Last month I crossed off a major goal for 2025 and it was a bit bittersweet, my first craft fair event. People always recommend attending the event as a shopper prior to signing up as a vendor. Although that is great advice my patience meter did not want to wait an entire year before taking the leap and doing a craft fair. Lesson learned, the first craft fair, would have not passed the shopper to vendor test. The traffic flow was painfully slow, maybe one person or family per half hour. Location was not only difficult to see from the street but also unsafe with holes and dips causing people to fall. For some odd reason they decided to set the vendors behind a fence that was in the dirt/ dead grass which made it seem like a private event to the average passerby. If the event was held in the front parking lot I think it would have had higher traffic and been a lot safer for guests to shop.
Now that it has been about three months since we purchased our couch, it is time to let you all know what it is really like to own an Anabei. At the start of our search for the “perfect” sofa we had one main requirement that was making it seem almost impossible to attain, seventy inches and under width wise. Ideally washable so that we do not have to fear using the couch. Life happens no matter if you eat snacks on it or not. Plus having a lil pup we wanted him to enjoy it too, he loves a cushy ottoman.
Switching up things a little because I have recently fallen into the world of card games. Loracana is my very first one and it has been almost a month and a half since my husband and I started playing. I love Disney and watching these types of unboxing mystery pack videos, so with the new expansion out, I thought I would make one of my own. This is set number four, Usala’s Return, which we preordered at our favorite game store, as items from the set are selling out fast. Items from this set are already selling for twice as much as they retail, if not more. On ebay the Illuminaires Quest game was selling for $7,000 which is insane! With a stroke of pure luck we were able to secure one, however, with their current market value I am having mixed feelings about opening it. Currently it is on pre order until the set comes out to major retailers on the 31st of May, which is where we ended up finding one.
Over the past couple of weeks a few people have asked for an update on my backpack repair solutions video/post. While I still believe the methods used are good options they only solved about 75% of its issues for me. In other words, depending on the bags, materials, and placement of the hole or fray, they may not be completely effective. For instance, the Tender Touch has started lifting in some areas and since the bag is mostly plastic, that is flaking apart. Also, the part of the bag that still possesses a hole is mainly due to the fact that it was a tricky area to adhere to at the start of the repair.
On September 19th, I was finally ready to submit my order for my invitations. At this point I was already aware that Vista Print was a lot cheaper than Shutterfly which is why I decided to go with them. Plus the fact that their interface was a lot more user friendly when it comes to uploading your own designs. After I placed the order I received an order number and a confirmation email.
Prior to giving out any information to business for your wedding samples make sure you create a designated email address. The last thing you want is to have your primary email clogged up with a bunch of ads and solicitations. At this point in planning I am getting emails from businesses I never reached out to so do not skip this step thinking it won’t happen to you. All the companies listed below are ones that I reached out to for samples: none of them require you to pay for shipping either. There are companies that will advertise “free samples” and require you to pay to ship them so tread cautiously.
Why is it so popular to get married on a green lawn in the scorching summer heat? I will never understand. While I do enjoy a nice wooded area it is astonishing to me the prices people pay to rent a yard. I’ve seen brides with grass stained and muddy dress trains which is baffling with how expensive they are. Do you envision a fully indoor wedding or an outdoor wedding? Searching for venues can be frustrating and overwhelming, so before starting your search make a list of non-negotiable items. Even if some seem like a basic request, always ask, never assume. For instance, parking may seem like a simple request but some venues will expect guests to use a parking garage several blocks away or fight for street/neighborhood parking.
Alpacas are one of the softest and cutest animals out there. Their fur makes exquisite high quality products too so when I learned that there was a brand that made socks from alpaca fur I knew I wanted to try them. Not only is their fluff soft but it also has insulating superpowers to keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter. While I did read reviews and some people were unamused that the socks are not 100% alpaca made, it is still the main ingredient. I believe in transparency though and believe that the company should in fact make the percentages public on the website so people are not misled. It is smart marketing though as they are not technically promising all alpaca either so I get the reasoning.
Starting a small business is obviously a roller coaster, so let’s talk about what I’ve learned about shipping. Although I am very much an amateur in the small business community some may call it a side hustle but I’d rather poor the energy out there that it is a small business. Either way let’s not get off track, being an amateur means learning as you go and while some may decided to skip past the icky parts I would rather document my journey to help others. Also it doesn’t hurt that sometimes mistakes can make amusing stories too.
While I do not have a “successful” Etsy shop yet I have been learning as I go. At this stage I am learning a lot so rather than be ashamed of having the few orders I do I decided it was the perfect time to share my knowledge to help other new Esty shop owners or those curious as to if Etsy is a good place for them to sell their crafts. In the video today it showcases how I package an order which in itself is always fun to see how people do it and what they include in their packages. Also discussed today is the actual stats for this listing meaning what the profit margin is as well as where the rest of the money actually goes when selling on Etsy. Shop owners usually say that they are “successful” and that Esty takes a portion of the money but I’ve yet to see someone share the raw data. I know I was curious before opening up my shop and yes Etsy gives a full description and calculator on its site, however, I did not find it helpful or accurate. It is very misleading which is why I am breaking it all down for you so you can do the math to figure out how to properly list your items.
Stats Cheat Sheet
Listing Fee: $0.20
Relisting Fee: $0.20 * They will charge a $0.20 relisting fee to change the stock number to the next digit and keep the item listing for sale.
Shipping Label: Depends on the weight and size of the product and will not effect your profit unless you are offering free shipping. The label is added into the order total which is added in through the processing fee.
Processing Fee: 3.0% of the order total plus $0.25
Transaction fee for Shipping: 6.5% of shipping total
Transaction Fee for Product: 6.5% of item total
Sales Tax: is collected from the buyer and does not effect your stats but is calculated towards the processing fee since it is down with the order total.
*The simplest way to calculate your portion is to calculate 78% off your listing price. Yes that means the other 22% goes stickily to lovely Etsy fees. Keep in mind this is a rough estimate to simply help guide you to create your proper pricing. From the 78% you will also need to dive in a little further by subtracting all material costs. Next subtract your personal labor cost and then you will have your profit total.
Example: A handmade blanket listed for $50 without free shipping. The item cost $7.95 for the customer to ship to their residence and the tax rate is 7.5%. The customer paid $61.75 total.
Fee
Fee Amount
Running Total
Processing Fee: 3.0% of the order total plus $0.25
$1.85 + $0.25 = $2.10
$59.65
Shipping Cost
$7.95
$51.70
Transaction Fee for Shipping: 6.5% of shipping total
MaddieAutumn 