You choose the colors, you choose the style: classic, funky, fun, whatever! Then I create YOUR masterpiece!Labels: custom handbag, eco friendly, etsy, recycled, repurposed, tinkerandpo, upcycled
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KimDean-Art4Autism
DATE:Feb 3, 2009, 8:11:00 PM
u know i want one.. muhahahah. I will see what I can do to it one.
It featured these FINGERLESS GLOVES in green merino wool with jewel-toned buttons.
Before that, on January 22nd, there was this Front Page:
And this absolutely GORGEOUS Front Page of Julia's from January 21st:
Both of them used the same pair of fingerless gloves for their treasuries! These fingerless gloves, to be exact! Aren't they just the most gorgeous color? I love that "black cherry" look! And I've gotten a lot of compliments on the tone-on-tone buttons on that pair.
Also, along the Etsy lines...I've started making HANDBAGS for the TinkerAndPo Etsy shop! My first one is pictured in my shop as a custom-made item for $92. You choose the colors and style, I come up with the purse!
I've already sold one and read what the customer had to say:
"This bag is AMAZING!! the colors are just what I wanted and the craftsmanship is so professional. This bag will last me forever. Love it!!!"StarDaizyGirl, also an Etsy shopowner! She's a repeat customer and has already purchased fingerless gloves from TinkerAndPo. Maybe she wants the entire TinkerAndPo Collection??? LOL Hmmmmmm.....now that's got me thinking! What to create next?! ----- -------- AUTHOR: ~~ Lisa TITLE: Hey, I'm in an Etsy Treasury!!! DATE: 1/17/2009 07:30:00 PM ----- BODY: Check it out! It's a beautiful blue treasury that includes my fingerless gloves! Whaddya think? ----- -------- AUTHOR: ~~ Lisa TITLE: TinkerAndPo Shop Alert!! New stock! DATE: 1/12/2009 09:57:00 AM ----- BODY:
WHOOOPEEEEEE!
Twenty-one new pairs of fingerless gloves listed in my TinkerAndPo Etsy shop! Well, actually it was 22 pairs, but the chartreuse cashmere pair went immediately, like I had suspected it would!
Peruse TinkerAndPo and let me know what you think!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: t
DATE:Jan 16, 2009, 10:47:00 AM
OK I LOVE THESE....just 10 below zero today so I'd have to wear them when it warms up a little!
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AUTHOR: ~~ Lisa
TITLE: FAB FRIDAY Selling Tip #5
DATE: 1/09/2009 12:08:00 PM
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BODY:
Today's selling tip is: STAY THE COURSE. But more about that in a minute.
LOOKIE! I was on the Etsy Front Page!
Ain't it cool! I thought I was going to pee myself when it happened! WOOT!
<---------That's me!
Also, TinkerAndPo has so much planned for the new year!
First, there's the new TinkerAndPo website! Tell me what you think of it! It's still a work-in-progress, but I'd love to hear your comments and critiques!
Second, we're working on all kinds of new products for the Etsy shop! Fingerless gloves, of course, but also business card/credit card holders, wristlets and handbags, camera holders and iPod cases, all eco-friendly and made of upcycled sweaters! Keep checking out the shop to see what we have in store for you!
Third, I may be moving to WordPress...but I'll let everyone know if and when I do - wouldn't want anyone to miss out on updates!
And fourth and last, I'm toying around with the idea of writing an e-book about marketing an online shop. OOOOOOO, AHHHHHHHHH! Exciting stuff!
Now, on to today's tip. STAY THE COURSE. What I mean by that is don't panic about low sales. Remember that it's the beginning of the year, right after the holidays, everyone's broke and very few sellers are making huge leaps in sales right now. Myself included.
Use this time to re-group, set some goals for your shop for 2009, and find small, incremental ways to accomplish those goals. Some ideas to take your mind off sales:
1. Concentrate on adding to your stock so that when sales start to rise, you'll be ready.
2. Research and execute new and different marketing techniques. I'll be writing a FAB FRIDAY post all about this in the near future.
