Congrats Rochelle! You are the winner of our bib giveaway! Special thanks to ColorMeCute. I used Random.org to generate a number for the winner, and you posted comment #2!Okay, I know all this sewing is getting a little out of hand, BUT… my girls really needed some fleece pants for running around the house! Actually, they have more clothes than you can shake a stick at, but there was just this one item they didn’t have, and their wardrobe just wasn’t complete without it!
Of course I had to make my own pattern for them since I didn’t care to waste the gas driving to Field’s Fabrics to get one. Besides, I knew I wouldn’t be happy with any of the designs I found anyway. I have been wanting to try a ruffle on the bottom for a while, and fleece is just the fabric to work with… it is very forgiving! Just my style!
I kinda made a pattern by tracing a pair of their sweatpants that I really liked the fit. I then transfered the pattern to the fleece and cut out four pieces. Sewed a little, added the ruffle on the bottom, sewed a little more, added the ribbon, sewed the waistband on, and added the elastic to keep them from falling off. They turned out a little long for the girls, but I think they’ll fit through next winter as a size 2T-3T. Perfect!
Oh... and the cute kids? They came from me! ♥
I finally went in to get tested for Lasik (laser eye surgery) about a week ago. The testing took about an hour and a half, and I left with very tired eyes which remained dialated for the next three hours. Well, it seems I am now a candidate to go through with the surgery. I have pretty large pupils, a very strong prescription (-6.4), and astigmatism, so I was pretty sure they were going to turn me down! Maybe they just want my business? I went to LasikPlus (a national chain) on the East Beltline in Grand Rapids.
See this cute bib? It's up for grabs this week!
The Giveaway!! You will have your choice of one of the two bibs shown on this blog post when your name is drawn. The giveaway starts today and I will be picking a winner using Random.org on Friday morning, February 27,2009.A week ago I shot a local wedding. Rochelle came along, and between the two of us we captured some very memorable moments! It was fun shooting with a friend and since we have very distinct styles and our cameras are different, at times we captured the same instant in our own special way. It also created a greater variety of photos for Mary to choose from on the final CD.
I such a great time, getting to know Mary and Sam a little better, and meeting all their fabulous friends and family. May they be blessed with rich abundance in their new life together!
By the way... for all you photography junkies out there... This photo was edited to achieve the focus/blur with my Corel Photopaint X3 design program. It was not a setting on my camera. Let me know if you are interested in finding out how!
Today I found this super cute bag from ~Hulla~ on Flickr. So, naturally I went to her Etsy shop to check it out. Well it seems I have great timing since she is offering a great deal on it (and all the other bags in her shop) for a short time only! 15% off! The special is in her words below...
I throughly enjoyed browsing her shop, all the bags are so cute! Maybe she will offer patterns soon too??? Could I be so lucky?
Etsy is a great marketplace. As a seller, I am always searching out the best way to market my products!
I have been reading lots of great tips from successful "Etsians" like MaryMarie and thought I would offer some tips myself! I am not an authority by any means, but have definately learned a thing or two over the last year! Most of it the hard way!
Tip 1: Take a personal interest in your customer. Know where they live, what their shop is like, and check-out their favorites. It will help you get to know your basic demographic for product development.
Tip 2: Make sure to include a personal note with all your sold items. A personalized thank-you adds a touch of thoughtfulness they may not have found in another shop. It also makes it more likely your customer will share the business cards you included in the package, with a friend.
Tip 3: Product packaging is key! I love to recieve gifts in the mail, and I want my customers to feel like they are really getting something special. When products go out for MyTwoBabes, I always include two business cards, a $1.00 giftcard toward their next purchase, and special product packaging with their hand-written Thank You note. (See the pic above.)
Tip 4: Make sure you have the correct postage on your package when shipping. If you do not, the recipient on the other end will have to pay the difference! You definately don't want to do that to a valued customer!
Tip 5: Keep track of the expense it takes to run your shop. This includes your supplies, inventory, shipping, marketing, and Etsy/PayPal fees. To help with this I use a PayPal debit card for all my Etsy supply purchases and to make sure that any money made on Etsy goes right back into the business. I also created an Excel spreadsheet to track how much it costs for each purchase made. Hopefully I'll be turning a profit soon, but for now, I work for 'free' - I'll have to figure out how to incorporate an hourly wage soon!
Hope this helps! I am sure I'll be learning more along the way!
I'll try to pass on any new ideas!
