Monday, May 17, 2010

Mayfest!

Sorry I've been so absent from the blog lately! I've been in relaxation and regrouping mode since Mayfest. I relaxed most of last week and then spent ALL DAY on Friday, well into the wee hours of the morning, cleaning and reorganizing my studio. The studio hadn't seen a complete overhaul for probably close to a year. It felt so great to go through and reorganize everything from top to bottom. My desk drawers and closets are much more functional now and I love it! It's so easy, especially when you work with lots of small items, to let things get taken over with clutter. Projects in various states of completion were taking over the entire studio and it was driving me bonkers! But now, everything is back in its rightful place and I feel so calm and focused and ready to get back in the swing of things.

I am expecting a busy summer ahead of me. Last summer I participated in shows every weekend (except three) from June until the end of August and I was completely exhausted by the end of things. This year my goal has been to focus on participating in fewer shows, mainly larger, higher traffic venues, and to pay more attention to my Etsy shop and to selling at boutiques locally.

I have already started to shift focus to photographing items for my Etsy shop. I have had intentions to really fill up my shop for the past couple of years. I always dread the act of photographing items, editing photos, and creating listings (mainly because I am a perfectionist). With the nature of my work, many of my designs are one of a kind or a few of a kind and it seems that I often spend so much time preparing to list something on Etsy only for it to sell locally as soon soon as it get it listed. I then have to remove the item and lose the time and money I spent listing it in the first place. Sometimes I wonder what the point is. BUT, I have so many wonderful customers who meet me at shows or find my designs at their favorite boutique and they crave and online source where they can really browse the extent of my collection. I really want to be able to provide an online shop that accurately reflects the vast number of items I have in stock at any given time. So, despite all my annoyances with Etsy, I am going to spend the next few weeks focusing on getting my shop in shape. And I'm hoping that sometime this summer I can finally get my hubby to help with designing my very own website.

This summer will be a busy one for That Winsome Girl. I hope to expand my business and see where things go. I really struggle with shyness and insecurities, and for so long I have been letting them take power over me and limit my growth. I have grown so much as a person over the past few weeks and I'm finally going to let go and trust in God and the talents and blessings he's given me. I am incredibly blessed to have an incredibly supportive husband, wonderful family and friends, and the best customers a girl could hope for. I think it's about time that I stop listening to the insecurities and consider all the generous praises I receive from others. I'm ready to jump into things wholeheartedly and just enjoy and appreciate where life leads me. I have a feeling it's going to be a real journey.

Amid all the ramblings, I've shared a few photos of my display from Mayfest. I took these on Sunday morning after customers started arriving and it was quite difficult to get any photos taken, so these mediocre ones will have to do. Unfortunately I wasn't able to really finish several of the ideas I had for my display. As you could see, I wasn't able to find time before the show to sew the ruffled tablecloths I had been envisioning. My booth wasn't quite the whimsical little space I had hoped, but that's okay. The show was a huge success despite my less-than-perfect display. I had set an incredibly high goal for myself after the success I experienced last year at the show. I was able to meet and exceed my goal and the weekend was a huge blessing! Before the rest of my summer shows, however, I do plan to sew those darling ruffled tablecloths, make some tissue paper pom-poms, and figure out some other ways to add a few more pops of color to my display. I've switched from using two 6'x2.5' tables to four 4'x2' tables, so I've been completely reconfiguring my space. It's been fun but a little challenging.

8 comments:

  1. first of all....amy, everything looks gorgeous! how fun that your show was such a success! make sure you announce your events via blog...since i'm local I'd love to come look around!

    secondly, i've really been wanting to make a fabric bunting {just for decoration}. did you make your own? have any advice for me? mine won't have any text...just pretty fabric.

    thirdly, i hate to be demanding but you MUST show us your ruffle table cloth once it's complete! I just can't wait to see it!

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  2. your display and items look GORGEOUS! :)

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  3. Your booth was gorgeous! I wasn't able to get to the show until Sunday afternoon and I cry a little when I think of all the beautiful things that sold before I got there. BTW - your jewelry was selling like hotcakes when I was there! My daughter bought me the red rose drop earrings for Mother's Day and I absolutely love them! Your jewelry is truly art!

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  4. I just discovered your blog and gorgeous jewelry a couple weeks ago. I hate that I could not make it to Mayfest, but I did get the chance to purchase a very cute pair of your pink dahlia earrings at Street Scene this past weekend. Please post where you will be this summer; I am one who would like to see your entire line in person and on etsy.

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  5. Don't really know what kind of celebration Mayfest is, but it almost sounded a bit like how we celebrated our National Day yesterday. Just almost. Have a nice day:) Ida

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  6. Thanks for all the sweet comments, everyone!

    @ Jen-
    I created my bunting with interfacing to be very stiff and sturdy to withstand days out in the wind and rain, so I definitely took a different approach to making mine than you'll want to. This is the only bunting I've made before, but I figure what would be best for you is to:

    Measure and cut out triangles about 1/2 inch larger around than you want the finished triangles on the bunting. Place and pin them right side together and sew around the two bottom sides using a 1/4 inch seam allowance, leaving the top open. After you've sewn all the bunting triangles, turn them right side out and press them flat. Next, take your length of ribbon or other fabric you will be using for the top of the bunting (I suggest a ribbon 1 inch wide) and fold it in half, pressing the seam with an iron. Then place all your bunting triangles, arranged the way you'd like, inside this seam, being careful to pin the ribbon or fabric on the front and back of each bunting triangle. Finally, sew along the ribbon or fabric, almost to the very bottom edge, checking often to make sure you're catching both the front and the back with your seam. Snip the extra threads, find the perfect place to hang it and you're done!

    I can't guarantee that this is the best or easiest method to sewing a bunting sign, but this is what I'd do! You may want to look around online for some tutorials for additional ideas.

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  7. Mayfest was a fantastic weekend! Will you be at any Artist Markets downtown this summer? I struggle with the same things about Etsy. I think I am going to let that one go for a while and just keep up with my custom orders and orders for shops.
    Good luck with everything this summer!

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  8. Megan, I am planning on participating in the Artist Market four Saturdays this summer. The past two summers I've done the Artist Market six Saturdays each summer, and I've decided that's just a bit much. So this year I'm cutting down to four, I just need to figure out which dates work best for me.

    I definitely have a love/hate relationship with Etsy. I first joined Etsy as a buyer four years ago and opened my first shop after that. Etsy was so different back then and I really loved the site at the time. As it's grown and my business has grown, I've decided that I a focus on selling locally works best for me. I don't think I'll ever fully give up on Etsy completely as there is such a great joy in sending your creations all over the world, but my heart is definitely with my local customers.

    Thank you so much and I wish you the best of luck as well! I have you say that you were by far my favorite artist at Mayfest this year!

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