference is changing the verbiage per item, but this is a generalized answer to years of customers questions and what they are looking for.) Feel free to write this on your description til you have a better knowledge of what questions or guidance your customers will have about your items.

This listing is for one hand painted coffee mug.

Capacity Options: 14 oz 16 oz 18 oz

Mugs are hand painted and made to order. The picture listed above is an example of what yours will look like. Please allow for slight variations as each one is hand painted. A photo will be sent to you before shipment to make sure you absolutely love your item.

I can personalize in any way for no additional charge, just make sure to include a note in the note to seller at the time of check out

How to take care of me? I am microwaveable. Hand wash me with warm soapy water and a soft sponge to make sure I last forever! I am baked and sealed if I do need a good scrubbing. DO NOT MACHINE WASH ME I COULD MELT AWAY OVER TIME.

Personalizing is what I love to do. See something you love but wish it was just a little different? Let me know and I will be happy to change it for you as a custom order.

Gift Wrapping? YES PLEASE. All mugs are wrapped with tissue paper. Is this a gift? I can personalize an additional card for special occasions and send straight to the recipient at no additional charge to you.

After Purchasing: A lot of times I have a few questions for you on personalization after purchase! Please check your Etsy messages after your purchase.

Shipping – Can you see me turning bright red and giggling writing this section. Oh, how I wish we were face to face girlfriend.

Let me tell you a little story, when I first started out and I was creating my Nordstrom’s Dollar Tree, I decided $5.50 sounded fair for shipping. I was so gung ho to launch I priced all my items at $5.50 priority shipping. Priority Shipping is 2 -3-day shipping that cost around $14.50 for a 1 -2-pound item which is standard for what I was selling. At the time technology was terrifying to me. Set up a scale? Ship directly from Etsy? What if my printer fails? What if it never arrives at the destination. I went on for two years driving a ridiculous number of packages to the post office on a daily basis and paying full price for shipping items. There were more then 10 occasions I paid $60 – $120 JUST IN SHIPPING on something that brought in maybe $20 in profit. If there was a palm in face emoji I could insert here, I’d do it. On my second year of Holiday Season I decided with a new baby, a 4-year-old and a wagon full of packages I needed to brave that damn scale and printer. I signed up for Etsy Shipping, if I can shake you on any one thing through this process of setting up your shop its this. SET UP ETSYS SHIPPING. You save about 20% through commercial business pricing, you can generalize and see how much an item cost to ship BEFORE you ship it. Granit there were some perks, I got to know everyone at my local post office on a first name basis, my kids learned how to squeeze their bodies over the years in random mail boxes and pop out at the retirement folks walking by to pick up their mail. These are the moments we will giggle about in 20 years, right?

For a general shipping rule, order a scale on amazon, I got mine for $20 and it holds up to 50 lb. Make sure you have a dependable printer that hooks up to your computer and some black ink. Grab some shipping tape and BOOM Your in business and ready to become your own post office. Now are you ready for the best part? When you are all done packaging, you schedule a pickup from USPS.com the post man or woman comes to your front porch picks up your packages and you are now officially seamlessly working from home. (Remember how in the previous chapters we discussed the importance of time management. – here are hours of wasted time saved!)

Tags – On any social media tags are free SEO gold. Sprinkle that glitter everywhere! When tagging an item, you want to think of one thing and one thing only. If I was searching this item. What would I type in the search bar? If your searching for a baby shower gift what would you search?

Let’s do some examples, because again I am as visual as they come over here!

Item: Bridesmaid Wine Glasses

Tags: Bridesmaid Gifts, Be My Bridesmaid, Wine Gifts, Wedding, getting hitched, Bridesmaid, Be my maid, Personalized Bridal Gifts, Custom Bridesmaid Wine glasses, Handmade Bridesmaid Gifts.

Use every tag they allow you to use. Can’t find any? Google is your friend for inspiration.

