Prayers Answered, In A Way, Re: Etsy Shop

A week or so ago, I asked for prayers and prayed a lot on my own, for an answer to whether or not I should risk the new Etsy rules and re-open my shop.

Within hours, I received one Facebook comment, one blog comment, and a private email, all with pretty much the same focus: I should not risk my financial situation right now by opening myself up to holds against my bank account. That went along with my own feelings but I didn’t want to be stubborn without reason on this. Thank you, my dear friends!

I will, instead, focus on trying to get the Facebook page, and the photo albums, set up to work from there.

Some suggestions have come in along the way for me to open another account and use that, or to sell from another website other than Etsy or Facebook.

Here’s the things, folks. I am 77. I am trying to “simplify” rather than “complicate” my life. I want to work with what I’ve got, what I understand and am comfy with, rather than dive into something new and perhaps still unsure of itself. So, I do appreciate your caring and your suggestions. I only pray that you will understand my reasons for not trying those out.

Meanwhile, I am always thrilled by how quickly some prayers are answered.

Lord Jesus, you have told us to go to the Father through you. And you have told us that when 2 or 3 are gathered together in your name, you are there with us. I truly believe that, and I thank you for hearing the prayers of my friends on this matter and helping me to know what to do. Please bless these folks for taking a moment of their time to help someone else. We trust in you.

Fun, Food, Folly and More

Ok - the fun and food part are correct but not the folly but hey, I liked the roll of “f” words... The folly was technically an oversight or mistake.

The past two days have kept me on my toes which can be a good thing.

Friday, I was happy to see 2 Etsy orders. 

One was for 2 sets (3 each) of my plastic canvas satin ribbon crosses and one was for a Class Reunion Report. Today I got the crosses packed and will mail Monday. 

The “folly” (or technically “mistake”) part was in the Reunion Report. I had the whole report done when I realized the buyer gave me the wrong Graduation date. I had to put the project on hold while I waited for her to email me back to verify what I figured was the correct date. I will do all the work over again tomorrow morning - not a disaster, just a bit annoying.

Silkie and I had the “fun” part today. I’ve noticed in the past that she sort of stalks the manual Bissell carpet sweeper. I ran it lightly over the rug today, as I must do off and on, for litter pebbles and such, and this time she actively stalked it. I couldn’t keep playing with her with that - nothing more to pick up. So we hauled out the Infamous Red Dot! She loves the laser light - I do not like it because my thumb gets tired. Still, she’s been inside now since Valentine’s Day and I felt sorry for her, so we played. This time, though, I did a lot of “on and off” bits, like fireflies, and this time she REALLY got into it. I rewarded her when I got tired with 3 of her prescription-diet kibbles.

I defrosted a huge bag of chicken leg quarters, just enough to pull them apart and repackage. I re-froze, immediately, 3 bags of 2 each, and am finishing the defrosting of 3 of them. Tomorrow or tomorrow night, I’ll toss them in the, you guessed it, crockpot, with celery, carrots, onion, a box of low-salt broth, maybe some kale, and a 1/2 cup barley (it really swells). Can’t wait. I can almost smell it.

Oh, and I cashed in some Swagbucks and used it to order 2 cheap nightshirts/dorm-shirts from Walmart, to pick up Wednesday. The two I’m using are very old, very stretched (falling off shoulders) and barely hanging together. No other way I could afford these, cheap as they are - I am really grateful for what I am able to do with Swagbucks.

Yep, not a bad two days, in spite of the mistake in that report.

Busy Day at Busy-ness

Sorry for the corny title to this one. I’m a little goofy at this point.

I spent most of today taking photos of the things that I’ve made along the way but never managed to list in my Etsy shop. Mostly, it is my plastic canvas satin ribbon bookmark/ornaments, a few (I’m making more this weekend and next week) button-face angel ornaments, and two new laminated Christian bookmarks.

