Googling Yourself!

A happily found accident??

As the Nursery has had to update its contact phone number I was going through all of my saved sites and ended up coming across one that I did not know about.

This is an advert of sorts, I'm guessing but I have no clue who added it, posted it or when it even happened. Advertising is always a good thing, free advertising is even better so I'm thinking that I will just leave it be. The contact information is incorrect of course but it does send one to the Nursery's website and it does have an email address that will get messages to me.

So, ummmmmm..... thank you to whomever added my wee Nursery to the Visit Yellowknife website.

Instagram

INSTAGRAM BUSINESS ACCOUNT

The Nursery has created a second account where you can enjoy all posts directly related to our Etsy page...

www.instagram.com/enchantedpathwaysfaerienursery


The Nursery's original account will continue to post just as it has with quotes, videos and random photo shoots...

www.instagram.com/faerienurserygarden


i look forward to seeing you on both accounts and don't forget... a follow for a follow

Dishwasher Bubbles

and here we go again.. (i'm starting to think that i just might be lost, as i could have sworn that this idea/thought has be done way toooooooo many times) ..

a new business name .. (on Facebook that is so it shows up in the search bar).

a new business name .. (here on Google that is .. thinking that i might try to see what i can do about the actual Google link for the company being changed .. any help would be appreciated .. as i'm one that can see exactly what it is that i need to do, and i'm the one that can exactly what not to do, and yes, the latter seems to be the on-going favourite).

a new feel (haven't figured out exactly what this means yet .. but it will come to me eventually).

a new look (same as above .. no wait .. that's not true).

a new ?? (face it .. there is always something new that one just can't think of when trying to think of something new).

disclaimer .. okay .. perhaps all of or any of the 'a new' stuff listed above might or might not happen as quickly as the pop of a soapy bubble .. but they will happen long before all of the dishes are done).

thank you for the unexpected

as one quickly puts something on the back burner and then kinda forgets that she (me) really did put something on the back burner and then lost it. not just buried under a stack of papers. not just buried in a text message that is so far up the cue that yeah, does one ever look that far up in a conversation. and finally not just buried in an e-mail and one that was't deleted whether on purpose or not. but frankly just lost.

but today (well a couple of days ago now) one of those things lost on one of those back burners came back to say hello..i'm here!

context here: as hubby dearest was at the airport waiting for his flight when he noticed something that he had helped to make (he does all of the gluing for me but we can wait for this story another day).

there he was seeing moving across the large screen was art from the GNWT Micro Business SEED Program (Support for Entrepreneurs and Economic Development) funding.

context here: i know that one evening i had been called to the basement of the museum on a very cold and wintery day to have photos taken by the NWT Arts Council. so off i went with sprinkles on my cheeks and wearing my most favourite purple dress (i chose for the company an eggplant shade of purple, over time this colour has definitely toned down).

against a blaring white background i had pictures taken of me from front ways, side ways, pretending to hold something, actually holding something and then all the way down to my faerie going through the same flurry of shots here are 4 photos of us.

back to what hubby had found..

as my iPhone beeped telling me that i had a new message and there was me! me on the big screen (so to speak)!

context here: hubby was sending me picture after picture..and then i called to ask if they could be larger, be smaller, be sharper...

in the end i was amazed at the amazing job under the circumstances as from my understanding the photos were in an exchange style of transition so catching the different photos was quite the challenge.

so here you go, me, well at least Aurora of the Northern Line of Faeries on the big screen.

GNWT Arts Council - ITI Seed Program

GNWT Arts Council - ITI - SEED Program

it's all about me & you, nah, it's all about me

as there always comes a time, when eventually you have to crater, to the questions and requests to see who i am...well okay, as me as the owner of The Enchanted Pathways Faerie Nursery, that you realize that perhaps it wouldn't be so bad after all.

i'll will chalk this whole hesitation thing up to, well thinking about it, for, that for some unknown reason that i just haven't been able to put a face on my company, on me. (yes, that reason being shyness. yeah, that excuse will work... but, okay, but those who know me, will tell you quite blatantly that i am anything but shy)

i will admit though that i have gotten better at talking about the company over the past bit instead of squirrelling away busy as a bee and keeping to myself.

has this hampered my business, YES, i can tell you that without a doubt that if you want to be noticed then it is a pretty hard sell when nobody has actually heard about or seen or met you!

with being a wife, a mom, a grandma (to 4 and currently counting) that i've always told myself that i am just being protect of those that i love but ummmm how is anyone going to know that type of personal information when i haven't even told you about it?

okay fine, i must admit, deductive reasoning makes sense when spoken (okay, typed) out loud and yes, that even shouting out from the rooftops, this type of noise can only help.

after much thought, a few cookies (a whole box to be exactly honest), a cup of tea or two (possibly more), i have come up with a history of this, this being the company and then this, this being me.

i really love what i put together but i really put a lot of hard work into it. (yeah, you can stop reading here...like i work hard...my job is in a faerie nursery how much harder can a job get?).

so all of this painstakingly work can be found on the website under the tab named 'about' (yeah, yeah, yeah, i know, how original is that for a tab name).

oh, and,

p.s. ..... it is amazing that how easy it becomes once you start talking about you, that it just becomes easier and easier to do so. (um, but then again who doesn't like to listen to themselves talk about themselves?)

the photograph that i have put on my website was taken in this same photo-op. a massive thank you goes out to Chris who took the time in the sweltering heat to help me out.

so yeah, here i am!

this is me!

this is me....hard at work!

Into the KNOWN Wild Blue Yonder

Do you ever get the feeling that you that you have to do something in order to do what you need to do?