Post it girlfriend. Do not even think twice just start by pressing that post item button. Remember you can always edit and shiny them up to be polished and new as your work gets better and you grow as an artist and product photographer!
Post 10 new items a week for your first 6 months! I know this sounds like quit the project but trust me, if you take away one piece of advice from this section, this is the chunk to take. What launched my shop was dedication. It also made me grow more then I ever imagined possible as an artist. The more you put your self out there online the more chances of clicks, visits, and traffic to your shop.
Customer Service – In our generation it pains me to say that quality customer service is something rare to come by. I have even done a few experiment buys on Etsy to see what other shops say after a purchase, how quick they respond to a question on a custom order, your catching my drift? Guess what? 90% did not respond to me at all, it was all automated through the Etsy apps you can create to send messages right after a sale or after you ship out an item. It was disheartening to say the least. I personally want to buy a handcrafted item for the connection as well, to know I am supporting someone and not a corporation. I try to think of my target audience as someone like myself who is shopping and expecting a certain experience from a personal makers business. Common courtesy and customer service seem to be a mannerism of the past. My number one concern in my shop is making sure my customers feel the following points in their shopping experience. Let’s jump in.

Quick Response Time – I can not even tell you the amount of sales I have gained when people are on the fence about a purchase between my shop and competitors because I am the first to personally email them back and answer any questions they may have about my items. I try to have a response time of less than an hour with any customer – you can turn on Etsy notifications to get a certain ding on your phone and know a customer is trying to reach you.
A Simple Thankyou – After every sale I make I personally reach out and let the buyer know how much I appreciate their order, how I will send pictures to make sure its perfect before shipment, and that I will reach out if I have any questions during the making process.
Follow Up – Before shipping out any item I always send pictures and give a 24-hour response time in case the customer wants a change made or something added to their order. (This will also condense your shipping cost down and save your time in having to remake something later down the road.) You just officially got it in writing that they love the item you made and gave you the go ahead to ship. Your covering all your bases at this point.

In the coming up blogs we will cover in detail some more tips, websites to assist, and secret sale advice for Etsy but we will dive in to the next common goal for now! Remember one step at a time. If we get to overwhelmed it is just hopping right back on the hamster wheel and accomplishing a whole lot of nothing.

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Overcoming Procrastination

September 21, 2018by WeddingsbycourtneyLeave a Comment

Where my makers at?! Most of us are so guilty of the procrastination gene! It’s in our DNA – So how do we use it for good? What is it? Were getting down and dirty with it all today!

Procrastination is the act of prioritizing less urgent and more pleasurable tasks over the more important stuff.

You procrastinate because you have a fear of doing something, because of unreasonable expectations, or because you haven’t generated enough reasons to get the job done.

Now, procrastination is not always “bad” nor “good”. I personally thrive when I have a dead line and need to get hustling the day before, but if it’s too much and not organized procrastination I will fail every single time to meet my deadline. I become stressed, overwhelmed, and start the hamster wheel of accomplishing absolutely nothing productive.

So why do we do this? How do we avoid procrastination or organize it to help us effectively? Today I am spilling all my tricks on what I do to stay on top of task that are not pleasurable or “exciting” to me. The ones that often get pushed to the back burner!

Get the hard stuff out-of-the-way – Every evening before bed I always make a list of what needs to be done the next day. This 1, helps me clear my head and sleep better and 2, allows me to strategically place the things i want to do the least top on my list.

(When I whip out the hard stuff first thing in the morning, there’s not enough caffeine in my system to talk me out of it, and then I am energized with the attitude of “Yeah I just did that, and it wasnt that bad.” “I am ready for more!”)

Set specific, measurable and realistic expectations of yourself – Do not over book yourself and realistically create timelines that allow you to not feel stressed out or like you need to skip a meal to accomplish everything. Remember a healthy you is going to be the most productive you.

Find out what motivates you and eliminate distractions – For my personal motivation I love Podcast. While I am working in my office I feel like I am learning new things from some of my favorite entrepreneurs while getting motivated on every word they say! Some of my favs to listen too for motivation are

Rachel Hollis – Rise
Jenna Kutcher – Goal Digger
Lori Harder – Earn your happy
and Julie Soloman – The Influencer Podcast
Mel Robbins – 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Method

All of these women fire me up and make working enjoyable and not boring or lonely. I eliminate my text and phone alerts, the television, or any other ding that may distract me from accomplishing the one task at hand.

