Beginnings

I'm so excited to be recreating my little world. I just got married (2 months now, what?!), we moved, I just got a job, and I'm opening a new shop. I'm amazed and surprised at all the new stuff that is happening all at once. But at the same time, I'm really refreshed by it. Being able to have these new beginnings and to open new avenues is really exciting. I feel like everything is starting to slowly piece itself together and I'm starting to get a little more comfortable with my space and what needs to be done as well as what can be done in a day. I've learned that one room a day is a nice way to keep the house clean, without being overwhelming and allowing for time to craft and take Hubby to school and possibly run some random errands.

I also bought a new watch. Oh, how excited I am. :-) I think that it marks the end of the time in which I was doing random things without an agenda. Everything is getting back into place and that means I need to be more mindful of my own schedule. I've realized that I like to have an order to my days and to my thoughts. It's nice to have errand time, cleaning time, work time, and cuddle time. I had lost a bit of that structure between graduating from college and lost even more when I left my semi-regular job at Sears (only semi-regular because if there is a floating randomized schedule, you can't count on it). My husband and I have been slowly bringing the order back to our lives, figuring out class and work schedules, meal times and homework times. I'm really excited to now have a tangible object which will be with me at all times and keep me on track, rather than randomly moving through my space without regard to what else needs to be done. I feel that the new addition of the watch will lead to more grounding and better time management on my part. 

As I mentioned, we recently moved into a larger apartment. Yeah! We can now move around without bumping into things and after we finish sorting out the extra bedroom, I will have a little crafting room. I am excited to be able to properly arrange and set-up our new home. We get to be real grown-ups now, and manage a space and learn to share and to grow our new little nest. It's a really exciting thing to be merging our two lives together in a cohesive way where everything works and can be efficient. We weren't able to do that in our last home. We were inefficient partially because we were unable to function and move about. I think of it as being replanted into a larger pot, so that we can sprout new roots and be allowed to thrive, rather than being trapped in a place where we are root bound.

And the craft room...Oh the craft room. If this ends up working out well and staying organized like I would like to see our lives (probably not quite as perfect as I imagine, but definitely functional :) ) then this little room may make it so that this little side hobby shop that I'm starting can be a real craft business. I'm excited at the prospect of being a bit more professional and having everything neatly organized and stored in one place, rather than having things scattered about in various boxes. I'm also excited to have a new shot at a shop, which will be more likely to run smoothly and to succeed. I think the craft room will make for a nice space to delineate between work projects and fun, for me, projects; so that, even though I'm trying to make a few bucks off my hobby, it'll still be my hobby and I won't tire out as quickly trying to pump out new stuff. I want this business to be fun, and if I'm not having fun with my projects anymore, what really is the point? I craft because it makes me happy, and I am not willing to force myself into a position where crafting is no longer fun. It just means that if I want to craft and make a little change on the side, I need to do it in a way that I will still be able to enjoy myself. I don't want to end up with a sweatshop in the craft room or needing a production line that involves my neighbors and all their friends (oh the Penny Blossom, I do love you BBT). 

So, we're restarting our shop. I'm excited to be rolling out the By Z line. :-) If you noticed our blog is now titled, "Ponderings By Z" and the new shop is "Crochet By Z." I think this should make everything a little bit easier and it should be fun. Depending on how things go, maybe we'll even branch out and make some other By Z places. I think for now, the shop will just be undergoing a slight change with the name and therefore location of our items. Depending on how things go, we'll expand and adjust as necessary. I don't see us having a big change anytime soon, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

For now, I think I need to get back to some stitching and then do a little housework. :-) Until next time.

Happy Crafting,

Z

Chatter

I love the internet. The more you delve into its depths the more random information you can find. It seems that everything is interconnected in some ridiculous way and each site has its own way of producing the same information in a new way. Love it.

The more that I learn about the interconnectedness of things an how each person relates to the sites I use, the more I want to learn to use them better and more efficiently. Currently, these thoughts revolve around Facebook and Twitter. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but it seems that they will not work together for me. This is proving to be an interesting challenge which will soon be overcome.

