Tinkerbell's Magic Sales Dust

So I've been working on getting a lot of bottlecap clippies done.  They seem to be a quick seller - mainly because they are somewhat different from the average clippie.  The sets are especially fun to create.

Anyways, I posted several new listings in my Etsy shop yesterday and today....quite a few of which were Tinkerbell clippies.  I love Tink!  I am hoping some sweet little girls get these clippies and fall in love with them and wear them until they fall apart!  :)

Not only do I want to sell them...I NEED to sell them!  I am at that point where I have more supplies than profit, and I need to clear out some of these things so I can buy more supplies and make more things!  So, I'm hoping that Tinkerbell will sprinkle some magic sales dust all over me (and my Etsy friends)....we'd all like to sell bunches, right?!?!

Here are some pics of my recent clippies - just for fun!  Check out my shop for these and more!

What is a friend?

Dictionary.com defines a friend as "a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard."  Often, we differentiate between friends and acquaintances, and sometimes rightly so.  We usually think of our friends as those who we are close to...those we have things in common with....those we spend time with.

I am blessed to have lots of people who I consider to be my friends.  I know that there are innumerable people I could call at any moment to help me in any way possible.  I have friends from high school, friends from college, and friends from work and church.  I have friends I have met through other places.  God has truly blessed me.

One thing I have learned in the last month or so, though, is that you don't have to have "met" someone to consider them friends.  I used to be a part of the Swapmamas site.  There I met one of the sweetest people, and we just clicked.  We now keep in touch via text and Facebook, even though we've never met.  I also have lots of friends through Etsy.  I had a rough month or so, and I was MIA from most of the events there...I couldn't tell you how many people sent me messages and emailed just to make sure I was ok.  I have Etsy friends on Facebook, through email, and through the site, and so many of them just wanted to check on me.  I won't try to name names, but you know who you are, and I appreciate you!  I have some pretty amazing friends, even if I've never met them and may not even know their real names!  :-)

This week, I was finally able to get back in gear and try to do some catching up on Etsy.  (Yep, check out my shop for new listings!!)  I got the sweetest, warmest welcome!  It was nice to see that so many were genuinely concerned and cared!

So, that's why I decided to blog about my friends...because God has blessed me with SO many of them from all different walks of life, and I wanted each and every one to know how much I love and appreciate them!

Flip Flop Fever

Emmalynn wanted a project to do with Elemenopie Designs, so we got her started on making ribbon flip flops.  They are pretty easy to make....they just take quite a bit of time because there are so many steps involved to ensure their stability!  But, guess how long her making them lasted?  1 pair.....but the orders kept coming in!

So, guess who took over?  ME!!  :D  Don't get me wrong....I am loving it!  I have had so much fun creating so many different pairs to customer's specifications.  My favorite so far has to be the zebra print wrapped pair....I am considering making my own to wear!  I also like the rainbow ones because they are so versatile for kids --- one pair goes with almost any outfit!

So, do you have your flip flops ready for summer?  I'll be glad when this rainy weather goes away and I can enjoy some sunshine!

Check out the pics below....send me a message at my Etsy shop or email me by Friday, and I'll give you a "blog day bonus" by taking $2.50 off each pair of flip flops you order!  Just mention that you read "Flip Flop Fever" today!

Zebra Wrapped Ribbon

Rainbow Tied Ribbon

University of Memphis themed Tied Ribbon

Red and White themed Tied Ribbon

Rainbow Peace Sign themed Tied Ribbon

Mission Madness!

In the midst of all of the amazing things going on with Elemenopie Designs, I have another amazing thing in the works.  I have to say that I'm just as excited, if not more excited, about it.  I am going on a mission trip this summer!  I'll be spending two weeks in Guyaya.  There we'll be holding daily Vacation Bible School for about 200 children, and we'll also be doing a nightly crusade.

I have been spending a lot of time on fundraising for the trip.  Total expenses are about $2500, and I've raised almost half of the money needed.  Unfortunately, I'm down to the last month or so to raise money.  So, here's what I'm asking of you....

1.  PRAYERS!!  I am a firm believer that prayer works wonders, and I also believe that all things work together for good for those who love God.  I solicit all prayers on behalf of myself and the mission team.

