Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Chevron Summer Dress

I am chomping at the bit to start working on some summer clothes for the kids. I have permission and promises from E that he will wear what I make for him...I just have to run my ideas by him first:o) Thankfully, it's a lot easier to please S.R. As long as it's girly and comfortable, she's all in!
I got really lucky the other day while in Hobby Lobby. They NEVER, and I mean NEVER have regular chevron in stock. They usually have a few duck cloth selections, but the apparel chevron is always sold out.
It was a sign...a sign that it was my chance to make a cute dress for S.R.
And here it is. A sweet little apron dress with a ruffled bodice. She loves it, and that makes me smile.
The back is gathered and the straps button on the inside of the dress. I had so much fun creating this dress, and I am ready to start working on some more!! Time for a fabric run!!


Friday, May 10, 2013

What some of the top companies are doing to retain customers?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/28/your-money/companies-that-get-customer-service-right.html?_r=1&

Some excerpts from the above article:

1) Philips refunded a customer after a bulb the customer bought stopped working after 5 months! Yes, when you back your sales with "Guarantees", you make sure you live up to the promises made. There is nothing more annoying for us as customers when we find out the companies used the "guarantee tactic" to lure them into a sale. I bet that the customer who got the refund has raved about Philips which got Philips amazing brand publicity and lots of customers.

2) Human Customer service with follow ups:  In the age of automation, I have met venture capitalists who cringe at the mention of human element needed to run a business. We are definitely not there yet, and like it or not, people sometimes like to talk to a business who they paid. It might be pre-sales, support or sometimes just to make sure how much they are going to be charged this month. West Elm in the above article got full points for customer service, talk about customer retention-they won customers for life.

3) Acknowledgement mistakes made and promptly correcting: We are humans, and everybody knows that, so do customers. Customer appreciate honest business, and they will always appreciate when a business accepts mistake made and does what is needed.

In case you are wondering why customer retention is such a big deal, then please refer to few pictures here http://keepcustomer.blogspot.com/2013/04/customer-retention-infographic.html

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Pillows-Chevron, Stripes, and More!


Hello, hello, hello! I have been on a crazy spring cleaning spree these past few weeks! I have been organizing EVERYTHING in my house. One of the most exciting things for me is my newly organized craft room. I can't wait to share with you all the transformation. I still have a few finishing touches, and then I'll be ready for the reveal. So to hold you over until then, here are some pillows I whipped up for my monogramming friend
 Don't you love the color combo? And don't these pillows just scream "keep me on this bed with this awesome duvet cover?!?"
Sadly, they must go to their intended home;o)
I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!!