I do wander everywhere

Oberon "Wither wander you" Print from Akimbo

Can you guess where I wander this week?

 
 Be the first and I'll send you a souvenir.

Uncovering Recovery

Raise your hand if you've looked at all the re-upholstery tutorials on the net and thought "I could totally do that!"

Yeah? Okay, now raise your hand if you tried to do that and ended up with a lumpy mass of padding and fabric punctuated by a few injured (read: stapled) fingers. No? I'm the only one. Fine.

But if you have entertained the idea of doing your own furniture recovery you are going to love the lady I'm Tooling Around with today at Scoutie Girl.

Shelly Leer, proprietress of Mod Home Ec, is so cool! She is super enthusiastic about her tools and passionate about her work.

Shelly teaches classes in upholstery for every skill level.

So, if you are far more savvy with power tools than I, check out what Shelly had to say about three of her favorites here. Then, check out the amazing tutorials on her blog.

A little something Shelly whipped up in a weekend.

On the other hand, if you are exactly like me and can only use tools under adult supervision and you happen to live near Indianapolis, Indiana you should definitely sign up for one of her classes.

Smells like...

...it's time for another Tooling Around post at Scoutie Girl!

I talk with Donna of DSO Soapery and Such about keeping a clean set of records.

DSO Soapery's briwn sugar scrub in oatmeal, milk, and honey. Delicious!

We just clicked

You guys might remember me sending you to check out a Tooling Around interview I did with Suzannah of Adventures in Dressmaking.   Well, Suzannah is a doll, but this post isn't about her. Because of her, though, I was introduced to the awesome talent that is Becky Nerpal.

How could you not want this woman to take your picture?

Who does a photographer trust when it comes to her own head shots? Becky relies on the talents of Levy Moroshan

Between running Studio 623 and running after her two toddlers, Becky fit in some time to answer a few questions about the pretty way she captures life.

1. Your bio touches on your high school photography class.  What other classes, books, life experiences have you used to augment what seems to be a natural talent?
I own a few books on photography and religiously follow blogs, magazines, etc. for inspiration, helpful hints, and the occasional tutorial. I took an online class in Photoshop when I first purchased the software and know the manuals for each of my cameras inside and out. The more years I have under my belt as a photographer the more experiences I have to draw from. The rest is instinct, natural talent, whatever you prefer to call it :) 

2. While your portfolio shows a mixture of indoor and outdoor photo sessions you seem to favor the outdoors.  Can you tell me the pros and cons of shooting indoors? Outdoors?

I don't know that I prefer one over the other; the location of my shoots tends to depend on client requests and outdoors doing real life activities is IN right now! Here in Oregon, the obvious pro of being outdoors it the variety of beautiful scenery! Outdoors is less predictable as far as lighting, weather, and other variables. Indoors is popular for boudoir, maternity and newborn photography, or for anyone who is looking for a traditional portrait style. Indoors is obviously much more predictable and it's easier to control the lighting; the con is that the variety is slightly more limited for say, senior or family photos. 

Outdoor engagement shoot with Beth Clementson and Drew Skoglund. Please click on the image to see more of Becky's work with couples.

3. A lot of photographers list their equipment.  I don't know anything about what makes a good camera so tell me why should I care what equipment you use, and, while we are on the subject, what do you use?
This is an interesting question and one I've thought a lot about lately. I shot award winning photos with my first digital camera; a $150 Sony point and shoot. I started upgrading when I became limited by my camera. In other words, when what I saw with my eyes and imagined in my mind couldn't be captured or reproduced with that camera. Today I shoot with my Canon 5D Mark II and either a 70-200L, 28-105L, or 50mm 1.2 lenses. I have a lens for every application and a camera that allows me to shoot in very low/creative light situations. People looking to hire a photographer should care about equipment, although equipment doesn't define a photographer. 

4. Talk to me about making the transition from waterfalls and flowers to people and portraits.

Taking photographs of flowers and waterfalls was pleasing to me, and to people who I gifted those prints, but I really got hooked when the outcome of my first Senior Photo session was a teenage girl who felt AWESOME, CONFIDENT and beyond happy with her images.

