Exploration, Vendor shows, and, Pop-ups:

Lately, I have been swamped with vendor shows and pop-ups. It has been not only time consuming, but a ton of work! While I am flattered to be invited and accepted to all of the showings I have applied to. I have been learning so much from them. Some have been complete successes, others complete failures.

And thats okay, as a start up I am accepting of all outcomes. I think we all learn more from what doesn’t work than what does. It keeps us exploring new options and opportunities of where to grow. How we really narrow in our focus to the correct consumer base. It might sound easy. But its not as intuitive as you’d think.

 

While I wish I was slammed on my calendar with interior design projects. That is simply not the case for most of us. Unless you are a famous designer. Not to long ago I was reading a great book for entrepeuners called:” Mind Your Business“. Its a great read for the eager, especially for businesses in their infancy stages. So, like most I went back to the drawing board to make sure my focus and intent is where it should be. Many businesses struggle to keep their focus and intent on par. So, it had me think, what could I do or make as an ancilliary product to sell for my business? So far it’s been Heirlooms and plush throws. But, those are a slower buying cycle as they are spendy. I have a few more ideas in mind. I will share those in later posts.

I don’t want to necessarily only have appeal to one demographic of consumers. The questions I have learned in my marketing career are the critical questions you must ask yourself as business owner:

 

1. What is your intention for having your own business?

2. What sets you aside from your competitors?

3. Do you have a brand, not just a business, but unique, strong brand?

4. Is your content and messaging conveying the right concepts to your target audience?

5.What are you trying to achieve?

I thought carefully about this, and my answers are the following:

        1. My intention of having my own business is to help others, to inspire their creative outlet, and be utilized for my own creative talents. And to have autonomy in my schedule and being a mom.

        2. I have read up and researched all of my competitors here in the Boise area; in fact I have made the point to meet them myself in person. they are all truly fantastic people. But, my intention was to learn how to be unique and different than they are. For example, most of their ancillary products are purchased. Mine are handmade artisan gifts. This helps me to further brand myself and stand out against my competitors. I also noticed the use their name as their companies signature stance, I have created a trademarked brand, which also makes me unique.

 

3.My trademarked brand. How I personally give a unique touch to my consumer base.

 

4. This one has definitely been a learning curve for me. I can say that most vendor shows have really not been the best. My pop-ups at places like Pottery Barn and West Elm have been. The difference? consumers have a specific intent for each. At festivals, they aren’t prepared for, or in the mindset to purchase high end artisan work. At the pop-ups, I have chosen. They are there to spend money on quality products. Both actually are great! Because at these shows I’m marketing myself. Which equally important to the products and services you are selling. Ultimately leveraging these vendor shows for brand recognition.

5. My ultimate achievement and what I want to build for myself and my brand is people to remember me as a great designer and in general a creative person that possesses talent.

Wreath Making tips and how too’s:

Fall is hands down my most favorite season of the year. The turning leaves make for quite the beautiful canvas of natures adaptations. The crisp air, the scents, and wreath making! I typically host a wreath making party every fall. With my shows, I sadly don’t have the time this year. Instead, I will teach you! Yep, I have done this for years and absolutely l love it. I have too many wreaths now as I keep them for all types of purposes: staging, indoor use, adorning tables, and even for my back door. I just love them. And you’ll love them even more when you make your own.

For starters, If you want to make one from scratch, see if a vineyard or someone you know has a grape vine that you can cut branches from. ( I will have my first video this week on how to bind fresh grape vine).

If not, you can buy wreath frames at any craft store. I would suggest Hobby Lobby or Michaels as they have them listed for 4.99 a piece. Once you have your frame, you’ll want to start collecting the swag you want. For fall, I like to use organics from my very own yard. Its a great way to use what you cut back for the winter too. I like to use ornamental grasses and my personal favorite; Hydrangeas. If you choose to use plants from your yard. Cut them and hang them for a few days to dry out. This will make for a great fall themed wreath. Or, if you do not have much of a garden. You can always purchase fake swag at craft stores too. But, it can add up quickly, and, in my opinion they usually don’t look that great. There are a few exceptions .

