A Little Shop Talk.

I've had my Etsy shop open for a few years now, and over time it's picked up speed and grown little by little. It's by no means a "big" thing, I sell a handful of items a month, maybe a few more in the winter. The whole thing started as a receptacle for all the stuff I made that I didn't have room or use for when I was in college. But now it's definitely become something I truly love and I'm proud of. Maybe it's because of the way my shop started-- more or less as a hobby-- but I've always felt a little naive about my shop as a business. That's why I never really worried about my photos being stolen or not getting the proper source when posted somewhere else. But I've gotten a handful of messages about my images being used on different sites without credit, and I started to get a little concerned. That's why I decided to start watermarking my product photos. I wanted to make an image that was noticeable enough and that wouldn't be easy to crop out if one was so inclined. I'm still a little unsure about how the watermark looks, so I was hoping you guys would give me your opinions!

This is the first image I used it in...

I made a new color card since I added a few more options (numbers 1, 7, 14, 16, 19, and 21). I made the big "SB" image to use, and I slapped a huge one in the background. The watermark is at 50% opacity. I'm pretty confident in this one, I don't feel like I need to edit it anymore. My main concern is that perhaps some of the colors are too hard to see with the thicker parts of the letters on top of them.

Next I started putting a similar watermark that included my link on my product photos...
  I did a few sets of photos like the example above, but then I started to feel like the watermark was way too huge. I put this image on Instagram asking for feedback, and a lot of people loved it. A lot of other people said that it was too big and too opaque. I'm definitely in agreement now.

Next I tried reducing the size and opacity...
I think this looks better that the example above, but I'm still not 100% sold.

I also made a gray version for photos with white backgrounds...
I realize this one wouldn't be too hard to crop out, but I would much rather use this than paste a white one over my face or the product.

All in all, I think I like the smaller/less opaque version I came up with, but the problem is I'm still not totally into the idea of having a watermark on all of my images. I like the idea of it, but I don't completely love how it looks. When you look at my shop's home page, some of the item's thumbnail photo shows the watermark. I feel like maybe it's too distracting? I can't quite put into words why I'm still indecisive about it... Anyway, here's where you come in! As a customer, do you find watermarks distracting/annoying/off-putting? If you're a seller, do/would you use watermarks? I'd love to see an example of yours if you do, please leave me a link in the comments so I can check out how other people use them. What do you think of my design? Would it be better to leave off the circled SB and just have the link and arrows?

I really appreciate any and all opinions and information you guys can give me! Thank you :)

Black Friday // Cyber Monday SALE!!!

Grab some crocheted goodies on sale! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving :)

Shop Update!

I'm excited to share with you a huge shop update, just in time for the holidays! I listed a whole bunch of new items last night, and I'd love for you to give them a look! I've had a lot of extra time on my hands while I look for a new job, and it's been nice to be able to take the time to design new stuff. I had a lot of fun trying new things, and I really hope you guys like them. I have a few more designs I want to try out before holiday shopping really kicks into gear, but I'm  really proud of everything I've listed so far :) I try to make each new year with my shop the best one yet, and I've definitely accomplished that in terms of product. Now I just need to make that happen with sales, ha!

In other news, our good friend Aly is trying to get a kickstarter going to fund her new EP, and we'd love it if you'd check her out! She's an amazing musician, she was even on American Idol and The Voice! We saw her perform a few weeks ago and I was totally blown away, we've known her since high school (middle school for me!) and we just know she's gonna do big things. So give her a listen :)

Shop sneak peeks!

Well hey there! Apparently I decided to disappear for almost a week. To be honest, this whole unemployed thing has thrown my game off. I definitely love having time to myself, and time to work on shop stuff, but my days sorta run together and the lack of fundage has been wearing me down. I've been in a bit of a funk for the last week or so, but I'm starting to feel better! I'm getting really close to doing a big shop update, and that always makes me happy :) It's been really nice to be able to crochet to my heart's content, and I'm really into all the new designs I've come up with. I can't wait to share more!

A little Etsy goodness.

I'm super excited to have new product photos up in my shop! I swear, some of those photos I had before were... not flattering in the least. But these ones are pretty cute and showcase my items in a much more realistic way! I also listed a couple new headbands, and relisted some old ones. I'm plugging away at my current orders, and I'm also trying out new designs to put up soon!

