Bags boost sales! (Or, at least, interest in my shop.)

Happy Monday!

I am pleased to report that two bags have been added to Wacky Wanita's YOUnique Boutique! And, as was the case last time purses made it into the shop, interest in the shop increased drastically in just 24 hours. Women like bags, I guess! Whodathunkit?

The first bag, my personal favorite, is this enormous handbag that I'm calling the Grace Kelly clutch. Now, it's a little bigger than your average clutch (fifteen inches long!), but it has no strap and is intended as a statement piece. I chose the name Grace Kelly because I think of Grace Kelly as being a woman of class who, like Audrey, is always "in," but is perhaps a little edgier than other actresses who have stood the test of time. I feel that this purse is a little vintage-y because of its size and material (wool), but it transcends the trends of an era and is very prominent. Like Grace Kelly.

The bag is one of a kind. As the listing explains, the material was limited, so although the pattern can be repeated, this exact model of the Grace Kelly clutch cannot be repeated, so whichever lucky lady ends up with this one can be the envy of all her friends.

The other bag, also a clutch, and also by the the artist of the first two Wacky Wanita purses, Heidi, is almost too small to call a clutch, so it will come up in Etsy searches as a wallet, as well. Its cream-and-off-white pattern make it perfect for a bridal affair, and we have enough material left to make a few matching pieces, if a customer wanted to give a set of them to her wedding party. Even more exciting? A larger version--with its own unique button design--is going to be released shortly, as well.

Still working on the greeting card set "'H' as in 'Hi.'" That will probably be the next thing to appear at WackyWanitaDesigns. It's very exciting. Can't wait to show it to you!

Thank you for stopping by!

Until next time,

Wanita

We haven't forgotten you!

I’ve not forgotten all y’all faithful few who diligently read the blog—it’s just been crazy crazy crazy for this li’l unemployed gal.  But I got a few minutes to update you this morning, so here we go!

Nothing new has been added to the shop in over a week, though there are many projects on the horizon. Heidi, the maker of the purses recently added to Wacky Wanita’s, has a couple new items coming, and Janice, who crochets my hats for me, has been working on a design that will fit a smaller head, so that I can sell my flower hats to chilluns, too. I’ve got my “flashcard” greeting set coming soon, and I’m hoping that Deborah, who recently came into quite a hoard of beautiful buttons, will be filling a couple orders I placed with her.

And speaking of buttons, last weekend, my stepmother (fists filled with coupons) invited me to head down to the craft supply store with her, which I was more than pleased to do. What I did not know was that when I arrived at her home, her mother would be there with literally thousands of buttons, old and new alike, that were free for the taking. She scored an amazing deal at a flea market, picked out the pieces she liked, and offered the rest to us. My stepmother picked out the ones that would go best with her purse designs, while I took every gaudy vintage button in the lot. I probably walked away with five hundred buttons. So many possibilities!

So as you can see, Wacky Wanita’s is not a place of still waters. Things are happening. It’s just the calm before the storm, so to speak—but in a really good way!

Can’t wait to post again soon! Meanwhile, if you’ve got that itch, here are a couple shops I found on Etsy that I love:

Plad: hand-carved, earthy, rustic items that are purely for aesthetic appeal: http://www.etsy.com/shop/plad

Depeapa: pen-and-ink original works, applied to everything from T-shirts to felt brooches: http://www.etsy.com/shop/depeapa

FlapperDoodle: 1920's art and stationery by a gal named Kate out in California (I've ordered from her before; I want EVERYTHING in her shop!): http://www.etsy.com/shop/flapperdoodle

Until next time, stay wacky!

Wacky Wanita

Hot off the press!

Wacky Wanita's has gotten its first endorsement from the press!

Kim Solga, a fellow Etsy-er and the mind behind My Etsy Blog ("an open and candid discussion of what it takes to set up and work a shop on Etsy"), wrote to me a couple days ago to ask whether I'd be open to her doing an article on my catalog-style approach to photos on Etsy. Heck yes!

The short entry, which today is on the homepage and after today will be available on My Etsy Blog under "Great Photos Are the Key," details my newborn idea to use the final photo spot given for an Etsy listing to pair the item with other items from the shop--a stylist's approach. Solga asked me a few questions, I answered them, and, well, now you can read about it!

The article can be viewed here. Can't wait to hear what you think!

Who doesn't love a good greeting card?

I don't have much to post today, but I wanted to give you guys a peek at the new design for my flash "cards." You are really going to like them!

