Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
I made it!
Posted on: November 27, 2011
Well, I made it through my first craft fair unscathed! 🙂 It was actually a lot of fun, and I met so many wonderful and talented people! Once they heard that I was doing my very first show, they were more than happy to share their secrets, advice, and stories about their own first shows. With 190 vendors, I definitely could have spent every last penny I made on some of the wonderful things I saw, but alas, Christmas shopping calls! However, I do have to plug the ladies who sold me the most FABULOUSLY delicious apple cupcakes I’ve ever had in my entire life – www.sugarfixation.com! If you’re in the Chicago area, definitely check them out, and if you’re elsewhere, I’m sure you could always inquire about shipping. No, I’m not getting paid for this plug, but they seriously ARE fantastic!
Anyway, I found that this particular crowd wanted to toss tradition out the window this holiday season. My biggest sellers, by far, were the sarcastic or funny candy bars and other goodies. Within the first hour of the show, I was completely sold out of these:
And I sold another order for 30 to a woman who took my business card from the show. Gotta hand it to those Cubs fans – they never give up!
While prepping for the craft fair, I also had orders for two different brides, both getting married on 11/11/11. One wanted custom stickers to attach to the take-home containers on her candy buffet, and the other wanted fans that her guests could use during her beachside wedding that also doubled as wedding programs. (I had also designed the invitation suite for the beachside wedding and was able to carry the theme through and make the fans match the wedding stationery.)
Overall, I’ve had a busy first holiday season in my new etsy shop (www.LoobieLabels.etsy.com) and I can’t wait to see what else is in store!
Wishing you a life less ordinary,
Lisa
Who likes freebies?????
Posted on: October 24, 2011
It has always been my custom to give away the first of every new product to someone who is needy, deserving, or just some random stranger. While life hasn’t always been good to me, I know I am incredibly lucky, very loved, and proud of the person I have become. I love making someone’s day easier, giving them something unexpected, or doing something for them that puts a smile on their face.
Enter my blog followers…..
I have a new product that’s not even listed on my etsy site yet, and I’m continuing with my custom and giving the first away. You can win 30 self-adhesive custom photo holiday gift tags like the ones pictured below. To enter, leave all your comments on this blog post, and don’t forget to include your email address so I can contact you if you’re the winner. There are 2 possible entries – 1 mandatory and 1 bonus entry:
1. Follow my blog and leave me a comment telling me that you do. (mandatory entry – click on the gray square in the lower right hand corner that says “follow.”)
2. Leave a comment below telling me about the nicest thing you’ve ever done for someone.
At 9am Central time on Wednesday 10/26/11, I will select a winner from all eligible entries using random.org. I will email the winner and they’ll have 48 hours to reply. If the winner doesn’t respond, I will choose a new winner and so on until someone claims the prize. I will then work with the winner to create their custom photo gift tags.
Don’t forget to check my etsy site – www.loobielabels.etsy.com – for this and other holiday products that will be added in the coming weeks!
Wishing you a life less ordinary,
Lisa
Back in action at last!!!
Posted on: October 23, 2011
So much for my promise to do better at keeping up with my blog. This summer was ridiculous, complete with a flood and the loss of just about every piece of furniture we owned (as well as a lot of personal items), moving to a temporary place, my daughter starting school, moving again, and a barrage of medical issues. I can say for certain that we’ve come through relatively unscathed and are now much more aware of what’s important in life and what isn’t.
With that being said, Loobie Labels is back in business after being closed for 2 months due to the chaos going on. It has been slow going, trying to re-acclimate myself to including a bit of “work time” in my daily schedule, as well as get my name back out there. For a small business (miniscule, really) to take a 2 month hiatus, there’s bound to be a LOT of work involved in climbing back up the proverbial ladder from obscurity to being a household name. I am beyond excited to be getting back to doing what I love!
