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.

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.

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 :)

The Ad, The Look, The Feel...The New

So....this is the ad that I submitted to Kim at the Faerie Magazine. She is the one that I originally wanted to advertise with but everything went haywire last year with her company after the sad passing of her mother. I have decided to spend my remaining advertising budget dollars with her in the hopes that she can get out a quality product. As this IS my target audience in the end I decided it is where I needed to be. I did look into advertising on-line with various newspapers across Alberta and BC but nothing just seemed to be working right. As well, I did look into advertising with a Canadian garden magazine but unfortunately they were all way out of my league as far as budgets go (1/8 b&w page ran over $5000.00!!!). 

I guess, I am asking everyone for their thoughts and opinions on the new look but in the end...the ad is already sent and the deadline has come and gone so I will be unable to make any further changes. I did make an arrangement with Kim for my second ad to be 50% off so if through suggestions, I can certainly change the look or feel come the next time around. The previous ad that Alyssa made for me was fantastic and showed everything that I made at the time which is how I needed people to know that I my company was out there. This new ad is more sleek, clean and hopefully mysterious enough that people will either scan the QR code or look up the website address due to the vagueness of the whole thing. 

Under the suggestions of all of us, Larry, Matthew and Brandi the stump island photo was developed (well, Matthew disagreed with the whole stump idea as he noted that I am not in the business of selling stumps...I commented back with...well not yet!!). The look we were hoping to achieve was one that showed a faerie door and perhaps if you looked you might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a faerie in amongst the flowers and grasses. I think Schonee did an amazing job of capturing a mystical playground for the faeries. 

With the company ever evolving and changing, this ad will allow me to add and subtract products without changing the look and feel of the new backgrounds. The stump island photo is now on every banner for all 6 of my e-commerce sites as well as the website, Facebook and my blog page. All printed material is in the process of being changed over as well. We stayed with the original company colours of eggplant purple and green which means none of my packaging products will need to be changed which helped with expenses. 

Thanks for reading and please respond if you have any suggestions...

Faerie Amma (Emmanuelle)   :)

A Whole New Look!

Well after a very intense week of going back and forth through e-mails....the Enchanted Pathways Faerie Nursery has a new look.

A massive thank you goes out to Schonee with Sirens Designs Fantasy Art Sirens Designs at Etsy for all of her patience and fantastic artistic ability.

I have now managed to update my e-commerce and other internet sites Etsy, ArtFire, Zaybia, Zibbet, Storenvy, Craft Cafe, Facebook and hopefully today....this page :)

This new design will also become all of my printed matter as well including magnets, banners, business cards, sticky notes...you name it :)

Keeping Up With The Times

It's not like I'm not doing anything or having anything to blog about or even post....I don't think that I have actually taken more than a day off from being here in the nursery since the New Year.

I have spent most of my time putting on a watermark on all of the photos that I have posted. As well as retaking photos so everyone is done on the same backgrounds. I can't believe how time consuming this project has become. With each faerie having 5 photos that need to either be retaken or they are just fine and all need to be watermarked.

Next is trying to figure out all of this whole marketing idea. As advertising in magazines (to this point anyways) has proved to have zero return on the dollar. So....I am thinking I am going to do the research and take up a few offers that I have been given. It seems that you can advertise with big name newspapers on-line for minimal cost. This will allow me to diversify and have an on-line presence for a longer period of time over putting a bunch of money into a magazine ad that is posted only once!

I have been working on the Clay Potters. Trying to keep up with everyone that wants to be a character, which may I add, I have had a wonderful response from family, friends and complete strangers. I have formulated lots of ideas in my head on what I want on certain pages of the book, the rest will just have to come naturally as I play :)

I am now working with a new graphic designer hoping to revamp all of my printed materials. As this just started this week, I don't really have anything to show you yet but as it comes available I will share.

In other news, I now have an active presence on 5 new e-commerce websites. There seems to have been lots of changes made over in the office of Etsy and they are now charging to have your items showing up on the first couple of pages.

After lots and lots and lots of research, I have opted to try out a few 'new kids' to the e-commerce block along with a few that have been around for a few years but just didn't catch the wave that Etsy did. I am sure with all of the new changes more and more of the little guys will emerge and become successful.

So......with that all being said... you can now find my wee little faeries at:

Etsy
Art Fire
Craft Cafe
Zaybia
Zibbet
Storenvy

Each of these sites will feature different faeries so there is no over lapping as well.

Other new news....Facebook!! It seems that now that they have to actually pay dividends out there has been some very not so good changes done to the rules on how to play on Facebook.

1. You can only use 20% of your banner for words/advertising??
2. You can no longer do a free giveaway of your own products without using a third-party to collect the data and declare a winner.
3. Only 20% of those people who 'follow' you will see a post.

What this means to me....

1. I will have to change my banner...that's an easy change for me...thank goodness.
2. I have had to repost my Valentine's Day free give away of Faerie Prince Conor and sign up to use Rafflecopter. The problem with this, is that unless I want to pay a monthly fee of $7.00 to Rafflecopter, I will never know who enter, how many people entered or if anyone entered at all. As well, this takes away from me being able to hand write all entries only rose petals and make the draw personally. Now all what I will get is an e-mail informing me who to send Prince Conor to. How utterly SAD is that?
3. Even when I make a post on my own Faerie Nursery Facebook page...it doesn't show up in my own personal news feed. I am even subscribed to my own company page and I still don't get to see my own postings? How utterly STUPID is that! Oh...but there is a catch....for $4.00 a posting, I can have my post seen by all 500+ people that have opted to subscribe to follow me!! Yeah, like that is ever going to happen!!

So in the meantime...I will play the game and follow the rules of Facebook and patiently wait for the next best social media site to come along so we can all say...OMG do you remember using FB!!

So...thank you all for reading..this was a wonderful break from doing research and putting watermarks on umpteen photos...and you let me RANT.

I love you all....

Faerie Amma