Everyday new shops open up on Etsy. It amazes me all the talent that is out there. Below are just a few of my favorites I found using Pounce. They are still waiting for their first sales. So show them some love ♥



Middlegray

GiddyHippo

FairytaleJubilee

SnowStitched

Part of owning a business is knowing the numbers. With an online shop my numbers are particularly important. Its important to know how often my site is being viewed, by whom and how often. I also have to take into consideration if the number of Etsy Treasuries and Etsy Front Page I am featured in play a part in my views. I use Google Analytics and Craftopolis to help obtain the figures I need. I've decided to keep track of my numbers on a quarterly basis and analysis them to see what has been working and what changes I need to make.

JANUARY

16 Total New Listings
61 Total Renewed Listings
12,686 Pageviews
3,394 Unique Visitors
66 Hearts
140 Treasuries Featured IN
3 Front Page Appearances
9 Sales

FEBRUARY
10 Total New Listings
8 Total Renewed Listings
9,214 Pageviews
2,636 Unique Visitors
93 Hearts
195 Treasuries Featured IN
1 Front Page Appearances
4 Sales

MARCH
55 Total New Listings
8 Total Renewed Listings
12,195 Pageviews
3,135 Unique Visitors
90 Hearts
201 Treasuries Featured IN
1 Front Page Appearances
1 Sales

Overall I am happy with my stats. As long as I keep listing and renewing items my pageviews will continue to climb. I am however concerned with my 54% bounce rate!! More than half of my visitors look at one item and then leave my shop. I have my link placed in every single listing and in my profile. Apparently I have to do something different to keep visitors looking around my shop.

How have your stats been for this quarter? What do you do to keep your bounce rate low? I would love to get some ideas.

What's yarn bombing? Its a type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted cloth rather than paint.

Like most graffiti, its a statement of art and creativity. It is pretty amazing what people can do with a some yarn and a crochet hook. While I have never done a yarn bombing, I think it would be a neat idea.

I was at my mom's house and noticed that she covered a few items with crochet work. I'm thinking this is the closest she's going to get to yarn bombing!!

 



http://www.oberholtzer-creative.com/visualculture/2009/01/yarn-bombing/pd26392062-2/

http://yarnbombing.com/yarn-bombing-diy-flickr-pool

Have you done a yarn bombing? Please share!

For those who don't know what WIP means, it stands for Work In Progress.

I am not sure if anyone has this problem, but I have a ton of unfinished projects! I tend to start something and lose focus. Or I get an idea and start working on a new project.

Several months ago my sister requested a pair of fingerless gloves. I accepted the challenge. I figured it should be easy to find something for her, since there are hundreds of patterns out there. I was so wrong.

My sister and I are both thin with long arms. She wanted gloves that would cover the length of her arm and wasn't "holey". Well, I looked and couldn't find any patterns I like.

So here I am working on writing my very first pattern for fingerless gloves. Its been a slow process. Below is a picture of how far I've gotten. At this rate she might have her gloves by the fall!



What are your WIPs? Please share!

Now that I had a clean canvas it was time to decide what to plant. I wanted flowers that would bloom at different points of the season. Some in the spring, some in the summer. I want to keep my garden colorful. After a trip to Lowes I picked up a ton of bulbs. My friend also sent over bulbs from her lillies. While shopping at Walmart I found some bulbs which were part of the "Plant for Hope" series named in honor of Susan G Komen for the cure.


I just had to have them! With my mom being a breast cancer survivor, what a better way to show my support than to have a garden full of shades of pink. So now that I have my bulbs planted its time to wait and see what happens. I will keep you posted :-)

I love thrift store shopping. You never know what you can find. Recently I have been on the hunt to rescue crochet items. It saddens me to know that handmade items, such as baby blankets, that were meant to be keepsakes get sent to the thrift store. Then sold for less than $5. When I find something like scarves, hats or blankets in good condition I buy them. I use the yarn to recreate another wonderful item that will go to another loving home.

Most of the time I just wonder around aimlessly until I find something that interest me. Today I found these wonderful charms. I think they are adorable.



I was able to "rescue" this scarf made out of this great multi color yarn.



My last find was a single skein of variegated yarn. I don't know if I've seen this color before. Its very bright.


