Moose and Bear

A new ami and some purchases

2009-10-18T18:38:00.001-07:00

I finished this guy up a couple of weeks ago, took photos of him last week, and finally managed to list him here tonight. Hardly an efficient operation. I think he's pretty damn cute though - I'm not sure I want him to sell. He might be more at home at my cubicle at work making sure that I get my work done instead... He'll be the last full size amigurumi that I'll be making for a while I think. I've got a whole bunch of supplies in and even a couple of finished minis that I'll try to photograph this week if I get some good light. I'm pretty excited about having new designs in to list - I feel all productive :)

It's been a long long time

2009-10-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

It really has been a long long time since I last posted. Probably a year or so. But no, I didn't disappear off the face of the planet. And yes, it seems that not a gazillion things changed in the world of online crafting whilst I was on hiatus either. Maybe I'm wrong there. Part of me hopes so, in that things are lots better and easier, and part of me hopes no, because I was just getting everything figured out!!

So, I stopped making things and keeping my hands busy because the rest of my life got too busy instead. I moved to New York from Scotland, and that was quite a big deal. I moved because of work, which incidentally has gotten a lot harder as I have risen the corporate ladder. I live in Chelsea for the moment with my husband. Yep, that's another change right there. I got married in January in NYC City Hall. I then had another white wedding party in Belfast with my friends and family in June, and a third and final celebration in Jerusalem with my husband's friends and family in September. So I spent 9 months of the last year getting married, and I didn't even dream of a big wedding as a little girl! So that was rather time consuming. I also got the most adorable, adorable puppy in July called, well, Moose. He is a Cavalier King Charles and I am sure I'll feature pictures of him on the blog in due time. As a puppy he made doing anything quietly rather impossible, but he's now 5 months, and has settled down in the lovely dog that sleeps on your feet and looks at you with big big brown eyes all the time. Actually, he's feeling a bit pathetic at the moment as he's lost his baby canine teeth and can't really bite on things, so he's not feeling much of a doggie. They'll grow back, but he thinks that right now they won't. Poor Moose!

So, for nearly a year I haven't really made anything. Well, I started a lot of things for myself, rather than Etsy, as I didn't really feel like having the pressure of production hanging over me. And then I realized that I didn't have to actually have the pressure of making things for others if I didn't want to on Etsy. There is a lot of talk of business vs hobby on Etsy all the time. I very much respect those who want to use online marketplaces as true businesses, thinking about customer, demand, costs, overheads etc. That is great - it is truly wonderful that the internet allows people to do that. However, it's not for me. I realised that I enjoy the process of making stuff a lot, but I do not have the time or the inclination right now to spend hours thinking about SEO campaigns, keywords, and ensuring my stock levels are appropriate. So, I reconciled myself to the fact that Moose and Bear will never really be super successful. And that's okay with me. As long as I can use it to challenge myself to grow creatively and occasionally get rid of an overstock of cute little softie critter then that is probably the best I can hope for.

In the meantime, I have listed a new ACEO that I finished back in, eeeek, December. I really love cross stitch, maybe more than all the other forms of embroidery. There is something so wonderfully uniform about the perfect squares. It is such a clean beautiful stitching type. If I can find a bunch of frames at a flea market over the next couple of weeks then I can see myself doing a line of cross stitch products.

I actually have found quite a lot of things that were finished late last year that I will be tidying up and photographing over the next couple of weeks. I've also been thinking about and developing a new product line of very cute miniature crochet cell phone charms. I adore making these, not least because they are super portable. I've ordered a bunch of cell phone charm straps, and as soon as they arrive then I'll be able to start listing. Exciting times!

Frantic Stressing!

2008-09-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

I've had a bit of a crazy crazy week. The company that I work for got taken over on Wednesday, which I thought would mean all doom and gloom. However, on Thursday I got a call from my boss asking me to go to New York for 2 weeks next Wednesday. Or rather, this Wednesday, which gave me less than a week to get everything I needed to get sorted right. So I've been freaking just a little. I'm naturally crazy excited, and it's going to be amazing and really hard work, but in between I wanted to get lots of Moose and Bear things finished off. And also planning what I'm going to do whilst I'm away. When I used to travel all the time for work, making stuff in hotel rooms was a real time for getting heaps of things made. But this time, I'm in New York - hello!!! But then again, I also want to see if I can pick up some cool crafty stuff, alongside the heaps of clothes, shoes, books, and other things that have crept onto my shopping list - I will be a veritable "two bag Brit"!!

Also, I was planning on taking some embroidery and crochet on the plane, but I don't know if a needle and a crochet hook will make it through security. Anyone any experience of Heathrow Terminal 5 on this?

In the meantime, I listed little Nico and this cute teacup online, and have taken pictures of the cross stitch ACEO that I made a couple of weeks ago. I haven't listed it yet though. Cross stitch was the very first thing I learnt to do, from my grandmother, and I to this day find it incredibly rewarding to do. I am naturally a big fan of the subversive stitching genre, but apart from that, can't find much use for it in my life. Having said that, I do think that this ACEO is pretty cool, so I'm really hoping that someone snaps it up!

I also found out today that my amigurumi pills have been featured on the sweetfigments blog - yeh!! I love that place, so that made me really happy!

WIPs no more!

2008-09-12T10:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posting this week. I have to admit that the main reason is that for the first half of the week I was doing very little in the way of making stuff. Shame on me!

However, that all changed as on Thursday night my boyfriend was out the whole night, which left me free to do whatever I wanted, which in my mind is "make a mess whilst making stuff for Moose and Bear". And that's what I did. I started up making a new turquoise and sky blue striped elephant, which should be finished soon. I also finished up the little dude in the picture - he is so adorable. I actually started him last Friday, but then put him in my WIP bag. I haven't got a name for him yet, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know in the comments. He didn't sit in my WIP bag as long as a cute little blue tea cup which I also just got finished up, and a cake as well. The cake, embarrassingly enough, I started way back in June. I like the cake, but don't love it - I think if I really want to get into make fabulous amigurumi cakes (and I'm tempted, because I do think that they can look amazing), I'll need to invest in some cotton yarn, and maybe a smaller hook as well. These ones are made with acrylic, as all my amis are, and it just doesn't have that lux shiny, slightly stiff factor that I'd like. Plus, it needs to be stiffer to hold its shape. I've been thinking about playing around with crocheting using a tiny hook and some embroidery floss to make some cell phone charms, but that would be a pretty expensive way to go, and no one wants to pay a lot for their cell phone charm! I could use some fine cotton yarn, technically, I'm not allowed any more yarn buying for quite some time, as my yarn stash is well and truly out of hand. Well, I don't think it's too bad, but my lovely boyfriend has put his foot down. No more felt, no more yarn, until I've busted down at least half of my stash.

Talking of felt, I hadn't really played around with my felt for quite some time, but I got a request to do some consignment with my felt cupcake keyrings, so I made up a bunch of six last night, which was very pleasant. I also made a few badges last week, including the "I heart geeks" one which is below. It has really made me want to get back into making things with felt. Right now, it's felt and button badges that I love the look of. I have a smallish jar of buttons to work with, but I'd love to find a really good button supplier. Right now, I buy most of my buttons from Ribbon Moon, who provide really great service, and are fairly cheap. The only problem is that buying buttons online isn't perfect - sometimes it's hard to imagine the difference between 6mm and 8mm, and the colours don't get a fair representation. The only button places that I have been to so far in Edinburgh are John Lewis and Jenners, both of which are pricey, to say the least. Maybe I'll tootle over to Glasgow someday and do some investigating. Glasgow usually has everything that Edinburgh does not!

I also finished off another toadstool - they are so Nintendo-esque! I have started doing all my amigurumis with yarn eyes, to make them safe for all ages. It can take a while to get right though. I have just finished a tea-cup where the eyes aren't quite perfect, but after my tenth attempt, I decided to settle for "good enough!". What a productive few days then! I reckon I have about six things to list, which means is good for the next week then. I am however, running out of WIPs to cheat on, so need to start making some new new stuff.

A whole day at home

2008-09-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

I was feeling pretty horrible last night, so decided to call in sick to work. I still feel rough (snuffly, sniffly, grumpy, and cold), but better than yesterday. And I don't feel too guilty since it was going to be a slow day at work anyway - honestly, who does anything on a Friday anyways?

Well, you can get a lot done when you are at home wrapped in blankets though. I finished off a new amigurumi design. This guy has got to be one of my all time favourites. Firstly, I love cream - it's so much more luxurious than straight white. So, the colours are great. I have a real soft spot for the simplicity of him as well, like the simple circles for nose and ears. But the best part is that I tried something new for eyes. Normally I use safety eyes, and I hate them. I'm just not that happy about how safe they actually are, they are a pain to get in, and quite often mine don't lie flush enough with my amis (this isn't a problem with the 4mm ones, but the 7mm ones are a nightmare!!). So, this time, instead of using any plastic at all, I did some french knots for the eyes - I think it worked amazingly well!!! I had to go look up a tutorial for french knots online (god bless internet video) because it had been years since I had done one, but I feel happy that I have a cute little amigurumi with sweet eyes that are safe for all ages. The only problem I have with him (he's called Jaime by the way) is that he isn't really any particular animal or monster or anything - he's just cute. And that makes him quite difficult to tag!!

My boyfriend also left me with the task of making a "sexy geek" keyring. Well, I somehow didn't. But I did manage to embroider a couple of badges. I didn't get a chance to take pictures of them, because the light is now fading (September, and it's freezing. Ori told me he wasn't sure if he could survive another Scottish winter - I feel the same sometimes). But you can see pictures of them in this picture of my stuff everywhere this afternoon. The light isn't wonderful, so it's not a great picture, but I think that the moral of the story is that I am not a tidy worker. Oh dear.

Something that I mentioned back in June, but hasn't really come up again since I restarted blogging is that I have a second shop on Etsy, PinkiePixie, where I sell scrabble tile pendants. There's an EtsyMini of it on the sidebar. I set it up in June whilst I was stranded in Belfast craftless, and it seemed like a good idea. I do absolutely no promotion on it, aside from trying to remember to renew items every so often. I know that there are scrabble tile pendant makes who sell 30 or more pendants a day, and of course I'm nowhere near that. But it does tick over nicely, and this week I've had to send out 3 packets of six tiles each, so that feels pretty good. Right now I'm all out of supplies though (well, bails) so I've decided that I can't buy anymore bails until I have reduced the number of items in my store to below 50 (right now it's at 55). I haven't factored Pinkie Pixie into my Christmas planning at all yet. Maybe I should, given it's doing actually okay.

New supplies, new embroidery, and a bit of a surprise

2008-09-04T09:37:00.000-07:00

I don't normally get sick, but today I've sneezed ten times, and am feeling grumpy and snuffly, so I think I might be. It must be karma for the email rant I sent to my American friend about the fact that the NHS is amazing and universal health is a human right - now I'm being sent to test it! Anyway, that wasn't what this blog post was supposed to be about!

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned that I had had a consignment deal go bad. I didn't mention who the consignment is with (although if you go back to February 08 in this blog you could find out...), because I couldn't decide on the karma on it. I also randomly decided to deposit their returned cheque in the bank again, figuring it couldn't hurt. It had last bounced on 31st July. Well, this is a bit odd, because it appears that this time around, the cheque has cleared. So, now I am in a quandry. I'm definitely not going to do any more business with them, as it's a bit of a farce, but do I name and shame or not? Hmmm.

