It's all in the numbers!

I am never quite sure if the more followers I have the greater the chance of a sale, this is what we hear everywhere..twitter, fb, blog, get the numbers up, does this make us more popular or are we just more established, been around a little longer? I do get it that followers are the new  "foot fall" but are they popping in for a nose, to see what we are up to and what they would like to copy! or is it best to have fewer numbers but from potential customers who actually buy from me...regularly.

At the moment I am playing the numbers game...hoping to get my fb numbers up to 1200!..pop by like (if you do!)...share with YOUR friends, leave me a message saying you have and I'll include you and any new likers in the draw...Good Luck xx

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marie-Finlay/128506169714#!/pages/Marie-Finlay/128506169714

Fancy a Party?

OK so it has only taken a year to write my next blog!..well it has been a busy year but that is a very "poor" excuse. So what have you missed...I have been very busy with my little business which I am really pleased with, I have been getting out and about more selling at various locations and have a growing number of regulars. Home parties are becoming more popular, I think you lot seem to enjoy touching and feeling before you buy and parties are great for this.

Fancy a party?

I'm back!!..sorry to have been gone so long..

Wow how long have I been gone! I am so sorry I have been AWOL but I just don't think I am very good at this so it had become a bit of a chore...so I have sorted out my head and decided just to treat it like a diary, I have kept a diary since I was about 13 years old, writing in it at the end of every day with all my thoughts and emotions including special signs and colour coding for various events in my life. When I read back my old diaries I feel like I am transported back to that time in my life..weird..I enjoy how moments of time felt so important yet have no significance in my life today, I love that I have matured and know what and who IS important in my life, "growing up" does have it's benefits.

Thank you for being patient with me ...I am back rearing to to go, watch this space! xxxx

Drum roll!! drum roll!!!.....

I thought it was about time that I had a "GIVEAWAY" on my fb page for all the great support I have had from "Likers"...so last week I left a message saying that I would really love to reach 500 fans...well you lot have been fab and in less than 24 hours I reached the magic number! I did say on fb that the draw would be on Friday at 7pm, unfortunately wee Mushy was vomiting at just about that time! and for the rest of the evening.....First thing this morning still in his jimjams wee Mushy had a special role to play ...picking from the hat the lucky winner.

With over 150 names in the hat , he managed to place them all in his sunhat.....

Shake.....shake.....shake....

pick out a name.......

Drum roll..................................................................

............................................the lucky winner is..........................................

Cara Aitch Homer!!!!! well done Cara and thank you so much for taking part in my first "proper" giveaway.

Look out for next months "giveaway"......

Taking risks

I have been very busy over the last month organising, planning and plotting!

An opportunity came along which I thought long and hard about ... a local lady was opening up a shop at our local garden centre for local crafters, you pay for the space/unit/shelving on a three month selling licence... a little shop inside a shop!

The pessimistic side of me was saying..Mmmm too expensive...what if nothing sells etc etc

but the positive side was saying, a shop open 7 days a week...location is fab everyone likes garden centres?...I sell well at craft fairs when customers get to touch and feel....it's only money I'm losing!

So yesterday I dragged a friend along (Thank you Sophia) to help me set up "my space", a white wooden shelving unit. I signed on the dotted line and paid up!

It opens tomorrow morning at 10 and the grand opening will be in September.

Am I taking a risk?!....Watch this space.

You don't NEED anything but you WANT it!

Most things I make you don't need but you may want!....I sometimes struggle with this, I know that most things I buy I don't need but I DO want, is it a girl thing?? as most of my girlfriends are exactly the same we googoo and gaga over handbags, shoes, jewellery and anything else that is a bit "special"...often it's an impulse buy where "you have to have it now" and other times it's a oh I'll think about it....boy do you think about it from the moment you leave the shop or website, justifying why you should have it until you decide you can't live without it, then as you decide you will have it, it's gone! too late someone else has snatched it up!
How do you feel when you see these items...some I have bought on impulse and others I am deciding upon...but how long before they are gone!

Superwoman..and she doesn't know it

Over the month of may I joined the Mad Mayhemmers on Folksy, it's a personal challenge to list one item a day for the full month.
I found it quite challenging but it helped me to achieve something daily, and it was a great way to fill up my shop, I tend to make things, then pop the finished item back into a box..."How is it going to sell if no-one sees it?" is the question my other half would often ask me.
During the month of May I "met" some fabulous folksy folk and one seemed to stick out..Natalie from NOfkantsCurios, Natalie was always around morning, noon and night to answer questions.... she was full of praise for us all, bringing us all together as friends... doing silly "happy dances" when we had a sale..... as well as playing the sales fairy herself a few times!









These are a few of my favourites from Natalie's shop.

I don't know a lot about Natalie but what I do know is that she has two full time jobs....a family..at least two children but I am sure it's three....time and patience for others...without her help I would not have been able to do this blog with photos!
What I do know is Natalie lives in my neck of the woods so we WILL be meeting for coffee and that I now have a fully stocked shop!

Oh and I am part of the June Loonie Gang!