Tag: indie
Cyber Monday: HUGE HOLIDAY SALE!
If you haven’t gotten in on the action yet – be sure to check out my Etsy shop for the last few hours of my HUGE HOLIDAY SALE! All men’s items have been discounted by 20% and I’m also offering an extra 40% off any ready made items until the end of the day. Use coupon code PPHolidaySale2010 during checkout to get your 40% off savings!
Soulful Sister: Eco Gift Guide #2
This will be the second year in which my family will be cutting costs and consumerism by doing a secret santa exchange for the holidays. After decades of buying countless presents, it was just one year ago that we gave this new concept a spin – and it was so successful that we’ve decided to do it again!
In honor of living sustainably, both financially and ecologically, here is my second gift guide of the holiday season. The subject? A stylish sister who already has the world but needs a lil’ something to cheer her up. All of these gift guides have one thing in common: the artisans are all part of the Eco Etsy Street Team! Support these small businesses by shopping with them for the holidays.
The DIY Trunk Show Preview
The one and only great and fantastic DIY Trunk Show is this upcoming weekend – on Saturday, November 20th from 10am to 5pm in Wicker Park’s Pulaski Field House. Pierogi Picnic will be there – in the same spot as last year – hawking our wears. Though I’m always excited about showcasing my work in person – this is the show where I shop till I drop. Everything from Christmas presents, to housewares, to clothes – the DIY Trunk Show is the whamy of craft fairs.
The secret to the Chicago Craft Mafia’s bazaar’s success lies in one of the underlying premises – all vendors must live within a 100 mile radius of the city. So not only are you buying handmade – you’re truly supporting local artisans! So be sure to pencil in this coming Saturday into your calendar as the day you shop till you drop. Until then – here’s a sneak peak at some of the new goodies I’ll be bringing.
Devising Strategy
Fall is by far my favorite season. Some people consider Spring a time for renewal – but autumn is my time to shine and muse and focus on the coming months. Perhaps it’s knowing that another Chicago winter is upon me, and this pushes me forward to breathe in all of nature’s fading smells. It’s also my last chance to prepare for the holiday retail season. In the past two years I never went forth with a specific strategy towards making an easy flow for production, promotion, and product prep. But this year I am devising a plan. Continue reading
Staying Inspired – 11 Tips
"Keep it Easy" by Laura George
These past few weeks have been a real whirlwind between my day job and Pierogi Picnic. Renegade took months of preparation but paid off by encouraging and inspiring me in totally new ways – so the trade off worked. But September was rough on my Etsy and this weekend’s show was a bit ‘wha wha’. What normally is one of my best months of the year was a total bust this time around.
At the show I had the chance to connect with other artists and share similar thoughts about the unpredictability of crafty businesses. One week your up – the next your down – but staying inspired is a daunting task when juggling day to day life, work, and a creative biz. So here are my tips for turning things up when they’re looking south:
1) Experiment. Continue reading
I LOVE YOU MOO!
Years ago, okay, maybe just a few months back, the crafty control freak in me insisted on handmaking my own business cards. Though these mini branding agents turned out well enough to get special requests for customs – I found myself constantly struggling to find recycled card stock, ink for my obscure printer, and the patience to cut hundreds upon hundreds of cards by hand.
And then I discovered Moo. Continue reading
Shiny Happy*People 