Etsy Teams and Branding

With all the new forum changes, teams are springing up left and right to fill the gap. I didn't want to, but I have jumped on the bandwagon, so to speak. I joined the Shop of the Day Team (full of lovely people and enthusiastic promoters). I also joined the Wholligans (or Doctor Who fans) team, because sometimes it's nice to have someone to get excited with over the show. Very few of my friends watch it.
I also started a team. I am now the captain of English Geeks of Etsy. So many members I've seen on forums love reading and writing and many sell literature related items. I thought it would be fun to come together as a community and discuss that love.
With my other shop, I'm a member of the Etsy Bloggers, but I'm still unsure of what to do about my first shop. It's in vacation mode currently.
I'm not sure how to "brand" Crafting Birds, my first shop. I make jewelry, accessories, clothing, and many of my items are made from recycled materials. Do I want to go in the direction of recycled artsy pieces or historically inspired items? I don't know if my shop can support both. It's a lot to contemplate.
I'm planning on selling live at (at least) two different events this summer, I'll be mixing merchandise from both my shops at these events. The main event will be my soaps, but I'll lay out some bags and jewelry as well to draw more people into my tent.

Blog Carnival: How Am I Preparing for the Holiday Season?

I know I've been around very little for the past month or two, but I've been overwhelmed with school, extracurriculars and writing. Anyway, here's my entry for this month's blog carnival:

The Holiday (hopefully) Rush will soon be here, I've noticed my focus shifting more to my soap shop which I have been stocking with new varieties and gift sets. I just got a new camera a few weeks back, so I put up some jewelry I hadn't been able to photograph before in my first shop.
Before the holidays I want to put a few more items in both shops and on Black Friday I'm probably just going to go through and renew everything.
I've been playing with some new recipes for lip balm, bath salts and bath bombs which I probably won't have ready by the holidays, but would like to introduce them in the new year at any rate.
I'm probably going to put Blackbird Crafts on vacation mode for a while after the holidays so that I can re-evaluate what is going on with that shop and focus on Morning Valley Soaps for a while- in a business sense I think that shop is going to be more lucrative, almost everything in my other shop is one of a kind and sort of specialty. MVS is a little broader and I can make multiples of all my items. That just seems like a better business strategy on Etsy.
Etsy Bloggers are holding a big Holiday Sale and I'd really like to participate, but most of my stuff is already priced down to where I make minimal profits, I'm afraid if I put everything on sale that I'll lose my profit margin entirely. Everything I make basically goes straight back into buying supplies, but that's okay for now. I just enjoy what I do and want to be able to afford doing it- I'd like my hobby to pay for itself, that has always been my goal. If I can go beyond there that would be awesome.

Shopping for Supplies and Trolling the Flea Market

This was my first free Sunday afternoon in months so my father and I decided to have some father-daughter bonding. I had to get supplies (the craft show is about two weeks away and I'm out of necklace clasps!) but we thought we'd go to the local flea market on the way. I met some really interesting people- a guy that gave me some great archery advice, a fellow English major (once an English major, always an English major, after all) and a creepy guy who tried to give me a shirt until his girlfriend showed up.
None the less, I found a great bedside table/mini chest of drawers for $5. I also got my findings at the craft store and found something I've been meaning to get for ages: a fake neck. On sale were little velvet stands that have that neckline shape for modeling jewelry. That will keep me from taking any more of those awkward photos of my own neck with the necklaces on. It is a hard angle to photograph correctly and it makes me self conscious about how pasty I am. Unfortunately I have to mooch camera time again before I can photograph my new items, until then I'm trying to renew what I have and get it sold if I can.
I also found out about a website yesterday called "This is Handmade" I heard about it on an Etsy thread and it proves a great point about how difficult and tedious hand making things can be. I would love to make my out video, even if I can't contribute it, I could stick it here on my blog for perspective customers to see. One interesting thing about all the videos of different crafters is how they all set up their respective work environments. It made me chuckle that one woman was listening to a recorded lecture about string theory or something while she worked.

