Sample Exchange

In the past, I have signed up for several exchanges where you make and send samples to the host, who in turn packages them up and sends them to participants in the exchange. This is a great way to get your name and items out to customers who might otherwise not know you exist.  The sellers simply put the samples in their packages when they mail them out to buyers--thus promoting your shop!

I would love to host a sample exchange. It's simple enough to get involved: just leave me a comment here if you'd like to participate, how many, and what types of samples you'd like to send. The more samples you send, the more buyers will know who you are--simple as that.  You don't necessarily have to send a sample of something you make in your shop either--just something that shows off your craftsmanship and gets buyers interested enough to go have a look at your shop. If you cannot think of samples to make, you can simply send some business cards (you will also have to send a business card or your shop address with each sample of course).

I will let you know when the boxes will be sent once all participants have sent their samples to me and I package up the boxes (I will divide samples evenly). I will then let you know when I will have to have your samples.

Doll Blankets

Back in early December I had a little contest where participants gave me ideas of new items I could make for my shop. I had two winners: Tiffany and Jan. Tiffany suggested doll blankets and Jan suggested a doll sling. I am happy to say that I made both and my winners liked their prizes.  I will have to tweak the doll sling a bit, but overall I think it turned out well and I did get the gist of what Jan was looking for.

Tiffany said that her daughter just loved the doll blanket--which makes me very happy. There's nothing more satisfying than making a little one happy with something handmade.  She's going to have a giveaway on her blog and the winner will receive a doll blanket that I will make especially for the contest. I will post the link when she gets it up on her blog.

I am happy to say that if you don't win the blanket or would like one now, you can purchase one in my etsy shop! I made a variety of them from pink camo to baby designs.  They measure 24" square with rounded corners and are also reversible! They will wrap an 18" doll (that would include American Girl dolls) nice and snug!  So, hop on over to my Sassy shop and get your little girl a one of a kind blanket for her baby!

New Ideas for the New Year

So now that it's another new year, my resolution is to focus, focus, focus on how I make items for my shops.  I have a bad habit of making only one or two of a new item instead of several at one time--so this year I am going to try to make one new item at a time--and several of that item rather than one or two. I also want to give myself a week to make as many of a new item as possible. This may help me to achieve my goal better. We shall see.

I did make a list for both of my stores of new items I definitely want to make this year, and I tried not to make it an unrealistic amount. Are you curious to see what I have in mind?

For my Lil' Bit Sassy shop I want to make:
  Children's aprons
  Doll Slings ( I have already made a prototype)
  Doll Blankets (also made one of these already)
  Pacifier/Teething Toy bibs (bibs that a pacifier or toy can be attached to)
  Baby/Toddler Bowl/Utensil holders (keep dishes clean in a diaper bag)
  Doll Diaper Bag Sets: bibs, diapers, changing pad, and wipes.

For my Schoolhouse Designs shop:
  Kitchen Sets: matching pot holders/hanging dish towels
  Potato Bags: use these to cook baked potatoes in the microwave
  Crochet/Knitting Needle cases
  Make-up Organizer: a small open bag with several pockets
  Book-style Kindle/iPad Covers

I don't believe that list is too unreasonable. I do have 12 months to complete it after all. On another note: I am getting an embroidery machine this spring!! I am SO excited about this. Along with this, I plan to make embroidered shirts and other items. I can also personalize items already available! I am hoping this feature will boost my sales somewhat. I've had several requests to personalize my art aprons and now I will be able to do it in a more professional way.

'Tis the Season

I know for some it's a little too early to be thinking about Christmas yet, but for we sellers and crafters, this is the time of year when we need to get our holiday items made and listed in our stores. I usually don't make a lot of Christmas items since I have never had much luck in selling them, but I think it was due to the fact that I listed them too late in the year (in November). So this year I decided to get a head start to see if I could perhaps make some holiday sales.

  To start off with, I have made some adorable (if I do say so myself) stockings that are made to resemble pajama bottoms--complete with a button flap pocket on the back! I think these would make unique first stockings for baby--as well as for children.  I have made some in baby flannel fabrics and will make others in traditional Christmas fabrics as well. I have already listed a few in my Lil' Bit Sassy store and some in my Lil' Bit of This 'n That store. I will be working on more this coming week and get those listed.

Those are just items I'll be selling. Now for some items you might also find great for Christmas. Comyc Gyrl has lots of cute items in her eCrater shop. Brooches and pins, ornaments, cards, decorations, kitchen items and more--so be sure to check out all her goodies! 

 Another great store to check out for Christmas goodies is Your What Not Shop  also on eCrater. You will find tins, ornaments, home decor and more in her Christmas section. 

1st Wholesale Order: Tool Aprons

A couple of weeks ago I got my very first wholesale order. I was so excited! The buyer wanted 14--possibly 18--tool aprons for her son's birthday party. This was such a fun order because during the "I'm thinking about it" stage she asked me what could be put into them for girls. So I made a few suggestions: play hair dryer, brushes, etc so they could play "beautician"; art supplies, and play kitchen utensils. I'm actually glad she asked me that question because I had never thought of marketing my tool aprons for girls too--but now maybe I will!

After she made the decision to order them, she decided she wanted solid colors: pink w/purple trim for the girls and navy w/red trim for the boys. She also wanted them personalized. This presented a challenge since I don't own an embroidery machine (which will be the FIRST thing I buy when I hit the lottery) so I had to figure out a way to do this.  What I decided was to embroider the names onto shapes (oval for boys, hearts for girls) in felt that matched the trim colors and then applique them onto the aprons.  Now mind you, I am not very good at embroidering--especially freehand--but I did the best I could. I also decided to stitch the pocket dividers using a decorative trim and in thread colors matching the trim to break up the solids a bit.

