January 2, 2012? Did I Put Up the Wrong Calendar?

What on earth? Have I put up the wrong calendar? Has my computer all of a sudden gotten a glitch and forgotten how to keep time? What is happening?

January 2, 2012 ~ This exact date means a lot to me and my little nursery.  It is a day that I have just let slip under the keyboard as one that needs to be remembered one day, but not now.

But today, December 27, 2013 ~ This exact date means a lot to me and my little nursery. It is a day that I will now mark on all of my calendars, paper and digital, a day that honestly, I didn't think I would ever see!

On January 2, 2012, I opened my business page on Facebook for Enchanted Pathways Faerie Nursery. I have learned so much in these short two years. I have met some wonderful people, some of whom I now call great friends, some of whom I have actually met in person.

There are always little things that as a shop owner you watch for as your own check list to see if you are doing things the right way.

As we all know, Facebook itself these past few years has gone through some major transformations, the number one being going public with its shares. Now as a business person, if I want you, as a follower, as a reader, as a potential purchaser of my products, I now have to put Facebook into my Marketing Budget Line which was never an issue before. On average, I have under 200 views for a posting that has no photo attachments and no links. If I do attach photos or a forwarding link, I'm lucky if I get 50 views for that posting. Now I know that through Google Analytics, there is a better day to post, even a better time of day to be posting....but doesn't that take away the....I have something I want to tell you now effect?? And, I'm sorry, I'm just not one that is going to be told when it is the best time to be posting...when I want to tell you something, I'm going to tell you as it us taking place, not at the optimal time of day.

So back to why today, December 27, 2013 is so important to me, both as Faerie Amma and as Emmanuelle.....I reached a milestone of 1000 followers/viewers to my Facebook page today.

As promised, Ms. Cheryl Nixon will have her choice of any one of my Faeries from the Northern Line. The Faerie will be carefully packaged and sent off on behalf of the Faerie Nursery to say Thank You!

I wished I could give something to each and everyone of you for following me, commenting on my postings and liking my photos. Please know, that I appreciate each like and each comment. It is nice to know that I'm not alone out there in the massive World Wide Web!

So here's looking to the next milestone of 1500....where another giveaway will be done to celebrate that follower.

Thank You again.

A lucky glance through the pages..

Earlier on in the month while we were in Hay River for a dental appointment we had decided to stay a bit longer and eat supper before we left for home. While waiting for my salad, I picked up a copy of the Fort Smith Northern Journal, our local newspaper. Since I had stopped working there a few years back to be honest, unless I have purchased an advert in the paper, I haven't purchased a copy since. If I have brought one home, it was because someone had given me their copy....I'm just not a news kinda of gal.....I think, I'm like a mushroom, I like being in the dark...the world is really a scary place and, well for what I do for a daytime job....working in a faerie nursery....it is best that I continue to live in my make-believe world!

Sorry...back on topic...so one of the Northern Journal's largest issues is the Songbook one. It is all about Christmas with song lyrics being printed out and all of the advertising being holiday themed. It is by far, their best issue.

So on page three, there is always the Editorial, the Archives and a few random photos of community events....

And there it was...I was barely even paying attention (and in case you were all wondering...no, it wasn't me that was spaced out on freezing...my husband just finished having a crown replaced...and he never has freezing, even during a root canal!! That is just WEIRD!)....

Sorry...back on topic....there...the inside picture....it wasn't even the main topic of the photo...but it was in the photo.....

My entry for the Festival of Trees....isn't she pretty....all purply and twisty and curvy and and and and....yeah!!  

Northern Journal - Songbook Edition - page 3 - December 3, 2013  Vol. 37 No. 31

A New Milestone on Facebook!

I almost missed it! How could I have almost missed it!

I looked at my 'like' counter this morning and here it was at 979! I can't believe that I have had almost 1000 people 'like' my Faerie Nursery Facebook company page! WOW

I started that page on January 2, 2012 so in just under 2 years...what an amazing, absolutely wonderful, heart-touching response I have had from you all.

Now, I know how Facebook works! Just because you 'like' a page doesn't mean that I necessarily get seen by all of those people. I don't even show up in the news feed of those that WANT to see me! Gee, thanks Facebook!!

But off to the good news...I would like to say thank you. Thank you to everyone that has taken the effort to either just press that button, or to those that have done a bit more and 'liked' a posting, or to those that even though I don't know you, I feel that I know can call you a friend. There are some wonderful people out there that have been faithful to my page. That have supported me, given me some advice, helped me when I have fallen down, been that shoulder when I have cried, been that poke in the side when I needed to lighted up a bit and have been that one to hold my hand when I have boldly taken that new step and pushed myself forward, broken new ground and introduced my faeries to the world.