Etsy Success Holiday Boot Camp Pledge

Even though I don't celebrate the winter holidays, almost all of my customers (and potential customers) do! I want my shop to be ready and hopefully come under the radar of new buyers. So, I'm taking the Etsy Holiday Boot Camp Pledge (things called a 'boot camp' that don't involve wearing camouflage have always peaked my interest).

"I, MorningValleySoaps/CraftingBirds, pledge to participate in the Etsy
Success Holiday Boot Camp to the best of my abilities. I vow to check in every
week, do my homework, and support my fellow Holiday Boot Campers. I will read
weekly newsletters and blog posts, check in on the weekly forum thread, read the
weekly blog posts, check off the checklists, and salute the mascot.* I promised
to share what I've learn with those who need it, support my fellow
indepreneurs and, most of all, have a positive and persistent attitude. I
understand that together we can spread the word about our handmade and vintage
goods, making this holiday season a more unique and meaningful one to gift
givers and give-ees everywhere!"

*Note: I don't make a habit of saluting things, so whatever silly mascot they choose, I'll acknowledge it and show proper... respect (?) to it, but that's all.
I've been working on more autumn/winter jewelry for Blackbird Crafts and creating a recipe for Pumpkin soap for MVS. Also, I just order some soap/solid perfume supplies! They should be here soon and then I can make up some new scents. I have an idea for a "Pamper Your Man" three soap set. Also, for ladies I want to sell a set of a soap with a matching solid perfume.

Crafting as Stress Relief

I have a habit of feeling too much, thinking too much and keeping things that really bother me to myself. Unhealthy overall, but something I've been trying to keep in check by journaling and crafting. Having something to do with my hands is helpful, it makes me focus on something solid and achievable instead of over-analying. Being creative gives my brain something to solve other than the incalcuable meanings behind words and gestures from friends and strangers.
This semester I've really packed my schedule, some of it inadvertantly. I'm only working my off-campus job for maybe 18 hours a week, but I have some upper level classes that require alot of outside work, a campus job, several extracurriculars (some needed to keep scholarships), I'm involved in my bible study group, as well as trying to maintain personal relationships, and run my Etsy shops. I hate wondering when I'm going to have time to do laundry again next (since I have to use the laundromat).
There is so much I want to do and need to do, it's hard deciding what might have to go. In the end, though I love having money that doesn't all have to go on textbooks or gas for my car, it will probably be my off-campus job. I'm hoping the manager can work with me and let me come back for the holidays or the occasional weekend and then pick up a fuller schedule in the summer, it was hard to find a job in the first place, so I don't want to give it up. I also feel like I might let them down, they're a bit short-handed at the moment. I'm going to give my new schedule a few more weeks to see how I settle in before I talk to my manager- I just might be initially overwhelmed.
I wish my Etsy would take off a little more, then I wouldn't be so worried about the money. Today I went and stocked up on soap and jewelry making supplies since I still have an income. I made a Winterberry Soap Brittle (long strips of soap cut from a loaf) after work tonight. It has vanilla, juniper berries and a hint of cinnamon and ginger.
I did come home to a sale which cheered me up a bit, my bottle-cap necklace has been purchased. That makes my third sale on "CraftingBirds." I guess I'm technically not an undiscovered newbie anymore. I hope this leads to more discoveries very shortly.

New Listings

My friend is back, so I staged two mini photo shoots for my Knight in Shining Chainmaille Cuff and my Owl Eyes Pearl and Chainmaille Necklace. I think they look nice in my Etsy Mini. Later this week I'll shoot some of my new garments on friends and family I force into modeling- my brother modeled the chainmaille cuff.
I really hope sales pick up soon. I've had another offer for a swap, but I've mostly stopped buying jewelry (the main products of the other seller) in lieu of only wearing my own creations. I also need some more supplies, I'm trying to think of projects that will use up fabric I still have, I'm out of most of my soap and jewelry supplies now.
Well, hopefully the craft show for the fall will come together. I want to do one more market before the summer is out, my friend Amy and I will probably team up and share a table again.