My return from oblivion just happens to coincide with me getting ready for my first ever craft fair. Knowing that I am NOT the pushy salesperson type, I’m a bit nervous. I’ll admit to that. But I’m going to do my best and let my products stand for themselves. I know I do good work and I know anyone would love to receive the items I’m bringing to the craft fair so I’m just going to hold my head up high and be a brave little soldier! I’ve been working on a lot of new items for the show and I’m slowly getting them listed on my etsy site as well, so check back often over the next few weeks…. www.loobielabels.etsy.com
As always, I wish you a life less ordinary!
Proud of my quirks
Posted on: May 28, 2011
What kind of granddaughter would I be without a nod to my grandpa as well? I never really knew my grandfather, as he lived on the other side of the country for most of my life. He didn’t move back until I was in high school, and it wasn’t long after moving back that he passed away. I think he knew his time was nearing, and he wanted to be near his family. What I do remember about him is that he was very smart. He never stopped learning, and when you talked to him, he spoke with the confidence of someone who was obviously well-educated. He was a little on the eccentric side as well, which is where I think I get my odd little quirks. I regret that I didn’t have more time to get to know him, but he is alive in me in many, many ways.
Why the trip down memory lane? My grandfather was the inspiration for one of my newer listings, a photo memorial candle. That is his picture you see, and it was recently included in a treasury that celebrates our fallen military heroes. It is a beautiful treasury – one that brought a tear to my eye – and I’d love to share it with you, so we all can remember the REAL meaning of this weekend. It’s not about the day off work/school and it’s not about what you’re going to grill or how many fish you’re going to catch. So many brave men & women have served our country (like my grandfather did) and many of them made the ultimate sacrifice when they laid down their lives for their country. I hope we never forget that, and I hope everyone takes the time to reflect and be thankful for those who died serving our country.
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4de021134dd38eefa8516847/your-watch-has-ended
Wishing you a life less ordinary,
Lisa
Shifting Priorities
Posted on: May 19, 2011
There comes a time in every new Etsy shop owner’s life that they begin to wonder if it’s even worth it. Is it worth the time, money, and effort I’m putting into my shop in order to list new things? Is it worth missing time with my family? Is it worth the disappointment when, day after day, you check your Etsy store and see no messages and no sales? I’ve kind of come to that point.
Last month, I lost my job. And it was my hope that I could add new items to my Etsy shop and at least make enough to tide me over until I found a new job. Didn’t happen. Not a single sale in over a month despite the fact that I’ve pretty much become an advertising and marketing person in the past few weeks. I’ve gone way out of my comfort zone to promote my business and still, my business is failing despite all my efforts. I’ve read all the articles I can find on Etsy. I’ve stalked shops that sell similar products. I’ve joined teams. I’ve done treasuries. I’ve participated in discussions. I’ve offered discounts and networked with the best of them. I’ve taken my advertising on a local advertising blitz and papered my area with fliers, made dozens of phone calls, and passed out hundreds of business cards. Nothing has worked. The only thing I can say for sure is that I probably should have paid more attention to finding a new job, because my Etsy shop has let me down.
I will continue to work on new items for my shop, but my main focus will now switch to finding a full time job that can pay the bills. I have so many ideas for new items, but at this point, I need to conserve my resources and use them to keep my family going. But trust me, this is NOT goodbye. I never never in my life walked away from a challenge and I’m not about to start now. This is my passion. This is what’s in my heart. This is what I was born to do. And some day, I hope that I’ll be one of those people with a few thousand sales under my belt. For now, though, I have to shift a little more energy towards my obligations to my family. It’s a difficult and heartbreaking decision to make, but my family means the world to me and they will ALWAYS come first!
Wishing you a life less ordinary,
Lisa
So many treasures
Posted on: May 12, 2011
As some of my fellow Etsy readers know, treasuries are becoming more common. And for those of you who don’t know, a treasury is a collection of items that share a common theme. People spend a lot of time searching Etsy for the perfect combination of items that fit their theme and hoping that it will make it to the home page on Etsy.com.
