A casual camper weekend (with our new jewelry!)

Is it spring yet?

The weather is starting to show signs of spring, and I'm so ready for it! A couple of weeks ago, the skies were dreary but the temperature warmed up just in time for our first photo shoot of 2016. I teamed up with my photographer friend, Sarah Beaty, to shoot some modeled photos of my newest jewelry pieces. I cannot wait to get her finished photos back, but in the meantime I couldn't resist sharing some of the behind-the-scenes photos I took.

We had so much fun photographing our gorgeous models Penny and Tiffany in this uber cool Airbnb Camper in East Nashville. Just take a look! It was such a unique location, pure Pinterest heaven. I mean, there was literally a bath house with a claw foot tub next to an honest-to-goodness camper. Everyone on the shoot could not stop taking photos!

(Hair and makeup by my good friend Kelley Kirker.)

Great, right? *swoon*

I can't wait to get these photos and the new pieces up on our website! The new jewelry is scheduled to launch in a week or two, right before our 10th Anniversary month begins! The photos will also be dropped into our 2016 wholesale catalog - if you are a retailer and would like to be mailed a catalog when it is ready, leave a comment to let us know. ◁

Recap: National Stationery Show 2014

Melanie & Freshie

I'm going to let you in on how I run my business. I don't really do budgets or spreadsheets to calculate cost analysis or market research - I pretty much just go with my gut. Mind you, my gut is primed with years of experience, but my gut has no formal business training. 

So when an opportunity to exhibit at the National Stationery Show came up, my gut considered it. Even though it's primarily a, you know, stationery show. Even though there was only one other jewelry line signed up to do it that I knew of. And even though it would cost me thousands to do it, plus the fact that my one and only vacation of the year had already been scheduled right before the show, meaning that my two assistants who had never before set up a trade show booth would have to do the entire setup without me…. my gut said "Let's do it!"

Luckily, my gut was right.

Our corner booth - ready for business!

The show was a success on so many levels, and I truly couldn't have done it without help from my fabulous assistants Melanie and Jessica. While I drank beer on the beach in Florida, they bravely conquered setup, armed only with a binder full of instructions and a stack of 4x6 photos! This is not an easy task - setup is frustrating and exhausting, especially when it's not your booth! 

They did a great job (my gut knew they would), and now they know how to set up and tear down a trade show booth! I am certain they are super grateful for this knowledge I have so generously bestowed upon them. Don't you think they look grateful?

Totally grateful. In no way did I rub my vacation in their faces, either. 

The best part of these shows is not just opening new accounts, but also networking with so many nice and creative people. We were even lucky enough to meet a few artists we adore! For starters, Jessica spotted her talent crush Lisa Congdon walking around the show and melted in awe just a tiny bit. On the night of the Paper Party, Melanie and I accosted chatted with the super-talented (and hilarious) Emily McDowell and her assistant Charlie while walking together on the sidewalks of New York so we're totally BFFs now, obviously. 

I've also been a longtime fan of Night Owl Paper Goods, and when I stopped in their booth to tell them so (did I mention I'm not very shy?), I noticed their new amazing collaboration with Dolan Geiman, a talented folk/mixed-media artist I've had the pleasure of meeting in the past. And as if being able to chat with them wasn't cool enough, they gave me one of their adorable totes! 

Dolan Geiman's collection with Night Owl Paper Goods

Next, I had to drool over swing by another of my favorite card lines, Hello!Lucky, and I ended up having a potty training conversation with the owner, Sabrina. Oh the unifying experiences of parenthood! You have to check out her potty-training chart if you're in the market for one. As the mother of a four and two year old, I could use an entire stack of them!

