End Of The Season

Another year of crafting is just about over and now it's time to regroup and rebuild for next year. We tried some new ideas this year. Some worked , some didn't. We will work on some new designs in the next 3 months and try to be ready for show time in April. We will be working on a new promotion for our online shop also. We have to get better keywords and work on SEO. Online promotion and online advertising isn't as easy as I thought it would be but I'm learning, slow but sure.
I hope everyone had a good year and we wish everyone a Happy Holiday season.

Handmade Christmas

How about a Handmade Christmas this year? With a handmade gift, it's unique, one of a kind. As a crafters, we use many different things to create our products. In my case, I build my products out of wood. No two pieces of wood are identical. So even though I build many items that are the same, because the grain in the wood is different, the finished product has it's own unique look. This can't be achieved with mass produced copies. The hand painted items that Elaine makes are also unique because the brush strokes aren't exactly the same or in the exact same spot or size. These handpainted items will resemble each other but they are unique in their own way.
Check out our shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/OldTimeCountryCrafts and see if we can't help fill your Christmas gift needs.

P.S. While you are here, sign up on our e-mail list to recieve special offers only available to our e-mail subscribers

I've been a bad boy. I could use the excuse that I've been too busy to blog, but that sounds quite lame. The fall craft shows here have for the most part been OK. People weren't buying big items, but they did spend on smaller decorative items. It did surprise me that people weren't buying much holiday decor from anyone. It's always a guessing game what the public will want, so I just take what I have and hope for the best. A sale is a sale right? Our e-mail list is growing. By signing up, you become one of our preferred shoppers. When we send out e-mails, we include discount codes that only members receive. The e-mail sign- up is on the right. We won't sell your name to anyone else and we won't send you junk e-mails day after day. We will send you an e-mail a few times a year to show you new products and to remind you who we are and what we make.

Finding that special gift

Finding that special gift takes time and effort. You know the person so well that you really want your gift to be meaningful. You have several options available for shopping. You can go to the mall and look through several different stores. You could go to one of several department stores and look through lots of everyday items. Or you can shop online. Still nothing jumps out and tells you this is the right gift.

One option online is going to a "HANDMADE" site. Many designers and crafters, like myself, make and sell our products on ETSY.com. On ETSY, you will find thousands of shops making a wide variety of items, all unique in their own way. Because it's all handmade no two items are exactly identical. I make my products out of wood. The grain in the wood is different causing each finished piece to have just a little different look, all it's own.

One other point that I need to mention is that most of the people who sell on etsy can design an item just to fit your needs. This is not an option at the mall. Some of the products that we make are pictured here in the right side of this blog. To get to our shop just click on the words OldTimeCountryCrafts on the right and it will take you there. It's located just above the e-mail sign-up form. Sign up for our e-mail list to keep up with our new products and promotions. We don't e-mail often, only to let you know of new products or special offers just for our subscribers.

Fall is HERE and CHRISTMAS is coming

Another summer has gone by. It doesn't seem possible but it's gone. Time to get ready for the fall holidays and start our Christmas shopping. I've been busy with several projects. I'm starting to feel better now that my surgery has healed and the treatments have begun. I've been putting together a new web site just for my home decor items. This internet world is all new to me and it changes so fast it's hard for me to keep up. I'm trying to build the new site myself so at the moment it's a work in progress. I have added an E-mail sign-up form here so please sign up. I don't intend to send more than 3 or 4 e-mails a year. I only intend to send them to announce sales and include promotional codes to people on the list. This list will be for my use only and your names will not be given out to anyone else.

We have several fall and Christmas listed in our Etsy shop. Stop in to OldTimeCountryCrafts.etsy.com and take a look around. Everything we sell, we make, so if the size or color isn't right, let us know how we could change it to fit your needs.