This was the first, but for more of Becky's portrait work please visit her website.

 By the way, I'm taking that same girl's maternity and newborn sessions this spring :) 

5. What five words best describe your style/approach to photography?

Relaxed

Authentic

Flexible

Sensitive

Enthusiastic

6.Unfortunately, weddings cannot be rescheduled when the lighting is bad and brides will insist on being married in hard-to-shoot buildings. How do you make good photos when you are in a bad location or lighting situation?

This is where auxiliary lighting comes in. Soft boxes, bounce flashes, transmitters all work wonders at making dark rooms look naturally lit. I think I thrive on hard to shoot locations. It is a challenge to me to quickly pinpoint areas that will work, and create fixes for areas that are out of my control (mottled light right on the alter). 

7. Not all clients are creative and few perform well in front of a camera. How do you manage your clients' expectations and/or encourage them to think outside of the box when working with you.

I do a lot of demonstration, which has the added benefit of looking (I imagine) so completely ridiculous that my clients loosen up and laugh a little. I usually give very basic instructions or create a scenario and then make minor adjustments to the "pose" from there. I make every effort to have poses look natural. If something looks forced or awkward, we move on. 

Outdoor engagement shoot with Beth Clementson and Drew Skoglund. Please click on the image to see more of Becky's work with couples.

8. My friends want me to ask :
-Normal/natural makeup or going heavier for photos?

I prefer going a bit heavier, but not so much that it looks artificial. 
Boudoir should be heavier than usual.
Senior or Family Photos should lean more towards natural with maybe an extra pop of color. 

-Should we wear clothes that match for the engagement shots or does that look too cohesive?

For engagement shots, I like coordinated but not matching (unless it's themed, like a recent couple who sported a local NBA Team's jerseys for part of their shoot. My favorites tend to be coordinated neutrals (say, a tan sweater for her and chocolate vest for him) with pops of color (add turquoise scarf to tan sweater). There's no need to dress identically :)

-Does the client have a say in how the photos are "processed" (meaning black and white, antiquing, and other digital effects)?

I definitely take client input on this. I generally shoot in color and then make copies either because I think something will look awesome in B&W or because the client wants that photo to look a certain way. If I do special effects on a photo, the original or "normally processed" photo usually accompanies it on the CD. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, Becky, when do you get to Florida? I have plans for us, girl. As for brides-to-be, graduating seniors, and photo-less families, get yourselves over to Studio 623 and book this amazing woman for your spring photos post haste!

Happy Friday!

You guys are going to think I am nuts, but the first time I had a chance to stay connected to NPJ while on the road I totally failed!

Today at Scoutie Girl I'm talking about that and a few awesome folk who know how to work it on the road.

Stop by and weigh in on taking your tools to go.

Let's recap

Okay kids, it's gonna get a little heavy up in here for a minute. I suppose it is always best to start at the beginning.

I began blogging, I don't know, nine years ago? I felt a sort of disconnect with most of the world. I was young (19-ish), employed full time,newlywed, had just bought a house, and pretty much leading a very different life from everyone else I knew. They were all college bound singles, renting crummy apartments with a handful other college bound singles, maybe working part time, and pretty much having the time of their lives every Thursday through Saturday night. Before the days of Facebook, blogging was my way of connecting with the alien culture of my peers. By connecting, I mean spying.

I logged in regularly to capture a thought or two of my own before skulking about my friends' pages envying whatever it was I thought they had. So it went for a few years. Then, I changed jobs, got myself one of those fabulous creatures they call a baby, Facebook happened, my marriage stopped happening, the house had to be sold, I became college-bound, and picked up two (or three, I forget) additional jobs.

And still, I was living a life separate from my peers. But I logged on to my blog and to Facebook so I could capture a thought or two of my own before poking about on my friends' pages and envying whatever it was I thought they had. Then, I fell in love with a cute smart incredible boy, I changed jobs, continued college, got married, quit my job, graduated, moved to another state, and got a new job.


