Where did all the street markets go?

Last year was my first journey into craft shows.

I only did two shows & half of the experience was good (with the other half being awful).

I'm toying with the idea of doing the Big Crafty again, but at the same time I thought I'd try out some of the smaller/slower paced markets.

It's been tough to find any local shows... a quick search gave me just two options; The Big Crafty & Asheville 2nd Saturday.

There used to be at least 3 others... small, monthly & bi-monthly markets with just a few vendors.
I saw on one site that vendor participation was low. This doesn't surprise me. A while back I tried to get a group together for a yearly or twice-a-year show and initial interest was high, but we never made it past the first meeting.

So I understand that a great idea just fizzles out (especially due to lack of volunteers, funds & participation). I'm glad that there are a few still available. But I do mourn the little indie shows of the past.

Any one know of any others?

Back to Normal

Whew!

I've been working on a few large projects.

One was that crazy magnet order... 320 magnets. They were being used as wedding favors. It took a few weeks, but with my husband & mother's help we pulled it all together.

Then I accepted a quest to make 5 foam bags for a piece of medical equipment. I finally finished the demo bag (just to make sure everything was the correct size) and I've got the official order to make 5.
That is a continuous thing I will work on, but the demo was the main hurdle to get over.



Now I'm trying to get back to normal.

I finished an actual m. ranae designs bag yesterday (the first in a month) and I'm looking into some craft shows for this year (I believe I have a November one set up already).

Hopefully, in the next few weeks I will meet with the Asheville Etsy Street Team group to plan our own show.

On top of all this, I've decided to start selling AVON. That I decided because I was having a hard time keeping an AVON Lady and I love, love, love AVON. All but one item in my makeup bag is AVON and I really like their jewelry. So... if you're in the area and want to look at a brochure HIT ME UP! I'm doing this to support my habit, but it can't hurt to sell some stuff to others.

That's the plan for now... to keep on working.

Oh! I am working so hard that it's time to hire a bookkeeper and possibly an Intern. More on that to come...

My Snow Project

Everyone has been hit with snow... even Texas! I say that not even knowing if Texas normally gets snow.
We here in NC haven't been hit the hardest, but since we're not at all used to it... it feels hard!

Often I was snowed in or it was just too damn cold to leave the house. And yeah, I could've made a m. ranae bag or wallet or something... but deep inside I needed a personal craft to help pass the time.

I've been feeling the need to journal more... or write more poems... or document my adventures... or all of the above. And I was super-duper close to buying a journal made by someone else on Etsy. But after looking at the journals the DIYer in me said "you can totally make that yourself." So I put down the credit card and instead, picked up some paper.

I decided to make a mixed-paper journal, similar to the ones I saw online. But I made my pages bigger (8"x5") and I put more pages in it (which I later decided was a little too much). I used a lot of the paper items I had on hand (I'm a packrat, you know). And I used a junk piece of pvc plastic (sign materials) to make the cover. It was all pulled together with large binder rings.

Below is a look inside my new journal and a little insight to why the pages are mixed.


I used cards & other smaller bits of paper that had meaning or were beautiful in some way. It will make for a short journal entry, a drawing or maybe a haiku.



I used many different colored papers & scrapbook papers. Many were picked at random and I hope that when I get to those pages the colors or design will inspire my writing.



This picture shows a page with "blue" written on it... again that's a springboard for my writing. The other page is a piece of file folder, cut to fit the book. Honestly, that was just added for fun.



This is a great page! It's part of an old calendar. I put mailing decals on it so I'd have somewhere to write.



This is my version of one of the ideas I saw online. It's an envelope. I put three or four envelopes throughout the book... this one has a photo inside. Again the photo is to help springboard my writing.



Top view of the whole book. As you can see... lots & lots of different paper.



And... the cover. I just picked a piece of scrapbook paper that I liked.

Overall, it took a few days of work to put it all together. But it's a beautiful project that has brought me much pride. As of this post I've only written in it once, but I'm really, really excited for writing the book will inspire.

Want to make your own? Write me and I'll gladly guide you!

Belated Resolutions

Well, I'm a sucker for peer pressure.

