My First Show

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was preparing for my first craft show last Tuesday for a local woman's club's annual fundraiser event. I was so nervous & anxious for it, but I'm so glad I had the opportunity. The show turned out great - I learned so much, met some great people, and was one of the top sellers! I was certain that we were going to forget something, but we were actually well prepared! I know there's a few more things I need to get (ie, a BANNER!), but I did get lots of compliments on my table setup.



I was able to borrow a 1/2 mannequin from my day job to display how the shirts fit, and that was a HUGE help. I will definitely be investing in one of my own now. I tried to maximize the table space by using trays & cake stands to creatively display the shirts & notecards. I had some of my freelance designs on display as well, as well as an email sign up list & of course my business cards. Prices were displayed on the table as well as on some handmade tags I made for the shirts (that came out sooo cute, by the way!) Besides the sales, I made some great contacts, including a lady that runs a local gift shop that was interested in carrying my stuff!



Some of the surprises from the show were that the notecards weren't as big of a seller as I expected them to be. They really are my favorite item, and lots of people thought they were really cute, but I just couldn't make the sale on them! If you have any feedback on this, let me know, because it was kind of driving me crazy!! If there's something I need to adjust about them to make them more appealing, I would definitely like to know! Another surprise was that my new floral design was actually the biggest seller! I thought for sure the fleur de lis would be the big seller with the shirts, but they showed me! Everyone went nuts for the floral shirts!

So all in all, the show went well & I am so eager to do another one soon! I've been keeping my eyes open for opportunities and in the meantime I will be fine tuning my display and stocking up on my inventory!

In related news, I started a Facebook page for Lady Fleur and added lots more pictures from the show, so go check it out and add me! :) I also created a Twitter account that I'll be updating regularly with news & special promos, so I hope you'll follow me there as well! I'm excited about what's to come for Lady Fleur Designs, so thanks for all of your support!!

Exciting Things Happening!

Do you ever go through a period where it seems like *everything* is going wrong and *nothing* seems to go your way?? Well I was definitely feeling that way these past couple of months - not really in a horrible I-can't-take-this-anymore kind of way, but more so a can't-a-sister-catch-a-break kind of way. Know what I mean?? Well, I'm glad to say that it seems like my hard work is starting to pay off and my luck may finally be turning around! *cross fingers*


First of all, I was given a wonderful opportunity to do my first showing of my Lady Fleur Design products this upcoming Tuesday, November 10th at Broadmoor United Methodist here in Baton Rouge. The GFWC Lagniappe Woman's Club is putting on their annual fundraiser event, "Fun Food & Fashion" and I will have my very own table! :) I've never done anything like this, so I am nervous, anxious, and very excited about the opportunity! I *love* Christmas markets (or any kind of market for that matter), so I think this will be loads of fun! I hope even if I don't make a whole lot of sales that it will at least be some good exposure for the brand. Baby steps, right? So if you're reading this Wednesday, November 11th and you saw me at the Market yesterday, welcome and thanks for your support! I hope you'll leave a message and say hi! :)

In other news, my work just got a whole lot easier, thanks to my brand new iMac! I was really struggling with my teensie tiny, slightly ancient laptop, so this really couldn't come at a better time. I know it will be so much easier to be productive and get organized with a newer, faster and bigger machine. I've had so many projects on my to-do list for the past few months, but I just couldn't find the motivation to come home and work on my poor old snail-paced laptop with its tiny screen and the tendency to crash *just* before I hit the save button. EVERY. TIME. I know good things are to come now for Lady Fleur Designs, so make sure to check back often! :)

Well, I'm off to prepare for Market (and admire my beautiful computer some more)! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Weekend Rewind: Fun AND Productivity??

