Stuck Together Magnets is on YouTube!

My boyfriend is a bit of a SEO nut. He is constantly trying to get me to tweek my search engine optimization to increase exposure to my shop. Tonight I gave him a golden ticket to create a YouTube video for me that he has been begging me to do. After dancing around the room like a ballerina high on internet fumes, he made this for me. I am so excited! It was fun and I love the music.
Party Favor Magnets

Got the itch?

I am so thrilled with the turn out so far on my giveaway! If you can't wait to see if you won the cupcakes, here is a little treat just for you guys! A coupon code to save 10% off of your order from my Etsy shop . Magnets make me HAPPY and I know I'm not alone.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/StuckTogether

The Very First Stuck Together Magnets Giveaway!

This is gonna be FUN! I am giving away this adorable set of cupcake magnets to one lucky winner on Saturday, February 12. This set contains 6 one-inch magnets. They are colorful, fun and super strong!

• Open to residents of US and Canada only.

• Enter up to five times using the methods described below.

• Each entry needs to be a separate comment to this post (so I can keep track).

• Winner will be generated randomly on 2/12/2011.

• Winner will be contacted via email (or other method of your choice), so please remember to include contact info in your comments.

How to Enter:
Each of the following will grant you one entry into the drawing for these cutie cupcake magnets:

1. Visit my Etsy shop and comment to this post with your favorite item.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/StuckTogether

2. Follow this blog and comment on this post letting me know you did.

2. Become a Fan of Stuck Together Magnets on Facebook and comment on this post letting me know you did. http://www.facebook.com/StuckTogether

3. Post a status about this giveaway on your own Facebook page and comment on this post letting me know you did.

4. Tweet about this giveaway and post the link to the tweet.

5. Blog about this giveaway and post a comment letting me know you did.

So you can enter 5 times if you do all these things! Please remember to provide some kind of contact info so I can let you know you won. Good luck!

Peace, love and magnets!

Wendy

The Consignment Venture

I have my magnets in a small local shop here in NC. It is called Cute Buttons and it is.... cute. My little magnets are there under consignment, so I didn't really have any expectations for how they would sell. To my surprise, they have done very well. 20+ sets sold over the holidays. I made them, dropped them off and picked up a check. It was nice. I know that consignment can be a shady game, but my experience so far has been great and I am looking for more shops to consign with. I have had wholesale purchases and I am hooked up with a drop shipper, but I have to say I like the consignment thing the best. I make 60% which is better than wholesale, and the shop owner has asked for more magnets already. Everyone is winning here and I am a happy little crafter. Now... if I can just find 5-10 more shops to hook up with :)

500 Sales in 10 Months...and I Need a Nap!

Hi all! I hit 500 sales yesterday!

Here are my top 5 tips to creating a successful shop here in the land of Etsy:

1. Find your niche! Figure out what you want to do and then EDIT it down. Create a product line that is cohesive and specific. Shops that are full of lots of different handmade things are overwhelming for shoppers. Do one thing really well rather than lots of things kinda sorta ok.

2. Create a brand! Find a graphic artist and have them create a logo for you. Use that logo on everything, packaging, business cards, stationary, etc. Soon people will recognize that logo and associate it with your product. Tada, you are a brand! I simply posted my need for a logo in alchemy and found someone who shared my vision. My vision was fat blue birds but I'm guessing yours is different.

3. Work hard! Some people start shops on here, list some stuff and then sit back and wait for sales. Gonna be a long wait, homeslice. This takes WORK. A lot of it. I'm not sure I have worked harder on anything in my life. And I have the excuses, too. I have a full-time day job, a five-year-old daughter, a house to clean... that whole life thing. But I was determined. So, I pretty much gave up sleep for several months. Stuck Together blossomed in the wee hours of the morning for months. Does that suck? Oh yes, total suckfest. But I wanted this to work. I wanted it to work more than I wanted to sleep 8 hours a night. So my nights were spent perfecting pictures, promoting, drafting press releases, facebooking, etc. You have to make time for that stuff... and for me, I had to find time where I thought there was none.

4. Learn how to take a picture! This is still a challenge for me, but I have come a long way. If all those other people can take good pictures, then so can I.. and so can you. I use a light box because most of my pics are taken in the dead of night. Also, use editing software. Crop! For the love of Pete, CROP! If you don't know how to do any of this... learn it. There is info all over the internet about lighting and how to make a homemade light box. Google mofo!

5. Embrace the internet and social networks! I am not a tweeter by nature and I am not really a fan of Facebook. But I use them as a means to an end. I get a lot of traffic from Facebook... therefore I use Facebook. I use the internet to bring people to me. This is where people are... roaming around in cyberspace. They need magnets, I know it. So, find out where your customers are and waggle your tail feather on that corner. There is no shame in self-promotion. If you love your brand, share it proudly with people. How can they love it if you don't?

Hope this stuff helps anyone who may need it. I love Etsy and am so happy to be there... even if it is at 3am.

Peace, love and magnets!
Wendy

All Things Cupcake!

Check out All Things Cupcake, a blog dedicated to... well.... cupcakes. How could you not love that? Cupcakes are heaven! They were kind enough to feature on my Cupcake Magnet Favors! They are also doing an awesome giveaway for Diva Entertains, an online party favor store.

Party Favor Magnets are FUN!

I am expanding my line of magnets to include party, bridal shower and wedding favors. And, they are FUN! They are all personalized and customizable. I am very excited about it. This new line has reminded me of how important it is to keep growing and expanding your business. Customers love NEW stuff. I love NEW stuff. Everyone wins. Progress keeps people interested and coming back for more.