Anyways, onto much more exciting things. I finished this pretty little girl up last Friday, but it has taken until today until there was good enough light to take pictures of her. I really love th colour of her coat, and how the raindrops ended up quite randomly. I'm not a hundred percent sure about the flowers though. I wish I was this cute as a little girl, but I have to admit to never having quite got the hang of using an umbrella, and even to this day, I rarely use one. Some basic skills seem to have passed me by!

Look at this lovely ribbon! I received it today from Sarah at Paper and String. Sarah keeps the most fabulous stuff, and is also really talented at making loveliness from felt too. I haven't ordered anything from her in ages, but now that I've received this litle bounty pack, I have a feeling I'll be back. I am supposed to be cutting back on supplies, but sometimes you just can't help yourself!!

August Round Up

2008-09-02T12:38:00.000-07:00

I was over at Tizzalicious's blog, and came across a great post on how her August was, so I thought I would blatantly borrow the idea. Don't worry, I asked her first!

Books I finished:

1. The Looming Tower - Lawrence Wright

Yes that's right. I finished just one book this month. But it was a big, important book. Pulitzer Prize winning, difficult, and well worth putting the effort in. I did get a big box from Amazon last Friday with heaps of books for me to get into.

Movies I watched:

Man, I never kept track of this, so not a hope of writing a comprehensive list. Right now, I'm obsessing on Season 3 of the West Wing - does that count? The movie that had most impact on me was the Lives of Others - amazing, beautiful, tragic, and wonderful.

Annoyance of the month: Can't decide between the constant rain, or the craziness of the tourist season during Edinburgh Festival.
TV Show of the month: Duh. Old West Wing, as previously mentioned. I'm not very good at real tv, I have to admit.
Highlight of the month: So many, most of them alcohol fuelled, to be honest, thanks to the festival, the amazing comedy, La Clique, and my birthday.
Drink of the month: PIMMS!!!! So much Pimms, so little August.
Nice surprise of the month: My boyfriend getting me a random dress from French Connection just because. What a sweetie.
Accomplishment of the month: Blogging again. And also selling again on Etsy.

Items sold on Etsy: 9 (that's a whole 8 more than July!)

I've also had a couple of sales and custom orders in the last few days, so hopefully September will be even better.

Goals for September:

Items sold on Etsy: 13.
Items sold on DaWanda: 2
Blogs posts: at least 3 a week.

Wouldn't you want to find this in your garden?

2008-09-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

My sister works as a junior doctor in Edinburgh, and this week she had to call Kew Gardens to ask them to id some mushrooms as they were treating a woman who had eaten some whilst out for a walk and was now violently ill. It all turned out okay, but I had no idea that Kew offered such a good service. I have to admit that I think that mushrooms and toadstools are just about the cutest things in the world ever, and have been meaning to crochet up some for ages. The key for me was making one that would stand up with no problems, no leaning to one side etc. So I made up a separate base rather than going for the usual decreasing at the bottom. I also couldn't decide about whether to put the white felt dots on, but I'm glad I did, because I do think that it ups the kawaii factor. I'd really like to make a whole army of these in zillions of different colours and sizes, and then they could be found all over the house - wouldn't that be so cute!

Although I've been really enthusiastic about making stuff and crochet and embroidery at the moment, this weekend has not been craft-tastic at all. I was actually celebrating my birthday, and that involved cake and champagne and dancing until 3am on Saturday, so Sunday was spent in my pyjamas on the sofa watching old-skool West Wing. I did very briefly pick up my crochet hook (I'm making an ice cream cone at the moment), but it involved counting and paying attention, and that just wasn't happening. We did make it out of the house to watch the Edinburgh Festival Fireworks which were pretty good, but not as good as previous years. So this week I'm back to focusing on working through my 70+ item Holiday Season crafting to do list. I hope to maybe get down to 65 items....

Oh how I have missed this

2008-08-30T06:43:00.000-07:00

I really, really have missed having my blog in my life, particularly the lovely comments that people leave. The general consensus on the consignment incident is that I should name and shame, and I think that I will, but that's another post later in the week. In the meantime, I have to admit that I am absolutely loving the fact that I can really see the direct link between my blog and my sales. Almost within an hour of posting my last post, I had a sale. Someone had spotted my blog post on twitter, clicked through, and made a purchase. I also had a ton more hearts in the store. All completely reinforcing the view that an online business requires a multi-faceted marketing approach. But we all knew that, didn't we? I do love my twitter though, and whilst I wasn't blogging this summer, I was regularly using twitter to keep up to speed with what others were doing, and posting about generally not doing very much. One major purchase I made this summer was an iPhone, and I do truly heart it. It saves me a lot of time - and I can do things like twitter, and keep up with everyone else's tweets, whilst on the move. Things have just become a bit simpler there.

It's a bit of a grey day here in Scotland. I'll be spending the afternoon making myself a birthday cake, or rather a Boston Creme Pie, for a party tonight. Hopefully I'll get some good pictures of that. I've not had a chance to take any pictures today, but yesterday I did list this cute pink whale that I've had for a while now. I think she's adorable, and perfect for kids of all ages. Secretly, I don't want to give her up! I am excited at the moment about having so many cute things to list in the shop that it's taking all my willpower not to just put them all up at once. This week is going to be a busy one for that.

And I'm Back!

2008-08-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

This is my first blog post after an extremely long hiatus. I've taken the last two months off from working on Moose & Bear for a couple of reasons. The main one is that it's summer - the sun is shining, I'm spending more and more time outside with friends, and less time inside with wool and the internet. That has naturally led to a down-turn in productivity. I've also noticed that sales seem to go down in the summer (maybe just mine!) so that contributed to a sense of, well, not quite enniu, but certainly a feeling that there could be more fun things to do rather than promoting my shop and making cute stuff.

Summer is still going, but, like many crafty peeps, I'm already starting to get excited about Christmas. This will be my first real Christmas on Etsy (and also Dawanda - woo hoo for my new Euro site!), and I'm looking forward to it. I'm already planning lists of things I want to make, and even starting to make them. I am really going to be focused on amigurumis this year, because they are so cute and fuzzy. The only problem is that they take a while to make, hence the early preparation. My to-make list is 70 items long, and growing all the time - eeek! I also think that my felt badge with embroidered words will do well. I've also started to develop a line of embroidered scenes to hang in kids rooms - I really want them to do well, as I adore making them. However, I haven't noticed a huge number of them selling on Etsy, so it might be a bit hit or miss. I've posted a picture of my first one below. The last time I was posting, I was writing a lot about play food - well, I'm still pleasantly obssessed with that, so expect to see plenty of cakes and donuts in the store looking cute and edible.

I have had one major disappointment. Way back in February I was asked by a gallery to do some consignment work for them. They sent me some paperwork and I agreed. I finally received what was supposed to be my first payment in July, after chasing them for a couple of months. However, the cheque bounced. I complained, they sent me another cheque, but it has bounced again, and they are not responding to emails. Whenever I call, they tell me the manager will call me back. A sad story, and one that has put me off consignment forever. I just feel thoroughly ripped off. They contact a lot of British artists through Etsy, so I can't decide whether to name and shame so as to warn other people off....

Swoonsome!

2008-06-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

I use Majaba a lot to track my views and hearts. It's a really nifty tool. But, really, the reason why I am loving Majaba a lot right now is because it has introduced me to Swoon - swoon.etsy.com. I heart swoon for lots of reasons - the gorgeous retro pants and camisoles, the fact that she is based in Inverness, the sheer deliciousness of their prints and designs. I just heart it all. I have never bought any clothes from Etsy before, but swoon has got me all tempted....

Check out my favourites below:

I'm so excited!!

2008-06-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

Just a teeny post to celebrate my first sale on Pinkie Pixie!! Some lovely nice person bought 8, count 'em, 8 pendants!! All of my monster pendants are now gone, so I'll have to make some more. I'm sooooo pleased it's not true - first sale in my new store, and hopefully a sign of successes ahead!!

I'm not neglecting Moose and Bear though - new products being listed this weekend as soon as I get home. Work work work!!

Technology Free Zone!

2008-06-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit of a technology-free zone at the moment. The reason is that I'm currently back at my family home in Belfast, looking after my mum who's having some back problems. She's getting much better, but just the way things are, I don't have half the amount of time to spend playing around online. That means, far less twitter, far less etsy-playing, far less internet in general. Instead, I've been working on my new scrabble tile pendants, and experimenting with what works well with them, and making up some crochet cakes for listing over the weekend. Do I miss the internet? Well, of course. It's a pretty much vital part of my little crafty business. Pls, right now, business hasn't been one hundred per cent booming, probably due to my lack of onlininess. However, productivity is up up up!!!

Sooo, these are my new scrabble tiles. I've made some of them using Japanese paper, but most are from old postcards from my rather embarassingly giant collection. I'm pretty glad that I've found a use for them. They've been sitting in a box in my flat for about 6 years waiting for me to say "yes! let's cut them up and stick them on stuff!". And now I have. Fabulous. They are available at my new store - Pinkie Pixie.

I'm a little conflicted about the tiles. On one hand, I think that they are totally goregous, and can definitely see them selling in local craft fairs as well as online. On the other hand, the Etsy community seems to have a weird relationship with them. They sell reasonably well, but they are a big trend there, and maybe I've lept on the bandwagon? But what is wrong with making what you like?

anxious to get back to cutting, sewing, stitching...

2008-05-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Real life has taken over. No seriously. I haven't had a chance to sit and make anything all because my in-laws are in town. They are staying in our super-tiny (one bedroom, one living room, one tiny kitchen and a bathroom) flat, and as you can imagine, things are a little tight. My flat was really made for about 1.5 people - even Ori and I don't fit in there sometimes! So I have been completely unable to get our my crochet and get hooking. I'm a bit upset about this, and I'm getting fidgety. I really want to go splurge on lots of supplies so that as soon as I get to crank open my bag, I will be armed and prepared with heaps of wool. Yes, I think will be caving on the supplies limits that I have imposed for the last couple of months. As I mentioned a few posts ago, I'm totally obsessed with making sweets and cakes right now, so hopefully I'll have a chance to finish off and photograph a couple to post this weekend.

On another note, I'm also really wanting to get on the scrabble tile pendant trend. I know that there are a lot of sellers in this boat already, but they look so amazingly cute to make, so I want to give it a try. I'm currently sourcing supplies as we speak. One of the really frustrating things to discover is that supplies in the US are sooo much easier to come buy, and much much cheaper. So I doubt I'll be able to compete on cost. It will have to be down to originality then. I have heaps and heaps of postcards that I have been collecting over the years and this is the perfect project to use them on. Unfortunately, this has resulted in me becoming totally addicted to ebay looking for tiles, vintage ephemera, and other bits and bobs. Wow! I can see how people get totally addicted. I may have accidentally bought around 600 scrabble tiles just through the sheer excitement of winning auctions. Yes, that is rather sad, isn't it? Particularly since I have no real idea if this will take off. I guess I can always sell them as destash on etsy at some point if I don't manage to get rid of them though.

I can't wait for the weekend to actually get back into making stuff!

crochet, summer days, and an amazing new find

2008-05-18T09:59:00.000-07:00

Whilst I haven't been posting as much recently, I haven't been sitting around doing nothing. Truth be told, all the lovely sunny weather has kept me away from the computer a bit, and I've been satisfying my blogging through extensive twitter usage. I have also been enjoying making my latest critter - aren't these guys awesome? The middle chap is already for sale here. The other two are going on sale later this week. I have had a bit of a hard time thinking of what to call them. Paintgranny and AntiqueBasket think they are stumpies, which I'm happy with, but if anyone has any other suggestions, I'd be pleased to hear them. My boyfriend thinks they look like little pills - I guess they do a bit! Amigurumi happy pills!

