Wednesday, April 28, 2010

It just happens....

The other day I went into the studio with the intent to clean up and put things away. First I cleared off my chair and a trio of cotton fabrics were there...hmmmm! One struck me as great colors (which is why I probably bought it in the first place!) and I started to think of how to use it. I wanted to do another hoop embroidery piece but this fabric isn't quite right for that. I put the fabric down and went back to cleaning up and a large piece of wide ribbon was stuck under a box....the exact colors of the fabric...hmmmm! I put the ribbon near the fabric and continued my boring clean up quest. And there-you guessed it!-was another ribbon with coordinating colors. Someone telling me something? Finally, I gave in, sat down (the chair was cleared) and here's the result, totally unplanned, unintended and I think,unusual. And no, I never finished cleaning...maybe later!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Great Advertising Opportunity

Gain exposure for your handmade shop with Indiesmiles Ads! They are SUPER affordable and there are several options so you can't go wrong.

Some of the options include:


Listing your discount codes in the discounts directory ($2 for a text link or $4 for a picture link)
Have a 125x125 image on every page of Indiesmiles! This is only $12 for two weeks or $20 for the month (that's less than a dollar a day!)
FREE ADVERTISING - Indiesmiles offers free advertising for any shops that are donating $100 of the profits to an animal organization
Sponsor articles by placing a link to your shop, blog or website for only $2! This is a great way to use target marketing on articles that your potential buyers would be interested in!
Head over to the Advertising page of Indiesmiles to get more details and gain more exposure for your shop!

P.S. Here's a secret deal that's going on right now: 1/2 price promo on the sidebar of Indiesmiles, only $6.00 for two weeks! Just email Indiesmiles@gmail.com to snag this secret deal before everyone else does!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Blue,Purple and a touch of Pink

Part of my garden...so far!




Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Down Time in Selling

Down time...a pause....a lapse...a quiet period? All of the above and what to do about it is the real question. I was wonderfully busy saleswise in January and February and became wiped off the internet map during March. Fortunately I had the earlier mentioned shows in March to keep me busy and now it's April and soooooooo quiet. So I am using my time to promote online. I've reorganized my studio. I've inventoried my yarn stash (too much!) and bought new containers for paper. Fortunately, the weather has turned and I've spent time outdoors and love the way the garden is developing. I'm writing a new article for indiesmiles and upping my presence there. I'm reading and commenting on other blogs. I've read 3 books (a must read "The Book Thief") and am now concentrating on a custom shawl from a wonderful customer in California.
So as you can see, although selling is the goal, there's much more to life and I'm looking productively at the selling down time. The guys at the Post Office may miss me but I'm getting alot done. Do you think I should inventory this? Nah!!