Branching out

Cute new stuff! I have added yoga mat bags and diaper bags to my line of items for sale at Burst of Happiness.

This diaper bag was a custom order for a friend. It takes a lot of work. On the outside, it looks like a regular tote, but on the inside are lots of pockets and dividers -- elastic ones to hold diapers, sippy cups, etc.:


The yoga mat bags are a cute and convenient way to store and carry your mat. It can roll around the trunk of your car for 5 years while you don't use it, like mine, and still be clean! Clean for what? I don't know.
This one has a flower fabric with polka dot bottom, pocket and strap in coordinating fabric. It also has a drawstring top:


This hilarious fabric was bought by a coworker who asked me to make a bag. It's flannel, so it's not really proper bag material, but it's still super-cute, and it fits Sarah's style, which is also super-cute. It's covered with happy snacks. Hey, remember that song by The Who called "Happy Jack"? We could rewrite it for this bag - "Happy Snack." OK, that was stupid and neither here nor there:


I need to stock up for the upcoming Neighborhood Market, where I am selling this summer.
Here are a few totes and handbags, complete with crummy photography:

Easteryiffic totes and purses

Yes, I know it's a bit late for Easter bags, because by the time you get them, Easter will be over. But they are still Springeriffic, too. Click on any picture.

Do cuter fabrics exist?

My thing right now is fabrics that are in coordinating colors but different patterns. I am going to design some new patterns, as well, of purses and totes.

My business picked up. I sold three things in a week! I know that was probably a fluke, but it was great. That's six things since mid-December, but I guess these things take time. I've been promoting more through business cards. Lots of etsy sellers accept business cards that they throw in with their sold items, so I've sent some of those out and also some with 10% off coupons. I also leave a stack of cards at places where I see they let people do so. I have been handing them out to friends who know a lot of women, also.
Every time I post an item for sale, I also cross post it on my blog, on my myspace page, on the etsy myspace page and on craftersbuzz.com.

Ultimately, it would be great if I could make this work to the point that I could work from home for a while if we decide to have kids, but I don't have high hopes for that. That would be really hard to do because there are only so many items one person can design and sew in a day, and to make what I make now, I'd have to sell A LOT of things every day. And I could never keep on top of making that many things.

I'll also be doing a craft show this summer, but I'll post more on that later.

On the other hand, I was exploring some Web sites with purses and totes and they are priced very high. Perhaps when I get established I can sell my stuff for a lot more. We'll see. For now, it's off to the sewing machine. I ditched school today to sew -- both for my school projects and my business.