Finished the second quarter USO donation tally and sent the check out in todays mail.
Aprils total- $18.30
Mays total- $9.50
and June- $14.20
Total check amount $42.00
Sales were down for Military as well as for everything else in the shop, Etsy has been ramming through some very massive changes to how the customers put items into their carts to how they view our items, which now show our competitors items when a person is viewing our item that they might have followed back from a link or social media site.
A lot of shops have closed down and moved off site, but there are always new ones opening so I don't think etsy is going to go anywhere anytime soon. In order to bump sales I have even found it necessary myself to move off site. I still have both shops on Etsy with items in both but have found it necessary to "spread" the wealth to other sites to see if we can bump up sales.
My primary web site which has the links to each of the separate selling shops that I operate:
www.GabbysQuilts.com
Etsy custom military shop with sewing and craft supplies:
www.GabbysQuiltsNSupply.etsy.com
Etsy handmade shop with military baby , crochet and lanyards:
www.GabbysQuilts.etsy.com
Ebay with precut cotton fabrics for quilting sewing and craft uses:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/gabbysquilts518/m.html
Artyah with my husbands handmade wood items and the rest of my handmade items that I make as time allows:
https://www.artyah.com/seller/gabbysquilts
We are also getting ready for Craft Fair season and listings for the local sites we are vending can be found on my web site under the tab craft fairs 2017, my husband will be bringing his new wood items to display as well. Hoping for a good season this year as we have added a few new venues that we haven't participated in before so we shall see.
I'll leave you with this cute pattern I found for those of you into sewing :)
http://www.handmadiya.com/2015/09/zipper-wallet-diy-tutorial.html
Til next time have a good summer and I will be back soon with any new updates.
Showing posts with label etsy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label etsy. Show all posts
Monday, July 10, 2017
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Quarterly Donation total and shop news
The total tally for USO donation has been tallied and check is in the mail. We came in a respectable total of $53.00. Sales are down considerably from last year, not sure if all the changes that Etsy continues to make, in what they assure us is a more streamline approach, is having a impact or if it is the economy ? All I can continue to do is assure my Military customers that the tally is being kept and the donations are being made, USO is even giving away free items with the donations which I have decline and put the whole amount into helping our soldiers :)
For shop news, as I have made reference to above Etsy is making some very large changes to the site, if anyone has any issues making purchases or getting your messages about your custom orders to me, by all means email me @ gabbysquilts@yahoo.com, if they go missing on Etsy :( I can find them in that location. It seem trivial but I have gotten messages from customers that with all the changes their messages when sent bounce back to them.
New fabric, notions and patterns are still being loaded into the shop, but you will notice the largest change in the site when shopping for those items, it has been rumored that Etsy direcst you to Etsy Studio unless you directly type in the shop you are looking for. I have checked out their new site, in which we have been told that we supply sellers will have our items on there only sometime in the future, and I have to say good luck in finding anything, as of my last check search wasn't working and you had to go back to the main site to find the items you were looking for. Why they would have a site available where search doesn't work is beyond me, but this is Etsy we are talking about after all.
New for my military customers are luggage tags, still working on the prototypes but have a light weight one worked out and the supplies are coming in for the heavy duty one in the coming weeks.
Here is a picture of the light weight one:
The biggest difference between the two will be the weight of the tag, this one will have the option of having the name embroidered on both sides and is 2 strips of material sewn together with the luggage clip at one end and a metal band clip at the other.
The heavy weight on will only have the option of having the name on one side and the material will be sewn to a heavy weight cotton webbing with the luggage clip at one end and the metal band on the other.
I am thinking the lighter one would be good for carry on baggage, tote bag, or back packs. The heavy weight one would definitely be strong enough to go onto the actual check on luggage totes and military tactical bags and back packs. My son was actually home for a visit as I was working out the prototype and was impressed with the lightweight one so far, and of course left with the instructions that when the prototype of the heavyweight one was worked out I had to send it to him for his approval, LOL :)
Well that is it for now, I'll be back soon with any new updates and or pointers on how to navigate the new changes on Etsy, thats if I can figure them out before they make any more changes :)
Have a nice Memorial day, and remember this is Military Appreciation month so remember to thank them for serving.