Over the last year I have gotten a hand ful of items from the thrift store. I have to admit that most of them are sitting on a rack in my workshop. Its a good thing I have my own space, or my hubby would have went crazy a while ago. They are just waiting for inspiration to hit me. I promise I have all good intentions! I will keep you posted on what I come up with for these items.

Do you thirft store shop? Or am I the only crazy one :-)

I am a big kid at heart. I love to play and have fun. I think this is why God gave me children of my own. It’s a great excuse for acting silly and not taking one self too seriously.



Photo by: unicornkids

When my kids were little I use to love waking up Saturday morning, curling up on the couch with them and watching cartoons. I would tell them about the cartoons I use to watch when I was growing up. Remember? Rainbow Bright, Care Bears, Jem, Fraggle Rock & Thundercats. Now those were cartoons!



Photo by: SalvagedLoveVintage

  Keeping in the spirit of being a big kid my hubby bought me the best Christmas gift ever. Soft, fuzzy, purple Smurf print pajama pants. They have to be the best pajama pants I have ever owned. I LOVED watching the Smurfs when I was younger and it is still my favorite cartoon of all time. So what is your favorite cartoon of all time?


Photo by: WheeTreasures









Can you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Caitlin. I am 27 years old and exactly where I'd like to be at this point in my life. I share my small apartment with an absolute sweetheart of a husband (my honey and best friend), a fluffy bunny named Truffles and a little blue Japanese fighting fish. I've worked MANY jobs in the past (usually 2 or 3 part-time jobs at once) and consider myself to be all the better for it. I've done everything from working in theater as a stagehand to some big shots, trying my hand at theatrical design (lighting, sound, etc.), done a little acting, worked in public libraries for 8 years, spent 3 years as a special ed paraprofessional in a middle school, did a painful 6 month run as an administrative assistant to the treasurer of a major bank, spent a year and half prancing around Disney World in a big, furry costume as a character and the list goes on and on. Now I am proud to say that I have the privilege of working from home in my spare bedroom studio (hence the shop name) creating to my heart's content and selling those creations online and in local boutiques.


When did you first discover your creative talents?

I can't actually think back that far. As long as I can remember I've been creating, drawing, painting, sculpting, knitting, crocheting, embroidering, etc. I've always loved ALL of it! My mother certainly helped by buying me endless craft books and kits when I was a kid and always helped me set up crafty things to do. She always says that when I was little I was constantly nagging her to do projects with me. I even started a Craft Club when I was about 10 and had my friends over once a month to have snacks and do a designated project. They paid dues of about 50 cents and my mother and I would take that to the store to buy supplies for the next month's craft. It was a lot of fun and lasted about 2 years until I moved to a different town.




What made you decide to open your very own etsy business?

I had actually never heard of Etsy until I met my friend Heather of MySelvagedLife. We were co-workers at a public library and when we weren't wasting time being silly or actually doing our job, she spent EVERY spare moment (when the boss wasn't watching) on Etsy. Over time I became enthralled with what she was doing and couldn't take it anymore... I had to open my own shop!! I love crafty things and creating in general and always have, so I figured… why not?

Describe your style in 5 or 6 words?

Airy, whimsical, fun, unique, funky, sweet


Describe what you struggle with most.


No question about it! I struggle with photos the most for sure! I can create new items until the cows come home and be happy, but when it comes time to take pictures...I want to run away screaming. One day I'll come up with that perfect photo trick and all will be well and good... a girl can dream can't she?


Do youhave any advice for those who are just starting out?

Join teams and make Etsy friends!!! It is SO helpful to have a positive support group of people who know what you're going through and can help you through it in a loving way. Teams are definitely worth the time and effort put in! Plus they are loads of fun!



What are you links? Shop, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, etc

Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SpareBedroomStudio
Blog: http://sparebedroomstudio.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/SpareBedStudio

Matthew 5:42 says, Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

An awesome story of a very talented man who fell on bad times and landed on the streets of Columbus, Ohio. A video posted by the Columbus Dispatch two day ago has already gotten over 6 million hits. When you see him you'll never guess what comes out of his mouth.



This morning his appearance on the CBS The Early Show was absolutely inspirational. He talks about his faith in God and never giving up hope.



Such a heart warming story is a wonderful way to jumpstart the new year!!