What's under your tree?

A few Etsy suggestions for those on a budget (and who isn't these days?)!



















I love thepaintedlily's work! Her prints are so delicate while rich. Very economical, while seemingly extravagant, at just $14 or so. I just stocked up some of her offerings, but won't let the cat out of the bag yet!



















You can't really go wrong in lillyella's shop, any time of year! Beautiful vintage-y jewelry, influenced by nature (lots of beautiful flowers!), lots of great deals and sales via her blog (you should check her blog out!). You can find something for everyone here, from grandma to grandchild, and everything in between! (and for me!)
















Not everyone is that into beautiful jewelry or prints (what???), and some of us are into the quirkier world of ... cryptozoology! OK, I confess. I love watching MonsterQuest or anything on cable having to do with Big Foot, Nessie, Yeti, etc. I love checking out PearsonMaron's shop at Etsy on a regular basis! I was raised on stories of Big Foot, the Ghost of Joaquin Murietta, gnomes, the Easter Bunny, you name it. You can treat someone to a pin, magnet, teeshirt, you name it, with a Yeti, Sasqatch, Chupacabra, etc. I'll be shopping here a little later today ....

Too tired to talk, let my photos speak for me

T minus ....

It's ironic.

I worked in retail for YEARS and wanted out so badly, because ... I hated working the day after Thanksgiving. Hated it! No one gets it the day off! The shoppers are obsessed, militant, slightly crazed!

Then I worked in healthcare for YEARS and so desperately wanted to enjoy the holidays and not always have to work them (since my family lives a four hour car drive away!).

Then I was finishing up my degree and spent Thanksgivings working on final papers.

And now?





I own my own business and am excited about "Black Friday," the biggest shopping day of the year, and can't wait for you all to see what I have up my sleeve!

At least I get to wear sweats while I work like crazy all day.

I'm going to start loading the shop with new goodies now, because I really hate it when someone lists three pages of new or renewed items, burying everyone else's, but I'll be doing major loading just after midnight Thursday.

What's coming up? Well, you'll have to check that out! But, you can count on:

• LOTS of new neckwarmers and cowls
• New scarves
• More scarf of the month club options
  
• New photos for the holidays :)
• Holiday box/wrap options
  
• LOTS of surprises that I'm excited about and hope that you'll be excited about too!

The girls and I will be working very hard between now and Thursday midnight to prepare (I wish I could train them to wrap vs. unwrap, and tie ribbons vs. shred ribbons ....). This is Phydeaux's first holiday season, and in January, I'll be sharing all of my lessons learned (I know there will be many many many).

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! I'll share with you my new butternut squash lasagna recipe tomorrow!

I heart moss

So here I thought I had the most clever title, then saw that Summer uses the same tagline!!! But we both heart moss, we really do!

I treated myself to one of Summer's incredible hand/needle felted moss pincushions! Cute, clever AND a necessity when you're sewing about eleventy billion buttons onto neckwarmers during scarf season. :)















Summer is the maven behind Ottoman, one of my very favorite Etsy shops. I admired her mossy creations well before I opened my own shop! She creates pincushions, jewelry, accessories and wall art in "moss," "lichen" and even cork!

If you haven't read Summer's blog, you should! She has a lot of great eco tips and I love her photos!















If you're a seller, even a wannabee seller, Summer's shop is a great example of finding your niche and doing it very very well. I immediately know that an item is hers simply by the photo style -- creating that kind of recognizable "look" is crucial (branding!).

One of the added benefits of selling on Etsy has been the wonderful friends I've made, and I'm honored to include Summer amongst them!

Please Santa ...

Wouldn't these be wonderful treats to find under your tree this holiday?



















Dial B for Beautiful hat by BKMHattitude, $25

This has been in my favorites for awhile, but I just now noticed what a great price this is! Hmmmm....



















Just about everything in sofiamasri's shop makes me swoony (I just made that word up), and this lovely pendant takes the cake!

Thera necklace, strawberry, $32

I'll share more gift ideas with increasing frequency! And I'll tell you tomorrow about a couple of wonderful things that arrived in the mail last week. :)

Let the countdown begin ...

Just under one month until Christmas! This will be my first holiday season on Etsy and I periodically get a little panicked, then just hunker down to continue knitting. Today as I hunkered and knitted, I thought, "Hmmm. I usually knit when I'm taking a vacation, but I think I'll need a vacation post Christmas from knitting!" I will take a brief post holidays knitting vacation, largely to clear my head and do some Spring line planning. Brief! Don't worry! ;)

I do work this week, but Wednesday afternoon will be home and the mad rush to prep for Bazaar Bizarre will begin! Thanksgiving will be me and my girlies, but I will be jaunting over to some very very dear friends for Thanksgiving dinner, which will be a nice break from being a mad woman.

