Bye Etsy

Yes,
I have put my store to rest, I'm afraid. Maybe I will go back to it, but I doubt it right now. I love shopping there and will continue to do so, as a crafts person it's so hard to get noticed! Luckily I am in a place brimming with craft shows, stores and studios. Even so I am going to focus on building up my work before I consider all that, I had to give up so much of my craft stuff when I came to the States, that I have a lot of work to do.

It's more than just sewing and making pieces, it's also having some kind of cohesiveness and fresh approach, so that's what I will be doing in the coming year or so.

Work Station

After over a year of planning and discussing we are finally living in Asheville. Our apartment is tiny but I love it. We are walkable distance from downtown with great views of the city and enough wildlife to make us feel free.

My plan is to find work - a hard task here - and in the mean time work on starting up my craft business again. However I am quickly tiring of pulling all my stuff out and then putting it away again to keep everything tidy. So here is the idea, to turn one closet into a work alcove or station. This closes looks small but is a good five feet wide and a couple of feet deep, enough for a small card table and chair and space to store stuff, it also has a lino floor which makes cleaning up pesky threads and what not easier, and a couple of power sockets - perfect!

Here are the before pictures, can't wait to show you the after!

Phyllis b launch - May/June 2009

I have been thinking about starting to sell my creations for a while now, and well, when I start to consider something that usually means I've already decided!

But I was dargging my feet over actually getting anything done, until I found out about a craft fair near where I live. The Stockton Brook Brownies are having a craft fair on 31 st May and when I first heard about it on Folksy, I didn't think it would be possible. Then I thought again and contacted them about booking a stall. There was one left, and it seemed like fate!

So now I am trying to put together enough stock to sell as well as sort out business cards and an online store for any future contacts I might make. I have decided to go with Folksy rather than Etsy for now. This is because it is UK based and I feel most of the people who may wish to buy from me after meeting me at the fair may be put off by Etsy's selling in dollars.

Committing to the craft fair has really forced me to take the idea of setting up a business more seriously and I am now much more focused. Sometimes you just have to go for it.

I am really excited about this new experience! I hope I sell some of my wares and I also hope this is just the beginning. My plan is set up my Etsy shop in June and if all goes well I want to do more craft fairs. So stay tuned!

More Mulling

Some more ideas on banners and logos for Phyllis B. Of course I have to finish some stuff to try and sell eventually! I have always tried to run before I could walk though.

An Idea and a Logo

I have been mulling over whether to try and sell some of the things I have been making, and with innovations such as Etsy and Artfire, it seems all the more possible. I know that this is something many people try to do and that the current economic climate is not really conducive to new businesses. But you never know until you try. I am not ready to give up the day job ( besides I love teaching), but I am fascinated by the prospect of being creative and using my craft more intensely.

IF I were to go into business, this would perhaps be my logo. Phyllis Becket was my grandmother, a creative and vibrant woman. She crocheted, played the piano and violin, wrote poetry and sang like an opera singer. It is her dynamism I hope to channel, and it is her name I would wish to honour.

The font is call addloops.