[Okay also, I noticed a spelling error in my super-awesome-and-crazy-time-consuming color card, so please suspend judgement since I'm aware it says "creal tweed" but I'm too tired to deal with it at the moment :) ]

What do you think of the new look??

New stuff listed!

I spent most of Saturday taking new product photos for my shop. I've been meaning to do this forever, and have tried (and failed) to take good photos a handful of times. These ones aren't my favorite, but they're much better than what I had before! I'm really excited about these new scarves, they're really fun to make and I feel like they really fit my aesthetic. I have more photos to list of my headbands, too, and some other little accessory type headbands!

PS: Each of the new listings has a color card with 37 color options, so if the color shown in the photos isn't your style, you can pick a different one! I'd really love to hear what you guys think, so tell me in the comments!! xo

Renegade!

So in true Susannah fashion, I took a handful of photos right when we set up, and didn't take any other photos for the rest of the festival. Here are the few that I have...
Renegade was such an amazing experience. I am so truly thankful that Beca asked me to share a booth with her, and that she gave me enough confidence to do it!

There were three awesome aspects to the weekend. The first one was (obviously) selling my stuff. It's the coolest thing ever to see people walk up to the stuff you've toiled over, and to see them get excited about it and try it on, and make the decision to take it home with them. That's not something you get to experience when you sell online. I loved hearing people's thoughts and seeing their reactions. I will admit, there were a few times where people were really not into it or said something like "I could make that myself". Beca and I both struggled with that the first day, it was hard to remember the dozens of great responses when there was one bad one in the mix. I think the first day, we were both so full of nerves and excitement that we wore down pretty easily. Chris and I were up until 1am finishing stuff up, and then woke up at 5am to get ready and leave, so we were running on fumes (Beca and Doug had it even worse!). But by day 2, we were feeling loads better. The nerves were gone and the day was way more fun.

The second totally awesome thing about this weekend was getting to meet bloggers and friends from the internet. Janna, Moe, Kaylah, Elycia, Shelby, Julia, the lovely ladies from Louisville who's names are escaping me right now, and the handful of other friends I'm forgetting. Beca and I just kept talking about how weird and rad it is to meet internet friends in person. She and I "met" for the first time on Saturday! We've texted like crazy and Skyped once, but meeting face to face is a different ballgame. But seriously, I'm so so thankful for all the sweet friends that came out to visit.

The third awesome thing about the fair was the confidence it instilled in me. I've never really felt all that confident in my shop. It's not that I don't think I make good stuff, but it's never been something that I'm super serious about. I just like to make stuff and try to sell it because I think other people might like it too. But this weekend made me feel so professional, and accomplished. I'm really proud of all the work I put into it (and Chris too!), and I think it really paid off. I loved my display, and my sign is one of my favorite things I've made to date. I also finished everything I wanted to finish. I would have made more product if I had time, but I was happy with the amount I was able to finish. I made cute tags and labels for everything, too! I didn't forget anything either, I was really nervous I'd show up and would've left something important at home, but I remembered everything I needed!

All in all, it was a pretty fabulous weekend. I'm hoping that I can get into the holiday show, and who knows, maybe this will be a regular thing for me!

I want to end with a big thank you to Beca and Doug. Beca is the queen of pep talks, and her support has seriously changed my outlook on my business. Doug is incredibly rad, and kept us caffeinated throughout the weekend. I'm so thankful to have met these two incredible people, and I'm so happy to be able to call them friends.

I also need to thank my wonderful boyfriend Chris. He tolerated so much craziness from me in the weeks leading up to the show! He stamped, he built, he painted... All while dealing with yarn bits covering every square inch of our house. What a guy!

And thank you to all of you for supporting me and cheering me on! It really means the world to me. This was a huge event in my life, I know that seems a little dramatic, but it really was a weekend I'll remember forever. So thank you!! xo

My new stamps!

I just wanted to start by saying thank you for all your wonderful comments on my last post. It's so reassuring to post something personal like that and then get so much positive feedback. So, thank you! (PS- I'm working my way through responding to all your comments on that one, too!).
So in preparation for Renegade in September I'm trying to get all the odds and ends of my shop in order. I've always sorta had a theme with my packaging and tags, but it didn't really ever look intentional, so I'm trying to get a new look going. I ordered these custom stamps from my friend Ashley of Under Those Neon Lights a couple weeks ago, and they turned out so good! I can't wait to show off the whole shebang, I'm just waiting on a few more things to arrive.

