Monday 26 October 2015

Forget The Dream Journal!

One of my biggest concerns about launching One Little Chickadee was that I would only have about 4 ideas for items and that was it. Even though there are plenty of business out there that specialize in a few products (and do it *really* well) I didn't want to get stuck and then feel like, well, who's going to keep coming back for more if all they keep seeing are the same 4 things?

I'm happy to report that I am not short on ideas. I used to keep a dream journal (read: I kept a journal on my night stand and never remembered to write in it) but since the launch I am bursting with ideas. I am regularly waking up just as I'm about to drift off to sleep to jot something down so I don't forget it. There are times when falling asleep is actually difficult because I think "Oh man, I could do that with that paper and add that to the design I worked on yesterday."

But, I also don't want to get my site bogged down with things I'm trying to turn out really fast that lack in style and quality because I feel pressured to get things made like, now, and get them listed. The key: work smarter, not harder. Take my time when sketching out an idea. Take my time when making a sample. And I think overall: this is a marathon! Not a sprint. There's no need for me to have to start with 15 or 20 items.

It's fun and exhausting and overall I am feeling really encouraged in myself which in turn makes me excited to keep crafting and making and doing. I like the idea of putting a lot of hard work in to something to create a beautiful and bespoke gift that someone would be happy to have in their home.

I'm also surprised at how creative I can be and I'm really loving trying my best to be original. You'd be amazed at how difficult that can be - or maybe not if you've scrolled through Etsy. There's so much that's so similar (and by no means am I truly unique) but it's fun researching an idea and having that moment "Aha! Here's something that gives my item a bit of an edge."

So here's to filling up that dream journal with something a bit more grounded in reality!

What I'm Working On
I recently bought some metallic gold paper and I love it. I can see myself using it quite a bit as it really adds some glitz and glamour.

I'm not sure exactly how I'll be framing this but I think I'm going to try it out in a Vintage Grey 8 x 8 (if you can't tell, I love these frames). It may need something a bit more bold though so maybe I'll go with black. Or white. I don't know yet!





Wednesday 21 October 2015

I've Opened My Etsy Shop - Now What?!

My Etsy shop is now OPEN!

It went live last night and after many hours tweaking and editing it - I think it's just right (for now!).

I had to open it under OneLittleChickadeeCo. A tad annoying as I had previously searched for One Little Chickadee and nothing came up. I later learned when I finally went to register my name, without the Co, that I couldn't because as per Etsy guidelines if there is a shop/username that is currently/ever used (even if it's now disused) can NOT be registered.

A bit of a bummer because I've already "established" myself as One Little Chickadee. And by established I simply mean that I had opened my Twitter, blog, Facebook under it and made business cards of it and I created all these designs under it. I decided it's better to just go with the Co because I couldn't stand calling it something like "Little Chick" or any variation because I thought it'd go too far off piste.

My Etsy shop's banner! Made with PicMonkey.
So with the shop open: now what?! I must admit that I am feeling a bit like a headless chicken, running around trying to get everything up and running and post here and schedule Tweets there and finish the 3 new products I've mapped out, all while keeping on top of Facebook postings and getting my name out there on Instagram.

Whew. It's a lot to take in!

Current goals:
1. Master the Tweet using TweetDeck.
2. Expense tracking. I think I am going to do this via Excel spreadsheet. I tend to like the ol' fashion way of making lists/notes in an actually notebook but for something as important as bookkeeping, I think it needs to be via spreadsheet.
3. Orders book. I have my first customer order! Full disclosure: it is from a friend BUT it's my first paying customer and I am so pleased as I am intending to use this as a sort of guinea pig order. What works or doesn't in terms of my packaging, customization of the product, shipping costs.
4. Find out about getting involved in a Christmas fayre.
5. I currently have 4 new ideas for products and ideally I'd like to complete these before Christmas.

Monday 19 October 2015

PicMonkey Perfection

I'm sure I've talked about this before in another post but I am currently having a torrid love affair with PicMonkey.

If you've not heard of it/used it before: you must. You simply must.

It's free (but you can upgrade and pay a monthly subscription fee to unlock more features/fonts). It's so easy to use. It instantly can give your photos or designs a more professional look. 

I cannot recommend it enough if you've been stuck or looking for way to jazz up your images or create designs from scratch.

OK so this is a bit silly but I think it demonstrates just how much you can get from them - and this is seriously only a fraction of what's on offer. 



My recent, and serious, use of the site has been to create clear and stand out images detailing my product information. Below is the one used for P+P costs.



I think there's something to be said for having things clear and concise: it means your potential customers won't get lost and give up when trying to find out some information on your site (ESPECIALLY if you're not self hosted with a custom built website).

If you're selling on Facebook, a handy tip to make the most of your PicMonkey creations is to use the "Pinned Post" feature. For example, I have created an album titled "Information" and uploaded all the documents detailing prices, shipping info, etc. and pinned it to the top of my wall. That way whenever anyone visits my page the information is at hand. They don't have to go searching all around the many tabs of Facebook to find it. It's a great site but it's not always the best in terms of ease of use when selling.

