Twentythreetwo’s First Birthday!

I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since I started Twentythreetwo!

I’ve always been a creative person. My Mum is a tailoress so we were always sewing and making things as I grew up. I was fascinated by how quickly she could knit!  But as I grew older my creativity wained and was replaced by school and boys and work!

I started screenprinting in February 2011 and had a fantastic time!  That’s when the switch was flicked and the lightbulb went on and I remembered how much I loved making things!

In June last year I plucked up the courage and added my first screenprints to my Etsy shop, Twentythreetwo. I started doing craft fairs and meeting lots of lovely new crafty people!

In May this year I launched Twentythreetwo Whimsy, a shop where I could share my love of vintage and nostalgia, with lots of fun and playful items!

Thank you to all my customers, friends, family, blog readers, followers and likers for your support! I’ve had a brilliant time!

For being so excellent over this last year, I’m giving you all 25% discount of all items in both of my shops! All you need to do is quote code 1YEAR at the checkout and your discount will automatically be applied!

Karen x

My First Etsy Sales!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year! Apart from being ill, I had a great time! I spent so much time with friends and relatives, eating, drinking and generally being merry!

But what has really excited me over the holidays is this…I made some sales on Etsy!

I took the leap and opened my shop in May last year but I think it was about August until I actually started to list items.  I was so excited to have created this shop, and all the banners, logos etc that go with it! Then I waited…and waited…and waited…no sales!

I knew it would take time so I was patient at first, then a bit anxious, then very anxious! I noticed other shops who’d started after I had and they were selling things, so why wasn’t I?

I kept thinking back to my featured artist spot on MsBittyKnacks blog and knew I had to follow my own advice: “don’t expect too much too soon, there are lots of great crafters and artists out there and it can take time. Enjoy what your doing, soak up advice and information wherever possible and the rest will follow.”

So I waited some more, listened to the advice of others, tried a few different strategies (including Etsy Search Ads, you can read both posts on my findings here) and nothing seemed to be working. I felt pressure to achieve my first online sale and just wished it would happen. I figured that it would start the ball rolling, I’d get feedback, word-of-mouth would spread and more would follow.

To be honest, I was having a bit of a crisis of confidence before Christmas. I had decided to take time over the holidays to decide if I even wanted to continue with my business at all. It had taken so much time and money and effort to get this far, but was it worth it?

On New Years Eve I checked my emails…and there it was. An email from Etsy to say that someone had looked at my shop, and not just favourited an item or my shop, they had actually bought something! I was sooo happy! I was telling everyone!

I felt so relieved and I could relax and enjoy the festivities! Then the next day something strange happened…I checked my emails, and there was another order!

And whilst typing up this post, I made another sale!

I thought I should share this story for anyone else who has an Etsy shop and is feeling the pressure in the run up to their first sale. If you can, keep going!

It’d be great to hear any advice or experiences from other Etsy sellers. How long did it take for your first sale? What things did you try to kickstart your shop? What advice would you give others?

Karen x

Sunday Summary – 28th August 2011

Wow!  So much excitement this week I’m not sure where to begin!

I’ll start with my first ever craft show!  It was the Aberdeen Craft Bazaar in the Airyhall Community Centre in Aberdeen and I spent all last week panicing and making things and buying things etc but on the day it was so relaxed I wondered what I got so worked up about!

I had a table in the main hall with about 20 other local crafters and some of their work was so amazing I’m glad I didn’t take my purse! As it was my first fair I was very conscious of making money rather than spending it!

It was quieter than expected (other stallholders advised me) but I had a great time!  I made a few sales and met some lovely people!

So this is my table layout and all my goodies for sale!  If you’ve visited my shop before you’ll notice a few new things here!

 

Which takes me onto my second piece of excitement for the week: I’ve added lots of new products to my shop! My tote bags, bibs, cards and button brooches are all newly added.

I haven’t added anything for a while due to prepping for my fair and generally being busy, so the items you see in the pictures above are all available to purchase in my Etsy shop!

 

This also relates to my third and final piece of excitement! I’m having a sale!  All screenprints in my Etsy shop are reduced by 20%!

 

So I suggest you get yourself over there and have a look!  Let me know what you think!

 

Karen x

Sunday Summary – 7 August 2011

What a great week!

I’ve signed up for my first craft show, added a new item to my Etsy shop, bought an amazing new camera and bought loads and loads of new supplies!

 

What I’ve Made

I made these lovely flower earrings for myself originally, but loved them so much I felt I should share them!  So I made some more and added them to my shop!  I love their vintage look and the flowers can be removed, so they can be worn with anything!

What I’ve Bought

It was one of my best friend’s birthdays this weekend, so what better card to get her than “Leo” by one of my favourite shops, Lil Sonny Sky.  Lisa Stubbs is not only an amazing artist and my screenprinting hero, she’s also a genuinely lovely and wonderful person!  Viewing her work and reading her blog are two things that always bring a smile to my face!

Her “Love Bird” screenprint was one of the first I bought and it was like Christmas! So beautifully packaged and her handwritten messages and extra postcards make me feel like a special customer!

 

I also treated myself to my first DSLR camera! My point and click camera is great, but I needed to get some amazing shots with detail for my shop, so I spoke to a photographer friend and decided on a Nikon D3100.

I’ve been taking pictures of anything and everything and getting used to the huge amount of different settings will take time, but I’m so pleased with the results already!

 

And oh so much shopping!  I got loads of Christmas crafts supplies at Hobbycraft this week, and some more online, and today I bought some fantastic fabrics!

The “shell” print one will be my table cloth for the craft fair as it’s quite close to my company colours but not too bright and distracting to detract from my products.  I have some ideas for the others but I’ll reveal these once I know for sure!

 

Our cinema trip this week was to see Super 8. I wasn’t sure what to expect, I’d seen the adverts and read about it, but it was good. It harks back to films like The Goonies, ET and Stand By Me, and it’s really a film for young teenagers but I enjoyed it! 7/10

How’s your week been?  What have you been making?

Karen x

My First Craft Fair!

I’m so excited about this that I had to share the news!  I signed up for my first craft fair!

It’s the Aberdeen Craft Bazaar and it’s at the Airyhall Community Centre, Aberdeen on Saturday 27th August 2011 between 11am and 4pm.  It’s free entry if you are in the area!

I’ve never taken part in a craft fair before so I’m not entirely sure what to expect!

I’ll bring along the screenprints I already have in my shop and others too, but I’ll also have to make lots of exciting new stuff to sell too to stock up my stand. I also know that I have a large table, so I’ll have to think up how I’m going to lay out my stand and get a nice tablecloth etc.

Do you have any good advice about craft fairs that you could share with me and my readers?  Maybe you’ve been to one that you’ve really enjoyed or been drawn to a particular stand.  If so, what was it that caught your eye or made the experience for you?

Or if you’ve had any bad experiences, what were they?