Baskets or Patterns

Hi everyone.

Here are some examples of Hand Knit Felted Baskets I have designed and made.

Do you think people would more readily buy the patterns for these?

They didn't sell too well just as a product to purchase.

What do you think?

www.JudyAGoddard.Etsy.com

Where Do I Go From Here?

Where do I go from here? For the past ten months I've had a wonderful time designing and knitting my baskets, setting up an Etsy shop, doing shows and marketing the best way I knew how. But they just won't move. So now it's time to sit back, examine my process and strike out in a different direction.

I made an impulse buy this past fall. (Actually it was several impulse buys!) I purchased 443 pink plastic barrettes at my local dollar store for an insanely low price and will now fiddle around with them and see what I can come up with. Fiber continues to be my main focus, so I see a lot of felt in fun, colorful shapes!

I'll also be doing a little more exploring into the world of fine art, doing more painting and maybe printing out note cards and prints.

I really do think, though, that my main problem seems to be poor marketing.

As a left handed, right brained thinker, I have a really hard time focusing on technical things. Etsy has been a wealth of information but I've had a rough time compartmentalizing.

I will continue to market my Incredibly Cute Canvas Growth Charts. They are just too precious not to keep trying!

Next year I'll be focusing more on local craft shows. Living "Down the Shore" provides me with a solid higher end clientele. I just have to find the right shows. There's plenty of help for me to draw on. After all, I'm not new to craft shows. I put myself through college selling batik tee shirts!

http://www.judyagoddard.etsy.com/
http://www.measureformeasuregrowthcharts.com/
http://www.judygoddard.homestead.com/

Curse the Cold, I say! Curse it!

Last night I tried, yet again to enter and use an Etsy Virtual Lab. It was a Critiquing Lab and, finally, I actually made it work! The folks there were very kind and answered my questions. I was able to get some very good advise on how to improve the quality of my photos.

Later today, if I can find the time, I will be walking my felted baskets out the door and taking new pictures in the natural sunlight. Curse the cold, I say! Curse it! I WILL be successful at this!!

I have listed two new baskets. More Christmas Hearts, in different colors and sizes.

http://www.judyagoddard.etsy.com/

http://www.measureformeasuregrowthcharts.com/

"All the Leaves are Brown, and the Sky is Grey....."

This morning the sky is a shade of silver that tells me that rain is on the way. When I hooked the dog on to her lead the yard was blanketed with rustling brown oak leaves. The trees all around have lost their color and are settling into their sleeping season.

It's hard to believe that the season has progressed so far so fast. And now, Thanksgiving is just two weeks away! I made a collection of Autumn themed baskets and listed them on Etsy, but no one has purchased them, so now I'm discounting them by 30% of their original prices. Any of them would make wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving decorations. And, on top of that, they serve a purpose. They are more than "just a pretty face"!

Help to launch my basket sales! I've been so busy knitting and felting that I've got quite stock pile, and tons of new ideas to implement!

Christmas Baskets are ready to list!
http://www.judyagoddard.etsy.com/

http://www.measureformeasuregrowthcharts.com/

What's done is done

This the first time my President has been younger than me. This feeling is kind of like the first time I watched the Miss America and realized that, even if I were single, I would be too old to participate. I told my daughter that it really doesn't matter who is elected. Nothing much will change no matter who you vote for. And, for the nost part, I believe that. And for the least part I hope and pray so.

He seems like a genuinely sincere person. I can only expect that he feels he can, indeed, affect change. I don't think the country's policies will promote Spiritual Growth. And I, as a conserative person, may lose some of my freedom.


Do I feel safe? Not right at the moment. But at least my health benefits won't be taxed.


But.......


Maybe the economy will pick up and folks will decide that they just can't live with out one of those fabulous Handknit Felted Baskets! Or that the best way to celebrate the birth of a new baby is to Buy him/her an Incredibly Cute Canvas Growth Chart!



And don't forget to visit www.wifemomwoman.wordpress.com to sign up to win my Little Christmas Basket!

I'm Doing a Give Away!

Hi everyone!

This is my first experience doing a give away and Cheri, from http://www.wifemomwoman.wordpress.com/ is walking me through it. She's been great and did a little interview with me. You can see the Little Christmas Basket, that maybe you can win, on Cheri's blog. So, check it out and enter to win!

I've been working on new Handknit Felted Baskets and they are now ready to be photographed and listed on my Etsy site. Most of them are now going into my Christmas Theme baskets.

And my 2 Jack-o-lantern Little Felted Baskets are on sale at 50% off! So you can buy them now and put them safely away for next Halloween!

So, here's your chance to buy a Little Felted Basket at an unbelievable price!