3. Organize your studio or workspace...something I am in dire need of!
4. Take some time to analyze sales from 2008. I purchased the 2008 Year End set of reports from CraftersReport on Etsy and it gives me an excellent visual representation of sales peaks and valleys during each month and month-to-month. I'd very highly recommend this. It's affordable at only $2 and he'll turn your report around QUICK.
Alrighty, I need to be signing off...I have the most humongous slab of lasagna ever staring at me and I need to get eating!!!
Have a great one and Happy Saaaaaaales to Youuuuuuu!
~~Lisa of TinkerAndPo!Labels: 1000markets, artfire, dawanda, etsy, fab friday, felted accessories, fingerless gloves, goals, selling tip, tinkerandpo
----- -------- AUTHOR: ~~ Lisa TITLE: Got Goals Monday DATE: 1/05/2009 12:15:00 PM ----- BODY: Today I'm focusing on my goal of losing some extra fluff. Today is my first day back on Weight Watchers Online. I'm a list-keeping kind of gal, so it's perfect for me. I can keep track of my points used, foods eaten, even how much water I've drank and if I've taken my daily multivitamin! If you're looking to lose weight sensibly and realistically, but don't have time for WW meetings, I'd absolutely recommend doing WW Online. I'm at 140 pounds right now. May not sound like much to some of you, but I'm only five feet tall. Five-foot-one on a big hair day. My BMI is 27.3 and I'm technically classified as "overweight". My so-called ideal weight, per some website or other, is 118 lbs. I'm comfortable at 130 pounds, but would be happiest at around 125 pounds. I do enjoy having the junk in my trunk, so I don't want to lose too much! Ideally, I'd like to lose the weight by springtime so that I can go out and buy some new spring clothes! But I'm more interested in keeping the weight off, so I'll lose it as I'm ready, I s'pose. This morning (and virtually every morning when I'm on WW) was Cheerios, 1% milk and coffee with half & half. Lunch is Progresso vegetable soup, and lots and lots of water. So much water I believe I should put a port-a-potty in my cube at work. The really difficult time comes around 3pm, when I start to get a little antsy for my day to be over. I'm rarely ever actually physically hungry while I'm on WW, so it's definitely an emotional thing. I'm planning on combating this by bringing in a couple of bags of frozen veggies and making myself eat some around 3:30pm. My second hard time of the day is right when I get home. Usually by then I'm famished and I'll eat whatever I can get my hands on first, providing it doesn't move. Hopefully the 3:30pm veggie plan will stave off that hunger until I can eat a decent dinner. Now dinner, there's a challenge. I'm on WW, but we have two kids - 4 years and 19 months - one of whom is a VERY picky eater. And then, there's my husband, who's not on WW, although he says he'd like to be. (I'm not pushing him...he knows where the website is.) I'm going to look up some recipes today and hopefully we'll be able to come to some kind of happy medium. My AWESOMENESS of today came when I passed up my morning Starbucks venti raspberry mocha, which contains 570 calories and 26 grams of fat! ZOMG can you believe I did it! Well I did, and YAY for me! What are some of your goals for 2009? Let's talk! Oh and by the way, there're LOTS of new pairs of fingerless gloves listed in the TinkerAndPo Shop!!! Stop by and take a look!Labels: fingerless gloves, goals, rewards, tinkerandpo, Weight Watchers
----- -------- AUTHOR: ~~ Lisa TITLE: Holiday Cheer, Indeed! DATE: 12/17/2008 08:37:00 AM ----- BODY: Do you realize next week at this time it will be Christmas Eve? ZOMG! (And, it'll be my son's 4th birthday, too!) Wow, how the holiday season has just flown past! I know a family who's been hit with very hard times. They have four children and are not having Christmas this year, and that just breaks my heart. This year is the first year that my husband and I have been comfortable enough financially to not have to choose whether to buy presents or pay the utilities, so I can relate. So we at TinkerAndPo have decided that: ALL SALES TODAY - 100% OF EVERYTHING