2.  Fundraising Ideas - I'd like to think beyond the usual car washes and bake sales.  I have been trying to figure out how I can use my shop to help earn the money.  Sure, I can dedicate my profit towards the trip, but that hasn't been huge so far.  I've been using profit to buy more ribbon!  ;) 

So, in the comment section, give me some ideas!  God blesses me so much, and I'm looking forward to being able to share that with the people in Guyana.  I just have to figure out the financial aspect so I can get there!  :D  I am open to any and all suggestions!

If anyone feels compelled to donate towards this mission trip - in any amount - feel free to email me for more information.  I'll gladly share details of our work and answer any questions you might have!

You Had Me From Hello.....

....and you still got me!

I love him even if we are a house divided!

I'm not sure my husband reads my blog since it's all about the business.  He tolerates --- and he is very supportive --- but hairbows and flip flops and girly pretties don't really interest him all that much.  But I'm going to write about TJ anyway.

Tomorrow is our anniversary.  We will have been married for 11 years....and I have to say that they have been, without a doubt, the most amazing 11 years of my life.  It may sound cliche, but I cannot imagine life without him.  He has been a blessing to my life from the moment I met him, and I adore him.

So, I give you 11 reasons why I would still pick him after all this time!

1.  His amazing faith.....TJ reminds me all the time that God has a plan that is bigger than any plans we make.  He believes that prayer works, and he believes that if we set our priorities on Heaven, everything else will fall into place.  And what I love most is that he doesn't remind me of this by telling me --- he lives his life so that anyone would know that.

2.  Emmalynn and Ellie.....we have the most wonderful girls in the world!  TJ is such a good daddy.  He never misses a soccer game or a school program or a cheer competition.  He drops them off at sleepovers and picks them up from school.  He teaches them to do their best at everything and to always try to do what is right.

My girls!

3.  His tolerance....like I mentioned before, he is EXTREMELY tolerant of whatever scheme I have going at the time.  He has loved me through selling Avon, Tupperware, and Lia Sophia....and now he's loving me through Elemenopie Designs (which WILL last, by the way!).

4.  His excellent ability to spoil me.....yeah, I'll admit it...I'm spoiled.  ;)

5.  His Facebook addiction.....because it makes mine not look so bad!

6.  His determination.....he provided for our family while I finished TWO degrees and then went back to finish his own.  He kepts the girls while I took night classes....even when they were both under the age of 2!

7.  His patience.....I don't know how to say no to people, I take on too many things, and I am ALWAYS volunteering TJ for something.  'Nuf said.

8.  His acceptance of "organized chaos".....I will admit it to the world.  I am NOT a domestic diva.  My home is CLEAN, but it is far from neat!  Walk in right now and the couch is covered with ribbon, the bar is loaded down with flip flops, and the dining room table looks like someone's office exploded.  That's a hard thing for a neat freak to deal with...but he does it!

9.  His mad style.....I am SO thankful I found a man who could put together decent outfits for himself, our girls, and me!  He's a good shopper!

10.  His fantastic cooking skills.....and they go way beyond a grill!  He can make some awesome cheesecake and pretty much anything else!

11.  Everything else about him.........

I could probably go on all day....but I'll just let #11 cover anything else I've left out.  I'm pretty much as in love with him as any person could be.  I am so thankful that God placed TJ in my life and has allowed our relationship to only get better.  I pray that we are blessed with many, many more years together because I want to get old with him!

(TJ, if you read this, I LOVE YOU!!!  Happy anniversary!!!)

Dressing up for my Mardi Gras dinner

Giving pedicures at Emmalynn's sleepover

Handing out on the top bunk with Ellie

Cruising to Mexico!

Elemenopie Designs --- the name --- (oh, and a special announcement!)

I have really revamped myself on Etsy, putting lots more time and energy into really becoming a part of the Etsy community and getting to know people.  I have met so many amazingly talented people.  I constantly have to remind myself that I am there to sell MY stuff because I just want to buy, buy, buy!!!

Over the last couple of weeks, I keep hearing the same thing over and over...."I love your shop name!!" or "You have the cutest shop name ever!"  First of all, thank you!  I personally love it.....sure, I like it because it's cute, but I LOVE it because of what it represents to me.  So, I decided to share how I came up with that name.