Right now I'm really obsessed with making play food - I spent far too much time on flickr last night looking at some amazing stuff, so tonight I'm going to be experimenting with making a cake. I used to make crochet cupcakes, but I found that lots of people made them, so I couldn't really differentiate myself, but maybe I'll go back to them soon enough.

I was also reading the embroidery blog feeling stitchy where I came across the ohmigod amazing hensteeth. I absolutely adore ephemera, but I am completely hopeless at actually capturing the whimsical beauty that I want, and that hensteeth has managed to do so well here. This is embroidered on a vintage envelope, and it just takes my breath away it is so wonderful. She has a blog here, and an etsy store here as well. Go check it all out.

a rest is as good as a change...

2008-05-13T01:22:00.000-07:00

It is no secret that I have been taking a break from crafting. I had been planning to take a week off; in fact, I ended up taking two. I find that a break here and there is great for the soul, and good for understanding why it is we do what it is we do. (I'm sure that's a song lyric that I have stolen from somewhere). I had a good time - reading books, running in the late evening sun, playing tennis, but I also caught myself being mildly bored by the internet (there is only so much jezebel, whowhatweardaily, and fashionista that a girl can read!), whilst watching tv (oh, who does any single thing at a time these days?!) but not doing anything about it. I've now realised that that extra time that I was being bored with - that's my craft time! So last night whilst watching brothers and sisters I started my new crochet monster, and I'm so happy! I was also enjoying crafting under my own steam. For the last two months or so, I have been crafting to deadline, as there were fairs I had to get ready for. Now, no longer! Just what I want to make, when I want to make it. No doubt I'll still make my super long lists of things I want to make, but this time I can actually experiment and get back to being chilled about it. I'm very excited and pleased about this. I'll be doing a good lot of crocheting I think over the next few weeks, before getting back to felt monsters and that sort of thing. I admit that I haven't been doing as much online promotion as I ought to have, but that's okay for the moment as well. I'll catch up with some myspacin' this week, and post a little on the forums and flickr, but taking a natural from everything one in a while is great for the soul.

Philosophy of Failure

2008-04-29T12:19:00.000-07:00

Not hitting your targets is hard. Especially when you have been having a successful run at things. I haven't hit my April sales target, and in fact have missed it by a significant stretch. This might be my second-best month on Etsy, but it has been my most disappointing in terms of expectations.

Missing your goals is tough. It doesn't matter where you miss them, be it a fitness goal, a sales goal, a maths score, it is always disappointing. And of course, it is inevitable as well. At some point, we all fail. And if we don't fail, we don't really get tested as a person - we don't really understand the joys of our success if we haven't tasted defeat. And yet. And yet missing your goals also draws in self-doubt, the whispers of failure, the nagging thoughts of just jacking it all in. So, how can we turn missing our goals into something positive?

Well, it gives us a chance to reassess ourselves. This is a crucial part of any learning exercise. Let's go through my thoughts on my failure this month, and see what sort of action list I draw up for May.

Are my products right? Well, I've been shifting my products slightly, and maybe I have gone too far away from the crochet products in preference of the easier to make felt badges. My word badges usually sell pretty quickly, quicker than the pretty embroidered badges. ACTION: work on creating at least four crochet pieces this month to list. List more word badges.
Have I promoted as much? I haven't been posting as much in the forums, since I was worried that I was going to lose my job from my far too frequent etsy surfing. I'm not going to go back to that though! I did spend some time in chat rooms, and that vastly increased my hearts and views, but did nothing for my sales (short term). I also haven't been posting as much to flickr. My blog posts have been fairly consistent. ACTION: spend at least two hours a week posting photos to flickr, taking part in groups, commenting etc. Try to upload at least 2 new photos twice a week. Also, do at least one myspace promotion this month.
Have I been listing/relisting as often? Yes. I've been listing/relisting almost every day. I am loathe to get into things more than that, as my products are not such high cost that it is worth spending a large amount of relisting fees. I have a reasonable number of new products to list that I can continue to list something new every day for the next couple of weeks. ACTION: continue with listing trends.
Have I been advertising enough? I've had one round of project wonderful advertising. That is probably not enough, to be honest. ACTION: undertake at least 2 campaigns of PW advertising through May.

There's also the question of outside factors, and whether I set myself realistic targets in the first place.

I believe, that whether you are doing well or not, that it is important every so often to stop and reassess - what am I doing, how am I doing it, and is it working?

Let's see if my proposed actions have a positive impact on Moose and Bear over the next month.

Back to Reality

2008-04-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

Another month, another craft fair. This time it was organised by Edinburgh Craft Fairs, who had done a large amount of promotion and had signs plastered all over Morningside. It was quite cool seeing pictures of my wee beasties blown up to being a foot tall! The craft fair itself was fun enough - I got talking to some really lovely people and sold the odd thing here and there (octopuses continue to be my most popular item), but not enough to dine out on my takings (we dined out anyway at the lovely iglu anyway!). For most people there, craft fairs were their main source of selling their business, and they approached it as an average basis - some are good, some are bad, and it's hard to tell which it's going to be from the start, since there are so many factors to consider - the venue, the weather, the time of year, credit crunches, etc. Christmas is always good, though. But whilst I was there, I realised that I just don't really love doing them - I hate the sitting around, the constant waiting and hoping that someone's going to buy, the fretting about whether my stall is good enough, looks attractive, is set up in a good place, whether other people round me are selling more and all that. That is all a part of retail which I just don't relate to enough. So I've decided that I'm not signing up for anymore fairs at all, apart from the Christmas one. I've tried something, and I didn't enjoy it. I think that that is okay.

Craft fairs do kick my productivity up a notch or five, and so I now have heaps to list on etsy (and a few things have also been deleted thanks to a couple of sales). I'm taking a break from the sewing and the hooking for a few days to let myself get back into it and get excited, but I've got a good amount of stuff to tide me over listing-wise in the meantime.

It's nearly the end of April, and unfortunately, I didn't hit my sales targets which were either hitting the big 5-0 on my store, or selling 15 items this month, if I hit the first one. Well, I didn't. I have sold nine so far, and am stuck on 46 sales. I'm really willing people to click on the buy button on etsy, but it just doesn't seem to be working! I'm sure I can tempt some people in with these new listings, fingers crossed!

Update on the To Do List

2008-04-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

Firstly, check out this amazing banner that was put together for me by cultivatedmindart. How fantastic is it?! I adore the lo-fi, diy, doodle approach she's taken. It's just perfect for moose and bear. I gave her such a random brief, and I'm so impressed with what she did with my really rubbish directions! I was actually a little bit nervous when she asked what I wanted - I didn't want to be too directional or prescriptive, because I'm pretty open-minded and trust graphic arts people to be able to produce something fantastic that I didn't even know I wanted. I did say I didn't like orange or purple, so she has nicely avoided those! If anyone else is looking for a banner, I would definitely recommend her.

Soooooo, my crafting to-do list. It now looks like this:

make legs and finish a blue octopus - the legs are done, the octo is not finished!
make six more sugar cookies - I've done a tiny bit of three
make six matryoska dolls - I've not even started
make 4 felt ninjas - not started
make 3 crochet ninjas - not started
make 3 keyrings - not started

Should I be freaking out? Well, yes, probably. But I have been really rubbish at focusing my efforts this week, instead getting addicted to jezebel.com. Rookie mistake. Tonight my boyfriend is out for the entire evening at basketball, so that will give me a huge amount of time to just sit down and focus my sewing efforts. I am determined to get the cookies done and at least 3 more matryoska dolls. I know I can do it, I really do! I just gotta have faith! (and large quantities of diet coke! and my favourite sewing soundtrack).

to do to do!

2008-04-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

My moleskine is no closer to turning up, so I'm going to have to struggle on without it. I'm really gutted, as it was only about a quarter on the way through, and I had so many fantabulous ideas in it. Grrr.

It had my this week crafting to do list for a start. I have been just about the least productive laydee ever this weekend, and really have to knuckle down this week and do some serious work. So, what does my to-do list look like?

I have to:

make legs and finish a blue octopus
make six more sugar cookies
make six matryoska dolls
make 4 felt ninjas
make 3 crochet ninjas
make 3 keyrings

ha ha - not much then!!! I can finish the octopus tonight, and the cookies tomorrow night. The matryoska dolls will take wednesday, and the crochet ninjas thursday. I'll outsouce most of the felt ninjas to my boyfriend (does that still count as me?). The keyrings I can do Friday night. See, I reckon that list is totally do-able.

Or maybe I just am a complete optimist!

Last Full Day of Crafting Before Fair

2008-04-20T06:23:00.001-07:00

Today is my last full day of crafting before next Saturday's craft fair in Morningside. Given that the last one I attended, I didn't sell heaps, I am not as stressed this time about having heaps and heaps of product (although it is a completely different market, so maybe I should be! Still, that doesn't mean that I'm outside enjoying the crisp (okay, chilly!) April sun. Instead, I'm inside finishing up a whole load of octopi (I love making bodies, hate making legs!), and then making a heap of crochet and felt ninjas. I've also been experimenting with play food - I really wish I had had time to make more of it. Play food is soo cool, and I really think that the Morningside yummy mummies would have got quite into it. Shame. What is more of shame is that I seem to have lost my fantasticly useful and important moleskine which basically kept track of everything that I had done and needed to do. Without it, I am lost. I am loathe to start a new one in case it turns up. It basically was where I put every idea about monsters, ninjas, blog posts, badges to make, and marketing plans. See, totally totally lost without it!

After last month's fantastic success on Etsy, this month has actually been really quiet. No sales in over a week! Still, that just gives me a chance to experiment with some different stuff, relax a little from the manic making, and focus on next week. I won't be listing anything this week (maybe a bunch of renewing to make sure I'm still showing up in search results), and next week I'm sure I'll be back with renewed vigour. These two badges are my latest listings. This is the last fair I have in my calendar for the moment, and I'm not sure how I'll progress with them at the moment. Instead, I might start looking more at consignment opportunities at local places.

Following on from my last post about once you get in one treasury, you start to get in more? Well, here is my little yellow ninja in yet another treasury (it has been in at least two so far). Thanks to kankalinhats for that.

sucess begets sucess

2008-04-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

success as we all know, breeds success. I happen to think that this is particularly true when it comes to being featured in a treasury. Recently, I've noticed that the lovely lupin's work has been on a front page a number of times recently. Abi has also been featured twice recently as well. And I notice that I've gone from being in the odd treasury, to being in a few more again, like this lovely pink one curated by boffin. And from this I've come to the conclusion that once you have gained some exposure for your work, like promoting your little bum off and eventually being featured in a treasury, people notice you a bit more, add you a few more times to their favourites, and then, when they come to make a treasury, come back to you. And so the circle continues, and is heightened even more by hitting the front page. I would like to say at this point that there is no way you are going to get a front page if you don't have amazing amazing work. I am certainly not saying that people who are on the front page do not deserve to be there. But I have a gut feeling that once you get there, the heightened level of exposure that it brings increases your chances of ending up there again.

What do you think? Do you think that hitting the front page is more likely to happen once you've done it once, or do you think that it all is down to the fabulousness of your stuff, the long slog of promoting your stuff, and a teensy bit of luck

a game of tag!

2008-04-15T11:04:00.001-07:00

I've been tagged!!! Leah at Moxie Photo and Design has tagged me. Unless I follow the rules, she's threatening to put her finger in the peanut butter jar. To be honest, that's not much of a threat to me, since my boyfriend shoves his finger in there all the time, but I'll still behave myself and play by the rules!

