Apple Mouse Messenger Bag and Happy March!

Thank you to everyone for all of the comments about my first month on Etsy. I appreciate all of the lovely feedback. :)

Happy March 1st! Today is a beautiful day outside and the smell of spring is certainly in the air. How exciting?!

To start of a new month for me, I'd like to show you a new item in my shop, The Apple Mouse Messenger Bag.




It's made from a gorgeous earthy brown/eggplant wool and lined in the cutest apple mouse linen blend fabric. You can check out more pictures in my Etsy shop.

Enjoy your weekend!
Rachel

One Month on Etsy

Yesterday was my one month anniversary for my Etsy shop. I listed my first items for sale on January 28th and it's been an exciting and interesting start! There are times where I have been disappointed, but when I step back to look at all that I've accomplished, I'm proud of myself and my hard work.

Here are a few shop stats:
* I've made 16 sales
* 121 people have hearted my shop
* I've been featured in 3 treasuries
* I've been featured in one blog
* I was invited to join the C.A.K.E Promotion Team


I don't think that's too bad of a start. :)

I have a bit of advice to offer to new sellers on Etsy.

1. Craftsmanship!!! Your items must be at their best. Do what you do well, and practice what you don't. There are hundreds upon hundreds of talented sellers on Etsy, many of them making the same product as you, so you need to be at the top of your game. Use the best supplies available, high quality fabrics, findings, beads etc, will make for high quality items. Until you have mastered your craft, keep practicing.

2. PICTURES. You really have to understand how important it is to display your product professionally. There is insane competition on Etsy, and it's imperative that you take the extra step and make your shop stand out. My pictures are far from perfect, and I believe that they will always be a work in progress. Please don't take pictures on your carpet, please don't hang your purses sloppily on a door knob. If you were to imagine your work for sale in a published catalog, what would the pictures of your items look like? If you want to be considered a professional business, start by displaying your work as such. There are several tutorials for a light box, make one!

3. PROMOTE. It's tough to find an individual shop on Etsy. With so many shops listing at all times of the day, we all know how quickly your item can get lost in each category. You have to find other avenues for getting traffic to your shop. Get business cards asap, and pass them out! Carry a piece of your work with you, a purse, or wear your jewelry every where you go. Each and every time someone comments on them, give them a card! Don't be too shy, be proud of what you do. Give cards to your friends and have them give them out. Offer them free or discounted merchandise to be a walking advertisement for your shop. Start a blog, purchase ad space from blogs you like, participate in forums, put your shop url in your email signatures, join street times, post about your shop on myspace, craigslist, leave cards at businesses (many have a spot or bulletin board for this). Promoting should be something you never stop doing.

4. Customer Service. Once you have people visiting your shop and purchasing your goods, you want them to be thrilled with the experience and come back. Offer fair shipping prices, great communication, fantastic products and lovely presentation. I wrap all of my orders in tissue paper, tie with a ribbon or string, top with a cute handmade tag and always, always include a thank you note. I feel that when someone chooses an item from my shop vs. another, that they deserve the best.

This also includes having all of your policies stated in your shop or profile. Make sure you have everything covered, from domestic to international shipping, your return policy, shipping times, sales, discounts etc. A customer is more likely to purchase from your shop if they feel that you're going to be handling everything professionally.

5. Keep at it! When you get discouraged, do something that makes your happy! Read a book, take a walk, call a friend, anything to get your creative juices flowing. What works best for me is going through all of my current supply stock. When I browse through all of my fabrics, ideas just start flowing.

:)
Happy Crafting!
Rachel

7 Random Things...

So I've been tagged by the lovely Kate to spill 7 random things about myself. Enjoy!