The original design was perfectly acceptable, but I also felt that it was slightly flawed; only the "g as in 'go'" card had the original vintage type on the face of the card, because of the 1960s grammar school flashcards I obtained, it was the only one with a catchy, greeting-card usable slogan built into the flashcard itself. I had to make up the slogans for "sh : new baby" and "sh : it's a surprise" cards, and the font I used was the closest I could get to the original type.

But I'm a perfectionist, and it was not good enough.

I went hunting for something better, knowing that no matter how many fonts I downloaded, I would never find anything that could match the original letterpress stamps that were likely used to make the cards. But therein lay my solution: I should look for stamps.

Lo and behold, the first place I went looking, I found a set of alphabet stamps that mimicked the precise feel of the original type! I purchased some high-quality ink along with the stamps, then experimented on paper to find the best way to make the stamped letters look aged, coming up with what I thought was the closest resemblance to vintage-looking type.

I stamped out the whole alphabet in a line, scanned the sheet, and, through careful measuring and cropping, created my own font!--which I then used to type out handy slogans like these:

I have a whole "H as in Hi" collection planned so that Wacky Wanita customers can buy a complete greeting card set, purchasing ten cards at once at a lower cost per card, and also allowing the buyer to enjoy more of the "flashcard" feel. A few other collections will follow. But I haven't named those ones yet!

Just wanted to keep you in the know. And I was excited. :-)

Some new purses coming soon, too. Came up with a couple design ideas today to pitch to my pursemaker--whose photo and bio should appear soon on the "Artists" page, so look forward to that!

Have a splendid day!

See you soon,

Wacky Wanita

PS--And check out the new Facebook fanpage! http://www.facebook.com/WackyWanitasYoUniqueBoutique
*All "flashcards"/flash "cards" shown here and in the Wacky Wanita store are copyright Wacky Wanita 2012.

Welcome, July! We love you.

Another crazy week at Wacky Wanita's. But what else would it be, right? Wait. Have you heard this story?

Maybe you haven't! I've got the time to tell you. I'm just sitting here in my freshly-cleaned kitchen with nothing but some editing work on my plate. It's not like I have to be at work tomorrow or anything. Not just because I don't work on Sundays, but because--that's right--I quit my day job.

I gave my notice at the elite retail job where I worked as inventory manager right around the same time that I started this super awesome blog. It wasn't my intention at the time to become a full-time entrepreneur, but that's what life has been for me the last week. A lot of businessy hustle and bustle, networking, and filling in the gaps with little details like shipping supplies and copyright stamps. Tomorrow I meet with my hatmaker. (Okay, I guess I do a little work on Sundays sometimes.) Then it will be off onto the next thing.

Perhaps you already thought that Wacky Wanita's was my career, but alas, no. Wacky Wanita artist Deborah and I both love the idea of renting a studio space in historical Portsmouth and coming in every day to share all the ideas we came up with exploring vintage sales and Pinterest (want to follow me? I'm The Antler Girl!), but the reality is, at this point, this boutique is not going to pay the bills.

In the meantime, I've got an interview scheduled for Monday at a bridal boutique. Interesting, no? It's as though all the facets of my girliness are coming together. Just a few days ago, in that brilliant space between waking and sleeping, I came up with the idea for the bridal fortune cookie card.

I swore I'd only make the fortune cookie in three colors--to keep it special and select--but this idea was too good. The zillions of shades of white made available to a bride as she prepares for her big day are the perfect inspiration for a fresh new fortune cookie card. I thought it could be used for a maid-of-honor thank-you--after all, she does so much to assist the bride, make the whole wedding-planning process fun, and alleviate stress that a simple single-fold card does not really provide enough space to say it all--but Deborah matched my idea and raised me one:

She said she hopes her matron of honor will get the card and use it to navigate the bachelorette party! She says a traveling bachelorette party or an evening full of events could be made that much more spontaneous by allowing the bride to choose her fate via the bridal fortune cookie card. Brilliant! If this woman ever starts her own wedding blog, I am following it. I will never miss a single post.

That's probably my favorite new product this week. I'm positively giddy about it.

Another girlie product to hit the table this week is the Heidi clutch. Now, since the market for bags is highly competitive, I'm sparking my own trend by creating a catalog feel, if you will, in my Etsy store. Online stores are great and everything, but one thing a shopper loses between the pages of a catalog and the screen of a computer is the stylist's use of products together. Before anyone can just pass off the Heidi clutch as yet another bag in the streams and streams of bags that flow through Etsy, they're going to have to take a moment to consider our Wacky Wanita styling approach. Check it out:

Tell me this isn't a good idea! I'm still working out the kinks, and I'm not sure Etsy will approve... but I only intend to do it with the purses, and hey--it's worth a shot!