I hate not given everyone a gift as it has taken a community of people to get me to where I am now, not just a single person or a single Facebook 'liker'.......if you have been reading my previous posts (hint hint...see a blog posting in November....you just might get something in the mail just for you!!)....but I would like to say 'thank you' to that milestone of 1000.

So, on my Facebook page, please 'LIKE' my page, write your 'NAME' down in the 'COMMENT SECTION' along with the 'CORRESPONDING LIKE NUMBER' that you are. Lucky number 1000 will be contacted by me personally.

Oh, I forgot...the prize... the PRIZE... the prize will be that the winner will get to pick a faerie from the Northern Line of Faeries. Any one...either Raven, Aurora, Boreal, Snowflake, Agua or Midnight Sun. Each faerie is signed and numbered.

Please DO NOT think that you are not eligible because you do not live in Canada. I ship WORLDWIDE. I love my faeries to visit the world. So please do visit my page. Do 'like' my page. Do follow my silly adventure of my faerie nursery.

FAERIE NURSERY FACEBOOK PAGE

Small Business Big Wishes

Intuit QuickBooks is granting 11 wishes to small businesses through their Love Our Local Business - Small Business Big Wishes program.

I just entered the Enchanted Pathways Faerie Nursery to be eligible to win their grand prize of  $15,000.00!!

This is what I wished for...

"I would love to be able to go into the retail market. My wish list is to work with a designer to have a 3D cardboard display case designed for my Northern Faerie Line. I would like to have the back and the two sides done with my companies theme, a dark purple sky with funky curly green grasses and climbing purple roses, and then have little toadstools for stands for my faeries to be display on. This will allow my products to have a more professional look and feel in order to be considered a 'handmade product' and not a 'homemade product'."

If you get a chance, sure would love your support by casting your vote for my little nursery by clicking here...Small Business Big Wishes

It's all about the little things!

Never to be stagnant...isn't that the trick to keeping people interested in what you do?

Somedays I really feel that I have a love/hate relationship with Blogger but only when it comes to positioning photos!! I have tried my best to make sure that everything lines up, why, because that's the way I like to view a page. Now Blogger seems to always have something else in mind for me.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

So, with that in mind...I have updated a few of the tabs. Well, mainly added and deleted photos as Blogger would allow me to.

So for all newcomers to my blog...please snoop around, get to know the place. I always welcome suggestions and ideas of what you would like to see.

I have noticed that a lot of the bloggers that I follow have started to take on advertisers. In fact, I am even paying to advertise on their blogs!! Wait a minute here...something doesn't seem to add up, I am paying to advertise my own products on someone else's blog?? Okay, in my own defence to my accountant...they do happen to have a LOT of followers. My blog has mainly been, well, for me. Maybe one day it will get to the point that I will have enough interest in what I do here in the nursery to warrant me asking others to pay to advertise here but until then...this rant is for me (and Blogger, if they are listening!!).

Here's help to getting noticed on the first page of Etsy.

Handmadeology has come out with another fantastic product for all Etsy users titled "Your Etsy Relevancy Strategy".

I know that I have a terrible time trying to figure out what 'key' words I should be putting on my descriptions for my faeries. I never realized that Etsy uses your descriptions along with the 10 tags that you are allotted.

Handmadeology offers great courses that are affordable and feature topics that we all need to know for running a small business through e-commerce.

You can check out their Facebook page to find out more information or visit their website.

Way to go Handmadeology! Another great product :)

Hello You, Yes, I'm Speaking To You Personally.

Being a Mom and a Amma Emm (Grandmother), I love traditions. Perhaps this is a bad time to write about it, with the holidays just around the corner as I don't want you to think that it happens only at Christmas time. Even though my babies are all grown up with their own families, I still send packages year round reminding them of the holidays we shared together. Yes, it would be cheaper for me to send a $20.00 bill in the mail but to get a package of Easter Eggs or red candy hearts or a Trick or Treat bag filled with sweets, is to me, a way better gift. Even to this day, when my own Mother sends me a 'care package' there is always a few candy bars tucked inside for hubby and me.

So, for those that follow me, here on my blog, Facebook or on my website, I would like to repay you for the gift that you have given me. It is one thing for me to believe that by me making these faeries, teacup nurseries, seed pod babies, the whole kit and kadoodle of my Enchanted Pathways Faerie Nursery but to have others follow me or like my page means the world to me. In return I would like to send each and everyone of you a small token from the nursery to say thank you. Thank you for believing in the world of faeries. Thank you for letting me not 'grow up'.