Regularly, I logged on to my (new) blog and to Facebook so I could capture a thought or two of my own before flitting about my friends' pages to see what they were up to these days. I was happy. But not content. Then, I made a pair of bridal garters as a shower gift for a dear friend and somebody said "you should sell these!"

In the beginning there was very bad photography

Yes, yes I should!  I had made this very personal gift with a lot of love - a quality most products out there lacked. The cogs started turning, plans were made, and I moved to yet another state where I launched Never a Plain Jane Designs.

And all along I blogged about my life and my family, and the adventures of being in business for oneself. Then...

Then, I asked for some advice on making my blog more popular so I could spread the gospel of handmade garters made with love.It was, ahem, strongly suggested take out the stuff related to my life and my family. So I did. I cried the whole time, but I did.

A year went by. A year in which I spent hours researching topics appropriate for my business blog. I almost never touched my personal blog. Blogging became a chore.  Each post felt like only half the story.  Or, even worse, it felt like someone else's story. I had been happy with just enough discontent to make me want to keep changing/growing/making/blogging, but now the discontent had taken over. I logged in regularly so I could capture a few thoughts (often not my own) before heading down the rabbit hole of blogs and wondering how anyone else could get pleasure out of blogging.

Then, I stopped.

For the past month I have been neither blogging nor reading blogs. I had told myself I would do research and build up my list of scheduled posts, but I didn't. I didn't want to do much of anything, actually, and I think I know why.

It is exhausting keeping my life compartmentalized. It is hard just being part of a person for a portion of the day. Never a Plain Jane Designs is based on things that are important to me, things that make me laugh, things that make me think, things that make, well, me!

So I am back to blogging about my business. And my family and my life. Because it feels genuine. I want people to like me, to feel connected to me, and then want to buy my designs because I made something just for them. And I made it with love.

Now you know the beginning and the middle. This is not the end, it is just the now, but it is a good place to stop.

For now.

Mod bits (and pieces)

Over at Scoutie Girl I get to interact with a lot of awesome people, one of whom is Lia Fagan.

Lia does about a thousand things, but she's best known for her decor blog, Mod Nest, and Mod Pieces, a line of restyled lighting. I love love love checking out the latest magic she's worked upon vintage and discarded lamps.

Bridget Twins from Mod Pieces

Several months ago, Lia launched a new product line - lamp shade adornments!  She asked her fellow Scoutie Girl contributors for some help naming her new line. I suggested "Mod Bits" because I thought it played nicely with "Mod Pieces;" you know - Bits and Pieces.  Lia agreed!

Mod Bit

+

Mod Pieces

=

Bits and Pieces!

Then, Lia thanked me by offering me a Mod Bit of my very own.  See?  I get to work with awesome people! I really wanted something black and white for the Never a Plain Jane studio.  Unfortunately, I'm still searching for just the right lamp and couldn't bring myself to put my new bit on my placeholder lamp. No worries, though. Lia's little adornments can pretty much go anywhere so...

Hexagon Motif Adornment designed by Etsian, Patricia Banner, exclusively for Mod Pieces

...I used mine to add a bit of mod to an antique picture frame. I jazzed up some clothespins so I can use this baby as a sort of memo board.

Sweet, right?

Think of the possibilities! You can add a little zest to your decor in a snap! Lamp shades, curtain tie-backs, plant pots...

Zipper Lamp Shade Adornment designed by Etsian, Stephanie Hill, exclusively for Mod Pieces.

You can have a set for every season - winter, spring, summer, and fall!

Sunny Circle Lamp Shade Adornment designed by Etsian, Carrie McChesney, exclusively for Mod Pieces

You could even buy several to clip on your Christmas tree and hand out as favors at your holiday party!

Now, back to Lia and her awesomeness.
1. She's helping turn around our "throw-away" culture by giving new life to old lamps.

2. She is spreading the love of handmade by inviting fellow small business artists to contribute to her collection.

3. She is offering NPJ readers a 50% discount in her Etsy shop with the code "MODBITSPROMO"!

See? Aweome!

