Time Track Thursday #1

Time management is something many of us crafty business owners struggle with. We are our own marketing departments, photographers, accountants, bloggers, copy editors, sales reps, and the creator behind all of our products. Most of us have day jobs and/or children to attend to as well. So how can we possibly fit it all in?

That is the topic I'm going to discuss every Time Track Thursday, because it is the top issue I struggle with. I want to make the most of every 24 hours, and by doing so all of my "departments" will have the amount of attention they deserve. I hope you will join me on my journey through The 25 Best Time Management Tools and Techniques: How to Get More Done Without Driving Yourself Crazy by Pamela Dodd.

This week I started small. I began writing down all the important things I want to do in the day, and during the week. I also began implementing Timothy Adam's post it note tip. Last night, I stuck a post it note to the bottom of my computer screen. I had 2 things I wanted to get done today and if I only accomplished those 2 things I could still call it a productive day.

1. Use random number generator to pick the winners from my show raffle and online giveaway, then email the winners.
2. Write post #1 for Time Track Thursday.

Focusing is the key. I chose the most important things, and I have both items accomplished by 9am. Now I can move on to the other things on my daily and weekly lists!

Etsy Dallas Spring Bash Review

I am now fully recovered from the Bash! Our fearless founder of Etsy Dallas, Stephanie of Tefi Designs, snapped this shot of me happily (wo)manning my booth. Our show was a huge success, and I heard we were even on the news! I was wondering how things were going to be with the economy and the swine flu scare etc. It didn't affect our show at all from what I could tell. We had shoppers non-stop all day, and the goody bags were gone as fast as we could hand them out! It helped that we had a ton of wonderful press beforehand including Daily Candy and NBC DFW, which mentions me! I was said to have " gel pens with painstakingly beaded slogans as covers, like this CRAFTY pen." That pen was the first one to go, too.

We have already set up a meeting to start planning the 2009 Jingle Bash. Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 21 @ Sons of Hermann Hall!

7 New Pens

I have been a busy little bee getting ready for the Etsy Dallas Spring Bash! I made 7 new pens over the past 2 days. I wanted to make 3 each of my favorite 3 designs: cupcake, peace sign, and skull & crossbones. So after this blog post I plan on making the last 2 skull & crossbones pens. I plan on listing all my new items and all my journals on Sunday after the show. I also hope to have an amazing show write up as well. We were featured in Daily Candy, so this is going to be BIG!

Don't forget to enter my Cupcake Pen Giveaway! Contest ends tonight!

Cupcake Pen Giveaway

This cupcake is good enough to eat, but I don't suggest that :) Put this fat free version to use and jot down anything from grandma's perfect frosting recipe to your grocery list. I chose vanilla for the cup, added pink strawberry frosting, and topped it off with a cherry. This mini pen writes in pink.

Want to win this pen? Follow 2 easy steps:

1. Sign-up for my newsletter by entering your email in the box on the top right.
2. Then leave a comment telling me your favorite cupcake combination. Mine is red velvet with cream cheese frosting hands down!
   

Winner will be chosen randomly. Contest ends Friday May 15, 2009 at midnight.

I will be giving away another hand-bound journal at the Etsy Dallas Spring Bash. Don't forget the first 50 people through the door will receive a free goody bag jam-packed with handmade items from Etsy Dallas members. Hope to see you there!

Spoil a Veteran Crafter

I went to visit my friend Larry while he was showing at the Swiss Avenue Home Tour and Art Fair yesterday. He had a full booth of gorgeous glass art and a special display of Japanese Kanji "Mother" pendants for Mothers' Day. I brought some water and the coveted dark chocolate gram crackers from Starbucks. That's why its good to have your friends visit you at shows!

I've done several shows with Larry last year, and I have learned so much. I am constantly improving my display, and learning how to "work" my booth. Like I said in a previous post, I learned a lot by watching how he interacts with customers, the way he talks about his work, and how he makes them laugh. He has a blog geared toward people who are newbies in the craft show world, and there are some great tips there. You can find it here: Kessler Craftsman Blog.

Larry and I will be at the Etsy Dallas Spring Bash this Saturday. Also Larry will be giving away fused glass rings and I'm giving away marble magnets; both of which can be found in the Spring Bash goodie bags. Be one of the first 50 people through the door to score one!