It being election day, my hubby and I went out after lunch time and did our duty. I hope you did too.

now I'lll be gearing up for Thanksgiving.

I hope the rest of yourAutumn is peaceful.

http://www.judyagoddard.etsy.com/

http://www.measureformeasuregrowthcharts.com/

www.flickr.com/judyagoddard/

Another Bright Idea?

Well, I've not sold either of the jack-o-lantern baskets I made up. So today they go on sale. And, considering that I've only sold one Handknit Felted Basket, I thought maybe a few Handknit Felted Hats might pique someones interest. So I am busily knitting away.

Now that I've posted the hats it occures to me that they need to be doo dahed up. I guess I'll be off to purchase some gross grain ribbon. And i'm thinking maybe a live model will be better than good ol' Madeline here.

So, if you're looking for a really cute decorative basket for next Halloween, stop by

http://www.judyagoddard.etsy.com/ and snap them up for $7.50 each

And while you're there, check out my other baskets. There's a couple Winter themed ones as well as one Christmas one. I have a whole slew of LIttleFelted Baskets that make great tree ornaments and or little gifty baskets. I have to get the other Christmas baskets I have posted. The holidays are upon us!

http://www.judyagoddard.etsy.com/

www.Flickr.com/JudyAGoddard/

http://www.judyagoddardartist.blogspot.com/

Do You Have a Brochure?

Brochures I have known;
Grateful Creation Design, that was my batik tee shirt business.
Judy Goddard, Singer Songwriter, Artist
Judy Goddard Programs, these were my folk music brochures.

Now I'm a Handknitter and Felter.
So, I need a new brochure.

Sales on Etsy.com have been llittle less than slow. And I have been really, really trying to do everything I can do to make my shop a success.

Last week I sent a friend of a friend one of my Little Felted Baskets. She owns and operates a dance school for little girls. It's called "Through the Looking Glass" dance studio, in the Columbia MD area. She emailed me, asking for a brochure to insert into her November newlsetter.

So I sat down and put together what I think is a pretty snazzy pamphlet.

Twitter, Flickr, Blogger, huh?

I decided to try and sell some Handknit Felted Baskets that I had designed and made. So I set up a shop on Etsy.com and started uploading pictures. I was told that to promote myself I would need to spend time in the chat rooms and visit the forums often.

I learned to how sort through the miasma of a crowded chat rooms. I learned how to couch my forum posts in terms that would draw attention to my shop. And I sold a few supplies.

To be fair, I did sell one basket. And I sold one Canvas Growth Chart. All that since April 20, 2008.

So I asked what else I could do. I was told, "Blog!" I set up this blog and now have a new place to direct folks to show off my designs. And I do get some very nice comments. Thank you very much! But no sales of Art, only supplies. (So why and I complaining? At least I'm making sales!"

Next came the suggestion of Flickr. com. And then came the posts telling me to set up a Mysapce account and a Facebook account. Done.

And now I spend many hours everyday punching keyboard pads and squinting at my laptop screen. And still have quite a tidy sum of lovely baskets that people tell me are, "So cute!" "Really Great!" "Super".

I'm getting pretty frustrated. If you pray, please send one up for me.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31019349@N06/

http://www.judyagoddard.etsy.com/

http://www.measureformeasuregrowthcharts.com/

My Christmas Look

Is it time? Am I too late? It is, after all October 18th! Yesterday I started uploading Christmas photos on my Etsy shop.

All my Little Felted Baskets are getting a holiday spiff up.

What are Little Felted Baskets?

They serve many happy purposes.

They're little gift holders

little candy baskets

little oranments

lovely little decorations for your table or mantle piece.

Who knew that spending the afternoon taking photos

could be so tiring. But it was fun and I look forward to

continueing with the holiday theme.

If you are visiting this blog, please take a look at my Etsy shop and let me know what you think. Are the photos good enough? Do they convey holiday warmth and the spirit of Christmas?

I know I've got some photos to retake. I'll get it right.

I'll be shooting most of my stock in holiday settings.

www.JudyAGoddard.Etsy.com

www.JudyGoddard.Homestead.com

www.Measureformeasuregrowthcharts.com

It takes so little.....

...to make a simple girl happy!

I knit. All the time! I obsess over knitting. So all my life I've looked for a way to make my knitting a renewable kind of thing. After all, you can only knit your near and dear so many sweaters and socks. Then it kind of becomes a bad holiday joke.

So I started designing and came up with this really cool way to make one of a kind, felted baskets. I've been making
them for a few years now and now they have joined the list of holiday jokes. But my family loves them and think they are really neat. So now I'm trying to sell them.

Here's where the little, to make me, a simple girl, happy, comes in....