I look forward to sharing my madness with you -- many many photos will be posted here and at Flickr!

Stay tuned for exciting news about a knitting tutorial and a recipe that I'm sharing on one of my very favorite blogs!

I hope you all have a fun and safe week, preparing to spend time with your family and friends this weekend.

Weekend shipping deal!

I should have posted this earlier, my apologies, nutty day!

Free first class shipping this weekend in the shop! And 50% off priority flat rate shipping!

Newsletter subscribers have even better deals -- sign up over there on your right!

Christmas is barely a month off ... hard to believe ...

Universe in action

Funny how the Universe works. On Sunday, I was freaking out about this coming Sunday's holiday faire, then I found my calm, happy place, and all was well. Then an incredibly incredibly busy work week. Then a h-u-g-e order in the shop. coinciding with proof of cold weather arrival in the Northern Hemisphere in the shop.

Culminating (as of this writing), with major major major work deadlines, resulting in my inability to participate in the holiday faire this weekend. But I'll still be at Bazaar Bizarre on the 30th!

More details to follow. I'm working on an order while I'm still awake (by a thread), and tomorrow is 8+ hours of meetings.

What was I thinking?????

One week from today, I'm supposed to be selling my stuff up in Wine Country. (If you live in Northern California, or you're going to be around for the holiday, come see me, live and in person!)

I'm not prepared.

I literally did not sleep last night so unprepared and panicky am I.

I'm awake by a mere thread right now, quaffing diet pepsi's while knitting knitting knitting knitting. My joints are starting to ache from the knitting, already!

If by some miracle, I actually knit enough goodies, it will likely be too much. If, as I suspect, I don't knit enough, well, there you go.

But I had a few lightning bolts of either the most brilliant or the worst ever ideas this morning. I think these ideas may actually work! But I'm going to keep them secret just yet ...

If they don't work, you'll definitely be seeing them in ye olde shoppe. If they do work, you'll still get to see them!

I should note, however, that I will have a goooorgeous vendor apron, custom designed and made by Heather of SewHappyJane! Really really pretty colors. I can't wait to show it off!

I've also been freaking out about my table for the faire (remember, this is my first craft fair!). I was trying to do something in my head that is totally and completely and horrendously not me. Too girly and feminine. I wear Eddie Bauer and Birkenstock's, for crying out loud! Then I saw my very very favorite and beloved piece of fabric that I haven't cut into yet, because I love it so much (I've horded this fabric for three + years). And now I know what it's been waiting for. My new and improved table uses my ultimate color scheme, with several beloved bits and bots of fabric and stuff (Kris will recognize something from WAAAY back Oingo Boingo ... yep, I hold on to things that I really really love).

It's not likely that I'll have the perfect table or set up, but at least it will be mine! And trust me, it will stand out in a crowd.

On a completely different note, I completely lost myself in a new (to me) blog this morning. I highly recommend this! The Pioneer Woman. Have any of you already found this? I read the entire series to date of how she met, fell in love with, and in soon to be published installments, married, her husband. Spellbinding! Self-deprecatingly funny, tender, awkward, touching, sweet, romantic, it's got it all. I can't wait to read the next chapter!

I hope you all have a great week!

Paper and Stitch!

I'm so excited to share with you that effective today (now!), Phydeaux Designs is included on the Paper and Stitch online exhibition! I hope you'll all go visit, be sure to give me a little heart :) and tell your family, friends, bank tellers, grocery checkout clerks ... well, you get the picture.

And I hope you'll also add the Paper and Stitch blog to your regular reading -- I think it's definitely worthwhile!

I'd also love your feedback about the items I included -- I'll switch out for other items, including new creations, throughout the month.

And I was delighted to see my friend June Shin, of June Shin Jewelry Designs, also in this month's exhibit! (Hi, June!)

A special giveaway by a special friend!

A semi-quick post to share with all of you that my friend Heather, wife of my long time friend Phil (we won't go into how long ago we became friends ...), recently opened her very own Etsy shop, Sew Happy Jane! Heather is quite the creative gal, with mad sewing skills; in fact, she's making a special apron for me, for some upcoming craft shows! (I can't wait to show that off to you...) She's also an absolute sweet heart and I love this crazy world wide web world where you can reconnect with folks you met more years ago than you're willing to publicly admit, and become good friends.

