Shop Update, Goals, and New Items

I finally have a total of 60 items in my shop. Of course, as soon as I say that a purchase will be made and that statement will no longer be true. That isn't so much of a problem in my eyes though! I 've made 5 more sales since my last update when I hit the magical "50 sales milestone".

I noticed lately that people were mostly buying two things: sunglass cases and loom knit bags. I've been working on making more of those items, but instead of loom knit bags (which can take some time), I'm concentrating on getting more sewn fabic bags listed. I love picking out fabric and sewing the bags. They're a lot of fun.

This is the count for what I've sold so far:
Eyeglass cases - 8
Bags - 12
Scarves - 28
Headbands - 4
Coaster sets - 3

Scarves take the cake in my shop, but while the weather is hot, I won't be making or listing anymore than I have (there are 16 right now!).

Here's what's new in my shop right now:

Bright Orange Woven Eyeglass Case

I'm pretty surprised how much people like these things. I'll make every color of the rainbow if I have to.  I have 12 available right now. They're great for protecting eyewear.

Blue and Teal Fabric Tote

These simple totes are great. I made a couple to keep already. During the summer, I live at the pool and the lake and these are perfect for carrying my outdoor essentials (usually sunscreen, a magazine, my phone + headphones, a snack, etc.).  I add 2 pockets to these bags - pockets are a must!

Lime Green Sunglass Case

Goals for this month:
-Get to 70 items listed! I'm slowly working up to 100. If this was the only thing I worked on, I could definitely  get there quicker. A lot of my time goes to my beauty blog.

-Be more active on social media! As a blogger, social media is half of my job; I'm constantly updating to stay relevant. For my Etsy shop, I tend to neglect that aspect.

If you're a shop owner, what are your goals for the month?

50 sales!

I've reached a milestone in my shop recently - I hit 50 sales! That's a small amount for some shops, but a huge victory for me. I never considered the idea that I'd stick with my shop for so long. I opened it randomly because I had a bunch of handmade scarves on my hands that I had no idea what to do with. I figured there was no harm in listing them. Now I have expanded my inventory to include sunglass cases, bags, headbands, and household items.

I've thought about closing shop a couple times when things got slow, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I love creating my crafts and sharing them with people. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment when I list these items I've actually made myself and then when people buy them, it makes me so proud.

I look forward to the next 50 sales and expanding my shop even more. I've now starting adding sewn tote bags that I think people will love for summer. I have my eye on a couple more sewing patterns as well. I won't be leaving the loom knit/woven items behind though. My looms are still being used like crazy! Sometimes it's just fun to change it up a little.

Shop: sparkleknit.etsy.com

Twitter: @sparkleknitshop

Facebook: Sparkleknit

Reversible Fabric Totes

Last month, I shared this Valentine's tote I made. I kept the bag for myself and since then, I've made 3 more.   These totes are ideal for carrying just about anything. They're reversible and include a pocket that can hold cell phones, pens/pencils, sunglasses, etc. I'll be using mine as a pool bag this summer.

I've already listed one of the bags in my shop: Chevron Reversible Tote Bag

Here's a preview of the most recent bag I've made. 

These totes are perfect for carrying books!

You can see the pocket in the picture!

For future bags, I'm thinking of adding an additional pocket so that there will always be a pocket on the outside as well as the inside.

Here's a sneak peek at the fabric I'm using for my next bag:\

I think it will be a great bag for spring and summer and can't wait to see how it turns out. 

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Sewn Valentine's Tote Bag

This weekend I took on a different project than usual. Normally, I work with yarn to make all kinds of loom knit items. This time, I decided to do some work with my sewing machine. I found a pattern for a basic sewn tote bag and I knew right away that I wanted to make it. So, I took myself over to Jo-Ann and picked out some fabric. I picked a bright pink, a deep purple with golden dots, and a pale pink with white hearts.

It's a reversible tote with a pocket on the inside.

I love this bag! Even though it can be considered a Valentine's bag, I'm perfectly fine using it throughout the year. I think it will be perfect for day trips, carrying books/magazines, holding my knit projects, and many other things. When I was younger, I would've considered this the perfect bag to bring along on sleepovers. I wish I could've had it then!

Bag laying flat.

This is the little pocket on the inside.

Here's the strap. It's nice and sturdy.

Don't you love this fabric? It was 50% off! I love heart patterns and this one is very subtle and delicate.

This project was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it so much that I went back and got more fabric for additional totes like this! These would make great gifts and there are so many options for color combos that I could make a million of them!

Video: Eyeglass/Sunglass Collection

Today I wanted to share a video slideshow I made. It's for my loom woven eyeglass and sunglass collection that is available in my shop. This video is from my YouTube channel. If you'd like to subscribe, you can visit my channel here. I update it every so often with new items or collections in my shop.


My shop: Sparkleknit

Holiday Gifts: Handmade Scarves

Scarf season is upon us. The weather has become colder and my shop has gotten busier. Scarves are what I sell the most of in fall and winter. They make great gifts and can be made in every color imaginable. I wanted to share a few scarves that sold recently as gifts for the holidays.