Complete small new tedious task immediately – Have a phone call to make? A form to sign for the kids? A volunteer obligation? A dish you borrowed but have failed to return? Just do it. All of these tedious task can haunt you and turn into giant mole hills for absolutely no reason. The minute something comes in that I can handle right away I do. This will completely avoid you forgetting later on down the road, or saying “Ill do it after dinner” and becoming to tired and pushing it to the next day.

Find your peak performance time and use it – We all have that time of day that we just kick ass and take names. For some they call it being a “morning person” or a “night owl” others its awareness, either way we all have a time that is perfect for our own individual peak spots.

Don’t get “stuck” on your time and know that as life circumstances or body changes happen your peak performance times may change as well. Perfect example – I am usually a morning person. I wake up before everyone in my house, enjoy my coffee and quiet time, and start busting out hard projects before any one wakes up. Than…. I got pregnant….and I am pretty positive this baby is going to be a night party animal. I’m worthless in the mornings and some days can barely move until 3-5 p.m., then I perk up and can rumble til 1 in the morning. Ya all, this is UNHEARD of for my body, but Im rolling with the punches, Im listening to my peak energy, and utilizing it to the best of my ability. With a few quick changes I just have my “work performance” hours after the littles are tucked in. Be open and accepting to change.

Focus on one thing at a time – Dishes, Etsy Orders, Local Orders, Kids Event, Volunteer Obligations, Date night, Dinner Plans, Laundry OH MY – I’ll take the lions and tigers and bears any day. Slow it down girl friend…..This is where list are crucial. Take ONE THING and ONE THING only. Nothing else matters until that one thing is complete. Are you writing a blog? Then you are only focused on doing your best and writing the best piece you can at that moment. Are you doing the dishes? Then you’re not on the phone, your finishing up the dishes so you can get the next meal moving and grooving. I often remind my self “I am only doing this right now.” I literally hold my self back from squirreling and starting 5 things at once but completing nada.

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How to add texture to your decor

July 28, 2018July 28, 2018by WeddingsbycourtneyLeave a Comment

You have the perfect find. The piece looks beautiful in the store under the perfect lighting, with the perfect placement, and you get home to put it in your “perfect” spot and it looks lonely.

It’s all about the textures…

So what is texture and how can you apply it to any decor?

I have the secrets for you ladies and tonight were spilling them! How to have a Pinterest worth home that is completely swoon worthy made easy.

Step 1: Layer your levels of height – If a shelf or mantle is completely symmetrical it tells no story and has no appeal to the eye. You want to have different levels of heights throughout your decor placement – For example put some greenery on a couple of books and then your centerpiece mirror with some taller candle holders on the other side to finish your look.

Step 2 — Play with materials: It’s always okay to mix and match, it builds character to any space and makes it interesting! I love using metals, wood, glass, greenery and fabrics when combining pieces in a small space. Below is an easy play by-play to get the imagination wheels spinning on how to mix and match properly. blesserhouse.com does a fabulous job at visually explaining this breakdown of different materials and how to work it!

Step 3 – Shelving and Throw Pillows are always a yessssssss.

(My husband hates my throw pillows because with children they get thrown everywhere but darn it for those few hours they are in perfect placement it looks like pure bliss and adds the perfect amount of dimension to any furniture piece.)

Step 4 – Do not over clutter

Guilty as charged…I am a picture fanatic… There are just so many special family memories I want blasted all over my home, however too many pictures will kill any room and make it feel overwhelming, pick a few designated spots just for a fun wall gallery or a few cute frames but KEEP IT SIMPLE. Just like when you were learning how to apply makeup and your mama told you less is more, the same goes for putting your entire instagram gallery in your living room.

