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

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!

Birthdays, Friends, Fun, and Memories

This past weekend one of my great friends and sorority sister came up from MD to visit me for the weekend for her 30th birthday. When she first told me she was coming she said she didn't want to make any big plans and just wanted to get out of dodge and spend time with me! Well I don't think she realized who she was dealing with, when I have the option to plan something I am going to plan something! Plus I decided to re-live my 30th birthday through her since I spent mine at a funeral last Oct. So I go through our options and decide to cash in some of my hotel points for a night in Philly and then thought we would go out to a nice dinner and then party til the bars closed...just like old times!

Well the view from our hotel was awesome! When you stepped out on the balcony you had the best view of Logan Circle and the Art Museum, since it was an Embassy Suites hotel the room was huge and had two separate rooms. So we made ourselves pretty and went out for an awesome night! Since college we have affectionately called each other wingman since throughout the college years that is what we always were for each other. Well this night was no exception as she took her wingman status to an entirely different level.

The thing that I loved the most about this weekend besides the great night in Philly was the fact that I have had this fabulous woman in my life for almost 11 years. And I think that is one of the beauties of being in a sorority. I still keep in touch with at least 10 of the girls and when we get together even if years have passed it is just like old times. I love looking back on the crazy things we got ourselves into and the funny stories, I can hear them 100 times and they just don't get old for me. But the best part of it all is even as most of us are getting older, we still get together and create NEW stories and memories to laugh about in the future! I know the events from this past Saturday will keep me and my wingman laughing until our next crazy get together!

So Happy 30th to my Wingman, fellow Tri Sigma, and amazing friend!!! I am truly blessed to have someone like you in my life! And here's to another 30 years of crazy memories and nights of randomness!

Networking, Networking, Networking

Anyone in the business world (whether it is having your own business or having a job in corporate america) is well aware of the importance of networking. Last night I was invited to attend a Meet and Greet with some reps from my college alma mater and some other alum in New York City. Since I saw it as a huge networking opportunity I set out to the train station and got ready for my 1hr 20min train ride into NYC. I was slightly freaking out because I have only been to NYC a handful of times and I NEVER went there by myself. I didn't even know anyone that I was meeting but for some reason knew I needed to be there. So I stepped way out of my comfort zone and did it. I am so glad that I did. Turns out they are looking to start some local alumni chapters in Philadelphia and/or NYC. Since I was the only one at the meet and greet who lives close to Philly it looks like I will be the one trying to get it all together. Because let's be honest...I am bored and have nothing else to do! YEAH RIGHT! But what I do know is that re-connecting with higher level reps and other alum from my alma mater could bring nothing but positive things. So for me, adding this to my already over-flowing plate will be a short term time investment with the possibility of long term gains! The moral of the story is when you see an opportunity to network and get yourself out there...TAKE IT...even if it freaks you out a little and takes you out of your comfort zone. You never know what could happen when you throw caution to the wind and go for it!

Happy 100 Sales to Me!

I am so excited I cannot believe it!!! I hit 100 etsy sales today and I could not be happier. Not bad for someone who learned how to sew a little over a year ago! AND...not only did I hit 100 sales in under a year with my etsy shop but this last order has not put me 1 headband away from reaching my monthly sales goal of 30!!! I am so grateful that my sales have been picking up and everyone is enjoying their fabulous accessories made by me! I hope that the sales trend continues as I am always looking for fun new items to add to my shop!

Below is a picture of the order that contained my 100th sale. The customer ordered 3 headbands which was the number of headbands I needed to sell to hit the milestone. I had a special offer in my shop that the last 3 headbands sales would receive a free ponytail holder and the 100th sale would receive a free headband. Since this fabulous customer bought 3 headbands, she got a lot of awesome Purplelicious goodies!



Thanks again to all of my customers and Etsy friends! Here's to hitting the next milestone and many sales!

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!