.png)
This is my second post which was meant to be my first post 😁. If you are wondering why this wasn't my first post, then check out my first post here and read all about it.
I just want to use this opportunity to say THANK YOU for stopping by and share with you my heart for this blog as well as what you should expect from me. It's a long one so bear with me. First of all this is me - Barbara (aka Beulah). I'm a mum, wife, lover of God, amateur crossfitter 💪and #crafter.
I re-discovered my love for crafting and in particular discovered the art of paper floristry nearly 2 years ago through a set of unconnected events. You see we were in debt - my husband and, and had managed to enter a DMP which we were diligently paying off. Our monthly repayment was high, we still had to pay the mortgage and car lease and coupled with raising three boys and working full time it was incredibly tough.
Being the ambitious strong headed woman I am, I decided to set up an e-commerce store where I would sell jewellery to see if I could supplement our income and who knows... maybe retire from teaching early😁.
DiademJewels came into existence on October 2017.
You know when people say:
"don't start a business and expect that people will come flooding in and start buying from you because you think you have a great product. Do they know you? Do you have a reputation? Have you built relationships or community?"
Well... believe them.
For several months I did my homework in terms of curating beautiful affordable jewellery and assumed that with a decent website and killer products, anyone who saw them would love them and would want to buy (marketing 01- a big fat F 😂) well I was completely WRONG!
Anyway in that period I was running DJ, one of the things I committed to doing when dispatching my products to customers was to add a small handmade thank you card to personalise the purchase and this was where my crafting fire was re-ignited. It was through Diadem Jewels I discovered instagram, where I saw my first paper flower and I was hooked.
I have become smitten with this art form because it brings me such enjoyment to watch as I turn a simple piece of card or crepe paper into the most realistic bloom; then to see the wonder and joy on people's face when they see my work is even more exciting. Best of all, its a conversation starter.
In this age where phones and devices have taken over our lives, it appears we are no longer sure how to interact when we do get out, especially among strangers. So what do we do? We whip out our phones and start scrolling randomly. Well my paper flowers do cause people to stop and take notice, then they start asking questions and boom! a conversation has started between total strangers.
I am still on this journey of discovery; still learning and still perfecting my craft.
I want to share this journey with anyone like me who enjoys making things and is looking for inspiration; for someone to celebrate with when it all goes wonderfully well and someone to cry with when it goes frustratingly wrong (as it surely will).
I will use this medium to share my paper flower and other craft adventures and I hope you'll join me. From time to time, I will share step by step tutorials of how I make different craft projects and hopefully add video tutorials as we go along. Sometimes I may talk about things not necessarily related to paper flowers but may be worth sharing as was the case with my first post.
For subscribers to the blog, you will get exclusive access to my free templates for the flowers I create and you can have a go at making your very own gorgeous paper blooms. You will also be the first to hear about competitions, product launches and discounts including when I start running workshops.
I will release a blog post every two weeks (i.e. twice a month) and I hope you will come on this ride with me.
Below are photos of some of my work. Enjoy and look out for the next blog post which comes out in another 2 weeks. I will be sharing with you some useful resources to get you started on your paper crafting journey. You will need these to get you ready for my first tutorial. Till then, speak to you soon😘.
PS: Oh and yes we are completely debt free. All paid in full. The feeling the first time I received my salary without a direct debit withdrawal from my DMP provider was indescribable. Just like the GIF🤣.
Oh and please feel free to drop me a comment in the comment box below and introduce yourself too if you feel like it. Would love to meet you. Also subscribe to the blog so you get to hear all the gossip first.
bloomingly yours xx
Barbara (aka Beulah)
Comentários