All along the web I've seen people (bloggers and such) talking about their New Years resolutions, in the crafty sense. Some talk about all the things they want to accomplish and all the things they want to create. Others talk about things they'd like to avoid or things they'll change.

And I'm usually a firm believer that resolutions don't work. Blah, blah change... blah, blah diet... blah, blah bigger boobs.

But secretly, I've been finding my hate towards resolutions softening. I now see that a new year is like changing the sheets. It's so fresh and crisp and it smells awesome!
Plus, everyone else is doing it (don't worry, this never worked on me with smoking).

So here are a few of my resolutions. Some are personal, but most involve m. ranae.

-- Blog more. No surprises here... especially if you actually read my blog and wait patiently for the next post (which sometimes takes a while).

-- Upload to Etsy more frequently. It's a known fact that the more days you upload stuff to Etsy the more "seen" you are. I use to upload tons of things at a time... now I pace myself (like a seasoned runner... running, of which I know nothing about).

-- Do at least one craft show. This may be harder than I think, because you have to be accepted to do it. I was recently rejected... so maybe my rejection streak will continue. Nonetheless, I'm gonna try.

-- Keep track of my papers. I don't sell tons & tons of stuff, but the bit I do involves some paperwork. This year I'm gonna keep my files organized and easy to locate. Yay!

-- Keep track of my life. I'm forgetful and scattered and sometimes I don't have a clue what I'm doing. I have an iPod with all the right apps... I just need to use them.

-- Learn more about running a business. I feel the key to success is know your enemy. My enemy is bookkeeping and other business related voodoo. I bought a "Gardening for Dummies" book and now I can actually grow things. I plan on buying "Small Business for Dummies" and start growing my biz.

-- Play more Plants vs. Zombies. Nuff said. Really.

-- Get healthier. I take a lot of vitamins and I try to be conscience of what I eat and do. I got into the habit of exercising last year, but fell out of it. This year I'm gonna conquer exercising.

-- Perfect my art. Every day I get better and better are making my bags, wallets, pouches & such. But there is still room for improvement. There are still things to learn. So I'm gonna keep on keeping on.

Well that is it for now. I'm sure along the way I'll decide that exercising sucks, Plants vs Zombies is time consuming and it's more fun to play games on my iPod than work. But I'm a winner as long as I try to follow these resolutions

Wild November

A custom order of mine.



November was an ass-kicker and I learned a few things.

It started out quiet and then BAM! I had order after order after order. And along with me being thrilled I was suddenly juggling two jobs.

I was working the "9-5", embroidering during my breaks. Then I'd come home for hours at the sewing machine. I made lots of shipments and I even had to trek out to the fabric shops to get supplies to fulfill my orders.

It was wild. And I was having trouble sleeping through it all. So I was tired.

But being busy at m. ranae designs was awesome and it gave me a small taste of the good life... that meaning that I'm doing something I love & making money from it. Ah... the sweet life.

I learned something that may be good/bad for my customers... I learned that I am not charging enough. Boo! Hiss! But I learned it the correct way (selling cheap, then adjusting prices) instead of the incorrect way (not selling any of my expensive items).

I also learned that timing is everything. I had two items in my Etsy shop that expired because no one ever bought them... then on a whim I relisted them and they both sold in day.

Lastly, I learned that listing stuff often is a part of being successful. When I listed weekly, I made sales weekly. Huh... who knew?!

So I hope that I can keep some momentum up through this next year... I plan on being a little more consistent and I plan on adding some awesome stuff.

Now... back to the machine!

Bummer, dude...

So... I am very sad to say that I did not make it into The Big Crafty.
I got my rejection notice yesterday after spending most of the day checking my e-mail (every 3 minutes) waiting for the news. And the news was bad.
So... I am sad.
But at the same time, relieved. That sounds crazy but I was a little freaked out. So maybe, just maybe it was for the best. Maybe I wasn't ready for The Big Crafty. Maybe I just need to start with a little crafty.
Like I told my husband, I've only been doing this a year. And even though I've grown a lot in a year I may be even more bad-ass next year. And then maybe, just maybe I'll be better Big Crafty material.

