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Jewlsies
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Not much to report. I am still alive. I'm currently buried under a mountain of yarn and a brain over-weighted by a million projects that I'm working on or want to be working on. I'm still trying to get someone to make me an over sized bottle cap button. I've told myself that until I get that, I'm not going to start the new project that requires it. Hopefully, that will motivate me to finish my started projects before I get the button and get working on that new one. But I'm super excited to start working on it. That seems to be the main problem behind MPD (multiple project disorder), starting new projects but not finishing old ones.
I am working on some Valentine's Day items. I am always so inspired right before the holidays to complete projects for them, however, it seems like my inspiration hits a little too late and I never get the projects completed in time. =( Here is the one Valentine's Day item I do have prepared. Valentine's Day Hair Fall - Long It was a special order for a friend and it turned out amazing! I'm so in love with it!! It you love it, let me know and place an order for your very own Valentine's Day hair fall! It's a GREAT accessory for any Valentine's Day party!
I am currently working on an Army scarf that I'm super excited about!! I also have Anna's fingerless gloves to finish, an iPod carrying ear warmers, another ear warmers, and a scarf to finish. The sad thing is that I only have to add fringe to my scarf for it to be completed. I love how fringe looks on the finished product, but I hate adding the fringe, it's just time consuming.
I've added a few new apps to my iPad to help with time and project management. I just added them today, but so far, they seem really helpful and like one of them would be a great asset to my business management. They focus on time sheets and work hours for projects (as mentioned in my previous post). The only thing is going to be making sure that I keep up on it and use it regularly as I am supposed to. As I've mentioned, I'm great at starting things, however, my follow-through has a bit to be desired. Again, I think it's my MPD shining through.
I am currently sponsoring a give-away for my Facebook page: AZ Always Creations on Facebook. The first 500 fans to like this page will be entered into a random drawing to receive a FREE ear warmers in their favorite team colors. In addition, I am willing to donate a matching one to the local shelter! So, if you haven't already, go over to our Facebook page and become a fan! The sooner we reach 500, the sooner you have a chance of being the winner! I hope I reach 500 soon because I've already started thinking about what to do for the next give-away, what the gift should be, and how many fans we should reach before I give away something else. I'm thinking to making it somewhat proportional to the number. Like, maybe at 5,000 fans I will give away a complete winter set (ear warmers, scarf, fingerless gloves) in the winner's chosen team colors. I haven't decided yet but I know 5,000 won't be the next earmark. You can't go from 500 to 5,000 with nothing in between. I think I also want to start a fan appreciation day or a fan of the week. My good friend, Teri Diamond of Diamond Crochet Crafts, has a great Facebook page with some amazing content and concepts in practice. She is my business role model. I'd like to be so much more Internet savvy, like her!
So... check back regularly for updates, ideas, new content, and hopefully some good and helpful resources and links. Don't forget to check out our store by clicking the store link at the top right! And go LIKE our Facebook page for new updates, contests, and to see what kind of great fan ideas I've implemented. You never know when I might come up with a great way to say Thank You to my fans! You certainly don't want to miss that!
I am working on some Valentine's Day items. I am always so inspired right before the holidays to complete projects for them, however, it seems like my inspiration hits a little too late and I never get the projects completed in time. =( Here is the one Valentine's Day item I do have prepared. Valentine's Day Hair Fall - Long It was a special order for a friend and it turned out amazing! I'm so in love with it!! It you love it, let me know and place an order for your very own Valentine's Day hair fall! It's a GREAT accessory for any Valentine's Day party!
I am currently working on an Army scarf that I'm super excited about!! I also have Anna's fingerless gloves to finish, an iPod carrying ear warmers, another ear warmers, and a scarf to finish. The sad thing is that I only have to add fringe to my scarf for it to be completed. I love how fringe looks on the finished product, but I hate adding the fringe, it's just time consuming.
I've added a few new apps to my iPad to help with time and project management. I just added them today, but so far, they seem really helpful and like one of them would be a great asset to my business management. They focus on time sheets and work hours for projects (as mentioned in my previous post). The only thing is going to be making sure that I keep up on it and use it regularly as I am supposed to. As I've mentioned, I'm great at starting things, however, my follow-through has a bit to be desired. Again, I think it's my MPD shining through.
