Gradually Growing

Well, after a couple of years of damned hard work (!), my little business venture is finally seeing some growth :) I am really pleased with how my online store is going. Despite the fees, charges and time it takes to list items online, I have been finding it really rewarding. Customer interactions via email, although arduous at times (!), have been very positive and I am pleased with the feedback being received for my handmade items.

My market stall has been going quite well but, as described previously, it is only a small market with limited space, and other stall holders have been fast-tracked ahead of me due to being 'friends of friends'. I am still attending the market on a regular basis, but not as regularly as I have been for the past 2½ years.

If you have been wanting to buy some handmade cards, feel free to enquire here or click on the link for my online store and message me there. Looking forward to hearing from you :)

Post Updated: Sunday, 23rd September, 2012

I have been neglecting my blog shockingly! Probably because my online store just keeps growing, and it is getting to the point where it is difficult to keep up. I am now enlisting a little bit of help for certain orders, but am not sure if I can sustain too much more growth! (due to the fact that nearly everything in my store is made from scratch).

I had a laugh one day when one of my first customers said she "felt sorry for my poor little fingers". Now I see what she was getting at! I get a lot of orders for hand cut items, as I've always been a bit of a scissors-freak, but the frequency of these orders is now getting a bit a out-of-hand! (pun intended)

There's also some excellent news on the markets front :) I now have a regular spot I can call my own! Can you believe it? After 2½ years of regular attendance, I have a spot I know will be there when I turn up each week! My stall has been going quite well, but I haven't been able to make as much stock as I used to, due to the demands of my online store. Some days, I'm actually quite glad and relieved to not receive many online orders! It's in those rare moments that I work on making some stock for markets, such as handmade cards, which is still my greatest love ♥

To my regular customers--Thank You!

I am so thankful for my regular customers, both from the Blue Mountains and Sydney, who have given me such positive feedback and appreciation for my handmade cards over the last two years. I apologise for not being at the markets every week lately (like I have been over the past two years). Unfortunately, markets politics and the unfairness of life has meant that friends of friends have pushed ahead of me for a regular spot, leaving no viable spaces left for me :(

THE GOOD NEWS! A regular stallholder is unable to attend for the whole of July, so please take this opportunity to visit my stall and stock up on handmade cards. You can always do an online order, if preferred. This is my focus at present because the world of markets, what with the weather and dog-eat-dog mentality, is proving too unstable for me to rely on.

Hope you're all enjoying the refreshing wintry weather (haha) and, even if it is a bit blustery or rainy, drop by my market stall throughout July :) It'll nice and warm inside...

Strange cardmaker I am...

"Happy Birthday to you!" stamp by Stampin' Up! 

I've just finished making two cards out of given, bought and reclaimed materials and have realised just how different they are! The first one is quite muted, made from wooden embellishments, a left-over tag from a wedding order and die-cut leafy branches from reclaimed designer paper. The second card has been made from die-cuts received as a free gift with an embossing folder. They have been further hand cut, dry embossed and embellished. And, of course, I am a little obsessed with doing some kind of simple drawing on most of my cards!

I haven't had a chance to make many cards lately as I have been busy with other ventures and, boy, do I miss it! It's the real reason I started markets but, sadly, it is too hard to sustain stall costs on handmade cards alone (even though my cards are quite popular). The other crafts (e.g. jewellery making) that I have had to do to substantiate my market stall have been a distraction from what I really enjoy doing...

Same goes for my new online store. I have been so busy making craft supplies, etc. for customers that my cardmaking has been put on hold, but only temporarily! It appears to be quite hard to sell handmade cards online but I am determined to give it a really good try and see what happens :) If you have purchased my handmade cards before, or have received one and find yourself curious enough to be reading this post, please take the next step and contact me. I'm itching for an excuse to list some handmade cards online (over the products that have been selling). Please place an order by emailing, texting or phoning me--click on the contact tab above :)

If you have been looking out for me at the markets, my attendance has been a bit sporadic of late. I will back regularly as of next Sunday and, hopefully, with plenty of new cards! See you there :)

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the dedicated mothers out there and, hell, even the not so dedicated ones (it's a hard slog either which way), have a wonderful Mother's Day celebration tomorrow! Thank you to the many mothers who have bought my cards over the years for children, new mothers, husbands, friends and, of course, your own mothers. Each time you bless someone with a special message it makes them feel important, valued and loved. If you have been looking to buy from my market stall lately, I have been away for a few weeks but am back next week. Remember, you can always contact me through this website or my online store for a customised order. Have a lovely weekend :)

I love Peter's Bread!

This post has nothing to do with papercraft or cardmaking. I have been attending markets in the Blue Mountains for a couple of years now and thought that it was about time to give Peter's Bread a decent mention! I have never been a great fan of bread--it always gets freezer burn or tastes like cardboard, but Peter's Artisan Bread is quite another story. He has perfected a number of recipes, one of them being his Honey and Fruit loaf. I have literally lived on this bread when there wasn't any food in the house!

Commercial bread loaves are just awful compared to this stuff. It's Cafe quality (well some Cafes, anyway!) and works out at about $0.50 per slice. Two slices with coffee is fantastic for breakfast. I must confess that I have never been one to eat fresh bread fast enough, so I always pre-slice Peter's Bread and freeze it in. It toasts beautifully in a regular toaster. I have my toaster set to low. The first pop defrosts it, the second pop browns it perfectly. This bread really retains its heat because it is so dense, and the butter/margarine melts right in. Making you hungry? Check out Peter's Bread for yourself at his website.

A couple of years ago, I told Peter that I thought his Gluten-free bread loaves would really take off because he was so determined to keep improving his recipe. Now, he receives countless orders through his website each week for this bread range! If you have special dietary requirements, Peter's Bread will not disappoint. It's really worth trying :)

♥ Create, create, create ♥

Wow, the weather has finally fined up--what a relief! It was getting really dismal for a time there. Visitors and tourists have been returning to the mountains and local markets have been picking up as a result. I have been particularly encouraged by the numerous card sales I have had to 'regular' customers. I don't know any names, but I am starting to recognise some faces after two years of doing this! What lovely, supportive mountain-folk and Sydney-siders, who choose to buy handmade and keep returning. Thank You! It gives me enough momentum to keep creating and pursuing this somewhat crazy venture of leaving a secure teaching position to undertake arty endeavours.

I have recently been working on an online store. I went to a couple of seminars and thought it was worth a shot. Not sure of how it will all pan out but I'll persist with it (as you need to do in this field). It is quite hard to compete against all the mass-produced goods in chain stores and major shopping centres and, at times, you get quite demoralised. I am inspired by customers such as one young girl, who works at Typo, but still prefers to buy my cards! That really made my day, maybe even my year!

If you would like to purchase any of my products, please feel free to visit my online store (click on the icon in right sidebar). Alternatively, click on the 'Contact' tab above to phone or email. I am always happy to receive custom orders, which can be purchased via Bank Deposit, PayPal or through my online store as a special listing.

If you would like to place an order then pick it up from my market stall, please contact me to find out when I will be next attending the markets. Looking forward to hearing from you :)