Fabric Winner!!!

Congratulations goes to : DENISE!!!

Woop!  Email me girlfriend.  :)

Thank you to all that entered!!  You can still get your discount, but only until the end of Tuesday!  So go order yourself some purty fabric!  :)  Click here to visit Above All Fabric's website.  Remember to enter SheyB at checkout to receive your discount!!

Lovely Indeed!

I have date night tonight, but wanted to stop in, and wish you all a very happy Saturday!  :)  

I also just found out that I was nominated for a Lovelies Award under the handmade blogs!!  I am so excited!!

 

I would love to have your vote!

Click here to do so.  :)

Thank you!!

I'm off to get ready!!  Have fun tonight.  :)

So I've Been Thinking Of Starting A Business...

I get many questions asking me about starting a business.  How I started mine.  How I got my name out there, so on and so forth.  I also get asked a lot, "how do you do it all?".  I will talk about that last question at a later date, but let's tackle the questions about starting a business, shall we?  Now, I am no expert.  So what I say is just my experience.  I feel like I should put a disclaimer in this post.  You know like a weight loss infomercial does.  "Results not always typical".  I can't possibly guarantee what has worked for me will work for you.  

2 years ago is when the idea came to me to make camera strap covers.  I knew nothing of Etsy.  I knew nothing about starting a crafty business.  And mostly.  I knew nothing about sewing.  I just knew that I had just gone on a photo shoot, and my neck hurt.  Bad.  A red mark from my camera strap led me to the thought, and action led me to my business, *Shey*[B].  But the action part didn't take place until we moved from North Carolina to Arizona.  It's hot here.  I don't like the heat.  So... I stay in the house a lot.  What better time is there to create?  And that's just what I did.  Now, I am lucky, because my husband is a Vice President of one of the companies he works for.  He is incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to anything business.  He helps me, advises me, and he is my biggest cheerleader.  Having someone who supports you whole heartedly is KEY to owning your own business.  

Now.  You have this business.  What do you do next?  Good question.  Figure this out...  How big do you want your business to get?  And be realistic about it.  What kind of time do you have?  Do you want to sell only what you have already made, or do you want to sell made to order/custom items?  I also have noticed that having a focus in your store helps too.  If you have 20 different items that are completely random from each other, it can get confusing, and turn people off.  Also.  Set realistic goals for yourself. If you don't get many sales, don't quit.  Keep going - Don't let the lack of sales get you down.

This is where my passionate side comes out, because I really believe this is what works.  It worked for me, and it works for -so- many others.  Advertising.  I know I have said this before.  And yes, I am saying it again.  And I am sure you'll here it again, and again.  

Let's think about advertising for a minute.  All companies advertise in some way or another.  Otherwise how would anyone know the company existed?  Right.  They wouldn't.  Advertising is especially crucial for us little guys who don't have millions of dollars to throw down for TV commercials, magazine ads, etc etc.  Where should you advertise?  How about your favorite blog?  Start there and see how it goes.  When I first started my business, I was given this same valuable advice.  At first I brushed it off not thinking anything of it.  But I began noticing that advertising does work!  That's when I began offering giveaways.... Giveaways are in the advertising bubble.  It's an "in your face" type of advertising.  A blog features a store and talks about nothing other than that person and their products in that 1 post.  It's a great great way to start getting your name out there.  Now, a fact.  Presently, many blogs are charging for  advertising.  Sometimes you'll just pay for a giveaway, sometimes the advertising and giveaway are included.  I offer advertising on my blog.  Why do people charge for this?  Simply because all of this takes time.  Writing a giveaway post can take me upwards of an hour or more to write.  That's a lot of time.  But we are trying to sell your company and get you some sales.  Pricing for advertising varies a lot, so make sure and ask the blogger what their rates are.  I believe in the saying, "You've got to spend money to make money."  Believe it very much.  Keep this in mind too.  Advertising is a risk.  It may not work... but is it a risk you're willing to take?

And lastly, remember.  Believe in yourself and your business!  Pray about it.  If it's meant to be, it will happen.  

I hope this has helped... if not.  Feel free to leave a comment, and if I can answer your question, I would be more than happy to!  :)  Please remember.  These are just my opinions.  This is what has worked for me... *Results not always typical*.  

goodnight friends.