Step 5 – Lighting is everythanggggggg

Nothing brightens up a space like good lighting and fixtures, you can even diy and spray paint old pieces if you’re a DIY girl on a budget. Light creates space to be bigger, just as dark paint colors make spaces push in and appear smaller, whites and airiness make rooms appear twice their regular size!

Hopefully this gets you inspired to create the perfect shelf or little space that just makes you smile when you walk in the room. Simple & Sweet.

Happy Decorating Mama

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Shipping

October 18, 2017by WeddingsbycourtneyLeave a Comment

Over the years I have read several how to articles learning the ins and outs of what works for different businesses and hand-made companies. I kept seeing a shipping station repeatedly in blogs and articles and thought it was something worth investigating a little deeper. When the Holiday Season hits for most makers it’s as if you are struggling to stay above water, especially for a one man show.

An ultimate goal of every maker is to stay organized, have fun, and love what you do. I created a shipping station OUTSIDE of my office in the garage so it was out of sight and out of mind when I was creating. When I finish an item I simply place it on the table and at the end of the day I go out and package everything up. Packaging is a job within it self (if you’re doing it properly.) It’s crucial to have something visually stimulating and exciting for your customer to open up. Often times I will go with seasons and add little trinkets, ribbons, shred, etc. This is also a branding trick and customers are more likely to remember all the extra effort you put into their order. You took the time to make it special. That is why the shipping station is so crucial it gives you time to focus on one thing….SHIPPING….

It’s a known fact most creative people are “squirrelly” type personalities, so having focus, direction, and guidance is crucial. I wish I would have started this years ago, so here I am screaming it from the ROOF TOPS – create a damn shipping station! Have all your bubble wrap, ribbons, boxes, tape, and goodies to add in all in ONE SPOT! (Also toddlers can’t steal your trinkets this way! hehe)

Now let’s get to shipping!!!!

No really…

Go Now….5.4.3.2.1.

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Tuna Noodle Casserole

October 14, 2017by Weddingsbycourtney1 Comment

Store run:

Stalk of Celery
3 tbs butter
1/3 cup of Olive Oil
1/2 onion thinly chopped
1 pound of wide egg noodles
5 cups milk
1 can of drained artichoke hearts
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan

Lets get cooking ladies and gents……

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Start boiling water in a large pot and add noodles for about 2 minutes or until al dente, drain the noodles and return to the same pot.

In a separate pan heat oil in a heavy pan on medium heat. Add onions and 3 stalks of chopped celery with salt and pepper. Cook for 4-6 minutes than add in flour stirring for about a minute. Add milk until a smooth texture and let simmer for one minute.

Add mixture and noodles together. Add in tuna, artichoke hearts, and salt and pepper. Mix it up well. Place in baking dish and sprinkle over the top with parmesan! (I also added mozzarella for some extra zing!)

Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown and bubbling on top!

Enjoy~

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Simplicity.

September 29, 2017by WeddingsbycourtneyLeave a Comment

We as humans always want “more”. If I only had this I would be happy. If I only got this promotion I would be satisfied. If only I made this income I would be excited.

Stop.

Just Stop.

Be Happy Right Now. Right Where Your Life Has Brought You. Keep it Simple.

Do you want something different? Do Something Different.

I made it a life, mom, and wife goal this year to straight up simplify. To be blunt. We had too much shit. 20 pots & pans (4 of which we used), clothing of littles I was saving as memories, clothing my booty has not fit into in 4 years, sippy cups with no lids, towels which did not match, I hated it….Literally the little things were driving me to a breaking point. After we remodeled I knew it was the perfect moment to get rid of every thing but what we needed. (I still had hand me downs from my first apartment okayyyy?!) So I said these simple words.

I AM TAKING CHARGE OF MY LIFE.

I found hacks for organizing every single aspect of every single room and square foot of our home.

It’s important to ask yourself these simple questions before you begin this giant purge…..

Have I touched it in 6 months.
Is it useful?
Does this need to be replaced?
Does this match the end result I’m dreaming of?

If no to any of these questions! Toss it! Start fresh. Get minimal. Become Thankful.