My randomness:

1. I eat like a little kid. Really. Macaroni and cheese, fruit roll-ups, granola bars, trix yogurt cups (yum!), string cheese, cheerios, little graham cracker snacks, fruit snacks, spaghetti-os, pb &j's...... I love them all! When I crave snacks, this is usually what I want. The Mister teases me all the time that I eat like a little girl. By the way, I dip my pb&j into my spaghetti-os! mmmmmmmm. :)

2. I am a total klutz. So accident prone, it's ridiculous. If anyone is going to slip on a dryer sheet and shatter a knee cap, it's going to be me. I have so many bangs and bruises from a lifetime of tripping over my own feet. But it's not like I'm snowboarding and wiped out, or sky diving and landed wrong... it's more like I tripped over my own feet and sprung my angle, or stepped off a stair funny and fractured my knee. I do have to boast that I'm doing much better as I age. Nothing serious in a while. *knock on wood*

3. Thunderstorms make me very happy. The bigger, louder, scarier the better. As a child, I used to sit in my Mom's room during a thunderstorm, turn all the lights out and watch the lightning shoot down from the sky. I always counted the seconds until the thunder, and would always get excited as the storm drew closer. I was in Florida several years ago when all of the hurricane's hit and it was very exciting. Don't get me wrong, I'm not thrilled with the loss and suffering of others in anyway. I hate to see the effect it has on other's lives. Natural Disasters, as an act of mother nature, always amaze me.

4. I want to live in Europe. I took a trip a few years ago where I spent three weeks frolicking around France, England, Italy, Monte Carlo, and a touch of Germany, and it was fantastic. The people that I met were amazing and many of them, I will never forget. I envy the education that their children receive and how laid back society seems to be as a whole. When the Mister and I decide to have children, I'd like them to be multi-lingual and see the world, much more than I ever did. Luckily, due to The Mister's work, this is not an impossible future.

5. I'm a sensitive ninny. A few examples; The very first time that we drove through the Flaming Gorge National Park in Utah, I cried. It was so pretty and appeared so untouched, it was all so overwhelming. Also, please do not explain to me how to cook a lobster. I will cry. I'm all for people eating meat if they so choose, I do, but I do not want to hear the details. Please do not tell me a story where someone is hurt in an awful way, I will cry. Please no icky scary or torture movies, they make me cry.

My outlook on life is this (and has been dubbed the "Pretty Curtain's Practice" by the Mister and I), I understand and know about the suffering of others in this world. I do what I can to help them and do my best not to support or promote the continued abuse of others in horrible situations, but if I'm not careful, those sad thoughts and torturing images will take over my life and turn me into a sobbing ball of sadness. At that point, I'd be useless to everyone. So, once I'm informed, please don't ruffle my pretty curtains. ;)

6. The Mister and I have lived together basically since day one. We met under interesting circumstances, and had so much in common it was a little weird. He wasn't my usual "type (whatever that means), but we got along really well and he intrigued me. So, dating just kind of happened and at the same time, he moved in. We've lived in 3 different states, been on miracle and life changing trips, experienced three hurricanes, lived in our car, drank amazing and rare wine, met people we never really imagined, snuck into movies, been sick and deathly sick, lost all hope, had more hope than ever, failed and succeeded beyond our dreams, camped on a mountain, made and lost lifetime friends, and so much more. It's only 5 years later, and things are still well between the Mister and Mrs. :)

7. I love Fred Astaire.

So, there they are, my seven random things. I'm tagging The Solitary Thread, Joyful Abode, and The Cricket's Song.

In sewing news, I've been working hard on my order for Kate at the Paper Sparrow. I should have everything packed up and ready to go next week. Woot! Also, I have a really cute new "Anchors Away!" purse in the Etsy Shop.


Have a happy Wednesday!
Rachel

Ellia Hat... finally.

Okay everyone, I finally have the hat pattern finished! It’s my first written out pattern, so I’m sure it’s slightly confusing, so if you have any questions, just let me know and I’ll address them right away. If you just pick up a hook and yarn and work through it, it’s much easier to understand and fairly quick hat to whip up.

