Want to Be Reviewed?

Do you have a company with a product you want me to review? I am doing product reviews on this blog. Some examples of products I will review include:

• Handmade products from Etsy
• Vegan companies and products
• Art and art journaling supplies
• Business tools
• Digital products

I also do interviews and accept guest posts. Contact me for more details.

Blog Anniversary and Giveaway!

This week is My Thread of Thought's anniversary. To celebrate, I'm having a giveaway. The prize is a greeting card of your choice from my shop. To enter, you just have to leave a comment in this entry. If you post about the giveaway somewhere else (your blog, etsy forums, twitter, etc.), just let me know and you'll get an extra entry. The giveaway will be up until July 18th.

I can't believe it's been two years since I've had this blog. I posted my first entry on the Fourth of July of 2008. This blog has been a good way to talk about my Etsy shop and things going on in my life. I find it helps organize my thoughts and relieve stress when I write things down. I've gained 269 followers which is great. I thought I'd post some of my favorite entries over the years:

Fourth of July (July 4, 2008)
Getting Etsy on Other Sites (July 14, 2008)
First Sale! (July 21, 2008)
Craftster Challenge: Playing Cards (July 22, 2008)
Halloween Cards Tutorial (September 20, 2008)
Election Day Giveaway (October 28, 2008)
Valentine's Day Items (February 14, 2009)
World Autism day (April 1, 2009)
Record Store Day (April 18, 2009)
Etsy Day (April 23, 2009)
First Craft Show (July 13, 2009)
Luna's Famous! (July 21, 2009)
Vote for my Journal to be in the Gift Guide (July 28, 2009)
Giveaway and Hippo Treasury (August 11, 2009)
Vatican city Photo (August 24, 2009)
Worldwide Moment (September 8, 2009)
My Cousin's Wedding (October 24, 2009)
10 Things I'm Liking and New Card (November 17, 2009)
Gift Guide Part I (December 11, 2009)
Christmas & Snowflake Journal (December 24, 2009)
YouTube & Tumblr (February 6, 2010)
World Nutella Day (February 5, 2010)

Good luck on the giveaway!

Mother's Day

I thought I'd share some items that would be good to buy for Mother's Day (Which is May 10th this year). There is a 10% sale in my shop from May 5th-May 10th. It seems like I've had a lot of sales lately, but I guess that's okay. :)

Iridescent Blue Photo Frame



This frame is perfect for your mom to put a favorite photo in or for you to put a photo of you and your mother in.

Laundry List Sticky Note Pad



Whether it's for shopping, things she has to do around the house, things she has to do for work, etc., a journal with blank to-do list sticky notes can always come in handy.

Cupcake Desserts Cookbook



This is perfect for the mother who likes to cook (especially sweets). I gave my mom a cookbook for Christmas.

Love Deeply Inspiring Quote Greeting Card (Pink Version)



I didn't have time to make new Mother's Day card, but there are some greeting cards in my shop with general inspiring quotes that could make great gifts. This card has the quote, "To love deeply in one direction makes us more loving in all others."

I think I already know something I can give my mom. It's something I made for a class (I can't reveal what it is yet because my mom reads my blog sometimes, haha). Last year I tried making a handmade card that had seeds in it (so you could plant it afterwards). I can't remember if the seeds actually worked, but it was a fun idea to try. Mother's Day is a good holiday to give handcrafted things because they're a little more personal.

I made a new poll on this blog. I think I might do a poll from time to time. This one just asks if you keep a journal. I started journaling a lot more last year and I have kept 3 journals this year. I don't have a journal right now and I'm not sure when I'll start a new one (even though there is one journal I'm using for a class that I'm going to continue to keep) so it just made me curious if people keep journals.

