Boy, has it been a while!!

So, WOW, I haven't been on since APRIL!!! CRAZY!

I have been quite busy actually. I had a debut party at my home with some other vendors I know thus creating a mini craft fair. I have now registered for THREE MORE craft fairs for the season and been working my fingers to the bone.

Over 100 christmas cards alone! 300 greeting cards total (AND EACH ONE IS DIFFERENT!!!!)

I have added new items to my repertoire as well...Picture frames, bookmarks, large tags/cards, 5 different styles of mini album, wedding invitations, cookbooks, and even a wedding album.  My first official fair is coming up and I have (at least I hope) a plethora of things for shoppers to choose from.

I have had to redesign my booth MULTIPLE times. Do you know how hard it is to fit everything you want, make the space appealing, AND have ease of traffic in an 8x8 SPACE?! OMG! I think I grew 5 gray hairs just remembering the anguish, but I think it is ready...at least for now.

I will count my blessings, cross my fingers, and let you know how it all works out.

Hmmmm, very interesting.

So I am reading/researching about advertising on the internet for my shop, how to get and maintain exposure. I came across this piece in an article on Handmadeology. Interesting advertising advice.

The following guide to advertising was written by Thomas Smith in 1885, and with today’s short attention spans and desire for instant gratification, I believe it’s even more relevant now. 

• The first time people look at any given ad, they don’t even see it.
• The second time, they don’t notice it.
• The third time, they are aware that it is there.
• The fourth time, they have a fleeting sense that they’ve seen it somewhere before.
• The fifth time, they actually read the ad.
• The sixth time, they thumb their nose at it.
• The seventh time, they start to get a little irritated with it.
• The eight time, they start to think ‘Here’s that confounded ad again.’
• The ninth time, they start to wonder if they’re missing out on something.
• The tenth time, they ask their friends and neighbors if they’ve tried it.
• The eleventh time, they wonder how the company is paying for all these ads.
• The twelfth time, they start to think that it must be a good product.
• The thirteenth time, they start to feel the product has value.
• The fourteenth time, they start to remember wanting a product exactly like this for a long time.
• The fifteenth time, they start to yearn for it because they can’t afford to buy it.
• The sixteenth time, they accept the fact that they will buy it sometime in the future.
• The seventeenth time, they make a note to buy the product.
• The eighteenth time, they curse their poverty for not allowing them to buy this terrific product.
• The nineteenth time, they count their money very carefully.
• The twentieth time prospects see the ad, they buy what is offering.

Very interesting, don't you think. Especially in today's society...and look at the date again, 1885! Man was a visionary. 

So excited to try a new design!

Today I finished the "naked" book of a photo album that seems complicated, but was SO MUCH FUN TO MAKE! I like watching Laura Denison's U-stream channel. She has so many neat ideas that they are just plain fun.  I am working on one of her designs, the Photo Folio. It is pretty and has many more embellishments than what I am used to. I am happy and excited to push myself out of my comfort zone to make this beautiful book.  I am inspired by the paper and who it is going to, that I hope to make it the prettiest darn thing ever.

 Here is a sneak peek of the "naked" book...

So I have acquired a few clients!!

I have two friends that I am supplying with Thank You cards for their small businesses (Thanks Stephanie and Hannah)

AND custom Thank You's to a local organization to give to its donors during their annual auction. (Thanks Dad!)

 I am so excited to get my name out there and provide a small, but well needed service.  Hopefully others will see my name or what I am providing for my friends that it might inspire them to hire me! :)

I am excited and yet EXTREMELY nervous about starting this business.  So far I have read so many articles and guides that I am busting with knowledge and am not sure what to do with or where to start.  I have talked to someone who has also been through this and she is a great leveler of my anxiety, as I have TONS!!

I hope that this blog will help release some of this overwhelming anxiety and acknowledge accomplishments I have no matter how small.

Thank you for listening to me.

New Adventure...so BLOG!

I have recently started a small business and was advised to start a blog about my adventure.  So I will try to enlighten those of you who are also looking to start a business as well as share tips or techniques I find along the way.

My new business adventure is called KratzKreations. I make and sell handmade greeting cards and mini themed photo albums.  I have made cards for years and have given them away for just as long. A few years ago friends started telling me that I should sell them. I didn't have the desire to devote that much time until now. 

Having a job in education as great as it is takes a toll on one's spirit and recently my spirit has been floating in the toilet unless I am creating my cards.  Creating cards for me is uplifting and rewarding. Don't get me wrong, teaching is also rewarding, but the rewards are few and far between.   This new adventure should be new, challenging and hopefully as rewarding as I hope it to be.