My loyal follower, I have not forgotten you.

     It's hard for me to believe that a little over 6 months ago I quit my "real" job, got Daisy and decided to start my own business. The time has been filled with many projects, some sweat, lots of laughs and even a few tears. I tend to juggle, a lot. One of my "resolutions" for the next year is to be a bit more organized & stick to a schedule. When you work from home, and yes husbands it is still work, you can spend a lot of time trying to find a balance between housework & running a small business. I am naturally a night owl, I find myself more creative, it also helps that my doggies go to bed around 10 so the house is finally quite. Daisy is still under a year old (that's my Chocolate Labrador, she's my baby) and during the day she wants to play. I find myself either playing or cleaning up the messes she makes when I leave her on her own (toy stuffing everywhere, chewed up firewood in the house, holes in the backyard, etc.) She is a very good girl but is filled with energy and the need to retrieve, ALL DAY. Then we have the old man, Boudin, our 12 year old lab who needed lots of love & care. He still lives a good life but takes medications and needs more hands on care than ever before. My home, which one day will reflect who we are as a family (not a Pottery Barn catalog unfortunately), needs lots of attention. We are a small family with lots of pets, who are part of the family. About 3 months ago I finally said it aloud, our house is too small! So all of these little things add up into making running my small business harder than it should be. So for the upcoming year I will turn a new leaf and go to bed at a decent hour and spend my day sticking to a schedule, Wish me luck!!!!

Having said all of this, despite some chaos my business is doing awesome! I am finally doing what I have always dreamed of, making a mark on the retail world with my own name and my own shop.Finally. I have made quite a few sales, during the holidays I did not see a huge increase but I did have new things happen. I was in quite a few Treasuries, my friends purchased items from me, and I was able to customize tags for my customers. These are all new wonderful things that make me feel like I am on the right track. I am constantly learning new things on running my business and next year I will be far more prepared to amaze the masses with my creations. This year has been filled with firsts. My first puppy, my first sale, my first best friends wedding (since I have 2, lucky me), and my first invitations & wedding program, my own designs.....still pinching myself on all of those firsts.

My First Invitation, my own design

Burgos and Adams Wedding Program, Front

Burgos and Adams Wedding Program, Inside

 

 

Burgos and Adams Wedding Program, Back

My program even had a spotlight shot in her wedding video...on a side note the wedding was amazing! The video still makes us all cry.

Angie and Jonathan Short Film from Adam Grumbo on Vimeo.

 Short film version of Jonathan and Angie's Wedding in Austin Texas.

www.adamgrumboweddingfilms.com

So on to another fabulous year we go!!! I have many new things up my sleeve....Please note I blogged this at midnight....next year I will blog in the daylight, yeaaahhh right.

The hummingbirds cry for you

 We will always remember Aunt Alice for the things she loved in nature, the hummingbirds, butterflies, and Gladiolus. They filled her home & were more than hobbies, they were part of her. Maybe it was because they reminded her of the One who created it all or maybe it was just because she longed for something more than the dust storms of good ol'Texas. I am & will always think of her fondly when I see a hummingbird in my window, hear an Alan Jackson song, or am called "Honey". As I reflect on the memories we have shared, I see pieces of me in her. It is strange I never saw it before. I have always held her in a place of respect and love but we shared more than our Christian faith and family ties, we shared a need to see the world through a lens, to create a home that reflects who we are & the life we want. She always had the same demeanor through heartache and joy but inside of her, the creative side, had to come from emotions never shared aloud. She lived in West Texas where the front yards are graveled instead of mowed but in her home you where in Padre Island or better yet the Pacific Coast of California. She grew plants and flowers indoors, as if she threw up her green thumb to that Desert Sun! When I was much younger I recall the cakes she would bake. No not a round cake, never, the shape of my favorite Cabbage Patch Doll that would put the twinkle in my eye. So many moments on film not in my mind's eye because with her large camera she stood by. A day at the park, Mama's wedding & Ivory's wedding all just a photograph away thanks to Aunt Alice. She had a thirst to see the world but waited patiently for a ride to town to buy a slice of Pizza Pie. I wait (sometimes not so patiently) for the Pizza guy. The list goes on and on in the ways we are alike but what I desire more than anything is to have her gentle spirit and her unwavering faith.  I hope that at the end of my life I am more like her than a 'just little'.  The title Aunt does not quite suit what she meant to me but it will have to do for the masses to understand. I dream of days filled with the fragrance of your favorite flower and even a cat or two (she loved nature but was not fond of cats, lol). I long for the day I can hear you say "Honey, can you take a look....?" I bet she waits patiently.

Aunt Alice at the other end of the lens.

  

Aunt Alice and her son Jimmie, Ivory's wedding



Treasures just for you.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cd3e6f15b608eef38a2c5ef/message-in-a-bottle?ref=pr_treasury

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cd3d5e95b608eef12d4c3ef/sweet-alice?index=0

These are from Mama

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cd3c84eb95c6d912df5d3fe/my-lady-alice-in-wonderful-land?index=0
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cd3cffe5b608eef4e56c3ef/eatspretty?index=1

Obituary

http://www.myersandsmith.com/pages/show_content.php?siteid=40&action=1&value=12&menuitem=190&obituaries_action=2&obituaryid=61547



A busy week for Paper!



New Design

Last week was grueling, almost as busy the days prior to opening my shop on Etsy. As I mention in my last blog it was Angie's wedding week. There were tons of events I was unable to attend, logistics were an issue since she is in Austin. Despite the distance I felt that nervous energy all the way in Baton Rouge. Angie a perfectionist, (just as I) had so much going on and no sleep to recharge her batteries. This is typical of most weddings. It's just a given no matter how prepared you are something will make you sweat during that last week! 

To burn some of my nervous energy, I made Treasuries, edited pictures for both Mom and my shop. I feel very good about Mom's new pictures. I have come to understand why you see so many white backgrounds in Etsy shops, everything looks so much better! The full attention is on your product, which is of course what you want. I am still playing around with capturing the most unique and intriguing angles. I know great pictures are a basic foundation for making your shop or online business successful.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/branchonthebeadtree



 Another sleepless night brought on the cute note card set I created. Mom loves to turn everything into a "Line" for our future with Target! (Imaginary may be a better term than future.) So my new "line" is called "If you can't beat 'em" The note cards feature some of my favorite birds such as a peacock and owl. The note cards are blank inside but on the outside have a greeting in Spanish. If you have looked at my shop, Pieces Of April, on Etsy you will notice I use a lot of Spanglish. I have read and heard the advice "blog the way you speak", so I thought, why not do that in my product names and use it in the actual creative facets of my business. The first set is basic Spanish and I hope it's easy to learn, join us in rolling those R's people! I will be adding other pajaros,that's birds, over time with other greetings in the near future. I love the paper world, that is where I feel I am most creative, so this week when my first note card set, Mary's Garden, was chosen for a Treasury on Etsy, it was well another milestone of success for me. Below are pictures of all of my recent paper creations. 


Birds The Word Note Card Set



http://www.etsy.com/listing/60071899/bird-is-the-word-note-cards-set-of-6



I have many things to share about the wedding, but I will leave that for my next blog....Since I still need pictures!

 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/59680259/new-design-coral-rose-chico-ring

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!