Surveys!

Hey guys! I prepared 2 surveys I would love your help with! They are each 10 questions and should only take you a few minutes each! Here are the links:

{Part 1} Click here to take survey

{Part 2} Click here to take survey

The results will help me specify more of my goals for next year and learning more about all of you!

Thank you in advance so very much!! :)

So how does it all work?!

When I first started The Love, Mich Collection, my customers were my friends and family. Those lovely gems still are my favorite customers and biggest cheerleaders and supporters. Because they were already part of my life, they knew "what" LoveMich was and "how" it worked.

I am so lucky to have a continuously expanding audience and I thought I would share some behind-the-scenes details for the newbies!

Let's start from the beginning...I can picture these questions swirling in minds when they are first introduced to LoveMich so lets break them down.

"How do I see what you have for sale?"
The Love, Mich Collection is an online boutique shop. The items available for sale can be found here.

"But I want to see things in person..."
I do a few local events every year. Sometimes they are craft fairs, sometimes they are at salons, and this year I started the first of an annual open house. (well open front yard haha) You can always find info about local events on my Facebook Page! Generally I'm not able to do individual meet-ups to order things. I wish I could! I am employed full time along with this business so to maximize production and keep things fresh, my time is best spent in the studio! :) Please still love me.

*Note - I will meet-up with local BRIDES though! Usually at a local Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts! Shoot me an email if you are interested :) michelle (at) ilovemich (dot) com

"But really...I really want to see in person..."
If you are local, a good solution to that is - host a purse party! Chances are your girlfriends would love an excuse to get together and why not add some shopping to that? Email me for details michelle (at) ilovemich (dot) com

"Can I pick up my order instead of shipping?"
I prefer to ship all orders because this is usually the quickest way to get your goodies to you!:)

"So what happens when I order something from your online store?"
{I will walk you through visually - because that is super fun...} You, fine lady, click away in my shop and decide, O.M.G. yes I must have this zippy pouch. Click, Click, Click, you have walked yourself through Etsy's super easy checkout system and purchased! I check my email and ding! New purchase! I print out your order, walk into the sewing room/office/studio and take your item off the shelf/out of the drawer. I package up orders usually twice a week so it goes to the "to be shipped" pile. Then, it’s packaged up and off to the post office I (or Mr. LoveMich) goes! {this is for ready-to-ship items ONLY}

"Can you make me something that isn't in your online shop?"
The general answer to this is no. Sometimes people will request something like "this bag but smaller." I would so love to be able to accommodate all of those requests! But until LoveMich employs several seamstresses, the reality is, there just isn’t enough time in the day. Sorry! Please don't be upset, I'm giving you a virtual hug! :) And don't worry my sweet friend, I am constantly designing new items so feel free to send along your ideas and they may end up as one of the products! :)

So originally in this blog post I was also going to talk about "Design Your Own" and custom orders...but I'm going to wait on that for now for various reasons. Expect a follow up post about those. :)

- A New Year -

Isn’t there something so wonderful about starting fresh with a new year?

A new you.

A new outlook.

A new appreciation.

{the photo is my own. taken on our vermont honeymoon!}

This year I am going in prepared. I have already started my list of goals for 2013 and how I intend to achieve them. I’ve also set a focus word for each month next year and mocked up a general schedule of productions, events, and new designs for 2013.

It is ambitious but it is supposed to be.

My main business goal is growth. {Doesn’t every business want that??} But I also have many personal goals for 2013. The first of that is being present mentally and physically. Often times we get so wrapped up in working and tackling our to-do lists that we forget life is still moving along and we’re missing it.

In 2013 I will be more present. I will be in the moment and engaged when I am with my husband, family, and friends. I will create memories intentionally.

I’m not sure how exactly I’ll do this yet but it will certainly involve taking time “off” of Love-Mich. To do that, I’ll need more help and I am perfectly fine with that! What is the point of working so hard if you don’t take time to reflect and enjoy the fruits of your labor?

What are you goals for 2013? Business and/or personal?

A New Blog Design!

