taking a break

I closed my Etsy and Artfire shops this week, hopefully just for a month or two.
I'm having some health issues and have had to close shop several times since November.
I'd sewn like a demon in October and November to participate in a couple of craft shows and have a nice full shop for the holidays.That didn't work out I missed the show and had the shop closed most of December.
When I was feeling better in February I decided to try out Artfire and put some things in there. Just a week after that I got sick again and finally found out the problem. I'm going to have some surgery next week and will need a month or two to recover so I won't be around much. I miss it already . I have so much beautiful new fabric and bunch of new designs, but they will have to wait. I'll keep you posted, hopefully by summer both the economy and I will be in better shape.

Button up your overcoat

Winter is finally here. Today the highest temp in my yard was 10. It was nice and sunny but with the wind it was brutal. Good time to stay inside and sew. I would love post a WIP but my camera is broken and I am waiting to see if I want to fix it or trash it. I bought this camera, a Nikon after my first digital; a Canon broke on a day just like today. My son was playing Hockey at the Larz Anderson Rink in Brookline. It's an outdoor rink on the top of a hill that gives a lovely view of Boston. I didn't want to leave the camera in my car so I kept it with me wrapped in a scarf and took loads of picture of the game and the view but the cold was too much and the screen froze. So take care of your digitals on a cold day.
I have a nice pile of things cut and ready to sew, headbands, oilcloth bags, and some jewelry pouches for Valentines Day . I am giving the Etsy Showcase ads another chance next week. I signed back on before I realized that they would be placing the ads on alternative sites instead of Boing Boing.
Time to sew. Hopefully I'll be back soon with some pics of the finished projects.

I'm in!

I have no idea how it happened but I can now access my blog again. First through flickr now the right way ! Hurrah! So to catch up ... I've been busy still mainly sewing. The warm winter has made it possible for me to continue working in my basement without having to stoke up the wood burning stove to keep cool. A small portable radiator found at the recycle center is very efficient and much cheaper to run than burning wood in our old stove. Our basement is insulated very well. My Hawaiian plants - banana,taro and sweet potato spend the winter there and it is only a lack of sunlight that gives the any stress.
My Etsy shop plods along . V2 is not what it was cracked up to be , and while it has some cool features, finding anything is like searching for a needle in a haystack. The search engine is primitive beyond belief. The influx of new vendors has lead to widespread abuse by resellers, importers and people who think they can list anything they like as long as they call it vintage. They are under staffed and over worked. There are people who have found a way to exploit the system, but without considerable effort on my part to bring business directly to my store, I am not gaining new business. In fact my views have dropped considerably. I took advantage of their first joint advertising campaign in December. It was to be on BoingBoing the blog that has brought me more business than any other source. I asked for 3 days in early December. I ended up with the 19,20 and 21st of December and in 3 days sold 4 items all to non paying buyers . I've never had a non paying buyer before. The new shopping cart system also has it's problems but I think they are one thing that can and will be fixed . I'm not so sure about the other problems.
So marketing was taking up so much of my time that I didn't have enough left to create new things and fell back on making the same old same old to keep the shop filled. Of course there are things I will always make and sell, but my idea notebook has grown dusty.
So this year I will focus on making new things. The best thing about etsy is that it's cheap to sell there. I can clean out my scrap bag once a month and make a batch of headbands and put them there and throw in all my prototypes but this year my main focus will be making new things, perfecting techniques and taking things from notebook to finished product on my own time.