If you would like to receive a gift from me to you, please just hit the 'contact' button right beside this blog entry. You will be redirected to my website where you can either fill out the form or just email me directly your name and mailing address. I will not be singling anyone out, so please do not be shy if you live far away from my little wintery nursery. I promise that this will be a one-time thing and I will not be inundating you with emails in the future. I hope one day to get to the point that I will start a newsletter but that is a on my very long to-do list. 

Again, thank you so much for following me, it really does mean the world the to me. 

Emmanuelle

A new YouTube video featuring 'Me'

As a tradition, okay this is only my 2nd time submitting something for the Fort Smith's Annual Festival of Trees, I have made a YouTube video of what I entered and it features ME!

This idea came to me in a dream one night. When I woke up I was able to draw a sketch of what I really wanted. Yes it was bizarre but it was fun. After a major shopping spree and my husbands most invaluable help, I was able to bring the dream to reality.

I have had a few invaluable points made to me about marketing my little nursery and they all seem to have included that "I" must become a part of that company. I have always kept myself at a distance, not for any particular reason but I have never allowed myself to be really photographed when I wasn't in makeup and dressed up as Faerie Amma.

So, I did post on Facebook with a few photos of me 'working' in the nursery playing with flower heads. Well, it's what I do. My husband was playing with the camera and took a few shots of me and I was brave enough to post them on Facebook. That was a first for me.

As the great advice goes, people need to fall in love me (and Faerie Amma) and what I do before they can fall in love with my company. If I allow myself to be seen as more of who is behind the creations then hopefully my family, friends and followers will learn a bit more about me.

I titled this years submission "Your enchanted home away from home." Now I understand that this is definitely not your normal Christmas Tree entry but I work in a Faerie Nursery. I shouldn't be part of the norm. I should be different. I should be whimsical. I should just be me.

I hope you all enjoy the video (next time I will at least have brushed my hair and put a bit of makeup on...lol).

Down memory lane...well back to November 1, 2013??

The nursery was lucky enough to be able to help out a fellow believer in the Land of Fae with her Halloween costume. Even though it was such a small part of her outfit we were still giddy that she had thought of us to help her out.

This is Leah and her head wreath for the Halloween Ball that was held on Friday, November 1. She certainly looked beautiful don't you agree  :)

From the cozy corner of the nursery...

I have been huddled away here in the nursery for a few reasons...

1. the weather...it's cold outside
2. my health has crept back to the forefront of my life again
3. it is the busy season for the nursery
4. it's still cold out there
5. I have ordered so much product that I have to somehow find places to put it all
6. it's still very cold out there
7. I am surrounded by beauty in my little nursery with twinkling lights, hanging vines and fancy silk flowers, faeries that I have made and some that I have bought and all of my ideas and dreams circling around me.

This is my sanctuary. I am at home here. And did I mention....it's cold out there!!

So...today, being a Sunday, being Sunday, November 10, 2013 which normally is a rather quiet day, being a Sunday and all. I had quite a few wonderful surprises happen.

1. The Faery World magazine was printed today and my ad was placed on the front inside cover. Ms. Tee Gregory (Owner) has the most coolest way to view her website that you can actually see my advert for yourself. Thank you so much.

2. I received an email from Bethan Davies (Founder/CEO) for CraftStar, an on-line e-commerce store that I am a member of. This email informed me that my work was included in their 25 Magical and Fantasy Gifts Guide blog and on their YouTube video! Both Snowflake and Raven of the Northern Faeries Line were featured. Thank you so much.

3. I have joined 5 new Facebook groups - Handmade Crafts; Arts and Crafts for Sale; Handmade With Love Creations; "Crafty We R" ONLY Hand and Homemade Craft Sales, Tips and Help, and Craft Crafts where I have featured my Northern Line Faeries and I can't believe the wonderful and kinds words and messages that other members have left for me. Thank you so much.

So besides it being cold outside today, my heart couldn't be warmer. Thank you so much to each and everyone of you. You made my day.

I'm Still Here......

It seems like forever since I last wrote a blog posting. It is not like I haven't been either here in the nursery working or out of the nursery shopping while out of town. It is just that I haven't had the time to sit still long enough to write down what I have been up to.

There has been some major and some not so major changes to the company and to me personally as Faerie Amma (and the me, the alter ego of Faerie Amma).

Some of the major changes to the company includes a new direction....

I have hired a wonderful writer by the name of Michelle E. J. Knowles who has been listening to the faeries and it seems that the wee ones might not be here for much longer but I will let her tell their story.

The website has been updated by added new 'pink sparkles' to the banners on each page; the amalgamation of the faeries and princes page and the renaming of the Northern Faeries.