I am currently sponsoring a give-away for my Facebook page: AZ Always Creations on Facebook. The first 500 fans to like this page will be entered into a random drawing to receive a FREE ear warmers in their favorite team colors. In addition, I am willing to donate a matching one to the local shelter! So, if you haven't already, go over to our Facebook page and become a fan! The sooner we reach 500, the sooner you have a chance of being the winner! I hope I reach 500 soon because I've already started thinking about what to do for the next give-away, what the gift should be, and how many fans we should reach before I give away something else. I'm thinking to making it somewhat proportional to the number. Like, maybe at 5,000 fans I will give away a complete winter set (ear warmers, scarf, fingerless gloves) in the winner's chosen team colors. I haven't decided yet but I know 5,000 won't be the next earmark. You can't go from 500 to 5,000 with nothing in between. I think I also want to start a fan appreciation day or a fan of the week. My good friend, Teri Diamond of Diamond Crochet Crafts, has a great Facebook page with some amazing content and concepts in practice. She is my business role model. I'd like to be so much more Internet savvy, like her!
So... check back regularly for updates, ideas, new content, and hopefully some good and helpful resources and links. Don't forget to check out our store by clicking the store link at the top right! And go LIKE our Facebook page for new updates, contests, and to see what kind of great fan ideas I've implemented. You never know when I might come up with a great way to say Thank You to my fans! You certainly don't want to miss that!
Posted by
Jewlsies
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These are the days that make it worth all the hard work. I finished off the poncho I'd spent a week working on. I look back and think, it really wasn't that bad. It feels like it's taking forever in the process, but when you're finished, you're proud of your completed project and realize that it really wasn't that bad. Now, if I can just get things to sell. That would release the last bit of frustration.
I anticipated only about 8-10 hours of work to get the poncho finished, but I was wrong. It took me 4 days total. Still, not bad. Now, if I'm honest with myself, I probably spent a good 24-36 hours on it. Maybe not even that much. I think the one thing that needs to be implemented, is focusing on a time sheet system so I can accurately track my hours. If you are making a business from the things you make at home, I highly suggest implementing such a system. Of some kind. These are things you have to take into consideration when pricing your items and establishing how much your making for each item. You have to consider the cost of materials and the other part of the equation is how much time you are spending in creating the item. Honestly, after paying for materials and setting a reasonable price, I have found that many crafters are only making a few dollars per hour in their endeavors. The best way to figure out what you're making and how to price items, you need to keep track of what you're spending in materials and how many hours you're spending in creating each item.
So, I've decided I'm going to do better at tracking my hours. I've found that sales and pricing isn't an exact art like it seems to be in the executive world. Spending all the time I have in the business world, I've learned that things aren't as cut and dry or cutthroat in the creative, homemade business world. It's much more difficult, yet more laid back.
Well... the point behind this blog is that success in completing an item is great. To make things better, I need to keep track of the time I spend in making items I plan on marketing. I kept thinking that while I was making the poncho too. And the good thing with keeping track of actual time spent on working on a particular item, lets you know how much time it will take to make another one if and when an order is placed and you don't have one already made.
So... here's a picture of the finished product. Finished Poncho. Don't forget to check other items or order this item at my store: AZ Always Creations. Check regularly because new items are always being offered.
Next project: Pichachu hat. I'm sure there will be at least one blog describing this journey. It will be my first time knitting in the round. I've got a great book to guide me and anything I don't understand, well, there's always Youtube tutorials to show me how it's done instead of just reading and trying to follow pictures.
Happy Knitting!
I anticipated only about 8-10 hours of work to get the poncho finished, but I was wrong. It took me 4 days total. Still, not bad. Now, if I'm honest with myself, I probably spent a good 24-36 hours on it. Maybe not even that much. I think the one thing that needs to be implemented, is focusing on a time sheet system so I can accurately track my hours. If you are making a business from the things you make at home, I highly suggest implementing such a system. Of some kind. These are things you have to take into consideration when pricing your items and establishing how much your making for each item. You have to consider the cost of materials and the other part of the equation is how much time you are spending in creating the item. Honestly, after paying for materials and setting a reasonable price, I have found that many crafters are only making a few dollars per hour in their endeavors. The best way to figure out what you're making and how to price items, you need to keep track of what you're spending in materials and how many hours you're spending in creating each item.
