Feeling Creative

Finally feeling the creative juices flowing. It probably has something to do with the time of year. I tend to halt all creative endeavours around June.

Bought this adorable Les Amis fabric by Penny Sloniger from Westwood Acres 

To make some of these fantastic tea cozies. Pattern purchased from Retro Mama. 

Can't wait to get started! First I have to set up the sewing machine :) 

Bunting Overload!

This week's episode of Modern Family showed Haley wearing a cute little bunting necklace (sorry, I tried to find a still from the show but couldn't) and suddenly I was reminded of how much I love bunting!

LOVE this tiny bunting necklace from The Polka Dot Magpie! Great autumn colours.

These cute cards from Rainy Day Colors are simple and celebratory!

 Why not make your own bunting with this super vintage kit from My Poppet Shop

Incorporate some bunting into your holiday decor this year! Love this vintage inspired Christmas bunting from Red Marionette

Slow times...

Admittedly, I have been seriously neglecting my Etsy shop. There are a number of reasons such as a full time job (which is not longer an issue), lack of motivation, lack of interest.

I love the experience I've had on Etsy up until now - but there is just SO MUCH stuff on there that I have to renew an item every day just to get noticed (not even get a sale). I love numbers and stats (must be the librarian in me) so I've decided to compare the sales numbers and they definitely show the neglect and lack of interest/motivation.

2010                                         2011
January: 3 sales                      January: 9 sales
February: 1 sale                      February: 1 sale
March: 2 sales                        March: 4 sales
April: 5 sales                          April: 6 sales
May: 15 sales                         May: 0 sales
June: 9 sales                           June: 4 sales
July: 8 sales
August: 12 sales
September: 9 sales
October: 39 sales
November: 25 sales
December: 21 sales

I've been wanting to sew some cute dolls with a pattern I bought from Dolls and Daydreams. I've altered the face a bit and am just working on the first doll to see how the pattern works out. If I like the results then I am considering opening another Etsy shop to sell my dolls or opening a shop on another site entirely. So far I'm happy with what I've completed and I can't wait to see the finished product.

Sneak Peek

Here's a sneak peek at some bookmarks I started waaaay back in February. I finally dug them out of a box and will start stitching soon. Really, the most tedious part is already done (that being the hand cutting of all the circles) You'll understand why I don't make these as quickly or in as great a quantity as the cup cozies. All that cutting and stitching hurts when done in long sessions! These will be in the shop soon.

Spring Colour Blast

I've been on the lookout for a fun bright leather clutch and thought I'd share a few Etsy shops I've had my eye on. Now to decide which one to buy!

Love this green cutie from JennyDesign

Another one I love that probably won't last long from The Leather Store

These are also fabulous and come in so many colours it's a good thing they aren't very expensive as I may need to get a couple of them! Fantastic find from Bambina

To Grandmother's House We Go

My latest treasury was inspired by the fantastic artwork of Little Black Apple. I love their Etsy shop and their book is on my wish list!

'Through the woods' by SlitelyAskew

Little Red and Wolfboy ... theblackapple $14.00	Little Red Riding Hood ... papernoodle $20.00
Red riding hood - 6x8 c... atpalicis $10.00	Little Red Riding Hood. elsita $7.00
Little Red Riding Hood ... inkyeverafter $2.80	Print - Wolf & Little R... fashionfucsia $12.00
Mini Red and Tan Little... DayDreamerDoll... $15.00	Vintage Little Red Ridi... thevintagesupp... $50.00
Big, Bad Wolf Journal StoneburnerBoo... $20.00	Little Red Riding Hood ... malam $102.00
Small Zipper Pouch--Lit... mintlane $8.50	Vintage Red Riding Hood... TheRitzyMeow $14.00
Little Red Riding Hood ... CABfayre $25.00	Wooden Hair Stick - Hai... OutNumberedNov... $36.00
Werewolf Wolf cuff link... grigio $15.00	RESERVED for Dottie - M... EnlightenedPla... $588.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

So Much to Make...So Little Time

I've been gathering supplies and patterns like some sort of crafting maniac in the hopes to use them to make some sweet creations. However, that pesky thing known as a full time job keeps getting in the way. At this rate, I think I'd need a full month off just to get started on everything I want to make. Needless to say, I'm still gathering and still planning so that every chance I get I've got something fun to work on.

These are just a few of the things I've been gathering and planning:

LOVE LOVE LOVE this yarn! The colours available are so great and I just adore bamboo!