For shop news, as I have made reference to above Etsy is making some very large changes to the site, if anyone has any issues making purchases or getting your messages about your custom orders to me, by all means email me @ gabbysquilts@yahoo.com, if they go missing on Etsy :( I can find them in that location. It seem trivial but I have gotten messages from customers that with all the changes their messages when sent bounce back to them.
New fabric, notions and patterns are still being loaded into the shop, but you will notice the largest change in the site when shopping for those items, it has been rumored that Etsy direcst you to Etsy Studio unless you directly type in the shop you are looking for. I have checked out their new site, in which we have been told that we supply sellers will have our items on there only sometime in the future, and I have to say good luck in finding anything, as of my last check search wasn't working and you had to go back to the main site to find the items you were looking for. Why they would have a site available where search doesn't work is beyond me, but this is Etsy we are talking about after all.
New for my military customers are luggage tags, still working on the prototypes but have a light weight one worked out and the supplies are coming in for the heavy duty one in the coming weeks.
Here is a picture of the light weight one:
The heavy weight on will only have the option of having the name on one side and the material will be sewn to a heavy weight cotton webbing with the luggage clip at one end and the metal band on the other.
I am thinking the lighter one would be good for carry on baggage, tote bag, or back packs. The heavy weight one would definitely be strong enough to go onto the actual check on luggage totes and military tactical bags and back packs. My son was actually home for a visit as I was working out the prototype and was impressed with the lightweight one so far, and of course left with the instructions that when the prototype of the heavyweight one was worked out I had to send it to him for his approval, LOL :)
Well that is it for now, I'll be back soon with any new updates and or pointers on how to navigate the new changes on Etsy, thats if I can figure them out before they make any more changes :)
Have a nice Memorial day, and remember this is Military Appreciation month so remember to thank them for serving.
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
First Quarter Shop News
January and February donation tallys have been done, yes you read that right, both months, this is how far behind I am falling as I try and juggle the two Etsy shops and a part time job :)
January total was $11.50
February was $29.10
Numbers are lower then last year but still respectable given the economy.
New inventory is arriving to be loaded into the etsy shops and the craft fairs have begun for the year so we are making items for them as well. The ones that have sent confirmation have been loaded to the web site under the tab labeled Craft Fairs 2017, www.GabbysQuilts.com, we have a bunch of new ones coming up but no confirmation on them yet so they have not been listed, yet :)
Eagerly awaiting spring and some warm weather so that we can start turning the garden and got a phone call from my son the other day that he is attempting to come home for a visit soon so that is something we are very much looking forward to, it has been another 18 month separation other then the trip we took to the airport when he came home from the last deployment and between lack of sleep and jet lag the poor kid slept the whole visit :)
I will leave you with some pictures of some of the new patterns coming to the shop soon and will hopefully be back next month with the first quarter donation total to be sent to the USO.
Thursday, March 3, 2016
"Leap" Month completed
Well February has ended, where is this year going?, and it was a leap year, by some standards it went well by others not soo much.....
New fabric from Elizabeth's studio has arrived and is loaded into the shop for purchase, there were some really cute novelty prints, mind you I placed the order back in July of last year so it was a bit of a surprise to see what we were getting, for those interested in wildlife and farm animal prints hurry to the shop and get them while they are HOT. There were also a really nice autumn leaves and sunflower blocks print as well, I expect as the year progresses and people start their fall and holiday sewing projects they should sell well.
Military donation amount has been tallied and once this month is over and tallied as well we will be making another check out to the USO, speaking of which, I got a news letter along with the tax documents from them stating that with the amount contributed last year, from everyone not just my shop, that they were able to construct 3 new USO centers on the bases in the "sandbox" for our military on FOB to de stress and relaxed with games, internet access, and phones in which to keep in touch with those keeping the home fires burning. The total amount this month was $34.85 and with last months amount of $55.80 we might be headed for another bumper year, wonder what they can built this year with the donations :)
Now onto a more personal and the bad news part, as most of you know we suffered a considerable loss to my business in June of last year when the plumbing pipe supplying the bathroom sink burst and took my handmade quilts and a considerable amount of other handmade items and store supplies with it, well we fast forward to today when we had to bring all the documentation to the tax adviser to do the tax returns for this year, it always a bit shocking dealing with the insurance companies for things like this and then the adviser tally's the total loss and you go into shock realizing that not even a 1/3 of the loss was covered. Lesson in this, buy additional insurance and overstate what you have so that is is covered. We are moving on but it definitely took its toll in the depleted stock that I have available in the shop and most of it can't be replaced, like the quilts :(
Well off to complete the rest of the paperwork and submit our sales tax payment, hope everyone has a good March and we will be popping in and out throughout the month, til then.
