Cyber Monday: 30% off! (And Last Day to Save)

We're wrapping up our Black Weekend event with a cyber Monday sale: 30% off your order!

This is the last day to get a discount at So Sew Organized. If you have been putting it off, now is your chance! Use the code CYBER30 to get 30% off your entire order. Offer ends at midnight Monday night!

I've been busy sewing away and am so thankful for those of you that have taken advantage of the sales this weekend. I trust that So Sew Organized can be a blessing to you this holiday season, and that you will remember the One that gave us the Ultimate Gift...the true reason behind our Christmas.

Need some more gift inspiration? Check out these selections from the shop:

Totes and scarves make great pairings!

One of my new favourite things to do it pair two different colored scarves with an outfit. It adds a nice fullness and warmth plus the different stripes of color is fun! (pictured is the purple with dark gray, and navy with light gray.) Adding multiple things to your order helps save on shipping, too!

These burlap totes have been a hit, too. They are machine washable, and shed very minimally. It would be a great gift to fill a tote for a teen girl or adult lady instead of a traditional stocking! What gal doesn't want another handbag??

What items catch your eye? Which ones would you love to give...or receive!....this year?

Get $10 Off Christmas gifts

Here is today's Black Weekend deal: Use the coupon code BLACK10 and get $10 off your purchase of $40 or more from So Sew Organized.

Some of you took advantage of the coupon that was available yesterday and I'm SO GLAD you did! I just love the idea that some of you will have So Sew Organized under your tree this year. I wish I could visit each of your homes on Christmas to see the reactions! (Because that is not at all creepy, right???!!!)

If you missed out on yesterday's offer, I'm hoping you'll stay tuned for the rest of the weekend so you can stay informed about each deal as it becomes available. We'll end the event Monday with giveaways and special discounts on select items. Don't miss out!

Here is a gift idea:

Fill one of our pencil pouches with crayons, pencils, or school supplies! Makes a great stocking stuffer for any student of any age.

Do you have a gift idea using these pencil pouches? Do tell!

Hello Monday, Hello Labor Day!

It is Monday, time to say hello! Hello Monday is where I say hello to the fun that was last week and the excitement that this week will bring. I'm joining the community at Lisa Leonard Designs, won't you join us?

Hello Monday.

Hello long weekend.

Hello September! What the????

Hello "little" brother visiting. We kept it a secret from all our local family, and boy was that fun! Super hard secret to keep, however!

Hello to crossing the border and getting REAL Tim Hortons coffee! LOVE!

Hello back-to-back dog sitting weekends.

Hello to an amazing week at So Sew Organized. We set records all over the place! Most orders ever in a 24-hour period, most orders in a week, and the first time ever to sell out of something in the first two weeks of it being listed. Amazing!

This is the item we sold out of this week! I'm planning to re-list it in the future, but here are some others you might like in the meantime: (just click on the description to be taken to the item in my shop!)

Vintage Housewares pouch

Vintage Clocks pouch

Vintage TVs pouch

Pink Streamers pouch - also available in teal!

Hello Back to School and Cozy Fall Essentials giveaway! There is just one more day...which bundle would you choose if you won?

Speaking of bundles, hello to a fantastic Healthy Living eBook bundle coming soon! I don't have all the details to give you yet, but if you sign up here to receive an email when the bundle is live, you can then refer your friends to sign up! If 10 of your friends sign up (they don't even have to purchase the bundle!) you can get your bundle free!

Hello to a cookout with family today.

Hello to getting ready to speak at a conference. 

Hello to quiet times alone. How do you spend those times? How rare are they?

Hello long walks and pretty scenery.

Hello fall weather.

Hello readers, hello to a new week! What are you saying hello to today?

My Experience with Facebook's Boosted Posts

If you have a fan page on Facebook, you know how completely frustrating and complicated it is to get your posts seen by your fans. Facebook makes it harder and harder to get your posts out there, so bloggers and business owners are getting more and more creative with their posts!

