NEEDLEWORK: MY 2023 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

 --- Hello everyone! Welcome to my blog, it is 31/12/2023 over here and this feels like the perfect time to talk about my achievements for 2023 when it comes to needlework. So here we go! *Share about all of your needlework accomplishments in 2023 (Skills learned, projects completed, supplies gained, goals met etc.)* *Reflecting on the objectives we’ve attained can be very motivating, reminding us what we are capable of.* --- ## GETTING A MANNEQUIN  --- When I started the year, the first thing on my mind was to get a mannequin. This was not a decision that just popped into my head, it happened because in late 2022, I made a very pretty red beach wear for a client and I can’t quantify how hurt I was that I couldn’t take a proper picture of the dress. It was a mesh dress and had tassels attached symmetrically around the dress and the front neckline had this pretty sweetheart shape, with a square neckline at the back and a slit from the knee down at the back. ---  --- Thankfully, in January 2023, I got an order for a skirt and top and with the profit I got from making the items I was able to cover the cost of a new mannequin, without hands. However, that wasn’t a problem for me since I only needed the full-body mannequin. So that was my first major accomplishment for the year. --- ## MY PRECIOUS RING LIGHT  My second major accomplishment for 2023 was getting a ring light. Owning a ring light has always been on my list since I always do my crochet work at night because of my day job and taking process pictures or video is always a hassle, and even the final piece, sometimes I finish an order at night and have to deliver the next day but I can’t take final pictures because it’s night and dark. What has been stopping me has been the price, so I decided to get a small one which I could afford at the time but that was a big mistake. The light from the ring-light was worse than the light from my phone. It is so low, I was pissed after that purchase. Anyway, I set out to save for a bigger one, by March I had gotten enough for it, so I bought it.  I was pleased with that purchase as it made taking pictures for my business so much easier for me and I didn’t have to worry about my pictures not coming out well at night. Even when I didn’t have time to take pictures during the day, taking nighttime pictures was no longer an issue. --- ## TAKING MY BUSINESS TO THE NEXT STEP  My third accomplishment for the year was successfully separating my business account from my account. I started noticing an issue when I couldn’t tell if I made a profit or not because the money was nowhere to be found. I had either used it to settle a personal bill or get more materials, I just couldn’t tell. So I decided to get a separate account for my business. I didn’t get around to opening an account until May mainly because I don’t like going to the bank and I needed to do so to get a new account, thankfully a bank sales representative came to my office and I used that opportunity to create a new account for the business. Since I opened an account, it has been a lot easier to track my profit and now I do not confuse personal bills with that of the business or mix them up. I also set a goal for the amount I wanted to have in the account at the end of the year and I am proud to say that I was able to meet my target and even surpass it. --- ## HONORABLE MENTIONS ---  --- Also, for the first time, I held an online training session. I must admit it was challenging, it is harder to get people to stay committed when you are not seeing physically. I had previously done a physical class and that yielded more results than the online class. I don’t think I would recommend the online class, especially for small business owners. It was a beginner class and I did what needed to be done, although I wanted more from that class, I was still happy with how it went. ---  --- In addition, I made my biggest sale this year. It is a crochet sweatshirt that I playfully made with the mini-bean stitch. Surprisingly, a lot of people loved that stitch and how it looked in a sweatshirt. I made the first of that sweatshirt in July and since then I have made about 6 more of that sweatshirt. Lastly, I made a video of the sweatshirt and posted it on TikTok, it became my first-ever viral video. I was really surprised when I saw the video blow up because I did not expect that to happen. Then people started reaching out to me to teach me how to make it or what stitch I used, materials and all, it felt really good and I love it. --- These are a few of my accomplishments, I think that every little project I completed is worthy of celebration but I can’t fit all that in one post right😁, it has been a beautiful year and I expect 2024 to be much better. Thanks for stopping by❤️