Monday Motivator: Two Heads

They say two heads are better than one, and I've got to agree.  My roommate is a pretty crafty person herself and when I was rushing to finish the last few necklaces for my big order on time this weekend, she gladly jumped in to help.  And it was wonderful.  I showed her the various techniques for the design I'd been using and we finished one necklace together.  And then, the very next day, she totally blew me away with two awesome new designs of her very own.  And I mean awesome.  This girl is a wire wrapping genius.  Just look at this:

Isn't it awesome?  Like some sort of tiny, fantastic, abstract sculpture.  I just love it.  But I digress...

In addition to making necklaces, we also did some shopping (there was a "buy one get one free" sale on craft books at one of our awesome local shops) and a whole lot of brainstorming.  There were so many ideas bouncing around between us...  Ideas about designs and techniques and somewhere in the middle of it all, the concept for a whole new shop was born.

We've already started planning and setting things up, so I'll give you more details later when things have developed a bit more.  What I can tell you now is, there will be some restructuring happening over the next few weeks.  Some of my jewelry will be coming with me to the new shop and I'll be moving my graphics to their own dedicated shop as well.  The Ash Grove will remain home to my accessories and hand-lettered goods.  I may also be moving to a new main blog, but I'll definitely keep this one and post news specific to The Ash Grove, at least.  We'll just see what happens.

In the meantime and in case I don't get the chance to post again before then, I hope everyone has a very happy holiday!  Save me some of those cookies! ;)

Monday Motivator: Costuming

I love making costumes.  Be they generic Halloween costumes or replicas of movie costumes or historical costumes, there are few things I enjoy more.  I've toyed with the idea of taking costume commissions for some time now, but I was always a bit intimidated by the idea of making things for other people.  Recently, however, with a bit of sales experience under my belt, I decided to take the leap.  I posted an advertisement on the popular costuming forum, Cosplay.com, and within two days I had my first customer. 

So for the last week or so I've been working on this order (and having a blast) and thinking about how I can tie this in with my Etsy shop.  I'd definitely like to do some more pieces like my Mallorn leaf necklace--items inspired by literature and film--as well as some specific costume pieces.  If there's something you, my dear readers, would like to see, I'd love to hear about it!

In the meantime, I'm off to get some more work done.  I'm on a deadline--have to get it finished this week!  Have a great day, everyone!  And don't forget to drop by my Facebook page and put in your vote for my next giveaway prize!

Monday Motivator: Keep Calm and Carry On

 

Sterling silver necklace by E. Ria Designs

There are a lot of Etsy items bearing the "Keep calm and carry on" motto, and I think I know why.  

It's some darn good advice.  Especially for those of us trying to sell our handmade goods.  There are a lot of trials we have to weather--slow seasons, nonpaying customers, unpleasant transactions, criticism and our own self-doubt...

I'm currently in the process of changing my prices back after having lowered them for a sale last week.  A sale during which I got no sales.  Perhaps I didn't promote as much as I should have.  Maybe I should have offered free shipping.  Or maybe it wasn't anything that I did or didn't do.  Maybe it just wasn't the right time.

Whatever the case, it's done with and there's nothing I can do about it now.  Except keep calm and carry on.  Sure, I could sit here and try to analyze what went wrong.  I could be bummed.  I could get down and out and feel sorry for myself and my poor unloved, under-appreciated little shop.  But I'm not going to.  It's not productive.  

Rather, I'm going to keep calm and carry on.  I'm keep tweaking things and experimenting.  I'm going to design knew things and list new items.  I'm going to plan for my next sale and hope for the best.  

So, my fine readers, tell me, when troubles get you down, how do you deal?  Do you keep calm and carry on?  Or do you have another strategy?

Monday Motivator: New with a Dash of Geek

I believe I've mentioned before that there's nothing that motivates me quite like new stuff- whether it's new items or new supplies or just new ideas.  And these week, I've got all three of those!

If you're a "like"-er (can I just call you fans?) on Facebook, then you've probably already seen my latest creations.  If you aren't, well, what are you waiting for?  Go!  Like!  Now then.  If you haven't seen them, here they are:

Excited yet?  If you're a Tolkien fan, I bet you are.  Because soon you too shall be able to own your very own personalized, hand-lettered and illuminated bookmark, featuring your name translated into Elvish.  Gotta get some protective sleeves to ship them in, and then I'll get them listed.  So keep your eyes peeled!

