OK....I'm still not 100% sure that I'm going to keep at this whole "make stuff and try and sell it" gig, but I think I'm leaning a little to the "keep at it" camp.
If I do decide to keep at it, I have a lot of decisions to make - the first of which is "what should the focus of my shop be?". I think I've gotten over the *make anything you like, and just go ahead and list it* phase. That just wasn't working.....my shop ended up looking like a craft fair exploded within the walls of my store. I think I should decide on a line of products, that at the very least have some sort of common theme - even beyond the fact that they are crocheted (and I know, I know, not everything I have, or have ever had, has always been crocheted!)
So here's where I could use a few unbiased (or even biased ones are OK) opinions. Should I:
A. Focus on teddy bears and other little crocheted critters? A lot of these can be seen on my Flickr pages, or a few are in my "sold" items on Etsy
B. Stick with the winter wearable items - I'm thinking most folks think these are cr** so I'm not leaning in that direction
C. Focus on little crocheted wallets, keyrings and other cases
D. Something else from some of the things in my sold items - if so, what???
E. Scrap everything...and start all over again...with some unknown thing (any suggestions?)
I'm really stuck. I love to crochet.....so I don't think I could ever stop. BUT, and this is a big but.....I also really need to use this talent and love for creating to make some extra $$ - I need to find something that I love to make, can make proficiently, and also be salable. Any and all suggestions and or opinions would be appreciated.
Showing posts with label crochet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crochet. Show all posts
Monday, February 2, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
New Year and another creative slump
Well, 2009 is finally here. Did anyone feel like it couldn't get here soon enough? I couldn't wait for 2008 to be over.
A few weeks ago I had all kinds of ideas for items to create for my shops. I was going to introduce a new line of little teddy bears.....several lines actually. And I was all set to create a whole bunch of little octopus in all kinds of different colors. Then.........I learned about the new CPSIA rules!!! There went my plans, poof, out the window.
So, now I sit here with probably a few hundred ounces of yarn....all different weights, all kinds of different colors, and absolutely no idea what I should make with it. I did make a few hats and scarves....but I really don't think any more of them are needed on Etsy......there are tens of thousands of them there already....most of them much nicer than I can ever make.
I definitely want to crochet, but I have no idea what. I know I want to make items on the smaller side...that way they are more economical to mail. I also want to make something practical, because in this economy I really think those are the types of things that will be most salable....something durable and practical. And, I can't make anything that would be interpreted as being for a child under 12....so cutsie (is that a word?) stuff is likely out. I'm really stuck.
For two days now I've been staring at these two large plastic containers filled with yarn.....and absolutely no ideas are jumping out of them at me. I hope I get some inspiration soon, because next week my Etsy shop's going to be pretty bare when I take down all of the remaining Christmas stuff (I am so tired of looking at it).
Oh well, off to waste more time over in the forum on Etsy, while continuing to stare at this yarn.
A few weeks ago I had all kinds of ideas for items to create for my shops. I was going to introduce a new line of little teddy bears.....several lines actually. And I was all set to create a whole bunch of little octopus in all kinds of different colors. Then.........I learned about the new CPSIA rules!!! There went my plans, poof, out the window.
So, now I sit here with probably a few hundred ounces of yarn....all different weights, all kinds of different colors, and absolutely no idea what I should make with it. I did make a few hats and scarves....but I really don't think any more of them are needed on Etsy......there are tens of thousands of them there already....most of them much nicer than I can ever make.
I definitely want to crochet, but I have no idea what. I know I want to make items on the smaller side...that way they are more economical to mail. I also want to make something practical, because in this economy I really think those are the types of things that will be most salable....something durable and practical. And, I can't make anything that would be interpreted as being for a child under 12....so cutsie (is that a word?) stuff is likely out. I'm really stuck.
For two days now I've been staring at these two large plastic containers filled with yarn.....and absolutely no ideas are jumping out of them at me. I hope I get some inspiration soon, because next week my Etsy shop's going to be pretty bare when I take down all of the remaining Christmas stuff (I am so tired of looking at it).
Oh well, off to waste more time over in the forum on Etsy, while continuing to stare at this yarn.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Today's ramblings
Today's my wedding anniversary...26 years. Some days I can't believe I've been married that long, and other days it seems like such a short time. I've been married for more than half my life...I can't even really remember what it's like to not be married. It's definitely been a roller-coaster of good times and bad this past quarter century. I guess, since we're still married that the good must be out-weighing the bad. Honestly though, there are definitely times that I ask myself why it is that I've stuck it out...because sometimes it seems we are two very different, opposite, people....and opposites don't always attract. Oh well, guess I'll see how the next 25 years go and then decide if it was worth it!
On the crafting front: I've had my eBay shop open for almost a month now....not a single sale yet. I've had a shop on mintd.com for almost two months now...not a single sale there either. I've just ended a 10 day sale in my Etsy shop where I had all of my crocheted items (all 85 of them) marked down 25%...and didn't sell a single one. Oh and I had a person change their mind on wanting a special order (which is OK)...and a second special order inquiry is alo likely to result in the person deciding they don't really want the items afterall. I guess all in all I'm getting a little discouraged.
I tell myself a couple of things to help boost my confidence...1) there are so many wonderfully beautiful items on Etsy that it is fortunate to have any sales there at all, and 2) the US economy right now is on the way down...most people just don't have the money to spend on things that are not necessities (I know I don't)...and the ones that do have money are not going to be interested in the stuff I have (it's not hip, edgy, trendy, etc). Although I know both of these points are likely 100% true....it's still disheartening to think that I'm wasting my time on making items that will never sell.
