{Milestone Moment} One year Etsy Anniversary

One year ago, on a night like tonight, I took the plunge and opened an etsy shop. I'd been going back and forth about it for a year and finally figured, "what've I got to lose?"

What I love about the etsy community is how it keeps me on my toes. I'm already a pursuer of excellence, but with etsy even more so. What started out as a meaningless pastime has become (at least in my mind) a corporation. Whereas I used to simply describe my products in a few sentences, I now outline a detailed marketing and advertising mini-campaign for each product I list. Can I tell you how much I LOVE that?

I truly enjoy tapping into so many of my interests: photography, digital design, styling, etc just so I can list a single item. For someone like me, who likes to stick her nose into all kinds of industries, and who gets bored easily if boxed into one area of interest, it's been heaven.

Being on etsy has given my a deeper sense of pride for what I do not only as a creative person but also as someone who is now making a valuable contribution to my family's finances. My son can attend a quality private pre-school two days a week and my daughter can enjoy ballet lessons all because of my etsy supporters.

I'm looking forward to what the year ahead brings. My goal this year is to have at least 10 items available in my shop at all times.

Here is a sneak peek at the latest items making their way to my etsy shop real soon

Thank you so much for taking a chance on me and trusting me with your events. To show my appreciation, I've set up discount code "1YEAR" that you can type in at checkout to receive 10% your entire order.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TiTisTuTus

xoxo,

Debra

{TuTu Tuesday} Mardi Gras

If you're from Louisiana, you are fully aware Valentine's Day is not the only celebration in February.

Here is a tutu set I designed last year around this time.

All photos courtesy of Patricia Bishop Photography

I love the bright bold colors of the Mardi Gras celebration.

I'm not planning on advertising mardi gras much this year, but if you are interested in a mardi gras tutu, headband, or garland, I welcome your emails at averagemeetsamazing@yahoo.com

Thanks for reading!

Debra

Valentine's Day Countdown

I gotta be really honest, Valentine's Day is not a really big deal in our house. We're kinda turned off by the whole thing, actually.

The commercialization of the holiday and the pressure to have a "romantic" evening on that specific day really rubs me the wrong way. Fighting for reservations, waiting for a table at an overcrowded restaurant, spending money on fancy chocolates nobody eats, bah! So NOT us!

Our Anniversary (7 years, this year!) is the following week, so we usually go on our formal date then. The four of us are crazy about each other and we try to live every day in a way that communicates that without needing to go overboard on one particular day.

BUT, if you know me, you know I love an excuse to party so, we've decided to do a countdown calendar with little activities under $5 for us to do every day leading up to Valentine's Day.

Here's a look at what we've done so far the first five days:

The kids get so excited when Daddy gets home! They run to the countdown calendar to see what's in store for our family that evening.

I'm still open to ideas, if you have a good one, I'd love to hear about it!

Thanks for reading,

Debra

{Music Monday} TRUTH

Hello my dear friends! I'm super excited about today's song, not only because it may absolutely unexpected of me (I enjoy shaking up expectations), but also because it is the perfect song to share on the eve of posting about my son's hip-hop themed b-day bash.

My boy may only be 4 years old, but he loves to dance hip hop. Since his Daddy is part of a dance team, my son has been studying him since he was a baby. He watches the videos of his Daddy over and over until he memorizes the moves.

Our daily routine, without fail, involves him putting a song on the ipod and dancing his own choreograph to it. Whether it's while he waits for me to cook his lunch, or putting on a show for me (albeit to stall his nap time) dancing is a part of every day.

Today's song is one to which my son danced last week at a private show for me in our living room with his own original choreographed moves. I enjoyed his talent thoroughly, but I was amazed at the depth of the lyrics.

Here's today's Music Monday pick: "TRUTH" by Lecrae

Have a Happy Week!!

Thanks for reading.

Debra

{TuTu Tuesday} Made to be Loved

As Valentine's Day approaches we get to read about different people's views on love and relationships. Last night, while reading Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life, I ran across this quote:

"GOD'S MOTIVE FOR CREATING YOU WAS HIS LOVE."

Pretty cool, huh!

The very reason we exist is to be loved! I got a lot out of that statement and I want to share two things:

• First, if GOD himself thinks it's satisfying to love others, I have determined to make it my goal as well.

• Second, if I was made to be loved, I need to accept and embrace love in order to feel fulfilled.

When I look at this picture of my little girl, I'm reminded that love begins at home. Although my family showers me with affection and appreciation, I find myself being often stressing out about my shortcomings. I get so distracted by the giant list of things I want to do or I have not done, that I end up taking on undue pressure.

I hope you will join me this year in the resolve to embrace love as more than a term to describe romantic attraction, but to see it for what it is: the reason of our existence.

This beautiful tutu I designed makes me think of the different types of loving relationships. The darker layers represent romantic love (marriage), the brighter shades represent fun love (friends), and the light shades stand for pure love (babies).

You'll see all three shades throughout my Valentine's collection on etsy.

Thanks for reading!

Debra