Busy Bees

Hello!! Merry Christmas to all! I absolutely love Christmas time because of all of the family that comes to visit. My aunt and uncle have been staying at our house for Christmas this year and we've had a wonderful time with them. So far, we have talked about everything under the sun, shared favorite movies, exchanged gifts, and walked along the canal in Augusta. It was a beautiful day when we walked along the canal and we got some great pictures. Today, I'm making cupcakes for a party tomorrow and then later we are going to take a walk down Broad Street in Augusta. I love going in all of the art galleries, antique shops, and funky stores they have on Broad Street. Overall, it has been a busy holiday and we have had a lot of fun! Hope your holiday has been just as great!

Cleaning is boring....unless you rock out to some awesome music! Currently I am obsessed with Katy Perry's Teenage Dream album. You can buy it here on iTunes. And here is her video for Last Friday Night:

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Good afternoon!! Today has been filled with a lot of holiday cleaning. I have a huge family and it seems like the entire family is visiting us this year, so we're getting everything ready for them. Our tree is up and looks fabulous this year. My mom and I had a blast putting it up together!

I'm not the only artist in the family, so our tree is filled with a lot of handmade ornaments. Each one is really unique and we love to find new funky ornaments. Our tree always ends up with a cool mix of modern and traditional. My mom's favorite ornaments are her beeswax ornaments. My favorite are my Barbie ornaments that my mom got me when I was little (I was Barbie obsessed). Despite the fact that I have grown out of Barbies, the ornaments are still on the tree every year because they remind me of past Christmases.

Winter is my favorite season not just because of the holidays and family. I really love the clothes!! Winter means I get to layer sweaters and wear hats, gloves, and scarves. A cool sweater/funky scarf combo is my go to winter choice. Not only do I like to wear cozy scarves, I love to make them! My cousin taught me to knit a couple of years ago and I became a crazy knitting machine. To make a nice cozy scarf, I chose Fun Fur. This is one of my creations and it is available on Etsy here for $25.

I've found another Etsy seller who does hand knit items. She has on my favorite sellers list for quite a while because I love winter accessories. Her shop, Impossibly Alice, includes cowls, scarves, and fingerless gloves/wristwarmers. My favorite item that is in her shop right now is probably her Watercolor Cowl Knit. These accessories make for a great winter wardrobe!

Hope you all are enjoying your holidays. Whatever your traditions are, have fun this year and put your heart into them!

Wow this is new!

Hey everyone! This just happens to be my very first blog posting...ever. You might ask why I have suddenly decided to start blogging. Well, though only a teenager, I own my own business. When I was in elementary school, my mom got me an earring making kit for Christmas. From there, I started making all sorts of jewelry. It started as a hobby. I find that making jewelry helps me focus on something fun. Making jewelry helps me de-stress. Once I fell in love with making jewelry, I started making and making. After a while I had a ton of jewelry and nothing to do with it. So, at this point I had reached middle school and I formed the idea of making my own business. 

A middle schooler is hardly business savvy. I had no name, no plan of action, and no customers. Bankrolled by my encouraging mom, I started off my business with less of a bang than one would hope. At fifteen, I discovered Etsy through one of my mom's friends. I did some research and opened my own shop online with Etsy. I have been there since, but my shop has not done well. The improvement of having a place to sell my jewelry led me to create a name (The 803 Originals) and start advertising. Though buying ads have helped, I need more people to know who I am to get sales. I have even tried a Facebook fan page, all to no avail.

I have participated in a craft show, but school has limited my show opportunities. I am now in college and starting to think more seriously about my business. This is something I really enjoy doing, I just wish it could be going better. I have gotten some advice on how to market my business, and so through my blog I hope to share my experience with other crafters and get feedback on my work. 

-Olivia