Cough, sniffle, cough...

I am home sick from my 9-5. This is good and bad in so many ways.

I am actually sick enough to not work, whether it's at my 9-5 or at my sewing machine. Trust me I tried last night, even though I wanted to sew it became tedious and painful after a few minutes.

But my brain is moving! I received a general, mass letter from the Big Crafty peeps about the show. To summarize, it said if you were for sure not accepted you would know by now, if you still don't know then they are waiting for all the applications to come in before making the final decision. So I'm either on the "maybe" list or my rejection got lost in the e-mail. I choose to believe I'm on the "maybe" list. Woot!

So my brain is going over the show, if I get in.

How is my table gonna be set up...
Do I have enough stuff...
What stuff should I make...
Do I have enough things to help make my table look awesome...
Can I afford my current list of needed supplies...
Can I do this...

So even if I can't slave over the machine, I am still plotting my possible show and how I want it to go down.

And BTW, according to my general, mass letter from the Big Crafty... I should know if I got in or not by this coming Tuesday, October 27th. Gulp.

My new machine & the Big Crafty

So my last post was about the Big Crafty. I haven't heard a thing about it yet. I'm bummed and I hope that it's not a last minute announcement, because I need a decent amount of time to process it. It's exciting and scary, so there needs to be that personal time of reflection about what is happening.

So I wait.

I did get a new sewing machine. This is very, very awesome! I got the Singer Advance 7422 and it is wild! I have only worked on standard, mechanical machines. This one is electronic and has tons of buttons.
It does weird things I'm not use to... like when you take your foot off the pedal (while you're in mid-sew) the needle raises automatically. This is a slight pain when you want to turn a corner. And when I'm backstitching it does an extra stitch forward before going back... so I'm slowly getting use to that. But overall, it's head and shoulders above my old one, which was so cheap and wimpy that it didn't even have a model number (which became troublesome when I was trying to troubleshoot it's issues).

So at the sewing table, I'm just working things out, sewing as much as I can to learn the new machine and creating as much as I can in preparation for a possible Big Crafty invite.

OMG!

So... I did something today on a whim.

Something that if I hadn't done it on whim, I might have chickened out and not have done it at all.

What was this crazy thing I did?

I applied for the December Big Crafty in Asheville.
GASP! OMG!

And since I've never done a show... I'm scared!
Of course, they may not pick me to do the show. Which means I can build my self up and try to do it again next year.
But still... I may get in. And that would mean that I was growing as a crafter. And that is always exciting!
OMG! GASP!

I will keep you updated!

Please, oh! please love me!

So I've been busy lately; creating.

I've come up with three new designs. One of which I finished last night, but I am still unsure of it. More on that later.

But I've been creating in hopes of building an inventory I can be proud of. I'd like to branch out into the world of craft shows. And honestly, I'm nervous. And I'm sure that it's mainly insecurity.
Am I good enough?
Will they love?
Please, oh! please love me.
It's nonsense and I know it. People can either take it or leave it. I've seen crafts that I would never, ever purchase. But someone, somewhere thinks it's awesome and will buy five of 'em. So I shouldn't be nervous, but I am.

So I've been creating. And I'm brainstorming things like only having certain items at my shows and only certain items online. I'm hoping this is incentive to look at both & purchase from both. Plus I'm brainstorming & hoping for a nice holiday season.
But mainly, while brainstorming, I'm creating.

This includes an item I finished yesterday. It's suppose to be a "derby bag." Like a little satchel or bowling bag. Anyhow... I built the pattern and overall the pieces went together perfectly. But I'm unsure about it and the structure of it. I wish I had a mentor or something, but really I just mentor myself. Nonethelss, it's an interesting design and maybe I just need to work on it... make more... see what happens.

In conclusion, I am hoping to be in a show soon. I'm not sure what the definition of soon is, but soon would be nice. I'm gonna keep an eye out for upcoming stuff... usually that's all it takes to get me motivated.
Until next time...

Ooh! Exciting!

I am working on something totally cool!

I can wait to reveal it.