My camera is an older Kodak digital. One of my online friends (Micki) had this model at one time and when I needed one that I could handle easily, with easy to figure features, I got one, too. That was back in 2010. Where on earth did that seven years go? Anyhow, it is still working and doing what I need it to do. I am so grateful that I got it back then when I had the $50 for it. It was well worth it - I have used it and used it and used it.

If I have time tonight, I might list some but I have a feeling it will be tomorrow afternoon, for sure. Lent is fast approaching and these are in demand during seasons such as Lent, Easter and Christmas.

I’m trying hard to do what I can with what I have and with what I know or can do. It also keeps my mind off the situation.

What were those old cliches? The one that comes most quickly to mind is “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” If I keep myself busy, I can’t dwell on useless stuff.

These days, my mind is awash in issues. It is often very difficult to choose one task and focus on it. Too often, I start one thing and veer off onto another, never really finishing any one thing. So the fact that I took all those photos today is a good thing. I also managed to check each one to compress it for the web and lighten a few that were too dark, and cropping one or two others.

It is really nice when I can look back over the day and see I’ve actually accomplished something, no matter how little it might be.

Etsy, FB, and Cyber Monday - 3 Tips

Ok, anyone with a "shop" online - you/we have a few days to get some of our ducks in a row. A week from today is Cyber Monday. That means the media will be hyping folks all week long, and especially this weekend, to buy "online" on Monday the 28th.

We have time to take photos of the things we keep planning to list and keep forgetting to list. We have time to post in our blogs, or on Faceebook, or on other social media. We have time to mention our links, quietly but firmly, at the bottom of every email and online message.

Add to that, we are blessed in many ways. Brick and mortar stores, as real-life stores are called today, are gearing up for "Black Friday" - the day after Thanksgiving. But they not only need to deal with promotion, and photos, and planning. They must place ads, and pay for them. They must add staff, and pay for it. They must be sure any-and-all of their physical locations have enough inventory to cover expected sales. We do not need to worry about those things.

So it's time to turn our attention to mentioning what we make, what we sell. Try to show/tell your viewers why your item will be great for someone on their gift list.

Time is short but there is time. Get busy now.

If you do nothing else, do these three things:

1 - Find your link - copy and paste it into a file or sticky on your computer screen. Then, click it, copy and paste at the bottom of every single thing you post or send online all this week and weekend. If you think your link alone is not enough but do not want to "push," use two lines, something like: "Check off items on your holiday gift list - go to (insert your link)". If you can't settle on one sentence or phrase, alternate between 2 and 3 of them - that is even better sometimes. Folks become jaded and tend to ignore something they see all the time.

2 - Take inventory. Look at what you've listed online. Ensure that you still have those things to sell. I often grab something from my "for sale" stash and use it as a quick gift and forget to unlist it. There's nothing worse than waking up, checking online and finding someone paid you for something you no longer have available.

3 - Make sure your photos are up to date. Does the color in the description match the color in the photo? Also, ensure that your shipping price is realistic. 

Me? I intend to do everything you just read here. Today I must take photos of "stuff" that is ready but which need images. And as of this moment until the end of the year, I will end everything I put online with my link and/or a tag phrase.

Good luck to all and may others be blessed and happy with the things you were blessed and happy to create with your own loving hands!

Get busy and chop down that holiday gift list:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/evelynmayfield

His Wonderful and Surprising Gifts - Etsy Order

You are all aware of my precarious financial situation and of my water-rationing situation while I await enough funds to replace the piping under my old mobile home.

Along the way, I distract myself from my concerns in many ways. I do crafts - for myself, for friends and loved ones, for my Etsy shop and for the local needy. I write - blog posts, free lance writing efforts, and more. I do a little de-cluttering. And so on...

Last night, I began a short series of blog posts about folks I know that have Etsy shops, or about Etsy shops I just plain love, or about an Etsy shop whose owner almost desperately needs some sales. I thought I could at least write a few words each evening that might bring some attention to those shops. Last night it was about CathysCraftWorld.