So what do you think of Lia's Mod Bits?  You have to let me know if you get one.

Lessons in Fab with Jill Fontaine of Stay Calm Cupcake

Don't these look just scrumptious!?

Chocolate/Vanilla Variety Pack

That's just a taste of the fabulousness hidden in Daytona Beach.  To find out how you can get your hands on these and dozens of other tasty treats check out this interview I did with my favorite baker.

As a side note, these mini's are Emily approved!

10 Vanilla Minis

Lessons in Fab with Alicia Parsons of Akimbo

Alicia Parsons is this sweet, chic, quirky Aussie that I stalk via the internet. Her paper goods are just so cute and she makes the stalking so easy thanks to her blog, Etsy shop, and Pinterest (not to mention her many guest posts on totally posh blogs such as Houzz). If you are planning a party - wedding, birthday, whatever - Alicia has the goods to make a truly fabulous occasion. And! She's kindly agreed to let me interview her! Keep reading to learn more about the smiling face behind

 

1. The “about” and “bio” pages of Akimbo tell me you’ve been in graphic design for several (five) years but I want to know more! Where and when did you start – grade school? University?

From a young age I knew I wanted to be some kind of designer and by the end of high school I’d narrowed it down to graphic design. I went on to study Visual Communication at uni and then worked as a designer in the advertising and printing industries for five years before going it alone as a stationery designer.

2. What do you use from your corporate years and what were you happy to leave behind?

During my employed years I learnt a huge amount about the technical side of design: using software, understanding paper and printing. I also did the odd freelance job, which was fantastic experience in client relations, quoting, bookkeeping and production management. When I left, I was happy to see the end of a lack of creative freedom and ability to run things my way.

3. Um, Akimbo? 

      Like the hands-on-hips stance, it's got attitude. It's fun, quirky and will make you look sideways.

Alicia Parsons, the chick behind Akimbo

4. You've been featured in so many enviable places! How did that happen?

      I just ask! Remember that even the biggest bloggers are still just regular people, looking for daily content. Make it easy for them by tagging your photos, providing good copy and even offering to code the whole thing if it's a guest post. I've still had my share of rejections though. Don't take it personally: even smaller bloggers like me have a posting schedule that's organised well in advance and may not be able to accommodate an extra post. 

5. Is your Etsy shop the only way potential clients can purchase your fabulous goods?

At this stage, yes, but am working on a whiz-bang new website that will have its own shop. Stay tuned!

6. In true Type A form, you are totally anti-clutter.  Have your paper works always reflected that or have you had to hone that skill?

If you could see my desk right now you wouldn’t be saying that! I’d say my Type A personality doesn’t manifest itself in my designs with simplicity, but rather with a high level of attention to detail. It also means that looser styles don’t come as naturally to me – I had to step out of my comfort zone recently to do my first hand-illustrated invitation.

Brew Invitation from Akimbo

  
7. What are some of the qualities you look for in good printing paper?

I am currently in the surprisingly complicated process of sourcing the best papers for some new sample kits I’m producing (so that online customers can see and feel the paper before ordering). I seek out the stock that will achieve the look I’m after, then I run it past my print guru to check that it’s suitable from a technical point of view. Generally speaking, I look for stocks that are heavy to give a nice substantial feel and not too porous so the ink doesn’t bleed.

8. Do you use a regular office printer or some sort of magical industrial machine?

I outsource all of my printing to ensure the highest quality. The majority of jobs are produced at a local printer who has the best digital press in town, while I have screen-printing and letterpress done by specialists interstate.

9. Can you share part of your journey as an indie-prenuer? Have you stuck with a plan or have there been some detours?

I wrote a business plan as part of the preparation to launch Akimbo and it’s actually been quite accurate. Unexpected opportunities have come up which have changed some of the details but for the most part I have stuck with it. Even if you’ve been trading for a while, I would still recommend drafting a business plan to keep you on track with your brand’s message and strategy.

