Fashion Friday

First off, there has  been a consistent theme on almost  all  the blogs I read. Everyone lately is tired, overworked, stressed with too much to do and too little time, sick or dealing with  sick  kids, etc.  etc. I  mean seriously, WHERE IS SUMMER?! I  need to  get out of this funk and I think everyone else does too haha. I  guess  T.G.I.F!!! :-)

And this  dreary nasty weather has NOT been  helping  matters.  Being a SAHM is tough on any day, but it's 1000 times harder when you are stuck  inside all day with your little angels haha.  I  can't wait for  parks  and swimming and sunshine. Anyone else?! This kind of weather just  makes me want to curl up with a movie and take a nap or something (yaaaawwwwwnnnnn)

To get my  day off with a better start though I gave Raya a sucker, a tv show, put Brielle down for a morning nap, and took a nice  long shower haha. Raya didn't mind this arrangement one bit, as you can see!

In other news, and to start off our Fashion Friday----I haven't shared pictures of my nephew baby Ryan in a long time. Doesn't he look cute  in his easter shirt I made him?

I  really think  he's starting to look  a little  more like my girls---something about his eyes, forehead, and hairline remind me of Raya at that age---especially  here where he's  crying!

And here is a onesie that I had  Raya decorate for baby Ryan....these fabric  markers are  so fun and this is a great idea if you want an older sibling to make something for a younger sibling, or have your kids make as baby gifts for new babies  in the family, etc.

And now  for the  main part  of Fashion Friday today, I'm going to share  some tips for anyone curious about starting their  own Etsy shop or at  home business (whether it be fashion related or not). You'd be surprised how many people ask me to review and critique their new Etsy shops, or ask  me advice on why I  think they aren't  getting sales, etc.  etc. I am also asked all the time how my own shop is going, whether I  still like  "doing Etsy", etc....so I figured why not share for those  who are interested :-)

When I tell people that I  have an Etsy shop, or when people ask me about it and I explain, I often get responses like "oh, that's  cute"...but  not "cute" as in "you have cute stuff"....it's  with  the tone of  "oh, how sweet that you have a little something to keep you busy"  LOL. As though I'm not busy  enough :-P The thing is, I think many people imagine that it's easy to open an Etsy shop. There are constantly new shops opening every day and they are  gluing some beads to a frame and expecting orders to poor  in, or they are making bows and thinking they are going to get rich, etc. But the truth is that  Etsy has become crazy busy---packed  with  sellers who all  want to  do the same thing--make sales! And many of these sellers consider  this their life  work. There is always room for more  shops and more great ideas, but it's definitely not  something that I would consider "easy" or "cute". It's  not  something you open up on a whim when you're bored  some Saturday.

I'm very close to making my 400th sale on Etsy (wahoo!) and that doesn't  count the over 100 sales I've done for family, friends, and locals who didn't buy through Etsy. Even so, I  don't consider myself an expert by any means, but I do have  some advice for  something starting  out.

First, it seems like nowadays most  SAHMs either sell for a company (think scentsy, Usbourne, tupperware, etc.) or they craft. It's awesome to have an outlet  to make some of your own money and use  your brain in adult  ways! However when you sign up to sell with a company there are many  things  done for you already. You are given  the product, a lot of the business plan is laid out, etc. ...but if you open your own Etsy shop then *you* need to design/make/produce the product, come up with a business plan, etc. etc. You really  should spend weeks or months PLANNING before you even think of opening your shop.  Go to Etsy and start reading the forums, asking questions, talking to other  sellers. If you don't know about google analytics, search relevancy, keywords, priceing and profit, taxes, etc. then you are not  ready to open. I've spent hours upon hours researching this  stuff and constantly improving my shop. Then there  is promoting and advertising. This sucks up a ton of time too. There are the hours  you spend answering buyer emails, packaging and mailing orders, organizing  supplies and inventory....Last but  not  least, perfecting your product! Research what is already being sold on Etsy and find your own unique niche....or your shop will  sit and sit without sales. Just  because your  Grandma or the  lady down the street thought your product was cute doesn't mean you should pour hundreds of dollars into starting up your business  and think that  the rest of the world will  actually  buy it.

As far as whether  I  still  enjoy "doing  Etsy" I never  know how to respond.  I LOVE knowing that people appreciate my work and I get so excited when customers send me pictures of their  kids in my creations or leave me great feedback in my shop. But at the same time I get tired of making the same things over and over again and many nights I just don't feel like  sewing but I have to force myself too. My Etsy shop is definitely a JOB and not a cute hobby that I work on here and there. I spend at least 3 hours a day minimum working on it, and that in the past has included weekends! As of now  I'm starting to set aside weekends as work free times, so we'll  see  how  that goes :-)

I found this on Pinterest the other day, and thought it was very fitting for this topic

Source: ecosalon.com via Shawna on Pinterest

If any of my readers are interested in starting their  own Etsy shop and have questions, or  if you have an Etsy shop already and would like me to critique it and offer suggestions, feel free to message me through Etsy at my Etsy shop

And lastly, one of my favorite things about my Etsy shop continues to be the fun custom orders I'm asked to do. I  love the challenge or creating something new and the excitement seeing how it  turns out. Here  is a custom onesie I made for a friend, who needed a gender neutral  baby gift for a baby shower....and the parents  are calling the baby "pop tart" for fun until  the baby is born. Cute isn't it? :-)

....and now  that  my weekends Etsy-free, I'm hoping to be able to make my own girls more things during those t imes. We are going to the Omaha zoo  soon and I got this cute fabric to make them coordinating outfits for the trip hehe. They are going to be the talk of the zoo that day for sure!

Happy Friday!  I'm looking forward to tomorrow when my nephew Sawyer is having his 4th birthday party---I can't  believe he's  that old already!!!! What are *YOU* looking foward to coming up? (Instead  of sharing our  bitchfest complaints like my  earlier post how about  we share something good and exciting?! :-)