Long time no see! Or in this case, no write. The last few months have been a roller coaster of emotions, energy, and commitments, but nonetheless, I’m still here.

Since I last updated my blog, I have gone home to Connecticut, caught up on custom orders, been interviewed by a Knoxville online magazine and appeared on a local news program called East Tennessee Living, hosted a workshop titled Wellness in Entrepreneurship with Knoxville’s The Maker City, prepared for and showed my work at Knoxville’s Dogwood Arts Festival, then the Retropolitan Craft Fair, followed by Southern Skies Music Festival, attended more networking events and meetings, and now, I am excited to have relaunched a new-and-improved website!

Through it all, Fado Made at its core remains the same. As I have mentioned before, my intention with this brand is to pair retro styles with modern times and to bring your dream accessories to life with a lifetime guarantee on all items. Being a part of art festivals, craft shows, and markets during the Spring has been a great way for me to connect with people in Knoxville to bring more awareness to my small business locally, and it definitely gave me a boost in confidence to begin my expansion from just Tennessee and Connecticut customers to ones further away. Thank you to all who voiced their thoughtful feedback while visiting my booth at each event. Never have I felt so reassured of what I am doing and sending out into the world.

Some of the feedback I received at my last shows included that the hand-stitching I use to accent and assemble every item is being seen as a signature of Fado Made, which I loved hearing as that is what I have been hoping to make known. Another note I received was that people are drawn to my use of colors, texture, and bold shapes, especially in my newest offerings in the Mini Market Bag. The Sweet Tart Bag and Sweetheart Wristlet caught a lot of people’s attention from not just their vibrant color combinations, but from their unique vintage-inspired heart shapes. Designing and creating with a specific vision in mind is not an easy task, especially when doing it alone in my “studio”, but it is truly gratifying to know that my vision is authentically coming through to whoever lays their eyes on them.

My best sellers at each craft show were different from one to the next, and during the prep time beforehand, it is incredibly difficult to guess what customers will be looking for each time. That is why prepping for each event is so time-consuming and downright stressful, as I want to make sure I have enough of a variety of each item to ensure that there is enough for people to choose from, but also so they can get an idea of all of the options that are available to them should they want to place a custom order.

At Dogwood Arts Festival, my best sellers were both the new Dogwood Keychains and Strawberry Keychains plus the Sweetheart Wristlets, whereas, at Retropolitan Craft Fair, I sold quite a few of my Leather-Wrapped Headbands, as well as a one-of-a-kind Ziggy Bag. Finally, at Southern Skies Music Festival, keychains were again popular, but also were my latest addition to Fado Made, belts!*

With new spring items, came new spring colors. While producing every accessory during the winter months, it sure was nice to have vibrant colors to brighten up my workspace. These new colors include dark turquoise, pale pink, dusty blue, avocado green,  and lipstick red. Each one is great on its own, but also complementary to each other when they are used together. These new colors can be found in our headbands, Mini Market Bag, Sweetheart Wristlets, Sweet Tart Bags, belts, and new Picnic Clutches. I plan to keep stock of these colors and want to add more throughout the seasons. If you ever have a suggestion for a staple color, please leave me a comment below; I would love to hear your suggestions!

One last new thing to mention, my website! fadomadeco.com looks very similar to what it was previously, but I have since switched platforms, and the site has received a plethora of tedious updates, such as more detailed descriptions of every style and some adjustments to the layout. There is still more to add and tweak, but I am slowly chipping away at my to-do list and appreciate your patience. Please take a look around, especially at the updated shop section, as I have added a lot of special items in the true Fado Made retro-yet-modern vibe!

Thanks for reading!
♥ Jamie

*more on belts coming soon!