February Round Up

Despite it being a leap year this year February flew by! In case you missed it here is a link to my January round up so you can see how my 2012 year began! Here's a recap of my February endeavours!

This month I was thrilled to get out and meet some new crafty gals through the Kawartha Lakes Artisans, Vintage&Collectibles group.  It is always nice to meet fellow artisans in the community and I'm excited to work with these talented individuals to grow not only our own small businesses but the handmade scene in our community.
My goal for the month was to get to 160 listings in my Etsy shop (that was my own personal "magic number") and I made it! Since some items are one of a kind (and sold...woo-hoo) it also encouraged me to keep making new items. I'm hoping to maintain that number throughout the month of March and add a couple of new products every week. I had noticed last year that once I maintained approx. 120 items in my shop sales were much steadier. Whether I appear more frequently in search results, have a wider variety of items for shoppers to choose from, or a combination of those factors (and others I'm sure) it is always nice to see that "Congratulations you have a sale" notification more and more frequently. Let's hope that every month continues to show such a good growth over the previous year!


I am proud to say that not only did I see an increase over last years sales numbers for the month I also saw an increase in sales over January of this year. Since some of my Reserved Listings were for multiple items the numbers below are conservative.

Total number of sales for February 2012:  15

Total number of sales for February 2011: 13

January also saw me place my first order for bulk supplies and I am now able to offer both miniature bookmarks and keyrings as wholesale items or bulk buys (such as wedding or shower favours). I also have a massive stockpile of envelopes on hand and am ready to tackle the year and continue to expand.

Looking ahead to March....
Goals for March include maintaining my 160 shop listings, prepare for some off line events in April (including the Mom to Mom sale, revival of my travelling jewellery party and a home party for a ladies book club). I am reloading my Artfire studio as well which is in desperate need of some attention. Last but not least....finishing off 2011's paperwork for the taxman. Ugh, how I wish the paperwork fairy would come while I am beading and do it for me!!!

What do you have planned for the month ahead?