Whatever you would like to call them, they are now available for pre-order in my Etsy shop. I am so excited to finally be able to share these beauties with you guys. I started making them in September but sold out before I could even put them in my shop. Now that I am all caught up with orders, I can finally share them.


 These are 8.5 inches by 8.5 inches with rounded edges. They also come in a cute blue and cream floral pattern.




These are just the beginning! I have so many more that I want to share and I cannot wait to do so.

Hi, all! I hope that you are having an excellent time of the season. I wanted to tell you about a few important deadlines for the shop if you hope to order something in time for Christmas:

• The absolute last day to purchase a made-to-order or custom item to have probable delivery by December 25 is December 1.
• The absolute last day to purchase a ready-made item to have probable delivery by December 25 is December 15.

The U in unSLUMP stands for updates and I plan to do a few before the fall. (The L in unSLUMP stands for logistics. if you missed this post, check out my Instagram post about it. ) Here is what I'm thinking about:

Internal Updates:
email signature
Blog links--mske sure they are all current and update to new places if not

External Updates:
Update product photos for the holiday season
Twitter and FB page updates
Defined shipping details for when is the last date to order for ready made and handmade items to receive in time for Christmas.
Decide and write about shipping upgrades and finish making shipping profiles for Etsy and Storenvy

Another thing I am thinking about doing for my shop is to sign up for the Merriweather Council's Etsy course.

Is anyone else looking to update or upgrade their shop? If so, what are you up to?

This summer I decided to participate in the Merriweather Council's unSLUMP Challenge to gear up for the holidays. The first questions are:

Some questions to guide you as we begin + things to think about as we move along:

• What went well last year? What didn't? 

• Will anything have to be cut out or slimmed back for a couple weeks? 

• Will you have help? 

• Will you need to implement any changes starting now? 

• Will you need to adjust shipping and lead times? 

• Will you offer a shipping upgrade? 

• Will you be styling your product photos for the holidays? 

• Will you be running any sales or promotions between Halloween and Christmas?

What went well last year?

Well, I sold more items in person than I ever have. In fact, I outsold how much that I sell online. I may do 1 or 2 holiday craft fairs, as that seemed to go well last year too. What didn't go so well is my online sales. I'm not so sure why so I'm trying to beef it up this year.

Will anything have to be cut out or slimmed back for a couple weeks?

Not that I can think of right now.

Will you have any help?

If I do a show, Rich will help me setup and take down. But as far as assembling items, it will be all up to me.

Will you need to implement any changes starting now?

Begin work on a new item that I would like to offer for my shop (socks). Create some NorthEast cork boards so I have some ready-made and available.

Will you need to adjust shipping and lead times?

No.

Will you offer a shipping upgrade?

I'll look into priority vs. first class.

Will you be styling your product photos for the holidays?

I wasn't planning on it but now that you mention it, it sounds like a good idea. I do have some Christmas decor that I could throw in arrange with what I'm photographing.

Will you be running any sales or promotions between Halloween and Christmas?

Yes. I will definitely do Small Business Saturday, possibly extending through Cyber Monday. I would also like to plan a small Christmas/holiday-themed item to include in any order placed between November and Christmas.

There will likely be a few more of these posts as I gear up for the holidays. With people doing Christmas in July sales, I've been getting in the mood to get my own items ready.