Just Writing Outloud Webpages verses Landing Page on Blog

Hello Makers I hope all of you enjoyed our first major Holiday and now as I write your getting ready for Christmas/Hanukkah which lead me to how to get customer old and more importantly new ones to purchase your designs? I am having trouble with this I'm told because I don't have a website so my followers both on Instagram & Facebook don't know where they can purchase my designs.

Now in the past I would of said I don't need a webpage but I do need a landing page which I could link to my blog (didn't know this) so I have bought my domain name from GoDaddy for 2.99 for the year and have tried to link it right here and am having trouble seeing I am not savvy in the technical end of computers I went to GoDaddy; they said they will take care of it and it could take up to 48 hours well its been 48 hours and I have no idea if my blog is now working with my domain name or not.   I did this so that I could create a link that my followers could click and it would bring them here and they can see my designs and then purchase them.

So here I am right back where I started no link no webpage and very unhappy. Is there another way to send follower/customers to view your work and buy it? If so please someone tell me so I can tell all the Makers who I know are feeling the same way! I feel the point of followers is to get them to one day purchase your work but without the tools to guide them you will lose sales I now know this to be true!

I feel that Makers need to get all the information ahead of time so they are completely setup to start taking orders whether its on your on webpage or via a blog not doing this first will cost you many a sleepless nights and a whole lot of loss sales.

When I get some information on how to remedy this situation I'm in I will pass it on to all of you! Until then keep Making!

Always
Imperfectly Beautiful

Lorri
xoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxo

Wednesday 11/9 reverse 9/11

Good morning Makers! I've been looking & reading a lot of comments today on social media I thought things were ugly before the election WOW today is worst! I am sure as in any election they will not or can not keep any or all of their promises as the stated in winning you over to vote for them. I guess people thought or think Trump is the lesser of the two evils I say what and see. Then in about a 1 to 2 you will hear the complaints and they will no doubt come from those who votes him in as always we vote we complain... I want to say I am done with this and I will see what he has in store for us in the country that he thinks isn't great anymore and wants to make it great again!

Onward & upward I have like I said been designs with silver metal & bronze clays over the past few weeks and I am happy & frustrated at the same time. I made some rings last night with silver metal clay and after drying & filing I put in the kiln its had a great burn off I kept them in the kiln for 3 hours and they were soft! WHY has this happened to anyone out there? I am so upset I have not idea why this happened.  Please leave a comment below if you have had this happen or you have a answer to why it happened.

Makers have a great day continue on your creative journey explore new ideas engage in conversations give opinions, tips, techniques because giving back is what will move you forward. Do what you do with passion & purpose and there will never be a WHY!

Always,
Imperfectly Beautiful

Lorri
xoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxo

Tuesday Election Day!

Good morning makers! I hope today were if your voting for Hilary will be making history if she wins she will be the 1st woman president and those who like Trump well let's say the first President who used all his own money! Enough of this and I mean it, I have heard seen read enough and tomorrow you will be happy or sad but if you didn't vote you don't have a right to complain. But what really has me upset is how horrible people have been on social media, remember we have a right to like dislike who we choose, I have seen family, friends fight like never before....sad extremely sad... I am hoping whoever wins we get what the promised to get our votes!

So many of you know I am now trying out silver & bronze metal clay's hoping to work them into my design process and give up hand cutting sheet metals..... that brings me to this we need to try experimenting with different ideas, techniques ones that bring you out of your comfort zone and you never know what you might find along the way.

I found a deep new love for silver clay (pmc) and bronze clay so much so I have been making rings. and stamps for signatures, words etc to put into the clay.  So I have tried something new and found that is was wonderful and can easily be added to what I design.

So Makers give something new a try and let me know....leave your comments below and also ask me anything if I know the answers I will let you know and if I don't well I'll research it and hopefully get what you need.

Happy Making!!!!!

Always,
Imperfectly Beautiful

Lorri
xoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxooxo

Thursday If at First you don't succeed do you keep trying?

Good morning Makers:

Hope your week is progressing nicely & your creative energy is flowing through you!