I have my last final tonight (which is weird, I've never had a final on a Saturday night before). It doesn't really feel like a weekend to me now, but after that, I'll be completely done with classes. I'm excited to get out for the summer. :)

Earth Day, Craft Show and Recycled Items

Happy Earth Day! My college held a craft show type event for Earth Day so I decided to sell some of my crafts in it. I had fun doing it. It was busier than I thought it'd be and reminded me of a craft show I did at Esperanza last summer. One of my cards sold right away. It was a newer card and I didn't have the chance to get a photo of it. I collaged photos from a magazine I had from the 1950s. That was the only thing that sold, but I got lots of admirers and comments which was nice. It was also fun to see what other crafts and recycled items people were selling.

Since it's Earth Day, I thought I'd post some items I have in my Recycled Items.

I have a couple movie poster recycled journals. I want to make more like these in the future:

Hope Floats Movie Upcycled Journal



Center Stage Movie Upcycled Journal



I have some items made out of recycled books. The "I Am a Little Duck" is the first item I sold on Etsy:

I Am a Little Animal Upcycled Journal



Upcycled Swan Flyaway Journal



These are some items I made with vintage items, from magazines:

Best Wishes Red Birthday Greeting Card



Vintage Girl Coptic Bound Book



These items are altered journals. I started with an old journal that was already bound and redid the covers:

Asian Print Mini Upcycled Journal



Altered Octopus Spiral Journal



What are you doing to celebrate Earth Day?

New Greeting Cards

I listed some new greeting cards. I listed these greeting cards that use paper from vintage magazines:

Wavy Fudge Ice Cream Vintage Greeting Card



Wavy Blueberry Pie Vintage Greeting Card



These are some other new cards I've listed:

Wavy Blue Checked Doughnuts Card



Blue and White Flower Greeting Card



I'm working on some new journals. I got some new decorative paper so I'm using it with these journals. I'm also trying to list new items frequently. Besides Etsy, I've been really busy with school lately. I feel like I'm at the point of the semester where you have a lot of work in all your classes. Are there any art projects or crafts you're currently working on?

Vintage Valentine Greeting Card Sale

I sold this Vintage Valentine Greeting Card:



I think this is the first Valentine's Day item I've sold. I'm also giving away two greeting cards in my Valentine's Day giveaway.

Keyboard Fabric Card and Updates

I sold another item! It's the Pink Lace Keyboard Fabric Card, a music themed greeting card I made last year: it 

I'm happy this one sold because it is one of my personal favorites. I love the cute keyboard fabric, which I found on an etsy shop.

I relisted the Postcards from Europe Coptic Stitch Journal. Even though it sold, I never got payment for it so I just decided to relist it.

I also might have a custom order for a bunch of holiday cards during the holiday season. It's kind of different from my usual custom orders so I don't know how it will turn out, but we'll see what happens.

How to Write an About Page for Your Etsy

Have you written an about page on your Etsy shop? An about page is important because it lets your viewer get a more in depth look at your shop. To edit your about page, go to Your Shop > Shop Settings > About Your Shop on the Etsy website.

Members

Your shop viewers will like to see who is behind the shop. The members section allows you to include a short bio of yourself. You can add info about yourself, what your other job is, your hobbies or where you live. You can also add a photo. Add a headshot or a photo of you working in your studio. You can also add other members or people who work on your shop.

What’s Your Story? 

Every shop has a unique story behind it. Your about page lets you share this story to your viewers. Start with a story headline that describes what your shop is all about.

The story section allows you to elaborate further on your shop. You can write about how you came up with the idea of your shop and how it get started. Maybe you have an interesting story or reason behind why you started your shop. Maybe you wanted to raise money to donate to a charity so you decided to open a shop selling a specific item to start earning money. Maybe you lost your job and thought opening an Etsy would be a unique way to earn money. Let your viewer know what your shop is all about. You can also include info on how your shop has grown throughout the years or places you have been featured on. Maybe you were featured in a magazine. This is a good place to write about it.