Lo and behold, this morning I had a sweet surprise order when I checked my own Etsy shop. I was trying to help someone else, and it looks like the Lord has tried to help me! Isn't he amazing? Isn't he wonderful? Oh, it's not like I will expect this every time, but it surely does tell me that I am doing the right thing by helping others in spite of my own concerns. I think that's what it's all about - didn't he say we should love one another as he has loved us?

This order and another, last month, were each multiple-item orders. That knocked down the number of items in my shop. I have been neglecting my own shop of late, in a way. I have a tote with "stuff" - I need to take photos and add them to my shop inventory. Obviously, from the way he works, I'd better do that quickly.

Sweet Lord Jesus, thank you so much for the surprise help you gave me this morning. Bless that buyer abundantly, and bless the people whose shops I mention in the coming days. May we all help each other, each in our own way, always and forever.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/evelynmayfield

Great Gift Ideas from CathysCraftWorld on Etsy

One of my favorite Etsy shops is CathysCraftWorld. 

Cathy has a wide variety of gift ideas but my favorites are her latch hook rugs and hangings (incl Sesame Street, Pooh, Snoopy, animals and seasonal), her gift baskets (birthday, bon voyage, seasonal, more) and her hand made greeting cards which are not your plain-jane type of card - they are truly unique.

What I like about Cathy's items is just that - they are each unique. You can count on getting something not found anywhere else, made with thought and love.

She's got so much more - jewelry, sequin art, and special picture frames.

Her reviews are heartwarming - she even has one from author Debbie Macomber! That really impressed me. 

Cathy puts her heart and soul into each item and loves customizing as well. Her items truly cover any gift-giving, well-wishing event you can imagine.

So, if you are looking for something different but special and well done, browse this shop and surprise someone (or a few "someones") on your gift list this season!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CathysCraftWorld

Christmas Buying Season Has Begun

Imagine my thrill at the sight of a 4 item order today from my Etsy shop! This will go directly out of PayPal and into an envelope marked "Pipes" - I plan to put every unexpected penny from here forward into that envelope.

There are a few things I still need to take photos of for my shop - I'd better do those this week for sure.

But this post is mostly to awaken folks to the fact that the biggest gift-giving season of the year is fast approaching.

I have several friends with Etsy shops and I hope to promote them each, one at a time, one a day, starting either tonight (if I get the time) or tomorrow for sure.

What fun to buy something you don't see on every counter in every store you enter this season!

Hold on, folks - we're beginning a happy, fun, shopper's ride!

Closing My Etsy Shop Temporarily

We had another "startup" freeze today on the computer. I am working on a checkup for this laptop and working on getting a used tower from a friend. 

But because I do not know what is wrong with this one, and because I do not know when the other one will be up and running, I cannot have someone pay me for an order and risk not being able to see the order - I don't want anyone thinking I am taking their money and not delivering if the computer decides not to start up at all.

I'll close it with a notice that it will be down for 2 to 3 weeks, and hope I have a viable setup running before that.

There's no way I want unfavorable comments against my shop.

At least I have this option - that's a relief.

Updating My Shop

Today I found 8 of my crocheted Rustic Wall Crosses just sitting around and I wondered why. It turns out they never made it into my shop. I did a quick run through my photos on the computer and I did actually take the photos a while back.

After rolling through them, re-naming them sensibly (they were just numbers), compressing them for upload, doing a little cropping and so on, they were ready. Each Etsy listing allows you to use up to 5 photos. I like to use 4 or 5.

Then I went into the shop, opened one Rustic Wall Cross, hit Copy, and began listing all 8, one at a time.

This is great. I now have 15 of them in there, both large and small, and in lots of colors: lavender, blue, red, Aran Fleck, and more.

I'm a happy Etsy camper...

Facts of Etsy Life - Some Marketing is Necessary

I've been neglecting my Etsy shop for a long time. I've made some items, almost a hundred, and listed them, over time. And lately, I've just allowed them to sit there, hoping folks will find them. I never make a lot from the shop - it's just a happy feeling when someone like what I've made and actually pays me for it.