Another year is already half over. Where does the time go? Gee whiz, I know time flies but this is going super sonic or something. Time marches on. Summer is upon us bringing new things to concentrate on. We have our outdoor activities, vacations, and the thought that winter and Christmas is right around the corner. So with Christmas in mind, as an independent crafter, it's time to start promoting Christmas. All the projects that you do only for the season come off the shelf and back to the work table. HoHoHo and here we go again. There is nothing like a summer craft show, 80+ degrees outside, and a table full of Christmas. But it produces sales and orders for that one day of the year when we all get to be young again. Even if it's only in our minds and is short lived.

Hopefully on the way to recovery

I had my surgery last week. I'm tired and sore but once I heal, I will have to feel better than I have felt for a long time. I don't understand why more people with kidney problems don't opt for peritoneal dialysis instead of the normal hemo dialysis. I can do this at home, at night while I sleep and still have my day free to do what I have to do. I now have a catheter coming out of my stomach but I felt this was a small price to pay for my freedom. I change my fluids and hook-up the circulator, then go to sleep. In the morning, get up, change the fluid and I'm done until night. I felt this was a better option for me. Going to the hospital 3 times a week for up to 6 hours a day just didn't seem like a good fit for my lifestyle. So here's hoping I made the right decision.

As usual I'm a day late and a dollar short. The powers that be have gone and changed the system. I was just starting to understand a little about SEO and Meta Tags, and now I can learn the new way. The internet Guru's all make it sound so easy, but for an old farm boy like me it's a load of Blah Blah Blah. At least now I understand some of what they are saying and doing, I'm not completely in the dark. This internet system changes faster than the weather. New ideas, new systems, new avenues to explore. It just keeps growing. So now I'm off to find myself in cyberspace and try to make it so others can find me easier. It all in using the right words , at the right time, in the right places. Yee haw, here I go again.

Marketplace at the Blue Lagoon

The marketplace at the Blue Lagoon, in Sylvan Beach, has been a good time so far. Every week-end us vendors turn the lawn into a shopping center. Some of us are there every week-end and they add new sellers all the time. Since Sylvan Beach is a resort village, we have a new crowd of people every day. The weather and sales have been good and the summer season isn't really here yet. There is a nice variety of vendors. Some are crafters, some are retailers, some sell candy, and some are selling antiques. If a person can't find what they want at the marketplace they can still enjoy a round of miniature golf.

Twitter Works

My Twitter account just keeps growing. I'm not doing any gimmicks or anything crazy. I just keep following people who are in a similar business. I follow people who post interesting articles and points of interest. I follow these people in order to learn from them and most follow me in return. Now I have a large base to learn from. There is always something of interest right there on my twitter home page. Twitter is a good tool, all I have to do is learn how to use it properly. I post my new etsy listings on twitter and I post my new blogs there also. Twitter works. I know because I get views on my other sites after I post on Twitter. I get seen! That's proof enough for me that Twitter works!

Can't seem to concentrate. Working on inventory for the marketplace this week-end and just can't get it together. Nothing is happening. My creative side is out to lunch. No new ideas are coming. I need to add something new, but nothing is jumping into my mind. I'm just blank. I know I'll come up with an idea when I'm not really ready for it, but at least I'll have it. It will come on it's own, I can't force it. So it's time to eat supper and maybe relax for a little while. Who am I trying to kid with that relax line. I know I didn't buy it. Did you?

Confused

When I looked at the calender today I got a little shock. It says today is June 1, no shock there, June 1 always follows May 31. Then I looked at the thermometer. 34 degrees. No way can this be true. But there it was. June 1 and I have my furnace running. That's just not right. Who ticked off Mother Nature this time? Here in central New York, we should be in the 80's during the day and the 60's at night by now. This is April weather not June.I'm so confused. Oh well, time to put on my coat and get started on my day. Maybe I'll build a clock today. Hmmm. That might not be a bad idea.