So, I've decided I'm going to do better at tracking my hours. I've found that sales and pricing isn't an exact art like it seems to be in the executive world. Spending all the time I have in the business world, I've learned that things aren't as cut and dry or cutthroat in the creative, homemade business world. It's much more difficult, yet more laid back.
Well... the point behind this blog is that success in completing an item is great. To make things better, I need to keep track of the time I spend in making items I plan on marketing. I kept thinking that while I was making the poncho too. And the good thing with keeping track of actual time spent on working on a particular item, lets you know how much time it will take to make another one if and when an order is placed and you don't have one already made.
So... here's a picture of the finished product. Finished Poncho. Don't forget to check other items or order this item at my store: AZ Always Creations. Check regularly because new items are always being offered.
Next project: Pichachu hat. I'm sure there will be at least one blog describing this journey. It will be my first time knitting in the round. I've got a great book to guide me and anything I don't understand, well, there's always Youtube tutorials to show me how it's done instead of just reading and trying to follow pictures.
Happy Knitting!
Posted by
Jewlsies
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I guess it comes with the territory. I can't say I'm exclusively frustrated, thankfully. I have hope and excitement, but much frustration. I am finishing one project today and starting a whole new beast over the weekend. I foolishly learned that when one person says something is easy, it doesn't necessarily mean the same things you consider easy. I bought a pattern off of Etsy for this adorable little item I am trying SO hard to make, but it is not that easy... especially on US2 needles. My suggestion, if you're working on something hard that calls for small needles, practice on larger needles first. So, my project has kind of been put on the back burner temporarily while I master some of the skills needed for it... on larger needles! I think I'll try my US5 since those are my next smallest needles and I do damn well on them.
I thank the technology gods for Youtube.com and chemknits.com! I get great tutorials from Youtube and Chemknits has some of the best tutorials posted on Youtube! I also LOVE their blog. They have some great free patterns, as well as guides and walk-throughs. This is an essential site!
I can't wait to get my project finished tonight. It's a super beautiful poncho in adult M. I can't wait to post pics and get it up on my http://azalwayscreations.storenvy.com. My next goal for this weekend is cracking down on reading and Youtube. I'm finally going to tackle knitting in the round! /GASP! Yes, I think I'm ready for it! I bought a pack of circular needles a long time ago, before I realized how those things work and have to be precise in length as well as needle size. I tried using them once and they just down-right pissed me off! So... I'm going to use the pack of double-sided needles I bought instead. I bought a recommended size in my learning to knit book, so hopefully, this will be less frustrating. It looks like it should be easy, but nothing ever is as easy as it looks, is it? haha. I am excited though! I have a special order I'm going to work on and hopefully have it done by the end of the weekend... if not, the middle of next week will be good too. I have to allow some time to make mistakes.
It's funny... screwing up in my knitting can frustrate me. I don't usually get too pissy about it, though. You can always start over. The only time I do get really pissy over it is when I have like 2 rows left to knit and screw it up colossally and can't save it. The bigger the project, the bigger the pissy fit! LOL Otherwise, I have gotten good at setting it aside, walking away, or picking up a different project. The key is to always come back! I have to remember that key! I'm sure we're all guilty of unfinished projects cluttering up the house/office/working space... Don't worry. We all go through it! I know it certainly helps me to know that I'm not alone in my struggles.
