Tomorrow my mom and I are hosting a free kids craft event at Pottery Barn Kids in Salt Lake to celebrate the new Wonder Woman products! From 1:00-4:00, we'll be there decorating some pretty rad masks and taking plenty of pictures. We will also have a few hero-themed art prints available for purchase. The craft project is perfect for boys and girls of pretty much all ages, so come see us tomorrow!
Kensie Kate is celebrating 2 years!
You guys! What an exciting month this has been so far! Fireworks, family reunions, water parks, and watermelon. (Can it really be summer without watermelon?) July 5th marked 2 years since I opened Kensie Kate! I decided to wait to celebrate until after the holiday weekend to celebrate, so this is the week of partying and marveling over the fact that it has already been 2 years. I seriously cannot say thank you enough, but as an attempt, I'm offering a free print with every print you order from now through Sunday, July 13th. You don't need to enter a coupon code, just leave me a message with what extra prints you would like. (Your free print will be the same size as the print you order) Kensie Kate is sooo close to another big milestone—1000 sales! I'm still thinking of the perfect way to celebrate that, and I'm certainly open to suggestions (;
PS: I'm hoping to list a bunch of new postcards and illustrated prints today. Hooray!
kensie kate guide to selling on etsy | part 1: before you open a shop
July 5th marks 2 years since the opening of Kensie Kate! To celebrate this momentous occasion, I'm launching a new series called "Kensie Kate Guide to Selling on Etsy." This 6-part series will cover a lot of what I've learned these past 2 years, including: researching and opening a shop, utilizing several Etsy tools, making the most of each listing, customer service, and special events.
Today will be all about Part 1: before you open a shop.
My very first piece of advice is to make sure you're ready! Believe me, I know how tempting it can be to open an Etsy shop on a whim, but just a little pre-planning can make a big difference.
Start by familiarizing yourself with Etsy. Are there any shops currently selling items similar to what you have in mind? What do these shops have in common? Is there a shop that stands out from the others? Read through their policies and item descriptions. Look at their sales. Pay attention to their product photography and overall branding.
How is your shop going to be different from the others you've looked at? Are you going to have the best customer service? The quickest shipping? The largest selection? Something special about the way you produce your products? A fresh line of products customers won't find anywhere else?
Spend some time researching and planning how you will run your shop once it's open. What materials will you use? What is a reasonable processing time? How much will it cost to ship each item? How often will you ship? How will you package your products to be shipped safely? Will you offer international shipping?
How much will your items cost? Pricing is such an important element in running a successful shop! Many people will tell you to figure out your cost and multiply it by 2 to arrive at your final price. Please don't do this. Maybe this method will work just fine for you and your shop, but what will most likely end up happening is this: you will work tirelessly to create beautiful products only to find that over time you start to begrudge the process because you're not making enough money for it to be worth it. Many handmade crafters have a hard time pricing their items because they are thinking about what they would be willing to spend. Guess what! You are not your target market!
When I first opened my shop, I thought my prices were too high and I was tempted to lower them several times. Now that I'm wholesaling, I'm so glad I didn't. Here's my pricing formula: multiply your cost by 4. Why is this? If you ever want to venture into wholesaling, your vendors will expect a 50% discount. Too many Etsy sellers price their items too low and can't wholesale because they didn't leave enough room in their selling price for it to be profitable. If your selling price is 4x your cost, that leaves room for advertising, buying new equipment, branding, and paying yourself.
Now that you've thought about how your shop will stand out from the rest, how you will produce and ship items, and what your prices will be, I'd say you're ready to open your shop! Part 2 of this series will be all about those first few steps once you take the leap. It will cover how many items you need to have, branding, photography, and setting up your shop.
Overwhelmed? More excited than ever? Leave any questions you have in the comments!
handlettering day 3 + a story about pancakes
My grandpa (my mom's dad aka Bucko) makes really good pancakes. My mom grew up with Bucko's pancakes and Saturday morning cartoons (Bucko still enjoys himself Bugs Bunny and that darn roadrunner). When my mom and dad were newlyweds, my dad offered to make my mom pancakes for breakfast. Memories of years of Bucko's pancakes filled her head as my dad started cooking. My mom sat down at the table and took a bite. "Are these pancakes or hockey pucks?" she thought. But she didn't say that. Because she was a newlywed. So she ate them anyways. Years later, we still laugh. Mostly while eating my dad's pancakes. Which have improved greatly. And with that heartwarming tale, I present to you day 3 of my handlettering project | available here in 5 different colors
happy birthday owen + handlettering day 2
Happy birthday little man! As I write this, you are currently sprawled out in my bed like a starfish snoring quite loudly. 6 years old already. Although, having so many older siblings makes you seem much older. You have a quick, witty sense of humor and know how to keep up with the big kids. You currently enjoy playing WWF wrestling on the Xbox (followed by real wrestling with your friends), playing with little Sam every day, playing on a soccer team, and playing baseball for much longer than anyone else is willing to throw a ball. (It would seem that it took 6 tries, but dad finally got himself an athlete (: ) Today mom is taking you to pick out your birthday present (a brand new bike to replace the one you insist is much too small). Happy 6th birthday, Bubby!
P.S. Day 2 of my handlettering project is for sale in 5 different colors (: Today is the real first day of summer for us and with all the fun/exciting/new/challenging/awesome plans I have, life really is just peachy right now.
#30daysoflettering | day 1 | follow your heart
**Psst! The West Elm LOCAL launch party for the Salt Lake store in City Creek Mall will be June 14th from 12:00 - 4:00. I would love to see you there! Go here or here for more info. Today I started a new personal project: 30 days of hand lettering for the month of June. It has been a goal of mine to incorporate more of my own handwriting in my designs. This month is going to be pretty crazy, (Owen's 6th birthday June 2, The Wonderland Boutique June 6-7, West Elm Local launch party June 14, Father's Day June 15, Finley's 9th birthday June 29, and about a million different projects) so it's quite possible I'll miss a day or 2, but I'm excited to see what I'm able to do this month.
Day 1 of 30:
One thing I have really enjoyed about my art classes at BYU is the push to use new techniques and mediums. On this design, I used embossing powder and a heat gun, which Finley was really fascinated by.
Recently, I have been trying to "follow my heart" and go for what I really want. And what I've learned is that the easiest way to get what you want is to ask for it.
This design is now available as a print in my shop in 5 different color ways.
