Thankful

This week it seems appropriate to say how thankful I am for all the support and interest I've received in my cards... especially from the Baltimore Sun's "Baltimore by Hand" blog written by Christy Zuccarini. (Christy is also an Etsy seller: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5045409) My last post is about her Halloween selections... but there's more! :)

I was the featured crafter for the First Thursday Trunk Show at the Womans Industrial Exchange in Baltimore (I've written about the venue before) during the first week of November, and the Sun blog included an announcement of the event here:
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/crafts/2008/11/miscelena_at_the_exchange_1.html

....and then she also recently wrote a review of locally-made papercrafts for the holidays, and included my cards!
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/crafts/2008/11/handmade_holidays_cards_and_gift_tags.html

I'm so honored and pleased to be chosen for Christy's blog posts! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Featured on the Baltimore Sun webpage!

Christy Zuccarini (herself an Etsy Seller) assembled an adorable collection of locally-made halloween items yesterday on her "Baltimore By Hand" blog for the Baltimore Sun website... and included one of my cards!




Check it out: http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/crafts/

Mission Soldier Support , Ver. 2.0 (for the Holidays)

Well, we're at it again! Several members of the EtsyGreetings Street Team are collaborating once more to provide our troops with handmade holiday cards to send home to their loved ones.

Just as last time, CapturedTimeBooks is organizing the effort, and will be shipping the collected papergoods overseas for the group... she's already been interviewed by her local newspaper, so we're hoping this round is even bigger and better than the first!

The project runs through November 7th - please have a look in my shop, or search for "mss" throughout Etsy.com to join in!

Oh, the Warm Fuzzies!

I do love my Google Alert. It told me today that I'd been noticed again! Oh, it's so giddy-making even now to have someone appreciate my work!

OnMyTiptoes, a government contractor in Afghanistan, homesick for Baltimore put together a beautiful list of crafty goodness from Charm City - and included my "Definition of Halloween" card in her blog, here:
http://www.onmytiptoes.com/2008/10/in-which-there.html

I think I'll send her some goodies in return. :)

Unemployment....

... is both anxiety-inducing and horribly boring. I've put out a bunch of resumes, and had a few interviews, but nothing's popped for good just yet. Cross your fingers for me?


The upside is that I'm being quite crafty in the interim... and that includes getting a jump-start on the holidays. It's really difficult to think 'winter' in the middle of September... but I'm working on it...

Display update

New card rack and simpler booth layout... at HampdenFest. (My camera is on the fritz, so this was taken with my Blackberry.)

Feedback

I love receiving feedback on my products - it helps me know what I'm doing right, and what can be improved. Etsy has a great system for this, and the comments left by buyers are often very gratifying. (Have a look.)

It's also good to talk to buyers at fairs and shows... comments (and seeing what's selling and what isn't!) helps me improve my card selection as well.

Today I think I may have caught a good number of "we're out having a good day, want to buy, but don't want to spend a lot of money" visitors to Hampdenfest.

I had a fairly successful day, selling 1/4 of the inventory I'd brought along.... but I was surprised by what did and didn't sell: wedding, baby and no-occasion cards were ahead of birthday and Halloween, which I'd expected to be popular.

Hoping to have my cards in more local shops very soon... and it will be interesting to see what the vendors/store owners think, as well.