Answering YOUR Questions Pt. 1

I am going to be breaking up these questions you have asked, into a few posts.  I don't want the post to go on forever, because it will if I answer them all at once.  Not to mention, it's 11:54pm and I am in need of sleep very soon.  So, here we go.  I will answer 3 questions tonight...

Genevieve's Q:  What is your favorite cheese?

Shealynn's A:  My favorite cheese?  ha ha!!  This is a really random question.  But it made me laugh out loud.  I love random.  My favorite cheese is probably Fontina cheese.  It's delicious.  But I also love Brie, and plain ole American cheese.

Marie's Q:  How did you end up in AZ?

Shealynn's A:  Before Arizona we lived in North Carolina.  Prior to North Carolina we lived in California. The reason we moved from NC to AZ is because my husband got a job offer.  Isn't that why a lot of people move?  Seems like that to me.  Job transfers.  Have any of you moved for a job?  I know that wasn't really a super thrilling story.  But that's pretty much it.

Jacky's Q:  What are your girls' middle names?

Shealynn's A:  Angelina's middle name is Skye.  Zoe's middle name is Rae.

Casey's Q: What book is on your must read list this year?

Shealynn's A:  Oh gosh!  There are so many coming out this year!  But there are 5 that stick out.  :)  Crescendo [Hush, Hush sequel], Hunger Games #3, Radiant Shadows [Wicked Lovely #4 - I have the ARC right now.  Will read soon], Spells [Wings Sequel], Linger [Shiver sequel], Spirit Bound [Vampire Academy book #5], Burned [House of Night book #7], Vampire Academy book #6, Shadow Souls.... OK.  That was SO more than 5!  LOL!  Ok, so those are the books that I CAN NOT wait to come out.  :)  

OK, so that was four, not three.  Oh well!  I will answer more questions later!
I want to thank Candy over at SoBellaCreations for passing along the Beautiful Blogger Award!  That was so nice of you!!!

The Rules:

*Thank the person who nominated you for this award.

*Copy the award & place it on your blog.

*Link to the person who nominated you for this award.

*Tell us 7 interesting things about yourself.

*Nominate 7 bloggers.

*Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

So... 7 interesting things about me?

uhhh.... is this a trick question?  This is going to take me forever... 

1.  I hate drama.  Abhor it.  Sometimes I am dramatic, and I hate it when I am.  I change it immediately if I can.  I like life low key.

2.  I do not like to cook.  I will do it.  I will try to enjoy it.  But I really do not like it.  And you can't make me!  So neener neener neener!  :)

3.  I do not do the laundry.  Nope.  My husband does ALL of it.  That's why he's the best husband EVER!  

4.  I am impatient.  And that's enough said on that matter.

5.  I absolutely positively H.A.T.E. hot weather.  I don't think hate is a strong enough word.  Yes.  I live in Arizona.  Yes.  It gets like 100 million billion degrees outside.  No.  I do not like it here in the summer.  Ever.  I am sure this topic will come up in say... 3 months?

6.  I LOVE blog comments.  Love them.  Every one of them is read and they all make me smile.  So... leave me some comments and you're guaranteed to make my day!  I just love hearing from all of you!  And I am going to make a better effort to visit all of you and comment on your blogs too!  Cuz, I love ya!

7.  I love listening to music REALLY loud.  When my husband is gone at work and my girls are gone at school during the week... you can find me working in my office with ear drum shattering music playing.  Oh, and I sing to it too. And maybe dance sometimes too.  :)

Now I have to pick some people to pass this award on to.  Who's idea was this?  How am I supposed to pick 7 people?  That's not very many!  Ugh!  Ok.  Here goes:

Denise - Polka Dot Moon

Melanie - Fabric, Family, Fun [Above All Fabric]

Natalie Cline - Once Upon A Cline

Beki Hastings - The Rusted Chain - The Blog/Pampering Beki 

Christy Bright - Beach Brights

Celeste - Ever Blooming / Etsy It Up

Marie Villa - The Villas

OK.  Can I just say that picking only 7 people is totally unfair?  Thank you.

Time for me to go to bed now.  It's now 1:04am.  Told you that would take me forever.  I really just don't think I am that interesting.  

Looking forward to hearing from you!

