Not Related to Felt at All..

...but I just had to share this photo. I caught one of our cats sleeping on top of the washing machine today. So cute! (And yes the laundry on top WAS clean- but it was my boyfriend's. lol!)

The Doctor's In!

Be a Doctor Set PDF Toy Pattern Doctor Bag by GulfCoastCottage

Today I took the day off of work to visit my doctor. It was time for the yearly "fun" and also wanted to talk to her about feeling so tired all the time. It's hard to know if I'm feeling tired for medical reasons or just plain old stress. The past week at my day job was terribly emotional and have come to realize that even though my bosses are great have my back - the fools at HR make their own rules. I'm not quite sure if working for the government (even at a city level) is worth all of the politics (even at my measly low level).

What I have come to realize however is how much I love having an online felt shop. I enjoy putting together felt color combinations and wrapping sold orders with pretty ribbon. I like attention to detail and trying out new ways to market my shop. Even though I'm not selling enough felt to pay my bills, I hope that someday I can turn my attention fully to this business and have it support me.

Crafting with Felt

This weekend was a bit lackluster. I felt kind of bored and worn down from the work week before. However, I did experiment a little with my wool felt. I have seen a few tissue holders for sale around Etsy but didn't really see anything super cute- so I decided to come up with my own design. 

My idea for the cloud theme tissue holder comes from my months of allergies that should be long gone by now. I am constantly having to take allergy medication which frankly leaves me slightly out of it. So here is my first felt project posting entitled, "Head in the Clouds" tissue holder. It's super easy to make and I may post a pdf file in the future for free on how to make one yourself.

Muy Caliente!

When I'm not online selling wool craft felt, I am probably at my day job which I don't love but I don't hate either. My job requires me to work outside everyday even when it is over 100 degrees (it was 107 today.) However, I try to get the majority of my work done before 11:30 am (which happens almost everyday since I start at 5am.)

I also spend the majority of my work day solo which I love. I get to work at my own pace without a boss constantly breathing down my neck. I get to think about my online businesses and how to make them better. And I get to listen to all sorts of podcasts I've downloaded from iTunes. Here are some of my favorites:

• The Adam Carolla Show- They have recently reverted back to the format when the show was on the air all the time with Teresa and Bald Brian on everyday. Yay!
• The Parent Experiment- Teresa from the Adam Carolla show has her own podcast with Adam's wife Lynnette. It's about parenting and even though I really don't want to have children, the podcast is still fun to listen to.
  
• Craftsanity- An interesting and information filled podcast with interviews of craft authors and craft business owners.
  
• Internet Business Mastery- I've learned a ton about starting, selling, and promoting online businesses. And some strange reason, I really like the host's voices.
• WNYC's Radiolab- Where you can learn about really interesting and different topics. My absolute favorite episode is called In C where one of the hosts creates his own In C remix.

On the felt store news front, I have lowered the price of the large 40cm x 40cm pieces of felt from $10 to $9.50. The previous price of $10 seemed too high for the size of felt and I'm experimenting to see if the lower price gets more hits.

New in Shop- Felt Swatch Samples!!

Yesterday, while laying on the couch just waking up from my afternoon nap, (Sorry I have to take a nap when I get home from my day job- I get up at 3:30 am to make my 5:00 am start time.) I had a spark of inspiration. One of the most frustrating parts of having a strictly online business is that the customer isn't able to use any other senses than sight when making a purchase. And sometimes the other senses are what makes the sale.

I mean, how many different shampoo bottles do I sniff before selecting one I like? Or when I walk into a movie theater and smell the fresh popcorn. I really really want to buy some even though it always makes me stomach churn after I eat it. It's really a collection of one's senses that makes a successful sale.

So, I have come up with a solution for my shop. I will offer one 5cm x 5cm square of both the 100% felt and European heathered Felt for a super low price so that everyone can afford to experience and touch the felt. Here is what a couple of the sets look like:

Cute! Aren't they? My shop tag will also be attached but you will have to purchase a set to see what it looks like. The sets will come in all random colors but if you want a certain color specifically mailed to you, I can do that too.

On another note, I've decided to discontinue my wool felt from Spain for now. I may bring it back later but I found that many were confused by the two different 100% wool felt sheets and by eliminating this option, I will be simplifying everything between my Etsy and Artfire shops.