They are:

1. link to the person that tagged you.
2. post the {very important} rules on your blog.
3. list 6 very unimportant, random nothings about yourself {should be an easy one}

So, 6 random nothings about me then....

1. I love lighthouses
2. Despite working in IT and having an online shop, I have watched about 3 youtube videos in my life.
3. I have an extremely broad back - my dad refers to it as my builders back.
4. Rice is my least favourite form of carbohydrate. Noodles or potatoes are my favourite.
5. My favourite show ever is the west wing. My second favourite is the OC.
6. I keep buying high heels that I don't wear.

okay, so now that I've done my part, I've got to tag some other people. So I'm going to tag Abi and NikonGirlsPhotoshop.

Oh, and that cute little badge up at the top is my latest badge that I just listed.

Ooooh Paris!

2008-04-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

I have absolutely nothing crafty to blog about whatsoever. I deliberately didn't even take any of my crafty stuff to Paris, so have made absolutely nothing in the last few days. Nothing!

But aren't those macaroons just about the most gorgeous thing you ever saw? And they taste even better than they look! I got them from the ancient tea house, Laduree, which has branches all over Paris. I went on Saturday afternoon, and the tiny tearoom shop was crammed with Parisians who were buying them to serve as after dinner treats. The lemon one was most memorable to me - it resembled a lemon sorbet, without being cold, the way it sort of disappeared in your mouth - incredible and fabulous. I have a box of them sitting at home waiting for me, and I'm actually drooling thinking about them! I think that the pictures are so beautiful as well that I want to do something with them, but I'm not sure what that is yet...

Paris was absolutely wonderful, although the Euro exchange rate was rather painful. My legs ache from walking miles all over the city, which was fantastic. There are two things that I love when I'm in a city - walking everywhere, and sitting having coffee (preferably after walking everywhere!). My favourite place to spend some time is the Jardins du Luxembourg, which are the most gorgeous city park. A highlight of the trip was having 16 very french waiters sing happy birthday to my dad at La Coupole - I think it certainly took him by surprise! For once, I didn't do much shopping (pesky Euros!) although I did get a heap of notebooks (the new moleskines). There is nothing like a French papeterie to make me open my wallet! I'm actually back on the Euros tonight as I'm off to Dublin for work tomorrow, and back late tomorrow evening. So I'll have gone an entire week of no crafting - shock horror!!! Thinking about it now has started giving me the heebie jeebies! Actually, I'm supposed to go to dinner on Thursday night, but I think I'll have to give it a miss.

Milestones, Holidays, and Asking for Trouble

2008-04-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

I'm super excited because this time tomorrow I'll be in Paris! Yeh!!!

Okay, Parisian celebrations over. I'm also getting pretty excited about my shop because yesterday I hit a small milestone - 300 hearts. However, I'm coming up to a bigger one - 50 sales!!! Whoever buys my 50th product will get a nice little surprise in with their purchase as well. That would just be the best surprise ever, to come back from my long weekend to see that, but I think it's more likely to be in the next couple of weeks.

I've been meaning to blog about another Etsy seller for a while. asking for trouble is based in Glasgow, and I first saw her stuff at the Glasgow Craft Mafia market about a month ago. Her inspiration comes from Japan, and her stuff is made so beautifully that I totally fell in love with it when I saw it. I particularly love this pink brooch - isn't is so classy? This notebook is also gorgeous.

Asking for Trouble can also be found at askingfortrouble.org

moving along in no particular direction

2008-04-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

Things have been very busy around here, and I've hardly had a chance to sew anything, never mind write about sewing things! Real life, such as work and family has been getting in the way of Moose and Bear, but that's fine with me - much fun as it would be to have my life dictated by the corner of the room where all my felt gets heaped, I think that eventually I would become a social recluse who would be incapable of having sensible conversations and might forget to eat. Well, being reasonable, forgetting to eat is not likely to be a problem. So letting friends, family, food, a bit too much alcohol take over from sewing isn't such a bad thing, and I'm not going to let myself get worked up by it.

That doesn't mean I've been doing nothing. I've been making heaps of embroidered felt badges, like this one I've featured here. They go really well until I try and sew the badge on the back, and then no matter what, it seems to end up cock-eyed. I've had to unpick about five to get them to a stage that I'm happy about! I've got lots more designs for these rather pretty badges to work on, and I think I'll also make some magnets and keyrings for them as well over the next few weeks.

I've also just shipped off a batch of bunnies down to the art gallery in Newcastle where my bunnies are sold. This is my only bricks and mortar place, and it seems to be working well, although I've not yet received any cash!! I'll give that one a chase in a few weeks. Actually, I also really want to put together a brochure and spend a day going around some likely Edinburgh B&Ms to see if there is any chance of having my work there. I spend lots of time reminding myself that Etsy is not a business plan, and that I should expand my horizons, but then don't do anything about it - I can be such a hypocrite!

I also keep getting invites to craft fairs that I can't go to, which is really annoying. I'm doing one in a few weeks in Morningside (part of Edinburgh), but the Glasgow Craft Mafia have invited me to two I can't make, and another one from someone in another part of Edinburgh. Having only done one, I really want to do a couple more and get to that point where I can make an informed decision as to whether they work for me. Right now, I'm not there yet, and dates and going against me.

I'm also hitting some interesting targets - today I got 300 hearts, and I've also got 44 sales - so close to 50!!! (There will be a prize for my 50th sale you know!)

However, much more exciting than all that is the fact that I'm off to Paris on Thursday for a long weekend. Bring on the fine food and the good wine!

lazy sunday day

2008-04-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I'd love to say that I had a fantastically productive Sunday creating heaps of new products, but I didn't. I did go see the Ansel Adams exhibition, which was very beautiful and inspiring. Then, somehow I ended up shopping with Ori for trousers, instead of sewing some new badges. I've made a couple tonight - this geek one I actually did 90% of the work on last week at 3am, but found I can't cut straight at that time of night, so gave the final touches a miss until now. I just listed it a few hours ago. I also finished off my custom geek badge, and have done a whole heap of embroidery to sew up over the next few days. That's the thing - I'm fantastic at starting projects and doing the fun stuff - the designing, the making, and absolutely terrible at actually getting things finished off. It's the same no matter what I do - I have 3 whales in various shades waiting to get sewn together, as well as two octopuses, and now about seven badges. I'm just a complete procrastinator.

How many is too many?

2008-04-05T11:38:00.000-07:00

One of the questions that I often ask myself is how many items should I keep in my store? Is more better, or does that look like I can't sell anything? The best sellers on Etsy often have over 100 items in their store. However, they often have sales in the hundreds as well. I have never managed to get beyond a meagre 25 items until today, when I listed another couple - this little cute elephant and a new felt badge. I think I'm going to get to 30 (I've sold 38), and then go back to relisting rather than constantly adding new things. That doesn't mean I'm not working on new designs and ideas. I've got about 5 brooches that I need to finish off. Tonight will be about eating a lovely salad, watching a proper film (The Lives of Others), and chilling out.

This little badge is a bit change from what the embroidery that I've been doing recently - it's a bit prettier, and a bit more "skilled" looking. I wanted it to look a little more professional, and I've got a few more designs like this up my sleeve. I hope that they fit in with the rest of my shop aesthetic, and don't get lost in all the cheeky nonsense!

2008-04-05T03:33:00.000-07:00

Today I had the nice surprise of receving a convo from a past buyer who had come back to my store again and was wanting me to create a "geek" badge for her. I'm so happy! The thought of a repeat buyer is just too cool for school. So naturally I making one up for her quick smart. As I'm sure I mention on a regular basis, my biggest problem right now is getting the right light for taking photos. Every morning this week I've been keeping an eye on the light to see if I can take some cheeky photos before work, but I've really had no joy at all. I'm really hoping that this weekend will be a bit more sunshiney so I can get some photos taken; otherwise my pile of stock is just sitting there waiting to be listed!

You would think that I would have learnt from last time that leaving craft fair preparation to the last minute is a baaad idea. And the nagging voice at the back of my head really and truly does know that. However, work and family stuff has really been taking over me recently, and I've barely had time to craft at all. I've got a to-do list in my moleskine as long as my arm on things I have to make, and definitely not enough time in the world to actually get them all done. I'm starting to feel the pressure! My next craft fair is the last Saturday in April, but next weekend I'm in Paris (oh la la!), so that's completely out. And this afternoon, I'm going shopping with my lovely sister.You see where time is drifting away too.

I just had another lovely discovery - that I'm in a treasury!! Thanks to lostintheforest for putting it together!

First Sale for April

2008-04-03T13:15:00.001-07:00

This is a really quick post, mainly because I've been feeling a bit guilty about neglecting my blog recently. I had my quickest ever sale today - I listed this cute little nerd badge, had a shower, and when I came back, it was gone! A personal record, I have to say. I'm also currently working on a new product - some felt sugar cookies. These are mainly for a craft fair I'm working at in a few weeks. I don't think they'll make it to Etsy. I find that my more "traditional" stuff - crocheted stuffed toys and the like - do better at craft fairs than the kooky nerd badges. Right now I'm preffering the nerd stuff though!!!

March Roundup

2008-03-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

March turned out to be my most successful month on Etsy. This came as a total shock to me, as I completely ignored Etsy for the first two weeks as I frantically crafted for my first craft fair. Here's how the monthly stats come out:

Sales: 15

New hearts: 60

Hearts:Sales ratio: 4

I think that the hearts:sales ratio is really interesing - it's actually pretty low. I used to do a lot of pimping my work in the promos forums, and whilst that got me a lot of hearts and views, it didn't actually get me sales, and so I stopped.

Given that I had such a successful month, what was I doing differently?

1. Better photos. I have gotten very picky about my photos. Even the ones I'm currently using, I'm not completely happy with them. I've started only shooting in natural light in the morning (I've been late to work a couple of times taking advantage of the rare sunny days in Edinburgh!). I take photos against either white simple white computer paper, or for my newer amigurumis, a roll of white card. I really want to invest in a light box, but not for a couple more months. I usually don't use flash, but I've been finding it useful every so often for evening out light tones during the day.

2. New products. This month I created a lot of new products. I started making a whole lot of felt badges, which I am completely addicted to making. I also made up new felt ninjas, and this week I'll add some new crochet beasties to the mix. A reasonably high proportion of my sales have been recently listed items - items that weren't even a week old in my shop. That to me is amazing! Having said that, I also sold the two oldest things in my shop, so I guess I can't make too many comparisons. But the message I'm getting is that adding new things to the mix is really great, and to keep doing it.

3. List every day. At least. Since the mad crafting rush for the craft fair, and the subsequent disappointment around sales there, I was left with a lot of stock on my hands. I spent ages taking photos of it, and have been able to list a new item every day. At the weekends, I have been listing two. And I have also been listing across categories - my felt brooches are in accessories, and my amigurumis are in toys - I'm hitting up a lot of different etsy spaces, and the results are effective. I don't know why, but listing new items seems to be more effective than relisting, but it could be that the newer stuff is simply better.

4. Focus my social networking. I didn't go near a laptop for two weeks. My views definitely suffered. The last couple of weeks of March, I started focusing my efforts on Myspace, Flickr and Twitter. I commented my etsy mini on around 100 myspace pages, and I uploaded approximately 30 photos to flickr, which I then tagged and added to the relevant group. I also commented on a couple of other people's photos. I reinvigorated my twitter account, and have about 60 people following me. I have received feedback on the Etsy forums that I "tweet" well, and have also made a sale because of twitter. And the best thing? It's really low maintenance. I'm not doing anything that I wouldn't already be doing. Myspace takes an hour every two weeks, Twitter take the time that you are waiting for pages to load anyway (I use twitterfox), and flickr only ever gets pictures that I would have to edit for listings anyway. I use the flickr organizr tool to streamline my photo management, and it probably only takes about 20 mins a day. I have to admit that I still browse the Etsy forums, but only whilst I'm at work, so I'm not losing any important "crafting time".