 

I'm hoping to use the bamboo yarn to make these beauties. I bought this pattern from Spilly Jane Knits. She has fantastic colour knitting patterns and it was so hard to pick just one! 

I found this fantastic Amy Butler fabric in a local quilting shop. I also bought some coordinating Kona Solids in pale yellow, sage green, and coral. 

 

I bought this pattern a few weeks ago and I can't wait to use my Amy Butler fabric to stitch up a few of these. I love Keyka Lou's etsy shop! I want to try all of her patterns!

I can't wait to get started on these! Now to find the time...

Firsts

 

My first blog post of 2011, I got my first sewing machine recently, I made my first treasury of 2011 today, I completed my first sewing project in 20 years just last week, and my Etsy shop will mark its first year of existence in a couple weeks!

I hope 2011 holds many other firsts!

Sew Wonderful

Santa brought me some fantastic sewing books and a superb sewing machine! I wanted to get a head start on supplies knowing that I would soon have my very own sewing machine so I did some pre-Christmas Etsy purchasing and got this great doll pattern from Dolls and Daydreams.

Then I purchased some adorable fabric from Fabric Shoppe I can't wait for it to arrive so I can start sewing!

Success by the number

In mid-January my Etsy shop will celebrate one year! It started slowly and I definitely still need a day job but I'm pretty proud of the momentum I was able to gain.

Here is my success in number form:
January: 3 sales
February: 1 sale
March: 2 sales
April: 5 sales
May: 15 sales
June: 9 sales
July: 8 sales
August: 12 sales
September: 9 sales
October: 39 sales
November: 25 sales

In there was a wholesale order for 50 argyle cozies, a bulk order for 45 argyle cozies, and a bulk order for 12 argyle cozies.

Needless to say, I'm running low on stock and looking forward to creating some new designs. I'm also playing with the idea of buying locally sourced hand spun wool and dyeing it myself without harsh chemical dyes. If I could replace commercial yarn with this then I'd be really happy. Just trying to figure out if the added expense of high quality local wool will pay off in terms of sales.

I'm looking forward to what the next year holds and I'll definitely be better prepared for next year's holiday season. This year I was invited to about 6 different local holiday craft shows that I had to turn down because I didn't have enough stock and am trying to work full time in addition to running my etsy shop. I participated in one online holiday craft show but it yielded only a few sales. Honestly, I was just glad to get some more exposure and wasn't looking for a mass amount of sales. This past week I was contacted by RealSimple.com asking me to submit a couple cozies for an upcoming web feature on their site. Sadly, I couldn't get my cozies shipped to New York in time for the deadline and I'm missing out on that opportunity. Either way, I'm super happy with my first year and looking forward to the next one!

Thanks to all who have supported my shop either through browsing or buying or "following" or "hearting". Each and every visitor to my shop has made a difference!

Gaining Momentum

October has been a crazy month for me in terms of trying to keep up with my Etsy shop! I've had 36 sales and an item from my shop has appeared on the front page twice! I've been invited to participate in 5 different craft shows. Sadly I had to decline all but one because I just don't have the time to knit enough stock. The one that I am participating in is the Handmade Expo "Handmade for the Holidays" invitation only online expo. It takes place November 12 and 13. I'm looking forward to seeing how much exposure I get from that - so far things look like they are revving up. This is my first holiday season with Etsy so I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of increased sales and traffic. I think I'm going to have to plan ahead for next season starting in March!

Anywho, I'm happy to be busy. I'm still settling into the new job and hoping things become clearer as times wears on. In the meantime I'm drinking a lot of tea and knitting every waking second I'm not at work.

I'm still here

I can't believe it has been nearly a month since my last post!

Well, since my last post the Mister and I have settled into our new home and city. I'm slowly adjusting to working full time again. Part of that adjustment is trying to keep on top of my Etsy shop. That includes filling custom orders and keeping the shop updated. I'm working on some new cozies with a snowy theme and I'm trying to keep myself out there by registering for some upcoming online holiday craft shows/fairs. No matter how hectic my full time job gets, I don't think I could ever abandon Etsy. It has been a great creative outlet in my life for the past year and I don't know what I did before to keep myself motivated...well honestly, I didn't stay motivated.

Stay tuned for some shop updates!

Moving along

This Friday the moving company is coming to pack up all our stuff and move it to Alberta! After a number of interviews I was offered the position of Community Outreach Librarian with the Lethbridge Public Library and so we're leaving the land of unemployment (BC). We're looking forward to moving into our cute little duplex and settling into cowboy country.

