Monday, June 25, 2012

weekly lillypie shop update ((moonstone, lollipop brooch, new headband colors))

 Happy Monday, my friends! I have a few updates to share with you today.

First up is a new necklace--  a dainty vintage moonstone necklace.
Back in December I ordered a  set of these precious stones and I'm just now getting around to making a necklace with them.  I debated putting a cluster or just a single stone on a necklace and decided to go with just one. There is something elegant and chic about a single stone hitting right at your collar bone. ;) I also love the way the light seems to reflect the colors that you're wearing. 



The second update I have for you is some new dainty rolled heabands.  I made several of the classic colors like violet, cabaret magenta, and coral---but I also got a little CRAZY and made a few in lemon, celery, white, and red. Forgot to snap a picture of the lemon....it's adorable--you'll just have to trust me.


One more restock is the very popular Lollipop Brooch. I just love this flower to pieces. It literally matches everything. It's a wonderful little  summer accessory. I love wearing mine clipped to a solid tank.

Several other designs were restocked this weekend. Be sure to jump over to the lillypie shop and check them out.  Since all these lovelies are ready to ship---my turn around time is ONE DAY and a lot of the time SAME DAY.  How's that for fast, speedy service with a smile?  ::big grins::


All purchases made by Tuesday AM WILL BE in your hands in time for your Independence Day celebrations. Pinky!



Ready to shop?? Clickety click!



Saturday, June 23, 2012

Camera Voodoo ((mentoring session recap))


"Well if I had a nice camera honey I could take gorgeous photos of our family! I neeeeeeeeeeeeedddddd itttttttt!!!! It would make me the happiest woman in Indiana ((wink wink please please )). "

yep, that was me over a year ago.

Full of dreams. Full of hopes. Full of horse poop!

I got the camera and was DEVASTATED that my images looked like this:

(sorry lils, momma's trying to make a point)


not this:

(image courtesy of sarah-beth photography)



Like I had hoped.


What the heck?  I figured out my problem was that I was shooting in auto and the harsh flash was NOT the look I was going for. So.....I did what any rational woman would do and pinterested that S.  I got a few hits on some good websites explaining how to shoot in manual. I read up and played around. Too bad every tutorial seemed to be written in some voodoo camera language that I COULD NOT comprehend.

So what I ended up doing for the past year was COMPLAIN to my husband that this was haaaaaaaaaaarrrrddddd.  and wiggle and jiggle the buttons on my camera in manual until I got ONE decent image.


Does this sound like you? Cussing at your camera?  Putting it away for a month and just using your iPhone?  Or just "dealing" with the flash pictures because ehhh they are better than nothing and at least things aren't blurry?

 Orr......did you buy the cute ruffly camera strap cover and fun case because that would SURELY allow the photographer magic dust to seep into your pores--like me?

It's a sad day when I realized that:
"It's not you expensive pretty camera,  It's me--the idiot behind the lens."

At just the right hour in all my WOE! is me terrible image capturer who is incapable of following directions in a camera manual WOE! my super husband swoops in with the most perfect gift-- a ONE on ONE mentoring session with a professional photographer. To TEACH me how to use this  voodoo camera and SHOW me how to capture images of my family and products. 

My mentoring session was with Sarah Hill of Sarah-Beth Photography. She's the talented woman behind pretty much all of my product shots.  She's amazingly talented and even more so she's real, honest, down to earth, and LOTS of fun.

She offers mentoring to new photographers and even taught a successful workshop this June with another fave  of mine Becky of HB Photographer here in Indy. Now the difference with me is ----I WILL NEVER BE A PHOTOGRAPHER.  I have no desire. Nor do I have the talent! I'm just a mom with an expensive camera and a spinning head who wants to take decent pictures of her babies before they're grown.  How nice of her to take time our of her crazy busy schedule to teach a MOM how to use a camera?!?!

I came to her with little background knowledge. Something I'm sure she's not accustomed to.  ISO? FStop? Apawhat? She was so patient with me. The mentoring session was split up into three parts. The first part was literally  My Camera For Dumbos.  She didn't call it that---but trust me that's what it was. She showed me how to operate my camera and I took notes. She explained the three (4 really) things that make a good shot in language I could understand. She used the correct terms but helped me see through my own lens WHAT the terms meant. I was slowing starting to speak camera voodoo! She looked me straight in the eye and said "Now Laura, don't you ever go back to Auto again....you have to practice this if you're ever going to have the confidence to get the shots you want."  and all I could think was "YES PHOTOGRAPHY GODDESS" ;)

Next we traveled downtown to practice what she taught me. And to me, this is where the LEARNING happened.  This was the component I was missing. She scheduled a cute little family to meet us for a photoshoot. She let me WATCH her and then she WATCHED me and gave me constructive feedback the entire time.  As the shoot progressed I began to feel more confident. I COULD DO THIS! I could find the light, adjust my shutter speed, and actually get an image that was decent.  Sarah was there the entire time to give me pointers that she's learned from years of practice. I can't get over how willing she was to share her "hard worked for knowledge" about her craft to me, a MOM with a little business.