As I stated in my last post I would update you on our new page on FaceBook it is www.facebook.com/forrealmakers I hope you head over there and see us doing lives we do them usually on Tuesday & Friday and we talk about everything & we would love to hear from you comments, suggestions, tips whatever you would like us to talk about. Don't be shy we love feedback and we always keep it real!

Again me and my #partnerincrime Dawn have been extremely busy with the last week of her tutorial (it was 3 weeks and will be available again after the new year) How to Make Signature Tags ending and us trying out products and different bronze clays the week just is flying by and that is something I want to talk/ask about.

When you are feeling stressed about a new design/project and find that no matter what you try it isn't working out what do you do? Do you keep at it or walk away give up or put aside for another time.  I know right away if I am not in a creative mood there is no point for me to do anything simply because I would end up redoing it then throwing it because I am a perfectionist when it come to my work because it represents me and my brand/business. So let's say if I do attempt to create and it isn't going as plan I stop yep stop it saves me time in the long run and I can always go back to finish it. It reminds me of a time when I was knitting up a sweater I have OCD about the stitches lining up and I was almost done and didn't like the way it looked I ended up ripping it out and starting again my husband said what are you doing you were it I said it wasn't perfect so I started it all over again. Have any of you done it?

I guess the point I am trying to make is that we are not on point every single moment of every single day and it is ok to stop what your doing until you feel it is right again I know for myself I will try to get things organized and ready for events if I am doing any or work on my packaging & systems. (two topics we will discuss soon)

Always remember your not a robot your a Maker and we do need a break sometimes without punishing ourselves for taking it. Breaking helps get us get creative again its a good thing!

Always,
Imperfectly Beautiful

Lorri
xoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxo

Product Overview

Good morning Makers I hope your weekend was amazing like you and filled with endless designing.

First I want to say that my BFF Dawn over at https://www.facebook.com/DaVoriajewelry/ instagram @signaturesbydavoria and @davoria.jewelryhave been working together for a weeks few now to see if you can add gold leaf, gold rub n buff and other products that we were told worked. Like by BFF Dawn says I take her places she don't want to go Dawn is focused on her business I am just coming into mine and I drive her crazy I want to do this & that and she is always telling me she is too busy but these past few weeks she had a piece to do and we needed to find out how to put gold over her silver metal clay hence this piece.

Come see us live on facebook around 2:30 3:00 Tuesday November 1st to see what we found out. This live is always entertaining and makes for great conversation, we highly recommend chiming in with questions or tips. We will soon have our own facebook page for Makers.



As I have been saying we as Makers want to bring you products that we have worked with and that we either recommend or don't recommend.  We also are going to work on a video that we will have for you to purchase sometime in late January. This tutorial will give you all the steps not a few that is something else we find to be misleading as well.

I always want to give information that can help you grow either in your designing(making) or in business between myself and Dawn we have a lot of knowledge and we make sure that we have tried all that we talk about.

So tune in tomorrow on facebook and make sure to follow me on instagram as well @imperfectlybeautiful_designs.

Always,
Imperfectly Beautiful Designs

Lorri
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Thursday My Birthday Be Grateful & Say Thank You!

Good morning my Makers:

Today is my 57th Birthday and I have been blessed to see another year, where I have had such growth and learning curves in both my personal & designing life. Today I have received so many warm wishes and I have personally taken the time to thank everyone who remembered me today. Which brings me to the topic.

Remember those you reach out to you whether it's on social media or emails, texts or calls. I get really upset when people don't respond to you after you have taken your time to say something or ask a questions, I feel when on social media you need to respond engage remember the key work Social here and for emails you might be busy but never to busy to respond. You never know if a new customer is reaching out or a current one wants to reorder or has a questions, This to me is key also called proper etiquette I don't think you should ever get so big and sure of yourself that you forget this important rule.

Remember people love to feel important and to have interaction with us so give them that you will be happy you did.

