Finding My Website

It has come to my attention that some people are having a hard time finding my shop on Etsy. For some reason on Etsy you can't search by the shop name. You have to use the drop down menu at the top of the screen, change it from Handmade to Sellers. Then you have to put in my username: maryalyce. It's actually easier to just google my shop name: Amber Elyse or to click on the links on the side of this site.

Starting New

It has been a few months since I have posted on this site. I am learning tons about how difficult it is to be a salesman. I continue to read and increase my knowledge about business, but it is incredibly difficult. I have discovered about myself that I have the drive to create, but the drive to sell is not so strong. I believe that having my items on Etsy.com and Artfire.com almost became a crutch for me. It's easy to think that because my items are listed on a website I can lay low, continue to build my inventory and someone will stumble along and buy something. I now know that this is not true. It is a huge market out there. If you do an internet search, or even an Etsy search for "elephant toy" my items never even show up. There are hundreds of listings. I have handed out my business cards to friends and they have told me that it is difficult to find my shop. If my own friends can't find my shop, how can I expect that someone will randomly stumble upon what I have made and buy it? I need to do more and now is the time.
I think that I now have enough items that I can truly start my own shop on this website. I will still refer to Etsy.com for now as I build my knowledge of running a website. I have discovered that I can put a link for PayPal right on my webpage and apparently it is super easy! Before I do that, however, I need to create a document for myself that will keep track of all of my orders. This is something that the other websites provide for you, so you don't have to keep track on your own. I think I am ready to do this on my own. I want my site to be easy to find. I want to be known by name. I want word to pass on that when I am asked to make a custom design I always create an incredible piece of artwork. I will put my all into your item, and it won't have the cold depersonalization of an item from a store. You will know what materials I used and what the process was like. This is my vision for my store.

So Many Ideas, So Little Time

I am having a great time sewing items for my shop. It is incredible, now that I've gotten started, how many ideas I have! I keep reminding myself, however, that sewing projects take time and the shop looks better when there is a streamlined type of item. For me that part is hard, because my projects range from sewing elephants to carving a wooden walking stick to building a wine cork wine bottle holder. Maybe some day soon I can open another shop to showcase all of my other crafts. For now I need to build up enough items in the one shop to make it look appealing to the buyer. And I need to focus on one project at a time. I finished the extra hat for my Etsy shop, because the first one I put together was too small for most people's heads. It fit my head, but I run small.
My other ideas- belts, dog collars, dog jackets, a wine cork clock, comfy after workout pants, and purses. It is better to continue to build on one popular idea, however.

Learning the Business Side of Things

So I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I joined Etsy.com about a month ago and am really making an effort to learn ways to promote my shop, to make my pictures more catchy, to make my shop more inviting, to tag my items so they will appear during a search.... So many things to do! It's super exciting though! I never thought that I would like this part of the process since I haven't paid much attention to how businesses work. I've been terrible in the past about pricing my items, especially for friends and family. I am trying to take this seriously, even though it will probably be a while before I sell something.
It's amazing when you do a search, how many similar items there are to mine! How do you make your product sell, when there are so many to choose from! I am starting to daydream at work about how to make my elephant toys more unique. Add nose rings? Maybe sparkly fabric markers to make designs? There are several possibilities. I found this great material the other day, it's a golden yellow, it just looks so bright and fun. I am having visions of making an elephant and painting eyelids onto the googly eyes to give them a dreamy, bedroom look. I did a practice run and it came out so cute. Now I just need to apply the process to a stuffed animal.
Something else I never really thought about before starting the shop is that now I have to make more stuff! I keep looking at my site thinking that there just isn't enough and I don't want to just throw on stuff to sell. I want it to look professional. Which means doing things over and over again until I get them right. When my receiving blanket runs out of time, I'm going to take it off of the site. It is so cute in person, but it does not fit the theme of the shop and I am having a hard time taking a quality picture of it. It justs looks dumpy next to the other items. Part of me wants to fill the shop with all of the craft items I have made: blankets, taggies, crocheted winter hats (oh so many, crocheted winter hats), but I think this particular shop will be for my sewn items. I have a few ideas for the future that I would like to make for the shop. SO MANY! I just keep dreaming all day. Anyway, I am making a tie for my sister's teacher (a gift) and will make a second one for the shop. Much easier when you make multiples at one time. I am going to make another purse like the one I made for my girlfriend's wedding. I have several new materials for elephants (I sure hope they sell someday, my apartment is starting to look like a zoo) and I have an order from a friend for a Humvee shaped pillow for his nephew in December. I have to make a practice one, I've never made one before. If it comes out nicely I may put it on the site.
So much excitement. If it's this fun just making the shop, I can't imagine what it will be like if something actually sells someday! Might not be able to handle it.

Just Getting Started!

So I finally worked up the courage to attempt to sell some of the items that I have been making over the years. It is not easy. I didn't really expect it to be, but part of me hoped that I would post my items on there and someone would immediately snatch them up. What has happened, to my delight, is that some friends of mine have ordered some items to be custom made, once they saw my shop. It seems like it gives you a little more credibility somehow. Now that my shop has been open for about a month, I'm trying to research how to market. This is not my strong suit, but I think, like with anything else, if I put in the effort and time, it will no longer seem alien to me. Maybe it will even seem easy someday. I have read some advice about how to make connections and get people looking at the site. I have been on Facebook and MySpace. I am not sure if I am going to make the jump to Twitter, although I have read that it is worthwhile. It's difficult to add Twitter to your repertoire when Facebook already sucks up much of your life.
Something I also need to work on is taking better pictures of my items. I noticed that my newer pictures are pretty good, but I really need to repost the picture of my pink and maroon baby blanket. The pictures don't do it justice, and honestly, I wouldn't buy it just by looking at the site. It was my first post though, so I'm not ashamed. It was difficult to find words to describe it and then when I finally clicked that I was finished, that realization that other talented artists would be looking at it sunk in. After the first one it becomes almost addicting. I want to add more and more. For now I am going to stick with making my elephants, my most requested item.
I have two elephants in the works for friends and another friend made mention that she may be interested later on. Who knew! Maybe the word will spread. I do know that I think they are cute.
The next item I put together I am going to attempt to record on this blog, which is the reason I started it in the beginning. I have always enjoyed reading other bloggers' stories about making an item. Maybe someone will enjoy mine!