Ho-Hum Holiday so far :-\

Well, here it is December and sales are at a complete and utter standstill. The economy has hit everyone hard, for sure, and handicrafts aren't on everyone's wish list or high priority list, not the way things like food and mortgage are. And to be fair, I'm still catching up from all the health stuff so I haven't been pimping the shop the way I probably should be in order to get results, and when I am online doing the social networking thing, the house is falling apart around my ears and the fridge empties out. I need a clone!

The coupon codes on Etsy have also been a complete bust. No hits on the Black Friday coupon, and nothing either on the one for the entire time up to Christmas. It's times like these when I just want to pack it in - and then I remember that I have a craft show already coming up in March at the same place the most recent - and pretty successful (comparatively LOL) one was, at Liberty High School - and I have something to look forward to. It'd just be nice - REALLY REALLY nice - to not have to wait 4 months for some cash flow. *sigh*

That said, it's early December so there's still tons of time to finish any custom order that DO come my way, so I suppose I'd best get busy trying to scare up some more work. :-)

Mixed bag

Finally got inspired to have a go at my tie-dye backlog this week. Yesterday with two kids off school and no way I was going out with them (or without them!) for Black Friday shopping, I brought a handful of things to my laundry room and tied 'em up for some practice.

Well.

• The rainbow with black lines for the stained glass effect came out with pale pale gray lines instead. Not at all the effect I was hoping for, but still saleable, even with some dye specks in the purple. It's a nightshirt and it's super-soft and pretty anyway.
• The girl's shirt with the swoops in pink and two shades of purple - one of the swoop lines came out lovely and swoop-y, while the one below it came out more scalloped. No clue how I managed it, but not sure if I can salvage it.
• The girls' shirt that was supposed to be crinkly blue and purple came out crinkly blue and blue - a pretty subtle pattern, but not so pretty that most girls I know of that age would count it among their favorites. It's now soaking in purple and magenta dye in a jar for some new crinkles and some actual purple.
• The pink and brown swirl girls' tee where I was trying to recreate one of my favorite shirts (which I let my kid wear and then it got stained so it's now ours for life LOL) came out streaked, plus the brown has halos of blue around it. A hotter temperature next time should keep the dye from having time to separate out like that before the reaction finishes, but this shirt probably isn't salvageable. :-(
• And the final girls' shirt was to be pink with a purple wedge at the bottom of the front, but it's really smaller than it should be to look good, plus it somehow ended up streaked with orange.

I got a couple other projects started and then shaved off the top of my first joint of my middle finger of my right hand using the mandoline slicer to slice potatoes. I was using it to save the wear and tear on my fingertips from using a knife. Took the bleeding over an hour to stop and I still have to go easy on it or it starts bleeding again. I'm scared half to death about MRSA infections so trying my best to let it heal up but it's in a spot that gets bumped and jiggled a lot. Ow ow ow ow owwwww. This is why hubby is cutting carrot sticks and cuke slices for snack/lunch this weekend. No blades for me for a while.

It's probably good to take a break after only one day of tie-dye bliss though or the children will no doubt be climbing the walls waiting for enough space to be cleared for the holiday decorations to go up: the lights, the Christmas tree, the Yule log, the whole nine yards, a bit at a time - once I get my blanks and clothing racks out of the living room, anyway. It was nice while it lasted, though, and I could easily get used to it. My 8YO advises against getting used to it though, because "You'll just be disappointed." Quite the optimist, that one. Wonder where she gets it? @_@ Of course, she is at the dining table making her button bracelets with no real demands on her time and energy other than that (for the moment at least). :-) Maybe I'll put a couple of those up in the Etsy shop and see how she fares.

Indecision.....

Been a little worried about some of the goings-on over at Etsy lately. I can't lie, it's making me nervous. Even back this summer people were wondering what Etsy would do to make the Holiday shopping season more complicated for its sellers, and they've delivered, not once but twice! A "Continue Shopping" button that first was sending people not to the shop to Continue Shopping but off to the Etsy Forums - so rather than fix it, they just made it go away so now buyers had no way to Continue Shopping and sellers were losing their minds trying to sort shipping for multiple items that had to be purchased singly. Then the coupon codes sellers have been asking for for YEARS now, there they are, handy-dandy - but only semi-functional. And not rolled out with time before holiday shopping to work out the bugs and features, but Thanksgiving Week, pretty much. I mean, really, come ON!

I passed when Artfire had their super-duper $6 a month Pro Shop deal and now I feel like an idiot. Now it's about $10 a month, but only thru the end of the calendar year, when it goes up to $16. Thing is, I don't think I can DO enough tie-dye any more, not with all the health stuff and the part-time employment and the one kid's medical screenings I've been trying to get her for the last 4 years (she'll be almost 9-1/2 before she gets the screening she should've had at 5! :-(), to make even $10 a month worthwhile. I'm trying to get my teaching certification renewed in an effort to contribute more fully to depleted family finances, and if I get that full-time teaching job, the dyeing is likely to go out the window pretty much, except maybe for summer shows.

