Too much hype? Maybe, but don't sweat the technique.

I just figured I would say this. When someday, hopefully soon, I am able to start selling some of my designs online, I am not predicting that I will be the next Isabella Fiore. Not everyone will like my designs. That's why there are so many designers out there, because different people like different things. I just hope I will have enough people who like them, that want to buy them, so that I can make a little extra money on the side. I am humble in my aim, and if it turns out better than I expect, then that is great; if not then I know I have tried to succeed at least.

Breaking Free

Every since I was about 12 years old I have kept a sketch book with designs of clothing I wanted to make, but my idea to start designing and producing handbags started in 2002. I saw an emergence in the handbag industry where alot of stay-at-home moms and just regular women were producing whimsical looking handbags and the consumers were loving it; being able to buy something that was quirky,that only a few other people owned, or maybe no one else owned it at all. I saw some people making good extra income doing this, and I also saw people who made it their sole-source of income, and became quite successful with it too. The problem was, some of the results were not that appealing, while there were some skilled seamstresses out there, some sewers' bags looked homemade and others lacked originality and designer quality. People figured if they picked a cute fabric, that was all that was necessary. Nothing set their bag apart from the next person's. I would see some people who would purchase Licensed and Trademarked fabrics, such as Philadelphia Eagles, or Mickey Mouse, and make a bag out of it; nothing special just a sack with the logo all over it and turn around and sell them online. Not only was this Trademark infringement*, and if caught you can be subjected to various penalties, but the bags were, in my opinion boring, because they lacked any design elements. I decided that I wanted to get in this market too for extra income, but I wanted bags with a uniqueness all my own. I wanted different designs etc. so I started sketching; anytime the mood struck me; whenever I saw something that would inspire me, I would sketch it quickly; on receipts, candy wrappers, you name it. I did not want to lose the idea. Eventually I started keeping a miniature sketch book with me just for my handbag designs. But alas as I said back then I was stuck at my main humdrum low-paying job and I was always trying to work as many hours as I could to keep afloat (although it wasn't working). I just ended up burnt-out, still in debt, and still could not afford to go back to school. So my idea of having a side business...was pushed aside. Turning Point: Last year after being fed up with our old neighborhood, but realizing how hard it was to be able to move, I kept telling my older sister (who was visiting at the time) "SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE, SOMETHING HAS TO CHANGE" I repeated this to her several times. I felt so completely suffocated. That is when I heard 2 things that made me start taking action. The first thing was something I was always familiar with but somehow I felt Like I was hearing it for the first time when I actually listened to it. There is a Canadian singer/songwriter named Dawud Wharnsbury Ali and he has a song that tells a little about some of the lessons learned from the story of Yusuf (arabic translation for Joseph) in the Quran (sura/chapter 12). One of the verses from the song goes: ["The words of Allah* are clear to the world, With Hardship Will Always Come Ease." "The beautiful story of Yusuf has so much to fill our lives." "A lesson in forgiveness and brotherhood we cannot compromise." "The power of patience and the fire of hope, must burn in the hearts of the wise."] ---After listening to this song once again it was like I had finally heard what he said at that moment. I actually paid attention to the words. The second thing was as I stated earlier in a previous post, I went to a business seminar with my mom and one of her co-workers, and the speaker asked the audience " Why are you working to make someone else dreams come true? Because when you go to work for someone else, you are working to acheive their dreams." It was like I was being hit in the head with a big "Duh!" sign. After really reflecting on these two things, I started to slowly make changes, I pursued the post office job, and after letting that go, even though everyone told me I was crazy for doing so (see earlier post "How did I get to this point?" for my reason), I decided to get more serious about my handbags while still holding down my job at Wally World, and while I am not progressing at a rapid pace, I am making movement, which is something I have put off for awhile. I am emerging-slowly but emerging nonetheless... Note* most Licensed and Trademarked logo fabrics, state that you are only allowed to produce goods for home and private use and not for resale. Allah--arabic term for the creator of all existence. Can be loosely translated into the english term GOD

Not Your Ordinary handbag/What's in Your Closet?

