Celebrating 100 sales!

Had my 100th sale on Etsy last night! We have cause for celebration!

To help celebrate this momentous occasion, there is a special coupon code on my Facebook fan page that can be used at checkout to receive 15% off of your total order.

Thanks to my amazing customers!

L.Peek Designs

Workin' My Booties Off!!

Ahhhh.....it's so nice to be loved. :)

L.Peek Designs on Etsy has been closed for over a month. Just didn't feel like running the shop, and we went on a short vacation and I just didn't reopen it afterwards. But yesterday I got on Etsy to look for something and I realized that I was missed! I had 3 messages from 3 different customers requesting that I reopen the shop because they wanted to order! It was pretty exciting, and I now have 3 new orders to fill. I was happy.

So there are some updates of sorts.

The shop will be open on and off. I will take orders, shut the shop down, fill the orders and then reopen.

I might have a full-time job as soon as October 1st. That will affect my ability to fill orders as well, which is why I make them to order now.

I SWEAR I am working on new designs. I have been trying and trying to get them finished and listed, but seriously, between work, piano lessons, the garden and the orders for the baby Chucks, it's been challenging at best to get anything finished and posted! I have been dying to get a few new designs up, including some hooded scarves, shrug sweaters and crocheted creatures. It's just not going as quickly as I would like it to.

Fall seems to have arrived! And time marches on....

Grand Re-Re-Opening

It's official! L.Peek Designs is re-opening tomorrow morning!

It's actually open right now, with one single listing - a pair of orange Baby Chucks. :) But tomorrow I will begin the relistings and while I will not be crocheting full time like I was prior to March 1st, I will be devoting a good portion of time to maintaining the shop.

I'm really excited about this. This is one of my true loves so it's going to be wonderful to get going again.

Apollo's First Shoes

This is Apollo Joseph, our newest customer! A.J. is modeling his new Baby Chucks in hunter green and I must say, he IS adorable! A.J. is just 3 weeks old and already on his way to making great shoe choices. :)

L.Peek Designs on Etsy will be open again on April 18th! Be sure to stop by and say hello!

Giveaway Promotion!!!

L.Peek Designs has made some FAB new friends this year, and Kelsey, from Family Fashion and Facts, has been a wonderful blessing! Currently, she is hosting a giveaway for L.Peek Designs Etsy shop on her blog! Check her out so you can enter!

Family Fashion and Facts: I Peek Designs Giveaway!!: "L Peek Designs Giveaway!L Peek Designs has <3 <3 A*M*A*Z*I*N*G <3 <3 Crochet items! They are more than adorable! The first..."

Life is Green.: What A Find Wednesday!

L.Peek Designs has a new friend! Head over to Life Is Green and show her some love for promoting my NFL Baby Chucks. :)

Life is Green.: What A Find Wednesday!: "Its Superbowl time!!! With the Superbowl just around the corner I wanted to do this weeks What A Find Wednesday on some great superbowl items..."

Missed the Centennial Posting

Well!

Yesterday I posted my 100th blog posting without realizing it! Kind of makes me wish I had said something important rather than a breif bit of prose about what rolls around in my head on nights of insomnia. Last night I slept well though.

We put a lot of importance on the number 100. 100 years is a long time, 100 objects is a lot, 100 of anything can become overwhelming. 100 rejected job applications....well, let's not worry about that right now. I'm pretty impressed that I've made it to 100 postings. I've started 5 different blogs in the past 2 years, but this is the one that I've been keeping up with. Little pat on the back for me, as I have never been very good about keeping up with the things I've started.

I would be overjoyed with 100 sales in my Etsy shop and I believe I am well on my way there. Last night I reached 42 sales, and I am still playing catch up for the upcoming bazaar and promotions. I'm a little sad that there has been almost ZERO interest in my Superbowl Sale, but I also understand that it's only been a few days and that not everything works as quickly as I would like it to.