But.....if I snag the $10 a month deal and it doesn't pan out, I can go to a Basic free account, but if things pick up and I want to go back to Pro, that becomes $16 a month, not the $10 that's possibly not worth it as it is. Just taking pictures and listing stuff is a huge hassle for me - I'm a mediocre photographer at best, and getting good pics takes literally hours of my time (see posts from way back in time and realize that I've not gotten much better :-(), so I've been avoiding it by doing mostly craft shows, which also hasn't been panning out all that well. I'd like to NOT flush away any more money on dyeing stuff. I'd like IT to start paying ME, but I don't have the time or money to make that initial investment, and my the time I do, the investment will cost me nearly double and will be again out of reach.

So Plan C is to investigate other selling options, but Artfire seems to be by far the best one out there for buyers and sellers. I just can't afford the shiny functional version, and I can't seem to find squat information on the basic plan so I have no clue if it would suit my needs or not. It does bother me that they seem to be hiding that information. :-(

My head hurts....

FINALLY!!!

At long last, a show that was more than worth showing up for! Thanks are due to the Liberty High School Instrumental Music Boosters for a well-run show. Not only did I make my table fee a bit more than halfway thru the show, I actually made a bit MORE. O.O First time this year I've even made the fee, let alone surpassed it. :-)

Location for me was great, very very close to restrooms and to my car for easy setup and takedown. And even though halfway there I remembered that I had forgotten to pack my tables (!!!), a kind English teacher with a used book stand and a classroom just around the corner kindly lent me 4 desks from her classroom, which made one nice long table surface. We were right across from some south-facing windows, so it was nice and warm and bright in our spot as well, just right for the brightly-colors stuff hanging from every available surface. Used both clothing racks, one on each end this time, and started spreading out to the walls across from my stand - the bulletin board strips on the wall with the motivational posters were just right for hangers with tie-dye *grin* - and managed to hang two clotheslines along the wall behind me. This time the "100 square feet" wasn't 10x10' but 5' deep and 20' across, which was AWESOME! It also meant that my older DD could set up her very first craft table, of her own, within my space. She made bracelets from buttons and sold 7 out of 9 of them! Had I sold that percentage of my inventory, my packup would have taken 5 minutes, plus her profit margin is WAAAY higher than mine! She had a great time talking to customers, and was so proud of herself at the end of the day, plus she wasn't bored at all. Looks like I might have some company for my next gig - which at the moment looks to be the LHSIMB Spring Craft Show on March 26, 2011. Hoping for the same spot so we can soak up the rays once again. :-)

Decided to rename the hobby/business "Generations Dye Works" for craft shows. The whole "Tie Dye" thing seems to make people think that everything will scream "hippie!", and while plenty of my things do, there are lots of things that were dyed without tying at all, using a number of other techniques, that are nice enough to wear to the office (maybe for casual day, but still) or even out for the evening. For real. :-) I think "Dye Works" will be more general and hopefully still get the point across. Looks like I have a new sign to make. *smile*

Now that this is over, and last weekend's sinus infection has been vanquished, I have 3 special orders to finish up and send out, and 2 to get paid for, plus a car to unload. The custom orders will probably take less time than the car. LOL

Good news, bad news

Trash to Treasure was a lot of fun! Some good news, and some bad news, though.

The good news? Met some lovely crafters and artisans and made more sales than last year. Bought THE LAST of Karen's lovely hummingbird feeders as a present for my dad for Christmas. Also got myself the CUTEST cell phone holder made from GROCERY BAGS that had been cut into strips which were in turn crocheted into the holder - and as soon as I can remember the name of the lovely woman who, with her daughter, creates these fabulous items, I will link to them too! Came home with two custom orders to do, both of which have been laundered so I can get busy dyeing them this week.

The bad news: Even though I sold more than last year, and got lots more traffic, I also paid twice the table fee for a larger space so I still didn't *quite* break even. :-( Oh, and I came home with what has blossomed into THE worst sinus infection I've had in a long long time. I don't do antibiotics lightly, so when I went in to Urgent Care this evening, it was because I was really hurting.

So, more onward and upward. The Liberty High School Instrumental Music Boosters is having their Fall Craft Show this Saturday, November 20th from 9-3 (they also have one in Spring, but this will be my first with them). I'm so looking forward to a different kind of venue, even though I have to lug my own tables to this one. My older child is hoping to sell some of her jewelry creations too, if I can find her a space to set some out. She's even volunteered on her own to spend the day with me to do the show - not bad for a not-quite-9-year-old. :-) She's got Mommy's entrepreneurial streak - let's hope she didn't inherit Mommy's paperwork phobia. LOL

I've also been working and re-working my layout and how to work with tables and the clothing racks. I've got a single rack, a double rack, and two tables, and arranging them in a way that flows is tricky. I did work out a better arrangement for the T2T show, but by the time I had it sorted and was ready to move stuff, people started REALLY coming in and it never got quiet enough to take advantage, so I literally had to TELL people to go to the OTHER side of the clothing rack and look at the stuff on that table BEFORE they went to look at shiny new compost canisters. It worked, too - sold a tote bag over there at least, and the odd nightshirt.