Be & D handbag USD$695.00 Be & D handbag USD$3300.00 Bottega Veneta USD$2780.00 Isabella Fiore handbag USD$625.00 Isabella Fiore handbag USD$655.00

Some handbag designers I like are: Le Sportsac, Whiting & Davis, Moschino, Be & D, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Lulu Guiness, Cole Haan, Salvatore Ferragamo, Bottegga Venata, Micheal Kors, and Paul Frank.

Two other more notable designers are Liz Claibourne, because when I was growing up my mother would always mention her as a designer, she has very classy items that are not as extremely expensive as some other well known designers. But my all-time favorite designer whose work I think is the most innovative and orignal is Isabella Fiore. She combines folk-style, class and an artistic vision that can be a little over-the-top for some designers, but she pulls it off nicely. I think that these designers are some innovators in their field.

*Disclaimer---Since, as I have stated previously I am not rich, I have never purchased any of these designers' bags (with the exception of Liz Claibourne), and any that I may own were given to me. Even if I were rich I hope that I would not make it a habit to spend thousands of dollars on an article of clothing or accessory, when there are so many other worthwhile causes that I could spend the money on.

It's all relative really

I received an email from my cousin the other day; in it she was trying to convince/encourage me to press forward and do the things that could turn me from worker bee to employer or at the very least successful employee. I told her I was not quite decided about the financial advisor thing and she asked me what was I working on right now, that I could not give the program a try. I told her I was trying to work on my handbags (even Vera Bradley* started small), so she emailed me back and told me to get started and she wanted to buy one so that she could help promote them and give me feedback. I was actually going to give away a few of them to some family and friends so that I could get word of mouth advertising. My cousin thinks she is being persistent, and she is right she is. I am glad for that, because I actually have someone to encourage me to do better and finally pursue my goals, because sometimes I get mentally setback and discouraged when I think about everything I need to do and how I will pay my bills etc. Growing up I never really had any direct first cousins who I grew up with. My cousins were second and third cousins; my mothers cousins and their kids. I was raised around my mother's sister (my aunt Deborah- didn't have kids) who she spent most of her life growing up with. I always knew however that on my Mother's side I had two more aunts; one on her Mother's side and one on her Father's side. My Mom's Mother died when she was still a kid and her other sister by her Mother (My Aunt Janice) stayed with their Mother's relatives, while my Mom and my Aunt Deborah lived with their Father. When they became adults my Mother and my Aunt Deborah did not keep in good contact with my Aunt Janice and my Aunt Darnelia, not because they had bad relationships or anything, but because unfortunately sometimes when relatives move away they are bad at keeping up with other relatives once they start their own families. So I never really had contact with any first cousins. A few years ago my cousin through my Aunt Janice, got in contact with my Aunt Deborah and we have been able to meet each other after all these years. She is a really sweet person and loves her relatives. It would have been nice to have grown up with her. Now she is trying to persuade and encourage me-that's cool. I think I do need to get back on track because I have put the production process off to the side for the past week and I really do need to get back on track...Press forward, keep moving, race towards the finish line! *Note: Vera Bradley handbag designer-signature style= quilted handbags of paisley and floral persuasion

How to be dissapointed when viewing e-mail from contacts

Well I came home at two o-clock this morning, because I was on my hour break, and I checked my e-mail because everyone was sleep and I had nothing else to do. I had some good mail from contacts that I had not communicated with in awhile, and then I saw it, I knew the news would not be good just when I saw the name of the sender. If she wanted to give me the bad news, she could have called me. I considered the idea of not opening the mail at all since I knew what the message was..... "We regret to inform you that you are no longer under consideration for those positions at this time, as other candidates have been chosen to move forward in the selection process." In a nutshell I did not get the job :(

