Happy Tuesday! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend!
Last week I talked about my plans for 2017. I may have to rework that plan after yesterday morning. I made some project bags for an Instagram/FB friend, Danielle (aka Stitcherista). The Big C decided to knock on her door and she’s currently in the middle of kicking the crap out of it. She is a cross stitcher and does FlossTube videos (YouTube videos made by cross stitchers). She is hilarious! Anyway, I decided to make her some project bags. She thanked me in her video yesterday and briefly showed the bags I made. And then my whole world exploded.
I had a couple of people contact me right away to ask to order some bags. I was so blown away and a little frantic that I quoted some really low prices and got to work getting fabric pulls done and sending pictures. And then. AND THEN. A needlework shop contacted Danielle to ask me to email them about my bags. What an amazing compliment, right?! I am talking with them about potentially making some bags for them to sell in their shop. Turns out my pricing was way off… near wholesale prices. Which is true, because I quoted enough to cover my materials, plus just a few dollars more. Mister is always telling me that I price things too low, and turns out he was right. Well, there’s a couple of ladies getting a great deal on some project bags out there!
I am not sure how things will end up with the shop, as we are just discussing this right now. I know I often talk about setting up an Etsy store, and it may end up that I finally do that and sell these project bags. Maybe having some inventory with these project bags to keep an Etsy store open will motivate me to finally make a few handbags and stock them as well. Anyway, I’m super excited about the possibilities that opened up for me on Monday, but really overwhelmed as well. My brain is very scattered today. I know that I have several bags to make in the next few weeks, and I had a couple I wanted to make for myself. I am not sure mine will get done for a while now, we’ll see. I talked to Mister today about his quilt that I was supposed to baste, quilt, and bind, but he told me not to worry about it for the moment. He is just happy to see me motivated to start selling bags and knows I will get the quilt done when I can.
So, this coming week, my to-do list will consist of making more of these project bags. I also have to prep a couple of cross stitching kits for my evening stitching in January. Since I am feeling off-track already, and 2017 is not even here, I’m simply going to take each thing as it comes. No pressure to get everything done that I talked about last week. I am learning that crafting and creating is a process that must be adapted to constantly. Something that inspires you one day, may not several days later. I’ve just got to roll with it!
I wish you a Happy New Year! Have a happy and safe New Years Eve!
This week’s To-Do list:
- Sew Project Bags
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[inlinkz_linkup id=686682 mode=1]
Stitch ALL The Things 
Congratulations!!! That is amazing news. Just remember to breathe and take it one step at a time. You’ll get them all done because you are a bag making ROCK STAR!!
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Thanks, friend! Things took a dive this week, but I think I’m back on track and am currently taking your advice of breathing and doing things one step at a time! I hope to email you and catch up in the next couple of days!
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How exciting! The project bags look awesome, so i totally understand why people want them!
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Thank you!! They are pretty nifty little bags. Now I’ll have to find some to make myself a couple of them!
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I saw your bags on Danielle’s video and was relentlessly texting her about them last night, lol. They are beautiful! I’ll be watching for your etsy shops, haha!
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Aw!! Thank you!! I am working hard to get ahead of the game here, but feel like I’m waaaaaayyyyy behind and the game hasn’t even started. LOL!!! I’ll probably be shouting from the rooftop and telling the entire world (whether they want to know about it or not!) when I do finally get the Etsy store up. 🙂
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That’s brilliant! I find most of my ‘little breaks’ into retail come by chance rather than through strategic marketing 😁 I hope your denture with the shop is successful and you get the Etsy shop up and running too! Happy New Year!
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Thank you so much!! If anything, this is the kick in the pants I needed to get going with my plans for bag making. Even if I start out small, I am finally starting!
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Congrats on the sales, but, make it profitable for you, too. You deserve something for all of your hard work. Great project bags shown. No wonder they are popular.
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Thank you very much! The shop I am talking with is really encouraging me to price things accurately. It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be, since I do tend to undervalue my work. Researching this topic on the internet shows that a lot of us have that same problem. I appreciate your comment and encouragement. Thank you again!
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Wow! Great job on getting a ‘paying gig’! Your bags must be a great fit for a need many people are having, and your timing was right too. I wish you very, very much success in 2017. Thank you for the linkup!
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Thank you so much! This all took me by surprise, for sure, but I am excited to see what happens with these bags!
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Wow! Christine! How fun to have your bags shown during the video AND that it has generated sales for you! That is exciting! I seem to have a conversation often with others who are not charging enough for their wares. Wonderful that you are getting the orders and the encouragement to up your prices for your time. Your bags and frames are so pretty! I’m tickled for you!
And, is the link up button missing, or am I the one missing it?
Looks like you will be having a Happy New Year!!
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Thank you, Sharon! It’s been quite a week, I’ll tell you! (Literally, I will tell you! I’ll write about it tomorrow night for Tuesday’s post.) I did a lot of research on pricing handmade goods and undervaluing hand made items seems to be a big issue for many people. It’s been eye opening for me, reading all of these articles.
The link up button was working, I’m sorry if it was acting glitchy for you. Happy New Year!!
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That is fantastic! What a great compliment.
Here’s to you getting organized and kicking bag butt! Happy New Year!
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Thank you, Amy! It’s been one heck of a roller coaster ride this week, but very excited about the potential here!!
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I am really excited for you!
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