We have a winner!

Congrats to Bridgette of Allen, TX for winning the Japanese Branch Book! Everyone that signed up for my newsletter at the Funky Finds Spring Fling last weekend was entered in the raffle. If you signed up, you will be receiving my newsletter very soon.

My newsletter includes updates on my new work, upcoming shows, coupons, freebies, and more! I've added a sign-up form to the right-hand tool bar, and will be announcing an online sign-up raffle soon.

I will be raffling off another one of my hand-bound journals at the Etsy Dallas Spring Bash on May 16, 2009 at South Side on Lamar. Hope to see you there!

Making Magnets

I'm making more recycled magazine magnets for our upcoming show: The Etsy Dallas Spring Bash! It's so fun to search through magazines finding cute and unexpected images to use. I was running low after the Funky Finds show, and I think I might need a bigger display for them in the future. You can get a free magnet by being one of the first 50 people at the door, as they are included in an awesome screen-printed goodie bag full of handmade items by Etsy Dallas members! Hope to see you there!

First Show of the Year

I am spent from my all-day adventure at the Funky Finds Spring Fling! I've done several shows by myself, and last year I did several shows with my amazing glass artist friend Larry. I learned so much from him watching how he interacts with customers, the way he talks about his work, and how he makes them laugh. I had my own booth this time, but Larry was right around the corner. I'm a lot more confident when I explain the complexities of my work, and I no longer cringe when I hear "$20 for a pen?!" because I know it's worth it. I had a great time and met some cool people.

Now I'm thinking about how I can improve my booth. I definitely need a new sign that coordinates with my new colors of sky blue and white. My goal is to help people understand what they are looking at. I slide the beaded tube off the pen, and explain how I weave all the beads ONE AT A TIME. I want to have a sign with shots of the process for the Spring Bash. Some people will just "get it" and love it, and those are my customers.

Beaded Locket Decision

My Beaded Locket class with Melanie Doerman is two weeks away. She is coming to teach the Dallas Bead Society, and I have been excited about this for months! The first project is a fully functional beaded locket and the other is her Dragon Lariat. Now it’s decision time. The locket kits were just posted on her site and I am agonizing over which color combination to choose. Black is nice because you can wear it with anything. Purple is my all-time favorite color. I love the idea of bronze; that’s a great fashion-forward color for summer. I really like the green one, too. It has a flower pattern on it and the shades are celery, olive green, and cranberry. Or I could buy my own kit and choose my own colors. Bronze and green might be just what I need. It would be cool to have a maroon and white locket and put my wedding picture in it. We had a Aggie wedding of course. Ah, decisions, decisions. I’ll definitely post the finished piece!

I just listed my Purple Haze Pen & Pencil Set in my Etsy shop. Purple is my all time favorite color, and I just love Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix. His guitar riffs are just amazing! Those two things provided some great inspiration for the set :)

I wish I didn't have to work today. I feel really motivated to create more designs and list more things in my shop. The worst part about listing is writing the copy, but I think I'm getting better at it.

Song lyrics | Purple Haze lyrics

Flower Power

I have made 100 pink, blue, and purple flower magnets this week! They are for goody bags for the 2 shows I have coming up:

4/25 - Funky Finds Spring Fling - Will Rodger's, Fort Worth, TX (first 50 to buy $1 raffle ticket get a goody bag)

5/16 - Etsy Dallas Spring Bash - South Side on Lamar, Dallas, TX (first 50 through the door get a free goody bag)

I put each one in a little bag with a business card and a coupon attached for free shipping at my etsy shop, Scribble Scrabble. I am also the goody bag coordinator for the Spring Bash, and we are packing our cute tote bags full of free handmade items and coupons, including some really cute Spring earrings by Tefi Designs. I can't wait!

Spring Bash

I am so excited about the Etsy Dallas Spring Bash! I turned in my application today, and I finished making my promos for the goody bags over the weekend. I'm also a member of the leadership team, so I had some postcards printed, and I'm going to get the Deco Squad together for a brainstorming session at our Craft Circle on Friday. We still have a lot of promoting to do, and we are accepting applications for 2 more days. Click here for details :)

Interview

I'm turning in my profile for our Etsy Texas Crafters Membership booklet today. It's going to be a CD of profiles of all the members and we'll use it as a promotional tool. Here are the questions and what I wrote:

Etsy User Name: Scribbles

Tell us a bit about yourself (name, location, affiliations, achievements/awards, and any personal stuff you want to share).