Over the past year, many of my items have made it into treasuries, but so far, no front page. I know some people live and breathe “front page worthy” treasuries, but I don’t. I don’t make my items in hopes of getting them on the front page. I make them because I love what I do and I want to make my customers happy. That’s it. Maybe it’s simple and “small potatoes” but I know that the day my focus moves away from those 2 things is the day I will close my shop forever.
My newest item, Pay it Forward cards, made it into a treasury yesterday. http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4dcb2c8729ba8eef9f1f0faf/thank-you Obviously, I was happy that someone found one of my items treasury-worthy, but to be honest, I never figured people would pay too much attention to these cards.
The Pay it Forward cards are a set of 4 small cards that you give to someone when you help them out. Rather than having you pay them back for their kindness, you encourage them to pay it forward. When they do THEIR good deed, they pass the card along to the next person to encourage them to do the same. I created these cards as more of an experiment. I wanted to see if anyone out there was willing to undertake the task of helping 4 strangers without expecting anything in return. So far, no sales. I would love for these to “take off” and be my biggest seller. It would definitely renew my faith in humanity, given all the negativity that seems to be in the news these days. I’m still hopeful.
Wishing you a life less ordinary,
Lisa
Dancing the night away
Posted on: May 7, 2011
Congratulations to the Independence Junior High School class of 2011! They celebrated their upcoming graduation with a dance this weekend and I was asked to provide a small favor for each student to take home with them. While I did several samples for the dance committee to choose from, in the end, simplicity won out and I have to agree – sometimes less is more.
Congrats, Patriots! I wish you nothing but success in all your future endeavors!
Wishing you a life less ordinary,
Lisa
A kid in a candy store
Posted on: May 7, 2011
I had the pleasure of taking my first trip to Popcorn Town & Candyland Company in Tinley Park, Illinois this week. A family member introduced me to the owners recently, thinking we would be great complements to each other, and I have to say that I’m excited. Kim and Donamarie have been great to work with so far and I’m looking forward to a long-standing relationship with them!
Walking into the store, you can smell the popcorn. Ooooh, the smell of fresh caramel corn! It was nearing lunch time when we arrived and I was pretty hungry. If I could have jumped into the bin of caramel corn and splashed around in it, I probably would have. (Ok, well, I wouldn’t have…. but at least I provided you with a lovely visual.) They have several regular flavors, and rotate other flavors throughout the week. I happened to come on the day they were making bacon cheddar popcorn and, well, I couldn’t resist. I initially brought it home for the fiance’ but I am woman enough to admit that I ate more than he did. 4 thumbs up! (It would have been 6 thumbs up if you count our daughter, but we were bad parents and waited until she was in bed for the night before breaking out the treats.)
Aside from the popcorn, I noticed how FUN the store was. There was a giant train in the middle of the store with a gumball smoke stack and room for the little ones to run through or sit and play train. This was my daughter’s favorite part. Even the ceiling was fun – giant pieces of colorful wrapped “candy” hanging, helium balloons, and a GIANT 6 foot long strip of “candy buttons” near the door. It was fantastic! Everything a kid (or a kid at heart) would want to see in a candy store, this place has it. A word of warning, though, if you’re bringing a preschooler into this place, be prepared to stick around for a while and expect a few tears when leaving. My daughter actually asked me if she could sleep there. lol
And, of course, there’s the candy. They had EVERYTHING! And I DO mean everything. From chocolate covered gummy bears to candy arrangements, and nostalgic candy to a 3 foot long gummy snake. It was all there, in all its yummy glory! They even had these lollipops with “bugs” in the middle that looked SO real, I kind of wanted to ask if they were…. but I chickened out. And if you’re looking for colored m&m’s for your wedding or graduation, they have those too. The best part? Free samples!
What a fun place to visit, and what a great selection! If you’re in the area, I highly recommend stopping by! With or without a kid in tow, I promise your inner child will leave with a gigantic smile on its face – especially if you buy it some gummy bears (which are separated by color, by the way – no need for me to throw away the yellow ones.)
Wishing you a life less ordinary,
Lisa
loobielabels 