Priorities in order...I suppose

37%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Mingle² - Dating Site

I found this link to take this blogging addiction test @ "Life Is Not A Game To Lose" http://raghavsubramanian.blogspot.com I have noticed that a few bloggers have taken this quiz so I was a little curious too. I am happy to know that I am not obsessed with blogging. I blog enough, but I have not taken it to the extreme. It is a good thing too because if I spent too much time blogging or on the Internet, I would not have time to pursue my goals. However I also understand what importance the Internet can have in accomplishing some of those goals. So thanks to all those people who are more obsessed with the Internet than me :P ;)

Workin Hard or Hardly Workin?: People Steal The Darndest Things You Know

Well I had another fun-filled night at Wally World; from associates and customers making passes, coping-a-feel under the disguise of a friendly gesture, to management lying about having access to paychecks until morning and later being caught that night handing out the same inaccessible checks to favored associates, to finding the nights stolen articles. Some favorites of thieves includes, but certainly not limited to, condoms, DVDs and over the counter medicines. Most bizarre stolen item every discovered: empty denture adhesion box. After leaving the "institute" I had my first preliminary interview with the other company today. I was a little offended by the interviewer when she questioned me with ridicule in her voice, as to why I gave up my job at USPS and kept Wally World (just a few months ago I had the 2 as full-time jobs), she acted as if I were stupid and she did not believe my reason. Just because she could not understand it, did not give her the right to try and belittle me. People sometimes have to leave a higher paying job in place of a lower paying one for many reasons, but in my case I was at Wally World when I started the USPS and when I had to quit the USPS, I still had my job at Wally World, so it is not actually as if I left the USPS for W.M. Anyway she told me she would give me a call in the next 5 days if they wanted to do further interviewing and testing, so we will see. The question I hate the most when doing an interview, especially when the job you are applying for is not necessarily the type of work that most people would choose as a life-long career, is "Why do you want to work for us?" "Hmmm let me think,....I need the money right now!" As if you go to McDonalds and apply to be a fry cook because it has been a longtime goal of yours (maybe for some people it is)... "Well now Miss/Mr. tell me why do you want to work at McDonalds?" "Well sir every since I was a little girl/boy I have been dreaming of working under stressful, greasy conditions and earning minimum wage." Don't get me wrong I am not knocking anyone who has to take these kind of jobs, you do what you have to sometimes in order to survive (I know I am), but I am just pointing out the fact that the employer of such establishments should not even bother asking any sane person this question. Unless the applicant has shown up to the interview wearing a I hate McDonalds T-shirt on, then don't bother asking the question......Man I really need to get out of this rat-race.

Links

I have just added some links on my blog, and I have chosen to showcase some of these websites in particular, because I actually deal with some of them. I do not want to just promote any and everything especially if I have no personal experience with it; kinda like the celebrity who endorses products that they do not use. I really,really, love eBay! so I will definitely promote them, besides I have sold things there and hopefully will be selling my bags there too eventually. I have just joined a website called ourstory.com that is really cool! If you blog then a part of you probably enjoys the idea of being able to express yourself and chronicle your life. At ourstory.com you can supplement your blog by creating a family history timeline that also acts as a family tree for future generations to enjoy. You add past and present memories to your timeline and you can invite other friends and family to add to your timeline too! It is a really cool site. I wish I had more info from my family's past that I could learn about today, but at least I will be able to leave some info about my family for our future generations. I am also registered at reunion.com because I am searching for 2 people I chose their site because they were actually very inexpensive, and if you type in your name you can see who is looking for you as well. It's funny because I have never been able to afford any people search services, but I had a little money left in my account from my last book sale at eBay and was able to pay for a membership, because reunion.com is cheap and accepts Paypal. I have not made any contact with the people I am looking for, but I have not been a member for too long, so eventually I may find them. My progress on my bags has slowed down for the past 2 days, but I will resume my pace in the next day or so. Right now I am interested in getting the minor details ready such as cheap or free marketing ideas, business cards, etc. Also tomorrow I have my first interview with the company I applied for a job with a week ago,and if I get the job it will pay me about the same amount I was making as a casual carrier with the Post Office, so it will be a little better than Wally World. So right now I have a few things going on; just striving, constantly striving, and praying for the day when I finally surface to the top...