SOLD TODAY - WILL GO TO BENEFIT THIS FAMILY AND HELP THEM HAVE A CHRISTMAS! I know it's hard around this time of the year to give money...nobody has any extra, and if you do, it goes towards all the extra expenses of the season. BUT, if you've been entertaining the idea of buying a pair or pairs of gloves for yourself or as gifts, TODAY is the day to do it! I know as a network, we are powerful. Crafters, everyone knows, have the biggest hearts and are the first to pull together in a time of need. Let's get together to see how much Holiday Cheer we can give this family! Thank you SO much, everyone! Without you, TinkerAndPo would not have been a success, and we wouldn't be able to do this! Please be viral with this post - blog about it, link it, Tweet and reTweet it, MySpace it, Facebook it, text it, tell people in your office or school. It's today only so let's see what we can do! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: JuliaA
DATE:Dec 17, 2008, 9:40:00 AM
this is amazingly sweet and generous of you, lisa. it's exactly what the christmas spirit is about. and it's really great to see someone helping out this family. i hate hearing their stories and feeling helpless. FeatherDragon
DATE:Dec 17, 2008, 4:46:00 PM
This is so nice of you to do
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Jennie
DATE:Dec 17, 2008, 5:18:00 PM
How fantastically wonderful of you! You have a large heart indeed to reach out in this way at your first financial opportunity. No matter how much is raised, the family has already received the gift of your love.
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: Sarah Jane
DATE:Dec 17, 2008, 5:40:00 PM
What an amazingly kind thing for you to do! :) Debashri
DATE:Dec 18, 2008, 1:19:00 AM
Its a very nice thing to be doing! All the best in your endeavour.
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AUTHOR: ~~ Lisa
TITLE: Fingerless glove review and giveaway, too!
DATE: 12/15/2008 02:16:00 PM
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BODY:
Just stop by Colleen's blog, follow the instructions, and you have a chance to win one of TinkerAndPo's pairs of fingerless gloves!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: JuliaA
DATE:Dec 16, 2008, 7:40:00 PM
i entered three times. looks like others are doing the same, because people really want to win your gloves! yay for giveaways. :)
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AUTHOR: ~~ Lisa
TITLE: BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG News!!!!!
DATE: 12/15/2008 09:11:00 AM
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BODY:
We at TinkerAndPo have SURPASSED our goal of donating $300 to Autism Speaks by the end of 2008, and we still have two weeks to go! With this morning's donation of $158, representing 10% of our sales thus far in December, the grand total is $341!
Thanks to ALL my buyers everywhere! I'm sending out a big hug to the universe this morning thanks to you!
I'm so excited I can hardly think straight!!!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: JuliaA
DATE:Dec 16, 2008, 7:41:00 PM
$341 raised is AMAZING. you should be enormously proud.
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AUTHOR: ~~ Lisa
TITLE: FAB FRIDAY - Selling Tip #4 - Balance
DATE: 12/12/2008 09:18:00 AM
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BODY:
We’ve all heard it.
“Everything in moderation”.
You wouldn't think you'd need that reminder when it comes to work though, right? Whether it’s Etsy, Artfire, 1000Markets, Silkfair or any other of the multitude of selling sites we have the opportunity to belong to, you need to be able to balance the work with the fun. And if you're anything like me, it's reaaaaaally easy to get obsessed with sales and making sure that number keeps going up!
TinkerAndPo started out with me. Just me, and I did the felting, cutting, seaming, buttoning, photographing, editing, listing and shipping. But then…WHOA! The shop took off and my husband became a big part of the action at TinkerAndPo too! At first, he took care of the packaging and shipping. Now, he does all that plus some of the finish work on the gloves!