Always
Imperfectly Beautiful

Lorri
xoxoxoxoxo

Wednesday Integrity

Good morning Makers I never run out of things to talk about so today I thought I would talk about Integrity and why it is so important in business especially when your a maker.

in·teg·ri·ty

inˈteɡrədē/

noun

1. 1.

   the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.

   "he is known to be a man of integrity"

   synonyms:

   honesty, probity, rectitude, honor, good character, principle(s), ethics, morals,righteousness, morality, virtue, decency, fairness, scrupulousness, sincerity,truthfulness, trustworthiness "I never doubted his integrity"
2. 2.

   the state of being whole and undivided.

   "upholding territorial integrity and national sovereignty"

   
   

   synonyms:

   unity, unification, coherence, cohesion, togetherness, solidarity "the integrity of the federation"

I thought I would put the meaning of this word here! Read it carefully understand it and be it.
Integrity is something you do everyday whether it's in your business or personal life, it's not something you need to say;  you have to remember Actions Speak Louder Then Words!

When your a maker and you state that you make your entire piece you must truly mean that honesty is one thing you can't afford NOT to be in this business or any business, because there are way to many out there that aren't so honest and this puts a large weight on the shoulders of us who are. Earning trust is key in a makers world.  So when I say I make everything I better be making everything no of course I hope my customers know I don't make the metal glue etc but I do make the piece by hand all of it. I believe that this word Integrity is used so often by those who really don't have any so those of us who do have to work twice as hard.

If you lose Integrity along the way I think you lose a lot more then clients trust in your product, I think everything about you and around you changes. I am not an expert by any means but I do know when something is let say Shady I've been around a long time and have seen those who started out on the journey with good intentions but they got to big  maybe to quickly started doing short cuts and in the end the product suffers and so does your sales.

If you feel that things are getting to big to fast you need to know how to take control maybe you need help if you can't afford it barter with someone or ask family & friends but don't lose your self respect & integrity that my makers is hard to bounce back from.

Until tomorrow

Always,
Imperfectly Beautiful

Lorri
XOXOXOXO

Tuesday Tips for Makers

Good morning Makers, today I thought I would talk about getting yourself ready to put yourself and your brand out to the public.  This takes a lot of preparation which for me was the hardest learning curve to date. WHY? Because there isn't a book on this and half the time when you ask others who are successful they really don't give you the answers you so desperately are seeking. So I am now going to tell you what I have done for far.

When I first started this journey over 2 years ago I had no idea the ups & downs of  trying to sell your work. I'm a maker I make unique pieces thinking this should sell itself ABSOLUTELY NOT once your line is complete you must think of how your going to package it (branding they call this) what works for your work, of course you need business cards so you can pass them out at events or put into your package that you spent weeks on (lol). You must say do I want to sell wholesale or just to boutique do I want to shows all this needs your attention and again there isn't a guide to tell you what is good for you. Research do your homework ask me or what me live with Dawn we will give you honestly helpful tips. Then of course you must have a target market what the "So Called Experts" call "Dream Clients" (this one is a hard on, still working on it) you should already have known your what & why and then you must get into social media oh boy here's a tip not all social media is good LOL.

This is what I use my blog as of late! Instagram there is a course out there calledhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/instacourseshopcompliment/ I took it and once you take it you can retake over & over plus Melissa is an amazing loving soul. When I started that course I had 70 followers now I have 570 but it wasn't easy. You must create a page that is inviting and you must have content that people what to see and oh yes the "Hashtags" very important they are what draws followers in. You must comment, tell a story making what your selling stay in the minds of the follower. I was always wondering I have all these followers but no one is buying and this my friends is the hardest part of social media, all your doing is planting a seed in the minds of the followers it is up to you to keep them coming back and then buying, secrete this is still the hardest part for me is converting the followers into repeat (key word) customers. I'm still at the trying to convert stage but honestly I know what I sell is something people want not need and I also know that having content interaction is helping. So don't give up it take time sometime a very long time.

Remember you are a Maker! Finding your niche takes time and if you have the tools in place it could be a wonderful journey. If not the struggle is real I know because I have fought against all of this and now wholeheartedly have thrown myself in and can truly help you be successful.