However, I must be honest with myself - I do need some additional income. I usually manage to get things paid each month, and feed the kitty and keep her in litter, but it's a struggle to also deal with food and fuel for the car. That doesn't include anything that comes up, no matter how small - a haircut, for example, or a car battery, whatever.

The thing is, I positively hate marketing. I'm not even good at it.

Thankfully, Etsy encourages the development of "teams" and folks get together and help promote the items made by other team members.

It's time I got back into it, at least to that level. The team has promoted my items off and on. This week, they have been very busy and have promoted my shop at least four different times. So now I should at least do the same. In doing so, the team members who I help promote reciprocate, always, by doing the same for me.

I also went into my shop and updated/revised some descriptions. I noticed that my crocheted Rustic Wall Crosses did not have the size in the title line - it occurred to me that this would be a big help - when folks are searching, they depend on those brief item-titles to help them filter the hundreds, sometimes thousands, of choices, to find the best item for their search.

Yep - I should give myself a certain number of hours a week to maintain the shop. This includes updating text, adding new items, promoting at least in a limited way, and so on. Onward and upward.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/evelynmayfield

Barbie/Ken Crochet Canoe FINISHED!

Back on March 14, 2016, at this post, I mentioned I was beginning a project for a friend/neighbor. Two of us in our senior mobile home community discovered that our friend had a granddaughter (now 10) who loves Barbies, but family folks who bought them for her wanted her to shelter them as "investments" and keep them as collectibles.

Now, I love this woman and I would never say this was cruel, and it isn't, but the little girl that still lurks inside of me yearns to play with Barbies. They weren't alive when I was growing up. The best I had was a Betsy Wetsy (remember them?).

Anyhow, the two of us decided this little girl needed at least one to play with. My conspirator neighbor gets to many places that have great prices and she picked up both a black Ken and a black Barbie. For some odd reason, we decided on the canoe.

This has been an upward battle. It is not the hardest crochet project I've tackled but it is the hardest one for me to work on - I keep finding ways to stall. A few weeks ago, I finished all the pieces.

Yesterday, I finally sawed a 12" 1/4-inch dowel down to 9" for the oar. Today, I sewed the cover around the oar handle and the paddle cover and loop-handles so she or he could hold the oar. 

The part that frightened me was stuffing the seats and attaching them. I had no fiberfill. I tried 2 large pom-poms in each seat but they were too bulky. This morning, Eureka! I must have 50 skillion old wimpy washcloths in here and I grabbed one and cut it in half and then those pieces in half again, length-wise. I folded 3 times and the pieces fit just right inside the seat covers. Not only that, they are nice and firm. Sewing the seats to the inside of the canoe also frightened me. They had to go onto the 5th row down, and 2 inches apart so two sets of legs could fit in there and go under the seats. But - I did it!

Photos here, of course.

NOW, I will never, NEVER make another one of these. Well, I would have to charge a lot for the emotional wear and tear.

Lessons learned on this pattern: 

- crochet more tightly (this one is a bit floppy) 

- pay very strict attention to gauge (this one is just a tad bigger than expected) 

- that's about it.

With all my stalling, it took me about 3 months. It would be a lot quicker next time. Whoa. I didn't just see me type that, did I? Delete - delete...

I truly hope the little girl loves this.

So, when we present it to my friend, the canoe is on me, the Ken and Barbie is on my friend.

I am thinking of making a ballet tutu, leggings and slippers, too - in purple (her current favorite colors) because a little girl who now has a Barbie to play with also needs something to dress her in. This little girl is currently taking ballet classes.

I'm in trouble - I feel a fashion doll crochet obsession developing...

My First Etsy Sale Ever

Today I went into my Etsy listings and set up my FIRST Etsy SALE EVER!

From today through April 15, a little over 30 days, I've marked down my "winter accessories" (hats and scarves) to HALF PRICE.

Yep - a 50% discount. I am in process of making more things for my shop and thought I'd try to get these into some happy homes before finishing and listing new ones.

