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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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I was 12,

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I think,

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old enough to plan and purchase Christmas gifts without my mom

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checking on me,

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I felt so grown up and particularly loved the wrapping part.

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I'd set up shop on a card table in my mom

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and dad's bedroom in front of the TV and watch a

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holiday movie while rapping.

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Of course,

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I got such satisfaction with folding the paper just right.

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So the corners were really tight and the best was when

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I completed a seal with the holiday design that ran seamlessly

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from one side to the other.

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Even today,

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I will say I'm a wrapping pro that particular year.

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We had exchanged presence in the morning within the immediate family,

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my mom,

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dad, brother,

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and me,

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and on Christmas afternoon,

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my extended family came over and there was a gift exchange.

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Then to being the youngest,

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I distributed all the gifts.

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There were only a couple per person,

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not huge piles of gifts or anything had there been,

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my oversight may have gone overlooked,

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but I wasn't that lucky as we were exchanging gifts,

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my mom asked,

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what did you give uncle Jack Sue?

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The whole family turned and looked at me.

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And then at his small gift stash,

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I looked under the tree for my gift to him.

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Perhaps I missed it when I was passing out presence,

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not there.

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Did I forget to wrap it?

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I quickly ran up to my bedroom closet where I had

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stored my holiday gifts.

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Not there either.

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My heart started racing.

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Is it possible that I didn't get uncle Jack that traditional

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holiday tie I had intended?

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Okay. No judging my gift choice.

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This was years ago and my uncle was a lot older

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than me.

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Horror of horrors.

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Sure enough.

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There was no present for my uncle and I had to

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go back downstairs and confess that I'd messed up.

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I was mortified and right then and there decided this would

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never, ever happen to me again.

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And it hasn't little did I know back then,

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but at that young age,

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I created my first process,

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a system to run through each and every holiday season to

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ensure all gifts are purchased,

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wrapped and ready.

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Over the years,

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it's been perfected and adjusted to include more adult elements of

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gift giving and holiday planning,

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but it's been a lifesaver.

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And I want to share it with you today.

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You may not think this is a very business related topic.

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As most of the things that we cover here on this

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podcast are,

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but it really is.

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I'm sure you've heard about the value of adding processes and

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systems in your business.

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So things run smoothly.

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And if you haven't,

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I bet you have them set up without even knowing it.

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When you make your products,

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you follow a step-by-step process,

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same with filling orders and a number of other tasks that

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you do that are necessary for your business to function properly.

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You may just not have them formalized and written down right

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now. When you do have a structured process,

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projects become so much easier because you don't have to rethink

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your steps.

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You only have to follow them.

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I have processes for lots of things in business from order

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processing to blog writing and promoting podcast creation and production.

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And of course,

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social media posting.

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So you're probably not surprised.

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Now, when I tell you that I have a process for

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holiday gift planning,

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and guess what I want to share with you?

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The holiday gifting worksheet I created and use every single year.

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It keeps me organized insane.

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When it comes to holiday presence,

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this is totally free.

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My gift to you,

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and you can download your worksheet at gift biz,

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unwrapped.com forward slash gift planner,

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no opt-in or anything.

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The link send you directly to the worksheet when you grab

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your copy.

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Here's what you'll see first,

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right at the top is a place for you to put

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your holiday gifting budget.

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I've found.

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I stay way more in control of my expenses.

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When I start out with a solid number in mind of

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what I'll be spending,

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do I always stay in budget?

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Not always,

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but I don't get way out of control either.

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And then spend months into the next year scrimping to cover

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my holiday generosity.

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Next comes a form where you can list all the people

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who will be receiving gifts from you this year,

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family, friends,

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even your employees can go on this list or you can

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make a separate worksheet entirely for your business.

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If you'd like after each name comes my estimated dollar amount

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of what I'd like to spend for each gift next,

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the actual cost.

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Once it's purchased a description of what the gift is,

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and then a place to keep track when the gift has

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been ramped,

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mailed, or otherwise completed,

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I don't have to tell you how satisfying it is to

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mark off progress.

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By checking these boxes,

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continuing down the form.

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There are also sections for gifts for those who provide services

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throughout the year,

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think of your mail carrier,

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yoga instructor,

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or whoever you choose to acknowledge with a holiday gift.

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Even if it's an added holiday tip,

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this is still a holiday expense that you may forget about.

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And finally,

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I also include a category for holiday decor.

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Okay. Admission here.

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My house looks like a Christmas gift shop.

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I don't even know how many trees I have up only

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one main real tree,

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but others throughout the whole house and decorations in every corner

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when Hanukkah and Christmas fall at the same time,

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I admit it overboard.

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But my treat to myself is to add something new to

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the house every year,

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sometimes it's little last year,

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it was a photo of Santa where it lights up from

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the back.

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Have you seen those photos that are popular now with all

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the little lights?

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They're almost like little Christmas lights that show up within the

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imprint of the photo.

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It's so cute.

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It sits on my kitchen counter and just makes me smile.

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There are other items in my decor category too.

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This is where I put things like holiday cards,

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wrapping paper and bows hostess gifts.

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Oh, here's a hint.

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I always buy a number of hostess gifts early in the

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season to have ready and waiting.

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So I don't need to go out the day of a

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party and find something.

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If I have hostess gifts left over after the holidays.

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Well, I always find some way to use them.

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Also. I always have a gift or two ready,

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wrapped and waiting.

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If someone gives me a present that I wasn't expecting,

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I can say,

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oh, I have something for you to let me go get

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it. I just add their name to the gift tag and

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I'm offering it to them in seconds.

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It's a great backup plan.

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Listen, anything done in advance that can avoid potential.

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Embarrassment is the way I roll.

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This was my commitment to myself.

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Way back when I was 12 and to saving and referencing

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the prior year's gift planning worksheet is also really helpful.

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You can adjust your gift giving easiest when you know what

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you did last year and let's face it.

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You aren't going to remember 12 months later.

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So having this worksheet to reference is great for moving forward

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for the current holiday season.

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Anyway, if you'd like to use my system here,

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it is for you for free.

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Just go to gift biz,

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unwrapped.com forward slash gift planner.

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Oh, and happy holiday gifting.

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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 midweek

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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..