Hope this helps and happy picmonkeying around!



Sunday 18 October 2015

Products & Photographs

Woo hoo!

I've finally got the photos done for most of the products currently on offer.

At the top of the blog there are separate pages with pricing information, shipping information, pictures, details on how to order, etc. Please, check them out!

I've also have them listed on Facebook, Instagram and I've scheduled plenty of tweets using TweetDeck to get them promoted.

My next step will be creating pins for my Pinterest account.

I am currently feeling a mixture of: pride, fear, excitement.

I am sure I have made some errors and will need to do some tweaking. I need to double check my P&P costs (made a tad bit more frustrating as the Post Office in my town has actually shut and will not reopen until sometime in December!!)

I feel like a chicken running around with its poor ol' head cut off. Trying to keep track of ALL THE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS is a bit daunting so I am hoping to get into some sort of schedule. TweetDeck is a start - you still have sit down and draft out a bunch of Tweets but I figure if I take an hourish a day to get them all scheduled for that week, I should be able to leave it (sorta).


Work Smarter. Not Harder.

I've learned something about myself over the last few weeks when it comes to working.

I often make things harder for myself. More frustrating and complicated. It stems from wanting to do a perfect job - every time. And wanting it to be done now.

I've always been this way (with school work particularly) so really it shouldn't have come as a surprise when I was getting just *SO* frustrated at myself and feeling hypercritical.

But this morning as I worked out an idea and began testing it to see if it'd make a viable product (it will, it's cute, can't wait to show it off!) I realized if I just slooooow down, take my time, I will save myself so my hassle and grief.

Work smarter. Not Harder. Yes one of those annoying Instagrammy platitudes that's probably hash tagged on some bohunks workout pics but you know, there's something to it.

One of the biggest frustrations with stamping by hand is the effort it goes in to getting your stamps in order. It just seems so faffy and time consuming. I was often going all willy nilly and haphazardly, picking up stamps and then setting them down in a different spot thus making it that much harder when I needed it again. Even using my ice cube storage tray was not 100% working as I have SO MANY STAMPS.



So dumb! And so silly. I'm not sure why I've been doing this as it creates a messy workspace which leads to messy work.

I'm taking it slow. This is not a race. I want to produce quality. I want someone to see something of mine and think "That's cute, I'd love to have it in my home."

I am planning on more ice cube trays to hold the stamps upright as I still think this is the best way for storage and space, using a cork board and taking the time lay out every stamp I'm going to use makes a lot of sense.

They are all in order, on a non grip service and I am taking the time to put them back where they belong. It's amazing what this simple step has done for me.

A top tip as well when stamping - go slow, check hands and fingers for any ink smudges as there is nothing worse than completing a project, looking down and seeing a tiny dot of black that shouldn't be there. I am now wiping my hands with a baby wipe in between and any time I see smudges. Baby wipes are handy, cheap, take the ink off immediately and your hands will dry quickly (or you can use my method - dry on your trousers!).

Saturday 17 October 2015

Progress Update!

How about a little progress update - I've been a bit quiet but that doesn't mean I've just been lounging about (what's that again?!).

I have completed 4 products that will definitely be offered.

A new baby announcement card (pink/blue/yellow offered at this time).
A print that would be suitable for a house warming present.
Two different style prints for a new baby, one of which incorporates dictionary pages.

I have two more solid projects for prints (an ABC one and one suitable for weddings/anniversaries).

And last but not least I have just ordered the supplies today for a mightily big Christmas project - that's one I'm really looking forward to and I can't wait to blog about it.

Friday 2 October 2015

How To Store Rubber Stamps

When I first started using my my wooden stamp set, I was immediately annoyed at how quickly the stamps became messed up and out of order. If you're stamping out something that requires a lot of letters, the stamps just seem to get everywhere. You spend have your time frantically looking back and forth as you look for the "A" stamp. 

I tried using both the lid and the box to split them up. I still found it cumbersome and messy.

I tried just laying each stamp out on a piece of paper but you'd be surprised (or not depending on how much you use ink!) how quickly ink smudges covered the paper, my hands, the table, etc.

After spending some time racking my brain for a solution, I came upon one that's easy and in theory, something everyone will have in their house already. This is the type of solution that I love because there's nothing worse needing something and then having to wait to order it/go to the store to buy it.

Here I present my clever storage hack - yes! I used the word hack!


I wish that my ice cube tray had space for all the letters but I think this is pretty good, for now. It alleviates some of the fuss of hand stamping.

Is this something you've done before or would consider doing? I'm always interested in clever storage ideas - so please, feel free to comment!

Creating A Workspace & DIY Studio Backdrop

I have created some samples of the products that I will be selling but to be honest, I haven't done nearly as many as I'd like or I should have and that's because for the longest time I've had no workspace. I started out with sitting on the floor in front of the TV, dodging the dog and the baby. It hurt my back and my knees and I kept screwing up: carpet is not for crafting! Also, TV is highly distracting. And the baby kept putting things in his mouth.