Climbing Out of the Hole

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted anything. I've been in a deep, dark hole for a while now. I was just bummed because nothing seemed to be working out for me, and I wasn't feeling creative enough to try and make something new. So I pretty much have done nothing for the last couple months. But, it's time to climb out of the hole and do something. If I just sit back and do nothing then nothing will ever change.
So today I'm going to at least attempt to do something creative. Not sure what it will be, maybe just drawing, I haven't done that for a long time.
I'll post again later with an update of what I accomplished today.

New Painting

Today as I was spending more time than I should on Pinterest I came across a painting I loved so I decided to make my own. I haven't painted for quite some time, and I have missed it. I meant to take a picture of my painting so far, but I forgot... so I will take one tomorrow and post it on my Instagram. It's not done yet, but I plan on working on it more tomorrow and hopefully having it finished by Friday.
I have a bad habit of starting a project, and then never finishing it. My other problem is I keep working on the same painting forever and can never decide when I am done.
How do you decide when you are done with a painting?

New Beginnings

The Simple Remnant etsy shop has been open since March, and in that time I have had a decent amount of views, but not to many sales. So I have been trying to figure out why that is. I finally received some great insight, and have since made some changes. Prices have gone up, but I did that to reflect the quality of my products. Also, because prices were raised, I have created some new listings for sets of earrings in which you will receive two or three pairs for a discounted price. I am hoping that these changes will bring in more customers, but this whole thing is a work in progress and a learning experience.
Just in these past few months I have learned a lot about how to market a product, how to appeal to your audience, and how not to do it. It's been a challenge, and sometimes I felt like giving up, but I'm still going and still learning.
This weekend we plan on being at the Wentzville Flea Market to set up a table and sell. I'm hoping it goes well, but the thought of standing there listening to what people think of my product it terrifying. I love my product, and I'm just hoping everyone else will to. Thankfully, Adam will be helping me so I don't have to do this all alone. It's nice to have a supporter, and he's the best.

Well that's all I have for now, so I will leave you with a picture of some of my items, and this coupon code specially made for those who read my blog.

Coupon Code: BLOGGER

(This code will get you free shipping until the end of August)

www.simpleremnant.etsy.com

Back to School Sale

From now until Friday (Aug. 9) when you spend $10.00 in the Simple Remnant etsy shop you will receive 10% off by using coupon code BACK2SCHOOL.

This past week I did a lot of work on my shop. I took all new display pictures, and added some new items. I've added two new lines of earrings Simply Rosey and Tribal. I've also added new colors to the Simply collection. I'm excited about the new changes, and hopefully you will be to.

In addition to selling on etsy, hopefully this weekend, we are going to be going to the flea market in Wentzville, MO to set up a table. I've never sold anything in person before so I'm a bit nervous about it, but I'm really hoping things go well. There are several festivals in the town we live in, and we would like to do a couple of them next year. But the flea market it a way for us to get a feel for selling and see how people respond to my product.

If you have ever done festivals before and could give some advice on booth design, or anything else I would really appreciate it. I'm a newbie to all of this. I'm still fairly new to etsy as well, so if anyone has advice in that area it is also welcomed.

I am pretty proud of my progress so far in the world of etsy, however there is always room for improvement. My shop opened in March and since then I've made 23 sales. I know there are people who do so much better, but considering I had about a months time when I didn't have internet access, I'd say things are going pretty well. I'm hoping, now that I have internet at home and I'm adding more products that I will start making more sales. I would greatly appreciate your help in this. If you would go check out my shop (www.simpleremnant.etsy.com) and share it with your friends that would help me out so much. The more views I get the more sales I can make. So far most of my sales have been to people that I know, I would like to really expand my reach.

Well I think that's all for now, thank you so much for reading, and don't forget to visit the shop. Have a wonderful day.

Etsy Shop Update

This week I am revamping my etsy shop. I'm creating some new products, a whole new line of earrings, new earring cards, business cards, and much more. Adam and I are going to be working together to to make a ton of product and take it to a flea market to sell as a sort of test run to see if we want to do festivals next year. I'm excited about it, but also a little nervous at the same time. Selling online is a lot easier because I don't hear people taking about my product. I don't here any criticism. But selling at a flea market or a festival I'll be right there hearing every word. So it just makes me nervous. I want people to really like what I make, and I hope that I can sell a good amount to be able to actually contribute financially to our debt. Most of all though I want people to be able to enjoy my creations as much as I enjoy making them. So hopefully all goes well. I'll be posting more updates as I go, and hopefully sometime next week I will have all of the new products up on etsy.

Here are what my business cards look like... they are dip dyed using dylusions spray inks and water. I'll probably do more colors, I just haven't gotten that far yet.

Front of card

Back of card

Galaxy shorts

Here they are... My galaxy shorts. Sorry the pics aren't the greatest. Out in the sun you can see the colors a lot more, but I really like them. 

                               So... Here is the front of the shorts.........

                          .......and..... Here is the back........

I took pictures of them on me, but they weren't very good. So I'll spare you. 

