Fabric Shopping with the Pros

That was what my Facebook status read pretty much all day yesterday! Who do I consider Fabric Shopping Pros? I will get to that in a minute.

It is no secret that my mom is the person who inspires me to create. I am very lucky to have parents with unique talents that help me create and grow my business. My mom is a talented sewer, baker, and is very creative and my dad is filled with business knowledge and entrepreneurial spirit. This combination is why Purplelicious is here and is successful!

My mom has been sewing since she was a kid. She even sewed her own wedding gown, which was gorgeous by the way and one of my prom dresses! Now she is into quilting and makes the most amazing quilts. I wish I had some pictures to post here so you could see her work. Through her quilting adventures she became friends with some great women. A few years back my sister had a craft night at her house where she invited myself, my mom, and her quilting friends. I was not sewing at the time, but I remember my sister made us all favors for the party and she gave my mom and her friends tshirts that said "Fabric Acquisition Team"! Mostly because the three of them have very large collections of fabric. The three of them love to go to local quilt shops to get ideas for their next quilts and of course to buy new fabrics!

I wanted to go to Joann's yesterday because they were having a huge sale and all of the items that I need to make accessories for my upcoming craft show were on sale. When I called my mom to ask her to go with me, she said she had made plans with one of her friends to go to Joann's and our favorite quilt shop, The Little Shop in Haddonfield. I was very excited to go shopping with "The Pros". It was such a fun day. They both have so much experience with sewing it is fun to see them select different fabrics. They also talk you into any fabric that you want to buy, even if you don't know what you want to do with it! I didn't get home until after 11pm because we hung out a little and chatted, but it was the best day! I ended up buying so much stuff (see photo), but I am so excited to start playing with it all! I have also decided that it is time for me to have a craft night at my house, where the 4 of us can sit around my table, share tips, sew, and create together! I still have a lot to learn before I can become a Fabric Shopping Pro but from the looks of my fabric collection I think I have been taught well and am on my way!

A CRAFTacular Day!

In case you haven't noticed, one of the things I have been trying to do since I got laid off is build up Purplelicious. In addition to looking for a job, I have made Purplelicious my job since I have been home. Thankfully all of the hard work I have been putting into it has been paying off this holiday season. Compared to last year and previous months, my sales trends are up! YAY! On Wednesday I was taking some time to finish up some ribbon bangle bracelets I was working on.

I had an idea to add these crystals I knew I bought during one of my many trips to Michaels! While I was in my craft room searching for them, I found them and in the same bag I came across this crystal applique of a princess crown. I immediately had an idea to make a headband with it.

I also found an envelope of fabric scraps that my sister sent me and in that contained an adorable Alexander Henry print that I knew would make a cute kids headband.

I went back downstairs to finish the ribbon bangle bracelets. Then I went upstairs where I proceeded to make two kids headbands and 9 new wristlet keychains. Craziness!!! I finally finished listing everything today, I am hoping all of that craftiness pays off! Seeing as though two of my new items have already sold, I think I am off to a good start!

Back to Business

I decided to take some time this week and distract myself from all of the stress that I have been under these days. I typically would turn to eating something I enjoy but I decided to also refocus on weight watchers this week. Then I thought I would go for a run (something else I am trying to get back into) and it helped but for only a little bit. So then it hit me! SEW! Not only do I love making headbands, it is the perfect distraction, it keeps my hands busy (so I won't want to snack) and since I have to concentrate on what I am making, it keeps my head from drifting into the craziness. And the benefits of having fabulous new products to list can only help in the long run, right?? So a couple of nights ago that is what I did. I was working on my 200th sale which happened to be a custom order and then I just kept going. 2 hours later, I had 5 new headband styles sewn and took pictures of some other items left over from the craft show. So I bet you are wondering if it was worth the effort. Well it was! Ever since I have been back to building up Purplicious I have had a sale everyday since and am already half-way towards my August sales goals! So all of you fellow Etsians out there...listen to what they say. If you take the time to work on your items and shop, it will pay off not only financially but for me it really helped me mentally get through the week! So everyone...get going! I know I have a new stack of fabric just begging to made into fabulous accessories so off I go! Happy Crafting Everyone!

I GOT IN!!!!

Around October of last year I went to my mom's favorite quilt shop in Haddonfield called the Little Shop. My mom is an avid quilter and wanted to take me there so I could look through the fabrics. This place has amazing fabrics! So of course my mom knows the owner so I start talking to her about my headband business. She is impressed and tells me that I should apply for the Haddonfield Craft Show. To be honest, this show intimidates the heck out of me. Haddonfield NJ is a really nice area and I have heard that the show is REALLY hard to get into. Plus the booth fee is really high and I would have to sell a lot of headbands to break even. But she assured me that I would get in because there are few people who sell items made with fabric, she said most of the applicants she gets are jewelry artists...no surprise there!!! So I talked to my mom and my sister and we decided that if the three of us split the fee and all made stuff then we could make it work. So I decide to go for it. I download the application, put together a PowerPoint presentation of my work (can you tell I love marketing!), and sent it in along with my check. So on Tuesday I was checking my bank account and saw that the booth fee check cleared...and I wanted to jump for joy, but didn't want to celebrate until I got my acceptance letter. Which came today!!! So it is official!! I am in! I am so excited because this craft show attracts my target market completely, plus it will be fun to collaborate with my mom and sister on items. They are going to make kids clothes. There is no time to delay though, this is a two day show with a lot of foot traffic, I need to hit the sewing machine hard and start making more fabulous accessories so I am ready for July 12-13!!!

Click on this link for more information about the show!
http://www.haddonfieldnj.org/eventscrafts.php