I have purchased small amounts of artisan florals from interior decorator stores that are unique and look amazing. Those options are costly though. Once you have all the swag you want. Start wiring bundles of grasses to border out the edges of the frame. Once you feel the outer portion is full, or , looks the way you want it too. Start working your arrangements towards the inner parts of the wreath frame. As  a rule, always put the larger pieces on the outer frame, and, the smaller more detailed swag, on the inner sections. Like florists, or, anyone who is really good at flower arrangements: I use the rule of odd numbers, meaning I use one, three, or five pieces of the same swag. It makes the pattern, an actual pattern on the wreath rather than just random swag stuck in the frame. This can look too busy and not that appealing.

Remember, that if some of the swag has thick stems, you can push those into the binding of the frame, then wire to reinforce the arrangement from falling out of place. Once I am done with placing all pieces were  I want them (which I usually mess with several times to get the look and feel I want to achieve). I add my finishing touch, which is usually raffia for the fall, or, my favorite black hounds tooth.

 

As it adds a personal touch for me and a pop of color and design. You can use any ribbon you want, so long as it’s wired, making it easy to manipulate into the bow type you prefer. These also make excellent gifts!

 

 

 

 

 

My homemade Apple Pie Recipe:

I love this recipe, and over the years I have added to it. I think it makes for a great fall treat. I am not going to get into the pie crust, as I found a link to a recipe close to mine (you can click on the hyper link above for details). Now lets get to the best part. The filling!

What you will need:

four small to regular sized pink lady apples ( they are simply the most flavorful of apples).

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

2 1/2  tablespoons of cinnamon

2  tablespoons of apple cider vinegar ( I use this in place of lemon juice as it gives more tang).

1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamon (this is optional, but it gives a finishing taste thats amazing).

To start, once you have all of your ingredients, start peeling the skins off of the apples. Most recipes say to cut the apples in the smallest slices possible. I do some small and some large chunks, as I like to taste the crunchiness of the apples. Add in the sugar, cinnamon, apple cider vinegar, and cardamon in a mixing bowl. Mix together until all the apple slices are covered. I let the mixture set for at least twenty minutes. The trick here is that while apple cider vinegar is sour to neutralize some of the sweetness, it is also used as a brining technique. I allow my mixture to do its brining for a small amount of time. While your mixture is setting and doing it’s thing. Turn your oven on to 375°. After your filling has sat for long enough start gently placing it with a large spoon into your pie crust. Once your filling is in the pie crust. It’s time to add the remaining dough on top of the pie. This can be done two different ways: you can cover the entire top, using your fingers to firmly press the top dough under the crust lip. Make sure you create ample sized slits in your pie for venting, otherwise you will have a huge mess! I like to do the basket weave technique. I find it to be fun and easy. I take the remaining dough and cut strips, with each strip weave one over the other. Make sure that each strip is securely tucked under the crust layer, sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar on top. Once in place bake for one hour. Cover the top after 20 minutes to prevent the crust from burning and keeping it’s golden color. After an hour, pull your pie out and let it cool to room temperature. I like to serve mine the traditional way with some classic vanilla bean ice cream. I hope you try it!

My Giveaway opportunity!:

Want this pillow? good! So, I have decided to extend the deadline on the giveaway.  I had several people subscribe to my blog (thank you so much). But, no one followed all the criteria. Maybe I didn’t state them as clear as I should have (sorry if that is the case).

 

 

So, with that being said. Here are the rules to win:

Subscribe to my blog (many of you have).

Like my Facebook page (designbyaisling)

Follow me on Instagram (designbyaisling)

Post something fun or cool on your page to promote your inner circle to like my Facebook page. #Hashtag me a message on instagram or Facebook of the post and likes. Whoever has the most will get this fun embroidered accent pillow.

~Aisling Designs~