I have a nearly complete collection of every kind of knitting needle, in every conceivable size and color and material. But, of course I don't have the one needle I need! A size 13 circular needle, 16 inches long! I checked out the on line catalogues and made some calls, and..... You guessed it! Nobody sells it!

My very wise husband suggested that I look on Ebay and, SHAZAM! There they were; the perfect 13 circular needle in just the right length!

I'm going away for the weekend, and, now that the needle has arrived, I can take it with me and knit my baskets and be very, very content.

It takes so little!

THAT'S what friends are for!

OOf! What am I doing wrong??!! My head is in such a fog and I can't think straight. I'm not focusing and my heart is pounding! You know, my sales are pretty slumpy. And I just couldn't figure out what to do next.

So I called my BFF and cried to her my woes. And she, in her wisdom, got all efficient on my ass, helped me straighten out my path and gave me a pat on the back to gently push me forword.

And out of her mouth comes, " Merchandizing! Marketing! Take better pictures! Show people what the baskets can be used for! Give the world an idea of how wonderful your baskets are! Help them visualize how your handknit felted baskets will look when they use them as gift holders,

table accents, party favors!, thank you gifts!

I hurriedly wrote down, in lists, all she was saying, and what her words suggested to me, on how to market my wonderful baskets.

So! Now I have a clear path! Now I can settle my pounding heart and make lists of what to do first, second and third. ( and 18th, 19th and 20th)

I'm so grateful for a friend who hears my desperation and reaches down inside herself to come up with advise that is truly inspired. I'

m so blessed!

http://www.judyagoddard.etsy.com/

http://www.measureformeasuregrowthcharts.com/

http://www.judygoddard.homestead.com/

A Question of Limited Editions

Yesterday I read a request for a photo and description of one of my newest shop items, from a woman who wants to highlight like minded artists in her blog. It sounded like a good idea to me. It still does and I'm glad for a chance to get that extra little bit of promotion.

But it got me thinking, again, about offering my baskets as "Limited Editions". I've been making, and refining these baskets for about three years now, so I've got a little stock saved up. But I'm also still developing new designs almost every day and I want to make them and list them right away!

I have only sold one basket since opening up my shop in April. But I truly do believe that sooner, rather than later, I will start to see orders for these works of art pick up.

So the question is, do I hold back on listing new designs so that I will have new designs for future seasons?

Should I announce that some of the seasonal designs, ala my Autumn Baskets, are indeed limited editions and after this season they will no longer be available?

Should I announce that they may be available in the future but when they are gone they are gone?

Does selling a limited edition mean that I should figure out some way to number them?

I probably should include a little label in each basket, Stating my name and the year

Maybe I should should wait to see if the baskets begin to sell before I start numbering and/or labeling them.

So many questions! So many paths!

Fall at Last!

Finally! the weather is acting its age! The temps last night dipped into the 50s. Today should climb only up to the mid 70s. Yay! Summer has always been my least favorite season.



My friends know I like to say, " Come the end of May, I'm lookin' for October!

At my Etsy site I've listed Handknit Felted Baskets that celabrate the georgeous season.

Each of my designs is an original and, because of the nature of the artform, is its own unique piece of art.

Autumn Maples Basket

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14541506

Autumn Oaks Basket

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15031274

Autumn Leaves Basket
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15251889

Yellow Autumn Leaves Basket

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15252243

Don't forget that Winter and the Holiday Season are right around the corner!

What a cry baby I am!

So, I open my email yesterday morning and....
Ta da! I have sold a Handknit Felted Basket!! My very first one!

It's going all the way to Wagga Wagga, Australia!

Life IS good!

Yesterday was my 30th anniversary. I cannot believe I have lived long enough to celebate my 30th anniversary!
I love my husband! So much. For me, it really does get better with age. He's my very bestest friend.

So, now I'm caught up on my ETsy shop and now I've blogged, so now I can knit and felt the new baskets with my autumn theme.

Aaahhh....... good!
www.JudyAGoddard.Etsy.com

Sale? What sale?

I'm having a little trouble feeling ever so slightly lost in a sea of artists. I try to promote myself and I just don't seem to be able to make any sales. OK. I DID make three sales lately, for discouonted knitting needles. For a grand total of 12.00.

Woe is me!

As Christmas comes on I hope I'm not just getting myself more and more into a depression. It;s a bummer thinking that I have this really great product that everybody should love and yet not being able to sell any.

Folks in chat rooms tell me they think my art is good, great, wonderful, yada, yada, yada. And I think they're right. Of course, I have no money to spend on the art I find that I just love! I guess life just goes like that.

I'm trying to stay positive through the holidays.

I really, really like my felted baskets.

JudyAGoddard.Etsy.com