Over the past few months, I have experimented a little with Facebook's boosted, paid posts. Yes, I said paid. I know most bloggers choose not to do this, but I decided to give it a try!

Facebook's Business page says this about ads:

Ads on Facebook are unique. They're shown to specific groups of highly engaged people on desktop and mobile. When your ads have great creative content and are well targeted, they get more likes, comments and shares. When someone takes any of these actions, their friends may see your ad, making it more powerful. When you boost your Page posts or expand the audience for your ads, more people will see them when they visit Facebook.

We'll help you create ads that achieve real results, whether that means connecting with more people through your Page, finding the right customers for your app, or driving sales on your website or in your store.

Best For

Reaching more people

Targeting a specific audience

Brand Awareness

Generating sales

Because I am using ads to reach potential customers and - hopefully! - generate more sales, I figured it was worth a try. After all, you have to spend money to make money sometimes, right?!

I have tried boosting posts on 4 different occasions:

1. For our Ultimate Homemaking Bundle Facebook party

2. On the last day of the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle sale

3. When I released So Sew Organized's canvas totes for the first time

4. When I released these new tablet sleeves.

My first campaign, for our bundle Facebook party, was kind of a wasted effort in the end. I didn't realize that when you prepare an ad or boost a post on Facebook, it doesn't go into effect immediately. Facebook takes a few hours to determine your target audience and...I don't really know what else. I don't know why it takes so long to get up and running, but it does!

So I scheduled my ad to be posted at the start of our party - my idea was to encourage more people to join in! The post itself did reach my normal audience, but the paid, boosted audience did not get reached until well after the party was over. Bummer! 

When it was time to write the ad for the canvas totes, I was more prepared and scheduled that post to go live hours before I actually wanted it to be seen. That worked better! Out of the 4 posts I've boosted, that one saw the most engagement.

Here is how Boosted posts work:

1. Click the "boost post" button on any of your page's posts.

2. Choose the type of targeting you want. This is indicated by the red arrow in the following screenshot:

You can choose to show your post to the people who like your page (which is maddening to me, they should already be seeing it!) or to a target audience that you choose. I normally choose a target audience, because my products are specific to a certain group of people. Just follow the prompts to choose your target audience.

3. The next important step is to set your budget. That is indicated in yellow in the screenshot above. This was the default amount of $160. It is estimated to reach 22,000-59,000 people. Sounds great, right? But I'm cheaper than that. :) You can set your budget for as little as $1, but obviously the less you spend, the smaller your audience will be. I normally choose $5 - $10 as shown below:

Many times the estimated audience is lower than what the post actually reaches. Here is an example of one of my campaigns. Halfway through, I had reached 1,837 people and had $3.58 left.

By the end of the campain (when all the money was used up!) I had reached 3,878 people, which was over the estimated audience. I'll take it!

Have I seen a lot of new traffic and/or sales from these boosted posts? I honestly don't know. I have gotten some new likes on my page, and interacted with some new people. I don't know if any of my sales have come as a direct result of these boosted posts, but the potential is always there!

My takeaway from these experiences is that I will continue to use the boost feature for posts and opportunities that seem worth the money. I may not make a fortune off it but I'm not spending a fortune, either!

Now I'd love to hear your thoughts. Have you ever used the boost feature? How did it work out for you? If you haven't, would you ever consider it, and why or why not? I can't wait to hear your opinions and ideas!


Linked up with Weekend Wind-Down, Friday's Unfolded, Say G'Day, The Creative Collection, DIY Dreamer, Hit Me with your Best Shot

Back to School with So Sew Organized

Every student, WAHM, and secretary needs to pay attention because lookee!! There are new super cute pencil pouches in the So Sew Organized shop!

(Oh wait, you don't fall into one of those categories?? It doesn't matter...you will probably want one too!)