5. Blog better. I've been putting more focus on my blog and posted articles that are relevant, and hopefully informative. I gave my thoughts on Alchemy, how to Twitter better, and the joys of marketing here. By making my blog more useful, hopefully its readership will grow.

So that's what happened to give me a spectacular March. I only hope that my expectations have not been so high that April will only disappoint. I have set myself a number of goals for April.

12 sales

50 new hearts

consistently maintain approx 25 items in shop (and not let it drop below 20).

Wish me luck!

Multi-Avenue Promotions

2008-03-29T12:41:00.000-07:00

I have frequently extolled the absolute necessity of promoting your Etsy store outside of Etsy. The last couple of days for me have been absolute proof of that. Last weekend I made a sale that started with someone spotting something I made on the front page and blogging about it. I discovered this, and then commented on his blog, we had a nice little conversation, and a few days later, he made the purchase. I really don't think that he would have had I not commented on his blog and blogged about him. Then, a few days later, I made a sale thanks to my frequent twittering, and this morning I woke up to three more sales to someone who counts me as a flickr contact. If I'd only stuck to promoting within Etsy, these sales would never have happened. But, and this is the best bit, they really didn't take that much effort from me. I love flickr anyway, and have happily lost hours whilst looking at other photos and sorting my on. Twitter, as I've already blogged about, is such an easy way to connect with people.

So, what makes effective flickr marketing? Easy. Add your photos to groups. Add contacts. Make comments on photos. Repeat. Just beware that you don't lose three hours of your life there - so easy to do!!

And for twitter - talk about your life, talk about your products, add links to your blog and new listings. Tweet to other people, get involved.

Oh, and finally, isn't my new "I heart geeks" badge awesome!! I love it, and really wanted to keep it.

Treasury Time!

2008-03-28T14:46:00.001-07:00

Just a quick post of Friday night to say thanks to DogmawGlass for including me in their Orange treasury - woohoo!! DogmawGlass makes gorgeous glass beads - definitely check out their store!!!

Twitter Tastic!!

2008-03-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

I'm not posting or listing anything today - the light is horrible and I can't get a good photo of things I've made. Instead, let me talk about my latest online obsession. Over the last couple of months, I've started using Twitter. Twitter is a micro-blogging platform that I first read about it in the storque, etsy's news area, and thought, hmm, that sounds fun. Well, okay, I first really signed up to twitter about six months ago, but at that point, I couldn't really see the point. Twitter seems to be reaching a really interesting critical mass at the moment - problogger uses it to connect to his readers, and dooce just blogged about it this week as well. I'm really enjoying my little twitterfox that pops up and tells me the antics of some fairly random crafty and fashion peeps all over the world. Following a post of on the Etsy forums, people started adding each other as friends - I currently only have about 50 "followers", as opposed to my 500+ myspacers. But I wouldn't want to have 500 twitter people - then I would be deluged with "tweets". Tweets are 140 character long messages that people send via twitter to provide updates on their life. It's amazing how informative a 140 character post is. Jellypotpie provides frequent updates on her running. paintgranny tells us about her weather. Delightfully tells us about new sales and cheers everyone else on with theirs. I talk a lot about lost crochet hooks and jaffa cakes. We all provide updates on our creative processes, new listings, and new blog posts. The joy of twitter is not just the public posting, but the ability to reply straight back to people directly - conversations start, relationships build, and connections get stronger. I would like to think that this is all part of a bigger strategy to build up customers, rapport and more. But in the meantime, it's not much effort, and rather addictive.

Follow me on twitter.

50th post!!

2008-03-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, I can't quite believe that I've made it to my fiftieth post. Not quite as exciting as my 50th sale, which will be quite some celebration. Yesterday I was lucky enough to celebrate my 30th sale, and that lucky chappie will be receiving a little extra gift in his envelope when he opens it. Actually, he was a really great customer, a couple of convos about the item in question before buying it, and I just really liked ho he took the trouble to get in touch. Big smiles.

Yesterday, I was supossed to be making more amigurumis, as they are by far the most popular thing in the shop. But I realised that what I really wanted to do as to stack my felt up and to vaguely tidy my thread box. I've included a before picture, but I forgot to take the after picture - doh! But bringing some order to my life made me a wee bit happier.

Today, I also neglected the amigurumi ducks (nearly finished, honestly) in favour of making something entirely new. Please welcome this tiny little felt car! I think it's adorable. I saw something similar in an Aranzi Aronzo book, but I wanted to go smaller and use buttons and some embroidery, so ended up with this little cutie. I really want to make a whole heap more of them now. The only shame is that his buttons don't actually turn, otherwise Ori and I could race them round the flat!

Tonight I'm having a late Easter dinner. Roast lamb, all the trimbings, and a rhubarb crumble for dessert. I've never actually made a rhubarb crumble, so I have to admit to being slightly worried about it. Mainly that I don't actually have enough for the crumble, to be honest. I wasn't really thinking when I picked up the bunch, and now this could be a disaster!

I got blogged!!

2008-03-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

Just a quick one as I'm tired after a hard day's shopping (what, I'm allowed, I'm pretty sure Lent's over). I got a google alert today that someone had written about my wenis badge - turns out a certain Rob Williams noticed it on the etsy site, and provided some further background on the word wenis. I always thought it was just a mix of weiner and penis - who knew? Anyway, it's pretty cool that he blogged about it, so I'm happy.

the grass is always greener!!

2008-03-20T12:58:00.000-07:00

No matter what I'm doing, it seems I always want to be doing something else!! I am a firm believer that variety is the spice of life, and the fact that the last three things that I have listed in my store have been felt brooches (and aren't they lovely?), makes me want to start listing more amigirumi crochet. Not that I have any! Right now I'm putting together some whales for my mum to send some friends, and right after that, I'll get back to making some cute things for the shop. I can't believe that I can't just be happy with my new product line - always thinking of the next thing!

Alchemical

2008-03-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

One of the most recent changes to the Etsy website is the introduction of Alchemy - an area of Etsy where buyers can request a custom item to be created by sellers who "bid" for the sale of the item. Prior to it being launched, I thought "yeah, that sounds like an interesting feature". And interesting it sure is, but not for the ways that I thought it would be. There are a number of results that I had no idea would happen.

The first is that buyers no longer have to search for an item, and therefore I imagine that browsing/random purchases are down. I know that quite often I think that I want one thing on a website, and then when I actually get there, I get distracted and buy something else entirely. This is the premise behind having shop locations, having categories, having showcased items - all of retail is based upon the browsing mentality. Alchemy effectively loses the browsing, and I don't wonder if sales are actually down. I imagine that site views certainly are. Of course, without clear statistic on Etsy performance, it's hard to say. I have seen zillions of posts for "wanted: banner for my shop" - well, there are zillions of banner creators out there - why not just use one of them? Of course, promoting is an absolute constant in any good store, but this feels like beyond promoting and closer to pimping my store!

Secondly, is the "race to the bottom". Etsy is supposed to be a marketplace that values hand-crafting. However, sellers are underpressure to cut prices and enter lower bids in the Alchemy service. Many of the ideal prices are quite simply frighteningly low. No seller is forced to enter a bid, so I can't possibly comment on the rights and wrongs of it, but I personally know that I don't think that many of the ideal prices are worth effort of creating the item.

Thirdly is the "rip-off" attitude. By this I mean the "can you create this but for a bit cheaper please" that seems to go on. I thoroughly approve of adding pictures that you are inspired by or you sort of want your item to look like. But asking people to copy other's work, or to undercut them is just plain cheeky.

Finally, Alchemy itself is difficult to work. There are no categories to search by and the bid process is confusing.

I was genuinely excited by Alchemy when it first arrived. I've now realised that it's not a service that I plan on using, either for buying or selling. It will be interesting to see how it matures and other Etsy users experiences of it.

moustaches and clouds

2008-03-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

Just another quick post to say that these two were listed today as well. I sold a couple of the moustache pins at the fair at the weekend, so I hope they do well on etsy. The cloud keyring came from some random doodles in a business meeting (my notebooks are an embarassment and I have to try and not let all the senior guys see them otherwise they'll just think that I'm more of a girlie nutcase than usual). I am really enjoying making the felt brooches and keyrings at the moment. It's giving me a lovely break from crochet, which I think is giving me RSI. Too much of anything, and I start to crave other things!

More thoughts on the craft fair

2008-03-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

I've had loads of comments from the Glasgow Craft Mafia after my post of the fair. The first thing I'd like to say is that I think it's absolutely awesome that so many have thought to provide comments and invite me along to talk about my thoughts. The people in the mafia are really cool and did put a whole lot of hard work into the fair on saturday, and the bad weather, the lack of signage on the day (beyond their control) and the poor footfall on the Byers Road that day all contributed. The people there were really cool, especially lady wurlitzer, stellamystar, asking for trouble, we are the robots, and pumpkinsputnik. Plus, they have such a fantastically high standard of stuff - I wanted to buy buy buy!!! (Nothing until Easter Monday though - the shopping-free lent continues. Much as I would like to go to Mono to chat about it, I am in Edinburgh so probably can't. However, I would definitely do another Glasgow Craft Mafia fair - one event does not an experiment make.

New Designs Posted

2008-03-16T15:23:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to say that these are two of my latest creations. I designed the yellow ninja first, and then loved the shape so much that I thought I would make a badge of it too. I really want to do a whole line of these teeny ninjas - I think they are soo cool!! I just posted them tonight - my first new products for March. Making brooches is a current obsession for me - I have lots of ideas I want to bring to life, and they are really restful to do. Plus, they don't take up heaps of space, so my boyfriend likes it as well. Space is at a complete premium in our flat. I'm really excited to see new things in - my shop was even starting to bore me!!

My first craft fair and getting back to the real world

2008-03-16T07:32:00.000-07:00

I've been completing neglecting my blog for the last week, on account of the freakish amount of crafting I have done to try and build up a heap of stock for the craft fair I was at yesterday. It was the Glasgow Craft Mafia market, and my first ever fair. More thoughts on that further down the post.

Firstly, one week's intense crafting (and we're talking still going to work every day), with the extreme support of a very understanding boyfriend produced:

3 crocheted ninjas
2 felt ninjas
2 crocheted whales
2 crocheted elephants
10 felt badges
2 plush bunnies
1 crocheted octopus
2 plush monsters

Quite a haul, don't you think? I definitely don't want to leave everything to the last minute again, but it was great to see how productive I can be if I really put my mind to it? And I did still enjoy doing it, but like anytime I feel that I'm crafting to order, I did feel a bit constrained, and right now I have a heap of new designs in my head that I want to try out, so I'll work on that for the next week or so. I have another fair in about six weeks, so I'll try and be more organised in thinking about my stock.

So, how did the fair go? Well, it was my first fair, so I'm not sure how much I can really measure it, but I have to admit to feeling a bit disappointed. I just about made back by entry fee, and by watching the other people there, I wasn't doing any worse or any better than anyone else. It was held upstairs in a library, and there were very few signs outside to let people know that it was going on. There was a fantastic banner made by the craft mafia, but unfortunately they weren't allowed to hang it up downstairs. The Byers Road in Glasgow is the perfect place for the fair to be, but the lack of signs on the day really meant that the footfall wasn't fantastic. When people did come in, then it was great, but at most parts of the day, the number of sellers in the room outnumbered the buyers. A real shame, and I don't know if it was just a once-off for that event, or an ongoing issue. I did get a chance to meet some really cool people and see some fantastic stuff, so that was really good. If possible, I would like to try it again to see if it was just a once-0ff.

