moved...

I've moved to a new blog!

http://nerdymoments.blogspot.com

Pridefest and Updates

Well, aside from having to move this past weekend (and yes, I had just moved into my new place last month...), things have been going well.

Pridefest was on the 15th, and that went over really well. I didn't meet my goal of $100 in sales, but I do do better than at Summerfest. The colorful Devil Ducky earrings, keychains and zipper pulls were the biggest hit. I also got some sign-ups for my mailing list, which is pretty awesome. I gave away some Etsy sampler bags that I made with promos from a ton of awesome etsy sellers (list).

I'm also now a proud member of one of the newest Etsy streets teams -- EtsyU. Everything is still in the early stages, but it looks like this is going to be a fun group of people, and since it's all college aged (and some highschool) Etsyians, we can talk about ways to juggle class, homework, part time jobs, AND Etsy.

Let's see, what else am I working on... I'm going to do a promotional thing during the month of October for Breast Cancer Awareness month. I've been working on some pink items (not really my color, but I'm having fun with it so far). For all my pink item sales, I'm going to donate a certain amount to breast cancer research. I'm not sure what that amount should be -- 10%? 15%? Any suggestions?

Have a great day!

September Goals

As a result of various posts on the Etsy forums, I've decided to set myself some goals for the month of September for my Etsy shop.

1) List/renew 1-2 items each day of the month (so far, so good!)
2) Get 15 sales
3) Get 36 more hearts
4) Post t0 blog at least three times per week


The third one isn't that big of a deal, but hearts are nice, ya know?

Well, I'm off to go to some creating so I have new things to list tomorrow!

Summerfest!

Well, overall I think Summerfest went really well! The last two nights before were VERY hectic and stressful as I tried to make sure that I had enough stock, the right paperwork and signage, all the random tools, supplies, etc. that I would need. I'm pretty sure I drove my poor boyfriend up the wall... Anyway, I have a few pictures of my booth for you to gaze at, they're on Flickr. I made about 15 sales, a little over $50 worth of stuff. I made more than my booth fee, and I made sales to people that weren't friends! (That's what I was worried about -- making sales to "real people"). But I came away from the event with a few new ideas, lots more confidence, and a custom order request! I placed a few supply orders last night and today, so hopefully I'll be able to get a ton more stuff made in time for Pridefest. I think the market will be a little better there -- Summerfest had less people than I was expecting, and a lot came without very much money. They also had to pay to get in, which I didn't really know about until a few days before the event. But I had a really good time, and as stressful as it was, I'm still REALLY excited for my next show! My goal... sell $100 worth of stuff!

What's New...

I have been slacking a bit, so I'm still panicking and rushing like crazy to get my stuff ready for the Starving Artists craft fair at Mankato Summerfest on August 25th. I made 12 pairs of devil ducky earrings the other day, and I've been working on some bracelets and necklaces as well. I'm really nervous that I won't have enough stock to make my table full. But on the other hand, I'm worried that I'll make a ton of stuff, and then none of it will sell... But if you are in the area, be sure to stop by my booth and check me out! I'm hoping for nice weather and things running smoothly, but I'm going to prepare for the worst...

I am also confirmed to participate in the SCMN Pridefest festival on September 8th, but I want to get through the summerfest show before I start worrying about that one. I feel bad for my shop, because it is getting somewhat neglected between still not being entirely unpacked and spending time getting ready for the craft shows. I've heard that the holiday season on ETSY starts fairly early for most people, so I'd like to get some more stuff added to my shop so I can keep up with the (hopefully!) holiday rush. I recently quit one of my other jobs, so I'm crossing my fingers for good sales for the next few months.

Moved in

Well, I am moved in to my new house, although not quite unpacked. I will officially have my own "studio" space here in the new place, and am hoping to get that all set up this weekend. I also have tons of ideas running through my head for stuff to make, so as soon as I get settled in I'll begin creating again! Watch my shop for new stuff in the next few weeks, because I know it will be there!!!

Flickr

I may be on vacation, but I am still busy working on Etsy related things...

1) I have finally joined the ranks of everyone else that has a Flickr account. I am still working on adding all of my pictures, but you can click here to check out what I have so far.

2) I have also been randomly distributing some of my business cards at restaurants/etc. around the area. They all have special coupon codes on the back, so if/when someone uses one of them, I will have an idea of where the card was found and whether or not my promo ideas are working. So far I've left them at tables with the tip, on random boards, and I even left one in a bathroom...

3) I'm also working on a few new pieces. I didn't bring any beads or anything here with me, but I started to get withdrawals so I went to the store and bought some beads and chain :)

It has also come to my attention that I have a LOT on my plate for the next few months. I am planning on doing a craft show at the end of August, Mankato Summerfest. I am also going to apply for, and (crossing my fingers), hopefully get accepted to, No Coast Craft-o-Rama. It would be a MUCH bigger show, on December 1st. And to top that all off, I have Christmas to prepare for. So if I end up doing both of those shows and trying to prepare my ETSY store for Christmas, I'm going to be a little bit busy. Class start again at the end of August, but I will cut down work hours, so I will probably have around the same amount of free time to work on Tangerine Sunshine...

So much to do, so little time... I will keep you updated on how things go!