There are eight, yesyoureadthatright, EIGHT fun prints that your geeky, retro side will love! Several of them are appropriate for males or females. Plus you can get two different styles: the slim pouch or the boxed one that can stand alone! They are specially designed for pencils (even No.2's fit!) but there are dozens of uses for these cute pouches, so use your imagination!

But enough of the gab, I'll let the pictures do the talking. :)

Slim style

Boxed style

You can see them all and order them right here. Which print is your favourite? What could you use these for besides pencils? 


Linked up with Joy Dare blog, Fridays Unfolded, Say G'Day

Frozen in July Giveaway!!

I'm super excited to be bringing you a super fun giveaway: A collection of Frozen-inspired items to cool you off this summer!

It has been so fun working with these 4 lovely shops in setting up this giveaway. Here are the goodies they have to offer you:

Hand Stamped "Let it Go" necklace from KK& Whimsy 

Heber Springs, Arizona

Kristy owns KK& Whimsy and specializes in hand stamped jewelry. KK&Whimsy loves unique people and their unique life story! Our jewelry line is a tribute to your life, your family and all the things your love.

At our shop we customize every necklace specifically for each customer.  We can stamp name or favorite quotes on necklaces and key chains. 

Visit the shop here!

Kristy has generously offered  my readers 25% off any purchase of $20 or more through the month of July! Use the code is "FROZENINJULY" at checkout to get your discount.

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Disney Frozen Quote Subway Art from Lulirana

Edmonton, Alberta

Iba is a scientist who creates and designs during her free time. She owns Lulirana where she sells her fun designs! This one features some of the most quoted lines from Frozen in one printable.

Visit the shop here!

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Printable Disney Frozen Decal from Twitterpated Toad

Illinois

Tisha owns Twitterpated Toad, where she dreams up and creates each design in her own in-home art studio. Many of her designs are inspired by her love of antique letterpress blocks. She also writes and illustrates children's books while operating Pemberly Design House, her family run studio. 

Tisha says, "This decal was inspired by the children around me and their connection with fictional characters. Olaf is such a humorous, honest character that I think most children are automatically drawn to him, and I could not pass up the opportunity to create something that will bring them together! "

Visit the shop here!

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Olaf the Snowman Coffee mug from Seeds of Faith Mom

California

Seeds of Faith Mom was started by a new stay-at-home mom, racking her brain trying to figure out what it is God has in store for her. She says, "I've worked my entire life and know that with hard work and dedication anything is possible. So after a few months of unemployment and days with my toddler, I realize....I love this. I love being home with her, watching her grow, shaping her into being a wonderful woman who I know will one day take this crazy world by storm. Love makes my world go around but money puts food on the table and gives my daughter the future that I want for her. So this Etsy shop is the first seed to creating a life for my little love."

This mug has been pinned over 25,000 times and favorited on Etsy over 640 times. 

Visit the shop here!

Seeds of Faith Mom has generously offered you readers a coupon code! Use the code FrozeninJuly to get 15% off your order. 

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Use the Rafflecopter below to enter the giveaway. Answering the first question is mandatory, all the other entries are extra! 

The giveaway ends next Monday, July 28 at midnight EST. Good luck! Be sure to share some love with these shops to thank them for this opportunity.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hello Family, Hello Monday!!

It is Monday, time to say hello! Hello Monday is where I say hello to the fun that was last week and the excitement that this week will bring. I'm joining the community at Lisa Leonard Designs, won't you join us?

Hello Monday.

Hello fun summer days.

Hello swimming and relaxing in the sun.

Hello family visiting from New York.

Hello family event every day!

Hello fun with cousins....really, it was fun. {wink!}

Hello late-night bonfire and fireworks.

Hello dreaming and planning for the future.

Hello brand new tablet sleeves at So Sew Organized.

Hello Kindle app on my phone. My life is changed. For the better, of course. :)

Hello Readers, hello new week! What are you saying hello to today?