Right now I'm wasting time before heading in to work for the night, watching Parenthood and crocheting on the couch :) Hope you're having a wonderful day!

Some exciting news!

A little over a week ago I got some of the most exciting news I've ever gotten, and I'm psyched to be able to share it with you... This September, I'll be a vendor at Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago! A few months back, Beca asked me if I was interested in sharing a booth with her and Doug, and I was instantly beyond flattered. I admire their work so much and it was really cool that she thought of me! I of course said yes, but I have to admit I was pretty nervous that I wouldn't be approved. I guess I don't really see myself as a professional crafter, it's my hobby and my passion and I like to sell a little bit of stuff on Etsy, but I've never done a craft show, let alone one of the biggest ones in the country! But on June 14th we got our emails saying we were in! Pretty awesome birthday present, right?? So now, naturally, I'm freaking the eff out about everything I need to do. I have lots and lots of stuff to make, I know that one for sure, the rest I'll figure out as we go along :) I know it's pretty far in advance, but if you're gonna be in the Chicagoland area September 8th and 9th, I would love love love if if you stopped by to see us! I'll have more info as we get closer to the fair, and you better believe I'll keep you posted!!

Me and my lady tie.

 

Shirt: thrifted

Pants: Lauren Conrad for Kohl's

Shoes: Target (last year)

Lady Tie: c/o Flappergirl 

When I was in high school I went through a lot of fashion phases. My dad gave me free reign at the mall and I used that ability to go through every horrible fashion trend out there. Some of my more horrendous outfits happened in middle school, but in high school I still had my fair share of fails. Like when I dated that vegan guy and listened to a lot of Grateful Dead, and I wore a floor length patchwork dress with star patches on it... yeah. But by senior year I calmed down some and went through a preppy phase. I wore button up shirts and v-neck sweaters, and lots of corduroys. I still love the look of a button up shirt but I rarely wear them. But now that the lovely and ever-so-talented Christine of Flappergirl sent me my very own lady tie, I'm falling back on the button up bandwagon and I'm excited. I'm currently trying to decide what color I should get next :) 

I've been battling the cold from hell for the last week, but I'm feelin' pretty alright today besides a lingering cough. I have plans to start packing up all our junk (we're moving! More on that later.) and then Chris and I are meeting our friend Jen for dinner. We just reunited with Jen, who we knew in high school and I thought (back then) she was my enemy... Turns out we were dumb and immature back then and now we get along fabulously! We had coffee the other day just the two of us, and we're trying to make it a weekly thing. Lord knows I could use a local gal pal! 

Ok. I'm off to pack. I've been stalling under the guise of writing this blog post (meaning I write a sentence and then look at something else for ten minutes...oops!). First up, all the knick knacks and cute things I love. Wish me luck and let's hope I don't break anything!

Giveaway - $30 to Adventurer Vintage

Hello there! I've got an awesome giveaway to share with you from one of this month's sponsors Alison-Claire of Adventurer Vintage! Here she is to tell us a little bit about herself...

1. Tell us a little about yourself!  

Hello! My name is Alison-Claire and I am currently living in Washington state. I've bounced around a lot in the last year due to finishing up graduate school--I am now a certified Middle & High school English teacher! :) In the past year I went from sharing an apartment with a boy, to living with my parents, to moving to Oregon with said boy, and now back to my parents again-whew! All this moving around means I've lived out of boxes a lot and haven't had a chance to set down roots and get a REAL job. When I have spare time I love going to see live music, reading, cooking, blogging, watching my "stories" (anyone else super stoked Game of Thrones and Mad Men have just returned?!), playing with friends and most importantly, shopping!

2. What got you into vintage clothing? What do you love most about it? 

I have been an avid thrifter all of my life. My sister and I used to spend hours with my mom at Value Village. In high school, I was the girl wearing little boys shirts with my studded belts. I went to college in San Francisco and branched out into more unique and interesting vintage, rather than just thrifted finds. I grew up on a budget and know no other way to shop. Shopping for and finding deals is my passion. This past Fall, while student teaching, I had to quit my part time job--then I moved and wasn't able to find Substitute work right away. I didn't lose my love for shopping or finding deals, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it!). So, I decided to take my shopping addiction and love of thrifting plus my need for an income and combine them. Adventurer Vintage allows me to shop and discover amazing pieces while making a little bit of money at the same time :) And the part I love most? Finding super awesome shoes or skirts or what have you that would never fit my womanly frame but that would like great on you, the customer!

