Happy New Year

Hi Everyone!  I know it's  been a while since we've been active over here on the blog, but we had a SUPER busy and very successful fall market season.  "Thank you" will never really be enough to show our gratitude to all our crafty friends and awesome customers who are out there staying #prettyandwarm!

First things first.  The other day on Facebook, I posted a bit of a cryptic message about 2015 and how some unexpected challenges have already popped up.  I'm taking today to share exactly what I meant, set the record straight and just fill everybody in on what's happening with West Coast Leslie Designs.

The big news is that Tyler (my husband) has accepted a job with the Ministry of Transportation!!! So super exciting! He starts MONDAY (January 19th).  The flip side of the coin is that the job is based out of Kamloops, a city about 355 km away from our house. This is not the ideal situation, obviously.  But it's the reality.  My "day" job, being a dance teacher, keeps me in the Lower Mainland until June, because I can't just up and walk away from my students-that's not really how I roll.  What happens after June is still in the air.  And if I'm being perfectly honest, I don't know if we'll know what to do by the summer; I mean it's only 6 months away and that time is going to fly by!  But this exciting, new, awesome adventure for Ty makes me stop and re-evaluate West Coast Leslie Designs.  So while I had BIG plans for 2015, I may have to step back a bit and figure things out as we go :)

Here's what I do know, and I hope you can get excited for;

1). More frequent and scheduled blog posting.  Jill & I really want to interact with our fans, customers and friends!  We want to help you out from knowing how to care for your WCLD garments to helping you succeed with your business (handmade or otherwise).  We'll be offering some awesome info on the blog in 2015, so follow us and never miss a post! BlogLovin' is an easy way to follow the blogs you love :)

2). Community building.  What I took away from 2014 is that I LOVE THE HANDMADE community!  And I want to hang with you ALL. THE. TIME. We're on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and our blog, website and newsletters.  But you know what?  We don't post the same stuff on every social media outlet.  That's boring, and overkill if you follow us on more than one platform.  Here's what you'll find on each social media feed.  Pic your favourite and follow us :)
Facebook is where we want to hang out with you-our friends, the community at large.  It's the best place for us to get your feedback and find out what YOU want.  We also link our blog posts to Facebook! Oh and we like to have contests, giveaways and SALES on Facebook!


Instagram is where you'll find a blend of my personal and business pics.  It's an insiders look at how things get made, works in progress, my day to day life and general goofiness.  I LOVE Instagram and hope you'll hop over and follow me for all the fun!

We're using Twitter a little more formally.  If you want to know where we'll be, what craft markets we're checking out, and who we're following, follow us on Twitter.
And lastly, in 2015 we're recommitting to our Blog "Try To Keep Up".  More pics, more posts, more everything!

3). Online sales.  While we'll still be working markets, we're going to ramp up our online store and open up to more custom orders.  So please, check out our Storenvy shop or shoot us an email.  We want to make online shopping easy and convenient for you!  Because some days it's literally too cold to leave your house to buy a scarf! LOL

4). Teacher at Heart.  That's me.  To a T.  From an early age I've always known I wanted to be a teacher.  Writing on chalk boards, leading others, encouraging people to learn and love learning!  So I've created a sales course to help other amazing handmade peeps sell their products.  I want others in the handmade world to be profitable and have fun doing it (without feeling like a scum bag, and keeping your brand and personality intact) so keep your eyes peeled this summer for this awesome learning opportunity!  I promise you'll learn SO much and it will really help you gear up for the holiday market season!

Ok so that's long enough!  I want to thank everyone who's been along for the ride with us.  We are continually learning, and evolving and trying things out, so thank you for sticking with us and inspiring us.  We are super excited for 2015 and hope you are too!