P.S.  If you want to win a camera strap cover, there are 2 chances right now.  Click HERE & HERE.

:: Sponsor Giveaway :: Above All Fabric

Giveaway is now closed.

I am so thrilled to introduce one of our newest sponsors to you!!  Meet Melanie of Above All Fabric.

She and I have become friends over the last month through Twitter and we have talked over the phone a couple of times.  She lives only a couple hours away in Tucson, and we plan to meet soon!  Craft day is coming!!!

Melanie runs an online FABRIC STORE!  Yes, I said the magic word, didn't I?  Fabric!  Say it again... Fabric.  Oooooo.  :)  I have ordered fabric from her many times.  Her shipping is very fast, and her customer service?  Tip top!  The perk of living in the same state as Melanie is that when she ships my fabric one day, I literally get it the next day.  Niiiice!  Love that!

Anyway.  Melanie has been incredibly generous to offer a giveaway for you all this week.  But.  Not only is she offering a giveaway, but she is also offering a DISCOUNT CODE!!  Go ahead!  It is definitely ok to be giddy and squeal!  Go ahead.  Do it!  ;)

Moving on.

You are all going to LUV what she is giving away to ONE lucky winner today!!

You guessed it!  She is giving away a Fat Quarter SET of Heather Bailey's brand new Nicey Jane fabric!!  Woooo!!!

Before I tell you how to enter, let me tell you how to get your discount!  Enter SheyB at time of checkout to receive 15% off your entire purchase.  This discount is good for ONE WEEK!!!  Feel free to go nuts!  She won't mind, and neither will you!  Your house will be so pretty with tons of fabric everywhere!!

OK!  Here is how to enter...

Leave a comment for each one!! 

Remember!  You do not have to answer every question, but the more you answer, the more chances you have at winning.  :)

And PLEASE remember to check back here to see if you have won! If you win, you must send me an email claiming your prize. 

You have SEVEN chances to win!!  

1. Just leave a comment.
2. Go visit the Above All Fabric website.  Come back here & tell me you favorite fabric line(s)

3. Follow Melanie on Twitter. And follow her blog.  Leave her some comment love!

4. Blog, Tweet and/or Facebook about the giveaway.

If you Tweet about this giveaway, you can just cut and past the following:

Enter to win a @_heatherbailey Fat Quarter Bundle on The Benner Daily  http://bit.ly/77XKUI !!  @shealynn @aboveallfabric

5. Follow Me on Twitter.

(Two options: here or here.)

6. Follow my blog.

7.  Become a *Shey*[B] Facebook Fan by clicking here.

Good luck!!

This giveaway ENDS next Monday ...  time? ... you'll see.  ;) 

Thank you Melanie for offering to do a giveaway and Sponsoring The Benner Daily!!  You rock!

If you're interested in advertising with The Benner Daily, we would Love to have you!
Please email for more information!
shealynn AT gmail.com

Ruffle Up Your Neck Scarf TUTORIAL!! And Maybe A Giveaway Too.

Giveaway is now closed.
Winner TBA Thursday, 1/28
Thank you to all that entered!! 

So many of you asked me if I could tell you how I made the scarves for my mom for Christmas - seen here.

Well, you'll be happy to know, that today, I will tell and show you!  Tutorial time!  :)

I hope this tutorial is helpful to you, and if you make some of these, please share!!!  Because these are so easy to make, you can make 1 start to finish in 10 minutes!  Not kidding.  Ok.  Here we go...

Here are the supplies you will need:

3 yards of Knit Fabric [T-Shirt Fabric]

1 spool of elastic thread

Rotary tool [Gingher Rocks!]

Matching Thread

Now.  Lay your fabric out length wise.  And cut it 10 inches wide.

Good!  Now fold your 10 inch by 3 yard strip in half.  For this part, make sure you are NOT cutting on the fold.  If you're not sure what cutting on the fold means, click here.  Anyway.  Now.  Measure 5 inches [this will be the middle].  Cut up the fabric 22 inches . . .

Now.  Grab your elastic thread, and a bobbin.

Start winding by slipping the end of the elastic thread into the bobbin hole.

Now hand wind the bobbin.  Yes.  You have to do this by hand.  BE careful!  Do not wind it too tight, or it will lose it's stretch!  Do it loosely, but not too lose.  ha!!  If you have questions, as always, contact me!