So, as it turns out, I had a wonderful weekend full of fun and productivity! I wasn't sure those two could go hand in hand, but somehow I made it work this weekend! Friday night I hunkered down with my websites - finishing up and finally publishing my main website (www.ladyfleurdesigns.com), and adding all of my new products & pictures to both my BigCartel and Etsy websites. I had to have an impromptu photo shoot to take some pictures of myself in the new shirts, since lots of people wanted to see how they fit. I kind of hate the idea of having pictures of myself all over my website (YIKES!), so those may not last long... I am thinking of cropping my head off and just using the shirt portion of the pictures! Haha.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I made a switch to BigCartel because lots of my clients were having trouble with the Etsy check out process. However, I decided that I was not ready to part with my Etsy website or the awesome community that comes with it, so I will be maintaining both for now! So feel free to order from whichever one you feel more comfortable with! :) I will be using my main website as a portal that will have all of the details about Lady Fleur Designs, my contact info, and links to my shops & blog. WHEW! Hope this isn't too confusing, but I sure feel more organized now and glad to finally have it all up and running!

Saturday I went to Hollydays, an awesome Christmas market held at the Baton Rouge River Center by Junior League of Baton Rouge. There were some pretty amazing vendors from all over the South. I found some great inspiration AND picked up lots of Christmas presents (as well as a few things for myself!), so I was really happy with my day there! Sunday we somehow woke up in time to make the 7:30am mass (I don't think I've EVER been to mass that early!), so we had the rest of the day to enjoy some BBQ, football, and family! Oh yeah, and the Saints won big time! What more could you ask for??

Sneak Peek: Florals

Here's a sneak peak of my new designs that I am printing today. [Please excuse the awful photo - it was taken with my phone!] I got some great Bella shirts to print on, including a super-soft heather tee in a great lavender color & an awesome black burnout v-neck that I'm pretty sure everyone will love! I hope to have them ready to order on my site by Monday, so check back soon! :)

The BIG[Cartel] Move

Well, unfortunately I have not found the success I was hoping for on Etsy. I love the community and the website as a whole, but my customers have expressed several issues with the long and confusing check out process, and I have to agree. It makes sense if you are familiar with the site, but otherwise it's just plain confusing! I haven't made ANY sales through Etsy, although several people have emailed to place orders with me directly, so I'm pretty certain the problem is with the check out process. I'm sad to leave, but I have been looking for another way to make my merchandise more readily available to my customers online, and I think I've found it! Big Cartel is a great e-commerce site geared towards artists that I think will offer what me and my customers are looking for! The new layout is easier to navigate, and checkout is a breeze! I have added my original Lady Fleur shirts and Stationery sets to the site already, and I have some new designs that will be up shortly as well, so I hope you'll check it out at ladyfleur.bigcartel.com, spread the word, and let me know what you think! Thanks! :)

Fresh Ideas

Summer is fully in swing! We're experiencing record highs here in Louisiana and I've officially traded in my jeans (yes, I get to wear jeans to work - jealous?) for skirts and dresses. It's been a challenge lately to pick out my wardrobe from day to day while trying to avoid pants all together, but I just can't stand them in this heat! In turn, I've been in search of loose, summery tops as well, and it has me thinking of some new ideas for Lady Fleur. One of my current personal trends is loose fitting, airy v-necks with a fun print, like this one from Forever 21:





I'm currently working on a new design for this style shirt, which I am thinking of printing on an American Apparel or Bella ladies' v-neck. Let me know what you think!

Some other projects in the works:

Onesies, Blankets, & Bibs

Girls' Tees

Ladies' Racerback Tanks

Ladies' Dolman Tees

I'd love some feedback on these new ideas! Designs to come, so check back soon!

Stationery Sets Now In!

I'm so excited - the Lady Fleur stationery sets are now in! I'm really happy with how they turned out:





These textured linen note cards are uniquely double-sided for two great options rolled into one - white with lavender Fleur de Lis design on one side, lavender with white design on the other. The set of 12 comes with matching lavender envelopes, and would make a great gift or addition to your own stationery collection!


Don't forget, the Original Lady Fleur Tees are still available too! These are printed on one of my absolute favorite shirts by Bella - the Cotton Spandex Crew Neck. I think it will become your instant favorite as well, with it's great fit and super-soft material! Right now, they are available in purple and gold on white and gold on black - stock up for football season, which is right around the corner!