The story page also allows you to add five photos. Use high quality photos that are displayed 760 x 428 pixels. Since you already include photos of your items on your shop page, include other photos here. Studio photos work well such as photos of you working in the studio or in the process of making your craft. You can also add photos from craft shows, places you’ve been featured on, displays or your items or group photo shots of items.

Links

Finally, there is a section for shop links where you can include links to your shop blog and social media sites. This will help viewers find you on other websites.

Etsy might allow you to work with an outside manufacturer. If you do work with a manufacturer to create items for your shop, you can apply to work with a manufacturer in this section. Etsy will review your application.

Be sure to share it on social media.
What tips do you have for creating an about page for your Etsy?

Mini Wedding Greeting Card

I just listed this Mini Wedding Greeting Card:





I have a bunch of mini greeting cards (A2 cards). I originally made them as samples to give out. I think I might sell them in my shop though. Would you buy mini greeting cards?

How to Make Vegan Products

Want to make handmade products that are vegan to sell on Etsy? I always try to make sure my products are vegan and cruelty free. These are some tips I use:

Source your materials.

When finding materials, check to make sure they are vegan. Do they use leather? Do they use beeswax or animal products? When bookbinding. I make sure not to use beeswax in my products.

Check if an item is tested on animals.

Do they test on animals? Are they organic? Make sure they don’t test on animals, especially with beauty products.

Ask if something is vegan.

If you are not sure if a product is vegan, ask the shop owner or email the company. It doesn’t hurt to ask or double check.

Make a note that your products are vegan.

In your policies or about page, mention your products are vegan and don’t use animal products.

What are your best tips for making vegan products?

How to Make Your Own Body Scrub

I got sent a few beauty recipes to try out. This tutorial will show you how to create your own body scrub with just a few simple ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sea salt
• 1/2 cup Epsom salt
• 1/4 cup finely ground cornmeal
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Essential oils: Use 3 drops peppermint oil with 5 drops lavender oil for a “for her” salt scrub. Use 10-12 drops of sandalwood or Thieves essential oil for a “for him” salt scrub.
• Optional ingredients: Use 2 ground bay leaves for a “for him” salt scrub. You can also add a couple drops coconut oil or vitamin E oil.

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients well.

2. Store in reusable glass jar with a tight fitting lid.

To use: Apply salt scrub to a clean body. Relax for 10-15 minutes with the salt scrub on. Rinse off and pat dry.

This scrub has many benefits. The sea salt will open the pores and Epsom salt will pull toxins and restore magnesium. The essential oils and herbs give benefits to the skin.

I really liked this salt scrub. I used it on my body when I took a bath after dry brushing to help release toxins. I also use it on my hands. I love the scent and way it makes me feel.

Let me know if you try this out. Have you ever tried making your own homemade beauty products?

Pancakes and Booze Review

This was my first time going to the Pancakes and Booze Art Show. I went for two days. The show was late night from 8PM-2AM and was held indoors.

The show is an art show, but they also have craft vendors, photographers, bands, and DJ’s. The show features 50-150 local artisans. They also have  live painting, body painting and servings of pancakes. I love that they offered pancakes, but one downside was they did not have any vegan food options so I did not get to try their food.

Pancakes and Booze has shows all across the nation. The Chicago show was held at Reggie’s which is a nice music venue and bar. Reggie’s has three floors, a rooftop bar and a record store. I was on the second floor when I vended. There were not too many other craft vendors, but I did get to check out the other artists.

Overall, the show was a lot of fun. The turnout was pretty good and I liked the energy of the show. The cost was $100 to vend or sell art and I was able to make back the money with items I sold. My mini journals were popular at the show.

I would commend checking out Pancakes and Booze if they are in your area. 

A Beautiful Mess Happy Mail

A Beautiful Mess sent me a couple past kits of their Happy Mail subscription service. Happy Mail ships monthly with fun stationery goodies. The My comes in a cute envelope package.

