Gorgeous and Girly Headbands

I'm actually taking a little trip this weekend with my sister but I did get the chance to finish these cute little headbands featuring the awesome find I talked about in my Michael's post last week. I think they turned out adorable and I'll be using them with the items I'm working on for the Celebrity Chitt baby shower.
What do you think? Which one is your favorite? I like the ballet shoes myself!

Celebrating Girl Power!

It may come as a surprise to some of you that I am actually a pretty big NASCAR fan.  I know that doesn't necessarily quite go with the whole boutique image, but my husband and his dad always followed racing so I started watching it, too.  And come on now, some of those guys are seriously hot!  Nevertheless, I got into the strategy, found someone to cheer for and I've been watching it for several years now.
This year, Danica Patrick sat on the pole for the Daytona 500.  She is the first woman to ever do so.  Patrick also led laps under a green flag, another first.  It's kind of a big deal.  She is now one of the most recognized athletes in the world.  Little girls everywhere are looking up to her, whether they like racing or not, because they know that if she can break down barriers and overcome stereotypes, so can they.  She's a symbol that women can do anything men can do--and sometimes we can do it better!
In tribute to Ms. Patrick's accomplishments, I created a rhinestone bling t-shirt. The front says, "Race Like a Girl" and the back has her number, 10.  It's super-cute in the same lime green color that her Go Daddy sponsored car is generally painted in. Of  course, I could do it in any color, any size, short or long sleeves. I could also make a shirt for any driver--or any sport, any team, etc.  But this one is definitely special because of all that it represents! You can find it in my Etsy shop here.  Price is $20.

Close-up of the rhinestones in the #10

The front of the "Race Like a Girl!" shirt

Another view of the back

Ralph Lauren In Rhinestones

I finally decided to go ahead and bling up those onsies I bought for the celebrity baby shower I'm working on with Celebrity Chitt.  You'll recall in a recent post how I discussed deciding to go with the Ralph Lauren onesies.  Well, two of the three are Ralph Lauren and one is Little Me, which was also a little pricey.  Although I think deciding to go with the higher end brands for this particular event was the right decision, it still took a little courage to apply those rhinestones to such expensive--and let's face it already pretty darn cute--onesies.  But I did it, and here's how they turned out.

Light pink Ralph Lauren onesie with my added bling

Flowered Ralph Lauren onesie with "Baby of Mine"

Little Me onesie--just as cute as the other two, I think. Love the little bow!

Now, all I have to do is finish the headbands and we'll be ready to ship. I really hope the new mommy likes everything! What do y'all think?

Another Awesome Customer Idea!

I absolutely love it when a customer has an amazing idea and they ask me if I can make it for them.  Not only does it allow me to try something new and make a customer happy, it also gives me the opportunity to add a new product to my shop. The latest customer suggestion is gorgeous and it goes right along with my Spring Line theme of butterflies.  I am working on a fairy-themed birthday party for a wonderful new client and she asked if I could make these really gorgeous butterflies she had seen on a blog.  You can check them out on the original blog post (which was actually a DYI from another blog post here.

One of the butterflies that inspired my Spring Line

I took one look at them and thought, "OMG--these are awesome!" I can imagine using these in so many situations--parties, children's rooms, even my classroom.  I can't wait to make one and see how it turns out.

Lucy loves her tulle boa!

Tulle boas come in a variety of colors and lengths. Perfect  for prom!

One of the other most popular items in my store, the tulle boa, came from a suggestion from my very first Etsy customer.  I've sold a lot of them because they are so much easier than messy feather boas.  They last longer and they are super cute.
Have you ever had a customer make a suggestion that lead to a great new product?

Facebook Marketing Questions

I have some questions regarding how y'all use Facebook. I have had a Facebook page for just about as long as I have had an Etsy store.  I didn't initially pay to run any adds but then I decided to try it out and I set-up an add campaign with an extremely modest budget because I wanted to see how it would affect my business.  I don't know that I've had any sales come directly from Facebook, except for my friends who would have obviously supported me without adds. I've since heard that there are a lot of "fake" Facebook accounts that will like your page, that only about 25% of the people that like your page will actually see your posts at a given time, and that many larger corporations are dropping their adds.  I personally like running my campaigns on Facebook--I like watching the number go up and I just assume that most of those people are people but I don't know for sure.  I also think it says something to your potential customer to see that 400 people like you on Facebook--like, "Oh, okay, a lot of other people like this shop so I guess it's pretty good." As opposed to, "Oh, this lady has 12 people in her family and they were kind enough to hit like."
I would like to know what all of you think, both as fellow Etsians and as consumers.  Do you notice how many other people like a Facebook page?  Do those of you who use it feel like it's leading you to sales?  Do you feel that most of your customers are legitimate people?  I would love to hear what other people think.  I've actually seen a huge increase in my likes in the last few days and I'm hopeful that 1) it's from real people and 2) it will increase sales.
What are your thoughts?

Sensational Custom Idea for a Fabulous Party!

This weekend, I worked on an order for two custom t-shirts for two apparently amazing ladies.  Though I've never met them, it sounds to me like their birthdays are quite the occasion!  There friend wanted to make sure they knew how wonderful they are so she ordered custom t-shirts for them.  One says, "Fabulous at 50" and the other says, "Sensational at 60."  What a great way to celebrate two the lives of two people who are clearly very loved!

Dark pink with clear rhinestones, this shirt turned out FABULOUS!

Though the film has yet to be removed, you get the idea of how sensational this pink on pink t-shirt turned out.

If you have a big day coming up, why not consider placing an order for a custom rhinestone t-shirt? It's a great way to show your thoughtfulness and the shirt will be as unique as the person we're creating it for. Whether you already have an idea or you're just not sure, I can help you from concept to finished product.  You will be as involved as you would like to be.  If you want input on the design, I'm happy to work with you.  If you would like for me to design and create the entire product by myself, I can do that as well. Please don't hesitate to contact me should you have any questions. My email is glitterandtulleboutique@gmail.com

A Rose By Any Other Name. . . .

I made my first felt rose today and I think it turned out pretty nicely! It's featured on a tutu for the new Spring Line (which will be revealed soon!)  I'm dying to show you the gorgeous new tutu I made today, too, but I'm gonna wait until the Sneak Peak, coming up next week.  For now, here's the rose!

Cute pink felt rose!

Next, I added some tulle

Then, I added the featured butterfly for the tutu I worked on today for the new Spring Line

Lastly, I added a ribbon.  I don't like to use hot glue on my tutus so the ribbon will tie on to the tutu and can be removed for washing, etc.

I also made two more custom t-shirts this weekend, which turned out really well.  More on those tomorrow! What did you get done this weekend?