Finally..well kinda finally

I will admit that it has taken me almost 2 months (bad on me) to post the remaining 4 faeries from the Northern Line.

Now granted, I could make a thousand and one excuses...but technically...I really should have done this a wee bit a go but just haven't (bad on me again).

Right now they can be viewed on the website but they are not listed or linked to one of our e-commerce pages but hey, they are up for viewing.

Oooooohhhh but before I forget (and this one isn't a bad on me)....I have taken all NEW photos of The Northern Line Faeries....perhaps that is one of the reasons it has taken me this long for them to be  displayed.

Now, the next step...well, after I have these faeries listed/linked...next will come posting The Calendar Line.

You would think that with the craft fairs, the Christmas rush (guaranteed mailing dates) and well just most (some) of the general stuff being over for the year that I would be way more organized. But I am proud to admit...there are still 5 boxes that need to be dismantled from the craft fairs, all accounting (I haven't even found my sales book yet), posting of new faeries and the whole just keeping up with all of my sites (blog, website, e-commerce pages, Facebook etc.) I am pooped!

This is when I start to think that it is time that my wee faeries come out of hibernation and help me out...but everything that I have done so far has been unsuccessful. I have made tea (the really pretty pink coloured kind), sugar cookies (with extra icing), ringing sweet sounding jingle bells (even my ears are starting to pound), purposely leaving beads laying around the nursery (and yes, I have almost fallen on my keister once or twice), unlocking the cabinet that holds all of the wee jars of faerie dust (man, I know that I am just asking for trouble now)...and well....not too sure what there is left for me to do....any suggestions?

Well off I go to do something...not sure what this something will be...but I'm sure I will end up doing some of it anyways.

A Personal Leap

I had mentioned on this blog a few day before that I was learning so many things that lie silently behind the scene to only once in awhile to bare its face.

Oh, about a lifetime ago I worked in a flower shop. To say my creativeness 'bloomed' is an understatement. I was so happy working in the front where I dealt with flowers and people but then I got a chance to start working in the back. Ordering flowers and then actually going to the local suppliers to pick and choose which flowers I would need for the next few days was a real eye opening process. I could actually see a warehouse filled with every colour, every shape, every kind of flower imaginable...and then every cost to them!

After about 6 months of being on both sides of the table (or at least I had figured that was all there was to it) I was offered the opportunity to buy right out the whole flower shop. Now being in a very well established area and having an amazing clientele and that the owner had been the original and so the shop had a fantastic rating and profile. With this all being in mind, I did up my whole proposal, business plan along with financing requirements in order to go in for a loan. After that intense but successful exercise I ended up having an epiphany! There is so much more than what I knew to run a small business.

Off to school I go, granted in my 30's but still young enough to not take for granted the ability to learn. I ended up with my diploma in business management with an accounting background. Now I figured with all of the education I had enoug
h to arm myself to see if I was ready to go it alone.

And of course, after a 3 year program the little shop that I had wanted in the beginning and lead me to this point in life had been sold. Sigh.

Off onto another adventure. I ended up with 7 years of experience being in council chambers and working side by side with a mayor and SAO (senior administrative officer). This was the best job and life that I had up that point in my life.

With a few years in-between then and now, life has taken me down many paths with so my curves and one-way roads that I have now ended up here.

Where is here? Here is in my wee nursery working with faeries. I can't imagine doing anything else anymore (of course eventually I will want/need to get back into the workforce).

So after all that has been said and done one of the newest gifts that I have been able to learn from and on my own is graphic designing. Prior to now I have always resourced this part of the company to an amazing friend but then as life goes on, she moved away to another area that we could only talk to each other through the phone, email and messaging.

For now, this is the story behind where I came from and where I am now.

Newest News from the Nursery

It has been a week of getting little things done that don't really seem to amount to much but still they need to be done.

Check list:

Order new paper cutter. I figured the nursery needed a paper cutter of its own so I could cut out the new guardian ship papers and all of the little cards that go with an order. Note to self....paper cutters are sharp! Figured I had it all under control with just two little bandaids and a larger on top until I bent my fingers down. Next step off to find hubby to assist with stopping the bleeding. I hadn't even cut one piece of paper and I was banned from using the new paper cutter for almost a week! Back to normal now, good scars mind you....but I have developed a good working relationship with my new paper cutter (it was a wee bit tense there for awhile).

Order new business cards. Yes, this is now my third set of business cards. Now that the Faerie Nursery has an official logo and font and website I have now attempted hopefully my last for awhile order of new business cards. Just got my notification from Vista Print that they have been placed in the post :)

Order a new monitor for the iMac. My computer screen has now developed the most annoying mind you pretty coloured lines on it. While the lines themselves are quite attractive and make the coolest of designs I have finally broken down and ordered a new stand alone monitor so I can see things a bit better. On a side note, I ordered the new monitor from the same place I got the new paper cutter from. I was ensured that there would be NO sharp corners on the new monitor. 

Business meeting with 'secret partner' Debora. We had another awesome brainstorming session earlier on this week. A new work schedule has been developed so we can get a good handle on hopefully a VERY successful upcoming Christmas season. 

Etsy, who would have thought that there was sooo much to do behind setting up an Etsy Shop. Almost done though and should be able to place my first faeries on this weekend.

Website is up and running and a big thank you goes out to Shawn. There are still a few tweaks that we find but only stuff that is behind the scenes. I think it looks fantabulous myself. 

Doors are now being drawn out. As I am unable to actually cut out the doors, hubby dearest will be doing this daunting task for me (as from above, me and sharp objects do not get along that well). With it being the long weekend this will be a great time for the doors to be cut as it will allow me to do the sanding when it is nice out. 

Order new miniatures. We have decided to allow the customer to customize their kit when ordering a faerie, door and trinket chest. As getting these new miniatures in take added time to new guardians receiving their faeries, we have decided to preempt and order a few things ahead of time. The trinket chests themselves will not have any products removed or substituted out but these specialized items will come in their own wee little paper bag for you to give to your faerie.

Accounting books are always a daunting task but I have been able to keep things in line and am completing my log entries once a week. The paperwork behind a company is always the must UN-FUN part of it all. 

Packing boxes, we are in the process of ordering new packing boxes as we never thought beyond our faeries! There will now be boxes available for shipping out doors, faeries and trinket chests both in the gift box style for local purchases and in the corrugated cardboard for mailing. There will also be shipping boxes for the teacups and faeries together as well. 

So as you can see, lots has been done over the last week or so but only the stuff that is behind the scenes. 

The nursery staff will be doing another walk soon to see if there are any new seed pods that need to be collected...that's the FUN part :)