And expect to see more calligraphic goodies making their way into the shop too.  I just got a new set of calligraphy markers in the mail today (from Your Fabulous Finds - which is a great shop with great prices and quick shipping), and I intend to put them to good use!  I'll be doing personalized bookmarks in English, as well, along with some larger decorative pieces, greeting cards, and much, much more.  If you've got an idea, just drop me a line.  I love doing custom work!

Also, the Nevermore Necklace will be available very soon as well! 


In the meantime, I've got work to do.  So I'm off, for now.  Hope all of my lovely readers are having a wonderful day!  Ciao!

Monday Motivator: Giving Back

I've been doing my best to avoid news about the oil spill.  I didn't want to read the statistics or see the pictures, because I knew it would only make me sad and angry.  And there was nothing I could do about it.

Of course, spending as much time online as I do, there was no way I could avoid it entirely.  The first article I read was one I came across on the Weather Channel's website while I was innocently checking the forecast.  It gave several startling illustrations of just how much oil is spilling into the gulf on a daily basis--enough to fill 52 Olympic swimming pools, 3,813 tanker trucks, or enough to cover an area from the middle of Long Island well into Pennsylvania.  And this wasn't the total amount, this was daily.  It was mind-blowing. 

And reading about the 29 dolphins and 227 sea turtles that had been found dead at the time (this was June 2; I cringe to think of what the numbers must be now) truly broke my heart.  Not to mention all of the other creatures who have survived and are suffering, covered in oil.  Not to mention the long-term damage that's been done.  Not to mention the human lives that have been lost, as well.

So here I sat, deeply saddened and still convinced that there was nothing I could do.  Silly me.  Thankfully, my friend, fellow nature-lover, and generally gung-ho activist-type, Ed, called me up to suggest that I start a new jewelry line for my Etsy shop and donate a portion of the proceeds to clean-up efforts.  Of course!  Why didn't I think of that? 

I dunno, but now I'm in the process of trying to decide on a specific charity to donate to.  I'm currently leaning toward the Gulf Restoration Network, but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  I want to make sure the money goes to a group who will actually use at least the vast majority of it for it's intended purpose rather than advertising and such. 

Once I've decided, I'll be back with further details.  And if anyone else is doing something similar, leave me a comment with a link to your shop, and I'll compile a list.  Let's help get this mess cleaned up!

Monday Motivator: Features

It's been a while since I wrote a Monday Motivator post because, to be perfectly honest, my motivation was a bit lacking.  Though I do my best to stay positive and motivated, there are still times when I just feel... blah.  I'm sure you've all had a case of The Blahs before, right?

Well, I've found two things that never fail to beat The Blahs in no time flat:  new ideas and... features!  Things you can't control, alas, but they sure do work.  And I've been lucky enough lately to get a good dose of both. 

I already mentioned in my last post the rash of new ideas I've had and the revamp that's underway (and coming along quite nicely, I might add), so I shan't say anymore about that.  But let's talk about features!

I'm on a roll!  I already mentioned my interview on the WWES blog that was posted Thursday, right?  Well, Friday I got a nice little Facebook feature - Digicute Printables chose one of my printable business card designs as her Featured Item of the Day.  And then, just this morning, I received a lovely message informing me that I'd made it into the Top Handmade Creations of the Week!  How cool is that?

This week's already off to a great start!  I've got a lot to do but I'm super-excited about all of it.  Bye-bye Blahs! 

How about you, readers?  What's motivating you this week?

Monday Motivator: Everything's Blooming!

I haven't been posting much lately, so you might think there's nothing interesting going on in my world. But that couldn't be farther from the truth. This spring, while everything outside is blooming, it seems like my creative/business life has blossomed as well.

For starters, I finally managed to snag a treasury Saturday. And *drum roll please* it made the front page last night! :D

And here the original Treasury.  Apparently the Etsy community likes tentacled critters just as much as I do.  This was such a pleasant surprise to discover.  Thanks to everyone who clicked and commented! 

In addition, I've seen a BIG increase in views lately.  And according to Google Analytics, I have Twitter to thank for that.  Specifically the World Wide Etsy Sellers group.  This awesome group of Tweeters has helped me in a number of ways, not just with all of their kind tweets and re-tweets.  They've also helped Twitter feel more like a community to me.  I've been a big fan of Twitter right from the start, but whenever I tweeted about my shop I felt kind of... spammy.  But the folks from WWES do all sorts of tweeting for me.  And when I do tweet about my shop, they re-tweet.  And I return the favor, and we all just spread the Twitter-love.  So if you're feelin' a little lonely out there in Twitter Land, stop by the blog, read the rules, leave a comment, and join the group!