YOU ARE ENOUGH.

pst……(Organizing hacks for EACH ROOM OF YOUR HOME is our next series) eeeeeekkkkk!!! ok get excited hit that little share button, because good stuff is coming your way~

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The Moment it Happened.

September 13, 2017by WeddingsbycourtneyLeave a Comment

December to August in my house was Chaotic, Hectic, Busy, Non Stop, and Confusing. We all hit these times in our Mommy or Career Lives where we have to sit back and pull the reigns. In my case I needed to completely halt them! I have always had goals and ways to reach them, but when you are on the move non stop with no time to be in the moment because you are consistently planning or running it makes life fly by and messy. While running late which had become a new usual for me, on my way to football practice (which my son was begging after day 4 to not do), with the baby crying in the back from being over tired, listening to “Little Sprigs” podcast on conscious parenting and being in the moment it hit me like a TON OF BRICKS…. Not like a pillow case blow, but literally made my head hurt to the point I turned the car around. I have been running so fast for so long I am missing what is important in my life. Lets rewind a little….About 3 weeks ago, I started to get some serious anxiety just around life in general. I was like the 2-year-old that still hears back round noise and feels the ‘missing out” so can’t sleep. I had my hands in way to many jars with absolutely no direction or focus. I needed to get clarity and focus. I knew a few things so I began to write…..

My children needed me to be present and not always stressed out about what was to come next. Children feed off our feelings and absolutely need us to be present and in the moment with them.
I was so stressed out over work and never getting any thing done I had become in a habit of being in ‘catch up’ mode.
My health and taking care of myself had become non existent and on the back burner. (I even went to the doctor thinking I was sick and got informed that stress can be hidden and sneak up on you with out you realizing it, thus showing signs your “sick.”)
I was trying to be supermom, super woman, super wife, super career with no strategy or organization.

Now lets fast forward…..I started this blog over 30 days ago and have since made some serious dedication to organize and re strategize my entire existence. I failed a few times but here is a list of things that so far, have been serious game changers in balance, freedom, simplicity and over all happiness.

I laid out my children and I’s clothing in outfits on hangers for the entire month. No more out fit arguments in the morning, no more sweats and a tank top for me everyday. The best part…. all we do is grab a hanger and the entire outfit is ready for the day.
DO THE DISHES….No matter how tired you are. Do the dishes and a quick clean on your kitchen the night before. There is nothing more stressful than waking up and the first thing you think is “oh shit I have cleaning to do from yesterday.”
Stay on top of laundry. I have one basket in our entire house that holds exactly 1 load of laundry. When that basket is full, I take it to the washing machine, wash it, dry it, and put it on “out fit hangers” immediately.
Write everything down immediately. I have major mom brain and commit to a hundred different things and then forget deadlines. I have two things I write in, my planner for events and scheduling, and then a little notebook of daily to do’s in accomplishing my small and big goals. Every day I work towards something.
Handle it. Once. If something needs to be done, do not procrastinate just get up and handle it. Pick up the phone and handle it. Than its done and not lingering on to your next day. Something that once would take you 2 minutes turns into an hour of finding things, sorting things out, making it right. Handle it.
Meditate. Pray. Breathe. Repeat. – several times throughout the day.
Throw it away. If you havent used it in over 6 months, get rid of it. Having too much stuff makes it impossible to feel de cluttered and free.
Plan. Far far far in advance. I’m a dive head first type of girl so this is my biggest struggle. I had on my to do list to plan my September Palette & Paint class. Instead….I planned the dates and booked the location through January. This creates more room and freedom with 1 phone call and a contract.
Check List. I Framed cute little Morning and Evening to do’s for my littles so they know whats happening and when it’s happening. Children thrive on STRUCTURE.

These few little things have helped me in a big way over the past month and I hope you can take just one thing that helps you too live more balanced and happy!