It has been all-consuming, but we’ve learned an excellent lesson. With success comes the need to be able to balance your work life with your personal life. We were so unprepared that we had to let it consume us so that we could keep up, and our personal life as well as our family life has suffered. The light at the end of the tunnel for us is to know that after the holidays have passed, things will slow down to a manageable level, and we’ll be able to regroup and think about the future and where we’d like TinkerAndPo to go in terms of product, market and design.
Next year, we’ll be much more prepared. We’ll start earlier, keep an ample amount of stock on hand at all times, and things will run smoother and be much more enjoyable for everyone. Hindsight really IS 20/20 and we’ll be able to go into the holiday season keeping a clear focus on balance!
Here's to a balanced, happy and safe holiday selling season for all of us!
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COMMENT:
AUTHOR: JuliaA
DATE:Dec 12, 2008, 9:49:00 AM
is balance something you have to learn the hard way? because it really seems like it! JuliaA
DATE:Dec 5, 2008, 10:21:00 AM
it's good advice. i'm going to want to hear all about the selling event!
Those are going to be my Giftmas cards for a select few who know my love of that expression! And, Syienna will make up cards just like this saying anything you want! SWOON!
Alrighty then. Second in line for Awesomeness is the fact that through my online dealings, I have found SO. MANY. AWESOME. PEOPLE. I've met people all over the world thru the interwebz and that kind of diversity really, really makes me happy! Happiness usually leads to thankfulness and thankfulness (for me, and I've no idea why) usually leads me to thinking about forgiveness. So the third Awesome Thing Of Today is:
Make Your Peace
You can make your peace on this site in three ways - sending an e-card, writing a tribute, or donating to their cause.
Man, I can't think of anything more AWESOME than that!
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AUTHOR: ~~ Lisa
TITLE: Wow! So many updates to tell you about!
DATE: 11/17/2008 09:16:00 AM
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BODY:
Okay, so. First, is that my TinkerAndPo Etsy shop has been mentioned in both Lime & Violet's Daily Chum blog and the Wendy Knits blog as a shout-out to our Autism Speaks donation! If you don't already know, until the end of 2008 (and possibly indefinitly!), TinkerAndPo will donate 10% of all sales to Autism Speaks, in Declan's name!
Next on my list is that my excellent shop partner, Julia, now has her own Etsy Shop - check out her shop, JuliaA! Such beautiful, dainty earrings - I own several pair!
Lastly, we listed 30 - yes, you read that right, T-H-I-R-T-Y - new pairs of fingerless gloves yesterday, most of them in the berries spectrum of colors. REALLY beautiful stuff, guys, and I'm very excited about how this latest batch turned out. We've got cashmere, Italian merino, angora, really soft lambswool...
AND, we've added a couple of sizes to the mix also! The shop now carries Micros for kids aged 1-6, Minis - a shorter version of gals fingerless gloves, and Mens - uh, those are kind of self-explanatory, right?
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AUTHOR: ~~ Lisa
TITLE: OOOOoo...a Guilty Pleasures contest!
DATE: 11/14/2008 12:04:00 PM
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BODY:
You NEED to check this out! Look at the prizes...they are beau-ti-ful!!!!
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AUTHOR: ~~ Lisa
TITLE: FAB FRIDAYS - Etsy Selling Tip #1
DATE: 11/14/2008 08:35:00 AM
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BODY:
Pimp your shop HEAVILY on and the couple days after a payday, i.e. the 15th and last day of the month, and Fridays. Those are the most common paydays. We have a DOUBLE-WHAMMY today because it's a Friday AND the 15th!
Get out there Etsians and SELL SELL SELL!!!
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AUTHOR: ~~ Lisa
TITLE: Welcome to TinkerAndPo's new blog!
DATE: 11/12/2008 04:30:00 PM
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BODY:
Here's hoping lots of traffic, sales and good stuffs are generated out of this blog!
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