The kits are mostly filled with paper items. Some items the kits contains include: 

• Cards
• Envelopes
• Postcards
• Art Prints
• Sticker Sheets

I loved opening these kits. I will definitely save the cards for the future. The stickers are great to use for planning. I am going to stick the shopping list in my purse. I love that these items are both cute and functional. Have you tried or any subscription box? 

Interview: Blankets and Knitting Tools from BeCozi

Describe what you sell in your shop and the process of giant knitting.

I sell super chunky Merino wool blanket, DIY Knitting kits, giant needles and luxury Merino wool knits. I knit all my product using my hands. It give giant, 3 inches stitches and a beautiful chunky look to all knits.

Your products are made with Merino wool. You also sell vegan alternatives to Merino wool. Can you describe what Merino wool is? Why did you decide to offer vegan products?

I am selling 100% super chunky Australian Merino wool which made from the wool of Australian Merino sheep. Merino wool is the most amazing wool in the world: it is hypoallergenic, moisture wicking and even antibacterial because the fiber is so fine that bacteria can not attac to it! It is extremely soft, not itchey at all and very gentle to touch.
I also sell super chunky vegan yarn: 100% Acrylic which looks and feels like Merino wool for those who prefers everything vegan or just wans a cheaper alternative.
Some people have such severe wool allergy that even Merino causes it, those love my super chunky vegan yarn.

How would you describe your style?

My style is in the name of my store – BeCozi. Be cozy – is my style and a motto. All my products are made to make you feel cozy and comfrotable.

Describe your studio space. Where do you work?

I work from home. I have a studio with a special custom made table for hand knitting: it is a completely unique product designed by me. Hand knitting is my personal technqiue not used by anybody before. Now you can find people on YouTube who are copying my style but a year and 3 months ago when I started – I created this unqiue style of hand knitting.
I also have a shipping room with all the wool and shipping supplies in my house.

Do you ever have creative blocks?

No. I always have so many ideas and unfortunately not enough time to make them all the reality.
What is your favorite feature on Etsy? Do you use any other websites?
Not sure what is the first part of the question about, sorry.
I do sell on my website www.becozi.net and also on Amazon and Ebay.

How do you package your products?

I package the wool in plastic white mailing envelopes and for all the other products I use special sizes boxes.
Do you use social media?
I do use social media:
http://ift.tt/2lDg1uM
facebook.com/becozi
instagram.com/becozi
http://twitter.com/becoziknits
youtube.com/c/becozi

Do you ever do craft shows or sell wholesale?

I participated in one craft show in my city – Holland, MI in May 2016 for a Tulip time festival Carft show, otherwise I do not really have time to do it. I do offer wholesale for the wool and my items – 15% off from the price on Etsy and website. It is not 50% as wholesale usually works because my retail prices are very reasonable.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Giant knitting with super chunky Merino wool or super chunky vegan yarn is a lot of fun. It is my passion and joy, I love to do it and I love to share my passion with the world! 

Pancakes and Booze Art Show

Move the Needle will be vending at the Pancakes and Booze Art Show on February 24th-25th.

It will be held at Reggie’s in Chicago. If you are in the area, stop by and visit my booth. I will give half off any item if you mention you heard about the show from my blog.  You can RSVP on Facebook here.

Here is some more info:

• 80+ Emerging Artists Exhibiting
• Live Body Painting
• Free Pancake Bar
• 21+ EVENT
• 8PM-2AM both nights
• $5 GA (Cash at the door)
• $10 VIP skip-the-line
• Live Audio Performances

You can check out the Pancakes & Booze website here.  You can also follow them on Instagram here.

How to Do a Chocolate Bath Spa Treatment

How about bathing in a bath full of chocolate for Valentine’s Day? Chocolate is a common spa ingredient that softens and rejuvenate your skin.