When you first start winding the elastic thread around the bobbin, make sure you hold the tail that you put through the bobbin hole.  Otherwise it will slip through the hole, and cause you to be frustrated.  And we don't want that.  ;)

Now that that is done, trim that tail you were holding onto while winding...

If you don't, it will get stuck in your bobbin casing, and we definitely do not want that to happen!!

OK!  Now we are ready to load this elastic wound bobbin into the bobbin casing of your sewing machine... load it as you would any other thread.

As for tension, I had mine set on 7.  But all sewing machines are different.  I like my tension to be tight.

And, now you're ready to make your scarf!  Choose a side to start on... it does not matter.  Left, right, right, left.  Pick pick pick.  And don't worry if the ends of the fabric curl in.  It's normal...

Let's begin!  Sew down the middle of your right or left side piece...

Keep going to the other end... then cut!  :)

This is what the elastic thread on the back SHOULD look like!

And this is what your scarf SHOULD look like so far...

Don't worry.  I know it looks weird now, but that will change.  Right now!  Sew the other side of your scarf so that it ruffles up too!

You are ALMOST done!  Now go to your ironing board..

lay your scarf on the ironing board with elastic thread facing towards the sealing.  Put your iron on the steam setting.  Hold the iron about 2 inches above your scarf and steam it!  The whole thing!  This will tighten up your elastic thread.

Guess what?!!  You're DONE!

Put it on and show it off!!

Oh look!  That was ME!  No wayyyyy!

I hope this tutorial was easy to follow!!  As always, share what you make with me!  I love seeing your creations.  You're all so inspiring!!

Now!  I have this scarf that I made for the tutorial, and I already have some of these scarves... so... how about a GIVEAWAY?!

Whatcha think?

2 ways to enter!  That is all just TWO!  ;)

1.  Leave a Comment

2.  Tweet about this giveaway.  Make sure to include "@shealynn" in you tweet so I can see them.

Have a great night!!

EDITED TO ADD:  If you are not a sewer, but love this scarf and want one of your very own, visit, Brassy Apple [she has been making these for a long while now] and/or Sevi Designs.

Blog Blah

I am having a bit of the blog blah's lately.  Meaning I have no idea what to write about!  I love my business, but that's not all this blog is about, therefore, blogging about it all the time tends to get old.

So.... I need your help!  I need ideas!!

Don't say tutorials.  :)  I am working on TWO tutorials for you this weekend.  Can't wait to share them.

I will also be sharing my creative space/office with you too!  Need to make a trip to Ikea, and do a few little art projects and then I will share.  I look forward to seeing my own space when it's complete.  Whenever that might be.  But seems like I am just about there.

Anyway.  Ideas.  Do you have something you want me to blog about?  Anything at all, just let me know in the comments!

Also.  I get a ton of random questions from a lot of you!  So, this means that it's time for another blog Q&A!  I love these.  You all come up with the greatest questions for me to answer.  :)  So... ask away in the comments section!  Don't be shy, but please don't be rude.  Last time I did a Q&A - ask your questions post, I got a very rude comment.  I don't like those.  Don't think anyone does, right?

Anyway!  Getting off track here.

So, in the comments, please give me some ideas.  And, if you have any questions, you can leave those there too.  Oh!  I can't wait.  You all are so fun!!!  Now's the time to come out of lurkerville and comment.  ha!

Look forward to hearing from you!

Goodnight sweet friends!

And I can't not blog without a picture.  Or four.  :)  More from the session last weekend!

NEWS! And Another Photography Sneak!

Hey everyone!!!

Sorry it's been so long! 

I have been pretty busy - as usual.  ;)

First of all, I wanted to let you all in on some 

*Shey*[B] news!!

I now have a new store!!!

I am leaving my Etsy shop open, 

but won't be listing there that much.

SO!  If you want to order, 

go ahead and go to my new

site!!

Click HERE to visit!!

It still needs a lot of work, but 

I will get to that as soon as I can.  

You can now add padding and a lens 

cap pocket with the click of a button.

So easy!

Now... here are a few more shots from the

photo shoot I had last Saturday.

There are still a TON of pictures to go through

and edit, so I will share more soon!  :)

What have you been up to lately?