What else, what else?

The reason I meet with my hatmaker tomorrow is that she has been working out the measurements for a child-size hat, so that I can provide the slave-free flower hats in multiple sizes. I don't know that I'll commit to purchasing any tomorrow; I have to approve the design and select colors first, but that could be the next big thing.

A potential new artist and I are working out a design for a great messenger bag I think people are really going to love. I'm debating about maybe making it in the proportions to carry the iPad, but we shall see. I will say that it may incorporate vintage jewelry, and a belt, and a fabric design by yours truly! I'm super excited about that.

Oh! And we've got a whole bunch of new "flashcards" coming hot off the press in the next week. They're classy, they're clever--you're going to love them.

So, basically, a lot to look forward to.

Thanks for tuning in! Can't wait to share this next chapter of my story with you. You're the best!

Until next time,

Wanita

Are you as excited as I am? Of course you are!

Good afternoon, artisans of the world! Join with me, will you, in a celebratory leap of excitement--clap your hands, squeal with joy, and dance around like a little school girl.

We have the button hats.

Oh, but it's not just the button hats. It's the button gloves. And... drumroll, please... a whole new line of greeting cards that will appeal to anyone who loves classic, vintage designs and cherishes the spelling bees of their youth. These are none other than "flashcards"--greeting cards made from genuine 1960s flashcards. And we're making them for every occasion.

I am getting ahead of myself--forgive me.

Yes, the button hats have finally come in. Thank you so much to "Lola" of Button Up! designs, for hand-selecting all the vintage buttons that will make every hat and pair of gloves not only beautiful, but one-of-a-kind. The hats and gloves in the WWYB inventory are absolutely gorgeous. Each hat and glove set seems to have its own unique thing to say. I look forward to selling many more like them!

Two more flower hats have also been added to the shop, officially. You've already seen the black one with the heather-gray rose, but have you seen this (dare I say, Superman-inspired?) blue and red design? A little spunkier than the other retro designs, I think:

And I have saved my latest treasure for last. A month or so ago, I logged onto Etsy to see on the homepage a truly must-have item, which I purchased without stopping to think twice: Thirty-three genuine 1960s vintage flashcards in blue, yellow, and pink. I just thought, "I know there's something I can do with this!" The price was fair; there was nothing stopping me.

Surrounded by other artists as the founder of Wacky Wanita's YOUnique Boutique, I got feedback from several creative minds on how to make the most of this gem--a special thanks goes out to Deborah, the creator of the button earrings you all love so much, because she was the one to suggest scanning them for multiple-use. Now the possibilities are only limited by my capacity for new ideas! I am so, so excited. Here are the first in the collection:

Also, after a bit of research into the art of (cue music) fabric printing, there is an excellent chance that in the very near future you will be seeing truly original scarf and headwrap designs by Wacky Wanita--not only the product sewing pattern, but the fabric patterns themselves!

So much happening! See it all this week at the Wacky Wanita Etsy shop. And don't forget--we love feedback! Drop us a line and tell us what you think!

Love to everyone!

Until next time,

Wanita

PS--Some more pictures for your enjoyment!

Hats uploaded!

Hello, Wacky Wanita fans!

The hats have been loaded to Etsy! You can get the full lowdown on what makes these babies so special by visiting the shop. But in the meantime, here's a taste of two colors mentioned in the last blog but not pictured.

True gray with mustard flower:

Thyme with cerulean flower:

The flowers are detachable and can be worn on the clothes or in the hair! (This feature means you can detach the flower, which is made of wool, and wash the hat.) Here's what they look like from the back:

Modeled by yours truly!

Can't wait for you to see the button hats! Until next time,

Wanita

Hats! Hats! Hats!

Greetings, one and all!

After much ado, the hats are in! The flower hats, that is. I received my 100% merino wool felt last week, and just Friday I went and picked out my hat colors, so now the combined products of hand-crotcheted hats (with yarn made in the USA!) and wool felt flowers are underway! Colors to be made available are:

* Dusty Teal with Crimson flower (above)
* Black with Heather Gray flower (beneath)
* True Gray with Mustard flower
* Thyme with Cerulean flower
* Soft Navy with Crimson flower

All buttons are made in Italy and Spain, the final touch that makes these hats sophisticated and slave-free.