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder or dark chocolate
• 1 cup bubble bath or unscented shampoo (optional)
• 1/2 cup powdered milk or soy milk powder
• 2 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 drops peppermint or chocolate fragrance oil
• Handful of large marshmallows (optional)
• Chocolate scented candles (optional)

Instructions:

1. Mix cocoa, powdered milk, cinnamon and vanilla.

2. Run a hot bath. If you want to create bubbles, add bubble bath or unscented shampoo. You can even use dish soap.

3. Pour the powder mixture in to a hot bath. Finally add the drops of peppermint or chocolate fragrance oil and marshmallows. The marshmallows will dissolve in the bath.

4. Light some candles (this is optional, but I think it sets the mood). Chocolate scented candles are perfect, but you can’t use whatever you have. Play some romantic music if you have it. Soak for 20-25 minutes and rinse off in the shower.

5. You can also choose not to do a full bath and instead soak feet or hands in the mixture for 10 minutes. Just put hot water in a large bowl and add the mixture using the instructions above. This is perfect to do before a manicure or pedicure.

Let me know if you try this out.

How to Price Your Handmade Products

 

 

If you want to sell items on Etsy, it's important to have a good product pricing strategy. You want to make sure you cover all your costs. You also want a consistent pricing formula throughout your items. People are usually willing to pay more for handmade items so don't be afraid to price a little higher than you think you should. 

Use this selling price formula as a guide for pricing your handmade work. See what price you come up with for each type of item you sell.

Materials 

The most important thing you want to cover in pricing is the materials you use to make your item. If your item price costs less than the materials you used to make it, you are losing money. 

Save all your receipts for Etsy related shopping trips and materials. Keep these in a folder or some other way to keep them organized like through the online service Shoeboxed  You will also use your receipts, especially ones for smaller and non material expenses, to calculate expenses. 

When you calculate your materials price, you should consider how much material you use for each item. I like measuring items like fabric or decorative paper in square inches. You can use the method of measurement that works for you. For example, find out how many square inches are in the full size of a product you bought. Then find how many square inches of a material you use in your item and use it to calculate the approximate price of the material you used. If you buy a roll of decorative paper that has 100 square inches and costs $4, a measurement of 25 square inches of decorative paper you use in a product would cost about $1. 

You only want to include the main materials you use in a product. Don't include smaller materials like thread or glue in your materials price. These go in to the expenses price. 

Expenses

What are expenses? Expenses are those hidden materials and costs. Hidden materials are things such as glue, measuring tape, scissors, thread and needle and other materials you use multiple times to make your products. 

Your packaging supplies and any materials you use to ship things are also expenses. Think of mailing envelopes, packages, bubble wrap, tissue paper and computer paper and ink to print out shipping labels. 

Materials you use multiple times and other things you pay for in your business can count as expenses. Your laptop and studio space are considered expenses. For bigger items, you should calculate the monthly price of them by thinking of how many months the expense will last and dividing it in to the total cost of the item. For example, if a $1200 laptop lasts for 12 months, the monthly cost is $100. 

Think about online expenses. Did you purchase web hosting or a domain? Do you pay for any Etsy related applications or services or computer software? This counts as an expense.

As you can see, the cost of expenses can add up. Every time you think of an expense, jot it down. 

So how do you figure out your "expenses" cost in the pricing formula? Add up all the expenses you thought of. How many items do you think you will sell in a month? Divide that number in to the total expenses costs. If you don't like the price you came up with, try altering what expenses you think you should include in your cost and play with the number of items you think you will sell in a month. 

Labor 

How do you find a fair labor to give yourself? Start by looking at the minimum wage in your state. If you don't want your price to be too expensive, start with the minimum wage. 

However, you should take in to consideration what is actually a fair price to pay yourself. Research what artists are paid per hour. Think about the skills you do. Do they require a lot of work? Is your talent unique? Do you do a skill not a lot of other people know how to do? Take all these things in to consideration.