The worse thing... trying to figure out all of this Internet stuff! You would think I would be a little more tech-savvy with a brother who is the computer god of Dayton and a fiancee that is a computer guru. (if you know them, you would laugh at how accurate that is). But trying to promote my business online is harder than I ever could have imagined. It makes me truly grateful for those who have gone before me and share their wisdom. They have created excellent websites, storefronts, tutorials, blogs, and have been very personable and helpful on the social networks. I don't think I would have taken the leap to do some of the things I have been doing online if it were not for the encouragement and role models I have found in my new friends. It just goes to show you don't have to be a super CEO or lead of some organization or another to be a mentor. You never know who's watching. I hope if anyone ever finds anything I say/do to be interesting or spark something that could provide further guidance, they are never afraid to ask. I won't bite. I won't charge...much (j/k).
Okay... I had to make sure I got in my blog for today. Funny how stress-relieving this can be while starting out frustrating. I just need to make sure I make this all a habit. I'm working at that. It's so much easier to just get lost in my knitting.
I thank the technology gods for Youtube.com and chemknits.com! I get great tutorials from Youtube and Chemknits has some of the best tutorials posted on Youtube! I also LOVE their blog. They have some great free patterns, as well as guides and walk-throughs. This is an essential site!
I can't wait to get my project finished tonight. It's a super beautiful poncho in adult M. I can't wait to post pics and get it up on my http://azalwayscreations.storenvy.com. My next goal for this weekend is cracking down on reading and Youtube. I'm finally going to tackle knitting in the round! /GASP! Yes, I think I'm ready for it! I bought a pack of circular needles a long time ago, before I realized how those things work and have to be precise in length as well as needle size. I tried using them once and they just down-right pissed me off! So... I'm going to use the pack of double-sided needles I bought instead. I bought a recommended size in my learning to knit book, so hopefully, this will be less frustrating. It looks like it should be easy, but nothing ever is as easy as it looks, is it? haha. I am excited though! I have a special order I'm going to work on and hopefully have it done by the end of the weekend... if not, the middle of next week will be good too. I have to allow some time to make mistakes.
It's funny... screwing up in my knitting can frustrate me. I don't usually get too pissy about it, though. You can always start over. The only time I do get really pissy over it is when I have like 2 rows left to knit and screw it up colossally and can't save it. The bigger the project, the bigger the pissy fit! LOL Otherwise, I have gotten good at setting it aside, walking away, or picking up a different project. The key is to always come back! I have to remember that key! I'm sure we're all guilty of unfinished projects cluttering up the house/office/working space... Don't worry. We all go through it! I know it certainly helps me to know that I'm not alone in my struggles.
The worse thing... trying to figure out all of this Internet stuff! You would think I would be a little more tech-savvy with a brother who is the computer god of Dayton and a fiancee that is a computer guru. (if you know them, you would laugh at how accurate that is). But trying to promote my business online is harder than I ever could have imagined. It makes me truly grateful for those who have gone before me and share their wisdom. They have created excellent websites, storefronts, tutorials, blogs, and have been very personable and helpful on the social networks. I don't think I would have taken the leap to do some of the things I have been doing online if it were not for the encouragement and role models I have found in my new friends. It just goes to show you don't have to be a super CEO or lead of some organization or another to be a mentor. You never know who's watching. I hope if anyone ever finds anything I say/do to be interesting or spark something that could provide further guidance, they are never afraid to ask. I won't bite. I won't charge...much (j/k).
Okay... I had to make sure I got in my blog for today. Funny how stress-relieving this can be while starting out frustrating. I just need to make sure I make this all a habit. I'm working at that. It's so much easier to just get lost in my knitting.
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Jewlsies
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I'm in a good mood over the way things have turned out so far. I'm not as frustrated as I feared I might be. Especially after I spent 6 hrs online yesterday trying to promote the business and getting registered in all kinds of different online arenas. It is a little disappointing to jump on first thing in the morning and find out that no one is looking at you anywhere you have created your presence, but I understand that takes time and patience. However, this is a society of immediate gratification, and damn it, I want to be gratified too! lol
I also spent another 4+ hours online last night searching for free patterns. There's a wealth of places out there, but it's so frustrating that people cannot clearly separate knitting patterns from crocheting patterns. Yes, I have crochet needles, and yes, I'm trying to learn that too... but give me a break! I can only deal with so much frustration at one time! How many times can you deal with your 8 year old looking at your piece (that you have been working extremely hard on), giggle and say "Epic failure!" There's a point when you know she's right and give in. However, until you're at that point, it just pisses you off.