And last but not least, I believe I mentioned in my last post that I was working on my new work area, which I have officially dubbed the Crafty Corner.  This rounds out the Trifecta of Inspirations.  I intend to devote a whole post to it once I've finished moving and organizing things, but in the meantime, I must say, I have a new favorite part of the house.  And I can hardly believe the difference that having this space has made already.  There's just something about establishing a dedicated space for your crafty work that just makes it feel so much more... professional.  I'd say "serious," but I can never be serious when I'm crafting.  It's too much fun!

So all of this together has combined to give me one big boost in confidence.  I'm getting some recognition now.  If my treasury made the front page, my items can to.  I can be a success, and I will be.  Because I'm never going to give up.

Monday Motivator: Shopping!

A lot of our weekends involving some sort of shopping.  And whether we buy anything or not, we always have a blast.  So this weekend was no different.  We shopped, we had fun... and we totally hit the jackpot.

We finally made it to the art supply store we'd been wanting to go to for a while and were pleasantly surprised by their selection.  They had the vast array of traditional media we expected (which got us to talking about doing some painting), but they also had a lot of stuff we didn't expect to find.  A pretty awesome selection of calligraphy supplies, for instance.  Calligraphy and I became close friends when I was about 12, but ours has been a very on again, off again sort of relationship simply because calligraphy supplies are not all that easy to find.  But with this place around...  *insert maniacal laughter here*

So I grabbed a much needed bottle of ink, a really awesome "calligraphy journal" which features some really pretty papers and a very handy guideline page.  No more tedious ruling for me!  Woohoo!  I also grabbed a couple of calligraphy markers for practice and lazy days and quickie projects.  And maybe also nostalgia.  I had a set of these years ago that I used all the time for signing and addressing cards (I was the official family scribe). 

I was almost equally excited by their selection of polymer clay--something else I have previously been unable to find around here.  I mentioned back in my New Year's post that I intended to make some polymer clay jewelry, and now that I know where I can get my clay, that's far more likely to actually happen. 

Now, that would have been enough right there to make my day.  But we weren't done yet.  We also found a new yarn store, where I picked up the set of size 10 DPNs I needed to finish up Kitty's hat and, from the totally-not-yarn-related-but-still-awesome section of the store, a really freakin' cool tea cup from Tea Forte.  We visited a few antique shops along the way, as well, and added to our vintage glove and apron collections.  We even found a nifty stand on which to display some of our gloves.  It's currently sitting on the dresser and it looks smashing.  now, we just need a cool way to display our aprons...

And then we headed to Big Lots.  If you don't have a Big Lots, that's sad.  They sell close-outs and overstocked merchandise, which means a lot of name-brand stuff super cheap.  I recently bought a bunch of Lion Brand and Gala yarns for $1.50 a skein.  In short, Big Lots = Win.  And they certainly didn't disappoint this time.  They didn't have as much yarn as they've had the last few times I've been, but they had oodles of scrapbooking supplies. 

Now, I'm not really into scrapbooking in and of itself, but the supplies excite me because I do love to make things with paper.  And when I saw all those awesome papers and stickers and stamps and doodads and whatzits, all I could think of was books.  Books, books, books!  These would be great for embellishing my books!  So I grabbed a couple of the packages you see in the photo, which consist of several sheets of paper and a whole bunch of assorted... thingies.  And for each of these packages I paid a whopping $2.00.  I love this place.

And as an added bonus, one of their other locations which we visited the other day, had stamps, and I picked up the most adorable set of clear rubber stamps featuring trees and branches and owls.  They match my blog!  How cool is that?  You'll be seeing them in use as soon as I get an acrylic block and some ink. 

So there you have it.  My new toys are my motivation this week.  What's yours?

Monday Motivator: Goals

Howdy, Folks!  I'm feeling extra motivated this Monday!  It may just be that it's warm and sunny and beautiful today.  But I think part of it is that I've finally set myself a goal.

If you go looking for business advice, chances are this is one of the first things you'll be told.  Set goals.  It's sounds like such a little thing.  And compared to the other things on my to-do list like listing and promoting and organizing, it just seemed so insignificant.  Set a goal?  Pfff.  I've got crocheting to do, ads to make, blog posts to write! 

And aside from that, I honestly just didn't know what sort of goal to set.  Other than "sell something."  But hey, that was a goal, right?  So I let it go at that.

