Unsettled & Packed to Unpacked & Settled

It's been a whirlwind, I tell you.

Trying to figure out what personal items to pack in a car to go with me in addition to the shop products that took up half of the trunk was a nightmare. Photo albums and a stuffed monkey beat out more practical things, like a coffee pot (but I bought one here). My comfy bed has been replaced by a futon mattress from ikea (yup, just the mattress. The frame didn't fit in the car and the cost of shipping the frame was double the cost, so I'm hoping to Craigslist something soon). The apartment that I had called about before we started the drive out here was rented in the two days it took to drive (but that's ok, after a near panic attack I found another just as fantastic as the first). I had to ship the Boyfriend back to Missouri, that was probably the roughest part so far.

In contrast, Richmond is a fantastic city. People are friendly. The food is sooooo delicious. Traffic is a breeze. I feel safe on the streets at night. There are some great runs coming up that I can train for. I am finally going to be able to get that SCUBA certification that I've been wanting to get, but never wanted to do my certification dives in a cold, abandoned rock quarry.  The only cons is that my boy, friends, and family aren't here. And it's not a hockey town. With a few adjustments, I can really see myself becoming a real resident.

Thanks, Richmond, for making me feel so welcome :) 

The last three days have been absolutely insane here. Around Thanksgiving, I received a call about a job on the coast (I'm in the midwest). I was in no way interested in moving. They begged & pleaded for me to come out for an interview and at least see the town, meet the people, learn about the job, etc. And I did. And I loved it. I'm trying not to get my hopes up or my expectations set too high, but this could be a dream job for sure (second to bath product making). I got the official offer on Friday. And I am moving in a week! At least temporarily. The job is starting out as a contract, and allowing me to sign on if I like it out there after a few months. If not, no hard feelings. Because of this, and the insane moving expenses ($1000 for a small, one way U-Haul rental with minimum insurance? Really?), we've decided that my other half gets to keep the couches, bed, house, dishes, etc. And I get a new empty apartment--and a shopping spree to Ikea! Since I don't need much else, I will be taking one carload of stuff. And actually, when loading my bath making products & inventory and the other half, that really limits my space. Looks like most of my clothes will be mailed. :( 

But you can help! You see, I'm having a sale right now! In about 5 minutes etsy onsale is going to magically transform my store into a bargain basement. 25% off everything. If you see something that you want more than one of, convo me, I might have multiples.  This will run until about noon on Christmas. At that point, I will have to pack up everything and dump them in the mail on the way to the new homeland.

I am however, keeping a container of muscle soak all for myself . I will need it after the move ;)

Thank you, and Happy Holidays!
mb

Better Pictures Without a Better Camera

One of the things I keep reading about on the etsy forums is that you *must* have great pictures. At this point in time though, I cannot justify spending several hundred dollars on a digital SLR. And with new items coming out every few days, I can't keep dragging someone over to take pictures every time I want to put up a new product.

This morning I read about creating my own light box for $10.

I actually scrounged up items that I just had around my house and created it for free. All it took was an old cardboard box, vellum paper for old mapping projects (instead of tissue paper, much more sturdy), duck tape, and a box cutter. When it was all completed I threw a piece of poster board inside for the background.  It might not be the prettiest contraption, but the pictures do look nice. I'm going to play with the lighting a little more, but I love the way that the pictures turned out.

These are all with my Fuji point & shoot. Which is one of the waterproofs, so most of the flash pictures come out somewhat fuzzy. It looks like getting well lit, indoor pictures are no longer an issue :) 

Finally getting it?

I sold 5 items in the last couple of days. From zero to five. I woke up this morning and did a happy dance after I checked my email.  Then I bought something..

I'm getting them stamped with one of my favorite Pink Floyd lyrics:

For long you live and high you fly
And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
And all you touch and all you see
Is all your life will ever be

I've actually considered getting the whole song, "Breathe" tattooed on me somewhere, but can't figure out where I can easily view it and it won't take up bodily real estate reserved for Corporate America. And, I'm getting to old to get my arms all inked up. Sigh.

I've been living pretty frugally for the past couple of months, as I went from an underpaid, overworked job  to taking a couple of classes and actually working on this business people have been trying to talk me into doing for almost a year now. I have had some interviews lately, and am actually going to get back into the swing of things soon. But these last couple of months have been a welcome break. I've held at least one full time job at a time for the past 16 years. Not that I haven't been working hard on Etsy and school work, but I have a much easier time dealing with hard work when I don't have to wear pants (like wear out in public pants, I'm not naked, I just love pajama pants and holey sweat pants and jeans that have the ass falling out of them).  I'd really like to be able to take this on full time, but wish  I knew where to start. So far the only advice that I can give is list a lot. And then go back and list more. Do you have any advice on becoming a success?

mmmm....bacon

Bacon Scented Sugar Scrub. You know you want it.  http://www.etsy.com/listing/63278103/bacon-scented-whipped-sugar-scrub-8-oz

First Items Sold!

Wow. The power of listing new items.

Not long after I listed a bunch of new product, I had my first sell. It feels great! I had read something on the etsy forum earlier Saturday about 50 items was a good number to have--it gave buyers a nice variety of product for them to choose from. I haven't made it to nearly 50 yet, but am planning on working on things later today again.

What is one piece of advice that you would have for new sellers?

I think mine would be to list several items over a period of time, at least one or two of them each day or two.

What's your story?

In the summer of 2009 I started working out. A lot. In addition to strength training, I found that I needed to add cardio to be more rounded (as an athlete, less rounded as a shape). I started a couch to 5K program this past spring, which led to me training for a sprint triathlon, which led me to training for a 1/2 marathon. I went from never running to 13.1 miles in less than a year. It feels great, but at the same time, it is a process that makes you hurt.

I started out soaking in epsom salts. I didn't think they were very fun. I bought a bag or two of scented salts from the store that were "aromatherapy" and supposed to "heal" me. And the bags were usually a mess. I'm already a klutz, add sore muscles and wet hands and that bag of salt is going to be ripped right down the side.

I started experimenting with making my own bath bombs or bath fizzies. Packed them full of salts and essential oils. There's something about laying back in the tub and having that thing fizz against your back. I started making these for friends and family. They started coming back with money wanting more. They convinced me to set up a shop. Sell those things.

I've set up an etsy shop (two actually, one was my old account for purchasing items, I set up the second to promote my name, but all feedback is on the other.) Now I'm trying to establish myself online. I used to think that it would be easy to toss things up and watch them sell...Boy was I wrong!

What is your story? Are you new to the world of etailers or are you an old pro? Any advice or tips?