inspired!

I am inspired all over again, and am so glad I have this whole weekend to work on different projects. A coworker of mine brought me two big books - one on glass painting, and one on Great Gifts, and I am jazzed to start working on all these new ideas.

I am almost done with my purple and blue scarf, and will need my next project. I think until I have a chance to go buy a few supplies, I'll be making more felted bowls. I just love those things - I want to do more in brighter colors.

I wanted to remember a few things when I send out packages:

1. Put a note with the buyer's name on them, so it makes them feel like they are opening a present
2. Anytime I can use a bag, sew one
3. Look at my new notebook of gift ideas for really good ideas to wrap packages
4. Send along a magnet as a thank you extra gift

also - for pictures,
I was looking at this painting glass book, and I want to look at other examples of how to take striking pictures. Also - another coworker of mine might be selling her little digital camera, so I may try to scoop that up so I have better photos.

That's all for now!

--Roya

26 items and 2 sales!

Hello hello,

I am still riding the esty wave, and kind of don't want to be doing anything except making new items to list on etsy, or browsing other people's stores. I can see that that's going to be a fine line I walk - spending money on etsy versus MAKING money on etsy. ;)

I am excited though, that the holiday season is not too far off on the horizon - both because I know where I will be buying everyone's presents this year, and because I anticipate everyone's sales going up.

The green and orange scarf is finished and FUN. I love it. I put a big embroidered squiggle on one end and it adds to it a lot. I felted about 4 small bowls, and I really like the photos I have of them. They seem so very personable. I am currently working on another scarf that is this amazing rich blue, with a few purple stripes, and then gradually changes to mostly purple with blue stripes. For some reason it makes me think of otter pops, or those real big scented markers I used to have when I was little. I should name the scarf Sir Oliver Grape, (if that even is the otter pop's name)..

Yesterday I received my first purchase on etsy - some vintage postage stamps. I have no idea what I am going to do with them, but I'd love to work on postcards again, and I always like adding extra and unusable stamps on postcards.

Thinking about making postcards to sell on etsy makes me remember my first experience trying to sell my own handmade items - I used to make stationary! I made stationary like CRAZY, when I was...maybe 6-8 years old. I used pastels, and did full pages, half pages, envelopes...with the idea that I would sell them for about a nickel each, I think. I don't recall if anyone ever bought any, but I had heard of kids selling lemonade, and I thought my idea was more creative.

Later, when I was not much older, I would make friendship bracelets and sell them to kids on my swim teams. I actually made a few dollars that way - but here's hoping that etsy is longer lasting and slightly more profitable. ;) It is sort of neat to look back and realize that selling my handmade items really is something I've wanted to do for a verrryyy looonnnggg timmmme.

1st Post

Hello hello blogging world!

I am creating this blog in order to contribute more to the etsy.com community, and write about my trials, tribulations, successes and solutions to my site/craft issues.

For more personal information, I still have my livejournal (which I have had for about 6 years now), I have a myspace and a facebook - heck, I think I am even on twitter. However, each one serves a slightly different function - so here I am, to talk etsy!

First things first, if you haven't been there, please go to royaboya.etsy.com. That is where my shop is - where I sell the items I have made with my own two hands.

At the moment I have 21 items listed and have made 1 sale. I have spent a little bit of time today reading the etsy success stories on the website, and am biting at the bit wondering how I get from here to there.

I received business cards with my etsy site on them, so I have been passing them out at work today. That's one goal.

Goal number two is to continue to improve the photographs of my pieces.

A few things that I want to remember are:

1. Get more accurate shipping prices for my pieces

2. Send personalized thank you notes, and maybe a little extra gift when I sell a piece

In terms of the projects I am working on - I have a set of granny square crocheted bags that I need to make liners and handles for, a great chunky green scarf I am almost done crocheting, annndd dozen of magnets that need photographing!

I am really excited about etsy, and I hope it proves worthwhile.