New fabric from Elizabeth's studio has arrived and is loaded into the shop for purchase, there were some really cute novelty prints, mind you I placed the order back in July of last year so it was a bit of a surprise to see what we were getting, for those interested in wildlife and farm animal prints hurry to the shop and get them while they are HOT. There were also a really nice autumn leaves and sunflower blocks print as well, I expect as the year progresses and people start their fall and holiday sewing projects they should sell well.
Military donation amount has been tallied and once this month is over and tallied as well we will be making another check out to the USO, speaking of which, I got a news letter along with the tax documents from them stating that with the amount contributed last year, from everyone not just my shop, that they were able to construct 3 new USO centers on the bases in the "sandbox" for our military on FOB to de stress and relaxed with games, internet access, and phones in which to keep in touch with those keeping the home fires burning. The total amount this month was $34.85 and with last months amount of $55.80 we might be headed for another bumper year, wonder what they can built this year with the donations :)
Now onto a more personal and the bad news part, as most of you know we suffered a considerable loss to my business in June of last year when the plumbing pipe supplying the bathroom sink burst and took my handmade quilts and a considerable amount of other handmade items and store supplies with it, well we fast forward to today when we had to bring all the documentation to the tax adviser to do the tax returns for this year, it always a bit shocking dealing with the insurance companies for things like this and then the adviser tally's the total loss and you go into shock realizing that not even a 1/3 of the loss was covered. Lesson in this, buy additional insurance and overstate what you have so that is is covered. We are moving on but it definitely took its toll in the depleted stock that I have available in the shop and most of it can't be replaced, like the quilts :(
Well off to complete the rest of the paperwork and submit our sales tax payment, hope everyone has a good March and we will be popping in and out throughout the month, til then.
Monday, January 18, 2016
Shop News for the New Year
Hi Folks,
Well 2016 is off and running, most of the tax paperwork is done, final Military donation for the year was made and for the last quarter , with sales contributions of $69.90 from my military customers and I pitched in a final amount to get us to the $100 level. With the total donation for the year coming in at $598.00 my Military customers rocked the USO this year, hoping that 2016 we can do it again.
Looking at some different variations on what we are already carrying, with lanyard machine issues constantly cropping up I am forced to keep what we can make on the small side, so look for some new mini key fobs for the different branches with dual branch embroidery on both sides of the fob, I am going to see about making some small size quilts with coordinating fabric for the different branches and their logos and maybe if we have the time I can introduce personalized Christmas stockings this year.
We start this year off participating in a Team Event on Etsy, the Quiltsy Destash Party, please if you have the time and either sew or craft some real bargains can be had by shopping the stores participating, some are just cleaning their sewing rooms and others, like me, have had to down size to fit into smaller places when we moved over the past year.
Check it out here:
Please also feel free to browse our handmade items as well at:
Well 2016 is off and running, most of the tax paperwork is done, final Military donation for the year was made and for the last quarter , with sales contributions of $69.90 from my military customers and I pitched in a final amount to get us to the $100 level. With the total donation for the year coming in at $598.00 my Military customers rocked the USO this year, hoping that 2016 we can do it again.
Looking at some different variations on what we are already carrying, with lanyard machine issues constantly cropping up I am forced to keep what we can make on the small side, so look for some new mini key fobs for the different branches with dual branch embroidery on both sides of the fob, I am going to see about making some small size quilts with coordinating fabric for the different branches and their logos and maybe if we have the time I can introduce personalized Christmas stockings this year.
