A long time has passed since I last posted and a lot has happened. I finished the eleven Irish Dance Dresses in November and once they were done I had back surgery the day before Thanksgiving to remove two discs from my neck and had them fused.
The one down side of surgery is the recovery period. You are so limited with what you can do, but you still want to do everything. I was really good during my recovery and did what I was told. I rested and was very careful not to lift anything heavy.
Thank goodness my family was so great with helping me in and out of the recliner, cooking for me, waiting on me, and pampering me. I was even tucked into bed each night...very sweet. I also want to thank all the women who brought dinner and desserts over to my family during this time. The food was so good and they didn't just bring food...we got complete meals. What a treat!
There is an upside to the recovery period, however. I was able to stock up on many books and I took the time to read them from cover to cover. I'm currently reading four books at the same time. It's my equivalent to changing channels on the TV! When I need a break from one, I'll switch to the other.
I love business books. Most of my classes in college dealt with business theory and the fundamentals of business. I prefer the real life stories of how people started businesses, had to overcome problems, and prospered. Social media is something that almost all the books talk about. A great tip I just got from one of my seminars is to pick one day a week to update your social media. When you pick one day a week you can make sure you have it scheduled and then you won't forget to do it. It's so easy to put social media on the back burner, when you're trying to make your production goals, but in order to connect with your customers you really need to keep them informed. So, I'm not sure what day works best for me, but I put every else aside today to sit down and blog.
I also do a lot of research on the Internet. During my "down time" I discovered Pinterest. What an amazing website! It's a feast for the eyes and if you need inspiration, this is the website to visit. I happened to show my daughters this website and they are now hooked on it. We are a family of handmade gifts and projects. We constantly talk about different gifts for upcoming holidays and events. Creativity is key and this website has a wealth of creative ideas.
Since I'm still recovering, I needed to refocus my business. I'm not able to sew at the sewing machine for any length of time, so I decided to start a new product line that allowed me to create without needing a sewing machine. We are no longer doing alterations, but we are now making hair accessories. We had our first show last week at the C. Milton Wright Fashion Show in Bel Air, MD. We received such positive responses about the new product line, that it looks like it was a good move.
I will be posting photos shortly.
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