I have felt both very productive and very unproductive lately. I have been sick, so I haven't been able to get a lot done, but what little I have done has made me incredibly happy.
Working between coughs has been slow. I have been washing my hands like mad and trying not to breathe on anything I am working on. I am tempted to spray everything with lysol, but I don't think that will make for good-smelling merchandise.
What have I gotten done?
Well, in the past few days I have increased my inventory by two chokers, for one. One is another leaf-pendant choker like the one posted on my etsy site (which is going to a friend in Japan and is no longer for sale, the one I just made is to replace the other). The other is a single-strand choker with a child in mind. A little girl, to be specific. It has pink Jasper I got on a strand of mixed Jasper beads, one lavender quartz bead in the middle, and white leather for the tie. It is very light-colored and fits the stereotype of "girl" very well. It will work for smaller necks, too, not just aimed at a little girl. It is very cute and effeminate. :D
I have also woven, strung, and finished three basket necklaces. I have made a new blue one with lapis lazuli stones, a red one with red coral and hematite, and a bright, mulit-colored one (also with red coral). I have yet to take their pictures, as I am still trying to get my picture-taking skills up. It is kind of difficult when you have a broken camera and no good setup for taking pictures. *sigh* I will have to get on that!
I have added one pair of earrings to match my new blue basket-necklace, but for some reason they aren't as exciting as the basket necklaces and the chokers are to me. I am thinking of making a matching bracelet, too, and marketing them as a set. Who knows?
Finally, I have started working on making an inventory of my work. It includes various "sheets" of a spreadsheet cataloging all the necklaces, chokers, baskets, other jewelry, and other stuff I made. I have recorded the materials, how much those materials cost, and what I anticipate selling them at with room for what they sold for and profit. I am thinking of adding "time spent" as a category on the baskets. In general you don't charge for how long you took to make something, I have been told. I have to disagree. When supplies are about $3.00 and you spent four hours weaving, carving, or creating something? I don't think that thing should sell for $10, sorry. I want to be paid in part for my time in making the item if it is anything that is over 30 minutes to make it. Stringing a choker, okay, not hard. Weaving a basket? Beading an item? Kinda harder and much more time consuming. Buuuuut.... that is my opinion.
Powers that be willing, I will sell well at powwow on March 12th. It may be wishful thinking.... I am hoping at least to break even, if I don't sell well. I guess if I lose out, it will end up okay. I am sentimental about that powwow and won't freak out if I don't sell. I love the atmosphere!
On a random note? Those hairflowers I referenced in the post about my dad's chainmail work are selling like mad. perhaps I am better at selling his merchandise than my own.... but he is only selling them for $5 each! It is a steal!!!! I am gonna be setting up a small corner of my booth for my dad's stuff so he gets more publicity. Hopefully his shiny items won't outshine the other items my mother-in-law and I have worked so hard to make....
Well, that is it for now. My inventory is still pretty low, so I better get on that. Especially now that I will have a full-time job coming up soon and won't have as much time! And I better print more business cards. Sounds like a good idea to me.
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