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Hi there.

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It's Sue.

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And thanks for joining me for tips and talk day.

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These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions and

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things that I'm observing in the world of handmade small business.

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If you'd like to submit a topic,

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DME over on Instagram at gift biz unwrapped,

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before we get into the show today,

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I want to make sure that you know about the newest

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thing happening over here.

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It's called the gift biz bash a zoom party that turns

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into a podcast episode.

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Several weeks later,

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the party consists of a short training with Q and a

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from yours truly.

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And then an opportunity for you to give a shout out

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about your business.

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You can tell us about a promotion you currently have going

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on or share a collaboration that you're considering so that you

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can find a perfect partner for the event.

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A little bit of learning and visibility for your business.

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What could be better?

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There is a catch though spots are limited to keep the

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party to about 45 minutes or so.

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That means you should grab your spot right away.

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It's totally free to make sure you're included.

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Why not do that right now?

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Pause this episode,

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go to gift biz,

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unwrapped.com forward slash bash to sign up and then come back

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and listen to the show.

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I'll see you at the bash.

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Would you categorize yourself as a procrastinator?

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When I think about people,

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I know I can see how they do lean one way

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or another on the extremes.

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There's the excessive planner,

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someone who has everything buttoned up way before a due date.

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And then there's the,

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get it done at the last minute style.

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I fall fully on the plan ahead side.

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I like to eliminate as many surprises and rush jobs as

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possible, but of course we come in all shapes and sizes.

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I'm not saying one is better than another.

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However, I do think it's valuable to consider when not only

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is it okay,

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but you should ignore your natural tendencies and do things differently.

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This topic came up for me as I was observing how

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different people prepared for a recent event.

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I participated in each of us had roles to play and

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responsibilities to fulfill.

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We all willingly volunteered for these roles.

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So there was no arm twisting or be grudgingly agreeing to

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participate. You know how that can be.

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Sometimes the event grew near and one person in particular waited

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until the last minute to do everything.

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It was kind of okay,

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since it didn't affect else's participation.

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And I just thought,

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gosh, not my style,

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but whatever,

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no judgment at all,

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until afterwards,

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this person let's call her Janice thought through,

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but never fully prepared for her presentation.

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Consequently, the result was not what she wanted.

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And she was really upset with herself for days afterwards,

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just to give you an idea,

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the lighting and the camera angles were off and for a

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virtual meeting,

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that's super important.

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Of course,

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she never did a run-through to practice her timing.

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So she didn't even get to some of the major points

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in her program.

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And there were other things too,

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but you get the idea.

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This left her feeling really bad about herself.

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She couldn't shake it and as innocent a mistake as it

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was, who needs that?

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The only thing I can think is Janice has learned through

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this crisis.

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So hopefully next time she'll do it differently today.

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I want to help prevent you from experiencing the horrible situation

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Janice went through because these things are avoidable and it doesn't

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mean you have to completely switch to being a plan ahead

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person. In fact,

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there are times when it's important to prepare ahead and also

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times when there's an advantage to waiting until the last minute.

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I bet you didn't see that coming.

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So here are the guidelines for when you should and when

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you should not procrastinate,

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when it's okay to procrastinate.

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The first is when an event is far enough in the

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future, that there's no reason to begin thinking about the prep

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yet. Maybe you've signed up for a craft show and that

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isn't happening until six months from now.

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You can set a reminder in your calendar for when you

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should start finalizing things,

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but it doesn't have to be done.

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Now another time when Delaine makes sense is when all the

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details aren't available yet you've agreed to conduct a workshop or

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be on a podcast.

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You don't have all the information yet.

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So to plan ahead,

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based on assumptions could actually result in rework,

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which takes up more time.

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Of course you may not know how long you'll have where

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the event is to be held yet.

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Anything like that in situations like this,

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wait until you have all the information you need so that

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you can prepare properly.

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And only once another time when it's okay to procrastinate is

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if it's something that you've done before you have experience with

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the task at hand.

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So you only need to tweak a few things and virtually,

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then you'll be ready to go.

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For example,

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if you've done shows before,

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so you know the process,

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you know,

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your table set up how you want to display,

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how you are going to get everything to this shows,

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check out all of those things.

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The updates in the final details can wait.

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And finally,

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you can procrastinate when the cost of error is low,

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whatever said project or task is needs to be done,

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but it's not something that is significant enough to require a

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lot of forethought,

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perhaps none at all.

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Some things can just be done on the fly.

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Now let's get to things when it is not okay to

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procrastinate. Number one,

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when it's your first time doing something,

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you definitely want to plan ahead for your first craft show.

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There's a lot to do.

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You need to plan your display,

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your checkout system,

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promotion signs,

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pricing. All of these things are a first and you want

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time to think through and create also think of networking meetings.

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It's a good idea to think through your introduction message.

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This is my term for an elevator speech and not leave

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it to chance when it's your turn to get up and

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speak. You're new at this.

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And don't want to miss the valuable opportunity to make a

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good impression and present you and your business in the best

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way possible.

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Another time not to procrastinate is if the tech is brand

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new to you,

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maybe you're doing your first Facebook live selling show or an

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Instagram live where you're going to be bringing on a guest.

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You want it to go smoothly.

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It makes all the sense in the world to practice the

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tech and have your content outlined or even scripted.

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You'll feel more confident.

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And your execution of the event will come off professional.

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How about formal presentations or workshops,

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even if you've done presentations before,

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if this is a new one,

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you'll want to do at least one or two dry runs

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to perfect.

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Your speaking nuances,

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transitions from slide to slide or topic to topic.

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Also the timing.

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So you get all your information across and leave time for

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Q and a.

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Here's an important one.

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Don't procrastinate when others need your input to move forward on

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their tasks.

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Have you ever been part of a committee and your responsibilities

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can't start until someone else has completed their portion.

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If they procrastinate your left waiting.

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And when they finally finish their part,

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you're scrambling to complete yours.

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I've been in this situation a number of times,

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and it's so frustrating and disrespectful.

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It also left me with a negative opinion and certainly no

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interest in doing projects with that person ever again.

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Don't be that person.

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And finally,

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you don't ever want to procrastinate when there's a lot riding

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on the project or event.

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This can either mean financially or personally,

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where performing poorly can risk the reputation of your business or

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your image overall procrastination.

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It's not a dirty word and there's a time and a

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place to go with your natural style and a time to

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push in the other direction.

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Don't end up like Janice,

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kicking yourself for not applying the right actions and leaving your

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results up to chance.

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It's simply not worth it.

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That's a wrap.

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I'm a get to the point kind of girl.

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And this is what you can expect from these quick mid-week

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sessions. Now it's your turn go out and fulfill that dream

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of yours.

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Share your handmade products with us.

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We want them and they bring us both so much happiness.