I have found Youtube to be an amazing assist along my journey. You can find and put damn near anything on Youtube! It makes me wonder why I'm not famous... Oh yeah, I don't post anything on Youtube. Of course, that brings up ponderings for an entirely different ramble. So I will try to stay away from that for now. However, it's great to knit with Youtube. You just go along about your business and when you come to a piece of pattern you don't understand or the pictures just aren't working for you... go type it in Youtube search and someone, somewhere is willing to show you how to get 'er done!
Well, enough rambling for now. I want to go play on Youtube and figure out a few steps in this new pattern I bought last night that I don't quite have down yet. THEN... I'm off to start on Didgery!! So excited! I hope it turns out to be less frustrating than I fear it might be. I know after the first one, or maybe third one, I will find it relaxing and enjoy making it. "Practice makes perfect, young grasshopper."
I also spent another 4+ hours online last night searching for free patterns. There's a wealth of places out there, but it's so frustrating that people cannot clearly separate knitting patterns from crocheting patterns. Yes, I have crochet needles, and yes, I'm trying to learn that too... but give me a break! I can only deal with so much frustration at one time! How many times can you deal with your 8 year old looking at your piece (that you have been working extremely hard on), giggle and say "Epic failure!" There's a point when you know she's right and give in. However, until you're at that point, it just pisses you off.
I have found Youtube to be an amazing assist along my journey. You can find and put damn near anything on Youtube! It makes me wonder why I'm not famous... Oh yeah, I don't post anything on Youtube. Of course, that brings up ponderings for an entirely different ramble. So I will try to stay away from that for now. However, it's great to knit with Youtube. You just go along about your business and when you come to a piece of pattern you don't understand or the pictures just aren't working for you... go type it in Youtube search and someone, somewhere is willing to show you how to get 'er done!
Well, enough rambling for now. I want to go play on Youtube and figure out a few steps in this new pattern I bought last night that I don't quite have down yet. THEN... I'm off to start on Didgery!! So excited! I hope it turns out to be less frustrating than I fear it might be. I know after the first one, or maybe third one, I will find it relaxing and enjoy making it. "Practice makes perfect, young grasshopper."
Posted by
Jewlsies
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It's official. I have moved into the 21st century! I have a Twitter account: @AZ_Always. I have a storefront: http://azalawyscreations.storenvy.com!! And I have my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/AZAlwayscreations. NOW... I have a blog! Will it be beneficial or just the ramblings of some crazy woman trying to maintain her sanity through knitting? Who knows? But it should be some sort of fun either way!!
I hope to post my progress on here and pictures of some of my creations. Perhaps I will get better at all of this madness and even be able to create my own patterns to pass on. Right now, if it isn't easy, it's frustrating. But I'm getting better at it. Shoot... I spent over 6 hours today trying to acclimate my business to the World Wide Web. So far, I have 4 Twitter followers and I've gained a WEALTH of knowledge and places to find patterns. I will pass this info on at another time. I promise! It's been a super busy day today. And I can't wait for my new pattern to arrive in the email! I'm super excited to start on it and I already have a TON of ideas on what to do with it! EXCITED!
Well... I think it's time to take my crazy ass to bed. All in all, I think I've been pretty darn productive today! Looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully my new pattern will be in my email and I can get started on that too!
I hope to post my progress on here and pictures of some of my creations. Perhaps I will get better at all of this madness and even be able to create my own patterns to pass on. Right now, if it isn't easy, it's frustrating. But I'm getting better at it. Shoot... I spent over 6 hours today trying to acclimate my business to the World Wide Web. So far, I have 4 Twitter followers and I've gained a WEALTH of knowledge and places to find patterns. I will pass this info on at another time. I promise! It's been a super busy day today. And I can't wait for my new pattern to arrive in the email! I'm super excited to start on it and I already have a TON of ideas on what to do with it! EXCITED!
Well... I think it's time to take my crazy ass to bed. All in all, I think I've been pretty darn productive today! Looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully my new pattern will be in my email and I can get started on that too!
