Lazy Blogger

I have gotten lazy and have not been doing much blogging lately.....but I have also not been doing much creating either. I am in cleanup oranization mode. About 2 times a year I get the crazy itch to go through stuff, throw stuff out and just generally get it all back in its respective places so I have been cleaning out closets, going through old clothes and wiping down the cabinets. I keep telling myself if I get it all clean then I will have not excuse but to create.
We will see..........

Back and Busy

Back from the beach a few days ago. Had a good time but never can really get into the Oregon Coast. I know I know it is beautiful and all but it is COLD and being from Florida I just can't seem to get past that. Beaches should be warm...they are a place you go because they have water so you can COOL off, but my husband and daughter like it so I guess I will have to tolerate.
I have a couple of new things on the burner that I will post about in the next few days as I get them up in my shop.....
Right now I am working on my daughter's school carnival and that is taking up all my time.

Off to the Beach

We are off for a night at the beach in Oregon. It is supposed to be cold and rainy but maybe we can get some good photos. My daughter is mostly excited about "the pool".
I just got a new laptop but have not figured it out and am going to leave it at home.....no Internet access for more than 24 hours what will I do with my self.
When I get home I have a custom order to get out and a couple of new designs in the pipeline.
I also need to get to work on my other etsy shop Vintage Novelties, it is a supply shop and I have been seriously neglecting it for the last few week. Yesterday I took lots of photos of new listings and need to get them up this weekend sometime. I just don't know how these suppliers keep up with all the time it takes for posting. It is hard to justify on $2 items. But I have had a few sales even with my neglectful behavior.

Showcase a Pretty good deal

Over all I think the etsy main showcase was worth the $15 I paid for it. It gave me some good exposure and I finally hit the 100 hearts mark, even went over to 101 today. I also noticed my views increased a lot. I made one sale and one trade but the extra exposure for those who might come back later was worth it. And it did not take a lot of my time. I just went in and changed the item being showcased 4 or 5 times during the day to keep it fresh.
This is just the beginning of my "getting down to business " plan for 2008.
So far I have
- started this blog
-Updated photos to make shop more cohesive
-Got a new banner and avatar designed for my shop and put it up
-Been in a showcase ( I think I will do another one in a couple of months)
-Started posting in the forums
-Started making some new items
-Increased my store inventory
-donated items to my daughters school auction for exposure and advertising

I still want to
-approach some local stores about selling my products
-look into doing some craft fairs this spring and the Vancouver Farmers Market this Summer.

Showcase....worth it or not

I have a showcase for my etsy shop today.....I was wondering if it would help sales. So far no sales but it has increased my hearts....I am only 3 hearts away from 100. I am hoping I hit the big 100 today.
What a milestone.
Now if I could just increase the sales.
Today is a busy day. I have a couple of custom orders to work on and more clothing ideas to get out there.
Will post some photos once I get them done.

New Stuff

I finally got around to making a skirt to sell in my etsy store. It is gorgeous. A linen skirt with raw hem and some vintage tidbits added for interest. It should fit size 5/6. I prewashed the fabric but I guess since it is linen it will need to be listed as hand wash, line dry, light iron. But I love the Japanese feel it has. It really reminds me of some of the things I see in the Japanese craft books which so inspire me.
I have a custom order for mini I spy bags that I will be working on also this week and and am hoping to get a couple of more skirts done today so I can post them before my showcase tomorrow. I want to make the most of it.
I am still unsure of how to show off clothing but I will try my best. I saw a really cute shop with clothing displayed on a clothesline. I think I will try that for starters.
I will try and post some photos in the next couple of days of my new stuff if I can figure out how.