Much Ado About You: Shop Spotlight & 2012 Planner Giveaway!
I am such an unorganized person sometimes....I try too hard to commit things to memory. And since I am so busy with my work, life & 3 kids, I typically fail at remembering over half of what I "commit to memory." So when I was given a personalized Much Ado About You planner, I was over the moon!
It is not your average day planner, and that is what I love so much about it!! It has that retro vintage feel that I love! And the added details make it so much fun to use! I don't know about you, but for me, that's important. If things are not fun and pretty, I get bored and stop using them...maybe that is a form of ADD?!
There is a monthly over view page with space to write appointments, important dates etc and then there are weekly pages (like the 1st pic) with so much room and daily columns with time stamps...so organized! I love the notes section in the back & especially the little quotes on the top of the pages that give me a laugh! Like this one:
Too funny...and true! LOL
Let's meet Emmy, the brains behind Much Ado About You:
I’m Emmy from Much Ado About You. I am a Paper Freak. Really. I love all things paper, and I get giddy excited when the paper companies come out with their new lines each season. I am married to my high school sweetheart, and we have an 8 year old son and a 7 month old daughter. I love Jesus, and like to tell people about the amazing journey I have been on with God. I run my business out of my home office and garage work space, and have 5 employees {including my baby’s nanny}, without whom I could not function. We make products to help plan and organize life, including our popular Personalized Day Planner that has been sold in all 50 states and 7 countries. Life is crazy, my house is usually a disaster, my printer makes me bananas… but I love it all!
In 3 words I am: A. Paper. Freak.
3 of my favorite things are: Pretty Paper, Organization {although you wouldn’t know it from looking at my house right now}, and Telling Stories
My favorite Blogs are: Marcus Design {http://marcusdesigninc.blogspot.com/}, Lisa TerKeurst {http://lysaterkeurst.com/}, and Regretsy {http://www.regretsy.com/}
My favorite vacation was in: Wilmington, NC
To Relax I: Relax??? What’s that?
My Hometown: Ladera Ranch, CA
My favorite room in my house is: The Family Room
Because: I love my cozy furniture, especially my leopard print chaise lounge, which is the most comfortable piece of furniture that I have ever sat in.
My guilty pleasure is: Bravo TV
My guilty pleasure is: Bravo TV
I feel naked without: Earrings
I fear: Spiders
This is what makes me smile: My baby girl’s smile, being with friends and family, a clean house {which rarely happens around here}, catching up on orders {also… rarely happens}
You may not know this about me: I have had 7 surgeries in the last 11 years, and need at least 1 more
My Worst Habit: Being late! I am terrible at estimating how much time I need.
I want to learn to: Use my fancy camera and Photoshop
My favorite item I bought from another shop is: I often purchase digital card designs from Sweet Pea Baby {http://www.etsy.com/shop/sweetpeababy}. I am a huge Christmas Card Connoisseur, and even have a Christmas Card Contest every year with all the cards I receive, so a cute card is very important to me. But November and December are the busiest months of the year for me, so Christmas cards need to be fairly simple. I like to purchase a design from Sweet Pea Baby, have it printed at Costco, mount it on cardstock, and then give it some kind of embellishment like a ribbon or a big mounted “B” for Blakely.
My advice to other Etsy Sellers: Keep your shop focused. Start out with one main product and build a name for yourself before you try to introduce too many others. Then, as you feel you are ready to add more products to your line, maintain some sort of theme that ties them all together. For my shop it is organization and planning. Our main focus is obviously the Day Planners, but we also sell Wall Calendars, Meal Planners, Journals, and Party Banners {some of which are only occasionally listed in our shop} which still center around our theme of organization and planning. Having too many random products makes it look like you lack focus, and ultimately will turn people off. If I am looking for a Day Planner, I want to buy one from someone who looks like they make Day Planners a lot and is going to make the best Day Planner possible, not someone that also sells dog collars and felt wreaths, and any other little hobby they can tinker with to occupy their time.
My typical day is: Wake up. Shower and get ready {and yes, I do this EVERY day… I am not a sweats kind of girl}. My employees arrive for the day. Work. Work. Work. Work. Take my son to sports. Make {or pick up} dinner. Work. Put the kids to bed. Work. Maybe watch some TV with my hubby. Work. Sleep. Feed the baby. Sleep. Feed the Baby. Sleep. Do it all again.
I stay inspired by: New paper lines. My favorite time of year is when all the paper companies release their new paper lines. I love it.
3 things that have helped my business are: Starting a blog and using social media, networking through boutiques and blogging events, and having excellent Customer Service.
My favorite materials to work with are: Paper. Have I mentioned how much I like paper?
3 tools in my studio I can't live without: My ATG {Adhesive Transfer Tape Gun}, my Crop A Dile, and my printer {although I wish I could live without my printer… printing causes more strife than anything else in our office}.
DISCOUNT ALERT:
10% off good thru the giveaway
CODE: JESS10
Emmy is giving one of you the chance to get organized like me ;)
She is offering up a $30 shop credit!!
Want to get organized in 2012? Here is how you enter:
MUST be a jessicaNdesigns follower to enter (join this blog via the sidebar)
- Visit Much Ado About You & tell me what you would pick if you won
- Add Much Ado to your Etsy Shop Favorites
- Like Much Ado on Facebook (Be sure to tell her I sent ya!)
GOOD LUCK! I will pick the winner via Random.org Thursday 1/12
