The fruits of my labor

The first two hats sport my newest idea. Actually, it is a combination of ideas. The hat of course, but I decided to make the flowers I add to the hats into brooches. So, the end product is actually two products. The final picture is, of course a cupcake hat. This particular cupcake hat however is an example of how nice it is when a customer has a hand in the design. This cupcake was made for a young hairdresser. She told me what she wanted the hat to look like, colors etc.. As I was making the hat I was very hesitant of the colors and the bead work. I took the finished hat to the customer and as the two of us were talking I could see she was not 100% happy with the end product. I was not offended at all, I welcome the challenge of getting the end product just right for each person, their smile and satisfaction are much more gratifying than their money. So, we discussed the changes = the scalloped edge would become teal as would the cherry (with a black stem)! The black "cake" part would be made larger and the cupcake part would be make smaller. As we were talking I told her that any re-do's get put in my "to sell" pile. It makes less work for me down the road when it is time to prepare for a fair or show. When a customer wants something changed, most of the time I start from scratch. After I told her this she said - 'I bet that hat sells fast'. I smile and said yes I bet it would, but I have to admit I did have some doubt. Well, a few days later I had a request from a group at a doctor's office to see some samples. So, I sent over a bag of samples, plus some ready to sell items, the cupcake was one of them. Low and behold, it sold. It just affirmed to me that the customer's opinion and taste are valuable!