Crafty tweets

Still busy ramping up inventory for my three upcoming craft shows.  Yesterday I started making a whole pile of my Purse fobs/keyrings/zipper pulls - like this St. Patrick one. 

I have a lot of fun picking out the various beads and different shapes, sizes, and color assortments and deciding which Holy Medals to use.

If you follow me on Twitter you may have seen me tweeting pictures of my newest creations.  I figured why wait until I get the "real" photographs online to share them - so as I completed each one I took a quick snapshot of each with my cameraphone and tweeted away.

The pictures are a little dark since it's just a cameraphone and terrible office-lighting.  But it was great to share the little creations as they were made throughout the day.  

I'm finsihed for now.  I made a total of 20 new fobs over the course of yesterday and today.  If you want to see them all you can visit my Twitter account.  You can also browse through my Twitpic page and leave comments if you like.  :) 

All of the fobs I have just made will NOT be available in my Etsy shop until after all my craft fairs are over.  But if you stumble across one you really like I'd be happy to make a listing for you.  I can also change out the medals if you wanted a different Saint featured on whatever color arrangement you like.  I love making custom creations.

I have some more bookmarks and cellphone charms to make.  I might be live-tweeting those creations too. 

Treasured x4!

My fellow Etsy rosary makers have been making delightful mischeif!  We somehow acquired a total of FOUR Treasuries yesterday!  Two in the main room and one in Treasury West.  Here are the newest addtions as our October celebration of the rosary continues on!

Thank you to Beadedtreasuresetc and SpiritualArts! Thank you to the friends and fans for the clicks and comments! And thank you to the entire guild for being such a talented group of artisans! I am blessed to be surrounded by your love and inspiration!

Treasured!

The Rosary Guild did it again! Our members LaudeArts  & PMMDesigns1 have created TWO beautiful Treasuries as our Celebration of October as Rosary Month continues!  Whoo hoo!

Please comment and click each and every item in both Treasuries to help boost them to the top!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=88865
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=89010

Treasured!

Another Treasury for the Etsy Rosary Guild! October's celebration of the Rosary is going strong!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=88509

2010 Crafting Calendar - Marketing Locally

I'm about a month away from my first big show - I have been busy, busy, busy getting everything together and I'm about 3/4 of the way finished.  I have 3 shows this season and that is a huge increase from the one show I did in 2008.  But I'm already looking to 2010 and filling my Crafting Calendar full...

Now that I've made the purchases of tables, display pieces, and the hundred and hundreds of business cards that I need to be a REAL craft show seller, I fully plan on doing a lot more local craft shows next year. When I'm not preparing for this season's already-planned events, I am searching for more places to sell.

Since I am in a niche market - only selling religous (heavily Catholic) products - it can be a little intimidating applying to a local street fairs and Indie marketplaces where my products may not be fully appreciated.  I'm not letting that deter me by any means - and will still be happy to sell anywhere and everywhere that will accept me - I realized that I can also use my niche market by focusing on events sponsored by local churches and schools in my Archdiocese.

First, I was thinking of doing direct self-marketing campaign.  I wouldn't send them to the whole Archdoicese of course, but I would send them to the churches/Catholic schools that I can get to easily in my neighboring cities.  I want to let them know who I am, what I make, and that I am available as a vendor at their parish/school craft shows or fundraising events.  For those parishes with gift shops, my items would also be available for wholesale or consignment. 

I'm thinking of starting with post cards with pictures of my rosaries/crafts and links to my Etsy shop, Blog, and Contact information.  Instead of postcards, I may consider sending a small package with one of my inexpensive rosaries included as a gift to showcase the quality. Focusing on the fact that everything I make is handmade and that I am a local parishioner of the Cathedral in Seattle will be my selling points.  Knowing that a rosary or Holy Medal trinket was made with love from a fellow Catholic - and not mass produced in another country - could make all the difference.

I'm going to give this a lot of condiseration with plans on executing my first batch of marketing early in 2010  in hope of some Spring/Easter Sales and then again later in the year as a reminder for Fall/Winter/Advent sales.

If I get positive response from this campaign idea, and I'm not too overwhelmed with orders (I wish! LOL!), I may consider in 2011 branching out to other parishes in the Archdioces specifically for gift-shop wholesale or consignment.

So tell me, bloggers...how do you market yourself in your community? Do you sell in local shops as well as online and at craft shows? Besides social media (blogs, Twiiter, etc.) how do you get the word out there about what you do?

Treasures galore!

The Etsy Rosary Guild is at it again! A third Treasury in a week!  How lucky we have been to get these hard-to-come-by Treasuries...and we hope to get many more as we continue to celebrate October being the Month of the Rosary!

This Treasury features the talented artisans of the Rosary Guild - we make a whole lot more than just standard rosaries! This showcases the other fun and funky items you can find in our shops.  Please clikc, comment, and enjoy!  Thank you for your support!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=71867

Treasured!

Another Rosary Guild member,  BeadedTreasuresEtc, was able to get a Treasury last night!  Great selections!  We would love your support with Clicks and Comments.  Remember, clicking each individual item helps boost our Treasury rating.  Thank you so much!

Visit our Treasury!