We start this year off participating in a Team Event on Etsy, the Quiltsy Destash Party, please if you have the time and either sew or craft some real bargains can be had by shopping the stores participating, some are just cleaning their sewing rooms and others, like me, have had to down size to fit into smaller places when we moved over the past year.
Check it out here:
The Great Quiltsy Destash Party
Starting Date: January 15th, 2016
The party ends when its all gone!
Place: The Quiltsy Team Pages on Etsy
We are a team of quilting entrepreneurs dedicated to making quality products, advancing our love of quilting, and supporting each other. In 2016 we will be working to showcase new products and ideas, promoting our shops, and changing the way you think about quilting! All this creativity means we are opening our quilting studios up to you. Fabrics, Patterns, Quilt Books, and Kits are all available for the taking. We welcome you to start your shopping and browsing at any time by clicking on the links below.
Please also feel free to browse our handmade items as well at:
https://www.etsy.com/pages/quiltsyteam
Find us on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/QuiltsyTeam
Find us on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/QuiltsyTeam
Thanks for stopping by and giving us a look. Happy Shopping!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Some of my favorite items
Thought I would spotlight some of the items going into my favorites listing on Etsy;
I apparently have a BLUE thing going on this week :)
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
BNR
Well, I took the leap tonight, after lurking to observe how things were done, I leaped in and joined the Promotional Frenzy BNR tonight. As of when I am writing this, my item is still sitting there waiting to have somebody visit my shop, but I guess these things take time. One of these days I am going to have to get over the teaching that unless you have something important to say don't say anything at all, and open my mouth and participate more. I seriously think this has got a little something to do with this stupid shop not doing any business, but then again the supply shop is holding it's own, and I don't open my mouth in any of the team forums for that shop. Who knows :\
The contest for my facebook page is going well, somebody is definately going to win that spring banner I have posted as a prize. When I last checked I had 304 likes, it gained 59 likes in 2 days, unfortunately the AD i tried to run with the $50 dollars I won never panned out, it apparently was not approved so we will have to go back to the drawing board and see what I did wrong. The good thing with the additional likes is that I have won a additional $100 of Ad money, so now I have $150 to work with. Now I am in the running for additional money to be handed out in a drawing after April 1st.
I also won a facebook prize from Dorene @ DLitesbyDorene on Etsy for liking her page, so a GREAT big thank you to her for that.
Check out her shop here, she has the most gorgeous candles and tealight you could ever ask for. http://www.etsy.com/shop/DLitesbyDorene
If interested in entering the giveaway for the banner, you can visit my business page by clicking the link on the right :)
The contest for my facebook page is going well, somebody is definately going to win that spring banner I have posted as a prize. When I last checked I had 304 likes, it gained 59 likes in 2 days, unfortunately the AD i tried to run with the $50 dollars I won never panned out, it apparently was not approved so we will have to go back to the drawing board and see what I did wrong. The good thing with the additional likes is that I have won a additional $100 of Ad money, so now I have $150 to work with. Now I am in the running for additional money to be handed out in a drawing after April 1st.
I also won a facebook prize from Dorene @ DLitesbyDorene on Etsy for liking her page, so a GREAT big thank you to her for that.
Check out her shop here, she has the most gorgeous candles and tealight you could ever ask for. http://www.etsy.com/shop/DLitesbyDorene
If interested in entering the giveaway for the banner, you can visit my business page by clicking the link on the right :)
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
A Great Addiction
I am seriously addicted to Pinterest, I have been combining it with Stumbleupon. I have made a few new boards and have found alot of great photos and recipes in which to pin on those boards.
I unfortunately have not learned the trick of getting them above the number 10 spot for searches in my shop thou, but I can seriously lose hours on the internet pinning and stumbling.
This is one of the great recipes I found just recently, and have my husband just about talked into letting me make it;
http://createandconquer.weebly.com/6/post/2011/06/stolen-tea-cake-recipe.html
I unfortunately have not learned the trick of getting them above the number 10 spot for searches in my shop thou, but I can seriously lose hours on the internet pinning and stumbling.
This is one of the great recipes I found just recently, and have my husband just about talked into letting me make it;
http://createandconquer.weebly.com/6/post/2011/06/stolen-tea-cake-recipe.html
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