Update 2

My coworker; the one who lives with and helps take care of her daughter and granddaughter, has told me of a new concern she has right now. Her daughter has decided to join the Reserves, and while that may be ok for some people, I do not think it is good for her. Her mother does not think it is a good idea either. She is joining because she feels as though this is her only option, but the thing is she has not exhausted all her options, and besides that, that is not a good enough reason to commit yourself to something so serious. She has 2 little girls to think about as well, and while she is gone that leaves my co-worker in even more of a bind. So my coworker has been stressing over this for the past few days. I have a couple of friends who joined the army right after high school, not because they really wanted to be in the military, but because they said they felt that since they did not get the best grades in school this was their only option. Not too soon after joining did they begin to regret taking this path and they both eventually had children while they were in, and one of my friends had to leave her 2 kids for a year while she went to Iraq. She said it was one of the hardest things to do, now she is trying to get out. I think if you feel like joining the military because you believe it is a good thing and something you want to do then go ahead and join, but if you are doing it for an easy way out, you are in for a serious awakening..

Update 1

I missed my appointment with the representative from the financial services company that my cousin wanted me to get into, and I have yet to reschedule an appointment because I am not sure if I am willing to commit myself to that endeavour. Right now I keep telling myself I am willing to try any business schemes to get out of debt, but then my heart tells me to hold out for what truly makes me happy. Even if I earn enough money and become "well off", ultimately my goal is still to go back to school and finish what I started. I would like to finish my degree in foreign language and architectural design, as well as become a certified Cardiovascular Technologist. Some associates of mine told me I had to pick one thing, but I don't feel as though I have to, I have been good at juggling more than one thing for the past few years and I want to learn about the things that interest me and not limit myself. If I were to get out of debt now and have enough money to not have to worry about working for awhile, I would still go back to school, because gaining the knowledge I need to do the things I love is what will fulfill me more than just having money. If I were in a better financial state, I could then volunteer my services to good causes, such as designing buildings for non-profit charitable organizations for free, and volunteering at the hospital when I could as a CVT. Even though I feel like I am desperate for some sort of financial relief right now, I still can't bring myself to do absolutely anything, I have to feel right about what I am doing. That's why one of the things I am doing is trying to launch my designs for my bags, that I have been putting off for a few years. I have come to realize that while some people may find instant quick success or a get-rich-quick program that actually works for them, the majority of aspiring entrepreneurs, have a long and tough battle to fight in order to be successful. I am experiencing this as I am trying to juggle keeping my regular crappy job at Wally World, and find time to produce my bags while also trying to find inexpensive ways to gain exposure and marketing. I feel like giving up some days, but as I said before, if I don't try, then I guarantee my failure, so I keep drudging on and praying for the day when I can experience success.

There are many roads, but which one will put me on the right path???