10.   Have you found marketing and PR techniques that have really worked for you? What about PR busts?

Blogging and social media have been great to increase trust and engagement with potential customers while blog and magazine features have introduced me to new audiences. I put a lot of effort into excellent customer service and meeting other wedding vendors, so I hope in time this will result in word-of-mouth referrals.

I recently held my first sale: I was so excited about it and was convinced it was going to be a hit but it was a total flop! To be honest I can’t work out why, so future promotions may be a case of trial and error. I’ve also made the mistake of listing in wedding directories that don’t attract my target audience. It’s no use getting twenty enquiries a day if none of them is ever going to buy from you.

11.  All of your paper goods are just so delicious! Can you pick just one favorite?

Gosh, thank you! Obviously my own wedding invitations are a sentimental favourite,

Mortlock Invitation by Akimbo

but I’m most excited about what’s yet to come, in particular a couple of upcoming collections that involve printing onto non-traditional surfaces.

12.   Speaking of how good your products look – what can you tell me about taking such great photographs?

It’s so funny you say that – I’ve learnt so much about product photography in the last year that I’m looking at the photos of my debut range and cringing! The single biggest thing is lighting: if you don’t have good lighting indoors, head outside but make sure you’re under shade or cloud cover (you don’t want direct light). Either way, never ever use your flash! It will distort the colours and create horrible harsh shadows. I have just invested in an SLR and the ability to manipulate the light and focus has made a huge difference.

From a styling point of view, make sure you have something that’s consistent across your range. The easiest way to do this is to use the same backdrop for every product. Personally, I use a different backdrop to suit the collection’s theme, but I always take the shots in a similar style to ensure consistency.

13.   Tell me about your ideal workspace.

Oh I daydream about my ideal studio! I’d love a bright, airy space with a brightly painted concrete floor, some funky industrial details and a nice garden view.

That said, I love the way my office looks and the only issue is space.

 Photos from Alicia's blog, A Typical Type A

I’d love a bigger room where I can have a dedicated messy area for drawing, painting and craft projects, another area for packing and shipping orders plus storage space to stop envelopes and cards from taking over the room!

14. For the most part, your focus seems to be weddings. Would you rather design for the royal wedding, a weekend of nuptial bliss in Vegas, or a sweet barnyard bridal fete?

Definitely not a royal wedding: too much tradition and outdated etiquette equals boring-with-a-capital-B invitations. You could have a lot of fun with a Vegas wedding, but I’d definitely say the barn wedding: a heart-warming, intimate event with an eclectic style and lots of personal touches is everything I adore in a wedding.

15.  What do you wish more customers knew?

When shopping around for wedding invitations, I wish customers realised they’re not always comparing apples with apples. It’s not their fault: when the market is saturated with DIY kits and Etsy sellers using their home printer to produce invitations in their spare time, it’s no surprise customers get sticker shock when they get a quote for quality custom-designed invitations. For the record, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with the other options (if it’s what you’re looking for at the right price, that’s great!) the issue occurs when brides have seen these incredible invitations on top-notch wedding blogs but haven’t budgeted accordingly.

16. What paper product do you wish you’d designed?

Oh there are some amazingly talented people out there so I admit I do suffer from design envy sometimes! Worse than that, though, is when you see someone else produce an idea that you had but just never got around to producing.

17. What is your unicorn – you know, that concept you haven’t quite mastered, but once you do will tell you you have arrived?

What a great question! I never have any problem coming up with new ideas, but sometimes the finished product doesn’t always reflect what I had in mind. I look forward to the day when I’m able to use my tools (by that I mean by hand or computer) is such a way that I can always achieve what I set out to.

18.   Are you planning to get any bigger?  Well, not you, but Akimbo? (Hello, I need better business cards. Wrapping paper is also good.)

Yes yes yes! At the moment I am focusing on adding a whole bunch of new invitation designs. I’ve also just added art prints to my range, which I’d love to expand on.

Regency Alphabet Print from Akimbo

 I have bazillion ideas of products I’d love to release (yes, including wrapping paper and more business cards) but as only one person I need to be wary of spreading myself too thin and losing sight of Akimbo’s main focus, which is event stationery.

