Interview by HER. (A Featured Blogger Series) Fancy Designs.

When did you start blogging and why?

I started blogging, very badly might I add, in 2008. I had very little interest in it and I was doing it halfheartedly. I still don't consider myself the best blogger but I can see I've improved greatly! I wasn't "being myself" then. I was cutting out the person I really was because I was scared of "how people would see me." I'm not a very serious person and I didn't want people to think that meant I wasn't serious about my passions and my career path, because I am. I'm just naturally silly and I would cut that out, which left my blog very stiff and unenjoyable. Initially I started blogging to share my work with my friends and family and now I've decided that I can do that and share a little bit about myself, what I find interesting, share my favorite recipes and just left my blog reflect a bit about myself without being completely silly or as dry as the Mojave!

What inspires you to blog???

I feel like blogging about what I'm doing or working on encourages me to push through and work a little harder tomorrow. I know I'm supposed to say that I blog because I want other people to enjoy it, and that's true! I want people to enjoy my blog, I want to share my experiences, my trials, triumphs and failures and hope it inspires others to follow their dreams and to not give up but ultimately, if no one wanted to read my blog, it's still there for me to look back on in 10 years. I like to think that one day I could be sharing the link with my children!

Tell us a little about your business and how you got started?

My business got started when I realized how fed up I was with working for really terrible people. One morning I checked my email and I saw close to 20 emails from my, at the time, boss and they were all huge projects that she expected me to have to her within the day. This was nothing new. In her world I had no life, I was always on call. The pay was bad, the hours were...well basically 24/7, and I was tired hearing that she was taking credit for my work. I knew there was no way I could have my own business at that time but I also knew that I couldn't keep working like that. I was burned out, abused and I was starting to question whether or not being a designer was what I wanted. I decided since I already had a pretty small client base through the internet, maybe an online business was the way to start.

I purchased a domain and with TONS of help from my web savvy friend, Ashley Pennington, Fancy Designs went from being a pipe dream to an actual website! (Thankfully she is still here for me and all my 2000 website questions!)

Once my website was REAL, I started looking into selling on Etsy. That didn't fit me well. I would get the occasional custom order here and there and thanks to word of mouth I was making a few more repeat clients but it wasn't working. I continued to focus on local sales and those went fairly well but, even coupled with my small online sales, that just wasn't enough.

One day a friend of mine told me about a website she found called  Zazzle.com. I looked into it and saw raving reviews and I jumped right into it. I was done hesitating. I was either going to sink or swim and sinking wasn't an option. 

I opened shoppe January 1st of 2010 and by February of 2010 I figured I had made a HUGE mistake. My earnings for those first two months was $22. I told my new designer friends I had met through Zazzle that I was throwing in the towel. I wished them all luck but Zazzle just wasn't for me. They encouraged me to hang in just a little longer and I'm so thankful that I did. By March my sales had went up by 500% and I'm so blessed that I have an ever growing repeat client base and my sales continue to grow and grow! In 2011 Fancy Designs was asked to join a celebrity gifting group, The Artisan Group, and in September of 2011 we will have one of our iPhone 4 cases on display at the Emmy Awards Gift Lounge for celebrities to pose for pictures with, as well as our stationery sets in the swag bags!

Can we peek at your award winning paper products. 

 

 The thing I love most about what I do is…

knowing that my designs really put a smile on someone's face. My favorite part of the day is when someone tells me that their order arrived and it was even better than they expected!

Who inspires you to be the person you are today?

I really can't say that any one person inspires me because I have so much inspiration in my life.

Who are some of your favorite blogs? Give Links.

- http://younghouselove.com/
- http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/
- http://www.cloverstonedesigns.com/
- http://www.laughlovelattes.com/
-http://the-fairest.blogspot.com/

I’m currently obsessed with…

http://pinterest.com/fancybelle/ (this website is KILLING my daily productivity but constantly inspiring me!)

What would you be found doing on any Saturday afternoon?

I'd say that 60% of our Saturday afternoons are spent at rodeos but when we aren't at a rodeo you will either find us with our friends or maybe I'm curled up with a book while the boyfriend plays PS3. Recently my Saturday afternoons are spent preparing my swag bags for the Emmy Awards.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years.?

I hope that my business is still running smoothly and we have a more permanent residence since our current location is temporary. My ultimate plan is to be opening my first boutique around that time.

Favorite Quote…Productivity is never an accident, it is always the result of commitment to excellence, intelligent planning and focused effort. - P. Meyer

I hope everyone loved Ashley's interview and her paper merchandise, visit her blog here to get to know her better. 

Take care Ashley and thank you so much for a wonderful interview. 

xxx