#momminainteasy

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10 k

August 21, 2017by WeddingsbycourtneyLeave a Comment

When I first started Etsy & Instagram Marketing in 2014, I was an owner of a failing business, in the negative, drowning in debt, and completely miserable with no passion, confidence or direction! Today my Etsy business made $40,000 last year and my Instagram just hit 10,000 followers! I’m not saying this to brag by any way, shape, or form. Being humble and thankful is everything to me.

I do, however, want to offer some inspiration and motivation to the person who is down on themselves thinking they can never follow their passion. You can!!!!! Once you find your nitch, follow it! From the beginning I knew I loved art. I attempted being a make up artist because this is what every women in my family does, so naturally I followed steps…. However I knew traveling and working with high maintenance clients was not my cup of tea. I still do makeup and love certain events and styles, however my two passions in life are being a mother and HomeDesign – Art.

I knew somehow in this lifetime I needed to follow this path. For me, it was Etsy that was my starting point. I began to meet these amazing clients who I grew relationships with and they came back! I started truly connecting with each and every one of my instagram followers and not treating them like strangers but truly trying to connect with them as a wife, as a mom, as an artist. I want to help people succeed from the bottom of my heart.

Enough of my sappy story…. Lets get in to what you really want to hear….How did I do it? Etsy is for another post but tonight I want to focus on what I wish I knew about Instagram Marketing years ago….

Connect : Do not just post what you do… Post who you are.. We are human. We need human connection. Give people sneak peeks into your life. What are your hobbies? Who are you? Who is your family? Whats your office look like? Include people in the day-to-day.
Timing….Is everything yo! I used to post at these random times, than I learned that there are prime posting times! WHHHAATTTTTTT…Ok ready for the crazy part…There all at night.(Normally past my bedtime!) Prime time for posting is between 7-10 p.m. when people are winding down scrolling on IG.
Hash Tags: ######hashtags for days….. On a serious note. If you hit for example #mom and look in the top right hand corner the most popular used hash tags will pop up under mom. (Click on the first 5 than move to the next word.)
Don’t be Snooty: ALWAYS REPLY….. If someone gives you a compliment or ask a question, REPLY! If there is no connection, no one will want to follow you. People need that “online connection” to feel like your noticing them.
Follow people to get follows: This one confused me at first, but REALLY is a genuine way to get organic followers. Type in people who interest you in the search button on instagram. The most followers….FOLLOW. People will than start to follow you back. I try to follow at least 10 new people a day who inspire me. (Not to mention when scrolling instagram you than have a feed full of motivation and inspirational people.)
Be Authentic: This goes back to Dr. Suess…*yes that happened* “Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er then you!” Just be yourself, and the right followers and collabs just all fall into place.

I hope these tid bits help you a tad on your journey to success! A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who is along this dream chasing ride with me! Life is too short to do anything but what your heart calls. Never let fear stand in your way!

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21 Day Mom Challenge

July 23, 2017by WeddingsbycourtneyLeave a Comment

Mom funk. You hear about it. Have you ever experienced it? Since I was a little girl my dream was to be a stay at home with my babies. I had it all planned out on my goal list at 10. By 21 I would be married, 22 have first baby, 23 own first home. (At the time I thought 21 was 40.) My goal list wasnt quit to par….

How ever, when I got the opportunity of being a work at home mom when my daughter was born I never realized the mom funk you can slip in. We have no baby sitters, as both my husband and I’s family live out-of-state. With that being said I have little relations with adults unless it’s through an Etsy email, a pickup/drop off at school, or a sporting event.

I asked a stranger at the grocery store a few months ago if he needed a band-aid for his boo boo when he cut his finger opening a box. I wouldn’t change my life for the world. I’m blessed and thankful every day, I go to have a mommy pedicure once a year and find myself rushing back home to be with my children. With that all being said….I got tired….I got frumpy….Being a stay at home mom is the HARDEST JOB IVE EVER HAD. There are no lunch breaks, drive homes, days off, or mommy dates. I am on from the minute I wake up til the minute I lay my head down. I thought I had this amazing system down…..than I started to realized I was off-balance…

.I wake up around 6:30 when my kids wake up, make breakfast, run my son to any sporting, or event he has/ or school during the year, come play and chase my toddler, practice potty training, take her to dance, music, and gymnastics, nap time, than nap time hustle and bust out Etsy Orders, my volunteer obligations, phone calls, etc. in the down time, when she wakes up we pick my son up from school, do after school snacks and home work, play out side, make dinner, than do bath time, stories, bedtime. I’m assuming the other millions of stay at home moms have a schedule similar to this. Than BOOM I started to get this panicky feeling like I was drowning on a hamster wheel and failing just everywhere. (This was all in my head of course) but felt REAL none the less.

