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!

A Fabulous Summer!

Clearly I have been having a fairly busy summer since I have been barely blogging. Well I guess that goes with the territory of having just too much going on in one's life. I recently had someone tell me I need to relax more, I am not really sure what that word means but I am hoping this person teaches me a little more about it! In the meantime I will catch you up! The Haddonfield Craft Show was a huge success!!! I met so many fabulous women that loved their shopping experience in my booth! I shared the booth with my sister who just created her Etsy shop called Nicolina Designs. She makes fabulous kids clothing and she did amazing at the show. We received a lot of great compliments about our booth setup and our stuff. So for both of us that was worth the price of admission! We made a pretty decent amount of sales too. We both hope everyone is enjoying their handmade items and don't worry we did our fair share of promoting Etsy too! I definitely over prepared for this show and have a decent amount of inventory left over. What does this mean? Well for you, stay tuned for lots of new accessories to get listed at my Esty Shop and for me, maybe I will get to relax a little since I have rebuilt my shop inventory! Enjoy the pics below and don't forget to check out mine and my sister's Etsy Shops!

Miles To Go Before I Sleep

Ok I think I may have had temporary amnesia when I decided to sign up for this craft show in Haddonfield which so happens to be THIS WEEKEND! I forgot all of the time, money, and effort that goes into craft show preparation. About 6 weeks ago I had set up a production schedule that I followed for all of 1 week! So now here I am, crunch time, with loads of supplies that need to be turned into fabulous accessories. I utilized this long weekend to sew about 70 headbands. My sewing room is a disaster as is the rest of my house that has been neglected due to the massive amounts of sewing commencing upstairs! I have set up a schedule for the rest of this week which I know I will follow because I pretty much have no other choice if I want to break even after all of the costs! I am however excited to do this particular show as I have been to it many years as a buyer and the turnout is awesome! I am a little bummed that my location is not on the main street but oh well, I am a new kid on the block and this show so I guess it goes with the territory! I have been taking pics of the fruits of my labors and will be sure to post them here so you can all drool over the awesome accessories I will be selling this weekend! Don't worry though...any leftovers will get posted at my etsy shop, but I am hoping I don't have too many leftovers! Ok back to the real job where I can spend all day dreaming about being home sewing!

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