A Dream in Progress: Revealed

I don't know why, but I am nervous to reveal my Big Project. On the other hand, I have come to a point in which I am totally confident that all my tasks will be done by the vague deadline (sometime before the end of January) that I have set for myself.

It all started with me noticing that the small easy things I made for a craft show in December sold much better than the big things (totes and handbags). In fact, the big things didn't even sell AT ALL. Which led me to believe that people are more willing to let go of a few dollars on an impluse than a larger amount which may take a little time to think over. Not even that, most people didn't even LOOK at my bags! And with the small number of people who came through that night (it was very very cold out), I was shocked at just how much I made on the small things. Now, please understand, this is not all about the money to me. It is more about making something that I put my heart and soul into for someone to enjoy. I also find some delight in having a successful business. It is no fun having a bunch of "unloved" bags in storage for a long time. Plus, it honestly doesn't hurt to bring in a little extra for the family.

Around that same time I was reading an Etsy article on how to plan a successful Etsy store. I took a few things away from it. One thing that my first store lacked was planning. It also lacks some consistency. I feel like I'm kind of all over the place with products and styles. I had not really found a niche either.

And so it came to me.

• Make something simpler. Bags take a lot of time. I can motivate myself more easily to make simpler things.
• Find a niche. I decided on kitchen linens. People sell them on Etsy, but I did not see a store that specialized in them.
• Form a plan. That I did. From hiring a graphic designer to work with me to create a logo etc. To making a list of what I could make. To drawing up designs for those products. To buying materials and fabric. Luckily I had made enough money in my Sunnypond shop to use as "capital". And I will have consistency in this shop. I also was very careful in the designs and materials involved. I like a certain types of towels, potholders etc. and I wanted to use only good quality materials.

So as of now, I have business cards, the skeleton of my shop up, labels etc... I have the majority of things sewn to start off the shop and plenty of other fabrics to add more. I also have plans to design, make and bring in new and different types of items in the future. I hope to utilize blogs and sites on the web to advertise. I have told friends and now I'm telling all of my lovely blog readers.

And in the midst of it all, I've thought about quitting a few times. Mostly because I didn't know the techniques or tools I needed to get things to look exactly how I wanted them to on one of my products. But I figured it all out and I'm THRILLED with the result. I even have a pre-order from a friend. :-)

And when the shop is ready to go, I'll do a grand post here to let you know how to find my new store and what you can find in it! I will also give info on other details about the process and the products.

And I want to thank all of you who have offered your support and encouragement through all of this. Especially my husband!

For now, I'll leave you with the promised final result of the work in progress I showed you yesterday. I present to you one of my new Potholders!