Anyway, if you're in the neighborhood of Eldersburg in Carroll County, MD this Saturday, do stop by and say hello. I'll be dyeing plenty of blue and gold for this one. :-)

And now for something completely different....

At the Trash To Treasure show tomorrow (November 13) in Upper Marlboro, MD, I've gone ahead and gotten two spaces side by side. I'll still have stuff all over tables, plus a clothing rack, but just as an experiment, I'm bringing most of the un-dyed stuff that's been sitting at home waiting for inspiration and putting it into bins for people to root through, choose, and have me custom-dye to their specs. I wanted to try it at my last show but in a 10x10 space there just wasn't room. Here, though, I think it'll be just perfect. :-)

This week has been so lovely weather-wise, plus a massage and my chiropractor together made my 3-week migraine go away completely, so I've been trying to spend more time playing with the kids and getting all the parts to my clothing rack from the garage wasn't even on my radar till after sunset today, so tomorrow when the car is all-but-loaded I'll be putting that on top. I know they've done a lot more publicity this year than last year, so I'm really hoping the crowds come rolling in! Hope to see you there!

Trash to Treasure

This coming weekend I'll be in Prince George's County, MD for the Trash to Treasure show sponsored by the Maryland National Parks people. Just a couple miles outside the east side of the DC Beltway, Watkins Regional Park is a HUGE wooded area complete with a Nature Center. Parking is plentiful and free, admission is free, and if this year's show is anything like last year's, there will be dozens upon dozens of talented vendors whose work is mostly or entirely based on sustainable materials, re-used or re-purposed materials, or items created entirely from materials that would otherwise end up in the waste stream. I saw whimsical creatures made from old guitar and violin strings, items made of wood that would otherwise have been firewood, jewelry made from creative findings, wall hangings and sculptures created from plastic soda and detergent bottles, cheese boards made from flattened and fused wine bottles, soy candles in used baby food jars, and of course my own work, which is in large part made from second-hand items given new life with some creative dyeing. There were three rooms of artisans inside, and this year they're opening some outdoor space for the hardier crafters to set up tents. Me, I'm done with "outside" this year. LOL I want to be dry and warm and not have to worry about wind and rain, so I'm taking advantage of a great setting.

Come visit me, and all the other artisans, at Watkins Regional Park this weekend if you are looking to get started on holiday shopping. Show opens at 10AM and goes till 4PM.

Directions from the web page:
"From the Capital Beltway (I-495), take Exit 15A (Central Avenue) east. Continue for approximately three miles. Turn right onto Watkins Park Drive (Route 193) and follow the park signs to the facility.

From Route 301, turn onto Central Avenue (Route 214) west. Continue for approximately three miles (past Six Flags America). Turn left onto Watkins Park Drive and follow to the park entrance on the right."

Halloween Is Over - Let The Holiday Madness Commence!

Rooting thru my sad neglected Etsy shop, I found some cute holiday-appropriate items to share. First up, a pair of lovely cloth napkins. These came from the local Habitat For Humanity Re-Store - LOVE that place! Then there's the toddler dress I found at Goodwill, only it was plain white when I came across it there, and now it's red and green and perfect for a 3- or 4YO. I had a blast tie-dyeing these yarmulkes - what a fun gift one of these would be for Hanukkah!

Come one, come all -let's breathe some life into Generations Tie Dye!

Onwards and Upwards

Hello all! Trying to get back into the swing of the blogging thing as I decide where to go from here. Stick with Etsy or try another online selling venue? Sell online or stick with craft shows and Facebook? Give it up entirely? Remain a hobbyist forever or take the plunge and incorporate?

To top it off, a number of health issues have been coming to call, the most prevalent being the Constant Headache (most likely a migraine that is constant but not a full-blown headache, just a perpetual avoidance of bright light and loud noise, a bad combo for a preschool music teacher LOL) and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is short for My Immune System Is Eating My Thyroid Gland And The Side Effects Suck.

That said, I've still got tons of tie-dyed stuff around the house that will be happiest once it finds new homes with people who will love it and wear it. :-) Two craft shows this month: Trash To Treasure in Upper Marlboro, MD - set in a HUGE park, a lovely setting and run by awesome people who even FEED us! - and the Liberty High School Instrumental Music Boosters' show in Eldersburg (Carroll County), MD. If you're local to either of these, come on out! If you're not, by all means do send me a message and let me know what I can dye for you! The Holidays are on the way, and there's still time to do custom work and get it to you before Christmas/Hanukkah/Yule/Festivus/Other. :-)