Friday, June 28, 2013

To boldly go...into the weekend.

Can't believe it's Friday already. Very little actually got accomplished this week due to "the convention hangover." That's what my friends and I decided to call it.
Oh, but my sister and I DID accomplish finally taking our parents to see Star Trek II: Into Darkness! Woot Woot! They laughed and cried and said it was awesome just like I knew they would.. If you didn't get the chance to see it, hurry up before it leaves theaters! J. J. Abrams achieved the perfect balance of action, well-rounded plot and character development. And every single actor exceeded expectations. Excellent!


Okay, my geek is showing, moving on!

A few things...

I saw this on Pinterest, Oscar de la Renta from 2008. It reminded me of a skirt I just bought from T.J. Maxx for $15. :)




This is a brilliant idea! I have about 20 potential camera straps hanging in my closet right now! Check out the instructions here at The House That Lars Built.




A drink for your weekend... Watermelon Lemonade Slushy. My family and I broke into our first watermelon of the year last night:



Listen to this and enjoy your weekend!



AND GO SEE STAR TREK! ;)

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Refocus...


If you've been reading my little blog from Day 1, you may have noticed that I like to step back and refocus on my life and the direction my business is going in from time to time. After the convention I attended this past weekend (an annual event that puts me in the company of people who do a lot to shape who I am). I have some reevaluating to do. Now, more than ever, I feel the importance of Banana Grove Designs in my life. There's SO much to think about, and I often have a difficult time knowing exactly where to start. I thought it might be interesting to show you the process I went through yesterday and today to thoughtfully consider all areas of running BGD.

To help all the jumbled factors make sense, I utilized a tool that has helped this disorganized young woman on many occasions... le cluster.

This doesn't even cover shipping/packaging, or financial planning, but it includes most of the areas I'm juggling at the moment. And it's probably not a true cluster because there are no branches shooting off the main eight categories, but I don't want to overwhelm anyone (including myself). After brainstorming about BGD and all the categories in the cluster, I listed what I plan to do in each area to keep moving forward.

  • Blogging - carry on with daily posts and stay connected with leading bloggers through comments
  • Pinterest/FB posts - Pinterest has been one of the most enjoyable ways to promote. It hasn't generated a huge amount of traffic, but I'm steadily gaining followers and have fun looking at pretty pictures (who doesn't?). FB is an area I'm struggling with at the moment. I really hate bombarding my followers with posts about my new listings all the time and want to create a community of BGD fans that interact about more than my jewelry. But, how? Seeking advice in this area...
  • Selling locally - putting together a collection of pieces to show to a local boutique owner. Investigating licenses in other states to sell in boutiques down south.
  • Dealing w/ manufacturers, ordering, etc. - Focusing in on a few key manufacturers, searching for someone equipped to create unique elements for me from scratch, looking for local manufacturers.
  • Bookkeeping - least fun area. Get help here. Using Outright!
  • Giveaways, blog features, other marketing - This is one of my favorite areas! Love interacting with the bloggers who feature me. Hire photographer to take photos for ads.
  • Learning & Creating - Reading Jess Lively's e-book, taking online workshops on new techniques. Constantly looking for inspiration. (I was in Fossil tonight and was really inspired by some of their beautiful, simple leather strap and metal mix bracelets.) 
  • Hands-on "Making" - This is the crowning jewel of the entire cluster, so to speak. If there was no picking up wire, stones and a pair of pliers, there would be no BGD. I'm working really hard to get 100 pieces listed in my shop. That's my current goal. There are some gorgeous gems sitting on my bench that no one has even seen yet, and I'm really excited to show them to you.

Now I feel better. And now I look way more organized than I truly am. This might be a rather extensive process for you, who may only require a sticky note and a to-do list, but it really helps me to sort through the details and focus on each one individually. What process do you go through to refocus? Share with me, please?


Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Love for Etsy

Today is all about Etsy...I'm sharing some of the gorgeous pieces I've come across recently and showing gratitude to the platform that makes my young business possible. Etsy has helped thousands of people quit their "day jobs" and work from home to the benefit of their creative goals and/or family situations. It's very exciting to be a part of the handmade, work-from-home, artisan movement that Etsy is all about. I hope to be one of the most successful success stories to come out of this community, and am grateful to the Lord for leading me to it. Here's to you, Etsy!














Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Sorry, dozed off, what've I missed?



Hey Everybody! I have returned to the land of normalcy. For the last five days I was involved in running a statewide homeschool convention that left me feeling a little like a zombie. Very little sleep, concession stand food and emotions spiking up and down... It was an amazing weekend, though! :) But now I'm home and although it will take a bit of time to recuperate and stop walking dead, I'm ready to focus on my grove. :) What's been going on while I was away?