I'm not actually great at reading crochet patterns, and I learned to knit before I learned to hook, so forgive me.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ellia Cap

Materials:
Bulky yarn
Size I9/5.50mm hook

ch- chain
yo - yarn over
2tog - 2 together
hdc - half double crochet
dc - double crochet
tr- triple crochet

*Bobble Stitch*
Skip one stitch, YO and insert hook into stitch, draw yarn through. YO, pull through 2 stitches, YO, pull through remaining two stitches.
YO, insert hook into same stitch, draw yarn through. YO and draw through 2 stitches, YO, pull through one stitch (2 stitches remaining on hook).
YO, insert hook into same stitch, draw yarn through, YO, pull through 2 stitches, YO, pull through one stitch (3 stitches remaining on hook) YO and draw through all 3 stitches.
CH1

*Beginning*
Ch 48
Row 1: Single Crochet into 2nd ch from hook, continue to end (47 stitches) Connect to first stitch with slip stitch. Ch 1 and turn. Row 2: SC around. Ch 1 and turn.
Row 3: Repeat Row 2
Row 4: SC around; Ch 3 and turn
Row 5: Yo, insert hook into first stitch, draw yarn though, YO pull through 2 stitches, YO pull through remaining 2 stitches. YO, insert hook into same stitch, draw yarn through. YO and draw through 2 stitches, YO, pull through one stitch (2 stitches remaining on hook). YO, insert hook into same stitch, draw yarn through, YO, pull through 2 stitches, YO, pull through one stitch (3 stitches remaining on hook) YO and draw through all 3 stitches. Finish round using bobble stitch pattern. After completing last bobble stitch, connect to first with a slip stitch into 3rd ch of very first ch3. CH 3 and turn.
Row 6 & 7: Repeat row 5, stitching into the ch 1 between bobbles.
Row 8: Bobble Stitch twice, and then bobble stitch two together (YO, insert hook into stitch and draw yarn through, move over to next ch between bobbles and insert hook and draw yarn through (4 stitches on hook). YO and draw through 3 stitches, YO and draw through remaining 2 stitches and complete remaining steps. Continue in this pattern (Bobble twice, then Bobble 2tog) until end of row. Slip stich to first bobble, Ch3 and turn.
Row 9: Bobble Stitch once, then bobble 2tog, continue around until end of row. Slip stitch to first bobble, Ch3 and turn.
Row 10: YO, insert hook into first stitch next to hook and drawn yarn through, insert hook into next “ch1” and drawn yarn through, YO and pull through 3 stitches, YO and pull through remaining two stitches. Complete last bobble stitch step, and Bobble 2tog the entire row. Ch3 and turn.
Row 11: Repeat row 10 until very end. Pull slip stitch through, cutting yarn and leaving a long tail. Using a yarn needle, insert yarn into remaining stitches and pull tight to close.
Weave in all ends.

Flower:
Using magic ring method, create a ring of 5 single crochets, connect with slip stitch, ch1 and turn.
*hdc, dc, tr, dc, hdc into first stitch, slip stitch into next stitch* and repeat from * to end for a total of 5 petals.
Weave in ends and connect to hat.

Copyright 2008, Sew Serious
Pattern for personal use only!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The yarn in the photos above are Frog Tree 100% Alpaca. The hat below was created with Blue Sky Alpaca, worsted weight.


I hope it’s not too hard to follow. It looks complicated on paper, but it’s easier to actually do. It's also very adaptable. Add more stitches and rows for a worsted weight yarn, make the back deeper for dreads or lots of hair. Can be worn snood style.

I'd love to see your versions!


So yes. There it is and I’m sorry for the delay.
Enjoy!

xo,
Rachel

Quick post!

I've been so busy today! Lots of cleaning and little house tasks that just needed to get done.

However, I have been working on some promo cards that I'd love some opinions on. My custom stamp came from Craft Pudding and I'm definitely putting them to use.


What do you think?

Also, I should be posting the new hat pattern up sometime this weekend, so keep an eye out for it soon!

xo,
Rachel