Hello!Lucky's potty training chart for girls

One of the best aspects of the NSS is being exposed to businesses we were previously unaware of. Three of those happened to be our booth neighbors! Fletcher & Fox is a company specializing in handmade wooden arrows (we will definitely be needing some for our new studio); Beve!, who makes the cutest paper straws and washi tape; and lastly, Katie Leamon from the UK, who not only makes us wish we owned all of her beautiful stationery but also that we could sport that fabulous British accent of hers. We also ran into a little bit of home at the show when we met Pop-In-Greetings and Craft Course, two fellow Nashville businesses. I love how small Nashville is - everyone in the Pop-In-Greetings booth were Belmont University alums like myself! I could truly go on and on about all the awesome people we met - there are just too many to mention!

Fletcher & Fox arrows

Beve! washi tape

Katie Leamon cards

In addition to meeting new people, we also relish the chance to reconnect with other small business owners we've met over the years. Eva & Kirk of Sycamore Street Press were our booth neighbors at the 2008 Indieana Handicraft Exchange - so long ago! Eva and I pondered how much our lives and businesses have changed since then - I mean we both have had two children and are still running our businesses full time - high five! I also got to talk shop with my buddy Beth from 1Canoe2 - her business has really exploded in the past few years and luckily she's super cool, otherwise I'd be totally jealous.

On a side note, I'd like to give a big shout out to the ENTIRE Etsy Wholesale team, the whole reason we were there in the first place! (We exhibited in conjunction with their partnership with Signature Mix.) They were beyond friendly and helpful, constantly stopping by our booth to check in on how we were doing and wanting our thoughts on the Etsy Wholesale platform. We have high hopes for their launch in August! 

Overall, NYC and the National Stationery Show (in the process of being renamed as the Signature Mix Marketplace) treated us very well.  We loved every moment of it and are looking forward to our return! I guess I can treat my gut to some ice cream.

An update from Maggie, our Campus Rep!

Earlier this spring, we launched our Campus Rep Program to bring the Freshie & Zero brand to life at a local university and the Nashville community. When selecting from our candidate pool, we looked for someone who was enthusiastic and creative, had a love for jewelry and possessed a desire to represent the handmade community. With all this in mind, we excitedly welcomed Maggie, a Belmont University student, to the Freshie & Zero team as our very first representative. To fulfill her duties, we asked that Maggie showcase our jewelry at on and off campus events (she picked out a pair of Lolly Earrings and Single Chevron Necklace to sport), promote Freshie & Zero via social media and write a guest blog post on our blog. Read about Maggie's experience below!

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On Campus Event: 

The big performance of my spring semester was Belmont’s Pops show on the Massey Performing Art’s Center stage. I decided to glam up my look with a gold pair of Lolly Earrings, perfect for the gold theme our ensemble decided on. It was such a blast performing with my ensemble, Little Beat Foxes, and my mom even got to come up for the show! She said she might have to steal herself a pair! 

Off Campus Events: 

Porch Fest was an absolute perfect start to summer! The day included some talented local bands playing on porches around the neighborhoods of Nashville, and everyone was in high spirits because of the wonderful weather. I sported my Single Chevron Necklace and it was the perfect compliment to my little green dress! I think many agreed as the necklace caught the attention of several admirers asking where I got it!

During the stress of finals it was only natural for me to make my way to the Nashville Humane Society for some puppy lovin’! The cuties in this photo include this adorable little mutt and my favorite Simple Chevron necklace, which provided a little pizazz for a relaxed look.

I've had a great experience getting to wear my Freshie & Zero pieces around campus and the Nashville area! They’ve become staples in my wardrobe and every time I wear them, I always have at least one person ask me where I found such beautiful, yet simple pieces! Thanks so much to Freshie & Zero for giving me this fun opportunity!   

