Hello everyone, long time no see. We're back from Maker Faire Austin and we had a blast. There was tons to see and do. Maybe next year we'll get out away from the booth more and participate in some of the activities. You can see my photos of the event here in my flickr pool.
We're listing a lot of new items in the Nerdbomber Etsy shop. Most of what we're listing currently are Book purses and cards. We hope to list more cell phone charms and small zipper pouches, too.
Our next show is the Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash on November 22. This is at the Sons of Herman Hall from 3-10 pm. Buying handmade for the hollidays is the cool thing to do. You want to be cool, don't you?
Friday, October 31, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
400 Sales?
We had a small spurt of sales this weekend, making 399 total sales. Does anyone want to push us up to 400 sales? If someone reads this blog, makes a purchase and puts,"Nerds Rule!" in the message to sellers, I'll send you a special "400th Sale Spectacular Surprise."
Ok, so the rules again are:
1. Read this blog. (check!)
2. Purchase the 400th item from our Nerdbomber Etsy store.
3. Write "Nerds Rule!" in the message to sellers.
4. Win!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Nerd Girl
Ok, so it's not really a clear picture, more of a tease. Lisa ordered our vinyl banner and for some reason this makes me feel like we're official. We've got signage! This banner will be gracing our booth at the Bazaar Bizarre in the Austin Maker's Faire. The event is going to be tons of fun, anyone in and around Austin should go.
I've been very busy keeping up with school, so it's been hard to post updates on the blog. I know, it's been a month! If I had updated, it would have been, "Read a bunch of stuff for school. Didn't sew a darn thing."
This weekend I did carve out time to finish up some last minute items (apathy bird pouches and book clutches). They should be done on the weekend then I can get back to reading for school before NEXT weekend.
People who know me know that I'm a worrier. I've been pretty nervous about the BB. We've done shows before, but this will be by far the biggest. Are we bringing enough product? Enough business cards? Are our prices reasonable? What if the weekend is a bust?
The only thing I can really do is my best and learn from this experience. Thankfully, Lisa doesn't get worked up like I do. She'll keep me grounded. We're a wonderful nerdy team. See you at the Bazaar Bizarre!
I've been very busy keeping up with school, so it's been hard to post updates on the blog. I know, it's been a month! If I had updated, it would have been, "Read a bunch of stuff for school. Didn't sew a darn thing."
This weekend I did carve out time to finish up some last minute items (apathy bird pouches and book clutches). They should be done on the weekend then I can get back to reading for school before NEXT weekend.
People who know me know that I'm a worrier. I've been pretty nervous about the BB. We've done shows before, but this will be by far the biggest. Are we bringing enough product? Enough business cards? Are our prices reasonable? What if the weekend is a bust?
The only thing I can really do is my best and learn from this experience. Thankfully, Lisa doesn't get worked up like I do. She'll keep me grounded. We're a wonderful nerdy team. See you at the Bazaar Bizarre!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
The Shops @ Funky Finds
You may have heard of the blog Funky Finds, which features tons of crafters from around the world. They also have fun contests and giveaways. A companion site to Funky Finds is Funky Town where members can post crafty events going on in their area. The newest addition to the Funky family is The Shops at Funky Finds. This is an online venue for crafters to sell their items and for lucky patrons to buy them.
We opened up a shop after speaking with Jessica and Joe at the Show Pony Show last month. The seller accounts for Shops at Funky Finds are set up on a monthly basis where you get a set number of categories and listings. As long as you pay the monthly subscription, listings are indefinite, sweet! As far as ease of buying is concerned, the site works seamlessly with Paypal with the standard cart system.
One interesting thing about searching the site is that if you search by category it will return shops with items in that category, not individual items. This could be good in getting people to view your whole shop, but does add extra mouse clicking for us lazy types. The individual shop main page does not show items for sale, but is more like a profile page. You have to click on the "shop items" button to see what they have to sell. However, there are ads on the sidebar where shops and items are featured. When those are clicked on you are taken directly to the shops inventory page. It's an extra page to click through to get to the products, but it's not overly frustrating.
What really sold me on The Shops at Funky Finds as a seller, though, is the amazing level of customer service. I was having trouble uploading my photos and Joe called to help work out the problem. We got it fixed and it was a fairly simple issue, but he really took the extra step to make sure that I was happy. It is easy to see that Jessica and Joe want their sites to be useful, fun and functional. If you haven't already checked out the Funky Finds sites, you should do so now. They have a lot to offer and it looks like they're only going to get better.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
New Cell Phone Charms
Lisa made these really cool cell phone charms recently. I'll be listing them soon in the shop for your purchasing pleasure. Hopefully she'll make more because these are awesome.
