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 :)

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!

Happy Halloween!

Every year I have grand plans for a Halloween costume but they never seem to come together, mostly because we don't really go to parties where a well thought out costume would be pertinent. I usually just pass out candy by myself (Chris always seems to be working), so a more subtle costume is okay. Last year I was a cowgirl, and this year I'm rocking my new kitty ears headband (which will be up in the shop soon!). It just so happens that I'm wearing gray.... yeah, I'm dressed up as my cat for Halloween. Even Jeans thinks I'm a dork! 

Hope your Halloween is safe and spooky!!

PS: I chose a winner for the Sunglasses Shop giveaway! Congratulations to entry #23, Amanda of Salvaged Strawberry!

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

Meet Naimah from DMae Clothing!

Today I'd like to introduce you to Naimah, the talent behind DMae Clothing! Here she is to tell us a little about herself...

"DMae is a line of hand-painted tee, totes, and soon more by me, Naimah. A 28 yr old desk zombie by day, and music junkie, writer, and crafty gal by night. My blog features my life, and the things i love, like, and loathe all at the same time. I have an all-in policy where honesty comes first, no lies...just the truth. Hardships, happiness, and all! DMae began as a hobby, and is now blooming into a full-fledged indie biz. In the coming months, you can look forward to a new line of totes, hoodies, and a special project I've cooked up all coming to the shop. You can also request a custom item by sending me an email, we can take the creative ride together!! Currently the entire store is on sale through Wednesday, July 18th. You can check out the blog for more details and/or email me!!"

I love Naimah's line, and I hope you do too! Check out her shop, blog, or twitter to shop and stay updated! 

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!

Black Friday & Cyber Monday SAVINGS!

Hey guys! Use the coupon code BLACKFRIDAY11 to get 20% off your total order in my shop! This coupon code is valid from this very moment through Monday! Enjoy :)

Etsy Sale Time!!

I know I said I would post sneak peeks early, but I'm just getting to it now. No worries, though, I have TONNNNNS of stuff to mark down, and it will be marked down for at least a few weeks (until I put my shop on vacation, the last week of February). These items will not be added to my shop again, so get them while you can! Here's a few examples, I also have tons of yo-yo headbands, and a couple limited edition color bobble-puff hats... I'll start marking things down tonight, and I'll probably finish it at some point tomorrow. Please check out my Etsy shop, and happy shopping!!