Wordless Wednesday - Snow Day!

Snow Day!

Treasury Thanks

Happy New Year! 

This post is a THANK YOU to curators of Etsy treasuries who featured items from my Etsy shops, Pasque Flower Creations and Aunt Pheba's Vintage, over the past week.   The treasuries this week were a delightful mix --longing for Spring, a celebrations of winter, and look ahead to Valentine's Day.

Jessica and Bryan King of FeathandKee featured my pink roses oven mitt in their treasury, Dreaming of Spring.  With the holidays behind us, I've resolved to start a 52-week savings program.  This cute Santa Fund Jar would be a fun way to collect change (or "real" money) during the year.  Check out their shop for other cute savings jars and beautiful handcrafted jewelry with a colorful, modern edge.

Sharla of Beaded Tail featured my red linen retro-inspired bow clutch in her treasury, Love and Kitties Are Like Two Peas in a Pod.  Sharla's shop is a wonderful mix of handmade journals and beautifully-crafted jewelry.  This Seek. Explore. Live. Journal would be perfect for tracking your 2015 resolutions.

Antiquity Travelers featured my houndstooth eyeglass case in her treasury, Pack It Up.  Cynthia is a woman on the go -- and she knows a thing or two about packing!  She also makes gorgeous statement jewelry, like this striped jasper stone beaded collar. 

Lisa Lavender of TheBumbleBeadShop featured my black and white chevron oven mitt in her treasury, TEMPT Team's Night and Day.  This Tibetan beaded necklace is one of the beautiful beaded creations in Lisa's shop -- perfect to wear with a little black dress.

Judy Nolan of JNOriginals featured my blue floral oven mitt in her treasury, Blue New Year.  This blue heather beanie hat would help someone stay warm on a cold, frosty morning.  (It's below zero here -- but I must get out and shovel snow soon.  Brrrr!)

Judy Nolan of MisterPenQuin featured my bright leaves oven mitts in her treasury filled with warm colors one might see in the glow of a cozy fireplace, Banishing the Brrr in Winter.  This cute orange chevron mini blank book is one of several pretty and practical handcrafted books you can find in Judy's shop.

Kristiina Meiner featured my gray and white chevron oven mitt in her treasury, 31,12,14/1 - Happy New Year's!  Some of the items in Kristiina's shop are a bit risque', but she also has an assortment of adorable handcrafted brooches, like this art doll face brooch.

Jacki Wilker Donovan of JeSuisJacki featured my poppies on teal oven mitts (a wedding registry listing) in her treasury, Poppies Everywhere.  I love this red and pink polka dot purse from Jacki's shop.

Rossiter Lisa of PNLJewelryDesigns featured my aqua chevron oven mitt in her treasury, Welcome 2015.   Would this heart bookmark be a perfect little gift for Valentine's Day or Mother's Day?

Valerie of NandysNook featured my hearts baby bib in her treasury, Tempting Valentine's Gifts #1.  This pretty coffee mug cozy in pink would be a lovely Valentine's Day gift.  I love the little heart button detail!  Hmmm--and a nice cup of hot cocoa would be a welcome reward to myself after I finish shoveling the sidewalk.

Sandy of SanmarnaStyle featured my pink roses oven mitt in her treasury, Pink Valentine.  This pretty pink towel would be a fun little gift for your favorite young dancer.

And there you have it!  Thanks, again, to all the curators. 

Hi ho!  Hi ho!  I'm off to shovel snow!

TTFN
LeAnn

2015: A Brand New Year

Happy New Year to all!

In making my resolutions for 2105, I'm being gentler with myself.  I've learned that setting unattainably high goals  creates extreme stress and may be downright counterproductive.  Despite fairly strong holiday sales in my Etsy shops and at craft fairs, I felt like a failure in 2014 because I fell so far short of my goals.  If I'd ignored the goals, I might have convinced myself it was a pretty good year.

The crystal ball is cloudy as I look ahead to 2015, but changes may be looming on the day job(s) horizon that could impact my Etsy life.  That's another reason I've lowered the bar for 2015. 

My word for 2015 is:  REGROUP

My Personal Resolutions for 2015

Continue my gratitude journal
Pray daily
Eat sensibly
Walk more
Read at least one good book a month and blog about it in a Book of the Month post
Continue to explore health insurance options
Complete three long-overdue quilt projects (Sandy's memory quilt, Erin's graduation quilt, and Pies & Tarts)
Complete unfinished Curiously Gorgeous Sisterhood creative journal exercises.
Adopt a 52-week savings program.  (I'll put my first dollar in the big envelope tomorrow.)

52-Week Savings Program from Obvious Magazine

 



 

My 2015 ETSY-Related Goals

 

Hit 1200 all-time Etsy sales (I'm 7 away from 1,000) in my Pasque Flower Creations shop.

