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!

Happy Holidays

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy holiday season!

I'm working today and then looking forward to three days off. I know that I have a sewing machine waiting for me under the tree and I'm eagerly awating some adorable fabric to arrive after the holidays so I can start sewing like its 1991 (the last time I sewed anything of substance)

Cheers!

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!

NaNoWriMo

November is National Novel Writing Month and I'm going to give it a shot again this year. Last year was my first time participating and I fizzled out around the 16,000 word mark. The goal is to write 50,000 words in 30 days as that is the standard amount required for a fiction manuscript submission.

I'm attempting to write a cozy mystery with a librarian amateur sleuth as the main character.  I am going to revive the one I started last year and try to revamp and continue it. So far I've only re-read the first chapter and I'm wondering what I was thinking because it is all written in the first person. I'm going to be changing it all to a third person narrative and perhaps I'll like it more. Either way, I'm looking forward to revisiting my long abandoned novel attempt and see where it goes.

Everyone who's ever said to themselves "I could write that" or "I should write a book about this" should take on the 30 day challenge!

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!