Until a couple weeks ago, when Kitty and I were chatting business and she suggested that I set myself a goal of selling an item a week.  Brilliant!  It was definitely a step up, but still seemed perfectly doable. 

So when Monday rolled around and I got down to business, I decided to make it official.  I registered with Goalforit - which I'd found and bookmarked a few weeks before - so I'd have a way to track my progress and, hopefully, keep myself motivated.

I'll discuss the site further in an upcoming Techno Tuesday, but long story short, it's awesome.  Goalforit allows you to set your own personal goals and (here's the important part) set up an action plan and track your progress.  It's kind of like a to-do list, only better. 

Even though I haven't reached my goal yet, I still feel great because I can see myself making progress.  I know I'm getting closer.  I know I can make it!

Now what about you?  Have you set goals for yourself?  And if so, do you use any sort of system to keep track of your progress?  Leave a comment!

Monday Motivator - A New Crafty Addiction

If you saw my latest Wordless Wednesday, then you know that I've taken a stab at bookbinding.  It was one of those things that I'd wanted to try for ages and just hadn't gotten around to it.  And now that I have... I'm totally hooked. 

I've already started working on one for Kitty, who was totally impressed with the first one.  And I have so many ideas for others.  SO many.  Different papers, different embellishments, different themes and uses... 

And the best part?  I hardly have to buy any materials to make these!  The covers are just your average cardboard (the first one was made from a Hamburger Helper box), and I've already got a decent stack saved up.  Look guys, I'm hoarding craft supplies AND reducing waste!  :D

I'm currently using plain old printer paper for the pages, but I'd really like to use recycled paper.  Maybe even handmade paper.  I've already started collecting scraps for potential future paper-making experiments. 

I'm going to do a few more first--practice makes perfect, you know--but I think I'm definitely going to try to sell some of these puppies.  I'm just debating between adding them to my Etsy inventory and starting a separate shop just for them, maybe on Zibbet.  I've heard great things and it wouldn't cost me a penny, so even if they didn't sell I wouldn't be out anything...

Ah, but I'm thinking out loud now, and I've got rice balls to make!  Later, Taters!

Monday Motivator: Heart Health

Did you know that February is Heart Health Month? I didn't either until I read the topics for the latest Etsy Bloggers blog carnival. And then I thought, "What the heck am I going to write about heart health?" I could share my favorite Valentine's tradition from my childhood, but I really wasn't ever all that fond of the holiday, so that seemed doomed to be a short and rather boring post.

So, heart health. Well, I do my best, in general, to stay healthy. I eat plenty of vegetables, I've taken up yoga, I drink a lot tea... But what do I do specifically for my heart? Well. Nothing, really.

But something I do do is cook. And eating right is one of the major things you can do to keep your heart healthy. So I thought I'd share my favorite heart-healthy recipe. Just as soon as I figured out which of my favorite recipes were, in fact, heart-healthy.

Well, according to Web MD, tofu is one of the top 25 heart-healthy foods. Aha! Tofu! I love tofu. I'm sure a lot of you are wrinkling your noses right now. I can sympathize. The stuff doesn't look pleasant. It doesn't smell great. And on it's own, it doesn't taste very good either. But you can work magic with tofu.

A simple marinade turns it from a bland, flavorless lump of soy goo into a delicious chunk of awesomeness that's just as good and just as satisfying as meat but far better for you. I've only just begun to experiment, but thus far, my favorite recipe is Pan-Fried Tofu with Caramelized Sauce from The Complete Book of Japanese Cooking.

Now, to keep things heart-healthy, you would probably want to use a low-sodium soy sauce (I'm pretty sure those are available.... Also, it takes some time to prepare because you have drain your tofu for 30 minutes, let your marinade sit for 15 minutes, and then marinade the tofu for another 15 minutes. But once that's done, it's fairly quick and quite easy to cook. And all of the ingredients are easy to find, even if you aren't a big fan of Asian cooking and don't already have the stuff lying around.

So why not give it a shot? And if you do, be sure to let me know how it turns out!

Monday Motivator: Hearts for Haiti

I've never done any sort of crafting for charity. It's one of those things I've always wanted to do and meant to do, but I've just never gotten around to doing it. And I can't help but think that I'm not alone in that. Many of us have good intentions, but it's easy for them to get lost amongst the odds and ends of our own busy lives.

