The Show

I have never in my life seen so many treats! The bridal expo was filled with booths of all types, even teeth whitening and Realtors, but my favorite were the ones with treats. Booths from hotels and catering companies had the most amazing ones, but even the dress shops had chocolate!

I went to the expo, which was surprisingly empty last night, and talked to every dress shop there. Every one had amazing dresses and I wish I was getting married again! Alysse's Bridal and Formal in Orem, American Fork, and Las Vegas actually had a dozen live models in their "modest" designs. These cute teenagers had their hair and make-up done and stood there smiling in their amazing gowns.

Some of the other great shops and vendors there included:

Mary's Bridal of Holladay, Utah
Danielle's Bridal Salon of Holladay, Utah
Memorable Funktions, an amazing wedding planner for events in California, Nevada, Florida, and Utah

Hopefully it wasn't a total bust. It was definitely educational for how the wedding industry is functioning in this economy. I made a couple of good contacts but all but one of them wanted to follow-up with me, rather than the other way around. Fingers crossed!

To Bridal Show or Not to Bridal Show

So I am going to a bridal show tonight. I haven't been to one of these super huge expo type shows since my little sister got married about two years ago. I thought that it might be a good opportunity to see many of the shops all at once and compare their styles. I want to find shops that fit my style and vision. The overall goal is to make contacts and market my designs wholesale. I have product books, super cute by the way, business cards, my awesome bookmarks, samples and some give aways to whom ever I end up actually meeting.

I'm excited! I'm also really nervous. It feels like a job interview and I'm the only one who knows about it. Mostly, I'm writing this to hopefully prepare myself to not look like a dork or anything. We'll see what happens, and if there is actually anyone reading this, I will follow up later tonight or tomorrow morning with what went down!

Weekly Special - January 17th-23rd!

The new weekly special starting Sunday January 17th and going through Saturday January 23rd is an awesome Buy Two Get One FREE on all earrings on Http://Saharaamaya.etsy.com! The special applies to all earring orders, even custom orders. A refund will be issued via Paypal after the order is placed for the lowest priced earring. Additionally, I'd be happy to place a reserved listing on the site to take care of the discount right away. Send me an e-mail at amayasahara@gmail.com or convo me through Etsy.

Support Your Local Artisans

I started selling my designs on Etsy over a year ago. In that time I have only sold one single pair of earrings to someone in my home state of Utah. I have checked the Etsy site and there are over 100 stores that name their location in Utah. Not many of my friends and family, or even friends of friends, have heard about Etsy so I am on a mission to spread the word. Why not support people down the street, in the town over, maybe someone just over the mountain ridge or in the next county?

Think about how often you go to the mall in search of that perfect item, or just to browse and scratch that shopping itch. Do you ever find it? Do you settle on something almost perfect just to scratch that itch? Trust me, I know that feeling all too well. Before I had kids I was an insane shopaholic that couldn't pass up an awesome sale at Ann Taylor, Banana or Nordstrom. My closet (and another walk-in in our guest room) is full of these now seldom worn items. My jewelry box is a full to the brim 12 drawer dust box because I have so much stuff I bought but really didn't love.

Alas, now I am a mom to two beautiful little ones and not only don't have all the extra income (diapers and special formula cost an arm and a leg) but I don't have the patience, or rather my kids don't have the patience, to find exactly what I am looking for in these large stores. Right now a local seller on Etsy is making my daughter the perfect Tutu for her 2nd birthday and guess what? It is going to be beautiful, high quality and didn't cost a ton (try $20!). She is one of the amazingly talented people on Etsy: http://raegun.etsy.com

Check her out. While you are at it, try looking up someone locally who sells online and send some love their way. Not only is it going to be worth it to you, but you might also be making someone down the street or across town very happy. Help them make their bills instead of lining the pockets of huge corporations.

As an added bonus, anyone from Utah (shipping to or ordering from or both) that places an order on either of my Etsy sites in the month of January will have shipping costs refunded to their Paypal account! Get Shopping!