Coming next week are the button hats and gloves, by new Wacky Wanita artist Laura. The hats are the same style, but colorfully adorned with multi-sized and multi-colored buttons on one side. They're a perfect wacky addition to any artist's wardrobe!

Stay tuned to hear about the soon-to-come hand-printed scarves and funky purses! So much on the horizon for Wacky Wanita's--you won't want to miss it!

Hey, there! In case you were wondering...

All right, for those who were wondering why the felt flowers advertized in my previous post have not yet shown up on Etsy, here's the answer:

The flowers you anticipated so eagerly--and rightly so!--are about to get even better. After making a few prototypes (above are the first two), I began exploring material options to ensure that I was offering the best product possible. During my price-comparison process between wool felt distributors (the prototypes were acrylic), I found two types of wool felt: a 100% wool felt, and a 35% wool, 65% rayon blend. I contacted a manufacturer of 100% merino wool felt for information to make an informed decision, and here is what I learned!

As far as the consumer goes, products made with 100% wool felt are less bound to shed, fray, and lose their shape. Definitely a plus. From the artist's point of view, working with 100% wool means easier cutting and shaping without the hassle of that same shedding and fraying.

Merino wool is wool that is sheared close to the sheep's skin, making it the softest wool available. The manufacturer I spoke to also promised that there was no sheen or stiffness, as one would find in typical craft felts--and his felts are Oeko Tex-certified, meaning that the lack of flammability and the limited use of dyes make the wool safe for products that will be used by children.

But the real selling point for me? If I purchase from this particular manufacturer, the felt comes from Europe. I don't have to worry about answering to my customers (or, really, my own conscience) about materials made in China.

I even followed up my purchase with the merino wool manufacturer by purchasing a variety of decorative buttons from Italy and Spain so that this element of the product is also slave-free. These flower pins (which are also going to appear on hats!--but more on that in my next post) are not only going to be of excellent quality; they are also going to be perfectly affordable, and guiltless.

I will post a link the minute they go up!

Thanks for shopping! Stay creative,

Wanita

VLOG: Lost in cyberspace

Well, greetings again, everyone.

Today's lesson: One should not make promises which one cannot keep. Although I did create an introductory video to Wacky Wanita style and merchandise (complete with witty captions), due to technical difficulties I was unable to load it. To Blogspot or YouTube. Therefore, vlog #1 = bust.

However.

On an up note, some new products have been added to the lineup! Check out the full smorgasbord of fortune cookie cards!

They come in three colors. You've already seen the red, in my last post. (More pictures available on Etsy.) This is the blue! It was highlighted in my would-be video, which had a blue theme.

Here is the green. It has already gotten some "favorites" on Etsy, and repins on Pinterest!

Also on the item train is this new flower pin, inspired by Make&DoGirl, but with some Wacky Wanita modifications (note the button!):

Likewise, it comes in three colors--blue, red, and sunflower. Every flower ordered is slightly unique, however, as the button in the center changes. The pin serves as both a boutonniere, for a jacket, hat, or purse, and a hairpin.

Soon coming are the laundry-day cards, pop-out cards like you've never seen before. There will be a design for guys and a design for girls!

And I've gotten inspiration for a piece of wall art that I am convinced has never before been conceived. My one obstacle is material for the template, as without the template, I cannot complete the piece. Also, shipping may pose some challenges; but I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

In any event, stay posted! Creativity is flowing at Wacky Wanita's--you won't want to miss what comes of it!

It's Finally Here!

Greetings, one and all!

Wacky Wanita's YOUnique Boutique is officially up and running. Already you can get fun greeting cards, dangling button earrings, and at least one piece of wall art. And this is just the beginning!

This wacky store was born because I (Wanita) at long last decided to go for it and start selling the greeting cards I've made for friends and auctions since I was fifteen years old. More than a decade of practice has honed my skill--and certainly accumulated many products for my supply inventory--making this the perfect time to make the leap. And what is even more exciting?

I've partnered with a handful of other artists who have also decided that the Time is Now. Under my umbrella, our collaboration is going to bring you all kinds of wacky products that you've never seen--items that I hope will make you laugh and cry (because you're laughing so hard) and then tell all your friends. Next on the agenda is purses like no purses you've ever seen, and throw-pillows with sayings on them that will make you check yourself twice.

Look forward to a video blog (henceforth referred to as "vlog") within the week. I want to get myself a nice haircut before I go on the air to tell you about all the adventures ahead with Wacky Wanita Designs. Until then, peruse the pages of our blog and, most importantly, visit our store, now on Etsy!

www.etsy.com/shop/wackywanitadesigns

See you soon!