Just ask me anything....

Comment here or email at imperfectlybeautifuldesigns@gmail.com

Always,
Imperfectly Beautiful

Lorri
XOXOXOXO

Do Nothing!

Good Afternoon Makers: I hope each of you had a great weekend no matter what you ended up doing! And this what how I have to come this topic DID NOTHING I know sounds like wow she's a maker and she did nothing. Well sometimes and you'll know it when you need to take care of you!

What I mean by that is if you spend all week designing, creating etc. you might need the weekend to take a breath and regroup. I know I did because I am in the middle-end of working on a Video with my BFF Dawn who have put together an amazing 3 week video on Making Signature Tags (if you missed it the next release will be in January) and it have not only been exciting to help produce it but  I am also taking the class and since it is in 3 week intervals I am doing it ahead of the group to make sure we can answer questions. I have worked with silver metal clay before but not to this stage and it is really fun but I also design too so I am doing both.

And this is why I needed the weekend to regroup I was feeling sluggish and tried and not creative so I just hung out at home did very little in the designing department but I was ok with it and we all need to learn to be ok with not doing what we are passionate about just so we can come into it new and refreshed.

So take time to pamper yourself it doesn't have to be on the weekend only anytime you feel the stress building up do this:  whether you read, soak in a tub, walk, get a pedi-mani or just hang out with your loved ones know by doing this you will come back with a great creative mind & spirit.


Remember makers ask me anything if I don't know the answer I will seek it out & keep making!

Always,
Imperfectly Beautiful
Lorri

XOXOXOXO

Maker's Show Are They Worth It?

Good morning maker's I hope you all have had a product week and are getting ready for the weekend.  So what are you doing this October weekend? Are you doing any events?  Which leads me to the topic Knowing What Events Work For You.

I did quite a few events last year and I learned a lot! I learned that not all events are equal what do I mean there is a great divide on this because I feel that Crafter's who craft and learn a technique sell throughout the year at local school/fairs/etc. they are very good & talented people and then there are Artist they spend hours upon hours design their entire piece from start to finish like I do and our price points are usually quite different and so when I was at one of those meshed events I didn't do well not at all. Don't get me wrong I made a lot of contacts but no money. Unfortunately their isn't as far as I know a site the can tell you exactly what type of show it is and I have never after a event been asked to fill out a questionnaire which I think would greatly help both the Event Coordinator and us don't you?

So here is your chance to give me some feedback on your thoughts about shows. I have decided to pick my show differently I have asked artist who are in my realm of work their thoughts are shows that they have done and so far I haven't been doing many this year.

Always,
Imperfectly Beautiful Designs

Lorri
XOXO

So Many Passions

Today I watched Marie TV with Seth Godin and I connected with him WHY because he thinks like me you can have a lot of passions, you don't have to find your purpose he said "There is no  such thing" people hide behind that statement. He stated there are emotions & challenges that we can sign up for to me that means choose what makes you internally happy/passionate and seek that out and then do it.

 He also went on to say that do what you love and yes you might make a few bad decisions but along the way you might make a few good ones too. And not everyone has a calling...it's according to Seth is nonsense... but I understand what he is saying and if you go here http://www.marieforleo.com/2016/10/seth-godin/?utm_campaign=TheTruthAboutYourCallingwithSethGodin&utm_medium=Broadcast&utm_source=Email&utm_term=NewsletterList&utm_content=SethGodin you'll get the whole conversation.

I feel like that as well I design I knit, I crochet, I sew and I design with metals I work in concrete, wood, canvas and I love them ALL! I am focused on Image Transferring now because people have a need to see pictures, drawings, signatures on various surfaces to keep the memory alive and in between I do design in one of my other areas because I can and I love it.

So my point to this blog is to let you know do what you love and keep moving forward and you will fall into your passion.

Oh yeah like Seth I type like I talk another reason why I adore him.

Have a soulful productive day.

Always,

Imperfectly Beautiful
Lorri