I have sold dolls to my first store!!!!

The sky has fallen and the fat lady is singing, people! Last weekend I had a fantastic show at a local gourmet restaurant. It was a hit as far as sales but an even better hit as far as meeting folks! The owner of a local toy store approached me and said she would be interested in having my dolls in her shop. I was ecstatic to say the least. The following day I met with her and she bought 20 of my lil guys. How rockin is that?
It has been a lovely holiday season thus far and I am sticking to my pledge of all handmade gifts. A little tricky for some family members but the hubby and I are making it work! I will try to stay on top of writing on this more often.
Cheers!

Turkey Day

Well, we are back from our trip to lovely Santa Cruz. It is always interesting to travel with family- let alone your husbands family. I will leave it at that for my own best interest.

I do love CA, even if it was rainy except for one day. The beach is a wonderful place to regroup and escape. I am a people watcher at heart and CA is the BEST place for watchin'! I love the atmosphere in Santa Cruz that anything goes- from men and women sporting Uggs in shorts to women walking near the beach in heels. The fact nobody bats an eye is a testiment to the wacky and fun nature of the area. If I could afford it, I would live there in an instant! The house we rented for the week was a nice vacation home but on a corner where the house could be demolished by a drunk driver. I guess it has been hit a couple times within the past 2 years. Yikes! It was up for sale and going for 1.2 million. Ummmmm...hello, would you buy a home on the verge of a drunk drivers Indy 500 track- I think not. Good luck to that real estate salesperson!

Sorry it has been awhile since I had updated this blog folks...lots of sales at craft shows before the holiday. It will slow down soon enough and I can get back to writing!

New biz insights....

As I continue this lil thing called "The Small Business", I am amazed by new things I learn each day. Let me start this by saying it is wonderful to have started a new biz, but a little daunting as well. The amount of paperwork to the government, the new health insurance, upkeep on the websites, etc. Need I say more?
Being green and new to all of this has brought many insights! For instance, attending craft shows that sometimes have the same vendors....some you like, some leave something to be desired. Like the old gal who decided she liked my dolls (so much she asked where I got my patterns and fabric), who then started making them herself and selling them as well! WOW, can you say ballsy? I suppose my naivete came into play by telling her honest answers, but I thought I was being a NICE person. When she approached me about my scarves recently, I kept the lip zipped!! As a little FYI...her dolls are fluorescent colors and a little sore on the eyes, and I have not seen her sell a single one. (Thank God.)
I was not prepared for the ebb and flow of sales- sometimes you are so busy you cannot breathe and other times you are twiddling thumbs. My motto is to build up the inventory so that I am not "stuck" when I get multiple sales. I hope someday I will look back on this blog and laugh because these problems do not exisit...but for now...it is what it is!

It's Election Day!

Happy election day y'all! I am so happy to live in a country where we are free to vote for whom we want to- with no repercussions for our choice! No matter who you voted for- this election has brought out a fiesty spirit in people that I have not see in years. Loves it! Now we just sit and wait..........

Another quote for the books...

As Winston Churchill once said- "Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm."

Well, howdy...is this ringing clear with my recent turn of craft shows. The sales have been lagging and the people attending events is dismal. As this is my first year in this little venture of doll making, I am trying not to take it to heart and to keep on chugging! I figure, if I have the desire to make something work and the willpower to keep trying...it will eventually work out.

I do have faith in the "green" movement and really think my eco-dolls are a step in the right direction. Guess it is a matter of finding my audience. I think I may have to bust out a copy of "The Little Engine That Could" and read and re-read! :)

BRRRRR... it's gettin cold out there....

Well, here is the newest item in the old etsy store. It is a black fleece scarf with a kitty motif. The face and arms are on one end and the legs on the other. I am in the process of making pink bunnies too. Should be a nice addition to the dolls. I am thinking of a special where you buy a doll and the matching scarf to go with it. That way you have the matching set. We shall see- ideas are running through the brain at a frantic speed right now! Toodles!

Another craft show down...

Well...another craft show down in the books! I had a 2 day stint at Pueblo West Craft Show this weekend. I had a nice time but sales were LAGGING. I know that the Jr. class was put in charge of advertising (hmmmmm...) and they kinda did a poor job. No notice in the paper prior to the Saturday show and then Sunday when it was in the paper...it posted the wrong times! AAAGGH! Every vendor was pretty frustrated.

It is days like this when your humility is tested. You cannot take to heart you do not have a lot of sales when NOBODY is there, right? I am getting good at practicing the old adage "Shake it off!" Oh well...it is all a learning lesson and you can't win 'em all!

Anybody else out there feeling me? Is it the economy or what?