STRUGGLE

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I’ve tried to keep this blog all happy and businessie, but maybe transparency is a good thing. Here goes:

It’s been tough year for me personally and for Caroline Creates. Don’t get me wrong, my life is amazingly wonderful. However, often times I feel unfulfilled. I had a very slow wedding season last year and this spring has been slow as well. I’ve been questioning if I’m supposed to keep doing this and if I’m going to make it. SO FRUSTRATING.

I’ve always had trouble knowing what I’m meant to do with my life. Many may know that I was a ballet dancer. I mean the kind of not eating, 4 dance classes a day, majoring in ballet and planning on auditioning to dance professionally kind of ballet dancer. It was my life and I always felt like that was what I was meant to do. I had a severe injury and had to stop dancing. Fast forward and here I am designing stationery? Weird. But it makes sense! It’s creative and expressive and has all the highs and lows of performing.It’s given me that sense of fulfillment that I so desperately missed.

Once again, I am facing the possibility of having to quit doing what I love. I won’t go into the gory details. What you need to know and what I’ve been struggling with is that you can’t give up. Struggle is all part of it. You wouldn’t appreciate what you had if you didn’t have to work to get it. I gave up on dance so easy. I could have seen other doctors, taken a year off to have surgery and gone back. I could have fought instead of laying there waiting to die.

I’m fighting now.

I’m not going to give up on this. I’m going to create create create until I’m blue in the face. I’m going to make this happen. I’m going to learn from my mistakes and move on.

I CAN DO THIS!

What are you struggling with and how do you pick yourself up?

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A PHOTO IS WORTH IT

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I’ve been slowly but surely updating the content in my etsy shop. I’m learning that it makes a huge difference in how the shop looks overall.

Before:

It’s a great invitation and has been getting some buzz, but it looks rather dark don’t you think?

After:

This invite is a best seller and it looks like it here! I used a lighter background and it made such a huge difference.

So what are my top things to remember when taking product photography?
1.) Use natural lighting. It never fails, when I don’t open the window, they look awful.

2.) Learn how to use all the features on your camera. I have a great setting which helps me take better close up shots.

3.) Use a lighter backdrop to make your product pop!

4.) Learn how to use photoshop correctly. I actually have Photoshop Elements and I love it. It’s not too complicated and it gets the job done.

5.) When in doubt, check out what other people are doing. I’ve been looking at tons of successful shops and comparing. It’s made the biggest difference in how I approach my listings.

There you have it! Have a wonderful Wednesday!

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SAYING THANKS

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THANK YOU!

The most important words you can convey on a card in my opinion. I will admit that I am not the best at sending thank you notes. I get busy and it keeps getting pushed to the bottom of the list. Guilty as charged. It took me over a month to get out my daughter’s thank you’s after her birthday party and I still haven’t sent the ones from mine. So what is the proper etiquette for sending thank you cards? Let’s take a look!

1. Send Thank Yous for any gift you have received, even if you said “Thank You” in person. It’s also really nice to thank your vendors.

2. Don’t use a fill in the blank thank you note and don’t print a generic thank you and send to everyone. Remember, they took time out of their lives to go get you a gift, so take the time to write a personalized note.

3. There is not a year grace period to write a note. Emily Post says:

Contrary to popular myth, the happy couple does not have a year’s grace period.  All thank you notes should be written within three months of the receipt of the gift. Ideally, a response should be written on the day you receive a wedding gift. If that’s not possible, set a daily goal. It’s a lot easier to write three or four notes a day than to have to write a hundred notes in a month after the wedding!

Hope that helps everyone in the Thank You department. Guess I better go get busy on those!

 

Have some more questions? Say Hello and I’ll help you out!

Click Here to get started on your Custom Designed Wedding Invitation!

Stay tuned for more information in my Wedding Stationery 101 series!

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