Fluff Originals | Charlotte Michigan Photographer

I have neglected my blog lately and i apologize. My grandfather passed away last sunday and i was busy missing him so much. I feel a little closer to peace as the days go by. I am so thankful for his quick and painless passing, rather than a long suffering. That brings me much peace. Thank you to all the wonderful folks who sent condolences. Your kind words really made the week bearable.

 Ok no more sad talk! I have exciting stuff going on here. I announced about "Fluff Couture" or "The Fluff" a while back. You can read that post here. I have changed the name just a little as the product has changed a little bit too. So it is now...Wait for it, wait for it "Fluff Originals" POW hahaha.....Why? Well heres what has come to me. See i love recycling and also upcycling....What is upcycling? Check out the Wiki here.

So i have decided to make my products out of second hand items or items that would normally just be tossed out (to end up filling our landfills). Scrap left over fabric, mismatched buttons, and any other cool items i may find along the way. Looks to me that about 90% of my supplies will NOT have been purchased brand new. I will be scouring the towns for cool fabric and funky buttons. I have even called on family and friends for their left overs and scraps. 

The "Originals" part came about as i realized most items may be original creations where only 1 will be sold. I might be able to make more than one of an item if the supplies allow for it. Right now i am working on building the headband line as i have TONS of newborns on their way and i want to have them ready for those sessions. But future plans include knit hats, cocoons for photogs and other such items. My Etsy store will open next week with  few items. I will be posting on my Twitter and my Fanpage when i add new items so keep your eyes there as well. Below are a few items that will be listed next week. 

1. An Infant headband. Made of a revamped fabric flower (its bigger than a newborn but not quite a toddler) 

2. An Newborn headband. Made from a scrap of torn fabric

3. An Adult/Teen headband made from a scrap of tweed and some ripped satin fabric.

These are just a simple preview of more items to come. I am so excited to be able to offer these to my clients and other photogs.

**I am also in need of some models for these and others in the future. If you are interested in the model program please email me at Amandamlipsey@yahoo.com for more details.

Working on Our Plan

I have been preparing and researching for our Dream Trip. I know it may seem excessive to start preparing now, but i think its really important. I started a binder with folders. I have a list started for many things like, Places to visit, Places to do Photo Sessions, Ways to make and save Money, Free Parks and Parks referred to and just any other helpful tips. The Making money part is one area i have been focusing on. The main sources will be from our skills. Jer = Construction stuff and Me = Photography stuff. I am working on some other ways too. 

*I started an Etsy account to sell prints and other crafty items. It should be up in the next few weeks with items. i will post a link here then. 

*Another way is affiliate accounts. I signed up with Amazon as an affiliate account. See image below. I could not figure out how to move it. Also at Zulily  has some pretty awesome kids stuff and deals on it. So if you feel like showing me some love. Zulily is a great place to get gifts.


*I signed up as an Ambassador for Barefoot Books. 
These are awesome books and gifts for kids. You probably already know about barefoot books but didn't realize it. Check them out!!
*Our Donation Button. I am not one to beg for money but i felt this could be a great way for our family and friends to send gifts in the future. We will be limited on space so sending material things will be hard. And also i love to visit random blogs of people doing cool stuff and sending them a couple bucks to their dream or cause. I think everyone should have a donation button. I see so many cool blogs by people i feel like i know and would love to send a gift to.
So this is where we are so far on the monetary part of the trip. This has been a repeat question by so many. I thought this might help explain our plan a little. Also keep in mind that it doesn't cost nearly as much a month to live on the road as it does to live in our home.

If you have a suggestions or ideas on this please please leave a comment below. I am all about other cool ways to raise funds to keep us going.