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!

200 Sales WooHoo!!!!

I think it is pretty safe to say that I always have a case of the Mondays! You think I would be used to overcoming that Sunday night feeling of dread that the work week is about to start again! Oh well, it was a nice weekend. A change of plans on Friday night left me to have an amazing dinner with my family which included my grandmom's homemade pizza. It was that night that I realized my need for perfection did not come from my father's side after all. My 80-something grandmother was simply pissed that her pizza did not come out the way it usually does. She vowed to never cook it outside of her house again! Now we did not seem to mind because the pizza was absolutely delicious, but I could totally relate to her disappointment. I get that way when something well doesn't come out perfect! Yesterday I pretty much thought the world was ending since it rained and stormed ALL day. It was impossible to even set foot outside, so Bella and I had a lazy Sunday. It was fantastic. I spent the whole day reading a book that I stayed up until 2am last night so I could finish. Thankfully I took that nap yesterday! I know I should have been sewing up a storm and adding new accessories to my etsy shop but getting engrossed in a novel, in comfy clothes, under a blanket in my favorite chair seemed like a better idea. Ok, I have drifted a little..ok alot! Fortunately there were people that spent their rainy Sunday shopping! Last night I got 2 additional sales leaving me needing one more to hit that next milestone. Seeing that final sale this morning was not that big of a surprise since I knew it would be the custom listing I created, but nonetheless, it was my 200th SALE!!! I could not think of a better way to start a Monday and a new work week. I am so grateful to have this business as my distraction from my real job! Not that my real job is all that bad but I definitely can tell you I would much rather spend my days fabric shopping, sewing, and marketing Purplelicious as opposed to staring at spreadsheets all day! Thankfully business has been good to me and now I can ponder how I am going to get to 300 sales to break up the monotony of my work day! Thanks to all of my fabulous friends, family, and customers, without you this would not be possible!

Wanna Get Away???

I cannot believe it is August already. Where did the summer go??? The good news is that there is still a month of summer left and for some people it is vacation time! There is nothing like going on vacation. The excitement, the relaxation, and most importantly the time away from the office! I am a firm believer that you need to be well accessorized while on vacation. After all, you just spent all of that money on those fabulous new vacation clothes and bathing suits why not make them look even better! Hence the motivation behind my Summer Inspired Headbands. I have created a collection of fabulous headbands perfect for a Caribbean cruise, beach vacation, or a week in your own backyard! My headbands are perfect for the beach as they keep your hair looking great despite the elements! I have put a few of the styles in a picture for you below but have many more in my shop. I hope you all enjoy these last few days of summer, I know I will be making every minute of them count!

Shout out to my Esty Jersey Girls!

Yesterday I had the most amazing time hanging out with some other Etsy Artists. Since I am part of the Etsy NJ Street Team, there was a meetup organized at the Panera in Hoboken, NJ. Out of my comfort zone again and traveling north towards NYC I go! Thankfully I had Danielle (CreationsbyDanielle) as my wingman to get me from Newark to Hoboken! Maybe someday I will discover why the universe keeps bringing me north to that area! Although I must say I think I have found a new love...Hoboken. That town is really cool and I definitely need to plan a trip back to experience the nightlife! Anyway it was so awesome meeting some of the members of our fabulous street team! We pretty much took over the entire back area of the Panera and talked about Etsy, life, creating, and gave each other some marketing and advertising tips. So to honor the fabulous ladies I met on Saturday I have put together this picture of some of their amazing items!!! If you are reading this, show their shops some love. Their shops are as amazing as they are! Jersey Girls Rock!



Here are their shop links in the order they are shown above!
http://nicerakc.etsy.com
http://trashedclothing.etsy.com
http://lollibomb.etsy.com
http://catrocks.etsy.com
http://creationsbydanielle.etsy.com
http://madebymelissa.etsy.com
http://mysparkletree.etsy.com
http://collectiveelements.etsy.com
http://time4coffee.etsy.com
http://lizarti.etsy.com

Luck of the Irish!

I remember a pin I had while I was in high school that I would always break out on St Patrick's Day that said, "Kiss me even though I am not Irish!". I am not even a 1/4 of a percent Irish as I am 100% Italian but that doesn't mean that I don't sport some green on St Patrick's Day and give the holiday some love! Since I know that many fabulous women will be headed to their local watering hole or pub crawl to celebrate the day, I thought I would create some fun hair accessories for them to wear! If you are just staying in and celebrating at home or at work...these are perfect for you too! I can also make these in smaller sizes for the little leprecahns in your life! I even made a shamrock ponytail holder if headbands aren't your thing! So enjoy your St Patricks Day responsibly and do it while looking fabulous in your Purplelicious St Patricks Day hair accessory!

I love Patchwork!!!

Oh no I think I might have found a new love. Don't get too excited it is not a man but I a new way to sew! For Christmas gifts I gave a lot of my accessories as presents since funds were a little tight. Since my mom does not wear headbands I decided to make her a patchwork scarf...using fabric from her own collection. She has SO much fabric, she had no idea what I even took! Since I had some of the squares leftover I decided to try and make a patchwork belt with it. And here it is:



I am so excited about how cute this came out. I think on the next one I will cut the fabrics into smaller pieces. I am already eyeing up my fabric to see if I can make some more belts like these! I might even make a matching headband for this belt. Stay tuned...I have some other great accessories ideas up my sleeve. Hmmm what fabulous accessory will I create next!

I am Branching out...only a little!

As I was wondering around JoAnn fabrics last weekend looking for fun valentine fabrics to make headbands with I got inspired. I was looking at the conversation heart fabric and said to myself..."I wonder if I could make a t-shirt with a conversation heart on it" Then in my head I went through what I would need to do. I reverted back to the sorority days when we would make our own letter shirts. I figured it was a similar concept except I needed something for the letters. Then I walked past the felt. After a couple of consults with my mom and sister and a quick review of my sewing machine manual to learn a zig zag stitch, I was ready to go. I found it interesting how much of my college experiences came back to me while I was making these shirts. In addition to being in a sorority, I also was an RA and made a ton of bulletin boards which got me pretty good at making block letters! So I can thank my college activities for the creation I am about to unveil to you. My favorite part about these awesome shirts is that they can be customized to include your favorite conversation heart saying! I really enjoyed making these and hope to make one for you soon! For more details, check out my etsy shop!






So I realize that the above are shirts and not accessories but what I am finding is that now that I have learned how to sew (I only learned 1 year ago), my mind goes crazy with ideas. And I sometimes surprise myself that I am able to actual create what I am thinking...so who knows what other fun non-accessories I will come up with!