Better Late Than Never: January Goals

Whew! The end of 2009 was quite the whirlwind. After No Coast, I unintentionally took a whole month off from Plushroom Soup. Not okay! But I clearly needed it. As mentioned in my New Year's post, I will be working on balance for all of 2010 so I don't take anymore last-minute binge breaks from the business.

And, despite the month off, I did pretty well with my December goals. Let's recap:

1. Kick butt at No Coast. Specifically, I hope to sell at least half
   of my inventory, and make some new connections with sponsors/vendors I
   haven't chatted up in past years. Status: complete.
   I sold 52% of my inventory to be exact, and I feel really good about that. I'd say it was the second best No Coast ever. I met so many wonderful new people, and everyone was SO excited about my zombies and yeti ornaments; both completely sold out! So, a huge thank you to all of you who came out to support me and all the other fantastic vendors!


2. Complete all my custom Christmas orders. I received 6 custom order
   requests before November was even over, so I don't think I'll be
   accepting any more Christmas customs at No Coast this year. Status: complete.
   The zombie squirrel below is one of them.


3. Clean up my craft room again, organize shelves, take pictures, and blog it. Status: incomplete.
   Severely so. I'm afraid No Coast prep came through my room like a tornado.


4. Send out at least 2 more inquiry emails to retail stores/art
   gallery boutiques. (If any of you know of an awesome store/gallery in
   your city that I should contact, please let me know!) Status: complete.
   
   Total Accomplished: 3 / 4. 

What's in store for January?

1. Turn in answers to interview questions.
   I was asked to do an interview about Plushroom Soup, crafting, and the creative process for an international magazine! This will be my very first magazine interview, and I am so excited about it. The issue will be coming out in April. I don't want to spoil any surprises, so I won't mention the magazine title until then. Sorry!


2. Update the Etsy shop with at least 2 new items. More would be ideal.


3. Make 3 examples of my best work to submit to the MN Textile Center. Deadline: January 28-30.
   The shop at the textile center accepts new pieces only once per year, through a juried submission process where artists drop off up to 3 samples in person during a specific timeframe. I was out of town during the particular weekend last year and was super bummed to miss the opportunity. This year I'll be ready!


4. Clean up my craft room! I'm not even going to commit to the blogging part for this month. Just getting it clean will be a big enough accomplishment.

I feel a little guilty about some of these since they're already done, but an accomplishment is an accomplishment, right? I'd like this list to be longer (so much to do!), but I know my limits much better than I did when I first starting participating in the Goal Meetup.

Speaking of which, if you're new to the meetup, it is now being hosted by the lovely Liz over at Athena Dreams Designs so Jena can focus her energies on her new shop, Miss Modish, and the Modish blog. Many thanks to Jena for starting this wonderful group, and to Liz for keeping us going!

5 Years

That's how long my sweetie and I have been together, as of today. It's amazing how much changes in that time, and how much stays the same. Friends, addresses, jobs, hobbies, looks; these change. What hasn't changed is how smitten I still am with this guy. I still get butterflies when he smiles at me.

 

Happy anniversary, love.

Hello, New Year or, Where Does the Time Go?

Happy 2010, everyone! I can't believe how quickly the time flies. I say it all the time, but it really does. Hope you all had a fabulous holiday season and are looking forward to the coming new year; I know I am! 

I could recap the year, but I think you all know what I've done and how far Plushroom Soup has come in its first year. It's been a fantastic journey so far, and I couldn't do it without all of you. Really and truly, I appreciate each and every one of you. I may not always respond to every comment on the blog, but I do read and cherish every single one. Thank you for your support and for being awesome!

I have a lot of exciting plans for the coming months, and two really big ideas that I hope to bring to fruition. Right now they're just tiny seeds, and I'll share more when they've had time to mature.

Three things I really hope to focus on in 2010 are balance, better marketing, and better blogging.

After No Coast was over, I took a completely unintended four-week break from the business. I did a lot of stuff for just me; I read many books, finished knitting a project that had been on the needles for two years (!), taught my dogs new tricks, listened to a lot of new music, had much restful quiet time, laughed with family and friends. My time away told me that I really need to find a good balance between personal crafting and business crafting throughout the year, so as not to binge-break at the end of it. 

As for marketing, I hope to introduce Plushroom Soup to a wider audience this year, meaning a larger presence online as well as selling in more retail stores.

And the blog? Well, we all know I'm not the most prolific blogger. And I still struggle with my words and how to best express them. So I hope to blog more often and make the content more meaningful for you. So here's the part that's all about you!

• What type of posts and features would you like to see on the blog regularly?






Interviews with plush artists?




Art reviews?




Technique discussions and tutorials? What type?






• More information about the person behind the business?






My inspirations.




Non-crafty things I like.




Wardrobe remixes.




Random snapshots of my daily life.






• What would you really like to see Plushroom Soup create this year?






More of a specific animal? Which one?




New types of animals? Which ones?




New mythological creatures? Which ones?




More patterns? Of which critters?




A whole new product line altogether? What should it be?






• What do you hope to never see from Plushroom Soup again?






Any animals or patterns I should retire?




Any types of blog posts or features I currently have that you think I should discontinue?

These are just a few questions to get you started. Please share any feedback you have in the comments section below. I want to hear your thoughts!

Win a Custom Plushie!

Yes, you read that right! I'm giving away a custom (i.e., you pick the colors and details!) owl or wee imp plushie. Head over to the Handmade MN blog for details on how to win a little post-holiday gift for yourself! You have until December 26 to enter.

Here's just a few owl and wee imp examples to whet your appetite.

Quickie Recap: No Coast Day 1

The first day of No Coast
was a huge success! It seemed a lot more crowded than Friday night last year. Business at the booth was really steady. I'm so glad I made ornaments this year, because it seems that you guys really love your ornaments! All yeti
ornaments sold out in under an hour, and almost all of the owl ornaments
sold too. I whipped up a scant few more of each tonight.

Zombie critters were
also very popular; there's only one left (zombie yeti)!

I was so busy tonight that I didn't get a chance to look around at any of the other vendors' wares, but I have some helpers for the booth tomorrow, so will be able to do some shopping of my own.

See you there!

Today's the Big Day!

Ack! Yeti looks about how I feel right now; a little worried. Somehow it's the first day of No Coast already. How did this happen? November, why did you hurry off so soon? I sure could have used another week or two of your calm before the storm.

Though I'm afraid there must be something crucial I neglected to do (I'm sure it's just nerves; I made lists and checked them all twice), I'm also super excited. No Coast is always a blast; there are so many awesome vendors and it's so great to chat with all of the wonderful shoppers.

Also, I have one more special treat to reveal to you that I saved especially for today. I made ornaments this year!

 

 

I super shrunk my frog, owl, yeti, and giraffe to make these little guys. I think they're pretty cute! Huge, huge shout out to Amy, Tiffany, and Jason, who helped me cut out all of these guys the day before Thanksgiving. I owe them each something very special!

Can't wait to see everyone today! I'll have a complete recap of the show for everyone as soon as I can catch my breath!

In Which You Clamor for Yetis

The results of my little poll are in, and yetis beat out the competition by a small margin:

You asked for it, you got it! Introducing Cotton Candy Yetis!

These guys will be available at No Coast, but there's only six of 'em, so get to the booth early!

And for those of you who were really hoping for more frogs and owls, no worries. I have plenty of both of those as well.

See you at No Coast! I'm booth D-2 this year, in the main hallway near the security desk.