But I guess you have to wait.

Ha!

Damn it!

Maybe I saw it coming... maybe I didn't.
Maybe I could've done something to prevent all this pain.
Nonetheless, my sewing machine has kicked the bucket.

A couple weeks ago it jammed. I took the back off and inspected it and with my husband's help we got it going again. Then it was acting funky... I rebobbined (if that's a word) and rethreaded it and it worked for a little while. Then the other day, it jammed again. And I can't get it going.

I read online for info (since my book doesn't troubleshoot this issue) and I never really found anything. And I looked online for a Singer rep in this area, but there isn't one. So I'm stuck.

I'm gonna buy a special type of wax and try to grease the motor, but if that doesn't work then the next step is... oh dear... buying a new one.

So I'm sad and mad and I just want answers. Or a solution.

Until then, I will have to find something else to fill my time. I do other crafts, but my first love is sewing. I guess it's time to dust off my glue & paper.

The Big Crafty :: Phase One & Two

This is a pre-post to The Big Crafty.
I'm going today to check it out and see if it's my cup of tea.
And if I feel okay I will try out for the next one.
The fee is $65 and you have to be juried to get in. That's the part that scares me. Everything is great until someone starts picking apart what's good & bad about your product. Bleh...
So... we'll see.
I'll post later (after I get home) about my thoughts & feelings.

OKAY... it's later.
We went and it was damn hot. Miserable, to say the least.
But we did a quick run through, mainly because it was so hot.
It looked awesome! I only saw one vendor who was selling bags. And another was selling zippered pouches. So I might have a market.
The show is juried & that freaks me out. So I think I'm gonna build my skills & inventory and prepare for next year.
That's it for now.
Oh! Wait... did I mention how damn hot it was?

I'm gonna ramble a little okay.

So this is my periodical blog about how I am horrible at blogging regularly.
And honestly, I just get busy. Or lazy. Depends on the day.

But I do care about m. ranae designs and think about it all the time. I just have a hard time sitting at the computer to tell everyone about that.

So here's whats new:
I figured up a prototype for a mini bag. My inspiration was this. I will post pics of it today!
I joined Twitter! My hopes is to help my fans keep up with what I'm doing. Follow me!
I am gearing up for making lots & lots of stuff. I haven't sold a thing on Etsy since Februray, so I'm planning on gathering & selling on the streets. I haven't figured where yet, but that is the plan.
Plus, once I get some more zippers in, I'm working on a new design for a makeup bag.

That's a decent update if I say so myself!

What I'm doing...

So I have been working on my to-do list most of today. I started it last week and it seemed to, at the very least, leave me feeling like I have a little more exposure.
And today's to-do went just as well.
I am gonna finish up my owl bag today so I have something to add to Etsy next weekend. I may even start on some new projects.
That's about it.
I haven't been going out during the weekends anymore because I'm really trying to get stuff up & running with m. ranae designs... so hopefully my friends forgive me and it all pays off!

My Own To-do List

Today I was browsing online and I stumbled across my own Etsy store and I thought to myself "only a few people have stopped by to see my new stuff!".
Then I started wondering "how do I get people to stop by more?"

So I started browsing through the articles on Esty and found an idea that I am gonna try.
It's a to-do list that is done daily to promote your online shop. The list includes:

• Post MySpace Bulletin
• Add 5 New Friends on MySpace
• Post on 5 Promo Threads on Etsy
• Post on 5 site help threads
• Post on ??? Ect threads
• Play in Chat
• Renew/List 1 Item
• List Said Item On DeviantART
• Upload Said Photo To Flickr
• Friend 1 person on IndiePublic
• Add I Photo To IndiePublic
• Blog post

Now I don't know what some of that stuff is... like ???Ect or IndiePublic. And I know what some things are, but I don't use those sites... like Flickr or DeviantART. Nonetheless, I want to promote more. So I am gonna make my own list and go from there.

Here are my thoughts:
I am horrible at doing things regularly... take this blog for example.
I am horrible at multi-tasking... just ask my coworkers at my 9-5.
I get bored with routines... anybody can tell you that!
So I am gonna give myself a small goal/list to start with and then maybe add if it works.