To find your labor cost per item, time yourself or estimate how long it takes to make each item. For example, it may take you to 1 1/2 hours to make an item. Don't count drying or waiting times in to your timing. 

Now just multiple the hourly wage you gave yourself by the number of hours you worked. If you pay yourself $10/hour and it takes you 1 1/2 hours to make an item, your labor cost would be $15. 

Profit

Last, but not least is profit. Profit is how much you want to make per item. You can make this whatever you feel the item is worth. You want your hard work to pay off. You may tweak the profit depending on what your final price is. 

Wholesale Price

Add up everything in the formula sofar. This is your wholesale price. Where do you use your wholesale price? If you sell items in bulk or wholesale (such as to shops that want to sell your item), you should use this price. List your wholesale price on your line sheet if you have one. If you don't sell items in bulk or wholesale, your can just keep the price in mind if you have to use it later. 

Retail Price

Retail is twice your wholesale price. Retail is the price most customers will see. Use your retail price for your Etsy items. If you have a discount or sale on an item, just calculate the percentage off for the retail price. You can list your retail price as MSRP or manufacturer's suggested retail price, or list price, on your line sheet. 

I like using this formula to calculate my prices for each type of item I sell. Try plugging in the formula again for a different type of product. You may find using an exact formula works for your item or you may prefer to use the formula as a guide and come up with your own price. Other things you should consider are market trends and competition for similar items. You don't want a price that is completely different from other similar products being sold. Do what works for you and your business.

Want more tips on how to run an Etsy shop? Check out my new eBook, Needle and Thread. This eBook is all about running a creative handmade business on Etsy including pricing tips and how to grow your business. 

What pricing tips do you have? Let me know in the comments. 

Custom Items and Mailing List E-Mail Courses

 

 

I have some shop updates. In my Etsy shop, Move the Needle  I changed the decorative paper for custom items. Before, I had a bunch of listings for each topic of decorative paper (maps, watercolor, etc.), but I thought it would be easier to make it all one listing. If you want a different decorative paper other than the one listed, you can just contact me. I also added different colored card stock for greeting cards.

I think I will add some Halloween items in my shop soon. I do not think it is too early to list Halloween items. I am going to do custom items so I will just make items to order.

I am also working on a couple e-mail courses that will be free. I started a new mailing list under my name, Anna Leehey, where you will get updates on all my projects including my shops and blog. The reason I started a new mailing list is because I use different names for my shop and blog and I thought that would make it easier. You can sign up for my mailing list on the right side of this page. 

I think I will have one course for my craft shop, Move the Needle, where I give art journaling tips. The course for my new mailing list will be on how to start and grow a handmade business on Etsy. Let me know what courses you think I should do in the comments. 

Printable Washi Tape

If you love washi tape, you will love these printable washi tapes in my shop, Printables and Things.

This washi tape has a black and white bird design. All you have to do is print it on a clear full sheet label and cut it.

Here is another version of the printable washi tape using a pink and green design.

You can use washi tape in packaging, envelopes, scrapbooking and other craft projects.

How do you like to use washi tape?

A Beautiful Mess Happy Handmade Home Review

I received the A Beautiful Mess Happy Handmade Book as a gift a little while back. Since I did a review of the A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea book, I thought I would do a review of this book. 

This book is written from the creators of the A Beautiful Mess blog. It has a lot of good ideas and inspiration for painting, crafting and decorating a handmade home. 

The book is broken up by different rooms you can decorate including living rooms, kitchens, dining rooms, bedrooms, studio spaces, outdoor spaces, playrooms and small spaces. Crafts include quotable wall art, cloth napkins for a dinner party and flea market chair. Even if you don't have a whole space to decorate, it is easy to try out any of the crafts. 

This book have me a lot of good ideas like te photo idea book. It is very similar to their blog so it may not be worth a purchase if you already read their blog. I like having things in book form though and I enjoyed this book. 

What books have you been reading?