The last part of the mentoring session was about photoshop.  She showed me how to edit pictures in a natural way. She taught me tricks on getting an image to look the best it can without changing the entire make up of the shot. Once again is was PRACTICAL knowledge for me---the non-photog. 

I can't speak highly enough about my session.  Sarah was a joy to work with. She was full of fun and encouragement. She helped me learn how to use my camera and I honestly feel SO Much more confident about my images of my family because of her.  It's been a week and I haven't cussed at my camera once and it also hasn't left MANUAL either. 

This gift from my husband in invaluable. By giving me some time with a willing and talented teacher--he's given me the gift of capturing better images of our family and our love for one another. I still believe that having someone else capture images of my family is extremely important because let's face it  I'm still  a crazy novice. But this gift of a mentoring session has given me confidence to TRY and capture gorgeous images of the messy, pudding faced,  crazy hair, playing at the park days that I've been LONGING to have in print.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart Sarah. You're a doll and I'll be singing your praises for a looonggg time.


Thank you Scott, you don't know how happy you make me. You know me so well and knew * just *  what I needed before I threw that really expensive pretty camera out the window. 


annndddd all the images in this post were taken by meeeee!!!! They aren't perfect but I'm getttttinnngggg bettttterrrrr!!!!!!!      Eeeepppaleeep!!! :)


Thursday, June 21, 2012

little babe ((37 weeks))


Well---fast forward TEN weeks and here I am!! FULL TERM!!   I've wrestled for a while about posting pictures of my verrrrry pregnant self on my blog. It's a self confidence thing.  I'm very hard on myself and I'd be lying if I told you I was happy with my appearance these days.   I recently started the #shereadstruth bible study I've seen on instagram and twitter. I'm way behind the rest of the gals, but this week focused on toxic thoughts and combating them with TRUTH. Isn't it crazy how if the Lord is trying to teach you a lesson he figures out a way to put it RIGHT IN YO FACE?! ;)



My own toxic thoughts of embarrassment over my changing body were preventing me from celebrating the LIFE blooming inside me. So by posting these pictures I'm trying to  show  that these thoughts CANNOT and WILL NOT keep me captive.  The TRUTH is that I should wage war on these thoughts and fight them with  continuous prayer.

"Pray in the Spirit on ALL OCCASIONS with all kinds of prayers and requests."  Ephesians 6:8

  I have a dozen pregnancy pictures of myself with Lilly and THREE for him.  This little baby that is about to enter this world deserves a confident and radiant mother who lives in the TRUTH.




((week 37 highs. lows. and woahs))

HIGH!! I'm done with school now and am thoroughly enjoying my moments and days with Lilly. She is such a LIGHT to me. We've slowly begun to get down all the baby essentials from the attic and she is SO EXCITED for her baby brudder that's coming soon. Every night she sings her favorite song (Zaccheus Was a Wee Little Man) to him and kisses my belly.  She has her toys in his bassinet so he has something to play with. Her stuffed Lion currently resides in his swing.  I cannot wait for her to meet him.


LOW: The self images issues discussed above. ;)  and my chicken nugget toes.  I never knew toes could swell!! A July baby will do that do ya...


WOAH: Last Thursday evening I had crazy contractions. Lilly was breech and I never felt a single contraction with her. (crazy, right?) I told several of my friends that I really hoped to have contractions with this little man--they all gave me the one eye look over--and now I know why. HOLY CRAP. Timing my contractions all I could think about was the things we DIDN'T have ready. I was yelling from my bed orders to my husband like a crazy woman. "Get the car seat out of the attic!! Throw his newborn clothes in the wash! Do you have time to run to the store and get dreft? Do I have time to shave??!?!?!?!" Yea--I was nuts.  The contractions lasted several hours and slowed down so I calmed down  * a little*.  Up until Thursday, I thought we had a least a few more weeks before Baby Watch 2K12 needed to begin. Guess I was wrong---let the excitement begin. WOOOAAAAH.



