I Can Color, She Can Draw

My current project, which is more than a job (I am hoping it's a piece of art) is the program for Angie's upcoming wedding this weekend. Programs are always one of the last things you have to order or print yourself. By the time you have to help a bride with announcements they are into the yes/no mode, they no longer wish to look at swatches or color charts. As a bride you have spent the last year and actually more so the past few months making the tiniest decision for everything, Save The Dates,Wedding Invitations,Cake,Flowers,Dress,(and which outfit to wear to all of the showers you have had)What kind? What Color? Who's budget? Those are the easy ones! I have helped many brides with those last few decisions picking font, color, and texture for their wedding programs. They are as important in a program as any of your other invitations. Programs are used for such a small amount of time but contain a slue of information. That's where the struggle begins in designing something that is artistically pleasing & holds all the relevant information. It can so easily become a sheet of paper with black fonts in a numeric list. BORING! With a wedding like Angie's every single item has her touch, everything as a whole and separately reflects them as a couple. So my huge job has been to provide a program without asking her add another thing to her To-Do list. I feel confident that I can, she is my Soul-Mate & Latin Sister from another Mother.We have always shared a similar taste in design, I hope to produce a reflection of them as well,  and not a list of events. Shown below are little pieces of inspiration.

I searched high and low and never found exactly what I was looking for so I commissioned my very talented mother to draw my vision. As with all artists, this is Mom's vision of my vision. Of course, I have added my own touch! The end result will be a surprise, and to this moment still only lives in my minds eye.

Am I In Over My Head?

I am going to assume you read the 'It's All About Me Section'. Which I will now have to go back and read because I posted that about a month ago.....it's been a long month! I remember having left out all the simple details of who I am, age, sex, weight....Yeah well I am still not going to give it all to you.

1. April Reech
2. 30
3. Weight, Never!
4. Female, HELLO!
5. Husband of  7 years, Michael
6. Grew up in Texas, Live In Baton Rouge, LA (goodbye dust storms, hello hurricanes; goodbye men in tight jeans, hello Harry Connick, Jr. accents)
7. Stay at home dog mommy of Boudin, 12 years old and Daisy, 7 months old, both Chocolate Labs, and be prepared you will hear a lot about them.
8. I adore my Mama, Mary 
9. Have a younger sister, Ivory (what can I say Mom didn't flip through a Baby Name book to pick our names, she picked them from her 8 track collection.) Ivory, named after Ebony and Ivory by Stevie Wonder & Paul McCartney . I am named after a Three Dog Night song, Pieces of April. Mom said to be glad I was a girl because the song A Boy Named Sue was really popular at that time.
10. My 2 Chicas, Partners In Crime, Alibis, and Besties; Celine and Angie, and yes you will hear plenty about them too.

Now that all of the details are out of the way, to the reason I am here! Angie keeps telling me I need a blog, I really sleep way to much....OK the real reason is basically to document the ups and downs of starting my own business. I have been in retail for a LONG time, actually 12 years. I have been super fortunate to have incredible bosses, well most of them. All women who have stepped out into the world and put all their energy into running a small business, which is no small feat at all! There are a few who have taught me a tremendous amount, without them, I would be a girl not a woman, it's a simple as that. I have sold Mexican Imports, Western Clothing, Men's Active-ware (which is just golf clothes), Children's Apparel, and my latest venture was the world of Paper, invitations and stationary. All of those shops and many other things in-between have brought me here, making my own mark in the land of long hours and sore feet known as Retail. I have found that all my skills and virtues will be tested. I have faith in my products, but things will not sell themselves. You want me on your selling team, I am a quiet presence. I just know how to retail. (Michael says it's not bragging if you can back it up.) Selling on the web is a whole different ball game. I consider myself computer savvy but have spent countless hours learning how to do things I have never done. Making shop banners on PhotoShop, starting websites, typing so much typing, taking and editing tons of pictures. So much work had to be done and is still getting tweaked daily. The thing that made me feel over my head was none of those things, it was the simple act of selling myself. That sounds horrible but those are the exact words that kept running through my head, 'it's all you, your ideas, and your work'. It's not something we picked up at market or the work of some artisan in a far away land...it's me. My creations......OMG. Fear set in and I began to worry. Then all the little things became huge, like printer problems, my ideas which I thought were original, were well not so much. My little gang of bandits; Mom, Celine, Angie and Ivory (and a few other girls) shook me out of it and cheered me on. I have stopped worrying about being original,  I will find my niche in due time, the one thing I love is growing, you will see my work evolve. With all of these things out of my way, I opened my shop on Etsy! Week 1 sold 7 things and only 2 of those where to my grandmother! Now my husband really believes me when I say I am working as I stare at my laptop at 2 AM. As of  today I have sold 18 items and I haven't even started on the paper section of my shop. All of my fears of selling ME are gone! I jumped and as far as I am concern the moment someone from California bought something from me, that little piece of me, I had made my little mark....But I want much more!