Heyyyy! Notice something different?? THE BLOG DESIGN! Isn't it fantastic!! I am so in love with it! It's perfectly girly and sassy!

A big thank you to fellow Etsy seller Lynsey Betz of Shiny Magic Design Studio! Lynsey was so patient with me (as I know very little about web/blog design) and made my visions come alive! Get in touch with her if you are looking for a blog design, etsy shop set or a facebook cover!

Thanks Lynsey! :)

Turn your Can'ts into Cans!

Things are happening over here at The Love, Mich Collection.

Wait for it….

We finally have HELP! For the last 4 years I have been doing ALL of the sewing alone. Let me tell you, it has been challenging at times.

{this picture was me after surrendering to my sewing machine, it won our battle that evening and I was tired!}

I put a lot of thought into this business and where it is going over the last few months. I finally came to terms with the fact that in order to grow, I was going to have to let go of some control and get some help. This has been hard for me, because, if you know me personally, you know I like to do everything myself and I really mean everything. It is very hard for me to accept help but I did it and I am so incredibly happy and relieved that I did!

{you can find this print for sale HERE! This shop is so awesome, I am definitely doing some holiday shopping there!}

Of course I was nervous to make changes, who wouldn’t be? But I had to think about what was the worst that could happen? It didn’t work out? Fine! Then find someone else who did. The point was to grow, we needed to make changes.

I am so proud to have pushed myself into this direction and allowing my business to grow. Having sewing help means more stock in the shop and quicker turnaround time on custom orders – how awesome is that?!

We are still in the adjusting phase but soon I hope to be able to tell you that the custom order production time has shortened. Right now we are still at about 4 weeks from payment.

The Holidays are sneaking up so fast! I like to remind everyone to place their custom Holiday orders EARLY. The Holiday deadline is NOVEMBER 18TH! If you place your custom order after the deadline, your order will not be shipped until after Christmas!

{how cozy does that picture look?!} {source}

In stock items will still be available for purchase through December 14th, 2012 for Christmas delivery!

Western Mass Women's Magazine

In case you missed it...here is the cover of Western Mass Women's Magazine! Can you see me?? I'm in the second row up in the middle!

I had the amazing honor of being named one of the Top 25 Women to Watch! The category I won was Top Woman in Home Based Business!

All of these ladies are really awesome! I encourage you to skip on over to their website and read their biographies! {and mine too!!}

If I didn't work in an office....

...Top 5 Things I’d do if I didn’t work in a professional office environment...

1. Get my nose pierced. (Nothing crazy, just a little stud!)Looks cute on Miley!

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2. Dye the ends of my hair pink. Or purple. Or blue. Because this looks AWESOME!

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3. Get more tattoos. These are all so pretty!!

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4. Wear JEANS every.single.day. with paint splattered all over them. I am so loving Miley's outfit in this picture! It's cool and laid back but totally stylish! Ahhhh LOVE!!

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5. Bring my dog to work. This is not my pup but OMG is he not so cute!! Hmmm...I think I was just inspired for a photo shoot with Chance! :)

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So does your day job constrict your personal style at all? What would you do differently? How far do you think I can push the envelope and which of these do you think I can get away with!?!

I've got a new last name! ;)

Here I am! Phew, we had a gap there didn't we! Sorry about that...

So the reason I am trying to blog more is because I really enjoy reading other people's blogs. Particularly, I love to read about the people behind handmade businesses! For me, it makes me feel like I have a connection to them and I just love to know how other people move throughout their days and what their lives are like! So I will try to open up a bit more about myself and hopefully we can get to know each other!

First story: WEDDING! (09/21/12) Things were CRAZY around here before the wedding. But like everyone says, everything somehow came together and it was wonderful!!

Here's a picture of us in the limo!

Then we skipped off for a romantic HONEYMOON in Vermont! The resort we stayed at was awesome! It is called the Sterling Ridge Resort in Jeffersonville, VT. We were able to bring the pup, Chance, and he had SO much fun. Shout out to my moms for sending us there! :)

When we came home we did something really fun! We went to ABC40/WGGB Studios and shot a segment for SimplyLiving! It was so incredibly cool! And let me tell you...I could get used to doing that everyday! ;) The picture is of me and Host, Maggie Pereiras! She's so very nice and we totally clicked!