Works in Progress and New Inspiration

I'm still waitng to set up a photo shoot for all of my new creations, my brother has a friend taking belly dance classes that may be willing to model my gypsy skirt and belt for me. I also have people lined up for other recent projects. I managed to take a few decent photos with my remedial camera of some of my finished and still in progress pieces: My new chainmaille and pearl necklace- looks a bit like the face of an owl or something, doesn't it? It looks very nice on.

My men's chainmaille cuff laid out. I want to dabble more in men's clothing and accessories.

A segment of my gypsy belt. I think the tassels give the right amount of color and the gold bells contrast the silver links well.

This bundle is my almost finished gypsy skirt. It has great movement, I'm very excited to see it be danced in.

A simple unboned bodice made from black satin- it will be the ideal companion to my "Black Satin Lady Floor Length Skirt" on Etsy, in fact I cut it out from leftover satin shortly after I finished the skirt, but haven't gotten back to working on it until now.

My new inspiration is the mini-series Pillars of the Earth. I've never read the novel, but I caught the first few episodes of the series on the Starz website (it's upper tier cable, which I don't have the time or money for, so online is my only option). It's set in the 12th century during a difficult time in the English monarchy when Stephen seizes the throne from his cousin Maud.

The costumes and accesories are fantastic. I'd really like to make a few items, especially men's items, based off of the designs from the film. When it finishes airing in five weeks, there will likely be a demand for items inspired by it. In five weeks time I could have several pieces finished.

Gypsies and Chain Maille

I don't have any photos of my latest projects because I want th photos to do them justice, so I have to borrow a camera. I finally got a new stash of jump links so I worked all week on using them to the full and am now almost out again.
My first project was a men's chain maille cuff for the wrist. While I was selling at a local flea market a man admired one of my chain maille bracelets and asked if I made them for men. It seemed like a good idea. Creating this bracelet was extremely time consuming, it is two inches wide and about eight inches around. I was trying to make a pretty pattern with the links, but realized I had to be careful not to lose any of the width as I worked on the length. I ended up with a thick, somewhat primative mesh of links, but I think it looks pretty nice.
Since I had plenty of links to play with I next began work on a gypsy belt. The length of it it created by links occasionally accented by a triangle of links dangling from it as well as gold bells. I wanted to add some color to the piece, so using bits of ribbon and jewelry making caps, I created these sort of tassels that hang by the bells. I really like it.
Well, I had to make something to go with the fabulous gypsy belt, so I have started work on a skirt. It has a black drawstring waist band and panels of fabric in various colors and patterns, I'm leaving the bottom of the panels open so I can add flairs of other fabrics for extra movement and visual interest. That will hopefully be finished by next week. Photos will be forthcoming.

Some New Projects

I just posted two new necklaces on my Etsy, but here are two others I made this last week:

For my recycled line I've made a few bottle cap necklaces from some organic iced tea I've been drinking. I love the quotes on the caps. I'ved overlaid the caps with wrapped wire pendants, the one above is a Lucille Ball quote and a pink heart pendant on hemp.

I made a billow bead and caged bead pendant necklace on a sleek black rubber cord. I made another billow bead necklace, but it didn't turn out as I'd hoped.

Even though I'm not a decorator at the bakery, I've been taught a few basics like writing on cakes so I can personalize finished cakes that people buy on the spot. Above is my first attempt at icing flowers on a piece of parchment. I think I just found a new possible career path.

Unfortunately, movement on my Etsy has been almost non-existent lately, my new listings are getting hardly any views and I haven't had a sale in a month and a half. Is this a slow period of the year in general or am I just not listing anything tempting?