We don't have cable or satellite or even an antenna--DVD's and videos only in our house--so the only news I get is headlines on my phone and what I come across here on the internet. So two weeks ago, when the earthquake struck Haiti, I was sitting here completely unaware until I decided to check my phone and saw the headline. And then throughout the day and the rest of the week, I watched charitable acts and organizations popping up all over the place, like flowers in spring.

There has been much buzz on the Etsy forums about what we crafty folk can do to help, and there have been plenty of efforts organized by our fellow Etsians. One of the first I came across was Hearts for Haiti.

This is an awesome shop that sells items--many of which are heart-themed--that have been donated by Etsy sellers. 100% of the proceeds (minus the Etsy and Paypal fees) goes to Doctors Without Borders, which is a fantastic organization itself, and if you aren't already familiar with them, you really should go take a look at their site. Hearts for Haiti has already raised over $16,000 and is still going strong.

I decided as soon as I saw the shop that I was going to donate something, and after some thought, I decided to design a piece specifically for them. A little wire-work, a little stringing, and here's what I came up with:



Working on this has got me thinking it's about time I dug out that list of crafty charities and got to work. What about you? Have you done any crafty donations? Got a favorite crafty charity? Leave a comment and let me know. I may just make this a weekly feature...

Monday Motivator: New Item!

I love listing new items!  And I'm especially excited today because I've just listed my first Branding Package!

What's a "branding package," you ask?

This right here:

This is the bare bones basic edition, but I intend to offer larger sets in the future with lots of extra goodies--like extra banners and avatars for sales, thank you cards, address labels...  Basically, anything useful I can think of (suggestions are totally welcome!).

I've got many, many more designs planned, so keep your eyes peeled!  Also, I've got some gorgeous new beads on the way (thank you, Kitty! ♥), so you can expect some new jewelry soonish as well.  And headbands!  I need to make headbands!  Ahhh!  So much to do!  How could I not be motivated?!

Monday Motivator

My motivation this week?  This book--which is full of cute projects that all utilize technology in some cool, creative way.  Perfect for a geeky crafter like me.

I actually bought the book a few weeks ago, and I have since been ogling all of the awesomeness, trying to decide which project I wanted to try first.  Of course, along the way I found myself thinking of minor changes I could make, how I could put my own unique spin on things.

And then, the next thing I new, I had ideas for entirely new projects, other ways to use the techniques featured in the book.

I suppose this is a pretty typical process, but it got me thinking about what a truly fantastic resource books are for we crafty folks.  They're a great way to learn new techniques or a new craft entirely.  In fact, the vast majority of the wide variety of crafty things I do, I learned from books.  And once you've learned a craft, books are an indispensable resource for making the most of it--stitch dictionaries, for instance, for we knitters and crocheters.

But perhaps the most important thing these books give us is inspiration.  I've found that, although inspiration can be found almost anywhere, nothing inspires me quite like a good book.  Like the one above.  It's given me an idea I would never have come up with otherwise (and which I'm keeping under wraps for the moment; I'll surprise you all with it later!), and I just can't wait to get started!

So if you feel your inspiration waning, grab a book!  Already have a favorite?  Leave a comment and tell me what it is!  Maybe I'll compile a crafty reading list...

Monday Motivator: The Swing of Things

It's been a little over a month now (38 days, but really, who's counting?) since I listed my first item on Etsy.  And now I finally feel like I'm really getting into the swing of things.  I'm beginning to develop a routine, of sorts.  Or a rhythm, at least.  I have goals to work toward, and business-expert-type folks always say that goals are very important.  Mine are pretty simple:

1. Make my 2nd sale.
2. Get into the habit of listing an item at least every other day.

Being an Aquarius (shush, I have to have something to blame it on!), I'm not great at sticking to routines.  I tend to get distracted and stray.  But I'm getting better.  I'm getting things done just like I set out to do.  And it's great. 

By the time the 2-month mark rolls around, I'd like to have these goals tackled and be ready to set some new ones.  That's what's motivating me this week.  How about you?  Leave a comment and share your motivation!

Monday Motivator: Vintage!

Ah, serendipity…

Kitty and I had dinner with her parents last night. Her mother collects antiques, so after dinner, she was showing us her latest ebay finds. And while we were looking, Kitty suggested she check out Etsy.

“What’s Etsy?” she said. So Kitty showed her my page and some of the vintage items floating around. And the next thing I knew she was handing me a bunch of vintage jewelry she’d gotten at an auction and telling me to take it and see what I could get for it.