My name is Mandi Flint and I'm a right handed Leo born in the year of the boar. I'm a hippie-liberal type from Austin, who went to school at Texas A&M for a history degree, then moved to Dallas. I'm an artist, peace activist, feminist, and I have a bead addiction. I've been beading since I was 10 when my grandma gave me her loom. I had my first jewelry show at age 12, nearly sold out, and made $78. I thought I was rich! Lately I've experimenting with other ways to use beads besides jewelry. I love writing, so I was already a fan of the G2 Pilot Pens for the fun colors and the smooth gel ink. The only problem was they looked so ordinary. I combined the pens with my passion for beading and BANG, Scribble Scrabble Beaded Pens was born.

Are you an Etsy Buyer, Seller, or Both? both

What is the first thing you can remember making by hand? How and why did you make it?

That’s a hard one, so I’m glad it’s the first thing you remember making. My grandma taught me to sew at a very early age. She got me a book that had several sewing projects in it. I think the first was a bag to keep all my sewing supplies in. She allowed me to choose any fabric from her large and deliciously colorful stash. I chose a green fabric that had big pink hibiscuses on it. I think I still have it somewhere!

Why do you create?

I create because it’s a meditative freedom. My mind and creativity are free to go anywhere they want without hindrance. Whatever I’m feeling goes into what I’m making, and I love that I can just lose myself in it.

What inspires you? Where do your ideas come from?

I’m deeply inspired by other artists and the stories behind their work. I’m also inspired by nature, color, feelings, even books.

What are your favorite materials?

Beads; with the definition of beads being anything that has a hole through it :)

What is your favorite color?

Purple

What are your most and least two favorite films? My favorite is a toss up between Boondock Saints and Pulp Fiction. My least favorite film has to be What Dreams May Come just because I don’t like the way it affected me.

What are you reading right now?

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the way we make things. It’s really changing how I look at things and what I choose to buy. It gives the word consumer a whole new meaning.

What is your favorite item you have purchased on Etsy?

I’m going to go with my red velvet cupcake pin cushion! My beading needles just weren’t happy with the boring old tomato pin cushion.

Now I have to choose which photos I'd like included!

2 more mini pens!

I posted this Pink Butterfly Mini Pen last night along with a Turquoise Peace Mini Pen. I love making the little mini pens! I went to the store last weekend to buy some more, and I found a surprise. They came out with some mini mechanical pencils! They look just like the mini pens but with a little eraser on top. I've already made one and I plan on posting it later this week.

The next 3 projects on my list are:
1) go look at wedding invitations and get ideas so I can make my own
2) get some pens made for the funky pen and notepad swap on swap-bot
3) work on my profile for the ETC membership book!

Bumblebee Mini Pen

Here is my new pen design, and I am soooo proud of it! I made a cute little bumblebee, and gave him 4 violets all to himself :) I have 3 other mini pens that I will be adding to my shop this week. I'm going to try again on the posting one item per day for a week. I have a mini butterfly, another peace sign, and another waves pen.

I got so much stuff done over the weekend and caught up on a lot of my favorite podcasts. All the sampler packages have been sent out, so I'm hoping people like my pens and come have a look at my store. Then I will be working on my new website! I kind of want to model it after www.betzwhite.com. She has a link to her etsy store under "shop" and a link to her blog. I'd also love to have a gallery. I need one of her cupcake pincushions, too!

Butterflies & Dragonflies ATC Swap

I had so much fun making the ATCs for the swap. I think the 3rd one is my favorite though. I made two for each of my swap-bot partners. I hope they are enjoyed! I loved the explanation of the butterfly effect:

The flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil can set off a storm in Texas. Isn't that an amazing statement? Physicists call this theory "The Butterfly Effect" to explain how the breeze produced by a butterfly's wings could set of a series of reverberations that over time have a tremendous affect on weather patterns thousands of miles away. Now imagine the impact of millions of butterflies...

