Pretty Pics and Some New Items :)

I've sold 3 things in the past week! Yipee - I know that's slow for some, but it's huge for me :) My mom came home from Florida with these pics and they are so inspiring - enjoy!

aren't they just lovely, and don't you wish you were there with your feet in the sand!?

Newest Shell Frame below <3

I found this piece of pottery below from a thrift store in Westport, CT and grabbed it immediately! I had posted it on Etsy for a while with lots of views and no hearts :( so I did a little research and took some new photos (below). Taking better photos has made the world of difference in my shop, it just takes time to learn what works I  guess...

I found out, Stangl Pottery is a highly sought after collectors item so I edited my posting a bit...

I love this little China dish from Austria used as a soap dish :)

I love the way this turned out! I will upload more pics because I don't think this one does it too much justice but I was so excited to get the pics shared with you all :)

Hmmm - some progress, slow but progress nonetheless :)

So as you can figure out from reading earlier posts, this is a new adventure for me, starting this business, this blog, a twitter account (yikes) and a facebook fan page! Yep, I think I'm in just about every social networking online device possible, except for maybe myspace which I refuse to join.

It's been about two months since I that day I came home for lunch in July and told my boyfriend, "I got it! 'Shorely Chic'"! From that point on, it's been such a fun and exciting journey.  My mother and I are working on this together and what a wonderful thing that has done for both of us - she is a reading specialist at an elementary school in our town and is really busy with that, but when she comes home and on the weekends, she loves working on the crafts and coming along on shopping ventures with me. We're like partners in this and is so nice and special to share it with her.

I swear, through Etsy, and meeting other bloggers, I have learned so so much about the world of marketing today, and running a personal/hobby turned business. The people I have come across in these forums have been so incredibly helpful, I honestly can't imagine feeling more welcomed into a community of people. It is so great to have a network of people all expressing their creative spirits in their writing in blogs and comments, and in their craft. I am so happy to have found you all!

Some really awesome things that have happened are reaching over 200 fans on my facebook fan page, http://www.facebook.com/shorelychic, having been featured in three blogs, www.oliverue.blogspot.com, www.decorbycolor.com, one of my first and favorite blogs!, and getting 8 sales in my Etsy shop! Ok so Brian bought my first item, and my best friend bought my second...STILL :)

I have developed several goals and the ultimate one is this: to become a home product designer that people recognize all over the United States, maybe one day the world, and a famous interior designer. At the same time, though, I want to be a family-woman, married with children, live on the beach (not sure where yet, I am from CT and winters are way too long, but I love the seasons), and own a few dogs. I think I might just be on the right path!

I'd be interested in reading about other people's progress in their hobby turned business endeavors - please comment if you know of any :)

I'm going to rest this Monday night... it was lovely getting this all out and I hope you enjoyed reading it!

Happy Halloween Decorating!

Green Fire-King mugs, not exactly Shorely Chic but I thought they were really cool so I put them up on Etsy, maybe someone will really want them!

The top of my Coral Pink Shell Mirror on Etsy. I found this old tired mirror from a thrift store and brought it back to life with one of my favorite colors :)

My mom made this and we call it the Palm Beach Shell Encrusted Mirror because it reminds us of a shell mirror from the famous Breakers resort in Palm Beach, FL.

The perfect tailgate vehicle from this past weekend at the Yale vs. Cornell football game.

me getting a smooch on the cheek and loving it!

Papered Frames and U2

Hi Everyone!

I went to see U2 at Giants Stadium last night and it was incredible!! I felt like I was at the center of the world listening to the greatest rock band belt out decades worth of hits.  We were also upgraded to "U2 seating" at the beginning of the show because our tickets were directly behind the sound booth...who knew the bad tickets would turn into the some of the best seats I've ever had :)

Here are some pics from the show:

Beautiful night for a concert, going over the George Washington Bridge!

me, my bff lauren, and her boyfriend. Notice no one sitting around us?? That's before we realized we were sitting in "no man's land"...

Bono :)

Papered Frames

I just wanted to share one of my favorite products, designer paper picture frames. They are so simple to make and end up looking so finished and pretty. They are all on my Etsy Shop, www.shorelychic.etsy.com.

Which is your favorite??