240 annual sales - Pasque Flower Creations

50 annual sales - Aunt Pheba's Vintage

 

Action Plan for 2015:

 

Continue to focus on high quality handmade oven mitts (I've made over 1,000), but add new product lines to my Pasque Flower Creations shop. 

 

Continue to monetize scraps.  (Card wallets and cord keepers did very well at local craft fairs, and I may add some new scrappy listings to my Etsy shop as well.)

 

Continue to participate in local / regional craft fairs.  Apply to be on the wait list for some of the bigger area shows.

 

Improve photography skills. 

 

Improve SEO (search engine optimization).  I've signed up for Etsypreneurship's THRIVE program by Jason Malinak, CPA. It's a tax-deductible $13.41 monthly investment in my business.

 

Make better use of Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter as marketing tools, and add Instagram to the mix.

 

 

Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables

by L.M. Montgomery

 

A Bee in My Bonnet

 

I've been toying with the idea of opening a new Etsy shop after tax season.  I'd call it Punkydoodles (my dad's nickname for me when I was a little kid long, long ago).  It would delight my Inner Child.  I'd include handmade soft toys, doll quilts, dolls, rattles, personalized baby gift sets, baby quilts and blankies. 

 

It's something to ponder . . ..

 

I jumped the gun a bit on the 2015 Blogging Business Artisans January Team Challenge by Sharla of Beaded Tail:

 

January - Goals or hopes for the New Year
What do you hope to accomplish this year? What are you looking forward to doing in 2015? Do you have plans to travel some place exciting, move to a new home/city or how about get a kitten? Will you be taking your shop in new directions? Let us know or give us a hint of your year to come!

 

Wishing you all the best in 2015!

TTFN

LeAnn 

 

 



 

 

2014: A Retrospective

As I prepare for the ball to drop in Times Square and listen to the strains of Auld Lang Syne, it’s time to take a look back at the past year before bidding GOOD RIDDANCE to 2014!  The past year was a very umm.... challenging one. 

 

I’d characterize 2014 as a Compost Year – a heap of sh*t that will hopefully spawn new growth in the year ahead.

 

Here's a review of last year's personal resolutions and Etsy goals.  My, what a Pollyanna an optimist I was!

 

Last year I set spiritual, physical, mental, emotional and financial goals. 

SPIRITUAL:  I kept a gratitude journal and prayed daily.  I enjoyed the Curiously Gorgeous Sisterhood’s 52-week creativity journal course by Sarah of A Cat-Like Curiosity, but fell behind in my “homework” during the holiday rush. I’ve resolved to complete the unfinished weekly exercises in 2015.

PHYSICAL:  I ate healthier, walked more, and I’m drinking more water and tea and far fewer carbonated sugar-free soft drinks.  Aspartame is a scary chemical. There’s still room for improvement in 2015.

MENTAL:  I did not manage to read one good book a month.  My late maternal grandmother, a librarian, would have been very disappointed in me.  I did take a community college photography class but my photos still suck.  There is MUCH room for improvement in this category.  I do have new camera batteries and a new light box.  Just need to figure out the settings.

EMOTIONAL:  I didn’t finish Erin’s graduation quilt (major guilt) and  I continued to spend way too much time on the computer.  But I did see all 9 grandkids and their parents, and my two single adult kids during 2014.  I was very grateful for that quality time with my family.  With big financial challenges to overcome, I found it fairly easy not to sweat the small stuff. 

FINANCIAL:  The near-austerity budget was a way of life for most of 2014, and I was not able to procure affordable health insurance.  The part-time job at UNL which started in February was a godsend.  Those small but steady paychecks helped keep us afloat as tax office hours were cut, legal research work was mostly pro bono, and Etsy sales plummeted. 

 

 

2014 ETSY GOALS  – Pasque Flower Creations

 

I must have been delusional. Here were my lofty goals:

 

$10,000.00 in sales in 2014

500 new orders

Surpass 1,000 total sales in 2014 (I was at 735 in 2014, so it seemed do-able at that time.)

 

Here’s what REALLY happened at Pasque Flower Creations this year:

 

$5694.60 in sales  (down 33% from last year)

228 new orders  (down 24% from last year)

I did not surpass 1,000 total sales in 2014.  I’m currently at 993, so I should hit 1,000 in 2015.

 

 

Ironically, I met almost all of my specific Etsy goals, but they did not translate into increased sales.

1.  Monetize scraps.  Did that.  Cord keepers were a big hit at craft fairs.  I’ll expand on that concept in 2015.

2.  Add personalized/ monogrammed items (learn to use my new embroidery machine).  Did that. Added personalized bibs fairly late in the year.  Zero sales of personalized items online or at craft fairs.

3.  Expand and promote my oven mitt line.  Did that. Still my best sellers--just not as strong as 2014.

4.  Promote prairie sunbonnets (the only item other than oven mitts to make my Top 10 Favorites in Shop Stats).  Did that.  No significant increase in sales or views.

