In case you're already thinking about Valentine's Day...

'Sweets for my Sweets...' by inkstrand

Because the way to someone's heart is through their stomach.

Grapefruit with Jalapeno and... lemonbird $8.50	Spicy Strawberry Berlingots ... FusionSweets $8.44	Red Velvet Chocolate Dipped ... tookies $32.00
Vanilla Almond French Nougat... KettleConfecti... $8.00	Red Hot Cinnamon Caramel calabasascandy... $7.00	Vegan Pumpkin Whoopie Pies shortbreadnyc $25.00
Peppermint Marshmallows calabasascandy... $7.50	Pop A Cherry mihow $15.00	Suggestively Spicy Chocolate... tookies $27.00
Pumpkin Pie Hard Candy QuirkyCandies $8.00	Spicy Cashew Caramel Corn apt2bbakingco $6.00	Valentines Day White Chocola... sweettemptatio... $10.00
Sweet and Sassy-White Belgia... nikid $9.00	Gourmet RED VELVET Sandwich ... CarouselCookie... $19.95	ITTY BITTY Bite Size VALENTI... sugarandflour $10.50

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Etsy Holiday Bootcamp - Products

Looks like I fell behind a little on my Bootcamp assignments from week 2 and 3, so I've decided to lump them together into one big post. Which is perfect, because they're both focused on products - most popular, new work and custom holiday work.


What a lovely pair of crafty product ideas. (Source: disco smurf on Flickr)

Assignments:
1. List your most popular items
2. Brainstorm new work
3. Consider custom work
4. Fill in a blank, i.e. do something on your To Do list.
5. Find a Bootcamp buddy


Alright, let's get the ball rolling...

Popular items
This is a hard one. I could base it on views, but some of my highest hearted/viewed items haven't even sold yet. So I'll go with frequency of sales. And based on that my top items are:
- Mustache ring
- Hardware earrings
- Custom silhouette pendant
- Botanical specimen pendants
- Anatomical pendants (skeleton, hearts, etc)
- Steampunk/Victorian rings (raygun, penny-farthing, zeppelin)


New work
This one has been on my mind a lot, especially since the craft fair this summer, because I don't think there has been a lot of variety. So here are a few things I'm already working on and planning to work on:
-Drop earrings (for lack of a better term than "non-stud earrings")
-Diorama jewelry (multi-layer scenes in resin, paper and acetate)
-Vial earrings and pendants
-Steampunk machinery rings and necklaces
-Victorian inspired purses (drawstring and clutch)
-Messenger bags (mini and full-sized)
-Matchbook notebooks
-Gift tags and notecards
-Photo album / Guestbook
-Journals


Custom Work
Everyone knows personalized gifts are big for the holidays, in fact they're generally a great seller. So I'd like to add a few more things in addition to the custom silhouette pendant - and this Etsy article had some great tips.
Some options I may consider:
-Monograms and silhouettes added to items
-Custom colors, finishes and backgrounds (like maps)


Fill in a Blank
So far I've been pretty good with my to-do list. I've been making new items, updated my profile and checking tags. However, there is one thing it's taken me a while to scratch off and I need to do it this week: Take pictures of my NEW items!
I have purses, jewelry and a few paper items that haven't been listed because I haven't had the time to take photos. This is partly due to it getting darker earlier, so by the time I get home there's no natural light left. So that's my goal - get those photos taken and create an alternative (light box!) to my lack of daylight to make things easier.

A really great tutorial that I plan on using is the DIY $10 Macro Photo Studio by Strobist.


Bootcamp Buddy
Ah...this one I haven't done yet. So, anyone out there still need a buddy?


Done!
And just in time for the next set of assignments to arrive in my e-mail box.
That's right, you can join the Etsy Bootcamp fun each week. Just follow this link to sign up. Each Thursday they send out tips, homework assignments, etc to make sure you're ready for epic Holiday sales.


Happy Crafting!

Preparation...

I've decided to take the plunge and join a craft boot camp. I totally know what you're thinking...

Craft, damn you craft! I can't see you making jewelry!!

No, not that kind of boot camp. I'm talking about Etsy's Holiday Bootcamp. That's right, Etsy is going to help their sellers get into shape and so we can take on the big bad holiday season with skill.

This week's assignment: Sign the pledge, vote for our cheerleader and write a mission statement.


Ahem...my pledge:

I, inkstrand, pledge to participate in the Etsy Success Holiday Boot Camp to the best of my abilities. I vow to check in every week, do my homework and support my fellow Holiday Boot Campers. I will read the weekly newsletters and blog posts, check in on the weekly forum thread, read the weekly blog post, check off the checklists and salute the mascot. I promise to share what I've learned with those who need it, support my fellow Etsy indiepreneurs and, most of all, have a positive and persistent attitude. I understand that together we can spread the word about our handmade and vintage goods, making this holiday season a more unique and meaningful one to gift givers and give-ees everywhere!


and le Mission statement...
To create more diverse items and designs that will excite my new and old customers this holiday season, while still maintaining my theme of well-made, yet affordable, vintage-inspired pieces.


So far so good and I can't wait to do the next steps.

Interested? Join the fun, simply visit this link to sign up. Each Thursday they send out tips, homework assignments, etc to make sure you're ready for epic Holiday sales.


And on a slightly unrelated note, Moo is finally offering their StickerBooks in the US! Much like their business cards, you can pick a separate image for each one, which means endless options. Endless!!! (Well...it is limited to the number of stickers you purchase.)


Fabulous!


Well...that's all for now. Happy crafting!