Than I realized I have no time for my self…That was no ones fault but my owns… I started really pondering where I could create more time to gain some sanity, and a few key things came to mind.

I was sleeping in to the last bitter second when my kids woke up.
I hadn’t put make up or an out fit that didn’t have at least 90% spandex 10% cotton on in over 6 months. i.e. yoga pants.
I had stopped working out or doing any thing for myself, besides mommin, wifing, and working.

It was time for a change. An internal mommy makeover.

It dawned on me a few weeks ago. What type of example am I setting to my children by not taking care of myself? By running my self into the ground? By constantly having someone ask me for something, and always saying yes?

I challenged myself and I want to challenge you! Maybe you will laugh at me, or maybe you will say YES THATS ME!!!! (I am hoping obviously we go with option B.)

Shower every day. (Dont be shy moms… we all know you don’t) That 20 minute break can be pure bliss.
Put makeup on every. single. morning. even if your rushed! 5 minutes to look in the mirror and say I look presentable and not like I just rolled out of bed.
Make at least 4 hours a week dedicated to working out. Going for a bike ride with my kids, a walk with the dog, an early morning of home work outs. SOMETHING TO MOVE YOUR BODY.
Wake up at least 1 hour before my children to have some mommy self time in the mornings.

These few simple things in just a few weeks have been changing my life. It takes 21 days to break a cycle or habit of schedule. Here is my 21 day challenge! LOVE YOURSELF MOMMIES! You work hard and are not underappreciated! Mom funks are NORMAL and all of us struggle at one point or another! Parenting is a journey that is rewarding, challenging, and builds us into a stronger character than we ever thought we could be. Your cup must be full to make sure your families gets filled daily!

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Love Yourself

July 15, 2017by WeddingsbycourtneyLeave a Comment

Moms!?! How often are you so busy getting your kids ready in the morning you completely let your morning routine go by the wayside? The constant fights, the struggle, the BRUSH YOUR TEETHE NOW moments? I used to shave my legs at least every other day….Now its once a week and I’m feeling like a super mom when that happens! Or putting on makeup? Like a full face, HELLO WORLD, makeup? ummmm like never? I look in the mirror many days and think what happened? I have purple under my eyes? I have wrinkles in between my forehead? Am I grumpy? What the actual hell? Than I get gratitude…. I have these awesome little people who not only make my heart burst at the seams but make my face look 10 years older….

I have come up with a 5 minute make up routine that WORKS! On the days your rushing, which lets be real, is 99.9% of the time, these are my GO TO cosmetics that make me look alive and together! I had a beautiful soul, and teacher approach me on her lip products, which normally I would push to way side but I tried this, and Oh Em GEE, I literally was super mom and felt GOOD about myself ALL DAY! So Lets Dive Right In……

Bad Gal Mascara – Volumize lashes in literally 2 seconds. (Ipsy)
Tarte Face Powder – Eliminates all wrinkles and darks circles immidiately. (Ulta)
Lip Sense – Neutral Tone LAST ALL DAY!!!! (Susan Heath) sheath@centurylink.net, this woman is amazing. I love meeting people through social media marketing that are just Kick Ass Women! IG @mslipboss FB Lips and Lashes that Last

I literally feel like me again when I follow these three super simple quick hacks! I have searched high and low for products that actually WORK and last til dusk and these my friends are the WINNER! I hope this helps the mommy routine be a little smoother for you! Remember in order to fill cups, your cup must be full! Ladies…We have some cup filling to accomplish…Treat Yourself!