I haven't listed a single thing of Etsy for all of March, so I will be spending the next ten days or so listing something new every day, so it'll be interesting to see if that is good for sales there.

crazy times!!

2008-03-08T04:37:00.000-08:00

Right now I am perched on one corner of the sofa, knees against my chest, typing in a fairly uncomfortable position. The reason for this is that I have my very first craft fair next Saturday, and I have woefully little stock for it, and am now mad crafting like a maniac to make up for it. On top of that, I have been in Israel for a few days vacation visiting my boyfriend's family, and I thought I would be able to get loads done there - nope, not a chance!!! The floor of my tiny flat is covered with felt scraps, there is wool everywhere, the kitchen table has cut out bits of felt all over it, and there are enough pins and needles lying around to ensure that I'll definitely do myself a serious injury!! Now, my boyfriend is a total neat freak (when he runs out of things to say, he says "tidy up!" because he knows it's relevant!), so luckily he isn't home until tomorrow, otherwise he'd be having a heart attack and breaking out into cold sweats. I am literally counting the crafting hours I have between now and Saturday to see how much I can make. And with the fab new job, well, taking a sickie is just plain out of the question. I can see a week of very little sleep, and bribing my boyf to be extremely understanding!

Featured Etsy Seller

2008-02-27T11:45:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to feature an Etsy seller on here for a while. My first seller that I want to feature is the wonderful TheBannerQueen. She makes fantastic banners and avatars at really reasonable prices. She also runs a blog over at The Banner Queen blog. The reason that I want to feature her is because she and I are usually on the forums at the same time, and she is one of the best people on the forums. She's open, friendly, helpful, and above all positive. Sometimes on the Etsy forums, people get negative and whiny - banner is never one of them. She sets a fantastic example of how to behave online, how to be part of a community, and just be a nice person! And for that, I salute her.

cuteable!!

2008-02-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

I'm on cuteable today!!! Check it out here. I'm really excited because it's the first time I've been featured on a blog - yeh!!

buy buy buy!!!

2008-02-24T10:34:00.000-08:00

With the economic downturn affecting nearly all parts of retail, including handmade I'm sure, handmade retailers have a decision to make. Do they (a) tough it out, pinch their pennies, and take the slowdown as an opportunity to restock their stuff or do they (b) attempt to kickstart the economy with a bit of retail therapy of their own? Today, I chose the latter, and went on a bit of an Etsy spending spree.

First up is this beautiful print from Madelaine - isn't it sumptuous? I adore the richness of the colours tempered with the look of emptiness and decay. It reminds me of some Sam Taylor Wood photos that were taken in rural Georgia.

Secondly, I bought this great pin from Lupin. I've been following Lupin's work for a while - she writes a great blog over at bugsandfishes, and I've been dying to treat myself to a pin of hers for a while. I love brown, pink, felt, and tea - what's not to love?

I saw this tin from HummingbirdEyes a while ago, and didn't buy it. Naturally someone else did, but when I saw it as available again, I jumped at the chance. It's going to be perfect for keeping my buttons in. Right now, they are in an old honey pot, and my buttons do actually smell like honey. Actually, that's not really such a bad thing, but I still love the tin.

Finally, craftpudding just makes gorgeous stamps. And who would say no to a piece of cuteness like this? Impossible.

As a sidenote, I discovered craftpudding and lupin, not through Etsy itself, but through flickr - another reminder of just how important non-Etsy promotion is.

Oh, and I've spent the day listening to the Juno soundtrack whilst sewing up some more magnets - fantastic. An absolute must for everyone who likes whimsical music and pay attention to lyrics.

bad days all around

2008-02-23T16:26:00.000-08:00

It looks like everyone was having a bad day today. Something blew up on the Etsy servers today, and everyone's view counters are shot. I guess it doesn't really mean very much in the long run, but right now my shop looks very lonely and unloved with everything at 1 or 2. Bless! I guess I could do some mad promoting to get views in, but it will even itself out over the next day or so. I did some myspace promoting today that might bring some more people in, for a start. And on my end, I spent last night making some really cool felt whales that I was going to turn into magnets, apart from my bag of 50 magnets completely disappeared. The last time we saw them, my boyfriend was complaining that they weren't candy, and then, well, we don't know. They have vanished. We have turned the flat upside down, and they are nowhere to be seen. Very random. I've ordered more, but in the meantime, no shop updates! I am working on a bright blue octo to join George in the store - I can't wait to take pictures of them together, because that is going to be so cute!!

On a side note, I saw Juno, and it is sooooooo awesome!! I wish I as that cool as a teenager. Well, without the whole pregnancy thing, of course. I'm not even ready for babies now.

one week of no productivity at all!

2008-02-22T10:48:00.000-08:00

That's right - in one week, I managed to just make one plushie. One!!! That is shocking. Especially since I made an inventory list of everything that I want to make for the Glasgow Craft Mafia Market (see my new picture for it in my sidebar!), and I am more than sorely lacking. Still, I've had a really hard week for work with a new job which is really exciting. For once, I don't have hours and hours to play with at work, so no more wasting around on the Etsy forums and playing on flickr!

This plushie is using my current favourite technique - felt applique. I just absolutely adore the neatness of the effect, the rythme of doing it, how it all fits together. I think I'll be doing a lot more of it over the couple of weeks. Can't wait!

Design Improvements

2008-02-17T05:23:00.000-08:00

My crocheted matryoska dolls have proven to be pretty popular, but I have always had a hard time making their faces in a way that I was totally happy with. I have also been doing a lot of felt applique recently and absolutely loved the look of it, and how easy it is to manipulate to get the effect I wanted. Yesterday when I was making another set of dolls, instead of making crocheted faces, I decided to do felt ones, and it is such an improvement!! I am so pleased with the new dolls - I think they look doubly adorable now. I think one of the great things about crafting is the development of skills - you can visibly see my development. That is so rewarding.

shipping tomorrow!!

2008-02-15T11:50:00.000-08:00

I've been biatching for the last week or so about how my consignment order was draining my creativity. Well, I finished a few days ago, and today I was photographing it before sending it to Newcastle tomorrow. I'm really pleased about how bright and colourful they all turned out - yellow is such a shiny, smiley colour!This is my favourite picture I think - he just looks so happy to be surrounded by all his felty friends!
This is my latest creation - aren't they adorable? My dad is a dentist, so it was a matter of time before I made teeth. They are magnets, but I guess they could be brooches are anything.

myspace madness

2008-02-15T04:29:00.000-08:00

I've just spent the morning clicking through myspace adding friends and using my EtsyMini as a comment. I have found that promoting on myspace does tend to lead to more hearts and views on my work. I'm not sure I've had a sale through myspace yet, but who can tell. And hearts are bookmarks for future views - who knows when a potential buyer might come along. So I'll do a little bit more this afternoon, interspersed with some genuine hard work (I've got to put together a report for work!), and then tonight will be back to some serious crafting. I've realised that I've got about 4 weekends until my first craft fair, and that threw me into a bit of a panic, especially since one is going to be spent in Israel. Weekends are my most productive time, so I'm going to have to work extra hard over the next couple to get enough wares for my debut at the Glasgow Craft Mafia Fair in March. I'm super excited about it though. I am not really expecting to sell much, or even make it even on my entrance fee, but I'm hoping it will be a good opportunity for meeting other crafty people, and maybe make some future sales with my business cards etc. I haven't even thought about what I need to take - I've never even been to a craft fair, never mind actually exhibited. If I start thinking about it though, I'll start getting stressed. Not a good plan.

crocheted cuteness

2008-02-14T06:16:00.001-08:00

IMG_3962, originally uploaded by mooseandbear.

These little cuties were made for a custom order I got last week. I actually have started making a third set, because they seem to be pretty popular - I get a lot of comments on the photos on flickr, which is nice.

I did a showcase this week on etsy in the gift guides section. I might as well have ripped up my $7. My views and hearts were not substantially changed from a normal day, and I had absolutely zero sales. I guess the main learning from that experience is not to do it again! Like I said in an earlier post, somethings you have to learn for yourself. Sales are actually quite low at the moment, I feel. I've had one big order of 5 things, but not much else. Perhaps it is because I haven't been doing as much off-Etsy promoting, like myspace, so I think I'll spend Friday night clicking around myspace adding friends, comments and my mini-Etsy everywhere. Perhaps that will give me a boost.

It's also Valentines Day today, so tonight will be Etsy-free. I'm looking forward to chilling out with my boy, eating some nice food, and having a wander round the neighbourhood.

back by popular demand!

2008-02-10T10:46:00.000-08:00

Last time I made these guys they only lasted an hour. Fingers crossed they're just as popular this time around!

Tomorrow I'm flying to Manchester in the morning, and Amsterdam in the afternoon. Then it's a day in Amsterdam and back to Manchester to drive to Halifax. My boyfriend asked whether Moose and Bear would be coming with me, and whether I would have to declare 5 kilos of felt at immigration. And the honest answer is yes, I will be taking my mad-crafting bag and coming back with a whole load of new stock. Definitely octopus, and maybe some ninjas.

Lisa the Marshmallow Yeti Monster

2008-02-10T06:05:00.001-08:00

Meet Lisa, the Marshamallow Yeti Monster. I just finished her, after starting designing her yesteday. She took a lot longer than I expected, with all those applique felt circles, and her face took forever. I'm still terrible at faces. I really wanted to use buttons for her eyes, but none of the buttons I had worked, and even now, I'm not sure what sort of buttons would be good. Her face, actually, all of her, is very Japanese kawaii influenced. She's probably the biggest plushie I've yet made, and whilst I prefer making small things (and have a whole bunch of teenies planned), I'm quite proud of her. I also hadn't used plain cotton thread for stitching felt before, and it was a lot more secure than I thought it would be. I hope she finds a good home soon. I have hardly anything in my shop, and a showcase on Tuesday, so I've got my work cut out to get enough in my shop to make it worthwhile. Back to the crochet hook!!

moving onwards

2008-02-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

If you have read my previous post, then you'll realise that last night I was having a hard time with Etsy, and being accused of copying (I wasn't). What I should have pointed out was that this was not coming from the seller themselves, but someone else entirely. However, I did convo the seller, let them know that I was removing any similar items, and that I hoped that the situation hadn't caused any problems. I got a really nice message back saying that they appreciated my actions, and that they hoped that I wasn't now feeling limited in what I could do in the plush world. It was such a great message to get back, and today I feel ready to get back into the crazy world of Etsyism, and have spent the day working on a new design that will be posted later, once I have enough stuffing for it. I have run out, again.

Big thanks to the supportive comments I got last night as well - mucho appreciated!

conflicting and challenging time

2008-02-08T10:44:00.000-08:00

This week I have had to deal with one of the most challenging things in Etsy that I have come across - the question of originality. It turns out that some of the pieces of work that I have been making, most notably, my small swearing toys, are a similar concept to some of those that a seller on Etsy already makes. At first, I thought, well, that's weird, but not unheard of - ideas are rarely unique, and Etsy is a truly global marketplace. There is Coke and Pepsi, so there will inevitably be pieces that have a similar look, even if they are developed millions of miles away. However, I have just received an accusation of copying, which didn't make me feel comfortable at all. The last thing I want is to have my brand associated with a lack of originality. So I have decided to stop making those toys, and to phase them out of my store as well, and delisted the most similar ones today. I'll be working on new designs over the next couple of days to rebuild my store stock, and I really want to just leave the whole thing behind me. I am sure that I am not the only seller to go through this. I know I would feel angry if I saw what appeared to be copies of my work, and I don't want a seller to feel that. I guess it is just one of the conflicts of having a truly global marketplace - how does one genuinely manage copyright issues?

is it business or pleasure, sir?