Monday, June 18, 2012

Weekly Lillypie Shop Update ((NEW necklace design))

Welcome to my first SHOP UPDATE since rolling over to Ready to Ship last week! I tell ya, it's been nice knowing that all the accessories I'm making are traveling to new homes SUPER FAST.  I also really loved sneaking in some time last week to create just for me.  It's important for me to do that. I  made two new necklaces for myself and did a bunch of crafty fun projects for my kids new SHARED room. I'll post pictures soon. ;)

One of the necklaces I made came from a super fun and MUCH NEEDED girls night with my best friend, Holly. It's actually her design---she picked out the beads! We both loved it so much that I decided I should list it in my shop for you!


It's a shorter necklace measuring about 16" ((which makes it perfect for layering!!! IMO)). The peach quartz rondelles look fab on any skin tone. I also personally REALLY love the off center rectangular jade stones. The stones look like my favorite color for the season, seafoam/ mintish. 



Anyway, I made two extra this week. You can purchase the Holly Jean Necklace by clicking this LINK to my shop! I only have two---once they sell I don't know when I'll be making more. So by all means if  it makes your heart flutter like it does mine---don't wait. ;)


I wish I had more designs to upload for you today. I really do. I'm hoping to have more in the weeks to come. Don't forget that I do still have several adorable headband styles that are ready to fly like my Penelope Headband and the popular Nora Whitney.

Have a wonderful Monday, gals! Remember to check back every Monday to see what's new!
 
((facebook fans--remember you get to see the new designs FIRST!))
find lillypie on facebook ((here)).


Sunday, June 17, 2012

daily snaps v.1

 What did we do before smart phones? read more?  clean?  laundry?  I haven't the slightest. ;)

We've had a fun first few weeks of summer! Thought I'd share a little bit of our daily lives via an instagram collage. Those of you that already follow me have seen these images before. BUT!!! now they are in a collage which makes them oh-so-much-neater. smiley face.

((find me on IG: LauraLillypie))


The past few weeks have included trips to IKEA (swoon), lilly's first Cincinnati Reds Game, dates with friends at the pool, sprinkler, splash pad, and other various water tables,  lots of pregnancy-induced ice cream runs,  and trips to the zoo. Since ending the school year I feel rejuvenated  and back to my sassy self. Whoopeeeee! I have more energy and have enjoyed experiencing summer through the eyes of a two year old (speaking of sass....)

I'm over the moon for our little boy to join the ranks of our family--but I can't help but be a little melancholy at the thought of the dwindling days of our tight family of three.

Tell me moms, did you experience similar feelings?


you're adorable,
laura

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Lillypie is READY TO SHIP ((shop update))


Lillypie is now READY TO SHIP.

Up until today --most  if not all my items were made to order. You order. I make. I package. I ship. Rinse annnnnd Repeat.

Now------ I make. You Order.  I Ship.  Rinse annnnnddddd Repeat. 

There are a few reasons for this change. The biggest reason is my little big man  in mah belleh.  I need more control over my business. Up until now it hasn't been an issue to keep up with orders. Busy weeks, slow weeks.....I really just went with the flow.  However with the arrival of the newbie---I need to control the amount of time spent on my business.

This will allow me to assess inventory and make lots of my best sellers--like the ruffled rose pendants, whimsical headbands, and  clip trios on my own time.

I'm hoping to curb the "ohhhmaaaaaaaaaaah gaaahhhhhhhh I need to make 6 head
bands, cook dinner, change a diaper, moby wrap my little, pay attention to my toddler, and keep mahself saneeeeee" breakdowns.

When I have time, energy, and the creative skitters (which I happen to get A LOT) I'll close myself off in my studio and make make make.

And what is REALLY exciting??
This change also benefits you, the awesome customer.

Everything listed in my shop is ready to go. No more production time. No more waiting for me to make-then package-then ship. The part that takes the most time will already be done!  You can expect your lillypies a whollleeee lot sooner. Whoommmmpaloomp!


So how will you know when I update the shop?
I will post updates as often as a can. Some weeks there might be dozens of items ready to fly. Other weeks----like early July (when mister arrives) there might be a few or heck....ZERO.

I'll ALWAYS notify via my facebook fanpage first.  Here's a link if you'd like to pop over. ;)
Shop Updates will also get their own blog posts on Mondays with lots of pretty pictures.

This is a big change for little lillypie but I'm excited for the opportunities ahead!

I just big fat puffy paint heart this business.

You're adorable,
Laura