Friends and Rivals

A friend of mine made a few pieces of jewelry and thought it was fun, so she decides to throw a big jewelry party to show everybody what she's made and sell it. She knows I've been making and selling (usually just trying to sell) jewelry as well as other things and have been toying with more ways to bring in interest. When she invites me to her party she doesn't even stop to consider that perhaps we could have had a joint party.
I know she was in no way trying to offend me and probably didn't even think about how I would feel. She was just following a whim, that's what she does. It just feels a little unfair that I've been hitting the pavement, sitting out in the heat at flea markets, setting up web stuff, sending out inquiries, even getting involved in organizing a crafts show so that I can sell my products. She throws a party and has now thoroughly saturated the market of our social circle and made it so I can't throw a craft party without looking like I'm stealing her beat. I don't know, I've always thought that when you're serious about actually starting up some sort of business it's better to build your clientele out of strangers than friends and family, once your friends buy their token purchase to make you happy, you don't have sustainable sales base. Still, I'm just a little irritated that now I don't even have the option, also irritated with myself that I wasn't talking my business up more before this, that I never made a bold move like she is.

This is how my brother described my current situation:

It's like Bill Gates is just starting out and a friend of his comes to
him as says, "Bill, I just had the greatest idea. I'm going to sell a
computer programming system that will link everything in your computer and make
it run smoothly. I think I'm going to call it 'Doors.'''

He likes to tease me, but sometimes it is good to unburden myself to him, so I called him and told him about it.

New Projects

Unfortunately I haven't had time to finish my new blouse yet, "real" jobs you know. Next though, I'd like to make a gypsy skirt. I've decided I'd like to focus more on bigger items for a while since I already have a fairly good stock of accessories. Bigger items seem more likely to bring people in and then they might stay and buy accessories as well.

For selling live I have to make a sort of collapsable costume rack to display apparal and such. My father is always eager to make things so we have a daddy-daughter trip to the hardware store in our future as he has put himself in charge of my displaying needs. It's very sweet.

I am still decent camera-less at this point, so here is the best photo I could take of my new necklaces. Very depressing, I know. Jewelry is very hard to photograph I've found. Harder to light and hang attractively.

I've been trying to use up the store of beads I've accumulated and I found some lovely metal pieces to use as the main pendant. I think these may appeal to young women and also those that likes something more colorful and feminine than many of my usual styles with chain maille and such.

My Friend Amy Dragged Me Back to the Flea Market

She had never been there and asked me to go halves on a table with her today. I was reluctant after my disappointment last time, but went along with her and brought my new display board to try out (it is constructed of a cork bulletin board, part of a slat from an old futon, a hinge, some heavy brass chain, and some paint). The board worked much better than laying things out on the table and I was able to display most of the jewelry I have in stock on it. I also brought a bit of soap and some of my pouches.
The weather was hot and sunny so there were many people there. I also got sunburned on my face, forearms, shoulder, and collar bone, but not as badly as Amy was burned. The better weather actually spurred me to moderate success today. I sold three necklaces, making much more than at my last afternoon at the market. The bags and soap were fondled and smelled, but not sold today.
Poor Amy on the other hand, faint from hunger and sun exposure did not sell anything. She and her husband make leather "Holsterettes". Much like a holster used to carry weapons, her holsterettes mount on the wall and can be used to hold appliances such as hair dryers. Very cleverly, it clears out cabinet space and looks pretty sassy. They can even make them to actually hang on a belt for hairdressers that would like to keep them on hand while working. It was a case of great product, wrong venue. I believe we will both make out much better at the craft show I'm helping to organize this fall.
Visit Amy's
Website
or Etsy Store

News from the local farmers' market...