3. Where do you see yourself in a year? What about your shop, any big dreams and goals for the near future? 

In a year I really hope to have my own class, preferably a Freshman English class. I've also considered going back to school AGAIN and getting my Masters in English and teaching at the Junior/Community college level. The problem with teaching as a profession is that it hardly pays the bills, but I do it because I love to read and write. Selling vintage on the side gives me some expendable income and cures my addiction to shopping ;) I've often had dreams of being a stylist or owning a brick and mortar vintage shop but in this economy I've pushed those ideas to pipe dream status.

4. What's your favorite trend right now?

I'd like to say that my least favorite trend currently are crop tops : / Unless you have a very specific body type they are not flattering and crop tops seem to be all the stores are stocking. I do love midi skirts however, and I try to stock the shop with them as well. I love sandals and woven flats too. Being that I live in Washington, which is rainy and snowy, I'm basically in love with Summer wear: flowy skirts, loose blouses, cut off shorts and flats.

5. What's one crazy thing you'd like to do in your lifetime?

So many, but at the top of my list: hot air balloon ride, swim with sharks, hang out with An Idiot Abroad, meet Jeff Mangum, publish a book of poems, aaaaaand do a NASCAR race haha :) 

So here's the fun part!! Alison-Claire is giving away $30 credit to her shop!

You must be a follower of susannahbean.com to enter. Please leave a separate comment for each entry with your name and a way to contact you! Here's how to enter: 

[1] Visit Adventurer Vintage. Come back and tell me what item is your favorite!

[2] Follow Alison-Claire's blog, Wee Adventurer

[3] Tweet about the giveaway using this tweet: 

I wanna win $30 to shop my heart out at Adventurer Vintage on @susannahbean's blog! http://bit.ly/IjoYlC

[4] Add Adventurer Vintage to your favorite shops on Etsy

That's four ways to win! I'll be choosing a winner on Friday, April 13th. This giveaway is open to US and Canada only. Good luck, I just know you'll get something fabulous if you win!!

Suitcase full of goodies.

I've been busy trying to rework my headband patterns in the last few weeks, making little tweaks to my designs to improve my products, and I'm really excited about how things are turning out! I'm crocheting my little heart out in the hopes that I can get a fully stocked (or overstocked) shop by the fall... I may or may not have something exciting up my sleeve that I need to prepare for! I can't wait to take all new product photos and incorporate my new branding ideas into my line! And I'm most excited about coming up with new packaging, that's my favorite part :)

Now, I'm off to crochet some more! Hope your day is rad so far! xo

New in my Shop: Animal Ear Headbands!

I think these might be the cutest things I've ever made (other than teeny tiny baby booties, because teeny tiny anything is obviously the cutest!). They're up for sale in my shop now! Happy shopping!

Happy February!

I know I'm a day late, but happy February! There are pretty new gals over there in the sidebar, I think you should check them out and spread a little love!

In honor of this lovely month, I'm having a little sale in my shop! From now until Valentine's Day, you can receive 20% off your entire purchase in my Etsy shop. On top of being able to save a little bit on a pretty purchase, you'll be helping me out boatloads because I'm saving up to get a new camera! So shop away :)

If you see something you like in my shop but want a different color, send me a convo and we can chit chat about your options. Thanks lovebugs!!

Etsy update, and Shop My Closet!

I added a bunch of new items to my Etsy shop, like cowls, heaadbands, and barrettes, and I'd love it if you checked them out! I'll be adding more colors soon, but if you're looking for something in particular let me know and I'll see what I can do for you!!

I also wanted to let you know that I've opened a new Shop My Closet store! I have sooooooo much stuff, and I need to make room! I've listed a bunch of dresses and coats so far, and it's a mix of vintage and new. I'll hopefully be adding more soon! Check out my Shop My Closet store here!

Happy shopping! Please email me (susannahbean at gmail dot com) if you have any questions about anything I've listed!