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

I Never Do This...


I rarely post anything wedding related on Pinterest. It's just not me. My philosophy is that once I meet the man I'm going to marry, he'll totally influence what our wedding will be like, so why should I start dreaming up the "perfect day" when it's undoubtedly going to change? No offense to anyone who loves wedding pinning, I just think I'm prone to getting overly attached to ideas. :) I don't want to get my heart set on those succulent wedding favors just to hear him say he thinks the "tiny cactuses" are silly looking (that's what my future husband will probably call a succulent). Since, I have yet to meet the future hubby, I have no clue what to expect. :) Yet... I have always loved wedding gowns with short sleeves, and when I saw this simple, classic dress in these wedding photos from TBarton Photography, I really wanted to pin them! Take a peek...






Stunning gown, no? Isn't this photo shoot gorgeous, too?! Check out the rest of it here. And get a load of the banner for TBarton's blog. ;)

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Homemade Orange & Cranberry Face Scrub...What!!!



I saw this face scrub recipe from Sincerely, Kinsey the other day and immediately recognized a win! What could be more refreshing than rubbing a bunch of fruit and oatmeal puree on your face and washing it away with all of your dead skin cells? (that kind of sounded like sarcasm, but it wasn't!) Orange peel and cranberries...it would smell amazing, too. For the full recipe, click here.



All photos from Sincerely, Kinsey


Monday, June 17, 2013

Roses



So, enjoy the roses blooming outside your windows today like Dale says! :) I hope everyone had a great Father's Day! My dad wanted to celebrate by eating BBQ and watching golf. Someone somewhere push one of those easy buttons for me, please.

I'm looking forward to potentially doing another giveaway soon! Emmaline Bride has offered to host one, and I'm wondering...which piece do you think we should giveaway? The "Fool's Gold" necklace:


OR


the gold "Elizabeth" hoops...

What say you? Let me know in the comments! Of course, I can't make the "fool's gold" necklace silver, but I can offer sterling silver or gold finishes in the Elizabeth hoops...


My sister and I have been listening to Ben Rosenbush and the Brighton a lot lately. We saw him live around Christmas and were blown away by the quality of Ben's voice. Take a listen...

Arms of Fortune
West

See y'all tomorrow!


Friday, June 14, 2013

Happy Friday!


image c/o petitealma


More "end of week" tidbits :)


  • Father's Day ideas from Julep... I think my dad's getting a tie cookie on a stick for Father's Day this year. :) He got a basketball goal for his birthday/father's day gift earlier, but he still needs a cookie!










  • Got my e-book, Wish I Knew by Jess Lively this week...gonna dig into it soon. It looks way more in-depth than I was expecting, which is an extremely good thing! Any small business owners/entrepreneurs interested? Here it is.






  • I found another Etsy gem this week...handprinted hemp pillow covers from Melongings. Lovely! Click on the shop and you're sure to find something that will go with your home decor.










See y'all next week! Happy Friday...best song ever.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Dream Home!


I've never been super interested in interior design, but lately I've begun thinking more seriously about what my dream home would look like. Lots of "haute couture homes" are beautiful and pristine and modern, but they look so gosh darn uncomfortable. Comfort is a priority in my house. And, while I used to think my dream home would be wall to wall color, I'm beginning to see that I enjoy having color pop out in furniture and accessories, not all over the walls. It's so much easier to make everything match that way. Here's a collection of rooms from gorgeous homes that I absolutely love!









As you may have noticed, I really like well lit, airy, open spaces with lots of plant life and modern/french cottage details. Sources listed below... 

Anyone want to come visit me in my dream house some day?? 



Note: my REAL house is most likely going to look something like this...


1.Southern Charm - 2 & 3 Brunch at Saks - 4. Unknown (pinterest) - 5. Pawley's Island Posh - 6. Unknown (pinterest) - 7. Crush Cul de Sac - 8. Lalouna - 9. Lonny  10. Unknown (pinterest)

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

"What Do I Wear With..." + Fireflies




Lovin' Summer


+


image c/o fairytalesbynature.tumblr.com


Last night, I saw the first firefly I've seen all year. To mark the occasion, I listened to...Fireflies.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Marbled Scarf DIY



This incredible handpainted scarf DIY comes from the Etsy blog. Click here for instructions!






I have to try this someday! Maybe some of you already have the supplies sitting around your house and want to try it first. Just let me know how it goes... :)