~ Maggie

How to Organize a Successful Photo Shoot

Once a year now, I call up my buddy and amazing photographer Sarah Beaty of Eyeris Photography, and she and I hash out a plan for a Freshie & Zero photo shoot. I used to photograph everything myself and use my friends as models, but as the business evolved I had to step up my game! Some of my photos I took of my friend Kelley in my mom's backyard are still some of my favorites, but my photography skills were just not as professional as I needed them to be:

She's adorable, but my photography left a lot to be desired (mostly my inability to focus on the model and the jewelry at the same time). This one is from 2008 - my friend Kelley was the face of Freshie & Zero! She had an exuberance that really came through in the photos, but my photos needed to portray a more polished image. Here are some tips I learned to have a successful photo shoot:

1. Define Your Goal 

My goal was to have really fabulous professional photos. Often in the past, the hair and makeup (and wardrobe) was an afterthought, so this time I needed to make that a priority.

2. Hire Talented People

I needed a pro for every aspect of the shoot. Fortunately for me, there are loads of talented people in Nashville I can turn to for help to! I used an agency to find the right model. Sarah's friend Sharla Pruitt Higgins just so happens to do hair and makeup for the stars and was available the day of our shoot. I now had a team of creative pros!

3. Make a Mood Board

Next I made a Pinterest mood board to develop the theme of the shoot - can I say that this is my new favorite use of Pinterest? I pinned the hair, makeup, outfits, and overall attitude that I wanted to portray - which evolved into casual and simple beauty. I sent this board to everyone involved with the shoot, and that was pretty much all I had to do! Everyone "got it".

4. Gather Props and Wardrobe

Making a mood board also helped me figure out what our model would wear. She brought some of her own clothes and looked to this board for inspiration. I used the board as inspiration to play stylist and get the wardrobe we needed on approval. Why I had never thought of that before? Since I knew the clothes were just on approval (pretty much what real stylists do), I had an unlimited budget, and I was free to pick exactly what I thought would look great!

I also liked the way some of my inspiration photos utilized props like drinks and hats to draw attention to bracelets and earrings, so I collected similar items as well.

5. Find the right location

We held the shoot at my house because it was free, there are a lot of blank walls since I just moved in, and I live in proximity to lots of green space and even some wheat fields which would be perfect for outdoor shots. It was also ideal because if it rained, we could stay inside and shoot there, which is exactly what happened!

The talented team!
You can see how I shoved my kid's play area to the side to make room for our set. Mommy needs to work, kids.

6. Be organized on the day of the shoot

I cleared a table near an outlet so there was plenty of room for Sharla to lay out her makeup and curling irons (she's no joke - she had three cases full of stuff!). I laid all of the jewelry out in sets, so at any given time I could make a decision about what pieces I wanted with which outfits. The wardrobe was hung up neatly in a nearby bathroom. My friend Krista came as an extra set of hands, because you never know! Staying organized and having a friend ready to assist me really helped the shoot be more successful.

Sharla did her hair and makeup beautifully.

Primping

7. Have Snacks

Seriously - you can never go wrong with offering people a little bit of food to keep the energy up. I laid out a little snack bar with cheese, crackers, trail mix, and grapes, which was much appreciated by all. I also had sparkling pink grapefruit juice. Yum.

8. Be Flexible

The day of the shoot, the weather sucked! It was overcast and drizzling and not what we were hoping for, but we made it work. Sarah (the photographer) brought fancy lights and backgrounds and the shoot took a direction that was more fashion-y than I had expected, but in a good way.

Act like there's coffee in that cup! Sell that bracelet!

By the end of the day the rain cleared up, so we hightailed it outside and got some beautiful shots in the afternoon sun. Instead of being bummed that we couldn't shoot outside, we focused on getting great shots inside and when the opportunity came to go out, we took it! We didn't go to the awesome nearby wheat field, but there's always a next time.

Catching that pretty afternoon sun!

Working the light in my driveway.

That pretty much sums it up! On a side note, our model Tiffany was fierce! Her (natural) red hair is GAWgeous and the jewelry looked fabulous on her. She was also pretty nice, too, and it turned out that she and the photographer sort of knew each other as did the stylist. Oh Nashville, I love how small of a town you can be! By the end of the shoot, they were all exchanging numbers and planning on working and hanging out together in the future.

Tiffany, me, Sharla, and Sarah