I have discovered the joys of audio books! They are wonderful for the crocheter/knitter because they do not require you to pay attention to a picture on a screen when you are trying to count stitches! All this week I have been listening to James Patterson's 'Women's Murder Club - 1st To Die'. It had very mixed reviews, but those are the kinds of books that I enjoy - murder mysteries, crime dramas, suspense thrillers, etc. - and I have really enjoyed it. Except for the narrator. She's a little bland. I still have one free credit left on Audible.com that I want to use wisely, so I've been scouring the bestseller lists for the best title available. Then perhaps I will head to the library for some more.

These weeks have been beautiful. I feel great promise for us this new year. January is already nearly over, and though I am tired of the snow and the blizzard conditions, I will be sorry to wave goodbye. But February, though usually the least favorite time of year for me, has the same amount of promise this year. Bring it on.

New Discussion

L. Peek Designs now has a Facebook fan page! Look me up and 'like' me!

And if you do, please add your thoughts to the discussion board!

The topic is what you would like to see in the Etsy shop this spring.

Baby Uggs?

Baby Vans?

Baby Ballet Slippers?

Baby Blahniks?

I would LOVE to read your thoughts on the matter. :)

And while I'm shamelessly promoting myself, here's another look at what's in the shop right now!

Special Sale

Last night, after a day with friends watching the Green Bay Packers beat Alex's beloved Chicago Bears, it occurred to me that I have been making Baby Chucks in NFL team colors for quite some time, and I should run a sale on them from now until the day after the Superbowl. And so that is what I am doing.

So if you are interested in some super cool team colored duds for your little one, come find my facebook fan page (L.Peek Designs - in the search bar. It will take you right to me.), 'Like' me, leave a comment on the current status, and receive in return, a coupon code that is good for 10% off Baby Chucks in Packers or Steelers colors!

Good through February 7th! :)

L.Peek Designs Fan Page

L.Peek Designs

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Restocking

Whew, it was a really busy week!

As I may have mentioned a few dozen times on Facebook last week, I actually sold out my Etsy shop between Monday and Thursday last week. Now that isn't saying that I made myself independently wealthy, but it was a huge step in the right direction for me, and now I am desperately trying to restock my shelves with new colors and new design ideas. I also started wearing a compression glove on my left hand because I quite literally worked my fingers to the bone. Last week I had a total of 11 sales, bring the grand total of my shop to 27 total sales since I opened it. It isn't 'quit your day job' income, but you know what? I don't even have a day job, so I'll take what I can get!

I am still looking for a new job, but I'm enjoying the ability to watch my sales increase every day. I have been thinking about applying at the new Tractor Supply Company near the US 20 bypass on the south side of town. I have always worked decently well in a retail environment, and that kind of store is less likely to have bitchy rich women frequenting the aisles like some of the other retail places I've worked at in the past. It isn't perfect, but it will be a little income in a time that Alex and I really need it. Or at least until the music store figures out when exactly they can start training me for this job that they 'hired' me for. God bless corporations, because right now, I feel like cursing them.

So these are my four newest additions to the shop. I'm trying to introduce some new designs and different pieces to the mix, but honestly, these little shoes are SELLING, so I keep making more! Why mess with a perfect system? Well, maybe not perfect, but definitely working for now.

Always Talking About The Weather

Personally, I was delighted with all the snow.

When we woke up Saturday morning, we got up very early because we were supposed to be helping our church deliver 8800 food boxes to our community. So much for that. It was cancelled due to a massive dumping of lake effect snow! So instead, we were quite content to stay inside, venturing out only to clear a path between the house and the garage, and eventually to shovel the driveway. At it's highest point, the snow was level with our front porch, which is appoximately 30 inches off the ground.

So I got a lot of crocheting done, and experienced great joy, as I recieved several requests from friends and potential new customers on my Etsy webshop.  Alex shovelled and napped and then later in the evening we rented a movie after venturing down to the grocery store for some bread and eggs. Pizza Hut provided our dinner. Snow days are wonderful. They provide excuses to be lazy that no one thinks twice about.

