Welcome to my Crafting Blog!

Well, I wish I could say this blog preceded my crafting business, but alas, I already have a shop up and running:

http://www.darlinggifts.etsy.com

The hardest part so far has been getting sales. It was exciting one day, when I posted some crocheted wreath and santa ornaments, and they sold a few short hours later. But talk about false hope! I posted more to replace the ones that sold, to no avail. There they still sit, along with everything else I have put up in my shop so far.

My shop has been up for several weeks, and this point, I'm starting to wonder if I'm doing something wrong, and if it's all really worth it. The selling fees will soon be due, and a couple of sales would sure help pay them! At first I thought perhaps I had my prices too high, so I hopped on the message boards and asked around. Everyone was in agreement that my prices are reasonable, and my items are "cute."

But is "cute" enough? Who really buys "cute"? I realize that compared to most shops, I don't have much stock yet. But when your budget is basically nil, it's hard to make things that people want. My biggest obstacle right now is to think outside the Christmas box. Yes, Christmas is coming, and yes, people will be looking for decorative items.

But they will also be looking for gifts.

What can I offer that people will want to buy for their Christmas giving? I have made treasure boxes, wall hangings, and a few other odds and ends. What am I missing? That ever-elusive snag is just out of reach.

Then there is advertising. Twitter, Facebook, Google...it's all mind-numbing. And that's just online! With no extra money, I can't do newspaper adverts, nor can I afford the ink or a trip to Kinko's to print fliers. What's a girl to do?

For now, I have a Twitter account, a Facebook fan page, and of course a blog, right here on Blogger. Today I have been incorporating myself into Google's massive database. I am open to other ideas.

And that is really all the news that is news today. I have more questions than answers at this point. But there's always tomorrow...