5.  Create new shop sections to maximize SEO and reflect current shop identity.  Did that—and joined the Etsy TEMPT Team to do more promoting.

6.  Create a Clearance section in an attempt to recoup some of the costs of discontinued or less popular items.  Did that.

7.  Write fewer but more interesting (hopefully) blog posts.   Much room for improvement there!!

8.  Increase my number of Facebook followers or bust.  I had only 162 followers in 2014.

Did that.  I now have 208 followers.  I have more Twitter and Pinterest followers, too.  Still much room for improvement in the social media marketing arena.

9.  Explore options to market items in venues beyond Etsy.   I increased craft fair marketing, and did more local custom orders -- no gift guides or wholesale orders this year, however. 

 

10.  Improve product photography.  TOTAL FAIL!  Much to work on in this area in 2015!

 

 

 

 

2014 ETSY GOALS – Aunt Pheba’s Vintage

 

 

$2000.00 in sales in 2014

150 orders

Have 100 listings by July 1, 2014.

 

 

Here’s what really happened:

 

 

$716 in sales (up 24% over last year)

46 orders  (up 22% over last year)

I had 38 new listings during the year, but currently have only 47 items in the shop.  I didn’t hit 100.

 

 

I had only 3 resolutions for Aunt Pheba's Vintage for 2014:

1. Add more vintage book listings.  Did that.

2. Consider adding estate sale finds, particularly jewelry and vintage sewing and quilting items. Did that (although I didn't make it to many estate sales, I made quite a haul at the annual Hillestad Gallery rummage sale this summer), and many sold quickly.  I need to seek out more opportunities to add vintage textiles and sewing notions to inventory in 2015.

3. Improve product photography. Again -- TOTAL FAIL!

 

And in conclusion . . .

 

It wasn't pretty!  But I was grateful for the extra income, even though it was lower than I'd hoped. I did have relatively strong holiday sales in both shops, so I have not completely abandoned hope that my Etsy shops can survive and possibly even thrive in 2015. 

I'm painfully aware that in the "new Etsy" it's definitely survival of the fittest -  adapt or die!

 

Stay tuned for my 2015 plans in a future post.

 

TTFN

LeAnn

 

 

 

 

Belated Treasury Thanks

Belated thanks to the curators of Etsy treasuries who included items from my Etsy shop, Pasque Flower Creations, in treasuries last week.  We've been fighting a computer virus and connecting with kids and grandkids over the holidays -- and I'm running a bit behind.  I am still not able to upload photos :-(.


Kudos to Cassie and Lisa, two of my TEMPT teammates who, despite the holiday rush, made time to curate treasuries last week.


Lisa Lavender of TheBumbleBeadShop featured my black and white chevron oven mitt in her stunning black and white-themed treasury, TEMPT Team's Days and Nights.  These beautiful evening "GO TO" earrings would look smashing at a New Year's Eve party.




Cassie of CassieVision featured my black and white jungle animals on aqua baby bib in her treasury, Always for Blue.  These sexy black and silver bobby pins would look great in an "up do" at a  New Year's Eve gala.


I am so sorry I couldn't upload photos of those items.


Happy New Year to all!


TTFN
LeAnn

Treasury Thanks

Each week my Sunday post extends a huge THANK YOU to the curators of Etsy treasuries who have featured items from my Etsy shops, Pasque Flower Creations and Aunt Pheba's Vintage, in treasuries over the past week.

In the midst of all the holiday hustle and bustle, a few Etsians took time to create some wonderful treasuries.

My cousin Lise (LLPyles) of DustyDiggerLise, featured my red and green chevron oven mitt in her treasury, Booked for Christmas.  Lise's shop specializes in vintage paper -- and she has hundreds of advertisements, books, and post cards -- a great place to browse.  Although I haven't done any holiday baking yet, this vintage Christmas cookie magazine photo caught my eye.

Liz of TheLittleEmptyNest featured my olive, brown and orange on cream oven mitt in her treasury, TEMPT Team - Avalance.  In keeping with Liz's white and cream theme, I chose to feature this beautiful white and cream Kumihimo bracelet from TheLittleEmptyNest.

Lisa Lavender of TheBumbleBeadCompany featured my nature pillow cover in her back-to-nature treasury, TEMPT Team Earthtones for Christmas.   This stunning rope cord necklace with multiple rings in brass or silver is one of the beautiful handmade jewelry items you will find in Lisa's shop.

And last but not least, Suzanne Perry of Glowblocks featured my hearts baby bib in her treasury, Thank You Treasury.  This snowman night light could cast a cheery glow all through the long, dark winter.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday week!
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Festivus - - - Happy Holidays!

TTFN
LeAnn

Wordless Wednesday - Tilting at Windmills