19.   For which celebrity would you like to design invitations?

I’ve never been particularly interested in celebrities. But if someone in the wedding industry, who was well respected and had fabulous taste, commissioned me to do her own wedding invitations? Now THAT would be an honour!

Want to know more about Alicia? I don't blame you.  In addition to the links at the top of the page, you can also find her on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, or by e-mail. 


Thank you so much Alicia for putting up with my fawning and then taking the time to answer my questions.  You are a total gem!

How to annoy me

Don't open until 9:00 a.m. on weekdays.  I got my butt in gear so I could open a business account first thing this morning.  Why does my bank start its work day later than I do?

Like everybody else I've got a dream

In case you missed it, my dream is to have people lining up to possess a custom NPJ garter.

via Aaliya Zaveri

But that's kind of a big dream.  And I suspect it won't happen by tomorrow. Or even all at once. So I made myself some goals. I have five I'd like to reach in my virgin year of business but some are boring such as "buy accounting software."  There are two, however, I think you might be interested in.  In fact, they actually involve you!

First, I'd like this screen to look a little different:

I'd like it to be about nine times bigger. As in - I want 100 followers by January 31, 2012.

I'm already making good progress on goal two: average one sale a week.  So far 2011 has enjoyed six sales. Don't get me wrong, I am THRILLED to have sold six of my unique pretties.  I just know there are at least 46 more legs out there that would look incredible sporting one of these:

Rose red

Tied up and buttoned down

Zip It!

Today is Earth Day (just like yesterday)

Happy Earth Day!

Photo by Krista Long

Probably everyone and her second cousin once removed is blogging about green-ness and sustainability and trees today.  Well, everyone except for those people who started prepping us last week.  (I'm looking at you Tina Jett.) A lot of those people, Tina Jett included, are totally sincere.  And, because there is such sincere, widespread concern about the fate of our planet, a few people use that to sell whatever it is they sell.  Those people suck.

That said, I had prepared a post for today outlining some of the efforts made by Never a Plain Jane Designs  to be green. Then, NPR ran an interview with the StephenDubner, author of Freakonomics, about Conspicuous Conservation and I just felt sort of dirty.

-side note: this is a common problem for small businesses, especially those owned by women.  It is really hard to talk oneself up in any capacity because it feels so much like the bragging our mamas taught us to avoid. I do "green" because I want to, but I began to worry this post would look like a big sales pitch.-

But I do employ green practices where I can and know how.  I do these things because they are important to me. I am telling you about them because I want you to know I run a company that will try to accommodate your desire to buy green products. I, after all, make pretty things. I have no intention of making my home - our home- ugly in the process. I do not recite a tree-huggers ode as some sort of company pick-up line.

Almost every garter I make contains recycled or upcycled material. You can see this pretty clearly in my All Tied Up line.

Unique garter from necktie

And, once upon a time, this little pretty was a cocktail dress from Nine West and a silk camisole from Ann Taylor.

Unique garter featuring brown and aqua silk

So far, I've been able to use a great deal of upcycled materials in my packaging as well. For each of my garters I make a pillow out of leftover yardage and stuffed with fabric scraps, snippets of thread, and dried lavender. The pillow helps the garter retain its shape during shipping and the lavender keeps dust mites at bay.  Tissue paper, brown paper wrapping, and boxes used for shipping are all reused as well.

As far as Never a Plain Jane is concerned today was Earth day, yesterday was Earth day, tomorrow will be Earth day. Next Tuesday? That will be Earth day too. If you'd like to add some Earth Day into your wedding day as well I'd be thrilled to take part in it.  Here are a few other places to help you along:

Bella Figura, environmental artisan letterpress!

Green Dandelion Floral Design, specializing in environmentally friendly wedding and event floral design.

Style Unveiled Eco-chic, tips to help you cut down your carbon stiletto-print

Getting me out of my way

Two weeks ago I talked about changing my approach to blogging. This change essentially marks the beginning of me finally getting out of my way.