Well, for today, it's back to the yarn basket and crochet hooks. There are 4 new orders to fill and I am pretty pleased about it.

On A Roll

Tickled pink.

Literally.

3 sales in one week is a record for my Etsy shop. I'm shooting for a new average of 5 per week. Hopefully by spring. I want this to be successful. I have had ups and downs with Etsy. It attracts the most bizarre garbage and insane creativity and sometimes it is difficult to wade through the downright horrible to find the gold.

http://www.lpeekdesigns.etsy.com/

Just Some Things

What a week. I hope I hear from my new job soon about when they are officially going to hire me and start their training courses. I had a call last week, to tell me that they don't know when it's going to start yet and am I still interested, but haven't heard from them since. Being at home all the time is kind of messing with my head.
I've been crocheting like a crazy person here lately! Seriously - a crazy person. Yep - part of being stuck in the house and not working. However, I am getting ready for a handmade/vintage bazaar that will be held on April 10 in S.B., so it's not necessarily bad that I am being a bit crazy about it. I am also in communication with a fellow blogger who does promos and giveaways for handmade goods and shops to be a featured seller in the next few months. Giveaways always attract potential customers.

I have been working out some new baby shoe designs, beyond my tiny Chucks, with some success. Alex's big contribution to the effort has been to suggest that I attempt the classic Vans skater shoes in mini crochet scale. Not a bad idea really. I've also been working on tiny Mary Janes with flowers on the toes. I hope to have them available soon, but with my freehand designing, it's always a process of trial and error. 

So back to the studio I go to run yarn through my fingers until they are dry and stiff with hopes of completing a finished product or two today. If you ever loved me, share my Etsy.com shop with your friends. :)

Off To A Pleasant Start

Not really - I have a strange ailment upon me that could be linked to anything. I had a migraine last night, sinus troubles, stomach-ache and intestinal discomfort this morning. Let's just give it a broad title and say that today I'm not feeling my usual chipper self. This also means the bathroom did not get finished yesterday. (I was also short a helper.) And so I plan to stay home today and crochet a few more pairs of baby Chucks,
try to get a couple more of my famous projects unleashed on the world, and practice my drawing skills.

But to start the day out, I have put together two Etsy Mini-Feeds for my readers to enjoy. One is from the list of things I have marked as favorites from other crafters and artists. The other is the list of things I have for sale in my shop right now. It's all baby Chucks - but hopefully only for the rest of this week. I have big plans in the works that include more baby items, and some wickedly awesome new blankets based off of old-school video game designs. It turns out that pixels really lend themselves well to crochet!

Support handmade!

L.Peek Designs

A few sweet things from the shop to get your gift-giving wheels turning!

www.lpeekdesigns.etsy.com

Little Fingers, Tiny Toes

Due to the increasing insistance of my friends upon HAVING BABIES, I have been up to my eyeballs in booties!!

A dear friend gave birth one week ago today. Another is scheduled for about 3 weeks from now. And there seems to be an abundance of first birthdays coming 'round in the next 5 months!

So haul your eyeballs over to my etsy site - http://www.lpeekdesigns.etsy.com/ and have a look at the booties. Give 'em hearts and love and pass the information along to your girlfriends, mommies-to-be, grannies-to-be, etc. etc., and fill me up some orders!

I officially became unemployed as of Saturday. But I will have NO FEAR, because I happen to worship Jehovah Jireh (God my provider!) So the Etsy store is going to be in full swing for the holidays!

The Economic Situation

The picture to the left has nothing to do with this posting except that it is a hand-knitted wrap in gray cashmere and it is probably overpriced at $99.99. But someone made it and wants to sell it, so go to Etsy.com and wade through the listings of garbage and try to find some of the really beautiful, quality pieces of knit-wear that are for sale.