So. Though I didn’t really plan to, it looks like I’ll be expanding my shop to include vintage items as well. I’m totally excited. Just need to do some research and see if I can get at least a rough idea of what this stuff is worth…

That’s what’s motivating me this week—great vintage stuff to sell! How about you?That’s what’s motivating me this week—great vintage stuff to sell! How about you? Leave me a comment and tell me what you’re excited about!

Cyber Monday Motivator: Sales and... well, Sales

If you saw Friday’s super-quick, drive-by post, then you know about my Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale. Yep, I decided to jump on the ol’ bandwagon and give it a shot.

I was quite excited. Spent some time Wednesday tagging all my items, figuring out how to calculate my sale prices (my math skills leave a little a lot to be desired, so Google had to be consulted), and just generally getting things ready. And then, lo and behold, Thursday evening, our computer managed to catch itself a virus.

Needless to say, I was a bit annoyed. Of all the times… But we caught it quick and managed to get rid of it and get everything back up and running perfectly the very next day.

So my sale started a bit later than intended it to (Friday evening rather than Friday morning), but still, I did get it going. And it’s still going. And I think I might just keep it going the rest of the week. Because I’m curious to see what will happen if I combine the discounted prices with the marketing I usually do during the week…

But I digress. The sale is certainly helping me stay motivated. But ya know what’s helping even more?

I made a sale!

Not on Etsy. This one was in-person. But I sold a pair of earrings and she wants the matching necklace. I just need to get another made.

So that’s what’s really motivating me. There’s nothing better to boost your confidence than someone ooh-ing and ah-ing and buying your stuff.

Now, what about you, readers? What’s motivating you today?

Monday Motivator: New Project

Some people start a project, work on it, finish it, and then move on to the next. Not me. I start a project, work on it for a while, start a new project, work on it for a while, go back to the original project and work on it some more, etc, etc. At any given time, I’m likely to have a couple of knitting projects, a crochet project or two, and at least one jewelry project in the works.

One one hand, it works out nicely. I never get bored. If I get tired of working on one project, I can pick up another. On the other hand, however, it takes me longer to finish things. So with my shop getting started and the holidays coming up, I’ve been focusing on projects I can finish quickly.

Most of my jewelry projects take no more than an hour or so. I can crochet a headband or a hat in just a few hours. And just the other day, I stumbled upon another quick project I still can’t believe I hadn’t thought of yet.

Shop banners.

For some reason, it didn’t occur to me until I came across someone else’s listing that I could sell shop banners. I have no words to describe that moment other than *facepalm*.  I hadn’t thought of selling graphics at all! Which might have been more forgiveable were it not for the fact that my degree is in Computer Graphics.

But moving on from how dumb I felt, I’m quite excited too. So that’s my motivation for this week. I’ve already finished a holiday banner:

And I’m working on a few samples in a range of styles, as I intend to offer custom banners as well.

A new project never fails to motivate me. Now, what’s motivating you this Monday?

Monday Motivator: Moving Up!

To be honest, when I first started this venture (not all that long ago, really), I was afraid it wouldn’t work. Not just that I wouldn’t sell anything, but that no one would even be interested. I could just see my views sitting at 1 or 2 for ever, languoring in unheartedness for eternity.

It was a bleak thought. But I carried on anyway. And rather than worry, I researched. In seeking answers to simple technical questions about setting up my shop, I happened upon the Storque and the incredibly helpful Seller Handbook.

Over the next couple of weeks, I did a lot of reading. I found a lot of great advice on a lot of topics. Writing descriptions, tagging, taking photos, and of course, marketing. For me, that was the big one. I felt confident that I could write good descriptions and take good photos, tagging ought to be easy enough… But marketing? I didn’t even know where to start.

And then I found this. Just what I needed—a plan! I was sure I’d wind up altering it to suit me, but I decided that was where I was going to start. So I spent some time familiarizing myself with the other sites mentioned, getting things set up and such.

Fast forward a few weeks. Now I’m getting somewhere. My shop is growing. I’ve only got a few items, but the view counter keeps going up, and I’ve started collecting hearts. In short, it’s working!

And there’s my motivation. I know that each and every view is one step closer to a sale. So that’s what I’m trying to get. Views. I just want to get people to look.

And I find that’s helping me to stay positive. It would be easy to get discouraged if I were only looking at my number of sales. Why, it’s still sitting at zero! How depressing! But my views are going up. My hearts are going up. I’m moving up.

Now, what about you? What’s motivating you this Monday? Leave a comment and let’s all help motivate each other!