2008-02-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

One of the enduring conflicts that I have whilst working on Moose and Bear is figuring out whether I am doing it for business or pleasure. I know that it will never become a full-time occupation for me, but there is still the question as to whether I am looking to operate at a profit or not.

For example, this week I have been working on fulfilling a consignment order. To be honest, it hasn't been fun, because I have been working to order, rather than doing what inspires me. And yet, if another store asked me to do consignment, I would probably say yes, because I know that getting my product out into stores is a good move for me. Also, I purchased a spreadsheet from JJMFinance the other day for $5 to track my hearts and views. To be honest, if I was looking to operate on a profit, I would have taken an hour and built one myself. And whilst I am looking to track my hearts and views from a marketing perspective, I have a feeling it is really more about vanity. I also purchased a showcase (advertising slot) on Etsy for next week. I have spent some time in forums and have learnt that these are generally not a good idea, and don't give a good return on investment. However, I really wanted to actually experience this for myself, rather than take the perceived wisdom from the forums. I guess I am very much at the point of this being a hobby for me, albeit one that I'd like to be self-funding at least, and it is at the moment. It would be really nice if it could become more than self-sustaining, but that is a dream away at the moment.

more good feedback

2008-02-06T04:20:00.001-08:00

froggie desk pet, originally uploaded by mooseandbear.

The lucky recipient of Andrew the Studious Frog Desk pet left me great feedback that he was already making her study harder! Getting great feedback is such a good feeling - sometimes in the big bad world of Etsy where there is so much talent and variety, I can feel that I'm not up to scratch and that I shouldn't be there. But hearing that customers love your product just makes that go away and you realise that what you are creating does have value.

I've been mad crafting at the moment for my consignment work. I'm halfway through an order, and I want to get it all done by Friday and in the post on Saturday. That would be more achievable if I hadn't actually lost the felt I bought over the weekend. Everything else I bought from JL that day is accounted for, apart from the felt. Either I've lost it, I'm going mad, or it never made it into the bag at JL. Either way, I'll have to be back on Thursday night to pick up some more.

brand new steve!

2008-02-05T11:55:00.001-08:00

IMG_3914, originally uploaded by mooseandbear.

I've been working on a brand new Steve since last week. Steve the Robot was originally made at the beginning of the new year, and he sold in just a couple of weeks. He was part of the original "moose and bear" crew - the softies that make up my avatar and business cards, and that I blogged about how attached I was to here. Anyway, I've made a new Steve, with some design changes. To be honest, whilst I was making him I had a nagging feeling that he just wasn't as good as the old Steve - he's a bit bigger for a start. But, actually, now that he's finished, and I've taken pictures of him, spent some time with him, understood his feelings and really bonded, I think he's not bad at all. My shop was also looking like a crochet free zone, which is okay, but I like to give my customers variety, so I'm glad that I can list him tonight and bring some variety back to Moose and Bear.

Trust the Masses

2008-02-03T09:50:00.000-08:00

Last night I wrote a post about how I wasn't sure if I should list my little ducks, as I didn't think that they were in keeping with the rest of my store look. Well, I shouldn't have been so worried. They have officially become my fastest selling item, lasting less than 24 hours in my store. I'm really pleased, and will be relisting them really soon.

Friday Night WIP

2008-02-02T08:15:00.001-08:00

IMG_3874, originally uploaded by mooseandbear.

On Fridays I get a guaranteed couple of hours peace and quiet as the boyfriend is at a basketball game. Given that I've been away from any type of filling recently with staying in hotels, I had amassed a fair number of wips that I wanted to get finished. This is them all spread out of the table demanding attention. The guy on the bottom left is a new design and I'm really proud of him. I finished him last night, and he went up for sale today. Even Kate, my little sister was quite impressed. I had a definite idea of how I wanted him to turn out, and he did pretty much how I wanted, which is unusual for me!

This is how he turned out - pretty good, no? I just posted him on sale, so I hope he goes soon. He had better - I just had to spend an obscene amount of money on new glasses as Ori stood on mine this morning.

I've been working on these little cuties forever - they are just far too cute!! Right now they don't really fit with the aesthetic of my store, and I was thinking of maybe offering them as a PIF, or saving them until closer to Easter, or, well, I don't know.

My store aesthetic is causing me problems, making me potentially look like I'm some kind of schizophrenic crafter - angry bunnies and cute little ducks just don't naturally mix, do they? It's something that has been bothering me for a while, and I'm still unsure as to how to follow through yet.

Finally, I was left some fantastic feedback last night - one of my customers even wrote me a poem!!! I really can't thank them enough. Great customers are just amazing, and it is such a glowing feeling to know that my creations are being loved and appreciated by someone other than myself.

away from home is great for industry

2008-02-01T02:35:00.001-08:00

IMG_3813, originally uploaded by mooseandbear.

Yesteday, I sat on my hotel bed and cut out felt, sewed, embroidered and generally made a mess from 5 until about 10.30, with only some short breaks for essentials like green curry (the only edible thing on the holiday inn menu!). I never bring stuffing with me whenever I travel as it just takes up far too much space in my tiny rolly bag. So I now have 3 bunnies, one swearing amoeba monster, and a newly designed "drip paint" monster to stuff tonight. The new bunnies and swearing amoeba (I really need a better name than that!) are great thanks to my lovely new felt colours from paper and string, and I really want to list them, but instead they are getting packaged up and put in a box and sent to Newcastle, where they will be my first consignment order. I will photograph them though, and turn them into part of my catalogue that I'm building. I'll be listing my new "drip monster" over the weekend, along with tonight's second burst of super industry. Thanks to all this entirely focused, internet free crafting that I've been able to do, I now am ready to get back into promoting the wonders of Moose and Bear, and, even better, go supply shopping!! John Lewis have lots of new felt colours in, so I'll be dropping in there tomorrow. Bugs and Fishes posted about not having the exactly right colour of thread for felt, and I feel her pain, because I'm the same right now, so I'm going to get some new thread, and a whole heap of buttons as well. Nothing makes a crafter happier than going shopping for supplies!!!

no promoting today

2008-01-30T13:14:00.000-08:00

Having an etsy shop isn't just about the crafting. I think I probably spend more time actually promoting my shop and getting people to just look at what I have. This involves my flickr page, this blog itself, adverts on project wonderful, promoting on the forums, and my myspace page. That's a lot of work. And you need to keep up that promotion work to get those buyers coming through. But you know what? I don't feel like it today. I didn't do it yesterday (lovely dinner), and I won't do it tomorrow because I'm away for work and will be crafting from my hotel room. But you know what? That's okay. This journey is about fun. It's about becoming a better crafter. It's about creating fantastic products. And if, for a few days, I just don't feel like spending hours online promoting my store, that's fine. Because I never want to get to a stage where Moose and Bear is anything less than a pleasure to work on.

Oh, and I did get a sale yesterday. So I am doing fine for cash right now as well. :)

calm after the storm

2008-01-28T14:29:00.000-08:00

Yes, after being so worked up that I was never going to be able to keep up with Moose and Bear's popularity, I have realised that in all honesty it was a bit of a freak run, and normality has resumed. And I am quite happy actually. I am sitting in my nice Ikea lounge seat, legs crossed, some amigurumi on my lap and some new "dudes" to stitch together. No stress, just relaxation and enjoying my crafting for what it is - the chance to create something and enjoy the process. I have plans this week for working on a new plushie design (think multicolour!), so hopefully I'll have that done by the weekend. I've ordered heaps of new yarn, so I can continue making octopi in every colour, although I really want to make some owls as well. My little black crafting book has todos on every page right now, but it's inspiring, not imposing. Just the way it is supposed to be.

gorgeous blog, gorgeous brooches

2008-01-27T07:56:00.000-08:00

Joyful Abode has this pattern up for the most gorgeous Valentine Brooches.

I think I wil try and whip some up and pin them to my bag before Valentines. I have to say, just about everything on her blog makes me scream with jealousy - the beautiful design, the great photography, the yummy food. Not fair! Jealousy is a form of flattery, isn't it? :)

almost stressful

2008-01-27T07:12:00.001-08:00

IMG_3803, originally uploaded by mooseandbear.

Crafts are supposed to be relaxing right? Right now, I don't feel relaxed. I set myself a goal this year of 3 sales a week. This week, I got 5, which is fantastic, but has actually made me feel really stressed! I have been feeling very much that I have nothing in my shop and I have been mad crafting to replenish stock. I know, who thought I would ever be complaining of too much success?? And even by posting this, I know that I will have no sales now for weeks!

Perhaps a reason why I feel stressed is because I decided that I really wanted to make another octopus - they are extremely cute after all. Unfortunately that whole 8-legged thing is a bit of a pain in the ass!! I always underestimate how long he takes to actually make. But once he's finished, I completely forget because he looks so wise and blue. Definitely one of my favourites.

Another excitement this week was my felt purchase from Paper and String. This is a great example of how flickr really can work for promotions - I love paper and string's page on flickr, went to her blog, and then proceeded to buy some lovely felt from her store. It's a shame that the boyfriend has taken all the best colours I bought and is currently turning them into a monkey plushie. He is actually doing very well at his whole "I want to build monsters" thing.

I sold "dude" this week. That's the last one of the "original moose and bear" crew - the plushies that I really felt represented moose and bear's aesthetic; I actually felt a pang of sadness that I will have to pack him up. I know, be strong and remember, this is supposed to vaguely be a business.

It's Sunday - I'd love a tea and some cake. Yum.

it's all go-go-go at moose and bear!

2008-01-23T11:42:00.000-08:00

It really has been a busy couple of days at moose and bear and really really exciting. Last week someone convo-ed me about doing some consignment work, which was hugely flattering. I've done a bit of research (thank you to everyone on the etsy forums who puts up with my inane questions), and the general consensus is that it can sometimes work, and sometimes not. So I'm guessing I should do it this once, and see how well I like doing it. I've got to make up 10 plushies - a mixture of swearing and non-swearing - and send them by mid-Feb. That shouldn't be too onerous.

I also received my moo cards this week. As you can see, I got quite a range. I like them all apart from the bottom three. I imagine that the first time you get moo cards is a bit of trial and error, but I'm pretty pleased with these. Now I just have to suck up the courage to start talking to people about my shop!!

Actually, the cards are out of date. I made a big sale yesterday - 3 items to one seller! And, pity the poor seller, I had only just put my prices up a couple of hours ago. I had received feedback that my prices were too low and were probably putting off sellers, so I put them up, and lo and behold, three things gone! I was actually in a state of shock, because I logged in and my shop looked empty! It was fantastic. So goodbye to Steve the Robot, George the Octopus, and the cute little matryoska dolls. I am most upset about Steve, because I kept meaning to writing down the pattern I thought up whilst making him, but now he's in the mail. I guess that pretty much makes him OOAK. Cool.

I've been making a lot of felt recently, so the last couple of nights I've been getting back into my amigurumi. I was planning on making a two legged blobby monster. Only, when I finished him, he looked more like a penis. So now I don't know what to do. I think he's fantastically cute, but would people really want a blue penis esque plushie in their lives? Oooooh. Design-wise, I think it's back to the drawing board unfortunately.

my boyfriend sews

2008-01-21T13:27:00.001-08:00

IMG_3717, originally uploaded by mooseandbear.