Coming back from the wedding has been an interesting transition and motivator. Now that I've had a little down time from  that adventure, I think I'm ready to explore some new venues for the shop/site and get some new products made. We're also going to try and explore our customer base a little better. The next few weeks should prove to be an interesting adventure for the sites and hopefully for us as well as we try to get everything together with the move and interviews. More to come soon and hopefully some new pictures as well! :-)

Happy Crafting,
Z

Some New Stuff

It feels so good to have things set-up and to get everything posted and updated. I love it when everything runs smoothly. :-)

Today we have three new postings in the Etsy shop. There is the adorable penguin hat, lilac hat with retractable earflaps and the pretty in pink pouch. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed making them.

On another vein, there was a job fair today at Quest Field in Seattle. Job fairs intrigue me. This is the first that I've gone to in which they have asked for a resume, but at the same time, the employers can't seem to take it as an application. I do not understand the benefit of holding a function in which you call together employers and hopeful employees, yet a job can not be offered or applied for at the event. I can see a benefit to meeting an applicant, but in the situation there are more people than can be easily remembered. There are so many people in the room that you can barely walk about. So silly. However, it does make some leads and at the very worse, it just means that I'll end up spending time submitting resumes that may or may not be responded to.

Have a wonderful day all, and happy crafting!
Cheers,
Z

Everything is Updated!

I'm so excited. I've been working to get everything updated this weekend and it seems that everything has come to fruition. So glad to have it all set-up nicely. Tomorrow we should be taking some pictures and putting up some nice new products at the shop as well. It looks like it should be a very good week. :)

If you'd like to check out it out here are the new addresses:
crochetbyz.webs.com
crochetbyz.tumblr.com

Thank you for all your support!
Cheers,
Z

Getting the ball rolling

Well, it looks like things are moving a lot more slowly than I had initially anticipated. Everything just seems to be moving at a snail's pace lately.

In an attempt to get things going a bit more quickly, we're going to be updating our sites and blog more frequently. And hopefully the posts will be a little bit more exciting. :-)

Our current goal is to try and write things about crocheting, knitting and other crafty things, as well as looking at the Etsy experience. I feel that looking at all of these things makes for a bit more rounded view of the shop.

I hope that we will ultimately be able to provide all with a beautiful product that will make you as happy with it as I was making it.

Cheers,
Z

The Etsy Experiment

Hello,

So I just started my Etsy shop back in October. So I guess I didn't just start it. I've had three sales in nearly three months. It's not too bad when you look at it like that.

For those unaware, Etsy is a site devoted to crafters and artists who are trying to sell their craft. It's a really interesting site in that it provides a unique little outlet for those who want to make and sell their wares as well as for those of us who like to purchase those nice handmade items which we ourselves can't make.

I came to Etsy as a buyer because one of my professors wives had a shop and was selling beautiful prints. About a year or so later some friends who sold there (and one who just thought it would be a good idea) talked me into having my own shop. (Funny that after they convinced me it took another three months to start posting on the site.)

Initially, I was really paranoid about what the shop should look like and what my policies should be. I find this little quirk in Etsy to be quite interesting. Each seller gets to make their own policies as long as they fall under the general umbrella of the main Etsy Dos and Don'ts.

Now that I've been working there a bit, I don't know that the policies or the bios are read all that often. Sure its helpful if you're solely one type of crafter or if you only use recycled materials, but as an omnivore (for lack of a better term) these labels don't seem as useful. I like to craft and I hope that shows at my shop.

At times I feel that Etsy is made for the is made for the crafter who is focused on the one craft and making it to perfection. But maybe not. Maybe the eclectic crafter is able to meet the needs of a wider audience it just takes more time for them to become successful. Time shall tell I guess.

My purpose in writing this is, I have chosen to take the Etsy challenge wherever it shall take me. If it doesn't work out, well I guess it was a good run. I love to craft and the point of the site is to share that craft. I have a good feeling about it, but I think that once you become a successful seller, you forget what it took to get there.

To all of you out there, good luck with your endeavors, happy crafting and live long and prosper.
Cheers,
Z