I decided I would make one apron of each so I could send her a picture of what they looked like and get her approval before I made the rest of them (smart, no?). She really liked them, so away I went! It took me a total of four days to make them. Two days to cut them out and two days to make them (I did boys first and then the girls).  Not as long as I thought it would take! And walla! 14 tool aprons!

Shop Changes

 For quite some time I have been debating on making some changes in my stores. First off, I decided to make my etsy store to exclusively sell only baby and children related items. I also closed my supply store at etsy and moved all my craft patterns and supplies to my eCrater store--since it's free to sell there.

Another change I decided to make was to take my bags out of my etsy store  and place them in a separate store. At first I was thinking of opening another etsy store for this purpose, but the more I thought about it, the more I wasn't so sure. I already have two stores that I carry my bags in: Zibbet and Craft is Art so maybe opening at etsy store wouldn't be very productive. Not to mention there are SO many bag/purse sellers it's rather hard to compete on etsy. So, for now, I have decided to just keep my bags at Zibbet and Craft is Art.

 Since I did decide to keep stores exclusively for bags, I thought that I had better get some more inventory in, so this week I've been working on that. I have made four new X-Factor bags for girls: monkeys, butterflies, Dora, and Raggedy Ann.  I will be making a Pooh one this weekend and after that, more medium and large sized X-Factor bags.  I will also be working on various other styles of bags too. So for the next few weeks, I intend to be a very busy girl!

 

Last week, I worked on some Monster dolls for my Sassy  and eCrater shops. These are so adorable! I made them using a Bit of Whimsy pattern. She makes the most adorable dolls! Click on the link to check out her shop!

So, as you can see that although I have been slacking on blog posts, I haven't been slacking at the sewing machine lately!

What's In a Name?

Have you ever wondered where some sellers come up with their names? I know I do. I'm sure there's a story behind practically every name. For instance, I named my shop Lil' Bit Sassy because so many people have called me Lilbit because I'm small. The "sassy" part came because, well, I tend to be a bit sassy too. Hence, Lil' Bit Sassy.  Most people I know say that it suits me well.  I believe that if you have a unique, maybe even humorous, shop name then buyers may be more likely to purchase from you.

The reason I'm blogging about names is because I have been thinking of opening another etsy shop just for my purses, accessories, and non-baby/children items.  All I have to do is think of a name.  Since I'd like to focus mainly on purses and bag, I'd like the name to be appropriate for those items. I'd also like something on the humorous side since I like to laugh. A lot. I have received a few good suggestions such as: Hag Bags, which I really liked, but alas, there is a website called that. Although I may be able to change it a bit. Maybe, say, Old Hag's Bags. Another name suggestion was Sassy Hag Bags. Or Sassy Bags--incorporating my Sassy name. 

So, do you have any suggestions? Would LOVE to hear them!

Out With the Old, In With the New

As some of you know, I have a pattern/supply shop on etsy (http://www.LotsOPatterns.etsy.com) as well as my handmade shop.  I opened this shop because I decided to clean out some of my stash and get rid of some patterns I might never get around to doing. A couple of months ago I found a free selling site (eCrater) and decided to try it out. You can sell anything there--it's not handmade only--so I listed some books, some of my handmade items, and just a variety of things that I can't sell on etsy.  Since most of the items in my Lots O' Patterns shop have been there since I opened it, and obviously didn't sell, I decided to save a little money and list them on eCrater rather than to keep paying listing fees on etsy. So as things have expired in Lots O' Patterns, I've been listing them in eCrater. I only have a few items left and they should be expiring soon.

Now, I've been throwing around an idea about what to do with the extra etsy shop when it's empty of stock. One idea is to move my baby/children's items into it and make it exclusively a baby/child themed shop and to use my Lil' Bit Sassy shop for other items I make such as my purses, accessories, and household items.  If I decide to do this, I won't be able to use Lil' Bit Sassy as the name of the baby/children's shop, so I was thinking Sassy Bug for it and Lil' Bit Sassy for the mixed item shop.  AND if I go with this, should I get new business cards printed? Also--will customers lose me? I suppose I could always write a note in my shop announcement saying that if they're looking for baby/children's items or purses,etc. they are now at...and post a link.

So what would you do if you were faced with this? Any opinions or suggestions would be most welcome!

What To Do?

I need some advice.  I've noticed that although my character blankies are absolutely adorable (if I do say so myself) and I have gotten quite a few compliments on them, they're not selling well.  So what do I need to do to make them more appealing? Change the description? Better pictures? List them separately? If you think I should do any or all of these things, please let me know your opinions and what you think will make them move. If you think I should take better pictures, how would you "pose" them? I'm so not creative at this type of thing.

Wonderful Comment

I recently had a repeat customer convo me to leave a very nice comment. It's these types of comments that really make a person feel good about themselves. I for one, truly appreciate them also. I was just so touched by it, that I decided to post it so everyone can see what she had to say:

"I must tell you that you are the type of seller that makes buying and selling on Etsy a pleasure. It's such a comfort to know that I'm dealing with someone who is honest and also a good friend.
My best to you,
Leslie"

Isn't that sweet?

Why a Blog You Ask?

I decided to start a blog for all my customers, family, and friends so that they can share the experiences of my creative process. In this blog you will discover what inspires me, where my ideas come from, and the joys and disappointments I may have while trying to make a new creation (sometimes it's not as easy as I'd like it to be!).

I welcome all comments and suggestions and don't mind constructive criticism. After all, we all have different ideas and ideas are what inspire, or what should, inspire us to do our best. So even if you're not a crafter, I will still welcome your advice! Don't be shy!

I hope you enjoy my blog and I hope it doesn't bore you to tears!