My Day, Friday-In training & Etsy Baby!

Howdy Howdy Howdy~

Remember when I had time to blog daily?

Remember when I made time to blog two or three times a week?

Well, just now, I looked over at the sidebar for my blog topics and I am noticing that the "My day, Friday" posts are all neatly lined up and in order.

This, point blank, shows me that I am only blogging once a week now with my rambling gibberish and I need to step up my game.

Once a week!

That's it!

That's all I have been blogging!

Are you curious, as to why, I have dropped down to once a week without even realizing it?

I have been making pillows and trying to build my Etsy Shop which is hard.

It's hard to explain to people how online selling works and that's not even beginning to describe how being a seller on Etsy works, but it's a lot of work. It's so easy to be buried in the pages. First you have to have awesome pics, which I struggle with. It helps to have a decent amount of inventory for search engines, and you really have to market yourself outside of Etsy. There is way more than what I listed, but this just gives you an idea of how hard it is to be a seller on there to the masses. I know this and I know it all takes time, but it doesn't mean it's not any less frustrating.

Thankfully I have had local orders to keep me encouraged to keep making my wacky pillows.

I have been a member, on Etsy, since 2006.

-Way back in the day before it was popular.

Way back in the day when people would ask me this question when they would get fabulous gifts from me that I didn't make.

"What's an Esty?"

Yes, I was asked "what's an Etsy" and often.

Sometime back in 2008 or 2009 I started making flower pin brooches as gifts and decided to sell them on Etsy. I sold three very quickly and then I just never sold anymore and again went on a hiatus.

I was really really really wanting out of the luxury baby business at the time, yet, not sure if the flower pin brooches would take off or even if I wanted Bundles of Blossoms to be in business anymore.

This was my time of reflection-

(Doesn't the word "reflection" make me sound like I know what I am talking about with deeper meaning or does it sound like a bunch of BS?)

I think probably the second BS option.

I just had so many steps to take to step away from the Baby biz and needed to be certain and make sure that was what I wanted.

Lot's of major changes took place in my life, too, but I had this nagging thought in my head that was this little pillow line.

It started with looking for and trying to shop for pillows that I couldn't find in the stores for myself-my own taste.

I needed more than that, too.

I wanted to not only showcase small town & country life, but to bring back the idea of my hands & mind creating a one of a kind item that meant something not only to me, but also to the customer that purchased it.

My main priority was to make sure, when I made these pillows, that the unique design and concept of the design was what sold my pillows. The durability/quality had to hold up to the idea of handmade and that there was a deeper meaning to the appliques and it wasn't just a pillow. It had to be a connection to life.

As you all know, because I have been on my soap box for many years about supporting the long lost mom & pop shop era, that it's very important to buy handmade.

I understand that we all have to purchase from the big stores to exist in our constantly changing world.

I do it.

I know.

But if you notice when you purchase something that is handmade you have all of this extra goodness going on.

1. There is connection to the designer/seller.

2. Someone actually sat down and used their hands and mind to create an original design.

3. Items that are handmade are perfectly imperfect, too. I love that. That's the charm~

There is just something so magical about buying handmade.

Handmade gifts have always been my favorite even when I was a child.

So after the Christmas season settles down and life gets back to "normal" I will be calmly working out in my studio at a calm pace, taking my time to build up my pillow inventory, and I will be back to blogging and reading the blogs I follow more than once a week.

My goal for 2012 is exactly what I mentioned above.

It's going to be my year to prepare and grow the business.

It's been a long sabbatical and it's time to get Bundles of Blossoms back on track for the long haul.

Bundles of Blossoms is such a huge part of who I am, but sometimes, as in life, it's just time to change things up a bit.
This past 2011 year has been kind of like my business has been sprinting kind of like runners do-super fast and at the end the runner is winded and can't catch her breath, but loves the exhilaration!

So 2012 is going to be training for long distance run. It's kind of a slow steady pace while still being able to carry on a great conversation, yet, knowing that there are many more miles ahead.


Toodle-loo
Nikki Pugh