How Important is Branding Your Business?

How important is branding?  The answer: very.
In his article The Breakdown of Branding Your Creative Business, Tim from >>Handmadeology<< says, branding is like a person's fingerprint. It shows your customer's who and what you are.

Postcards by Vistaprint

Branding for an Etsy shop includes packaging, FB page headers, Etsy shop banners, Blog headers and business cards to name a few.  Above is the postcard I recently designed on Vistaprint.  It will go out with all of my orders.  On the back is a thank you note and QR code that links to Takin' Time on Facebook. 

I also just recently ordered an AWESOME stamp from {SHOUT OUT} >>The Stationery Boutique on Etsy<<, I cannot tell you how much I love this stamp!  It is perfect for stamping the outside of my packages.  I definitely recommend checking her shop out ASAP!! She is very affordable, and has adorable business card stamps!  
*On a side note, after following her on Instagram, can I just say that the girl can rock unbelievable Yoga handstands!  Holy. Cow! I think we would be great friends...hehe!

{BTW Check out her branding~LOVE IT!}

I am always looking for ways to improve my branding.  I want it to represent both my business, and my personality.  I also want my branding to reflect the love and hard work that goes into everything I sell. Branding not only creates value,it separates you from your competition. A strong brand is crucial to the success of your business. 

Listen, I realize that not everyone can afford to go crazy with branding at first, and that is perfectly normal, and ok.  Get creative! In fact, I think that DIY (done right), creative branding is way more appealing anyway, but that's just my opinion...

People,there is a plethora {that's right, I said, "plethora"} of creative DIY branding options out there, you have no excuses not to work on improving your brand.  One free tool that I can think of is Picmonkey.  Picmonkey is an awesome free editing program where you can create and edit just about anything!  From business cards, tags, coupons, stickers, Etsy and Facebook banners, you name it!  
To get you started on branding your business here are some great DIY branding articles,  from Oh My! Handmade Goodness,
>>DIY BRANDING<<

Now get to it! 
Love, April Dawn

Etsy Mini Monday Linky Party

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<a href="http://aprildawns.blogspot.com" title="Takin' Time to Smell the Flowers"><img src="http://i354.photobucket.com/albums/r405/apeandsteve/linkybutton_zpsdc1f2a33.jpg" alt="Takin' Time to Smell the Flowers" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Welcome to the first 

Etsy Mini Monday Linky Party! 

(Phew that's a mouth full!)

I decided to create a linky party where we can share our Etsy shops (by using the awesome *Etsy Mini app),or anything Etsy (advice, tips, DIY's)...

Here are the rules:

1. Link up your blog post below 

2. Make sure to link back to Takin' Time within your blog post, (just copy & paste the Takin' Time button above, easy peasy!)  

*For those of you that might not know how to use the "Etsy Mini" app:
<< click here >>

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Linky Party Alert!

Stay Tuned for Takin' Time's newest Linky Party starting this Monday, February 17!  Etsy Mini Monday!!  A linky party where Etsy bloggers can share their shops.  

<div align="center">
<a href="http://aprildawns.blogspot.com" title="Takin' Time to Smell the Flowers"><img src="http://i354.photobucket.com/albums/r405/apeandsteve/linkybutton_zpsdc1f2a33.jpg" alt="Takin' Time to Smell the Flowers" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Throw Back Thursday

I have a love/hate relationship with "Throw Back Thursday"...It brings back so many good memories, but sometimes they are hard to look at without being a little bit sad that the time has flown by so quickly. In the blink of an eye!

So here's us, almost 12 years ago!

Oh my sweet babies! My sweet, little babies.  

It's hard to believe that:

• My sweet little, handsome boy (who's not so little anymore) drove his two little sisters to school this morning!
• The beautiful little girl in the middle, so sweet and loving, rolled her big blue eyes at me a time or two during the hustle and bustle of getting ready for school...
• The littlest one, with the chubbiest legs ever as a baby (I wish I could give them a pinch!), explained to me this morning that she "just needs more sleep" and that going to bed earlier "won't help", sleeping in later is what she actually needs!  LOL!

Yes, the time flies by so quickly, so as I've said before, I will try and cherish the now, while keeping the then ever so close to my heart.

I know that I've written too many a lot of posts about how much I miss my babies being, well, babies. I guess its just part of being a Mama. Ah, the adventures in parenting...Lord help me!

Have an awesome day friends!  

"I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord,the maker of heaven and earth."

Psalm 121:1,2

{Don't forget to follow Takin' Time, just click the links below!}

Love, April Dawn 

 

Our Little Yellow Chippet

I just realized that I haven't introduced our newest edition, Mungus, AKA Cheech, AKA Maneechi, AKA The Maneech, AKA Cheecha-mungus.  

I'm not kidding people, we seriously do call him by ALL of these names *we are weirdos*.  

So here is his short sort of long story.

{Cheech Everybody, Everybody...

Meet Cheech!}

Once upon a time, on a very hot summer afternoon in July, a week after sweet Dozer went to be with Jesus (very sad), we were just getting home from watching Bub's football practice.