It has been quite a few days since my last post, because I have been so busy. A few days ago I was pondering how I would make that week's bills; my car payment, storage bill and my share of the rent. I felt so stressed, but I kept telling myself to be patient and keep pushing forward and things would work out; GOD willing. I begin to throw myself into the labor of preparing my bags for construction, I have spent days cutting out different parts and adding decorative hardware etc. I still have some more to go, but hopefully I should be ready for construction by the end of the week. During the past few days I received a call from an old co-worker of mine, she had just been made manager at the store she was transferred to, and she wanted me to come back and be her assistant manager. Initially I said that this was out of the question, for many reasons, one of them being that I had trained her when she first started at the company and usually something like that would not be any big issue to me, but after the way I was shorthanded by the company, I chose not to help them out. Also the store location was in another city and I would have to commute for little pay and the same headache. So do to those and many other reasons I told her I did not want to take the job. For a moment I begin to regret and wonder if I had made the right decision. Because bills were getting overwhelming and I started to seriously consider returning to the company, although I vowed I would never go back there on a regular basis, once I escaped. When I made the decision to go to work at the Post Office and keep my job at Wally World overnight, while finally leaving the fabric store, I felt so free. Up until that point I was stuck in a rut where I had to work to live, but I still wasn't living, I would work and work and it still wasn't enough to handle bills. I wanted to find another job and go back to school, but I did not have the time, because I was working. I could not stop working or take many days off because I did not get paid much and to do so would mean I would not have enough to cover my bills. So I kept on for a few years like that, wondering when I would be released from that prison. My turning point came when I saw an ad in the paper for the United States Postal Service which usually one will only find that type of ad about once every 2 to 3 years (or at least it seems that way). I had wanted to try to get a job there anyway, but this was like a sign. I called and much to my disappointment it was just one of those companies selling the test for a small fortune. I found out later that usually when you see these ads in the paper that is usually the case, but also even though they are just trying to sell you something they usually do not put the ads out until the post office is in need of some people. So while the ad does not get you a interview, or allow you to speak with anyone in the postal service directly, they do give you a clue when to start trying to get in contact with USPS and take the tests etc. As you may have guessed the Post Office is not an easy organization to get into, especially for civilians and they usually do not advertise; when they do, it's usually through word of mouth, or you can go inside the stations and maybe find a flyer conservatively placed somewhere. That was the case for me, after paying the money to buy the study guide, I was a little disappointed when I called the main station in our area, and the woman very rudely told me that they were not giving interviews or scheduling people to take tests, and that they could only take my name and maybe they would give me a call. Days past and I had not heard anything, while I was running an errand for my other job, I found hidden on a bulletin board, back behind the counter in the Post Office, a flyer advertising for "Casual Employees" I thought how could this be when I was told they were not hiring? I thought I might have another shot, so I came back the next day and asked for an application, the woman told me that they did not have any applications, and that I would have to go to the personnel office, which was more than just a bus ride away (at the time I did not have my car). I was once again feeling discouraged when I bumped into a frequent customer of mine who was very fond of me. I thought this must be fate, because while I knew this lady worked at this Post Office, during my many times of running over there for work-related stuff, I had yet to see her there (we would always see each other at my job). She asked me what I was doing there, and I told her I was trying to get an application but had been told there were none. She pulled me in the back and told me exactly where to go, how to get there, and who to ask for, moreover one of her co-workers who she introduced me to, told me he was friends with the lady in personnel, and he told me to mention his name and maybe that might help as well. So I got an application, and did all the things they told me to. At first I did not hear anything for days and then weeks and I figured that I had probably not been considered and just gave up the idea. I took an extra job (which is my current job now) working overnights stocking at Wally World. It took 3 months before I was called for an interview, and there were a bunch of other people there as well and they told us they only had 10 available "casual" positions. I was almost ready to leave then before even being called to the office, but I said to myself, " I haven't made it this far to not at least try, and if I don't do something now I will never be able to leave the other place." So after hitting it off pretty well with the interviewer, I thought I might have a chance. A week later I was called back to do physical tests and another interview, and pretty soon I found out I had the job as a Casual Carrier employee, which differs from what they refer to as a Career Employee (I will explain that one some other time). Once I decided to quit my other job as an assistant manager at the fabric store and pursue the USPS, I made the decision to never let myself deal with any company's torment. I told myself that if something is absolutely not going to work out for me I will not take it anymore; I was determined not to stay tied to a place that was mentally and physically stressing me, without trying to push forward and find something better, and that is why I ended up leaving the USPS a few months later. I realize now that I was not meant to be there long anyway, it was just a stepping stone to catapult me out the door of the other job, and finally move forward. Which brings me to my dilemma that I have right now. As I stated before these past few days were a little stressful, because I was trying to figure out how to get some bills paid, so I decided to try and get another job and I put in a few applications with some different companies. The same day I received an email from my cousin who is a representative for a financial services company, she has been trying to tell me to go into the program and training and become a representative and by doing so I would have the opportunity to work for myself. Well as fate would have it the other day my parents told me that they had a meeting with some guy who worked for an insurance company and he was going to talk to them about going into business for themselves, but they were not sure if they wanted to attend. It sounded a bit familiar, so I asked what the name of the company was and much to my surprise it was the same company that my cousin works for. Again to my surprise one of the companies, that I put an application in with called and left a message for me to call them back, then I met with the guy briefly from the financial services company who wants me to come to a meeting tomorrow, and I have made good progress on my bags. So I am left wondering now which path do I take, or do I try to once again juggle more than one thing at a time? Will it be possible to do one thing if I pursue the other thing?....I don't know what, if any good will come out of anything yet, I will just pray to make the right decision. In retrospect, leaving the fabric store was good for me and when I think about it, I know I should not go back, because leaving has forced me to press forward in being more financially independent and try to really get my business started. While it is very hard and I am not yet able to let Wally World go because that is my only source of income, I am more able to take care of errands and tasks during the day (well some days) that I could not before. It is all very tiring but I hope that it will soon payoff. I must keep pursuing my goals even if I never reach them, for if I never try, my unhappiness is assured, but if I make a strong effort who knows where that might lead, and at the end of the day I can live with the satisfaction of knowing that I tried my best.....