I'll tell you a secret: I'm pretty insecure. I am not always sure my garters are the best garters out there. Sometimes I worry they aren't even the very best they can be. Also, I'm not sure I'm a good writer so I worry my blog isn't very good or even entertaining. And I am pretty sure I'm not going about this small business thing quite the right way. Oh yeah, and I'm really short, my hair is often frizzy, I get more breakouts than a 15 year old, my laugh is really loud...

But, and here's another secret, I'm also really awesome. I can combine colors and fabrics like nobody's business. I am excellent at offering customer service. I write in my own voice, which might be bad from a technical writing standpoint but means my readers can get a good dose of enthusiasm, personality and quirkiness every time they visit. I also have pretty good grammar. And let's not forget my stellar legs, pretty feet, tenacity, fashion sense, sympathy bone, bravery...

In my old way of blogging I threw all those things together into a big jumbled jumble of jumbling jumbledness. I wanted people to come to my blog and see that I am a whole person who puts her whole self into ever part of her life. And I wanted everyone to love me for it. Because I'm insecure. See, it didn't matter that my mom or husband or friends thought I was awesome because they have to think that. I wanted perfect strangers to find me awesome and come flocking to my blog to tell me so.

But that need for reassurance was getting in my way. I do think people will appreciate my garters more if they really connect with me, but there is no sense in forcing it. In fact, I was worrying so much about being liked that I was stressed out, bogged down, and losing sight of making things I like - garters. So, after about a week of moping I made the change - I put some separation between my business and the rest of my life. I told my insecure, compliment-fishing self to get out of my way. It was pretty hard. We fought for a few days and I almost gave in, but, after a few tears, I sent me on my way.

I still put all of me into my work. I'm still insecure, too, but I no longer need the world wide internet visiting my blog to make those feelings go away.  Instead, I use them to look at what I've done with a critical eye then fix the things that might truly be a problem.  Now both parts of me feel better, my blog is more cohesive, and the stress reduction has reopened my creative pathways. Whew, I'm a little hard to get over.

(You can still see many other parts of my life at my new old personal blog, Inexplicably Endearing)

Do you ever get in your own way?  How have you gotten over yourself?

What is going on around here?

I realize it may have been a bit jarring to visit several days in a row only to find this place turned upside down, sideways, or even plaid.  Never a Plain Jane Designs is changing and so too must Never a Plain Jane the blog.

I want this to be a place where I can explore and share how craft fits into the life of a crafter.

The crafter and her craft...sometimes it is hard to distinguish where one stops and the other starts. When I am "off work" and hanging with my kiddo I am by no means immune to the inspiration all around us.  I'm also not going to pretend that I am only thinking of garters and brides when I am creating my pretty pieces of leg jewelry.  Sometimes I'm actually thinking my latest hemming technique would work spectacularly on the living room curtains. Because I so strongly beleive I am Never a Plain Jane and Never a Plain Jane is me, I have recorded every facet of my life in one place. But just as I send Emily off to school so she can grow, I need to have more separation between my business and my personal life so they can both continue to grow.

With this blog I hope to create a space where readers can experience the story, and the journey, of my ever-evolving business.

Right now, I am in the business of making garters - unique garters for offbeat brides, burlesque, your average Tuesday...Why? Because garters are important. The materials, the design, the colors are all expressing something about the wearer.  Sometimes she wants to express those things to someone else - like a spouse - and sometimes she just wants a private reminder that she is strong/sexy/whimsical - insert adjective here.

By sharing the things that inspire my work I provide you with a platform in which to explore, find, and appreciate the things that make you feel the most you; that make you feel your very best.

And because they are among the things that make me feel the most me, I have not relegated Emily and Ben to blog posts of the past. I am currently building a second blog where I can chat about them and other parts of my life to my heart's content.  They will probably make an appearance over here every once in awhile as well.


Now I've talked about me and my wants, but this blog is every bit as much about you, my most darling readers.

What do you think of this new direction? What do you want to get out of it?