Goodbye September, Hello October

I started out the month of September with a few goals for my Etsy stuff:

• At least 1 sale
• 75 items in my shop
• 200 FB fans
• Get all paper products printed up and ready to go - labels, business cards, etc.
• Clean up my craft table so I can work there and not always at the dining table

So how did I do?

• 2 sales
• 70 items in my shop - Have said 72 if you include the sales
• 156 FB fans
• A few extra paper products printed, but not exactly "enough"
• I now craft at my craft table and not the dining table

And my goals for October?

• 4 sales
• 100 items in my shop
• 200 FB fans (http://www.facebook.com/HandmadeCreativity if you're interested)
• Get a decent stock pile of paper products printed (~25 of each should do)
• Organize my craft area a little better

My thoughts on Etsy's new ads

I am by no means a marketing guru, nor will I claim to have any experience in advertising beyond the one public relations class I was required to take for my major in college. That said, after reading through the Etsy forums in the last few weeks a two major things have become apparent to me.

1 - People don't understand what the ads are all about - And for good reason. While Etsy did a decent job (in my opinion) of explaining HOW to set up an ad, they have done a fairly poor job of explaining exactly how these ads can and will benefit sellers. Many people are confused, especially after the recent switch to relevancy as the default search, about how any ads they may take out will impact their shop and sales.

2 - People are impatient - And again, for good reason. With so many companies switching to online only or expanding their reach online, it's no wonder people just assume that all they need to do to be successful on Etsy is set up shop and let well enough alone. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It takes work, dedication and patience to be successful at anything on the Internet, not just selling on Etsy. This even includes the "overnight sensations" and things that have gone "viral" quickly. It takes getting whatever it is you're doing, from selling merchandise to writing poetry to sketching comic books, in front of the right person at the right time to be successful and that my friend requires patience.

All of that said, I have a few hints and suggestions for fixing these problems.

It's been a busy few weeks

Over the last couple of weeks I've been working on creating new items for my Etsy shop and I'm happy to introduce my latest line of products.

The Season of Change Treasury

With the leaves beginning to change colors and the air getting cooler, it's hard not to think of all the vibrant fall colors starting to surround us. I made this treasury in honor of those colors and I must say it's amazing (not that I'm biased!). It's so amazing in fact that I want to share it with more than just those who are on Etsy, so here it is in all its glory.

You can check out the full sized treasury and all of the listings by clicking here. Hopefully you find something you enjoy!

Etsy Finds

It's time for another great edition of Etsy Finds! All of these shops featured had 0 sales as of 9/15/11 despite having amazing items. Perhaps someone is looking for something they sell?

Hand-made Green Power Belt,Malachite,gemstones - $59.00 - By rasiukas38787

 

ORIGINAL canvas art painting - 8x8- LOVE - Pretty - $15.00 - By TiandrasCreations 

 

Wood Butterfly Jigsaw Puzzle Box - $35.00 - By sherwoodboxes

Etsy Finds

This is the first in a series of sporadic Etsy posts promoting interesting items I've found via Pounce on Etsy. All of the shops featured have yet to receive a sale and you, yes you, could be their first.

Buffalo Gourd Alix by redhorseartco - $75

Blizzard and a Chicago Sidewalk by crimsoncatstudios - $25

Within the Mystery Fine Art Print 8x10 by WhatsReality - $19.50

Changes are making me sleepy

It's only Tuesday and I'm already having problems keeping my days straight this week. This is surely not a good sign.

My husband recently got a promotion and switched from 2nd to 3rd shift. This means that instead of him going to work about 2pm, we now leave about 10pm and instead of picking him up at 11pm, I now pick him up at 7am. Granted, he usually was able to get a ride with a buddy on 2nd shift so I wasn't running around quite so much, but it was a loose schedule for me.

Now, however, my awake/asleep pattern has gone completely bonkers and with so much waking up and then going back to sleep, I really felt like it was Wednesday already. This is going to make for a long week - or a short one.

This week, my schedule has looked like this:

Sunday
10:15a - 12:15p - Church
2:00p - 4:00p - Nap (not on purpose! I laid down to watch tv and out I went)
10:15p - Take hubby to work
11:00p - Get back home, finish up loose ends and lay down to watch tv until I fall asleep

Monday
12:30a - Fall asleep
6:15a - Wake up
6:40a - Leave to pick hubby up
7:20a - Home, cook breakfast
8:30a - 10:15a - Back to bed for a bit
10:15p - Take hubby to work
11:00p - Get home, lay down to watch tv until I fall asleep

Tuesday
12:00a - Fall asleep
6:15a - Wake up
6:30a - Hubby texts and says a friend will give him a ride home
7:00a - 10:00a - Back to bed, not feeling well so I'm glad he got a ride

I'm currently feeling another nap in my future, but I've got dinner to make and laundry to finish and I'm still not feeling well. The BRAT diet is my friend today as I had a banana for breakfast, applesauce for lunch and a Mexican sweet bread for a snack (I'm counting it as toast).

Fall Comfort Foods - Foodie Friday

Just as Memorial Day in May is the unofficial "official" start to summer, Labor Day in September is the unofficial "official" start to fall. Surprisingly, the weather has been quite fall-like here in Northwest Ohio. It's been in the 60s or lower just about all week, which brings me to this week's Foodie Friday.

Fall comfort foods!

Tartar Sauce - Foodie Friday

Today I'm sharing with you my awesome recipe for tartar sauce.