52 Weeks Challenge » Judy Nolan

Introducing a new product line

52 Weeks Challenge, Challenges, Selling Handmade

Nov 102011

I walked my fingers through my wool yarn the other day, touching and rearranging the skeins, admiring their colors. In reality, I was pondering the idea of introducing a new line of products in JN Originals, my shop on Etsy which features crocheted and felted items.

Whether you’re a small shop owner like me or have a large business that reaches into every household across the nation, I suspect that all sellers go through some sort of “research and development” phase—more than one phase, to be sure, since the marketplace is fickle. What’s “in” one year is “out” the next. The super-long, fuzzy “eyelash yarn” scarves of four years ago, for example, have given way to shorter scarves that keep you warm but don’t flap into your face when a gust of wind comes along. If you’re lucky, as a handmade seller, your timing is on and what you sell leaves your doorstep almost as soon as you create it. Sounds ideal, doesn’t it? In reality, there is always a certain amount of risk involved, so you can’t afford to make too many of any one item, or you’ll get stuck with product you cannot sell. But without experimentation, your business is stuck in the water like a ship without sails because nothing is ever static.

Before I began selling handmade goods on Etsy, nearly everything I made was gifted to those I knew, both family members and friends, so to some extent these people represented the source of my market analysis. Their “oohs” and “aahs” translated into the sections of my shop including hats and scarves, felted journals and needle books, coffee cup sleeves, fingerless gloves and flower brooches. What I have discovered, however, is that people’s admiration or appreciation of these items does not necessarily result into sales. What people are excited about receiving for free does not excite them so much when they have to reach into their pockets. And there is always a price point beyond which they will not tread, no matter how wonderful your product may be. I have also learned that what sells well online may not sell equally well in person at craft shows. In a word, we’re all on a perpetual search for that one special item that will make our business bloom and sales take off. Sometimes we fall flat on our faces. I tried selling felted napkin rings on Etsy and failed, for example. Research and development can make the bravest among us grow faint of heart!

Despite the risks associated with any new item you introduce, there is something magical about the research and development process. You check out your competition for similar items and decide how you want to stand out. Finding a unique angle must always be your goal, for you simply cannot assume you are the only person to generate that idea. And when you finally unveil your product, it feels somewhat like a gift you unwrap and pass around to get everyone’s reaction. So, that is what I am doing below, where you’ll see a small felted bowl that represents a new product line in my shop. What do you think?!

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Celebrating the last bright colors of autumn

52 Weeks Challenge, Challenges

Oct 302011

This week, as I was writing 39 pages of script for a Destination Imagination® training podcast that I recorded today and uploaded to the Iowa Affiliate Web site, I looked out my window and regretted that I didn’t have time to enjoy what is likely the last bright hurrah of autumn colors.

My husband has been raking leaves all week, and most of the trees are looking pretty bare. However, the maple tree in our front yard is still hanging on with burnt orange leaves the same color as the crocheted headwarmer shown below. I’ll miss my favorite (and shortest) season when the last leaf falls! The headwarmer, by the way, is available in my Etsy shop.

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How to make holiday memo pads

52 Weeks Challenge, Challenges, Paper Crafts, Tutorials

Oct 202011

One of my favorite paper crafting tutorial sites is Chic ‘n Scratch, where you can find Stampin’ Up Independent Demonstrator Angie Kennedy Juda’s video gallery. You can also find her videos on YouTube, but Angie has subdivided her more than 300 videos very nicely in her gallery. You can find what you’re looking for in very little time.

To date I have never purchased Stampin’ Up supplies, although the day will probably come when I just cannot resist! Fortunately, however, I can usually find similar products in other brands locally, so for right now that has worked for me. If you don’t have local scrapbook or craft supply store where you live, then you may wish to purchase from Angie’s Web site. I find that Angie’s tutorials are a good jumping-off point for my own projects, which often turn into impromptu gifts.

Speaking of gifts, I suspect that some of my holiday gifts this year will include memo pads that are based on Angie’s Grocery List Notepad video shown below.

Where did I find these narrow pads? Actually, they are standard 5 in. x 8 in. memo pads you can buy in any office supply store. I visited my local Kinko’s office supply store since it has more specialized equipment than I do, and asked them to slice the pads in half for me. They discarded the left side of the pad, the part that contains the vertical line. For the rest, here’s what I did:

Cut holiday card stock in a long, narrow strip so that it measures 8.25 in. x 2.5 in.
Cut a rectangle from matching or contrasting holiday stock so that it measures 2.5 in. x 2 in.
Score the rectangle from Step #3 at 1-7/16 in. and 1-11/16 in. Fold on the score lines.
Wrap the rectangle around the top part of the memo pad, and adhere it to the back, top edge and front flap (about 5/8 in. down), as shown in the photo below.
Make or buy an embellishment that you’ll glue to the front flap described in Step #4. (I used adhesive foam dots.)
Use your favorite adhesive (I used adhesive strips) to adhere the memo pad to the long piece of holiday card stock.
Adhere a magnet strip to the back (I did top and bottom strips) so that the pad will stick to your fridge or other metal surface. If you prefer, you can attach a cord loop to the back instead, and then you can hang your memo pad on the wall from a nail or thumbtack.

My own results are shown below. Happy paper crafting!

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Count your blessings

52 Weeks Challenge, Challenges, Selling Handmade

Oct 132011

This past weekend, as I mentioned in a previous blog post, I sold my handmade paper-crafted items at a local craft show. While sales were not spectacular, I did all right—enough so that if my schedule allows for it next year, I will likely attend again. My tables were not overfilled, but I did have enough product on hand. At the last moment, I hung a metal tree with felted wool coffee cup sleeves . . . interestingly, those attracted the most attention, possibly because they can also be used as candle wraps. You just never know what to expect at these events!