I'm kind of in love with this galaxy style right now, so I may be posting some more galaxy inspired projects. I made a shirt as well, but its not quite done yet. So I'll post those pictures later. Let me know what you think, and if you are interested and I could do custom orders from my etsy shop. 

Galaxy

Today I am going to embark on a new adventure. I saw a video on YouTube of a girl spray painting a pair of shorts to look like the galaxy, and they were freakin awesome. So that's my plan for the day. I'm gonna go check out Goodwill and find myself a pair of black shorts or pants and then head to Walmart or Lowe's for some spray paint. Hopefully it will all turn out well, and I'll post pictures or maybe even a video later... It might be tomorrow before. I have it all ready, but I will definitely let you see the finished results. I'm really excited about this project.

Still alive

Oh my goodness. So it's been forever since I've been able to write a new post. Now, finally, we have home Internet so ill be able to write all the time, and keep up with my etsy store and do so much more.  I'm really excited to get m store really going, we are even planning to do some festivals and flea markets, just trying to get my stuff out there and get people to see it. So I'm hoping that all goes well, and that people like and want the things I make. So make sure you are checking the store for updates in the coming weeks as I'm hoping to have some new products. Www.simpleremnant.etsy.com 

Time to do Some Work on Etsy Shop

Just the other day I posted about how I'm not really getting a lot of sales on etsy, but I am getting a good amount of views and just wondering what's missing. Well one person sent me a wonderful message with some helpful tips. She suggested writing better descriptions for my items to get more attention and make my pieces seem one of a kind and really special. Now normally I'm pretty good at writing and describing things, but not my own art/crafts. So if anyone could please help me come up with some descriptions for my items on etsy I would really appreciate that.

www.simpleremnant.etsy.com

Etsy Success?

Well, it's been about a month and a half since I opened my shop on Etsy. Since opening I've had tons of views, but only seven sales. It's a bit of a downer, but I'm still so happy that I've made those seven sales. I'm just wondering what I need to do to make more sales. I seem to be able to get people to my shop just by posting on Facebook or on here, but what extra push do I need in order to get people to actually buy something? There are people on Etsy who have made thousands of sales; so how do they do it? Did it take them a long time to get to that point, or is there something they are doing that I am missing?

If any of you have any suggestions for how I could make more sales please leave a comment below. I would really appreciate any advice or input you could give.

BOGO Fail

So this week I decided to do a special deal in my etsy shop (www.simpleremnant.etsy.com) to try to get more customers and some extra money. I thought it would be a really good deal. I offered free shipping and a free pair of earrings with every purchase of $4 or more. Sounds great, right? Well apparently not so much. Only two people actually ordered anything.

There is still time though if you would like to make a purchase. The deal ends tonight at midnight (I believe) so head on over to my shop and make a purchase please.

When I have made 20 sales I'm going to do a giveaway, but that means people actually have to buy some stuff. :)

So please spread the word, share this with your friends and family.

Special Offer

This offer ends May 4

I am offering a buy one get one deal in my etsy shop along with free shipping. Use coupon code BOGOMAY to receive your free shipping, and when you make a purchase of $4 or more you will receive a free pair of "knock on wood earrings" just leave a message telling me if you want the striped ones or the dark ones.

There are only 3 days left to take advantage of this offer so don't miss out, and tell your friends and family.

A cute pair of earrings or a wrapped flower vase would make a great mother's day gift this year.

www.simpleremnant.etsy.com

My Etsy Goal

So I've had my etsy shop open now for about a month or so and I've made 4 sales. That's pretty good, more than I expected. But I have some goals that require more sales. I would like to be able to donate part of my etsy profits to a different organization each month. So like each month I would take say 10 or 15% of my profits and donate them to a different organization. But in order for me to be able to do that I need to actually make some money. So please go check out my shop at www.simpleremnant.etsy.com and make some purchases. Also leave a comment with what organization you think I should donate to.

Slow Progress

Things are going pretty slow with my etsy shop, but that's what I expected. I have made 4 sales so far, and that's pretty exciting. It's feels good to actually make some money even if it's not much. Today I added another pair of SimplyLove earrings in black and white, and I hope to add some more items this week.
Please check out my shop at www.simpleremnant.etsy.com .

New Etsy Items

I went shopping yesterday and got supplies for items for my etsy shop. I'm hoping to make them this weekend, and have them posted by Monday. So be checking in at www.simpleremnant.etsy.com for new things to come. I've made three sales so far and that means there are still two coupon codes left for 10% off your next purchase.
Aside from etsy, I really haven't been very creative the last few months, well pretty much this whole year so far. I've only completed one painting, and haven't really done anything else. I've been in a major rut. What do you do to get out of creative ruts? please comment below with any tips or tricks.

Etsy shop... the first few days...

