For my loyal readers, who know the whole story, let me clarify my current position:
1. CraftLuck is my newest venture. It's non-profit, and, as I mention in the previous post, grassroots.
2. Declaration Vintage is my business. I'm thinking of re-working the name and will explore selling indie-crafts along with my antique and vintage items more aggressively than I am now.
3. Ruby Red is my avatar/personna. This is my personal blog, the one with all the history. If you've read my posts since the beginning, then you know about my journey and how I've gotten here. (If not, start at the beginning!) Ruby Red is the writer, the vintage postcard collector, the crafter, the design enthusiast, the entrepreneur. Ruby Red is ... me.
One crazy newlywed gal in the Nashville area, taking life a day at a time, setting up home on a budget, finding beauty in the ordinary, seeking joy in the small things, and following Christ as best I can.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Something New ...
I can't believe I'm doing this, but I have stepped out of my comfort zone and started a whole new kind of grassroots craft movement. It's a local concept, for now. An indie-driven, freestyle, one-of-a-kind event called CraftLuck. Basically, crafters in Middle Tennesse can participate in a potluck-style meeting in which participants bring craft supplies to share with the entire group for the duration of the event.
Unlike a stamping party, nobody is selling the products used. Unlike a scrapbook meet, more than one kind of craft is being created. Unlike a traditional potluck meal, you can't, well, eat what everyone else has brought (unless, of course, they brings snacks to share, too)!
What you can do is have fun. I'm hoping that people who don't normally spend time crafting will come and enjoy themselves, as well. I want to get the word out that crafting is for everyone, and that you don't have to be perfect to be creative.
Unlike a stamping party, nobody is selling the products used. Unlike a scrapbook meet, more than one kind of craft is being created. Unlike a traditional potluck meal, you can't, well, eat what everyone else has brought (unless, of course, they brings snacks to share, too)!
What you can do is have fun. I'm hoping that people who don't normally spend time crafting will come and enjoy themselves, as well. I want to get the word out that crafting is for everyone, and that you don't have to be perfect to be creative.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Friday!
It's Friday, I'm heading out of the office .... YAY!!!
Actually, though it's been a long, hard week, and my allergies are killing me, I'm sort of excited: we are in the process of renovating the office. I have a brand spankin' new cubicle that is BIGGER than my old one (by quite a bit, actually!). And a new Mac mini.
So that's good, right?
(It's just that every Monday reminds me again of why I can't wait to have my own business).
*sigh*
Actually, though it's been a long, hard week, and my allergies are killing me, I'm sort of excited: we are in the process of renovating the office. I have a brand spankin' new cubicle that is BIGGER than my old one (by quite a bit, actually!). And a new Mac mini.
So that's good, right?
(It's just that every Monday reminds me again of why I can't wait to have my own business).
*sigh*
Monday, February 12, 2007
A Long (and Overdue) Update
I’ve switched out most of my inventory in the showcase and have changed gears yet again. Out are the majority of the purses and all of the costume jewelry. I loved them, but obviously the market was not right for them at the antique mall. So, I’ll sell them another way, perhaps online or in a trunk show. I’m losing money on rent, but the past three months have been an incredible learning experience for me!
So far, the antique shoppers of Nashville have liked (and, more importantly, bought) the following: baroque-style gold mirrors, end-of-the-day Bakelite, vintage belts, vintage wicker and leather purses, blue glass, and a decorative fan.
I’m trying to be the bootstrapper of bootstrappers and the guerrilla marketer of guerilla marketers, considering my budget is, well, nonexistent. Sometimes, I think I’m going to go crazy, because even when I’ve stopped intentionally planning, my brain takes over and I can’t concentrate at work or go to sleep at home because new ideas spin around and around and around until I have the compulsion to write them down or make a new phone call contact—immediately.
My business has gone through such a metamorphosis, even in the past year, that sometimes I stop and wonder if I’ve completely lost it. How will I ever stick with one idea through to the finish line? How many other ideas will I hotly pursue, only to drop later on down the road without so much as a tootle-loo?