Heather is sponsoring her first giveaway on her blog! I would love to encourage you all to take a look and enter if you're moved to do so.

Congrats Heather on your shop and your contest!!!

How fun is this???

After a VERY long day at work (11 hours), I started the day with this -- 100 sales! It might not seem like that big of a deal, but it felt great to me!

And came home to this -- what a cute and fun ring! I subscribed to coo-koo-ri-koo's ring of the month subscription, and after a few questions about my preferences, this baby showed up in my mailbox this evening! I love green -- my fave color -- and this is a breath of fresh air as we head into Winter. Thank you Shana! What a creative use of vintage bling!

A few of the new goodies in the shop

A few delights

Felled by a cold! I've been knitting, but with a mask on (I got some from the pharmacy store)! (For real!) Today's the worse day so far, so I doubt I'll be knitting. Wow, I just said something to Fiona and no sound came out! More hot tea with honey for me!

(p.s., 6pm, I did some knitting yesterday, NONE today, too tired and achy!)

So, thought I'd share some delights with you!

Look at these precious snowy kitties from 9 Live Photography! You must check out her shop at Etsy, and you'll immediately know why I'm always perusing her latest selections! I love that a percentage of sales goes to local shelters. I'll definitely be shopping here for Christmas.

Check out this lovely shortbread from Whimsy & Spice! When I first started hearing about this Etsy shop, it didn't sound all that great to me, I must admit. Lavender shortbread??? Marshmallows with spices?

But I was intrigued. And I am so in love with their product photos! Then I started reading their blog. It was all over. I'm now hooked. And my FAVORITE shortbread is ... the honey and lavender! Look at how beautiful it is! It's such a unique flavor. The lavender isn't overpowering at all - just gives a little kick to an already incredible shortbread (which I love -- what's not to love?). I have the brown sugar ginger shortbread right now -- sheer perfection. The marshmallows are wonderful with cocoa (or coffee, for you coffee drinkers). The brownies are to DIE for. I highly recommend trying out a little something! You can find them at their Etsy shop or at their new website (http://www.whimsyandspice.com/)!

I think I have a new favorite month

October's always been my favorite month, but October's weather is still pretty warm these days (global warming?), at least where I live.

I didn't like November much growing up: cold, overcast, etc. But I'm loving November now.

Sunshine is one of the worst things for lupus folks to be exposed to. Sunshine, you say!? What??? It's true! Sunshine and UV light wreak havoc with my skin. They might cause, or sustain, the infamous "butterfly rash" (which I display most of the year). The inflammation that light creates, both what you see and what you don't (tissue and organ) can be very serious. That's part of why I hate Summer so much now, although I've never liked very hot weather. I'm realizing as I type that I don't know why, so I'll have to do some reading on that. Seattle always sounds pretty good to me!

So November's pretty great for me, with limited direct sunshine, plus the lovely Fall crisp in the air, the fragrance of fireplaces, and, my most favorite holiday of all ... Thanksgiving!

I love a traditional Thanksgiving meal SO very much! Roasted turkey (thinking about it is making me hungry), good stuffing, cranberries. I love a good mashed potato, but my arteries don't. I've never cared for candied yams. But I love roasted yams -- delish!

We'll see if I still love November by the end of the month. I have two holiday shows (see the links over to the right)! I've done zero preparation. In a panic, I started planning last night. I have tons of orders (yay!). And ... it's the start of the holiday rush plusThan
Today I'm knitting, knitting, knitting. Orders and restocking my inventory. I have a pile of new designs, but have to figure out lighting with a broken light source, and I'm hoping to figure out a natural lighting solution. Here's my goal, which I think I can make:

1. Finish one order with two neckwarmers and buttons all around (~30 buttons!)
2. Finish another order with a scarf and then buttons (eight buttons!)
3. Finish the prize for my giveaway (thank you again, Erika!)
4. Finish the prize for my other giveaway on Handmade Showcase!
5. Complete a new custom order (totally cute, I'll post a photo when I'm done).
   
6. Buttons on four brand new neckwarmer designs (10 buttons!)
7. Package a bunch of orders for shipping, get them to post office!
8. Place uline order for more shipping supplies!

Hmmmm. It looks like a lot more when I write it down. I'm glad I did that!

I hope you all have wonderful Saturdays and that you embrace November, regardless of how cold and chilly it might be! It's scarf weather!!!

p.s., a photo-less post! I'll add photos later, from the new designs.

p.p.s., I have to go get a new lightbulb for photos tomorrow ... and as usual, I thought I could do more than the laws of space and time allow ...