Since all of my Etsy stock will be packed away I will be closing the shop for a few days beginning Thursday evening. I think it should be back up by Wed. Sept. 9th but I'll put the details in my shop message.

Treasured

One feature I love on Etsy is the treasuries! They are a great way to discover new shops, show appreciation for great crafts and help get more people to notice your own work when you are lucky enough to be included in a treasury. I just wanted to give a shout out to Postscripted for curating a lovely rustic themed treasury featuring my newly listed fox button coffee cozies.

*My laptop screen is small so I couldn't get a screen shot of the full treasury. Make sure you visit the link to get a look at all the beauties featured here!

Link: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c632fa743776d91184fccb7/rustic

Wholesale...What I learned

Well, I finished my wholesale order this week and sent if off. It was my first wholesale experience and I learned a few lessons that I thought I'd share with other newbies.

Lesson #1: Give yourself a lot of time. They'll wait if they value quality handmade items.
I gave an anticipated finish date to the buyer and then my grandmother died and I had a job interview to prepare for. Granted those are unusual circumstances but I also didn't want to be knitting 24/7 and wanted to have a weekend but I couldn't because I had given a date and I hate it when people change dates on me so I didn't want to push it back too much. I did end up having to push the date back a little and it all worked out but I was a bit stressed and it took more time than I thought it would.

Lesson #2: Limitations keep you sane!
This order was for 50 cozies and I've now decided I can't do any more than 40 per order.

Lesson #3: Don't estimate shipping until you have the box packed.
I unfortunately underestimated the size of the package I would need and really under charged for the shipping. I charged $15 based on the box I thought it would fit into and the box was way too small. Silly me it ended up costing $75! I don't know what I was thinking but I definitely wasn't expecting it to cost so much. I also hadn't thought about tracking and insurance because I don't usually ship with either of those but thought I should for this because it was going so far (Australia) and it was such a big order I'd hate to have it lost.

I did work out a good pricing system for the order that I am happy with and will use again. I will definitely do another wholesale order if the opportunity arises but I have learned what not to do again and I'm happy for that experience.

Back in the Frey

After a couple of months away, I have rejoined the world of Facebook and I have started my shop page once again. Check it out when you have a moment!

Back in Blog Land

Well, after an long and difficult week which unfortunately included flying across the country for my grandmother's funeral, I'm back into the swing of things. In addition I have a wholesale order to finish for the end of the month. Fifty of my argyle coffee cozies are heading to a coffee roastery in Brisbane, Australia. Next week promises to also be hectic as I have a phone interview with the Lethbridge Public Library. I applied for two positions and I'm shortlisted for both! If I'm successful we could be moving to Alberta for the middle of August. I'm looking forward to a new opportunity and to put my library skills to use once again.

In the meantime, I'm offering free shipping on all of my "Aren't You Crafty" charm necklaces as part of the Christmas in July Etsy promotional sale.  Thanks for looking!

Monster iPad Case

I just finished my first felt iPad case! I made it for a friend of a friend and I'm really happy with how it turned out. I don't have an iPad myself so I had to go on measurements alone and I think it will fit perfectly but I haven't tested that theory. Its outside measures 10.2" x 8.7" with the stitching around the edges the opening measures 10" x 8.1". It is made with two pieces of felt on either side (outside blue, inside black) and is entirely hand cut and hand stitched. I'm planning on making another (not a monster) for my Etsy shop.

Who doesn't love free shipping?

To celebrate Canada Day and the 4th of July I'm offering free shipping on all of my coffee cozies from June 27 until July 5.

Yesterday I sold all of my bookmarks!! Yay! I'm now up to 36 sales, I can't believe it! I'll be busy this week painstakingly cutting circles out of felt but it will be worth it!

My dear grandmother fell last weekend and hit her head, broke her arm, and possibly fractured her pelvis so she is staying in respite care at the nursing home to get physio and hopefully return home soon. This past week I've been spending every spare moment knitting her a lap blanket and it's finally done! I've never knit an afghan style blanket before but I used a really simple chevron stitch and I really like how it turned out. I'll be mailing it off to grandma tomorrow!

Wonderful Knit items from Etsy shops

I've collected some really wonderful knit items from Etsy shops with fewer than 50 sales. Check them out!

The Artful Yarn (dish clothes)
Warm Me Up (pink cowl)
Wintergarden (bangles)
Scarf Knitter (beach glass scarf)
Magenta Sky Studio (fingerless gloves)
Friendly Brown (phone cozy)