amazing

i still get nervous when i talk about Landon's Love and show people products, but the feedback has been absolutely wonderful. I am overwhelmed by the generosity that we have experienced. I am proud to know such amazing people.

in an effort to save some money on printing catalogs, we signed up for a webpage last night. I can already tell it is going to take a good week or so to get it ready, but i think it will be a wonderful way to show people our products. We still would like for people to order by word-of-mouth or email as we don't want to have to give paypal or credit card companies a portion of the money that we want to go to the genetics department. our website will be www.landonslove.com. we haven't published it yet, but we'll let you know when it is ready.

also this week i checked out Pleasant Grove Farmers Market in Fluvanna. I really wish i would have investigated it sooner...it was darling and i look forward to setting up there next year. I love it because they ask for a flat fee rather than a percentage of your sales...there again, we want as much money to go to genetics as possible.

i need to keep my ears open to craft fairs and such during the fall and winter months--i think those would be great opportunities to get the word out and keep my life balanced between school work and fun.

this journey has been an amazing one and we thank you so much for your love and support along the way...we certainly could not have gotten past the 3am thought of "Landon's Love" much less this far without your support.

ps--we do have tshirts available if anyone is interested. $15

new projects

clipboards...this is the 12x12 size...i have small ones to work on as well which are 4x4.

ornaments...they are just like the magnets and pins, but they have a ribbon to hang as an ornament.

desk charms...just like magnets and pins except they don't have anything on the back...you can just place them on your desk or coffee table for decoration and inspiration. i think we will sell these in sets of three...or maybe as singles would be best...any suggestions are appreciated. (don't have a picture of these...sorry)

car fresheners...i gave these as Christmas gifts a few years ago...some of you may remember.

labels...i also gave these out for Christmas a few years ago...they are a great way to save money. instead of buying birthday cards, etc, just place a label on a plain card or directly on the gift to use as a tag. i'll try to get a picture up of these soon.

new pin display???

i found this little thing at joann fabrics the other day and thought i could use it to display the pins. i need feedback...is it too busy?

scattered or shall i say fragmented

with the realization that summer is half way over i feel myself becoming more and more spastic/scattered/fragmented...no matter how you want to say it i'm feeling a little nuts. each day i am eager to get up and make something for Landon's Love but it seems as if it just sits, which has become the latest problem. with the encouragement and guidance of ms. organization herself, i have been trying to organize and label things, but it still feels like there is stuff everywhere. i guess the point in me saying all of this is that i am finding it difficult to manage making stuff and storing it. i have investigated participating in several farmers markets to help with marketing...i'm sure fear more than anything is holding me back, but we've also been very busy with therapy appointments and activities for landon that i haven't committed to anything.

i've also been reading up on converting "Landon's Love" into a nonprofit organization. it is an incredible amount of information. i sure wish i could just pay someone to do it all for me, but i cannot exactly afford that. I keep being reassured by people who have investigated nonprofit and actually gone through the process that it is not as bad as it seems. my biggest confusions are: 1. now that i set this up as a "for profit" is it going to be a pain to change the status with the irs and the state? 2. how much is it going to cost to set up the nonprofit...because amazingly enough i think it will cost quite a bit more than it did to set up the for profit.

price update: i will reprint brochures, but we made the executive decision to charge 5 dollars even for the magnets, pins, keychains and ornaments. we have just included the sales tax in the price.

new products: i'm working on labels, quote jars, ornaments, clipboards, and "desk charms." i'll try to get pictures up of the new stuff soon.

as i type, landon is sleeping on my shoulder after a long day...it's simply this that reminds me that in the scheme of things clutter doesn't matter! (i'm sure shaun would beg to differ :-) )

i just re-read this before posting and i think the title of this post is not necessary...it is very clear simply reading it that i am all over the place :-)

brochures are out

i sent out a big mailing of brochures the other day. everything feels a little more "official" now. If you didn't get one or know of someone i should send one to, please email me (landons.love@yahoo.com or my school one) with the mailing address info. I'm trying to get a master mailing list together.

insomnia=new key chain???

i cannot sleep, so those who know me well know that i cannot just sit and do nothing...i have to DO something. I tried to make a pendant in the shape of the Landon's Love logo...i liked it, but i am afraid it will scratch people. I didn't know what to do with my creation after that, so i stuck it on a stick for some reason and imagined that people could use it as a plant stake and then i thought that was sort of weird, so i put it on a key chain. i'm still not so sure what to think of it...any comments/suggestions would be appreciated.

tshirts, logo stamp, and big boy underoos

thanks to Grandma's help we found a place to get t-shirts made with the Landon's Love logo on them. I'm sure joe schmo off the street won't exactly want a Landon's Love logo shirt, but i know family has already asked for some, so i am really excited.

Landon and i took a trip to Office Depot today to order a rubber stamp with the logo on it. Let me just say it was an adventure...Landon was perfect...i think he had more patience than i did. after all that waiting today we're going to have to wait another 7-10 days for the thing to even come in! oh well. I ordered it so that i can make magnet, pins, key chains, etc. using the logo.

I've been going crazy today shaping, stamping and baking. Painting is my least favorite part, but i need to get a move on as we have several Landon's Love open houses schedules beginning in the next couple of weeks. I am really excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!

on a side note Landon wore "big boy" undies today for a couple of hours and did not have any "accidents"!!! He discovered smarties yesterday at Nan and Pop's house, which he now calls Nan and Pop candy! He is a smart little booger as he realizes that when he goes to the potty he gets "Nan and Pop candy"!