It's STILL winter in many parts of the country and will be that way for a few more months. This is a great time for folks to treat themselves and others.

Although this is a post for other crafters and Etsy shops, if you are personally interested, go to my shop and in the little search window, just enter "hat" or "scarf" to see what is available.

I can't wait to see how this works out.

Bookmarks Coming from my Busy Person’s Prayer Book

Quite a few years ago, I had a dream of publishing a book filled with helpful little 4-line prayers. I managed to get one self-published, the Busy Person's Prayer Book. 

My dream, however, was to also get those little prayers to as many folks as possible, to anyone who wanted them – and, to do it at a very low price. The self-published paperback, however, because of how print-on-demand works, costs too much for it to be really effective. In seven years, I’ve only sold about 40 of them. I’ve given away a dozen or so. 

Meanwhile, I keep writing a prayer here, and one there, depending on my needs and concerns. 

Suddenly, yesterday, I realized that I have been overlooking one very obvious way of getting those prayers into an everyday buyer’s hands, at a low price – digital bookmarks! Even after I offer them as a digital download, it will be easy to print them, laminate them (now that I have a neat little low-cost laminating machine), and add a ribbon. So, I can offer them both ways. And cheaply.

Hopefully, I’ll start with two sets – one will include prayers for dealing with four of our most common daily concerns and issues. The other set will concern not ourselves, but others. 

The odd thing about this epiphany of mine is that I have been searching for my digital camera for almost two weeks in this double-wide mobile. I have things I wanted to photograph and put into my Etsy shop. 

This morning, I realized that maybe He has been holding the camera back, waiting for me to take charge of our prayers (I say “ours” because many of them did not come from me, but from Him). I would almost bet that once I create those first bookmarks and put them in the shop, I will suddenly find that camera, and in a very obvious place.

They say everything happens no according to our timing, but according to His. I believe it. Back when I first self-published that book, I did not know about Etsy. I did not have the bookmark template I have now. And I did not know some other things, then, that I do now. 

I guess the time has come.

USPS Delayed Delivery Problems

I am beginning to get annoyed by the USPS these days. I have had several shipments delivered very, very late this year.

Two of these were earlier, and Priority Mail. But I made excuses and simmered down my anger and annoyance level because I tried to take East Coast storms into account.

However, just this month, I had a problem. I shipped a very lightweight bubble envelope via First Class mail. It shipped the 4^th. It said it would be delivered the 7^th. BUT it still has not arrived. The buyer, waiting for the little envelope, contacted me today. I just checked tracking and it says, simply, it was “delayed” and is now on its way to its destination. 

This is a real problem for anyone doing business by normal mail. There is no other option and we are at the mercy of the USPS in these cases. 

In my case, most of these went from NV to the East Coast, but right now, there are no storms to cause this latest delay.

I wonder if I’m the only one having issues like these?

Back to Revising the Busy Person’s Prayer Book

I'd better get going again on the revision and reformatting of my self-published Busy Person's Prayer Book - it's already available at this link, in paperback and two digital download versions, but I am doing a little more work on it so I can put it in my Etsy shop as an instant download, making it easier to read on-screen. I’m hoping to offer a great price on it this way. 

That link (here), by the way, also allows you to see the Table of Contents and 4 of the prayers.

My original dream for this was to get it to as many folks as possible for as little as possible. I have also dreamed of offering the prayers as a packet of little business cards. That is still something I hope to work on.

I was making a lot of progress about a year ago and, when my middle-aged “nephew” passed away suddenly, my life went into a financial tailspin. I was so caught up in dealing with it that everything else was pushed aside. It’s a little over a year now since he left this earth, and he’d hate it if I didn’t finish this revision. So would his mom, Jane, gone since ’09 - she was so helpful to me with the first drafts early on.

Anyhow, there is that saying we all quote so easily - God helps those who help themselves. I can’t expect him to help me unless I get moving.

So, I pulled out the hard copy and will start working on it, hopefully at least an hour a day. It’s amazing what we can accomplish in a hour if we stick to it.