Today's accomplishments..

Cut out about 32 bags... Wrote entry in my blog... Responded to comments... Came across an interesting mind test that was shown to me by my younger sisters, that they retrieved from a favorite Asian website of theirs called crunchyroll.com... ----- Read This -----I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid. Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.Amzanig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas toghuht slpeling was ipmorantt! tahts so cool! Work in progress: Cutout 16 more bags... Begin construction on bags... Send out e-mail messages...

What to wear, while making progress..

I have been busy these past couple of days with minor things that seem so minuscule in my mind, but yet they have taken so much of my time. I had a wedding to attend this past Saturday, and I was up the night before making myself an outfit to wear! This is because I had been busy with my regular job and the designing and manufacturing of my own products at home, that I will be trying to sell on ebay. I find it interesting how I use to think that people who worked overnight jobs, had a nice setup; they could sleep a little during the day, and then awake and enjoy the rest of the day, and go to work work later that night. What a wonderful schedule! ..Oh man! I couldn't have been more wrong! Everyone is different, and while some people may work well with that scenario, I find that I cannot. My job overnight is manual labor, and by the time I reach home in the morning, I am exhausted and ready to sleep until it is time to go to work again, but because I have a goal to accomplish, and other obligations in life, I usually have to stay awake and I will go to sleep about 4 hours before I have to be at work. If I am lucky, during my break I will go to my car, recline the seat and sleep for an hour. When I get home I try to unwind a little but that is hard to do because I am constantly weighed down with financial issues, and I know that I have to keep progressing on the projects I am working on. I try to find time to come and write an entry in my blog, but that is not so hard to do, because posting here helps me release a little stress; writing has always done that for me. I think you never understand a person's situation until you walk in there steps, or try to open your mind to understand what they are going through. I hear people all the time say how there jobs are harder then someone else, such as, "she's got it easy she just sits down at a desk all day, while I am on my feet all day." I feel that most jobs carry alot of stress whether they are obviously physical or not. I say "obviously physical" because I think that all jobs can be physical. Most people who are not happy with their jobs become so stressed, that everything has a debilitating effect on their bodies-just opening a file drawer to get some files out can seem like a daunting task. I have experienced both aspects of the job structure, as a tax associate I did not have to do alot of manual labor, but it could be a mentally stressful job. As an assistant manager at the fabric store, I had both aspects at one time. My time was divided between office work and manual labor, and when people would hear that I worked at a fabric store, they thought I had it so easy, but it was not the case. The job was very stressful and physically demanding, especially when you are with a company, that has over 200 stores across the country, is a publicly traded company with greedy shareholders, one of the top companies in their field, your lifting up to 50 lbs at a time all day every day and when you strive to do your job right. If you were to take all those things in account, then it was not an easy job. I believe that the only good jobs are those that the individual loves to do even if they do not pay well, if you love what you do then you have a good job. Few people are blessed with that opportunity, sometimes you have to do things that you don't like to do, of course I don't think you should have to sacrifice your standards and morals either, but alot of people are not working out of love for their job, but out of necessity... For survival.