Advertise My Stuff through HMN? (sewing)

Crazy Daisy is thinking again. Uh-oh. I am a member of the Holistic Moms Network, a nation-wide group of, well, holistic minded moms. Every year, this group has a big conference in NJ. I have never been to it, but am very hopeful to be able to attend this fall. I have been receiving emails about it recently. One such email listed ways for people who sell items that might appeal to the holistically minded to advertise their businesses. There are a few ways, but one particular one got my brain moving. A person can pay ($75.00) to have certain items placed in the "goody" bags that each participant at the conference will receive. Now because these folks are environmentally minded, no paper (including business cards) is accepted. (How cool is that?) But people can put logo items in, such as pens, magnets, and so forth. And that got me thinking that I could do something like that with my shop's email address on them. And of course that would mean that I would have to stock the shop with something that such minded folks would be interested in. And THAT got me thinking about ideas such as........ a Go-Paperless Kit. I would, I figure, have to stock the shop with kits that cost something. I'm not going to be able to repay myself for the up-front costs if I'm selling individual items at a low cost. That would take a lot of sales. But if I put together kits that maybe cost $50.00 each, or a variety of kits, ranging from $25.00-$50.00 or more, perhaps I could make it work. Hm. Am I nuts? There is something to lose here. For one thing, money. I could lost the cost of having the items placed in the bags. I would have to order them, of course, and mail them, too. Then if I had any sales, it would take a few to break even, then start to earn. And so forth. So it's a bit of a risk. However, I also have the regular Etsy shoppers to market to. And I have ways of promoting my shop around too. I dunno. It's also a lot of time commitment, and history has definitely shown that I lose interest in making the same item over and over again. However, that is what I had planned to do with fleece hats for a fall craft show anyhow. So. Hm. Maybe the thing to do is to take a month or two, make up a couple of kits, and see how easy it would be to make a bunch up before October. Or maybe I'm overdoing it. Maybe I should make a kit or two and see how they fare in the shop, before I invest a bunch of money in advertising something that won't sell. That feels like the place to start. I've got time. If they do well, I can proceed from there.

It keeps me moving.

Craft Show Goal

There is increased talk between hubby and me about how and when I will return to the work force. While it is still a while off, with DS home at least until a year from this September, I am thinking about what I will do.

Sometimes I muse about the idea of trying to earn an income doing what I enjoy - sewing. I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I could do it from home, and my schedule would work around my other duties, which would be ideal. On the other hand, I really don't want to make my fun my work, as I don't want sewing to become a drag. It's fun for me, and it's my escape from my reality when I need it.

I have an online shop, but lost interest in putting in the work needed to make the shop really work. To turn an Etsy shop into a business, you really need to list items as often as possible. Every day if you can do it. And I just don't want to spend all of my sewing/free time making stuff to sell. It's more fun and far more rewarding to make stuff for my family and myself. But I still have the bug to see if the stuff I make could sell. So I've decided to compromise with myself.

I am planning to try selling my fleece hats at a craft fair in the fall. I don't know where, and I don't know when, but I will figure that out as time goes on. If I aim for August (or thereabouts) I figure I can create hats here and there, and not feel pressured to be constantly working on them. I figure with about five months to get my inventory together, I ought to have time to come up with enough interesting stuff to sell, and still have plenty of time to sew for us. I also figured that rather than have the hats just collect in the house, I could list them in my shop. No, it's not really fleece hat buying time as we head into Spring, but it doesn't cost much to list them, and perhaps they'll get a little attention along the line. It's also incentive for me to keep creating them, and to make them better and better. I took some time today to see what other fleece hats are offered on Etsy, and that also keeps me motivated to create better and better stuff.

I'm writing about this mostly to motivate myself. Having you read it keeps me honest, so to speak. I will share the hats as I create them, and will try to make them interesting. Perhaps you could give me some advice or suggestions. I'd appreciate it. And who knows. If I meet this goal and get a bunch of hats together, and follow through with finding and joining a craft show (something I've always wanted to try but haven't had the guts to follow through with) perhaps I will sell something. And perhaps I could make a little extra money. Will it put my kids through private school? Not a chance. But it would make me feel good. And it could help a little. And it's something I can work on now, even with my little guy at home.

Here's my first: not too creative yet, but a start. It's one color, with bells on top. My kids love these hats.