Oh yes he does. Last night he sat and concentrated very hard whilst sewing his very first plushie. No pictures of it yet, but I'll post them as soon as I get them. He made a very cool 3-D owl. It was very cute to watch, but for some reason he does army sewing which means doubling up the thread. Fine with normal black cotton thread, unnecessary with gorgeous yellow embroidery thread that I just bought yesterday!!! Today he sent me an email of how he wanted to make another monster today. So sweet. Although now he's going to want to become a Moose and Bear partner, rather than employee. He does most of my photography and copy writing at the moment - hey, he's got a degree in marketing, he should!

I listed this adorable little green guy today, right after I left work early to post my latest sale. It's always a nice feeling posting something off to pastures new. I always worry though that buyers will be upset when they get my stuff. I remember one buyer, just before Christmas, bought three different things from my store. I didn't hear anything for ages, and then I got the best feedback ever - things were "ridiculously cute" and "perfect gift" - I was walking on clouds all day after that! I love the buyer-seller relationship that happens on Etsy - I also logged in, not to find a sale, but a message from someone saying that they thought my stuff was adorable. Almost as good as a sale! I'm also getting more and more into the forums, building up relationships, knowledge, passing it onto other people. It feels good to do that.

naughty naughty!!!

2008-01-20T08:44:00.001-08:00

IMG_3721, originally uploaded by mooseandbear.

Yes, this guy is a little cheeky!!! He went on sale today, but I actually made him a couple of weeks ago whilst stranded in a west yorkshire hotel room. I think he has a very cute cheeky face to go with his naughty mind. I think I'm going to make some more like him but maybe with some more positive messages. On another note, I am getting rather bored with my limited felt repository - John Lewis, which is my cheapest local shot, only has pretty rubbish colours, so I'm thinking I have to go online pretty soon to stock up. Pink, green, a not great blue, yellow, and black does not creativity encourage.

On another note, this little guy sold today!!! I am still at the stage when a sale is reason to celebrate - a little sad I know. It makes all the myspacing, flickring, and etsy forum posting worthwhile. Woo-hoo!!

And finally (just like the news then), tonight should be interesting, as Ori has deciding that he is not just chief photographer, but he wants to design and make his own monster tonight. I think he wants a promotion.

Latest in the Monster/Bunny line

2008-01-19T14:35:00.001-08:00

IMG_3725, originally uploaded by mooseandbear.

This little green guy is the result of some late night Friday crafting. Whilst Ori was out playing basketball I watched Lost in Translation and sewed up this little guy. Ori think that his eyes are weird (I am having a really hard time finding cheap, suitable buttons right now. The ones I prefer are 25p each at John Lewis, which is ridiculous!), but I quite like them actually. Until I get new thread, I won't be able to use the other 4 colours of pastel that came in the bag unfortunately.

I didn't do any crafting today, instead taking lots of photos instead. I cold easily take out some sewing now, but I'm actually enjoying not doing something, which is odd. Aside from this post, I am pretty much ignoring Moose and Bear today. Instead, I'm reading (On Chesil Beach, so far very good), drinking G&T, and relaxing. Tomorrow, I'll sew like a maniac, I'm sure.

lost in translation is craftastic

2008-01-18T16:15:00.000-08:00

I am a huge Lost In Translation fan. Everythin about the movie is just wonderful and perfect, but I had forgotten that Scarlett (who's character, does she have a name?) is knitting a scarf in the movie. Even more bliss.

Okay, off to bed.

custom plushie

2008-01-18T14:24:00.001-08:00

IMG_3679, originally uploaded by mooseandbear.

I finished this guy late last night. He is about a foot high, and took a lot longer to sew up than I thought. Anyway, he is the custom design I made for the little boy who is having migraines, so I hope he likes him. I'm pleased with how he's turned out - I think the little bandage is really cute.

Etsy is up and down for me. As I said earlier, I have had an exciting week with potential consignment and this custom order, but my actual store is not selling so well. I get lots of views and hearts, but not buyers!! I am doing lots of promotions and myspacing etc, and I know it takes time, but I guess I want some more Etsy love!! Otherwise, my pile of little monsters just grows and grows. At least they have each other for company.

My First Custom Order

2008-01-17T04:05:00.001-08:00

IMG_3623, originally uploaded by mooseandbear.

Yep, that's right, I got my first custom order. I'm really excited about it. Bascially, I have to make up this little guy here, but larger, and with a different message. It's been commisioned by a mum who's little boy is having really bad headaches. I should have it finished today and mailed off tomorrow - pictures coming soon. Because we've built up a bit of a relationship whilst we've been emailing back and forth, I'm also going to throw in a little mini plushie as well. I just haven't decided what that one will say. Maybe nothing actually.

Moose and Bear has had a busy couple of days. Although no other sales, I've been contacted about doing some potential consignment work for a gallery shop in Newcastle. It's the first time I've been asked about this, so it's very flattering. I'm not sure how it will work out, and I'm currently putting together my brochure. And by brochure, I mean copying my Etsy page into a different format. Pricing is one of the most difficult issues - they are asking for 40% commission rate, which might push the price of my wee beasties up! Then again, I've had feedback on the Etsy forums that prices could be doing with being raised a dollar or two. That's not 40% though! Some people have good things to say, some don't...

I've also signed up for my first ever craft fair!!! April 21st (I think!) in Morningside, Edinburgh. I'll be there with my coterie of beasties. It could be amazing, it could be completely disheartening. Time will only tell.

I also got my moo cards - very exciting!! Some came out better than others - well, it was my first try. I can't wait to start giving them out and leaving them in coffee shops etc. I think that next time I will make a special flickr folder for pictures that have been edited to fit the moo shape though.

Right now I'm really feeling inspired to do some embroidering, a la subversive stitching stylee. I'm going to pick up some aida today along with more filling for my plushies. And I'm trying to plot ways of getting to the new HobbyCraft that has opened in Glasgow. Damn not having a car!

weekend of crafting

2008-01-13T13:55:00.001-08:00

amigurumi matryoska dolls, originally uploaded by mooseandbear.

If anyone reads this, they will know that I love starting a project, and hate finishing. I have done numerous personality quizes are work which tell me this, but nothing provides more evidence that my work in progress bag, which is always filled with small parts of crocheted things to be. This afternoon I sat and sewed together a couple of things, including finishing off this set of three russian dolls. They had been sitting in my work in progress bag for, well, before Christmas. Yes, that's bad. I saw them in a Japanese crochet book, but the pattern that was there didn't work out, and I had to rethink it myself. Very simple, but gorgeously effective. They are now on sale on Etsy as of about ten minutes ago.

Ain't He Just So Cute?!?

2008-01-11T02:03:00.001-08:00

IMG_3603, originally uploaded by mooseandbear.

I really really love this guy!! He's one of the creations from last week's craftathon in my hotel room. I really want to make more with different embroidery on the front, and maybe some mean ones as well!!! I was worried when creating him that getting the stuffing even would be a pain, because he's quite small, but actually, he worked out great. He just fits in your hand. I'd like to make one for my desk at work, but right now this little dude has gone on sale on Etsy.

Have to admit that I did absolutely no crafting yesterday. [Hangs head in shame]. Between getting home from work late (missing a flight by 10 mins - argh!!), and spending some quality time with my boy after not having seen him for three days, it didn't seem right. I did draw out some designs in my sketchbook in the airport lounge - that might count, right? ;)

Steve the Amazing Crocheted Robot

2008-01-06T06:42:00.001-08:00

IMG_3607, originally uploaded by mooseandbear.

I really love this guy. I saw a knitted robot with a similar shape, so decided to see whether I could crochet one instead (being completely unable to knit!). I did it in the round, and I think he turned out pretty good. I used cotton yarn which I love working with, but doesn't have a lot of stretch so I can't decide whether it is good for plushies or not! Anyway, he's up for sale on etsy, so we'll have to wait and see what the public thinks!

Proof I have been crafting the last 4 days!!

2008-01-05T16:27:00.001-08:00

IMG_3631, originally uploaded by mooseandbear.

Yes, I haven't actually had any pictures up of the last 4 days of crafting, which made it slightly less interesting to read about. But here is evidence of my work!!! I actually have to say I really love these guys. "Feed Me" and "Dude" were the new designs I made in the hotel room, and George the Hot Pink Octopus I have been making for a while. I thought that sewing the legs together would be a complete bitch, but it actually wasn't too bad. Oh, and Steve the Robot is a personal favourite. They'll be put up for sale soon, but right now they are keeping me company whilst I type!

george the hot pink octopus could be yours

2008-01-05T13:54:00.001-08:00

IMG_3632, originally uploaded by mooseandbear.

Before I head out for a few drinks tonight, I put lil George up on Etsy. He's that cute he can't last long up there!!!

Day 5 of 100!

2008-01-05T12:26:00.001-08:00

not too happy, originally uploaded by mooseandbear.

Another day, some more crafting. Although today's involved a three mile walk across Edinburgh, which was rather nice. The two best wool shops are on opposite parts of the city centre, so I walked from one to the other to compare cashmere for the snood I want to make. I didn't end up getting either - maybe tomorrow!!! As for actual crafting, I've not done much so far, just sewing together a few more bodies from the body bag whilst Ori took photos of my latest monsters. I'll do some more after I've uploaded this lil fellow to Etsy. My monsters are doing well on views, but I need someone to puck up the courage to buy buy buy!!

days 2, 3, and 4 of crafting

2008-01-04T15:11:00.001-08:00

oops, originally uploaded by mooseandbear.

I have been having a very busy couple of crafting days actually. Wednesday was spent finishing off 8 legs of a hot pink crocheted octopus. I haven't sewn them together, given my antipathy towards actually finishing off a toy! But they are now lying in my "body parts" bag - alongside an unfinished duck (last night), and an elephant "desk pet". Maybe I'll actually finish them off tomorrow. Last night I was staying in a hotel room for work, and I got the chance to actually create some of my new designs from my notebook. I made two new monsters which I absolutely love, and I'll get pictures up of tomorrow - bright yellow felt can't help but bring a smile to your face! And today I did actually start putting things together, finishing off my crocheted robot that I made at the beginning of the week. I'm really pleased with him - I should be putting up a pattern for him in my etsy soon, as well as the little robot man himself.

Talking of etsy, this little guy was listed today. Hopefully he won't be here long!!!

lester went up for sale today

2008-01-02T10:37:00.001-08:00

lester's a yellow elephant, originally uploaded by mooseandbear.

I made Lester the yellow elephant just before Christmas, and listed him on my etsy today. I have to say he's one of the cutest amigurumis I've made so far, and when I get a chance, I'm going to cook up some brothers and sisters for him, the little sweetie.

monsters to be

2008-01-01T09:33:00.001-08:00

monsters to be, originally uploaded by mooseandbear.

These are the monsters I'm working on at the moment. One of my new year crafting resolutions is to work more in batches, so I've made up 5 or 6 of this guys in stages, and today I'm stuffing them up.

Day 1

2008-01-01T09:16:00.000-08:00

The first day of many! I'm trying to complete the 365 days of crafting pledge that many fellow crafters have also signed up for - 2008 is going to be a good year! Today I've sewn up a couple of my latest swearing amoebas that will be posted onto etsy over the next couple of days. I'm determined to make Moose and Bear a success this year!!

Right now I'm working on my swearing amoebas, and I've got a cute litte crochet robot to sew together. I've stockpiled some felt so I'll be making some new monsters from my sketchbook later today as well. Yeh!!