Alex and I went shopping at the mall yesterday to get some Christmas present ideas out of the way. His mother sent us a text that said "Xmas Blacke gloaves. Isotnrs". So we ran it through the 'Crazy Mother Text to English' translator app and decided she must be telling us that she wants black Isotoner gloves for Christmas. That put us right in the middle of J C Penney's in December, which is generally something we try to avoid at all costs. But they sent us a coupon, and Alex needed another shirt for praise and worship team dress, so we took a deep breath and made the 45 minute drive to the mall. 45 minute drive. Did you know we actually only live 4.1 miles from the mall?

While shopping, we came across some rather hideous scarves and hats in the Junior accessories department. And I say hideous because I love handmade goods and we have lots of handmade scarves and hats and mittens, and when I see scarves and hats and mittens in a departments stores that look like they were handmade 10 years ago and then donated to the Hope Rescue Mission and then salvaged off of a homeless drunk, sent to a Chinese laundromat for dry cleaning and then wrapped around a hanger and marked with a $14.99 price tag. And I can't even upload A PICTURE of them for you to see because the pictures are protected by the Penney's website and I am computer illiterate. So go to the department store websites and type in 'mixed media scarves' and see what comes up and see if I'm lying! American Eagle and Aeropostale stores had similar pieces, and for about $29.99.  The scarves and hats are UGLY. They are like the worst kind of handmade, and I saw teenagers wearing them. What have Chinese manufacturing deals done to our sense of aethetics?

I love handmade. I support handmade completely and utterly with all of my being.

I refuse to purchase something in a mall department store that looks like it was handmade. If it looks like my niece made it as her first crochet or knit project, I will not spend money on it.

Buy handmade. Support crafters who offer great products at fair prices. The economy WILL recover.

No Regretsy

If you know me personally, you know that on and off, I have a little Etsy shop where I occasionally attempt to sell a few of my handmade odds and ends, and when Alex has had enough of my estate sale shopping and thrift store splurging, I also resell my vintage accessories and home decor.

http://www.lpeekdesigns.etsy.com/

Please visit. Mark me as a favorite. Recommend my stuff to others.

He's been on vacation this week and has thusly been forcing me to clean 'my room'. That's the spare room that functions as my sewing room, art studio and sometimes even my office. He has given strict instructions to me that I throw it away or give it away. That's how some friends got to go home with boxes full of scrapping supplies. That's also how I managed to sell 3 vintage purses on my Etsy shop in the last 24 hours. At $5 a piece, because they simply have to be out of the house. I believe I am getting the short end of the stick here.

So I have heard about 'Regretsy' before. Occasionally I also have moments when I am shopping on Etsy and I find a listing that makes me say WHAT THE F***? I say it just like that too - with the asterisks. Because I don't care for profanity. It makes my tender heart cry a little. Good Lord, I wish I had come up with this idea first! What a treasure trove of insanity! This stuff exists. And the people who make this stuff exist too and (gasp) might have reproduced already. God save us all.

Just go there.

I recommend the WTF Alchemy Request section. Mostly because the most devout of us will discover new people to pray for. Regretsy.com You won't regret it. You won't, I promise. I am a woman of her word.

And in other news:

I was rejected for two more jobs. But I put in two more applications. Where it will lead, I can only pray, but every morning I wake up thanking God that we're alive, healthy and our house payment was made for this month.

I've been more creative lately after going through a drastic and wicked dry spell. I'm pretty sure my insurance job had something to do with it.

I've been practicing my tattoo art. If there are any ladies out there who are uncomfortable with the gents stabbing them with needles and putting ink into their open wounds and would prefer the gentle touch of a 5 foot tall redhead, call me in about 3 months. By then I should be apprenticed with Ron, the Master.

Hey guess what? I'll be baking up the Christmas goodies all weekend! Can't wait to get started.

Hanukkah starts tomorrow! 8 craaaaazy nights!

I love the holidays.