So my etsy shop has been open since last Friday, and I've made one sale so far. That means there are still 4 spots left for the 10% off coupon for being one of the first five customers. It feels really good having made a sale already. It's nice to know that someone actually wanted something I've made. Hopefully in the next few weeks more and more people will check out my shop and make some purchases. I'm going to be adding some new products in the next week or so. I have some graphic designs prints I've made and maybe some prints of my art work. I just need to get the prints made and then I can post them. In the mean time please check out www.simpleremant.etsy.com and hopefully find something you'd like.

Sneak Peak #3

Here it is... the final sneak peak...

Tomorrow is the day! My etsy shop will be opening tomorrow, and I'm so excited. I hope you will all check it out tomorrow and hopefully find something you like. I'm working hard today on getting the listings just right, and making sure I have pictures of everything so hopefully tomorrow all I'll have to do is publish my listings and wait for customers. I know it may take some time to make some sales, but don't forget that the first 5 customers will receive a coupon code for 10% off their next purchase. So don't miss out on that. See you tomorrow everyone!

Sneak Peak #2

Some of you may have already seen on facebook that I decided to move up my opening day to Friday March 22. Things are coming together faster than I expected so I decided, why wait? Also the first five customers will receive a coupon code for 10% off their next purchase.
So here's your second sneak peak at an item from my shop...

Sneak Peak 1

Hey everyone! As promised, here is the first sneak peak of what's coming in my etsy shop.

This is the name of my shop, Simple Remnant. I chose this name because a remnant is something that weathers the storm. It's a piece that has made it through all the trials, and still can stand. That's what I want my art to reflect. I want my things to evoke emotion and thought. The things I sell on etsy are simply a remnant of myself. They are each little pieces of who I am.

Etsy Shop Progress Update

Well, things are coming along for my etsy shop. Right now I'm trying to get my art room/studio cleaned up so I can work more efficiently. I actually set out on this journey about a month ago and have yet to complete it. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be. But I'll get there, and I seem to be on track for opening my shop in two weeks. I think I will set the official opening day for April 1. I'm excited to get things going, and hopefully discover more about my own artistic style through this experience.
I've been working on some graphic design things for my etsy shop, and I have rediscovered my love for graphic design. I took a class in high school where we learned pretty much the entire adobe creative suite, and I loved it so much. But, since it's all so expensive, after the class ended I really didn't get to use the skills i learned. So I have decided that I want to purchase at least InDesign. It's so much fun to use, and if people like the designs I've come up with so far I will work on more and hopefully be able to save enough money to purchase the program in the future. InDesign ,by itself, costs $699. So it's going to take a lot of saving, but you can help by purchasing from my etsy store.
Leading up to April 1 I will be posting sneak peaks of what my etsy store will offer. So stay tuned for the first sneak peak this weekend.

New Beginnings

A while back I opened an etsy shop and posted a couple items, but I really didn't advertise or tell people about it at all so it failed. I just put any effort in to it, so nothing happened. But I have decided to open again. I have a new shop name now, and I'm creating new things for it from earrings to graphic design prints and I'll be adding some prints of my art work. The shop isn't open yet, but my goal right now is to open in two weeks. I'm not totally sure if it will happen, but that's my hope. I've had the hardest time finding a job since we moved to Missouri in 2011, so I decided to create my own. Why not make money doing what I love to do. So I hope you will check out my shop when it opens, and hopefully make some purchases.

I'm really going to try to keep my blog more up-to-date with things going on, and hopefully I'll start doing more art that I can post on here. I'm going to try art journaling again, so I'll see how that goes and hopefully have lots to share with you.

Well for now, I leave you with a question... what do you do to get creative? What helps get your creative juices flowing?

One Photo. One Year.

I saw this challenge over on ArtGeeks and I decided I would like to try it. I am going to pick a photo and draw it every week this year, maybe more. The idea is that the more you practice the better you will get at something. So I'm picking a portrait because I pretty much suck at them right now. So I will be posting the photo I choose and my first drawing hopefully this weekend. I'm hoping that doing this will really improve my portrait drawing skills (or lack there of) and by the end of the year I'll be able to look back and see how I have progressed. If you'd like to join me in this challenge I'd love the support and reminders. Let me know if you're going to do it to. You don't have to choose a portrait, maybe you want to work on landscapes or something just one photo for one year.

Another Blog Challenge

Well since I've only posted once so far this year, I think it's time for another blog challenge. I'm not sure if it will be anything specific or if it will be just a challenge to post everyday. Either way I just need to get into the habit of posting more often.
I also need to think of some kind of art challenge. I haven't really done much painting or creating of any kind this year.

This is my one and only completed painting this year, and I'm still not sure what I think about it. What do you think? 

New Year, New Art

With this new I have decided it is going to be a year of trying new things in my art. I'm not sure that the old is really working for me, so I'm going to be experimenting with some new techniques and tools. I just ordered a GelliArts printing plate yesterday so I'm really excited for the to get here. I've also started making earrings, and maybe I'll make some other jewelry. I'm just trying to find that one thing that one thing I love, but maybe I'll just find lots of things to love. I'm not sure I can stick with just one.
So hopefully I will have something more to talk about later, but just thought i'd write a little something so you know I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.