December Update!

November came and went with a lot going on.  I entered myself into 3 gift guides & an a-list (Chakra Gift Guide by Phylameana Desy; The Streeter A-List for Accessories & Apparel and Bath & Beauty, and Life with Lovebugs Holiday Gift Guide under Knit/Crochet).  I also kept up on blogging and scheduling and took several custom orders.  And now here it is December already?!  I can't believe the Solstice is just around the corner!

Some other things that went on was the launch of my newsletter - if you're not on it, you can subscribe right here on the page!  I send extra special & early updates there.  I also only give out some special sales via my newsletter that you won't see anywhere else.  So if you love my work, like I know you do if you're reading, stop stalling and sign up already!

While I've been very busy I can say I have a lot to show for it - I had several custom orders placed and filled  before the end of November including two sets of striped armwarmers I named Donatello's Revenge, four sets of house slippers:  A Hint of Blush, If You Were Coming in the Fall, Gray Misty Morn, The Ants Go Marching, and Jack o Lantern's Light.

With December I look forward to more orders as the holidays loom ever closer and the promise of fun new projects I've gotten my little mitts into - like tatting.  I also hope to be able to take a small break from the store, because I'll have caught up on work and do a little work for my photography & design as well as my healing center.

And let me give you a tiny hint at something to look forward for those ordering this month...(be on the lookout for a blog post about it too!)  I'm putting the finishing touches on my branded packaging so you'll get to see my hard work all too soon.  If you want a quicker, personal look head on over to the store and place your order now!

And here's a special treat to those who took the time to read all the way through to the bottom!  I'll be running a Yuletide sale for one week 12/10 to 12/17 resulting in 30% the entire store!  Just use code "YUL3" at checkout in my store!  **An important note:  due to delays surrounding the holidays I cannot guarantee anything ordered during this sale will make it to you before or by 12/25!  I do apologize for the inconvenience!*

To you I hope you bundle up, light the fire, and enjoy the indoors with those you love and develop even more wonderful memories!  Stay safe, keep warm, and feel free to drop by to say hello!

Cyber Monday Free Shipping Extravaganza!!!

So you're super bummed, you signed up for my newsletter or you just missed the Black Friday sale I just held.  That's okay, I've got you covered!  Monday and Monday alone I'll be doing free shipping on everything available in my store.  This will exclude certain things, but they won't be available for purchase so no need to worry about having to cancel an order if you didn't read the fine print.

This sale starts midnight on Monday and ends midnight on Tuesday EST.  I'll be deactivating the store right before and right after (11:45 pm - 11:59 pm Sunday and 12:01 am - 12:15 am Tuesday).

This is a limited time offer and one I may not be doing again so jump on it while you can!

Happy Crafting,
Aradia
of
Aradia's Hand

First Ever Black Friday Sale!!!

So if you're part of my newsletter you're privileged and got this info earlier last week.  But I didn't want to leave out the rest of my fans or subscribers who may have joined after I sent this out.

While I've been open for three years this past January I had yet to do a Black Friday sale.  I couldn't tell you why I hadn't thought of it, but being that I'm not a big shopper might be part of it.  So to kick off my first one with a BANG!  I'm doing a special promotional store wide sale!  You can use code "1STBLKFRI" and get 45% off on anything in my shop.  This sale is only for Friday though and runs midnight to midnight.  So at 12:01 am Saturday it's a done deal!

And an extra special bonus, this includes all custom listings I have up!  Which is my special gift to you since most people don't discount their custom orders!  (Although making a request on this day for a listing that isn't made is null in void.)

So I can't wait to see you shopping on Friday, I know I'll bombarding the post office in the next few shipping days after that!

Happy Crafting,
Aradia
of
Aradia's Hand

October Product Review - Storenvy eCommerce Site

Alright, normally I do a physical product for my review but I was inspired to review the ecommerce site I sell through because it's pretty fantastic and yet a lot of people in the craft circuit, even those online, don't know about it.

First of all we all know Etsy.  Now I have no beef with Etsy, although we had a bit of a bad breakup, it is the giant for handmade ecommerce.  And while I was with Etsy for two years from 2009 to just into 2011 how it looked when I came there, versus how it looked when it started, and even how it looks now isn't the same.  While I think the changes they've made (from what I've been able to see though not being a seller there anymore) it's been improvements after a good fashion.  My gripes - the banners & avatars are crazy small (compared to other platforms) and it has a bit of a Facebook feel to it.  You can customize a minimal amount and that's it.

I've also sold with Artfire.  They changed a lot in the few years I was with them too, and while again some changes have been good, others I really wasn't all for and well we broke up too, lol.  They offer a good deal more customization to their shop fronts, but in order to have the maximum affect you had to be a pro seller (although now it's changed and that is the only option).

Just this last year (December of 2011 to be specific) I came to Storenvy.  I was a little forlorn over my Etsy break up still and was okay but not terribly ecstatic about Artfire.  So I decided to give them a chance at the ecstatic urgings of new friendy & fellow crafty fiend Melli of Melli's Trinkets.  Admittedly I had a little bit of trepidation.  What would this new ecommerce site be like that I'd never heard of?  Would it be more work, would it be worth the effort even?

I can answer in the positive and with a resounding yes that it's great and well worth it!  Originally drafting wasn't precisely available in an obvious fashion on Etsy or Artfire (although now both offer a way to do it, Storenvy's way is much simpler and getting better all the time.)  For me drafting is an extremely important feature as it allows me to hit those high points of inspired copywriting without feeling I have to sync up my listing process into "all at once".  The picture availability is set at the standard 5 which works for the most part, although you have to get a little creative at times with your pictures to narrow it down into just 5 depending on your product.  Also standard is an easy to use app with Facebook and it also allows you to link your account and sign in that way.  Changing your email for sign in and to receive messages is easy which is also a major bonus.

Some other nifty perks, they have built in deals and promotions you can run as well as the ability to mark things as On Sale, Coming Soon, and Pre-Order (there are other options Active, Hidden, and Retire).  Forums of course are attached to the site and they give you on site stats in your dashboard.  You can see an overview of your recent sales, access specific invoices, see visitor to view rations for up to a month back or across 6 days.  Your most viewed products & top sellers, top referring URLs, top search engine terms, visitor & buyer countries.

Another major bonus to your storefront with Storenvy is that you can have as many collections, what they call store sections, as you want.  Whereas Etsy restricted it to 10, which made many people open up additional stores for categorization, this is a welcome difference.  Other tidbits are fairly standard with the ability to reference links to other areas of the web (up to 6), customization of your shipping confirmation email, and bits in your profile.

However, the coup de grace of it all (aside from it being a fee-less system of course) is that you are allowed 100% customization.  Your store can be as simple as you'd like it to be or as hands down fancy pants as you can get it (or your web designer can get it).  This leads the way for you to have a truly unique webstore that bespeaks your style while setting up a good majority of the front for you.

So if you have a shop and maybe you're struggling with your venue, or you're thinking of opening one, pop on over to Storenvy and try it out - you won't be sorry you did!