Phydeaux in Indie Fixx's holiday gallleria!

I'm so excited to now share with you that my shop is included in the Indie Fixx holiday galleria!

And guess what? You all helped me select the items to feature in the galleria! I don't think a single item was included that wasn't suggested in our most recent drawing. Thank you ALL!!!

I hope you'll take a moment to check it out. This is running during November and December, and you can use the special code for a discount on all purchases from my shop (excluding gift certificates and subscriptions). And please check out the other shops -- this is a great line up of indie talent, perfect for your holiday shopping! Or ... just for yourself ...

My own holiday gift guide: Etsy treats!

Anyone wondering about gift ideas for ... well, me! .... Look no further! Here are a couple of items that I'm just in love with from Etsy:

Coffee and Pie Necklace from Leaves of Glass: I just love pink and brown together, love anything offered in Leaves of Glass' Etsy shop, so this is a natural for me! And look at that incredibly pretty shade of pink! Just the perfect touch of rose in it. And I already have earrings to match! Honestly, I could fill an entire gift guide with Leaves of Glass gorgeousness ...

And I can definitely fill my jewelry boxes!

Dread Pirate Roberts Soap from Savor: Okay, okay, I know you're all saying, "Hey!" (Because I've been writing about my visit with Lisa from Savor ...) But read the description, and you'll immediately get it. Not just because this soap seriously has me wanting smell-o-vision on my laptop, but also because it's such a clever idea (particularly for all of you Princess Bride fans), AND it does double duty! Both you and your special someone can enjoy this huge chunk of soap ... and smell good!

Even though there's an election tomorrow ... it's not too early to do a little Christmas shopping. Or if it's for me, a lot!

A day with Savor: Holiday prep

Last Sunday, I helped Lisa from Savor Soap wrap/label/package soaps for shipping!

I was going to talk today about how an Etsy top seller (Lisa, not me!) organizes, but I thought I'd insert some thoughts about preparing for the holidays, something we talked about while working!

There are a few camps of thoughts in Etsy's forums (a place I don't spend a lot of time in anymore ... too much negative weirdness!):

• I haven't sold much/anything all year, but I'll sell out my shop and become a millionaire over the holidays.
• The economy stinks so I won't sell a thing and will be bankrupt over the holidays.
• My holiday success is entirely dependent on the work I've put into my shop and business.

I'm in the last camp. I've put a lot of work in my shop, but can still (and will continue) to improve things. I've got my holiday ads/gift guide/online markets lined up. I just wish I had more time to KNIT -- still working on orders, but hope to be caught up this week.

Lisa's in an incredible position for the holidays: solid sales, huge customer base, items that can be turned out quickly in relatively high quantity (for an indie business), AND she's uber organized and can ship in her sleep! She's also been through one holiday season!

We talked about product ideas for the holidays. Lisa has some GREAT new goodies coming up -- I can't wait to see them in action! I listed my first holiday item week! Three month neckwarmer subscriptions! I have other new surprises specific to the holidays coming up!

We also talked about holiday wrapping and packaging. I'm torn between a couple of ideas right now, but will finalize by next weekend, so that I can update my shop with holiday wrapping options. Lisa has her's all lined up (I saw it -- totally cute!!!)!

If you've been selling well/steadily, now's the time to increase your inventory, stock up on packaging/shipping materials, stock up on printer toner, etc. It's almost too late, but you still have time ... like a week!

You still also have time to get an ad or two up! Project Wonderful is a place to start. Advertising on a blog or site that gets no traffic will result in no traffic to your own site! Lisa's pretty outspoken about the need to bring new business from outside of Etsy into your shop, and I have to agree. I'm a firm believer in advertising and marketing that does the work for you while you sleep/create/work/do many other things, so advertising on blogs with high traffic is a great approach. More about this in a separate post, though.

(p.s., Please don't advertise until your shop looks professional and fabulous! I'd hate for you spend money on that if your shop doesn't pull people in when they come for a visit. You want to convert visitors from ads into buyers!)

Note: 2nd photo from top is from Lisa's own flickr pool from earlier this year!

And the winner is ...

Erika Haire!!! Erika has her choice of soft scarflettes (Erika, if you read this before reading your email, go check your email for details!).

Thank you, ALL of you for your entries, but more importantly for your invaluable suggestions. I utilized all of your feedback for my first two holiday gift guides!

First is the holiday gift guide on Purple Pink and Orange! This is a great indie design blog -- I hope you're all reading it!

Three more are coming up, and I'll share the news here as they go live!!!

Congratulations Erika!