I love the idea that we all have the power to change the world, and it can start with a small action.

Etsy DFW Meet & Greet

I had so much fun at our first meeting, and I hope we can do it again soon! It was Sunday from 1-4 at Jo-Ann Fabrics. We went around the table and talked about our shops and our craft. That took awhile because we always branched off into other topics such as wholesale selling and pricing etc. Then, our fearless leader Mary brought out some craft kits that she had put together for us. We made altered books, and played with wallpaper, glue, scissors, ribbons, and an ancient looking punch! I loved the outside of mine, but it didn't look as pretty on the inside. Some people decided to donate their project to the team shop for helping promote the trunk show in NY. We decided to do more crafts at future meetings, and donate them as well. I'm the first person on the right side of the picture. Here's a list of everyone and their shops starting with me :)

Mandi = Scribbles
Ellen = EllensTreasures
Mary = MarysMadness
Shannon = Bijoujuju
Micky = MoonshineBluebirds
Megan = Muttsywonder
Karen = Nerdbomber
Diane = DLSDesigns
Beth = ATrunkFullOFun
Kelly = BananaShowcase

Words

I have changed by shop intro to include the story behind my shop. Here it is: I love writing, so I was already a fan of the G2 Pilot Pens for the fun colors and the smooth gel ink. The only problem was they looked so ordinary. I combined the pens with my passion for beading and BANG, Scribble Scrabble Beaded Pens was born. If you don't see a pen that fits your personality, I'd love to do a custom pen for you. They are perfect for journaling, jotting notes, writing letters, and even scrapbooking!

I also added a sections about my beadwork and about the pens so people have a better idea about what I'm selling and why it's so awesome!

*About the Beadwork:
I use a needle and thread, and a technique called peyote stitch to weave the beads together. The beads are Japanese Delicas to create a precision, flawless design. I start with a circle of beads, and each additional bead is locked into place one at a time. This process takes 2-6 hours depending on the size of the pen, and the complexity of design. The result is a solid tube of beads that will slide off the pen so it can be placed on a new one!

*About the Pens:
Quality work needs a quality "frame," and that's why I chose the G2 Pilot Pen. The gel ink is smooth, water resistant, and acid free (archival safe). It's retractable, so there is no cap to lose. They also come in fun colors with a comfortable, contoured rubber grip. Use the regular size for journaling, jotting notes, writing letters, scrapbooking! The compact design of the mini is perfect for purses, datebooks, briefcases, and pockets!

"First Monday" was a Success!

Etsy Texas Crafters had our inaugural "First Monday" on June 4th and it was a success. I made two sales, and one was from our fearless leader Milly! We had 31 member shops participate, and 17 had sales with a total of 37 items sold! I glad the "I Heart Yarn Pen" finally found a good home, too. I am having my first talk with a team member today about our the ETC website we are building. Staying busy, that's for sure.

Also, my Sampler package was found! Apparently many of the packages had trouble making it there. Silly mailman! All are found and will be going out today, and I'm really excited about that. I'm also going to try to get this new pen posted before I leave for work.

Good News and Bad News

I guess I'll start with the bad news so I can end on a positive note. My package to the Sampler was lost in the mail! I cried when I saw they didn't receive it, and after I went to the post office and they said there's nothing they can do. I lost over $200 worth of merchandise and promos, plus all the time that went into it. It was so stupid not to insure it or get delivery confirmation or something. For those type of packages I think I'll use UPS or FED EX so this won't happen again.

The good news is that I got a new lightbox, and I can finally get those awesome white backgrounds for my pictures! I just posted this blue peace mini pen in my shop. I'm going to re-photograph all my pens this weekend and hopefully have everything finished in time for the very first Etsy Texas Crafters "First Mondays." The first one is this Monday -- this will be 24 hours of great sales and special offers in the ETC team shop, as well as in ETC members' shops, and will be held the first Monday of every month (12:01am to 12:00 midnight Monday, Central Time / 1:01am Monday to 1:00am Tuesday, Etsy Time). Watch for our special avatars to appear when First Mondays sales are going on. My sale will be a BOGO, so when you buy a regular size pen, you'll receive your choice of mini pen free!