Ooops! You can totally see my reflection in that one! I am really working on my photography, but that's just bad - sorry about that! :(

Aren't they pretty? I price the frames at $15.00 and the shell adorned ones at $20.00.

I hope you like!

I'm off to bed, it was a late night and early morning for moi.

Enjoy your night!

Weekend Fun and Progress with Shorely Chic

I had a total Shorely Chic weekend and it was well-needed and very productive!! Oh, before I forget, I got a Twitter account and I'm not too swift on it yet, likewise with the blogging :( I'm trying, though!

Brian was away sky-diving with his little brother so I took full advantage of my time to work on the biz :) It gets so hard during the week to fit it in so I have to take my weekends very seriously! My mom and I worked on projects all weekend long which included our shell frames, angel ornaments for the Holidays (we're making thirty, do you think that's enough??), flea markets, tag sales, good food, and good wine!

Here are some pics of the action :)

I found this awesome piece at a tag sale on Saturday morning. I plan on painting it Florida Aqua color and putting it on my Etsy site :)

me and mom, Louise, on the porch enjoying a beautiful Sunday afternoon

glittered shells waiting to be turned into angels!

love this!

biggest shell frame yet!! A breathtaking work of art which took Louise over a month to complete!

Two new frames, the Nantucket Shell Frame (left) and the Simply Chic Shell Frame (right)

 

And a grilled margarita pizza to boot!

Today was also an awesome day. I was accepted into a craft fair/benefit on November 9th (!!!!) my first one so I will be needing lots of help, and I got a text message from an old co-worker asking if I do wedding favors! I haven't but I would take that opportunity in a heartbeat :) I am thinking little picture frames adorned with shells and pearls for each guest - thoughts anyone? Please leave any and all suggestions you have for me!

Okay, off to bed to end a lovely Monday. Nighty-night!

My Life and Shorely Chic

Very exciting new for me! http://www.oliverue.blogspot.com/ is featuring one of my items as a giveaway on her 300th post. I was super excited to find out she wanted my item :) You should enter to win!

Now that I have shared my background and inspirations, I'm going to talk a little about starting Shorely Chic -- my life these days, daily shopping ventures, craft-making, promoting, ETSY, etc...

Here are a quick few photos of my summer:

That's me writing Shorely Chic in the sand for a potential Etsy Banner :) It didn't work, but it was fun trying!

Me riding a bike in Watch Hill, RI

Cheersing to "Life is Good" in Watch Hill again

One of my favorite trips - Lake Tahoe with a bunch of friends for an incredible wedding - Congratulations John and Libby!!

Ok so work:

It's been really really fun trying to start my own business, and SUCH a learning experience. I go on the Etsy forums all the time and learn so much about running a small business. After four years of college, I've never learned this much about marketing and business. 

Working a full time job, I do all of my work before work, getting up around 7, I use my lunch hour to pop into the thrift, antique, and interior stores in the area, and after work I do crafts and computer work. 

Brian gets out of bed at 5 to go to his job, so I get to sleep for another hour or two and then it's Shorely Chic time before work. I love it -- I make a cup of coffee, watch the Today show, and plop on the living room floor and do a lot of work with the hot glue gun - it's a love-hate relationship, I love how easily I can stick things together, but when I get burned, we're enemies. The light is also really good in the morning so I take lots of pictures then.  

Here are some of my favorite crafts:

Shorely Chic Container I made from a Costco coffee can, 10.00

Nautical Footstool made my my mom

Shell Wreath, the first of many, also made by my momma

We gave this shell frame to Brian's mom for her birthday, she loved it!

This is the shabby chic frame and starfish vase - love them together!

Shell and Wicker Tray, made this one morning during the Today Show, felt so productive on my way in to work! 

I found this lantern in a thrift shop and it was a dark brown. I spray painted it and added a pretty green colored candle. Love that on the table on my porch. 

I made this frame from pretty scrap-booking paper

I made this one from shells I got from my new supplier, Charlotte, who has 84 years worth of a shell collection, it's truly amazing :) 

Shell Shadowbox

My mom made this beautiful wine sack out of fabric we purchased from a local shop...

LOVE this one - I had it in my office with the starfish leaning up against it, our receptionist walked in and thought it would be pretty attached - so I did it, and I love it!