Sunday, October 31, 2010

Midtown Bazaar


Saturday I was at Midtown Bazaar in Sacramento. The day was slightly rainy and it wasn't very busy but it was steady. I had a lot of fun chit chatting with my Sac Etsy Team members who I met for the first time. I also met a lot of cool people like Bella over at thecitizenrosebud and was offered the opportunity to place my items in a new boutique! We put on a fashion show and it was a lot of fun, although our makeshift PA didn't work out so I don't think people realized what we were doing at first. There were a lot of good artists some of my favorites were Nora at Transient Treasures and Mary at The Castle Walls
I think the bazaar has lots of potential, and I plan to vend there again soon.


1. 102_4156, 2. 102_4155, 3. 102_4154, 4. 102_4152, 5. 102_4164, 6. 102_4162, 7. 102_4160, 8. 102_4146, 9. 102_4168

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

New treasury tool

I found this new (well new to me) treasury tool made by whalesharkwebsites. No more screen shots and having to make my own code to link back to treasuries! YEA!

'Midtown Bazaar, here we come!' by PrairiePrimitives

This Treasury features items from members of the Sac Etsy Team who will be participating in the Midtown Bazaar on Oct. 30, 2010. Midtown Bazaar is located on I ("eye") Street, between 16th and 17th Streets in Sacramento, CA. Hours are 10am to 3pm, admission is free, and parking is available on the streets or in several nearby lots. Hope to see you there! More info about the Sac Etsy Team can be found on the Team blog: http://sac-etsy.blogspot.com.


Chunky and Fun Vintage ...
$43.00

Green Man Necklace
$40.00

Fancy Jasper and antiqu...
$22.00

Burgundy red wool hand ...
$28.00

A Touch of the Orient C...
$25.00

Fall and Autumn Scented...
$13.00

Recycled Vinyl LP Spin ...
$18.00

Herbal Bath Soak- Perfe...
$5.50

Primitive Pillows Antiq...
$15.00

Dog Dress Country Denim...
$25.00

Two Sided Red Enamel Co...
$67.00

Party Time, Multi-color...
$18.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Noteworthy....

So you think its so easy to be an Etsy seller? NOT! Ok, simple yes...easy NO And why do I say so you ask? Well I have been on Etsy four years and pretty much it was "easy", until everyone else thought "hey I should sell on Etsy." Now there's a multitude of factors that make selling on the big E more of a challenge than ever. I'm starting to feel like I need an education in SEO/SEM marketing, web design, journalism, photography, and yes even design school.

The simple thing about it is its easy enough to take a picture of your item and list it, anyone can accomplish that. But to be found in the sea of keywords, ah that is a daunting task that I am learning to navigate through. Take a simple search for handbag. Wow! 37,000+ results. Even if I narrow that down by category its still a lot to search through. So here's where it gets tricky and all that education stuff I mentioned feels like its needed. See searching keywords on Etsy alone is a challenge of itself. Figuring out which ones will get your item listed closer to the top, or what is the most popular for your type of item?

But now if you step outside your little Etsy box, and go to our big G (google), well now your surely going to loose yourself. (or your mind) Because I never realized (until recently) that Etsy works with Google analytics and that Etsy products are returned in google product search results. So now...if you want an even bigger chance at making a sale, you have to also think in terms of google keywords when creating your listings. Yeah, I know its a lot to cram into an already crammed head. :) I barely have the time to design and list let alone figure out all this keyword stuff. I think I remember at some point thinking why cant Etsy be more like ebay in the keywords aspect? Well thats probably another post but it seems uncool to let people pick thier own keywords when the majority likely will tag their items wrong.

Well its not all bad, it is a learning curve but it just seems so daunting when you already have a lot to do. I still haven't gotten to my website yet! EEK! But I have found a few useful links that can help you navigate some of this keyword mayhem.

Quality Backlinks for better SEO
The Etsy Business Tips Blog
50 questions for Etsy Sellers

Friday, October 22, 2010

No power tools needed

So I have this thing for memo boards. I have like 5 of them and always want to buy them at the thrift or yard sales. Two of them were stained and the ribbon on one was falling off. With a few craft shows coming up and the need to find new ways to display my stuff, I decided it was time to make over these bad boys. So, I took a trip to osh to buy staples for my probably only used once staple gun, some little hinges and a strip of base trim.

I recovered the boards in a beautiful floral home decor fabric that has teflon. I guess its waterproof, IDk but its slick like u could use it for a rain coat. Anyway, I love it cause it looks Shabby Chic. I used some vintage buttons too!


So now your wondering what the heck baseboard trim and hinges have to do with anything right? Well, leave it to a genius (like me) to rig up a sort of picture frame type stand for the back, and presto! Instant display board. (ok so its not that sturdy but it works) Go ahead be totally amazed. And its ok to leave me a comment and tell me I'm totally awesome too.

Not too shabby!


Im just loving these new pouches I made up yesterday! It feels like they were a lot of work, but I think that's because I did something out of my norm. I normally don't make more than one of the same thing, and I normally don't cut out all the pieces first in sort of a assembly line type of way. But you know, I'm trying to change things up a bit and try new things. I have a show this sat and next, so I want to see the difference in reaction to my booth if people see more like items displayed. After I made these they seemed so plain, and I was super tired but I went ahead and made the little lace pins that are attached to the front. They look so much more enticing now! Don't u agree?? I have a lot of loose ends to get ready for the show tomorrow, so its back to work for me.