The next morning I whipped up a custom cozy and keychain set and skipped off to the post office! I then thought...hmm I must bring back these sets for the holidays! Noted!

We also went to the BIG E this past weekend. It is my favorite place EVER. If you have never been, I am telling you that you must make a trip out to Western Massachusetts for the Fair next year. You can eat delicious food, shop unique and awesome local items, walk through the state buildings and learn all about New England! I've gone every year since I was a baby, so I might be a little bias but it is my favorite time of year! And even better - our wedding anniversary will fall during Big E season every year! Bonus!

Is there anything you want to know about me? Any blog topics you'd like to see me cover?? Email me! or comment below!

Life in Pictures

Sharing some photos!

My beautiful bridesmaids and maid of honor! They along with my moms and my future mother-in-law threw me the best shower! It was so pretty and the food was delicious. It was so nice to spend the day with everyone and the gifts were so generous and amazing!

A few months ago I participated in a Bridal Show! Here is an awesome collage that my photographer sister, Jennifer Pike, put together! I just love it!

And lastly - here is a picture of the new Foldover Clutch! I just love this bag! It is so stylish and roomy! I hope to have many of them available in the shop soon!

XOXO,

Michelle

Exciting Things!

Exciting things are happening over here at The Love Mich Collection!

I am so incredibly honored to have been announced as one of the Top 25 Women to Watch by Western Mass Women's Magazine! How cool is that?!

And even cooler? I have no idea who nominated me! You can find the magazine's website here!

Tomorrow I get to meet the other 24 women and I'm so excited! :)

A Post of Pictures!

SO - let's all be honest here...you're not coming to my blog to read! You want pictures! And so do I when I read a blog! So here they are - I tried to capture as much variety as I could, enjoy!! :)

These are my month old birthday balloons - still inflated! I love them.


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This is my commute to my day job...nothing special...and someday I will laugh at the fact that I worked full-time and ran my business full-time - all at the same time. Kinda crazy.




I have a million DVDs - TV seasons, movies, workout videos - this is how I spend endless hours sewing away, watching lots and lots of dvds. Right now Dawson's Creek Season 3 is in the player!




This guy right here is all mine! ;) Isn't he so handsome? And guess what, he's sweet as pie too! In 3 short months we will be Mr. & Mrs.!! :)




This was my "yay for surviving surgery!" gift to myself - a Mani/Pedi! And pink of course - duh.





So that's a little about me - feel free to comment below! I just love comments!!

xoxo - Mich

Ok Ok - I'm back again!

So I said I would be back to post more frequently. Clearly - I lied. :( Bummer. I am really going to try to be here more often! I know for me personally, I love reading blogs that have the personal story behind the business so that is what I will try to do here!

So what is happening this week in the world of LoveMich and home? Well the two actually blend together, I'm not sure there really is a divide between them!

Moving on- affectionately, we tend to call my fiance/other half "Mr. LoveMich" partly because it's super funny and partly because he truly is a big part of the business! He is the person I bounce all of my ideas off of. Yup - even at 12am when I should be sleeping, I blab and blab about my ideas for LoveMich and he very kindly listens and responds. Isn't he the best! Further than just that, he helps when the cutting and ironing get out of control for just me and does the majority of the shipping. And even more so, he keeps me in check on so many levels, good and bad. When I want to buy something that isn't super necessary, he reminds me of the bottom line. When I am over stressed and want to throw my hands up, he reminds me why I love to do what I do and that I am just stressed and it'll pass. He is my favorite person. :)

What else is going on over here? OH! I was in the newspaper again! You can read the article here!


Hmm what else...well I could tell you about wedding planning...but then you won't have a reason to come back! So I'll save it for another day!

Love,
Mich

P.S. - Leave me a comment! I love to read them!! :)