2 years ago, I decided to create a business to sell my creations. It started with handpainted wall art and gradually shifted to include bow holders and hairbows.  And if my girls have anything to do with it, we're going to be adding crocheted items before long!  :)

Anyways, speaking of my girls, I was telling you about my shop name.  When I decided to set up a shop, it had to have a name....and I wanted something catchy and fitting, but I also wanted something that was meaningful.  Because my 2 girls are the inspiration for lots of what I do, I wanted to include them in the name.  Their names are Ellie and Emmalynn (and mine's Nikki), so I started just playing around with stuff.  I was sitting at my desk at work, talking out loud to myself....and I said, "L....M.....N...." and then it just kinda came out..."L  M  N  O  P".......and being the word nerd that I am, it finally became "Elemenopie".

The inspiration behind my creation

My youngest, Ellie, tells me all the time that I spelled it wrong.  She says it looks like "L M N O pie" but I like it just the way it is!

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Now for my exciting announcement:  I was asked to stock a section of a local boutique gift shop with my bows!!!  VLM Designs is opening shop locally, and they have asked me to handle all of their hairbow needs!!  I am VERY excited about this opportunity and look forward to working with these fabulous ladies!  I'll provide info later for locals about this....for now, I have a month to get some inventory made up for them!

Workspace....what workspace?!?!?!

So my PF team members asked me to blog and show my workspace.  I thought about it all week and almost decided to do something different for this blog because I don't really have a designated crafting area.  Unfortunately, it's called the dining room!  But then I decided I would show what it looks like when I'm working...#1 because, well, that's what it looks like and #2 because I thought it might be a little extra plug to the husband that I NEED a craft room!  I keep telling him we need to close in the carport!!!  Honey, if you're reading this, the house would be SOOOOOO much cleaner if I had ONE room to do everything!  (Ok, promotional plug over!)

Since I do bows and flip flops and painted items, I have TONS of supplies.  Right now I'm making use of lots of tubs and totes that I transport from one room to the next as needed.  The pics I'm going to show you are actually of a relatively neat crafting workspace.  When I'm getting ready for a show or doing lots of things at once, it can be much, MUCH worse!

The dining room table - half paint area, half computer area

We have a fabulous built-in bar in the dining room.  When we bought the house, I said it would be the perfect place for the girls to do their homework.  Unfortunately, it's usually covered with paints, ribbons, etc.

Ribbon, ribbon, and MORE ribbon....and this doesn't even show the ribbon stored in tubs in my bedroom!

Like I said, this is neat compared to some days....I didn't even bother to take a pic of my storage chest in my room...or the tub of already made hairbows...or the tubs of bottlecaps, embellishments, etc.  Oh well, it's my semi-organized chaos.

But if I can do what I enjoy doing (and make a little money off of it), then I'll take that!  Now go buy something from my shop so I can save money to FINALLY close in that carport!

Comment game plus I love my models!

I am loving what is going on with Elemenopie Designs these days.  I am having so much fun with it!  TJ is super supportive, too....or at least tolerant!  :)  He doesn't complain (much) about the mess when I'm making bows...and he lets me spend an awful lot of time on the computer.  I love that man!

So I tried my first comment game on my Facebook page last night.  I had 5 or 6 people play and sold some inventory AND even gave away some Hello Kitty clippies. If you didn't show up, watch for an announcement of the next game.  I am thinking it may become a Thursday ritual!

There are so many things I love right now....my husband, the weather....and my fabulous models! :) Em and El do such a good job of posing for me! They don't always LIKE it...but they do it. Yesterday, I had El modeling some flower bows --- she really gets into it.

Funny face!

Little Rascals!

Much love!

Elemenopie Revamped!

This has been an amazing week for Elemenopie Designs!  So many things caught up and so many new things in store for us....starting with this new logo design.  Isn't it fabulous???  Huge thanks to Brooke at Brooke Chanel Designs for designing it exactly as I wanted!  I ordered yesterday afternoon and had them before the night was up!  Amazing service and a supercute product!

Since I had the new look and some newfound ambition, I decided that I'd revamp this blog and just start over.  I set it up when I first started my shop, but I didn't really follow through with it.  Now I have Em helping me AND I have a whole new set of crafting friends helping me stay motivated.  I have to say, my new Etsy team members have been amazing at showing me the ropes of this whole thing.  Although they are states and maybe even countries away, they have helped me get Elemenopie Designs up and running even better!

Yesterday was the perfect day to get this blog set up...it was a cold, rainy day of Spring Break, so I did lots of computer work.  If you haven't already, check out my Etsy shop and "like" me on Facebook!  Today is fabulously sunny....so, I leave you with these pics from my new Spring flower collection.