I can't sell there since I don't actually grow all my supplies, but I was invited down to meet with one of the coordinators to bring a sample of my work and discuss the crafts fair they are planning in the fall. We had a lovely conversation, I wore some of my jewelry and brought her one of my paisely pouches with two cakes of soap; Cinnamon Spice and Peppermint.
She asked me to help head up a committee for organizing the fair and when she learned about my experience in English and journalism, asked for my help with PR and organizing a newsletter for the market and all their events. I miss my days helping out with the ren. faire and this is so close to home, it's ideal. Besides, I'm always looking to gain more experience to set me apart from the thousands of other student journalists looking for a career in the shrinking market. I'm very enthusiasic. They want to host an "Energy Fest," eco-friendly event this fall that I could help out at and possibly sell my Upcycled bags.
This could be the beginning of a beautiful collaboration.

Flea Market Attempt Thwarted

I was supposed to go down to the flea market this weekend, I had my displays designed, my tapestry throw ready for the table, all merchadise had price tags, etc. Then we started having extreme wind gusts. Large branches were falling out of trees, trash cans were rolling in the streets. My crafts are not hearty things made of lead and stone, but delicate pouches and light weight metals.
I had a terrible vision of myself chasing my products across the market like my cats on bath day. So, begrudgingly I'm waiting until next week. I just made a new necklace last night, I'll keep bulking up my inventory. There's another smaller local market I discovered this week as well, I may try that one too.
All the Celtic Festivals I've contacted have given me very discouraging figures for space rental. One was as high as $1,500 for one weekend. The best rate I found for such events is actually at the renaissance faire I used to work at, only $80 for the weekend. Depending on the dates of this year's festival I may try that.
Oh well. Looking toward next week.

New Chain Maille Pics

I have discovered that this style of jewelry is extremely hard to photograph effectively (even with my slightly better borrowed camera). Perhaps it's the high level of shine or the small details, but I snapped a bunch and only got a few usable pictures.Here they are:

A double layer front with green bead accents.

A single layer of links with four rust toned freshwater pearls.

A bracelet with mauve bead accents.

My "Mixing Metals" Necklace- a mesh of links bib in the front with a pearlescent pendant, and a fine silver chain for the body of the necklace.
I might post one or two on Etsy, but in a few weeks I want to take a bunch of things down to the flea market to enjoy the fine weather and the spring crowds.

Income Tax Sale

Everyone one in the US is rushing to submit and pay their taxes by the end of this week. This is the moment when everyone realizes how truly poor they are. At least that's what I've realized.
With this in mind, I'm having a sale on the jewelry in my Etsy shop so that American and international customers can treat themselves at an affordable price.

Happy National Poetry Month!

I just posted this necklace on Etsy, the top pendant flips up and reveals a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Be careful what you set your heart on, for it will surely be yours."

New Jewelry on Etsy

I also just posted these two necklaces on Etsy:

Sale!

I just sold my Antiqued Gold Quill Necklace (look down two posts). I had just mentioned about my Etsy to a friend I went to drama school with last week when I saw her. Apparently, she went on and was taken with it. I'm glad she got it, it's one of my favorite pieces.
My "Puck" skirt is finished, though now I'm thinking of calling it the "Whimsical Woodland" tutu skirt. It took longer than I expected because I didn't like the drape of the skirt, so I went back and added more tulle and adjusted some things. Once I find a drawstring for it, I'm having a photo shoot. I'm torn bewteen using a ribbon and using something more rustic looking. I want it to have that lovely surrealistic quality, but I've worked hard to make it look random (much harder than it sounds!) with lots of bits and pieces, layers of scraps I painstakingly shredded. Some in darker bark colors, others in greens with even a bit of plum and extra white gossamer for depth. I'll just keep looking I suppose.

New Jewelry for Sale

I just posted this item on Etsy:

I usually work with silver or copper color schemes, but I love the antiqued gold look! It's called the Antiqued Gold Quill Necklace, it hangs longer (approx. 22 inches) and is fun and stylish, but I think it keeps to the heart of what I try to create: old fashioned charm.