Monday, October 18, 2010

My booth at remember when modestoI

So I moved in today...

I was so excited to go move into my little spot at Remember When in Modesto. Things are starting to go very well for me and I couldn't be happier. The boutique is really big and chock full of incredible stuff from local dealers. There's antiques and handmade all in a quaint mix. Its got a fun vibe and the owner is such a friendly woman! I'm thrilled that she took me in!


In addition to todays "move", I also got my new business cards! I love how cute they are! I wasn't that happy with my logo on the reverse, but it will do until I can come up with better graphics. Im also a perfectionist so....






I also got a good bit of work done today, first was getting all those booth items tagged and ready, and later I made these awesome hair bows! I got started on my daughters Lady gaga costume, and I gathered materials for a new order I received today...things are getting busy ya'll! Yippeeee!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

wicker shelf before #diy

I got this shelf for $3 at the flea market!

wicker shelf after #diy

$2 More for some white spray paint at Osh.....

Vioila!!

Friday, October 15, 2010

My sewing area is looking better every week. Today I added those faith and love pictures that I scored for 1.20 each at the thrift, along with those two small floral prints under the shelf which I had from a previous thrift shopping day. If you couldn't tell yet, I work in my garage which is really cool cause I dont disturb anyone in the house with my night owl hours. :) I also bought a 5 tier storage shelf for all my fabrics at Lowe's today but that half of my garage is too messy for a pic right now. LOL I am still working on it though. I just have way too much stuff! hahaha

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Vintage finds


I took a trip to the Tuesday flea market this week. I haven't been there in a few weeks and it turned out to be a worthwhile day! I scored a bunch of vintage stuff starting with a 3 tier wicker shelf for $3! I also found an old sunbeam iron for $3 although the plate is pretty rough so its gonna take some steel wool and elbow grease to make it useable. I also got a sesame street sheet for $2. The shelf is going to come in super handy for a display in my booth when I do shows. Im so glad I found it because I have been stressing over my booth and finding things to use for displays. I can't help but feel like I just don't get enough done each day. Ugh! Well I put up a whiteboard today, so now I can glance at what I have going on and try to keep myself on track. So much to do, so little time!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Pampered Poochies


I made some cute harness dresses for my dogs today as prototypes. My daughter works at a groomers and I had been planning to make some doggie duds for a while, but of course time ever gets away from me. She had mentioned to her boss that I sew, and I think I may have a future client! And since today was all things doggie, I also made a treasury! Here are two of my dogs dressed up in all their cuteness!









Saturday, October 9, 2010

Reversible Table Runner


Today I put my shelves up over my sewing table. Finally! Im not done with my work area and I'm far from finished. I would like to paint that wall but it will have to wait for now. I feel a bit more organized now that all that stuff is off my table. Baby steps...lol So I also spent most of the day finishing this reversible table runner. I just love how it came out! It was my first home decor project and I cut it all from scratch. I'm working on a second one from different fabrics and cut in a different pattern. Look for this one in my shop!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Hazy shades of winter....


I made my first treasury today! It was really fun but its also time consuming. I did a search and found there are lots of people who make lots of treasuries. They must have some quantum physics for navigating the endless sea of etsy items because it took me over an hour to make just one treasury! I just dont have that much time on my hands haha. But as part of my goals to branch out and try to find new ways to shamelessly promote myself, I figured a treasury is one good way that I havnt tried yet. So maybe just one or two a week will be ok. There are so many after all. Well here is the one I made. I hope you like it. Be sure to leave me a comment!

Monday, October 4, 2010

Tricks and Treats.....

I have been feverishly working on new stuff for the shop and the upcoming fair I'm doing this month. I am on a roll! I want to keep the momentum going straight into november so I can ramp up for christmas (even though technically Im starting late). And hopefully I can take a small break in Jan. But a very small one! LOL So I have made a few new trick or treat bags and some wallets. I know I promised a tutorial. I will get it up here in a few days. I am working a lot and feeling like Im barely getting anything done! But that's just me. But between all the sewing and then posting to all the social networks and self promoting, this is one tough business! But I love it! So here is two wallets I made tonight, the top one is more rectangle and slightly angled toward the top. After looking at it a light went off and I decided to make it even more angled, and shorten the closure as well as angle that too. It narrows toward the back, and the back pocket is clear plastic. Im just gonna brag this one up because Im so damn excited about how it came out! I'm just calling myself genius and awesomely creative! :) The fabric is a Robert Kaufman print, called Eerie Alley. I just LOVE it! I made the second wallet with the zebra print on the inside and Im glad I came up with that bright idea because it makes the wallet more usable year round vs the orand and purple combo I did in the first one. Although I know I would still use it year round anyway, and Im sure lots of gals would! Its up in my store now, so grab it while you can!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Bootie-licious!



So my best friends niece is having a baby and so I got the idea to make some baby booties. I found a few free patterns online but none of them looked as cute as the ones I see for sale on etsy. so I pretty much tweaked the free pattern to get the look I wanted. They are so darn cute when they are finished but they are only for the patient at heart! LOL- NOT ME They take a bit of time and tweaking. By the time I was on my third pair I was screaming I'm not gonna make these anymore. But yet they r so damn cute I just gotta make more! lol So the first pair came out ok but they look mismatched. I plan to make some for halloween, and also work on some other baby/kids stuff as well. I cut some flannel for taggie blankets, and I dug through my vintage patterns for some cute dress patterns. But today I need to make some wallets. So off to work I go...