I have sat here for almost 3 weeks looking at my work table that is still scattered with stuff that I have either never bother to unpack, display or just plain and simple put away!

But that isn't even the worst of it yet!!

I know that once I clear and clean off my massive 1.2m x 1.2m (4'x4' ) table that I really will have to not only do something productive with both my time and energy but that I will have/need to start getting creating again.

Now, please do not get me wrong by any means!!

I love being creative. It's in my bones. It's in my head. It's in my heart. The difference here is that in essence I have/need to be creative.

Now, please do not get me wrong by any means!!

This next Line of Faeries truly inspires me. Excites me. Is part of me. I have purchased absolutely everything that I require/need to make/create these Faeries. Everything is separated into their own pretty coloured cloth boxes and rubbermaids just waiting for me. Calling to me. Even whispering to me.

Now, please do not get me wrong by any means!!

I so really want to get these Faeries done by the holiday gift giving and craft shows. I think though that I have missed my international shipping time for any of my Faerie creations in order to reach their destination in time to be wrapped and opened. This is such a massive hurt/blow to me as I was really counting on, well let's face it...for more sales.

Now, please do not get me wrong by any means!!

Since I have shut down my Facebook page I know that I have missed out on the largest looking/shopping opportunity. Promoting my website, blog and even my e-commerce pages is way harder than I had expected. Well, actually I know that I was throwing myself under the bus but I needed to take a break.

Now, please do not get me wrong any means!!

I have tried relentlessly to promote my wee company. To get seen. to not fall behind on what I need to do. I do know however that I made these massive changes and transformations since I knew that I would be away from the nursery for almost three and half weeks. Trying to keep up remotely would have both been way too time consuming and well, let's face it....not the type of vacation that I truly needed.

Now, please do not get me wrong by any means!!

I didn't want to be away from the nursery. I needed to be away mentally and physically. Anyone of you that run a small home based business knows that it takes about 7-10 hours a day. Yes, this is way longer than a full time job. These are the sacrifices that need to be done. This in itself takes everything that you have. Everything that you want to do outside of the business. Everything that you want to do socially un-business related. Everything that you call a personal life. These all get interrupted and/or cut short.

Now, please do not get me wrong by any means!!

Since leaving work (and not by choice), loosing your independence (I am no longer cleared to fly or to drive a vehicle), to being in the house all day with only three critters to keep you company and well, to talk to. When I was a Mom at home with two children this scenario was quite different. Yes, I was still home alone (technically), I did have the ability to fly and drive (but I'll admit somedays just wasn't worth the effort) and when I was talking essentially at least I was teaching (hoping) to teach my children a few life experiences.

Now, please do not get me wrong any means!!

I do promise myself (and you) that the cleaning of my table will start. My head has rested. My body has rested. My heart has rested. Everything else can be called my creativeness and it too have been rested. It is time for me to become Faerie Amma once again.

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.

Wow!

This has been quite the week.

I guess I should have keep the blog updated so everything didn't have to be written all at the same the time. But time allows what it does.

1. I now have hired someone to do my website. A big thank you goes out to Shawn who has taught me the difference between a blog and a website (remember, I'm the one that still thinks that there is a magic combination of keys that if pressed my whole damn computer will blow up). He has be wonderfully patient with me and has guided me through this whole process. He has been up for changes and insertions and deletions :) I couldn't ask for anything or anyone better to represent Enchanted Pathways for me.

2. I have purchased a design. I now own the exclusive rights to a great banner, background and avatar. I would like to thank Erin and her shop "swiekysiggies' on Esty (http://www.etsy.com/shop/swiekysiggies). I have been a major pain the backside for her but she has been great. She is now working hand-in-hand with Shawn to make sure the image is on both my Esty store front and on the website. I am now using her faerie design on my Facebook and Flickr as avatars. When I seen her work and especially this design, I knew I had found what I imagined and hoped would represent what I thought Enchanted Pathways meant to me. I hope you like it as well.

3. My Esty store front is almost ready to be open. I am just finalizing the last details for postage. Now unfortunately there will be no sneak peeks at the new banner as Esty keeps you on vacation mode until you actually add listings for sale. But you can find the link at www.esty.com/shop/EmmanuelleNixon.

4. I have set up a new Flickr account that will be specifically for Enchanted Pathways. Currently all of my available faeries have had their photos retaken, they are named and have a bit of background posted. You can check them out at http://www.flickr.com/photos/enchantedpathways/

5. Out of the blue, I happened to see that there were new courses being offered here in Fort Smith for small businesses. Now even though I do have my Business Management behind me, these courses have been wonderful refreshers. I would like to thank Linda at Thebacha Business Development Services for her great ideas and most of all for being a sounding board.

6. I have hired a local writer, Meagan to help me develop the story behind Enchanted Pathways. Now I could go on but there will be no hints until the story has been completed :)

7. I have been to the Bank of Montreal and with the assistance of Geri set up my accounts for the company. It is always awesome when you have someone who will go out of their way to help you because they believe in you, not just because it is their job.

8. I must add in that I have a wonderful boss and a great group to work with. They have all been supportive with me, encouraging me along the way and offering up their knowledge and experience to get me going. Plus they are putting up with me missing work so I can attend these courses. I am sure they are all sick and tired of listening to me go on and on about faeries.

9. So I guess in the end...I have been sitting here teetering on the edge of whether I want Enchanted Pathways to continue to be a little hobby or whether I want to make a go of it and see if I can let it grow into something more. I have opted for the later. So here we go .....