DIY Personalized Tablecloth + Banner

As a vendor, preparing for a local event is a lot of work! Many of you saw the updates each day on Facebook as I was working on new items, and last week I showed you my booth at the Hospice Fundraiser. It was such a fun event!

Not all of the prep was in making product to sell, however. I also knew I wanted to get a cute display together to really represent my brand and help sell my shop. Here are a couple items that I DIY'ed to get a cohesive look throughout all the items in my booth!

I decided to make a tablecloth that can be used over and over to represent my shop.

I wanted colours and font that matched my business cards. Not too much to ask, right? (Here is a picture of my new business cards if you need a reminder!)

I started by picking up 3 yards of unbleached muslin. (I feel all Little-House-on-the-Prairie-ish when I say that. Unbleached muslin. Lol!) 3 yards gave me plenty for a tablecloth and the banner.

I made my tablecloth wide enough by sewing two pieces together with a nice flat seam using this method. It comes out so beautiful!

Instead of hemming the tablecloth, I serged it with pink thread as an accent.

To make the  words, I created a template by printing my words on white paper and cutting them out. I just used Microsoft Word - this font is called Vladimir Script. Probably some of you steady-hand people could have free handed this, but I do not have a steady hand, my cursive isn't this pretty, and I wanted the font exactly the same. So...I made a template. :)

Cutting them out really wasn't too tedious. I used a razor blade for the insides of the letters. It didn't have to be perfect, I could fix little imperfections as I painted each letter.

I carefully centered the template exactly where I wanted it on the tablecloth, and used small pieces of tape to hold the paper in place. Then I used a pencil to trace around each letter.

This part went really quickly!

Then I mixed up some paint and started filling in the lines with a small paintbrush. I used a craft paint from Walmart - the colour was Honeysuckle Pink, but I lightened it with a beige colour I had on hand. It ended up being exactly the same colour as the thread I used on the serged edges!

This part was more tedious - not gonna lie. But the letters were small enough that it still went fairly quickly.

The only thing I wish I had done differently was be more careful about completely covering the pencil lines with paint. I tended to fill in between the lines with paint, and close up the pencil lines can still be seen. Probably no one else but me will be looking that closely, however. :)

Now on to the banner...

I followed the exact same method, this time painting on smaller pieces of fabric. I made a paper template to cut out the banner pieces, as well as the words. This time the font was Bookman Old Style.

These letters took significantly longer to paint! They were bigger with bigger spaces to fill in. But I got 'er done, just the same!

For the banner I used Honeysuckle Pink again, this time straight from the bottle instead of a lighter shade, as well as a turquoise craft paint from JoAnn's named - wait for it - Turquoise. :)

I let it all dry overnight.

Then I folded the top of each banner piece over about 3/4 inch and sewed to make a pocket. I threaded them on to a string using my safety pin method.

I just love how these two things turned out! I think they help represent my brand and catch the eye of potential buyers. The best part is they can be used again and again.

Some of my best tips for cutting and painting:

1. When cutting out the paper template, turn the paper, not your scissors. This makes for smoother edges.

2. Use a ruler to be sure everything is centered. If even one letter is crooked, an OCD eye like mine will pick it out every time. :)

3. Wash and iron your fabric well before you start painting. Mine still got wrinkled by the time I got it to the event, but it was entirely better than before!

4. With this fabric, I found it best to put a pretty good glob of paint on my brush each time. It did soak in (and through) the fabric a little bit, and with plenty of paint on the brush it was easy to push it right to the edge of the pencil lines. As you do it, you'll get a stroke that works for you, don't worry!

5. ^ Put it on a drop cloth. Obviously.

And that is the end of my project! It took me a whole afternoon to make both items, but it was so worth it for the impact it had on my display. I am currently re-using both of these in a display at a local business, so they are already being put to good use!

Small business owners, how do you establish your brand locally or on the web? What crafty projects have you all been up to lately? Would you have used a paper template, or free-handed the lettering?


Linked up to the Weekend Wind-Down, From Dream to Reality