More importantly, will I ever start to make a profit?
Yet I can’t deny that jumping in and making the financial commitment to sign a 6-month lease, however small the space, has been the best thing I’ve ever done. Even my little showcase has transformed me from dreamer to do-er, and that one small change has affected every aspect of my life. Instead of buying clothes for myself, I hunt down vintage finds to add to my collection. Instead of blogging as much as I used to, I spend my spare time making labels and pricing my stock (a task I have been surprised to discover I dislike!). Instead of taking a leisurely lunch break, I take at least one lunch per week on the run when I drive over to check the booth and rearrange things to keep it fresh looking. Instead of reading a book, I write marketing plans.
And, for the final, and most unusual change to my business daydreams: the boring stuff is taking precedence. Since I’m so small, I have yet to print business cards (albeit they are next). Instead, I am determined to learn small business record keeping and my next step is to set up a cash-flow statement and an inventory database to keep track of sales, trends, and current stock. How mundane. How tedious. How absolutely necessary!
Who woulda thunk that I, the graphic design enthusiast, would put the image-making stuff last!
So far, the antique shoppers of Nashville have liked (and, more importantly, bought) the following: baroque-style gold mirrors, end-of-the-day Bakelite, vintage belts, vintage wicker and leather purses, blue glass, and a decorative fan.
I’m trying to be the bootstrapper of bootstrappers and the guerrilla marketer of guerilla marketers, considering my budget is, well, nonexistent. Sometimes, I think I’m going to go crazy, because even when I’ve stopped intentionally planning, my brain takes over and I can’t concentrate at work or go to sleep at home because new ideas spin around and around and around until I have the compulsion to write them down or make a new phone call contact—immediately.
My business has gone through such a metamorphosis, even in the past year, that sometimes I stop and wonder if I’ve completely lost it. How will I ever stick with one idea through to the finish line? How many other ideas will I hotly pursue, only to drop later on down the road without so much as a tootle-loo?
More importantly, will I ever start to make a profit?
Yet I can’t deny that jumping in and making the financial commitment to sign a 6-month lease, however small the space, has been the best thing I’ve ever done. Even my little showcase has transformed me from dreamer to do-er, and that one small change has affected every aspect of my life. Instead of buying clothes for myself, I hunt down vintage finds to add to my collection. Instead of blogging as much as I used to, I spend my spare time making labels and pricing my stock (a task I have been surprised to discover I dislike!). Instead of taking a leisurely lunch break, I take at least one lunch per week on the run when I drive over to check the booth and rearrange things to keep it fresh looking. Instead of reading a book, I write marketing plans.
And, for the final, and most unusual change to my business daydreams: the boring stuff is taking precedence. Since I’m so small, I have yet to print business cards (albeit they are next). Instead, I am determined to learn small business record keeping and my next step is to set up a cash-flow statement and an inventory database to keep track of sales, trends, and current stock. How mundane. How tedious. How absolutely necessary!
Who woulda thunk that I, the graphic design enthusiast, would put the image-making stuff last!
Thursday, February 01, 2007
I'm a Compulsive Creative
So, today we were talking around the lunch table and I was told that I was a true creative because I compulsively have to create things. Makes sense, I guess.
It certainly would explain a lot about my childhood! LOL! Selling wildflower bouquets to little old ladies, dictating poetry before I could write it, and teaching myself to play the piano ... sounds pretty compusively creative to me.
I ... can't ... stop. Must .... post to ... Blogger ....
Ahhhh, the life of a right-brainer.
It certainly would explain a lot about my childhood! LOL! Selling wildflower bouquets to little old ladies, dictating poetry before I could write it, and teaching myself to play the piano ... sounds pretty compusively creative to me.
I ... can't ... stop. Must .... post to ... Blogger ....
Ahhhh, the life of a right-brainer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)