Speaking of not knowing what to expect, I do like to be prepared to accept credit cards from my buyers. This is not as expensive as you might think, even if you are a small seller. In previous years I used ProPay, which offers a reduced price for Etsy sellers which you can access HERE. The current annual fee for Etsy sellers is $39.95 for the ProPay Premium plan. For each Visa, MasterCard or Discover transaction, you pay a 2.69% fee plus a flat 25 cents. For American Express, you pay 3.19% plus a flat 25 cents. Truthfully, I have been satisfied with this service. It has been easy to use, and quick to deposit earnings in your bank. You do have the option to purchase a digital card reader from ProPay for $39.95 for your Apple mobile device, or $49.95 for an Android mobile device. Or, you can do as I did and purchase a manual tabletop credit card imprinter for $16.99, along with transaction receipts, from a seller like mrimprinter on eBay.

Earlier this year, however, I heard about another option, and I am really excited about it. That option is Square, which charges no annual fee at all and a 2.75% fee for most credit card or debit card transactions. (If you key in the credit card information manually instead of using the Square card reader, you are charged a flat 15 cents plus a 3.5% fee.) Square is for U.S. customers only (you need a Social Security number), and is supported on Apple iOS systems (such as iPhone and iPad) running 4.0 and up, and on Android devices running 2.1 and up. Your mobile device does have to have a 3.5 mm headphone jack, in which the Square reader (which is mailed to you for free) is inserted. Then, you are able to take Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express cards, as well as debit cards, simply by sliding them through the Square reader that you insert in your mobile device’s headphone jack. The card is approved or not, and you can either e-mail your customer or send a text message receipt. What really impressed me is that you can take a photograph of the item you are selling, and write a description that is included with the electronic receipt. You can even track cash transactions this way. Later, when you are sitting in front of your computer, all of the data can be downloaded from the Square Web site. Your funds are deposited to your bank account within 12 to 36 hours. You can sign up for Square HERE, and get most of your questions answered on their Help page. The Square app is free to download to your smart phone.

So, did I use the Square tool this past weekend? No, but I was prepared to do so. I even ordered a second free card reader so that my husband could help me process card transactions!

One of my customers bought a spiral-bound Gratitude Book that is a new item in Mister PenQuin on Etsy. The book is filled with 100 pages (50 double-sided pages, actually), containing one writing prompt, “Today I am thankful for…” My buyer told me that every Thanksgiving the grandparents come, and that when everyone sits down at the table, each person gives thanks for something. This year she is going to pass the book around and have each person write down for what he or she is thankful. In the years to come, and especially when the grandparents may no longer be around, she will have a permanent record of family blessings. I like her idea so much, in fact, that I may borrow it for our family. You can find more Gratitude Books in my Etsy shop HERE.

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Preparing for a craft show

52 Weeks Challenge, Selling Handmade

Oct 052011

Fall is definitely here, as evidenced by leaves falling from my trees, as well as by local newspaper announcements about autumn craft shows. It doesn’t take long before my calendar is filled with events I want to visit as a shopper, in addition to a few where I hope I can sell my own handmade items. This coming Saturday, for example, I am selling handmade goods at an arts and crafts festival being held at a local church. I’ll be showcasing mini clipboards for Post-it Notes® (see Picking up old threads), gratitude books, brag books, holiday shopping pads, felted wool needle books, sewing notebooks, and inspiration books.

The weeks leading up to a craft-selling event are packed with preparation. Besides ensuring that enough product is on hand, you have to price goods and generate a plan to display your items effectively.

Paper-crafted goods present a special display challenge. While their small size means they don’t take up a lot of space, they also are not large enough individually to attract attention from a distance. They can become dirty if handled by sticky fingers, or if they are dropped on the floor. If you enclose paper goods in cellophane bags to keep them clean, they often become victims of fluorescent light glare. You don’t want to create a barrier between your product and your buyer, so I take my chances and don’t put things in cellophane bags.

You have a limited amount of space in which to display your wares, so every inch counts. My space this weekend measures 8 feet by 8 feet, just enough for one venue-provided utility table, but not enough space if you have a lot of merchandise. I do. So, I generally bring my own lightweight folding tables, narrow 20-inch by 48-inch tables that allow me to arrange my space in a more flexible way. I like to move the tables so they form a shallow “U,” and then sit behind the tables so that I can help folks who need assistance, but stay out of the way when people just want to browse.

Items laid flat on a table do not usually catch people’s eyes, so I try to find attractive, accessible and vertical ways to display items that aren’t going to cost me more than what I can sell. I agonized for a while about how to display my mini-clipboards at this show. I have a metal “tree” that accommodates hung items, but when I hung my clipboards on it, I discovered they took time to hang, and took time to remove. In other words, my tree made my items somewhat inaccessible. I evaluated whether I needed to purchase a fixture for them, and in the end discovered a rotating display rack at Display Diva on Etsy that I can use in other ways at future craft shows. I was very pleased with how quickly the rack below shipped, and with how well it displays my mini-clipboards.

Finally, I thought about how to display my shopping list pads vertically. They have magnets on the back, so the obvious solution could have been a metal board on a stand. I was unhappy about the amount of space this would take, however, so I began thinking about inexpensive alternatives. On a trip down into the basement, I spotted an empty holiday cookie tin that was the perfect size for what I had in mind. I stood it on its side on a kitchen carousel, and hung my items. Perfect!

I still have quite a number of tasks ahead of me before my selling event, but having display decisions behind me is a big relief. What are some of your larger concerns when you sell at a craft show?

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