Monday 18 June 2012
The Cow Awards: What are the Cow Awards?
The Cow Awards: What are the Cow Awards?: The Cow Awards is a co-operation between three major ‘moooovers’ within the UK handmade craft and design field. We hope you’ll be over th...
Sunday 23 October 2011
Sunday 22 May 2011
A HOOT of a GIVEAWAY: Celebrate 1000 Facebook LIKES
You don't have to LIKE my Facebook page to take part in this giveaway, although it would be rather nice if you did! It's open to anyone from anywhere, from Twitter, or whether you've found this blog post some other way.
I'm quite taken aback that in little over a month I've reached 1000 LIKES for my Facebook page. I set it up just after starting my Etsy store and it's been a great way to meet suppliers, customers and gain support from peers.
I wanted to do something REALLY NICE to thank everyone for their support (and purchases!) so what better than a giveaway. And, well, with a name like BirdieGingham, what else could I offer as a giveaway but something BIRDIE related and GINGHAM related! So here she is . . . the most adorable Owl Shoulder Bag with gingham wings! Her cute little face makes the flap of the bag, which fastens with a press stud, and her gingham wings are pockets! Adorable AND practical. She measures about 7" wide and 10" long.
To win her, all you have to do is pop along to my Etsy store then come back and leave a comment saying which of my items is your favorite and why. The easiest way to get to my Etsy store is to click one of the pictures in the gallery down the right-hand side of this blog. That's it. That's all you have to do. The giveaway will close at the end of May, and someone will be picked from those who have commented AT RANDOM to receive the Owl Shoulder Bag. (The Owl Bag is sent with FREE UK DELIVERY. I am sorry to say that at this time, the giveaway is only open to UK residents).
So what are you waiting for? Get posting your feedback on your favourite BirdieGingham store item and you could be in with a chance to win. In the meantime, I'll leave you with some more photos of this lovely bag . . .
I'm quite taken aback that in little over a month I've reached 1000 LIKES for my Facebook page. I set it up just after starting my Etsy store and it's been a great way to meet suppliers, customers and gain support from peers.
I wanted to do something REALLY NICE to thank everyone for their support (and purchases!) so what better than a giveaway. And, well, with a name like BirdieGingham, what else could I offer as a giveaway but something BIRDIE related and GINGHAM related! So here she is . . . the most adorable Owl Shoulder Bag with gingham wings! Her cute little face makes the flap of the bag, which fastens with a press stud, and her gingham wings are pockets! Adorable AND practical. She measures about 7" wide and 10" long.
To win her, all you have to do is pop along to my Etsy store then come back and leave a comment saying which of my items is your favorite and why. The easiest way to get to my Etsy store is to click one of the pictures in the gallery down the right-hand side of this blog. That's it. That's all you have to do. The giveaway will close at the end of May, and someone will be picked from those who have commented AT RANDOM to receive the Owl Shoulder Bag. (The Owl Bag is sent with FREE UK DELIVERY. I am sorry to say that at this time, the giveaway is only open to UK residents).
So what are you waiting for? Get posting your feedback on your favourite BirdieGingham store item and you could be in with a chance to win. In the meantime, I'll leave you with some more photos of this lovely bag . . .
Get this for just £12.95 instead of £16.95 in my SUPER SUNDAY SALE!
Here it is people! The first of many SUPER SALE DAYS . . . this is when an item from my online stores will be listed at a knockdown price for a few hours only. The first person to order at the knockdown price gets it . . . and when it's gone it's gone.
And to start with . . . one of my latest creations that is getting my fans in a flap! How about this hoot of an OWL PEG PAG, which usually retails for £16.95, at a SUPER SUNDAY SALE PRICE of JUST £12.95! Including FREE UK DELIVERY!
Simply click the corresponding image on the right-hand side gallery and you'll be taken straight through to the item in my Etsy store!
Fastest fingers first! TWIT TW...WHO'LL BE THE LUCKY ONE?!
And to start with . . . one of my latest creations that is getting my fans in a flap! How about this hoot of an OWL PEG PAG, which usually retails for £16.95, at a SUPER SUNDAY SALE PRICE of JUST £12.95! Including FREE UK DELIVERY!
Simply click the corresponding image on the right-hand side gallery and you'll be taken straight through to the item in my Etsy store!
Fastest fingers first! TWIT TW...WHO'LL BE THE LUCKY ONE?!
Friday 25 March 2011
1000 FB LIKE GIVEAWAY!
Coming soon . . . a fabulous giveaway to celebrate reaching 1000 likes with my Facebook page. Watch this space! XXX
Remember you are unique . . . just like everyone else
So late last night I decided to google one of my cushion covers out of curiosity* to see what impact I have made on the search engine. (* some may say vanity!)
I came towards the top of the second page. Not bad. But I pretty much freaked out when I saw that the top listing was for someone in London, UK promoting the same idea I had about cushion covers with a removable corsage brooch. And there was me thinking it was a genius, unique idea!
To add insult to injury, the next listing was for retail behemoth Marks & Spencer, with their 3D flowers cushion. And there was me thinking my designs were for more of a niche audience.
It didn't take me too long to refocus though. I thought back to a saying on a postcard that a girl I used to live with a long time ago had blu-tacked to her door; 'Remember you are unique . . . just like everyone else!'
I thought, what is it about me and what I do that makes it unique?
Sometimes I click on to the 'Just Listed' page on Etsy. 10, 20, 30, 40 . . . . . 100, 200, more images of 'just listed' items scroll up the page every few seconds. At peak times you can count the seconds with each image. And that's just Etsy. There are billions of items everyday being added online. Assuming everyone who sews can make a cushion, everyone who beads can make a necklace and so on, just what is it that would make your own needle shine out in that huge haystack?
Sure there are online methods, social networking or craft fairs . . . lots of different ways you can help your sales . . . but what exactly are you trying to sell?
For me, I quickly thought of a few things;
1. I make each item to the highest quality I can, with the same love and care I would as if I were making it for my very best friend or my own mom. It's not just a couple of bits of fabric sewn together - I finish seams with hand-covered fabric binding. It isn't charms you could buy on Ebay - I make each fabric flower by hand.
2. Each item I make is one-of-a-kind, a one-off, unique, never-to-be-repeated, you own the only one ever . . . I haven't got 2 or 3 or a dozen of them taking up space that I'm trying to shift. I create each one, love each one, sell one by one.
3. The choices I make in design, fabric, texture, colour and placement are ALL my choices. There may be similar items out there, there may even be copies of my work, but no-one can do it quite like me. Only I can do that.
These are the first things that sprang to mind. These are the most important things for me. I like them. I can stand by them.
And then I thought, just how clear is this vision of what I do and what I believe in being communicated? When I list an item on Etsy, when I post an image or update on Facebook, what exactly am I communicating? That my stuff is on sale? That I have hundreds of these? That I am annoying because I keep posting? Or am I communicating those three core values listed about.
That's the question. I'm not sure I am. So I'm going to reflect on this and revise how I show what I do. My handmade items are about quality not quantity . . . and I want my communication to be the same.
Best Birdie Wishes,
Birdie Gingham
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