I made this scarf for a custom order. It was a Christmas gift for a guy. 

I love the colors. It's definitely a suitable accessory for men. I would describe the colors as rustic. It came out flat, tightly knit, and fairly lightweight. I wish I had 5 more of these scarves on hand to sell. I plan to make more though.

Another great scarf for men that I sold recently is this brown and red striped scarf. 

It's also flat and knit tightly. It was the first striped scarf I made and I think it came out really well.

This next scarf I knew would not be available for long. It's a deep purple scarf with little confetti pieces throughout. It didn't sell on my Etsy shop, but instead in person. It's a gorgeous scarf. The pictures don't do it enough justice. It was also one of my more pricey scarves. 

It was flat and long. This one was a lot more weighty than others but very soft and silky.  I would consider this scarf as more of a fashion scarf. I want to make a few more of these as well.

I love scarves. Even if you aren't giving them as gifts, they're a great cold weather accessory to have in your own wardrobe. 

Check out my current scarves for sale

My Craft: Working with Looms

If you've visited my shop or followed me on some sort of social media account (Twitter, Facebook, blog, etc) you probably already know that I make things on looms as well as sell them. I started out last year knitting on looms and now I also weave on looms. I've gathered some looms, yarn, and tools to show you everything I use in order to make the pieces you see in my shop.

I use all kinds of yarn for my projects - different colors, textures, and sizes.

Long loom, round loom, and spool loom.

These are just a few of the looms I use to make my pieces. 

A cotton tote bag in progress on a round loom.

A woven project using cotton yarn and the Martha Stewart loom.

This will be a eyeglass case like this one.

Using looms is a lot of fun. I make all kinds of different projects on them. Bags, scarves, eyeglass cases, headbands, shawls, and coasters - I have made all of these and have them for sell in my shop. I'm always looking at new patterns and learning new techniques for my looms. Any questions about this craft? Just ask!

Find me here:
Shop: SparkleKnit

Twitter: @SparkleKnitShop

Facebook: Sparkleknit

Pinterest: Missaf23

New: Loom Woven Pieces

I admit, I've neglected this blog for awhile and it's because I have been focusing on my other blog. But now I have an update about my shop! I started loom weaving awhile ago and have been adding in woven pieces to my inventory lately. You can see a few of them below:

Top left - Yellow and Purple dishcloths

Bottom left - 4th of July Coaster Set

Top right - Bright Eyeglass Case

Bottom right - Kitchen cloth set

These items are so fun to make and ideal for summer. I plan to make more and offer more color choices but I'm still loom knitting as well. I have two knitted bags that I'm working on and will be listed soon.
For now, I'm letting my scarf listings expire - they will return this fall along with more colorful scarves and headbands!

How do you like the new items? Let me know in the comments!

My Moo MiniCards

Last week I ordered 100 MiniCards for my shop from Moo.com. I was able to get them for free with the Etsy logo and all I had to pay was S&H ($5.00). They're easy to make since you can import your pictures right from your Etsy shop and they're really great quality! I love mine so much that I don't want to give any away.

They came in a nice, sturdy box with "Mine" and "Theirs" dividers. Cute!

Here are all of the different ones I chose. I didn't realize I picked so many!

Here are some of my favorites...

Here's one up-close and also what's on the back.

 I've included my shop name, what I sell, the link to my shop, my email, and my twitter. 

I think they turned out amazing. I'm very impressed with the company. Now I want to order regular-sized business cards and stickers! I can't wait to start including them with orders and handing a few out. It makes my shop feel more established and serious. 

Treasury: Yellow on my Mind

Every once in awhile I like to make a treasury on Etsy. A treasury is a collection of 16 items you pick out from shops on Etsy based on themes, favorites, or anything you'd like. I made a treasury today based on items that are yellow.


 
How do you like these items? I picked each one with Summer and sunshine in mind and combined them to make a bright, sunny collection. I'd love to see your treasuries. Leave a link to them below in the comments!

My Story + Selling on Etsy

If you've read my "About Me" page you may already know a few basics about me and why I started selling on Etsy. I've always been a lover of the arts from a young age and have taken part in many activities - playing musical instruments, painting, drawing, sculpting with clay, photography, etc.

Last year I learned how to knit on a loom through a family member. I started with scarves. I made one after another and kept making them until I had a stockpile. In August 2011 I had so many handmade scarves that I decided to list them on Etsy. I read as much as could about having an Etsy shop and started out with very basic pictures and listings. Since then I've grown. I've learned new patterns, offered more items in my shop, taken better pictures, written better listings, and I'm still putting in the effort to improve.


Up to this point in time, I've made 20 sales on Etsy and 18 sales on my own, totaling 38 sales! To some that may not seem like much but to me that's huge! I never thought I'd be doing this or selling that many pieces. I'm excited to keep growing my shop and making more connections. I'm on my ninth month of selling on Etsy but it feels like I just started.

