Networking and Marketing

Whoa, sounds exciting, right? Yeah, not so much. But it is very crucial for Rejoice! Bags to get out there for people to see, and so networking and marketing are important. This is all very new to me. I have spent most of this week researching different ways that handmade businesses market their products and how successful they are. Also, I am embracing this new look that the business has taken on. It is a far cry from where we started, but I love it! My market has now opened up to women of all ages, instead of just women with children or babies. :) I am so excited to see what God is going to do with this business, and I am so thankful for all that He has already done!
One unexpected result: I have had several lovely women contact me with very similar testimonies as to what God has done in their lives over the past year! It is amazing to me how the Lord works in all of our lives, and how He uses people that we don't even know to encourage us and affirm the work that He is doing in our lives. What an amazing God we have! To quote from Milton Vincent's A Gospel Primer for Christians:
"My God is immense beyond imagination. He measured the entire universe with merely the span of His hand. He is unimaginably awesome in all of His perfections, absolutely righteous, holy and just in all of His ways. He has also been unbelievable good and merciful to me as the Creator and Sustainer of my life. Every breath, every heartbeat, every function of every organ in my body is a gift from Him."
So not only is networking important for the growth of Rejoice! Bags, it is also an awesome tool that the Lord is using to connect me to sisters in the Lord all over the world!

New Bag Pictures

Well, so I lied, it won't be a couple of weeks, I have the few of the new photos today!!!! Yay!!

MIA

Okay, it's been a while, but "we" at Rejoice! Bags have been busy! I can officially say "we" now that the Lord has provided that help that was so desperately needed. :) We finished sewing up those bags and then some, and also created at least two new designs. The biggest news?? The Lord provided an excellent photographer named Matt Weybright to photograph my bags this past Saturday! The shoot was beyond anything that I could have imagined it would be. I really believe that these photos will be the launching pad to getting my bags sold online and elsewhere.
While researching internet sales in the last couple of months, over and over again I have read about how important the photography is. The problem was that I needed the right photographer to portray the look I wanted for my bags. Then along came Matt. He is a friend of mine from our high school youth group and is now a professional photographer. The look of his photos is very urban and chic, I was totally impressed. You can check out his photos at weybrightphotography.com I know you'll love his work as much as I do!
You'll be able to see the new photos of my bags in coming weeks, but for now have fun checking out the ones on Matt's website! :)

What can happen when you have a helper

This pile may not look like much to you, but it is a huge accomplishment for me that I could have never done without the help of my new helper, Lindsey! Disguised in that pile are actually seven bags just waiting to be sewn together. I have just recently realized how much easier my sewing can be when everything is cut out and interfaced before the sewing begins, but I really hated all the cutting and ironing that had to be done in order to do that. Then lo and behold, Lindsey came over and we tackled it together! So thank you, thank you, Lindsey, and I look forward to your coming over again very soon. :)