Spoiler Alert...if your last name is Dorman...don't read this!!

Christmas is almost here, which means the last minute rush is almost over.  I guess I have to apologize in advance to my loved ones...I just didn't have the time to do all that I wanted to do.  There is only so much I can do...and I'm quickly running out of time.  I decided a while ago that I didn't want to sew on Christmas Eve.  Whatever I was going to do needed to be done by today.  (Which likely means I will be up all night)  But, it is winding down.  I've almost finished my nieces' gifts. My nephews will have to be purchased because there was no chance of them getting done in time.  I was going to do the same gifts for all of the couples in my family, but it was all hinging on being able to do something I had never done before.  And...it didn't work.  So on to plan B.  Ok, so I don't actually have a plan B and I have no idea what I'll be giving people!  

I did have to show off a picture of the mermaid smock that Erik and I were working on.  It was really nice to have his input on this one.  I was making it too complicated.  He stepped in and designed a much simpler, and I think much cuter mermaid.  It's even cuter in person because you can really see the detailing in the hair and tail.   I didn't really want to show a preview of the mermaid smock because I wanted to unveil it to everyone all at once...but really, how could I not?!?!  

Christmas Orders

Well, I did it. I cracked 50 sales. I ended up at the end of the holiday 2008 season with 56 sales on ETSY and probably another 15 or sales from shows, word of mouth, friends and family. This has been one heck of a week. I didn't really think I could get all of it done. But I stayed calm and made myself just keep working.

Now I'm ready for a break.

Cracking 50 (sales that is...age-wise I've got a little while)

My goal for this year is to crack 50 sales by Christmas.  This has been such a whirlwind.  From posting my first product on October 24, to 43 internet sales today.  Not too shabby.  Of course with the craft fairs, etc the sales are already past 50, but I would like to see the "number of sales" on ETSY to say 50 or higher.  With multiple sales coming in a day right now that seems really possible.  

It's amazing how quickly this kicked off.  When I sat down and started designing in October, I'm not really sure what I thought would happen.  But it's amazing to look at all the sales I've made so quickly.  Of course there are sellers on ETSY with 100s of sales, 1000s of sales probably too.  I'm not ready for that.  Nothing I do is on a mass production scale...it's just me.  I wouldn't even know where to begin mass producing!  So I'm content...no...I'm elated with my sales.  I'm really proud of myself.  There are very few times in my life when I've been proud enough with myself to not be too shy to admit it.  (Sometimes we're proud of something, but too timid to give ourselves credit for it)  Not this time.  I'm proud, excited, pleased, etc, etc.  And do you know what I've learned?  I love the raw emotion involved in being proud of myself...and not being too humble to say so!!  I feel much more in touch with myself.  I feel happier.  I've been more fun lately...at home, at work...all the time.  I can't believe I spent so many years wishing I was doing this instead of just doing it.  Though, I have to admit, without ETSY I might not have started.  It's so easy to start.  Within 30 minutes you could be up and running with your own webstore.  The digital age rocks. 

Profit Shmofit

I learn a little more every day.  For now I've learned that if I don't charge enough, I don't make a profit.  Unfortunately I'm not prepared to up my prices yet, in fact I've had to drop many.  It takes so much money to start something like this up, it takes a while to make it back.  Between ETSY, word of mouth and the craft shows I average an order everyday or every other day.  For a business that's been running for less than 2 months...I'm feeling pretty good about that.  But, on certain items I've lost money.  I didn't charge enough for shipping, I didn't take into account the cost of the extra things (shipping tape for example), I didn't know how much ETSY and paypal took for their cut.  In the end the profit (if any) is small.  In fact, the Winder show I did I actually paid to make and give products away.  In reality I sold three products, but since I had to pay to be at the show and I didn't cover the cost of it...I actually had to pay to give those three products away.  So the money that went into the products, the time I spent making them...all wasted, never to return to me.  That's hard.  Because in the end, (while I love designing new products) if I can't make money off of this then I will have to stop selling things.  Of course that doesn't mean I have to stop selling altogether, but eventually I would have to decide that this will never be a full time thing and move on with my life.  Of course I'm not thinking about that right now.  That's my practical side talking.  My dreamer side says "of course this will happen!"  Although I'm not sure my dreamer side believes it will happen, it just hopes it will happen.  

What kind of dreamer am I if I can't even dream that it will happen?!?!  A practical dreamer I suppose.  That sounds about right for me.  I've always ideas, but I've always pushed them away for school, work, etc.  It wasn't until recently that I allowed myself to not only stop pushing them aside, but to actually embrace them as they came.  You'll rarely find me without my idea book.  Every time an idea pops into my head I try to stop then and write it down or sketch it out.  If I don't I'm afraid it would just slip my mind, never to return.  

So I had my first bad show.  Not just me, everyone.  Though it was even worse for those of us that had booths outside.  It was cold, and very windy.  We spent the entire day chasing down hats, tutus and aprons and picking up the artwork that blew down every few minutes.  Finally when the rain started about 2:30 we figured it was time to call it in.  Lucky we did, apparently the sky really did open up a little while later.  

The show itself didn't have many people, and those that came were grumpy and not really even slowing down enough to browse.  However, I did get my first taker for the handpainted cards.  Really she just wants the painted part, she doesn't care about the cards.  But so what.  It means someone else out there thought they were cute enough to buy.  That makes me feel good.  

So for now I've posted a lot more of my inventory on ETSY and we'll see what happens.

Here are pictures from the show.  There is another show on Saturday that I'm hoping to get into, and trying to get ready for.  It's not as stressful as last weeks, but it still involves a lot of lost sleep!  

I had no idea how hard it would be to get ready for this show.  In the end the products I'm bringing aren't really the products I had originally planned on.  Of course in the beginning I was going to start small with hats only and sell on ETSY for a while.  Suddenly I'm signing up for craft shows and making tutus at 2 AM.  It just goes to show that you never know.  And it's true.  I never know which products will work out and which ones won't, I never know what idea will pop into my head next.  And most importantly I don't know which products people will buy.  I could have 500 people pass by my booth and think it's cute, but if they aren't willing to buy, then it's pointless.  Which is why I keep coming up with new products.  I want to offer as much as possible so I can start to see what's popular and what isn't.  I may love my bunny hat, but if no one else does than it doesn't really matter!  The newest of my products was born out of the desire to find something that people will buy.  And as my sister keeps reminding me, people will buy almost anything if it's personalized.  So out of that comes my Candid Memories Stationary idea.  Basically it's just a set of 12 printed cards.  The twist is, it's based on a photograph of the person's family.  Someone sends me a picture.  I hand paint a simple version of it and then scan and print it onto card stock for use as christmas cards, thank you cards, invitations, whatever.  Then the person receives the original painting as well as the set of 12 cards and envelopes.  Will it sell?  Who knows, you guys tell me.  I did two last night one with just Laurel and one with Luke and Laurel.  (I know, I should have done a Christmas one.  I didn't think about it in time for this show, but I'll be able to have it ready for next week)