Here's my starter list which I will do once a week:

• Add three new friends on MySpace
• Post a bulletin/note on MySpace and Facebook
• Post on five craft threads (Etsy, Craftbits, etc.)
• List one new item in my shop
• Find one place in town to post my card
  
• Blog

I have some other ideas I'd like to get in to motion soon. But, again, I'm horrible at multi-tasking... I'm just gonna work on my list for now.
So... I am off to start myself a Facebook listing (I have a personal one, but I'm gonna start a m. ranae designs one). Then, since I'm done with blogging for today, I am off to do the rest on my list.

Wish me luck, I'm gonna need it!!

My birthday loot!

Well, happy birthday to me! I'm pushing 30... but still young!
My family knows me well and they often get me crafty stuff for my birthday... this year I received some cash (cha-ching) and a gift card to a craft store (also cha-ching!).
So at the fabric store I bought the above: some purple suede, red denim, strippy cotton, blue linen & purple polyesther... I'm very excited about what they might become.

At the craft store I bought a corner embosser, some paper, lots of metal charms & chain, some more fabric and some stickers.
I've got big plans for the paper and I decided to use the charms as zipper pulls.
I just love birthday loot!! Thanks mom & grandma for supporting my crafty/fabric habits!

Finally! My etsy.com shop is up & running!

I didn't do anything today except work on my etsy. com shop

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade mranaedesigns.etsy.com

Everything looks great! I'm so excited!
Please check it out, buy something, just leave comments!

Really, beyond this, I haven't been doing a lot and my lame-ass excuse is my personal stuff I've been dealing with. It's not serious stuff, but it's still consuming at times.

Okay, so enough bull-s***, I'm gonna start posting more. At least once a week, because I have lots to say and hopefully, I can get more readers.

So check out my etsy and I will see you soon!

OK, I'm a slacker.

I admit it.

I did my four days and I got a ton of stuff done. The whole experience was interesting too, because I was timing myself to see how long it took to do each type of thing... and that was to help me price things later on.

But, I haven't photographed any of it and therefore, I haven't added it to my etsy.com account.

I'm a slacker. Seriously.

And here's my excuse, because I can't be a real slacker without a lame-ass excuse.

So, after the four days of working REALLY, REALLY hard I was tired. Yeah, worn out.
So I rested.
Then a week after that, my brother came to town and I had to spend time with him. He doesn't like crafts, so we did NOT spend time in my craft room. That would have been silly.
So yeah, I was entertaining him before he had to fly back.
And then I was worn out from that... so I rested some more.
And now...

... well now I have ran outta excuses. Blah.

Now I have to get back to work in the craft room.

So, last night I went to work creating a pattern for a purse/evening bag thing. I will take pics and post soon. It worked out okay...

And I forgot until this morning, but I was gonna try to do this tiny monogram thing I found at Sublime Stitching. It looks like fun and I've figured out what I'd like to do... I just need to freakin' do it already. Especially since it's due tomorrow. So if I want in... I gotta do it tonight.

Wow! I'm really a slacker. Someone smack me already.

Okay... I've got some fun posts for the next couple of weeks. I will be back soon!

Four Days!

Okay... as soon as I get done blogging, I'm gonna work.

I swear!

And I am excited about this because I have four days to produce & work on stuff because of the XMas holiday. I'm off  from my "day job" today, tomorrow and my usual Saturday & Sunday.

Plus, my husband (who is sometimes a lovely distraction from my crafts) has to work today and tomorrow. So my #1 distraction is at work.

Now I know that Saturday & Sunday is gonna be tough because "the distraction" will be here, but I think I can work through the madness.

Now... the goals of these four days is to get at least three items from each of my website's categories to sell on Etsy next week! 

Woo hoo! That's right, I want to be up and running by next weekend! Yay!

This also means, that part of my work in the next four days is creating an inventory with prices. I feel it is important to stay organized during this process, especially if I want to be successful.

Oh! I do want to be successful!!

So, I'm gonna quit blogging now and go get to it. Woo, I'm pumped! Woo!