I've not been feeling very well this week so I haven't been online as much. A few things have changed though. We rented vendor space at Blue Lagoon in Sylvan Beach. We will have this spot on week-ends thru Labor Day. Traffic last week-end was pretty good. This was the first time this was tried by the owners. The weather was good and people were out enjoying the beach. We made some contacts and had some sales, so time will tell. Relisted some items on etsy this afternoon and BANG!!! We had a sale of a relisted item. A fast return on our .20 cent investment. I wish it happened like that all the time.

Sale

This simple little 4 letter word has a tremendous effect on society. It seems like people just jump at the word. They don't really need to buy anything, but it's a sale! Off they go to spend the day at the mall. Once they get there, they can't find the right color or size. Then they find out that they can't get a raincheck. Now they are ticked off and head to the food court to relax. Who ever relaxed at the food court. Kids crying, others yelling and running around. All this fun makes me want to run right over to the mall right now! OH BOY!! For a quieter time at a sale, check out my etsy shop. All framed prints are on sale until 6/14. Go to OldTimeCountryCrafts.etsy.com and have a look around.

I Stumbled

I'm disappointed with myself. I didn't stay strong in my commitment. I gave in to Nic yesterday and had a cigarette. I have not lost the battle against smoking, but it is step backwards. I will beat this. So it's off on day 3 in my battle with nicotine.

Patience

Sometimes I get a little frustrated with myself over things that I shouldn't let control me. Competing in the internet world of marketing is huge and takes some time to get established, especially on a zero budget for advertising. Everyday I post here and on other sites to get attention for my shop and it's working, up to a point. I'm getting people looking at my shop and that's part of the battle won. If they find me once and look around, hopefully they will return at some point and buy. I know I can't sell to every person who comes along. That would be great but that's not going to happen. Patience is a virtue they say. They also say that all things come to those who wait. So it's off to another day of promoting and building. Later I have to load the truck for tomorrows craft show. I never thought I would be hunting for attention, I used to think I attracted it.

The Good Old Days

What made the Good Old Days so good? It sure wasn't because life was easier. It wasn't because we didn't need things. I think the thing that made them good was our age. Because we were younger we were able to adjust quicker to change. We may have been more open minded which allowed us to accept change more willingly. Plus we had to prove to the "grown-ups" what we knew and what we could do. Every generation goes through this proving stage. New methods are born and the old way is passed by and retired. We have all been a part of this change process. Some invented the change, but most of us just followed along and did our part. So were the Good Old Days really any better or we just more adaptable?

Things Change

Someone once said that the only thing that remains the same is change. When I move the cobwebs and stir up the dust in my mind I am reminded that change is constant. Each day is similar but different. We are not the same as we were yesterday. We're the same person in some ways but we are changed by life. Being a person who makes something to sell, these small daily changes provide us with the opportunity to be creative. Our creativity then becomes a force of change, and the ball of change rolls on. Not every person will like my work, some will find it just awful. But for those who do, I will try to keep up with the pace of change.

TheJumble in my Mind

Everyday we make a countless number of decisions that affect our lives. We base these decisions on the information that we have available. Some of these decisions require no thought and are almost automatic. Others demand our attention. Today's dilemma for me is life altering. Which medical procedure do I choose? Which one will offer the best solution? 3 doctor's advice, 2 options, both with pros and cons. Both come with restrictions, but which one offers me the most freedom?
What to build today? What to promote today? These are simple to answer and require no real thought. What to do about my health problem is going to take me a little time. I first have to sort out the Jumble in my Mind.

What is TODAY ?

A very small and simple question, the answer isn't small or simple. Someone once said ,"Today is yesterday's tomorrow." Someone else said,"What we are today is the sum total of our yesterday's." The mistakes we make are learning experiences that aid in making us who we are today. Almost everyone has said, " If I could only go back and change something." If we did go back , it would change everything from that point on, even us , to the extent that we would not be the same either. Sometimes I'm not content with myself but I know me. If my life had been different, maybe I wouldn't be any better off. I'd just be different.