A new table top photo shoot box was purchased to give a more professional look to our photos. A massive thank you goes out to hubby who took the time to take the photos of the Northern Line of Faeries. I think they look fantastic on the new blue backdrop :)

The naming of our dragon mascot took place back in August but it looks like I forgot to mention it here on my blog! Her name is Roisin which is an Irish name meaning little Rose. For now she is our only dragon here at the nursery but perhaps in the future we will find more of her kind.

I am pleased to announce that the Faerie Magazine has a new partner and they are back in publication. My half page ad that ran in issue #24 looks fantastic and issue #25 will be out in December. I have applied to the Government of the Northwest Territories - Industry, Tourism and Investment Division for further funding so I can continue advertising with Kim for the 2014 subscription year. I hope to hear next week if my submission was accepted (keeping fingers crossed).

Other than that...it is business as usual....the nursery is in shambles as the faeries and locked insides as we have a light dusting of snow. As more product continues to arrive the faeries love to dive right in and well, let's just say that I have no clue at all what I have and what I don't have anymore. There are flower petals and sparkles to be found everywhere. But that is what makes working in a faerie nursery everything that when you close your eyes and you just even try to imagine what it must be like....it is ten thousand times better.

And with that thought....here they are....the Northern Line of Faeries introducing...

Boreal

Snowflake

Aurora

Raven

Agua

Midnight Sun

The Dragon Slayer

Meet the Dragon Slayer!! 

As the Nursery isn't always about Faeries....

I have managed to buy the most essential items required to slay dragons or at least I think I have?? Between bows with arrows, breast plates, shields, lots of swords and a few helmets, I figure that you would have enough equipment to slay any ole dragon.

New Magazine Ad

I decided to keep my second ad with the Faerie Magazine (issue #25) quite simple and similar to my first one (issue #24).

I love the new idea of having a space to feature my current favourite style of Faerie.

What do you think? Do you like the simple look?

Blake's Birthday Invite ... July 12, 2013

We, the Faerie Guardians at Enchanted Pathways Faerie Nursery were invited to a Birthday Party...our very first invite for the nursery to do sparkle tattoos.

We enjoyed our time at Blake's birthday and I think by the time we left...everyone was sparkled! Even the furniture I hear...oops!!

Laura was able to provide us a few photos from that day....Miss Tehya is wearing a purple t-shirt, Miss Blake (the birthday girl) is wearing a shiny yellow princess dress, Miss Mackenzie is wearing a shiny purple princess dress and Master Imoosy is wearing a green t-shirt.

Birthday Girl Blake and Imoosey

Tehya, Blake, Mackenzie and Imoosey 

Blake, Mackenzie and Imoosey

 

Tehya and Imoosey

              

                  Tehya, Blake, Mackenzie and Imoosey 

Tehya, Blake, Mackenzie and Imoosey 

Faerie Amma, Faerie Georgina and Faerie Malinda

A Tea Party!

Yay! A nice sunny day with very little wind... what a perfect day for a tea party.

The Clay Potters were out chatting away, sipping on drinks and having snacks.

You can view their individual photos in a Facebook album. 

Fort Smith Trade Show 2013

Here are the photos from very first Fort Smith Trade Show 2013. My booth was sponsored by the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) through the Investment, Tourism and Industry division (ITI).

I had helping me with the Toonie Tattoos made with Faerie Dust...Miss Georgina and Miss Malinda (who wasn't feeling that well and joined us later on in the day).

A massive thank you to my hubby who manned the table while Georgina and I managed to do 72 tattoos that day.

It was wonderful to be recognized as the Faerie Lady :)   Lots of visitors to the booth said hello from the Christmas Craft Fairs that I did in 2012.

We had a fantastic response to the all of the branding from the table cloth, banners, aprons all the way down to the icon appearing on all of the tags.

It was a great success with tons of sales. Thank you Fort Smithers and all of our out-of-town guests that came by.

 

Camouflaging in the Flowers

The Nursery received an update on Lucilleadelle today....doesn't she just look splendid in amongst these pretty flowers :)

I just love it when the faeries that flown off to new homes write back and say 'hello'

Interviews, Photo Ops and Advertisements

I know that on my website I have a listing of As Seen In but since these articles are not available on-line, I thought that I would take snapshots of them and show you here. My magazine ads were designed by the ever talented Alyssa :)

FAE Faeries & Enchantment Magazine Ad - page 15 - 1/2 page 

The Magical Times Magazine - Issue 12 ~ November 2012 Crafter's Corner page 34

Faery World Magazine Ad - Winter 2012 - full inside front cover

Northern Journal Interview for Small Business Week - October 16, 2012 - page 9 

Northern Journal Ad - October 16, 2012 - page 9

Northern Journal Ad - Business Directory - October - December 2012

Northern Journal Photo Op - Trade Show - April 9, 2013 - page 9