I also think my prices are still not right. I know that they are in line based on a minimum wage ($5.85 an hr) labor rate (which from everything that I'm hearing is much lower than industry standard)...but I think they might be too high for what someone would actually pay. $20 for a teddy bear that takes me 3 hrs to complete would seem reasonable...but not when someone can go to a discount retail store and buy the same size teddy bear for less than $5. The same can be said for the other crocheted items in my shop too.....you can find mass produced wallets, scarves, and magnets, etc for less than half of what I have my items priced at. I can't give them away at those prices...but I can't keep making things that just sit in my shop either. I'm really wondering if it is nothing more than a pipe-dream to ever think that I will make steady sales. Leaning very far towards the side of just giving up altogether. I have so many ideas for new lines of items...but I don't even want to invest the time to make them since there is an almost 100% chance that they won't sell...people just don't want what I have the skills to make.
On the crafting front: I've had my eBay shop open for almost a month now....not a single sale yet. I've had a shop on mintd.com for almost two months now...not a single sale there either. I've just ended a 10 day sale in my Etsy shop where I had all of my crocheted items (all 85 of them) marked down 25%...and didn't sell a single one. Oh and I had a person change their mind on wanting a special order (which is OK)...and a second special order inquiry is alo likely to result in the person deciding they don't really want the items afterall. I guess all in all I'm getting a little discouraged.
I tell myself a couple of things to help boost my confidence...1) there are so many wonderfully beautiful items on Etsy that it is fortunate to have any sales there at all, and 2) the US economy right now is on the way down...most people just don't have the money to spend on things that are not necessities (I know I don't)...and the ones that do have money are not going to be interested in the stuff I have (it's not hip, edgy, trendy, etc). Although I know both of these points are likely 100% true....it's still disheartening to think that I'm wasting my time on making items that will never sell.
I also think my prices are still not right. I know that they are in line based on a minimum wage ($5.85 an hr) labor rate (which from everything that I'm hearing is much lower than industry standard)...but I think they might be too high for what someone would actually pay. $20 for a teddy bear that takes me 3 hrs to complete would seem reasonable...but not when someone can go to a discount retail store and buy the same size teddy bear for less than $5. The same can be said for the other crocheted items in my shop too.....you can find mass produced wallets, scarves, and magnets, etc for less than half of what I have my items priced at. I can't give them away at those prices...but I can't keep making things that just sit in my shop either. I'm really wondering if it is nothing more than a pipe-dream to ever think that I will make steady sales. Leaning very far towards the side of just giving up altogether. I have so many ideas for new lines of items...but I don't even want to invest the time to make them since there is an almost 100% chance that they won't sell...people just don't want what I have the skills to make.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
The quest for the perfect holiday
Why is it, that we - especially women - feel like we always want to create the perfect Christmas for our friends and family? Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way...every single year...but I'm sure I'm not.
I find myself feeling this way every year...even though a part of my brain knows that no such thing is even possible. I always want to make sure the tree is perfectly decorated, that there are dozens of different homemade baked goods, and that everyone gets everything that they want as gifts. That's the dreamland I live in. And then reality sets in...every year.
The tree won't be perfect this year either because I'll likely wait to even put it up and decorate it until about a week before Christmas and then I'll rush just to get it done. If I'm lucky I'll manage to make a few dozen cookies...likely just the old stand-bys since there's no way I'll have the time to make all the scrumptious goodies I see in the magazines (not since I work 50 hours a week at my job). And likely this year, no-one will get much of anything in the way of gifts since I have no money to shop. Oh, well....wonder if I'll ever get to the point when I don't stress about the holiday...when it just seems like any other day of the year.
On the crafting front: the ornaments that my mom made seem to be selling pretty well in my Etsy shop. And that's about all that is selling, lately at least. I think when I raised the prices I shot myself in the foot with regards to ever hoping that my crochet work would sell. That really makes me sad because even though I LOVE to crochet, I NEED to make money too. I'm really beginning to believe that there really isn't a market for my work. If the market is out there, I have absolutely no idea how to find it. I'll keep trying, but I already know there is not much hope that I'll ever be a "success"...not in monetary terms or recognition anyway.
OK.....off to make some more things that won't sell, and start the weekend chores of laundry, vacuuming, bill paying and bathroom cleaning.
I find myself feeling this way every year...even though a part of my brain knows that no such thing is even possible. I always want to make sure the tree is perfectly decorated, that there are dozens of different homemade baked goods, and that everyone gets everything that they want as gifts. That's the dreamland I live in. And then reality sets in...every year.
The tree won't be perfect this year either because I'll likely wait to even put it up and decorate it until about a week before Christmas and then I'll rush just to get it done. If I'm lucky I'll manage to make a few dozen cookies...likely just the old stand-bys since there's no way I'll have the time to make all the scrumptious goodies I see in the magazines (not since I work 50 hours a week at my job). And likely this year, no-one will get much of anything in the way of gifts since I have no money to shop. Oh, well....wonder if I'll ever get to the point when I don't stress about the holiday...when it just seems like any other day of the year.
On the crafting front: the ornaments that my mom made seem to be selling pretty well in my Etsy shop. And that's about all that is selling, lately at least. I think when I raised the prices I shot myself in the foot with regards to ever hoping that my crochet work would sell. That really makes me sad because even though I LOVE to crochet, I NEED to make money too. I'm really beginning to believe that there really isn't a market for my work. If the market is out there, I have absolutely no idea how to find it. I'll keep trying, but I already know there is not much hope that I'll ever be a "success"...not in monetary terms or recognition anyway.
OK.....off to make some more things that won't sell, and start the weekend chores of laundry, vacuuming, bill paying and bathroom cleaning.
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