For anyone looking to start up their own shop, here is my advice - just dive in and do it! You don't have to know everything about it before you start; in fact, that would be impossible. You should have a basic plan and simple understanding of how everything works but it's the type of thing where you learn as you go. It won't be perfect at first, if ever. You just have to keep an open mind and be willing to improve.  I definitely still have a long way to go but I remain positive about the future of my shop!

Packaging my Items

I'm always curious about how other Etsy shops package their products. I've seen a lot of cute and creative ideas. Unfortunately, I don't have tons of money to put into packaging (I would probably go all out otherwise!) but I know packaging is important to how a shop is perceived and could play a big role in customers returning.

Here's a little peek at an order to be shipped:

I've kept the packaging pretty simple. The item inside is tied with ribbon and then wrapped with white tissue paper - I got a big bundle of it at Costco. I tied the wrapped item with raffia (from Walmart) to finish it off. With my packages I include a handwritten thank you card, a printout of the receipt that gives all the details of the order (a must!), and a colorful card with extra info about my shop as well as a coupon code for next time.

Once my shop grows I'll be able to put more into the packaging. My next step is to get business cards made!

So what do you include in your packages? 

Adding an Accent Flower

I just finished listing my newest bag and on this particular bag I added something a little extra....

A flower!!

The placement of the flower gave me a little grief but I think it totally adds a cute finishing touch. I think flowers are great additions to just about anything. It was pretty simple and fairly fast on a small loom so I'm sure I'll be adding more to future bags. 

To see the detailed listing and more pictures go here:

Taupe and Burgundy Knitted Tote with Accent Flower

Recently Completed Bags

I've completed two bags recently that I wanted to share. They were both knitted on a round loom.

The first one, a bright blue bag with a lime green stripe, was an experimental project. I use a pattern for these bags but I like to change it up with different types of stitches, sizes, and color combos. I used multiple stitches and alternating colors and this is how it turned out...

Cute. don't ya think? The green stripe came out looking like a ribbon, in my opinion, and I really like it! It came out much nicer than I expected. Isn't it great when you try something on a whim and it actually works out?

The second bag was made for a custom order. I made a large bag with alternating red and purple colors. 

Here it is (minus the handles).

Later, I added drawstring type handles and sent it out immediately for a customer. The great part of this bag is that it will stretch to fit anything you need it to. 

The blue and green bag is listed in my shop for $27 (free shipping). It can be found here:

Loom Knit Cotton Tote Bag

Project Update and New Gallery Page

Today I'm working on 2 projects. I have a knitted blue bag to finish and a custom order to start on after that. I'll share them by the end of the week.

Also I added a new page to my blog named "Gallery". Clicking on it will take you to my Flickr page where I have created a set of pictures of the items I have already sold. This is a way for everyone to see all of the past items I have offered and sold.  You an also access my sold items from my Etsy shop but there are times when I sell things in person that aren't recorded through Etsy so you won't find everything there.

I'm still working on adding other features to this blog and trying to post more often. I actually sat down and did some brainstorming so I have lots of ideas! Stay tuned for updates, projects, and more!

New Tote Bags in my Shop

I added these two bags to my shop recently. I love these colors for Spring!

I absolutely love the yellow/white one. I kind of want one for myself! 

They were both knitted on a loom with cotton yarn. The yellow one is thicker and more sturdy. The green mesh bag is meant to be light, airy, and, stretchy - great for carrying a few snacks or toys. 

Here is the link for all of the bags I sell:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/sparkleknit?section_id=11347062

Which one is your favorite?

Cotton Knitted Loom Knit Necklace

I've been making different things, figuring out what I want to offer in my shop for the Spring and Summer seasons. I've made scarves, headbands, coasters, bags, and now I'm making necklaces. Knitted necklaces! They're so fun and perfect for springtime. Here's my first one...

Since we're all starting to put away our scarves and winter wear, I thought it would be nice to still offer some sort of bold accessory so I came up with this! I would wear this year round, even on cool summer nights and as you can see in the picture on the right, it really dresses up my outfit. 

Here's the listing:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/96803648/knitted-multicolor-long-spring-necklace

Loom Knit Mesh Market Bag

I found a pattern for this market bag awhile ago and I really wanted to make it.  I was unsure of my abilities but I decided to dive in and do it.  As I got going I realized I underestimated myself and I could actually knit more difficult things on my looms now. I'm impressed with how well it came out and I already bought yarn to make a few more.

The bag is great for groceries or the beach. The straps are adjustable and can be pulled like a drawstring to close the bag. It's 100% cotton and knitted loosely to make a mesh fabric, so it has some stretch. 

Where I found the pattern:

Loom Knit Mesh Bag by Kristen at GoodKnit Kisses

Loom Knit Coasters made with Recycled T-Shirts

I listed these knitted coasters on my Etsy shop yesterday. They are made from a t-shirt!  I went digging through the closet to find an unwanted t-shirt (it's actually harder than it sounds!) and then I found a tutorial online to make t-shirt yarn. It was simple and easy and totally awesome to be able to recycle a t-shirt for this project. I definitely plan to make more of these.

Upcycled T-shirt Coasters Set of 2

I'm having an end of Winter sale on select items in my shop. Go check it out! Some pieces are marked down more than 20% off!