PIVOTING

 Time to Pivot

So I am deciding where to host a website, or if I want to stay with Etsy, Ebay, of Bonanza.  While I am deciding, I will be using the blog as my website.  I plan to list items I have for sale with a link to the platform on which they are available.  I will also be doing fewer in person shows this year as opposed to what I was doing in the past.  My goal is to move most of my sales online, do a few in person events just to keep a finger on the pulse of what is selling or not selling, so I can remain relevant with my merchandise.  I promise to do much better with my blogging as opposed to what I was doing in the past.  This is my year to pivot and actually be able to act upon what needs to be done.  Hope you want to come along with  me on this ride.

Faux Fern

Busy Times

So I have been very busy trying to get ready for the next two craft shows I have coming up in October.  Just a few more items to make, then I am going to turn my attention toward making Christmas ornaments for the shows I have coming up in November and December.  It helps that I did most of the craft items I need early in the year.    After my last show in December I will take a month off to just breathe, try to pick out the new designs I want to try for the following year, decide which of the older tried and true designs I want to keep, and start looking for Spring 2020 shows that I may want to sign up for.  Oh and I need to complete three wedding ring afghans in that time.  One should have been done already, but a couple of shows I wasn't expecting to get into slowed that one down to a crawl, and I still have to purchase the yarn for one of them (thank goodness it doesn't have to be finished before next October, got to remember NOT to schedule a show that week.)

Oh and I also need to get my online store stocked.  So this is going to be a busy busy season for me.  Better busy that bored though.  Although it would be nice to actually be able to see the floor of my craft room instead of open boxes of raw material, in this case yarn, ribbon, buttons, burlap, and t-shirts and funky sweaters waiting to be upcycled into rag rugs and pet beds.  Oh well, after Dec 14th I can take a week to clean up and take stock, then I need to make sure all the Christmas gifts are done and ready to deliver. (hopefully that will include one of the above mentions afghans.)

For kicks and giggles thought I'd include some pictures of some of my stock / sale set ups in this post.  Enjoy

Updates for the week

So the scale went down another 6 tenths of a pound.  I'll take any weight loss I can get.  I still need to lose 83.6 pounds.  I managed to get another 9.59 miles logged. This brings the total left to walk to meet my goal for this year down to 126.49 miles.   And I logged 67113 steps.  So to meet my goal I need to walk another 1715181 steps.  The only two I'm really worried about not meeting are the miles walked and the steps walked.  I have given myself at a minimum 2 years to meet the weight loss goal. 

On the other front, I had a great sale this weekend at the 2 Sisters Flea Market that is held every 2nd Saturday.  Had some repeat customers from the first time I did this show, and requests for some different items that I can make for the next one. 

I am also looking to selling finished products on Amazon Handmade.  I've read both good and bad things about this one.  Mostly good.  And a few people I have talked to that have been doing it from the start say its getting better.    I am also trying to finish up a couple of more patterns that I want to list on Etsy.  I don't sell a lot of finished products on Etsy, but the one pattern I currently have listed is doing well.  And I need to get some more items listed on Bonanza.  I always seem to sell well on that one.

This week though, I am in the process of redoing the front yard.  I moved into this trailer October 2017, and I am finally getting a chance to do something about the yard.  I am removing all the crushed red brick, and replacing it with succulents and white and river rock.  I really want a fuss free, easy to care for yard.  I hate yard work with a passion.

Well time to get back to work.  More updates coming next week.

Monday Updates

Okay, so the yard sale was Saturday.  Didn't do as well as I had hoped, but still did okay.  I was told about a parking lot sale coming up in March that is heavy on the craft/repurposed/vintage items, but where you can sell anything you want.  Spaces are only $15 so I think I will try it out. 

Did well on my personal goals front.  Lost another 1.4 pounds.  Just love it when the scale keeps going down.  The really nice thing, because I am losing slowly there is not a huge amount of excess skin.  I know there will be some, but I also know that the slower I lose the weight and the more muscle mass I put on, the less loose skin there will be.

I plan on getting some cup sleeves and padded hangers listed online later this week.  I will of course update the blog when that happens.

New totals for my personal goals are as follows

91.2 pounds left to lose
263.4 miles left to walk
2548603 steps left to take.

I am still trying to find some more recipes that only make one or two servings.  I am so used to helping my Mother fix huge meals for several people its hard to adjust the cooking.  And I do better with eating better when I make my own food as opposed to eating out.

Well that's all the updates until next week.

Weekly Update

This has been a productive week, as far as personal goals go, I am down another 2.5 pounds, walked another 4.63 miles and upped my step total by another 64,270 steps.  So new running totals needed to meet goals are:

97 pounds left to lose,
290.51 miles left to walk, and
2,801,249 steps to take.

On the professional front, still trying to work out the kinks in a couple of patterns I'm working on.  I hope to have at least one of them ready to post for sale before the end of the month.  But It will probably be closer to the end of February.  I have got some items ready to photograph and list for sale, just waiting for a nice sunny day to take the pictures.  They just don't come out as nice when there is a lot of fog and clouds, both of which we have had in spades the past few days.  Maybe by the weekend I will get a chance to actually get outside and take the photos.  Then it's just a matter of editing the photos, and writing the descriptions, and listing the items.  I will of course do a blog post once the items are live on either bonanza or etsy.

I actually tried spaghetti squash for the first time the other day.  It's not going to replace the pasta in my diet completely, but its not half bad topped with a fresh veggie salsa.  And I am going to try to eat less meat (sorry not cutting it out completely), but I do like fresh veggies and can see myself doing at least one or two vegetarian days a week. 

Anyone in the Fresno/Hanford area that knows of any local craft/antique shows coming up this spring let me know.  I have been away from doing the shows since before my Mother was diagnosed with lung cancer (she lost her battle in 2014), and I think I am ready to start wading back into the pool so to speak.  Preferably smaller ones for now. 

That's it for now.  Will try to check in later this week.  Next Monday or Tuesday for sure.