I'm listing several vintage items I'd been holding on to. I finally decided to list them and give someone else a chance to enjoy them. I'm very picky about the vintage I buy and sell. I don't purchase flawed or damaged goods, so you can be sure you're getting quality vintage from my shop.
School recently started for me, so I'm working to strike a balance between that and nerdbomber. I will do my best to keep up with listing and making new things.
We're also getting our shop over at Funkyshops worked out. I'm having a hard time with the picture uploads, but that's probably due to my own ineptitude. I will let you know as soon as we have more fully listed there.
I'm listing several vintage items I'd been holding on to. I finally decided to list them and give someone else a chance to enjoy them. I'm very picky about the vintage I buy and sell. I don't purchase flawed or damaged goods, so you can be sure you're getting quality vintage from my shop.
School recently started for me, so I'm working to strike a balance between that and nerdbomber. I will do my best to keep up with listing and making new things.
We're also getting our shop over at Funkyshops worked out. I'm having a hard time with the picture uploads, but that's probably due to my own ineptitude. I will let you know as soon as we have more fully listed there.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Vendor List for the Bazaar Bizarre
The vendor list for the Bazaar Bizarre Austin came out today. The list is impressive, with nearly 60 high quality crafters and artists from all over the country. We are highly honored to be included in this list and are looking forward to seeing all the vendors in person.
I'll be adding new items to the shop soon. Look for a new design that I'm really excited about. We have a lot of new products in the works. I'll be making larger bags and some zipper pouches, too. Lisa will be working on more screened designs and cell phone charms, zipper pulls and button accessories.
We've got a lot going on; the hardest part is keeping up with ourselves.
I'll be adding new items to the shop soon. Look for a new design that I'm really excited about. We have a lot of new products in the works. I'll be making larger bags and some zipper pouches, too. Lisa will be working on more screened designs and cell phone charms, zipper pulls and button accessories.
We've got a lot going on; the hardest part is keeping up with ourselves.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Buttons!
Ok, so I've recovered form the Show Pony Show. It was a well organized and fun event and everyone had a great time.
We're still working out our display and we did several things differently. The biggest thing would be the button board. We needed a better way to display the buttons so people could choose what they wanted. This set up worked out well. We're still workong on making it look more professional.
Soon I will begin adding more items to the shop, so check back later today and tomorrow. In addition to that, we just opened a shop at Funky Finds. I will add new product there soon as well. Click on the link on the sidebar to the right to see the shop.
We're still working out our display and we did several things differently. The biggest thing would be the button board. We needed a better way to display the buttons so people could choose what they wanted. This set up worked out well. We're still workong on making it look more professional.
Soon I will begin adding more items to the shop, so check back later today and tomorrow. In addition to that, we just opened a shop at Funky Finds. I will add new product there soon as well. Click on the link on the sidebar to the right to see the shop.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Show Pony Show!
Ok people, it's coming up quickly. The Show Pony Show it THIS Sunday, August 17th. Mark your calendars and clear your schedule if you haven't already. This is going to be a fun event with something for everyone. Crafts, dancing, music, food, and a PONY. They don't call it the Show Pony Show for nothing.
I've had the pleasure of meeting many of the artists and crafters who will be there and not only is their work amazing, but they are friendly and charming people as well. Everyone believes in the handmade movement and the special qualities of lovingly handmade items.
In addition to supporting local artisans, there will be a raffle for items donated by the vendor. The proceeds from this raffle will go to support La Reunion, a local non-profit organization that supports Dallas artists. More information can be found on their website http://www.lareuniontx.org/ .
Don't miss out on the first ever Show Pony Show. With your support, this event can continue year after year. The Dallas Craft Mafia has worked very hard to make this show a success, but we need people to come out. More information about the time and location can be found in the flier posted or on the Show Pony Show website.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
sugarcookie.etsy.com
I like buying zines and comics from etsy sellers because they are usually affordable and extremely clever. Missy from sugarcookie.etsy.com exceeded my expectations on all counts with the four books I purchased from her.
The titles I got were "Cloud Picnic," "Super Paws," "A Ape," and "Kneehigh: Cats I Know." All four are charming, amusing and appropriate for people of any age. This is what most impressed me about her work. It is suitable for children but she didn't write these with children in mind. So often it seems that children's books end up pandering and talking down to their audience. Not so with Missy's work.
"A Ape" in particular captured the attention of my son because of the a/an article confusion. I won't spoil it for you, but it can easily be used as a learning tool for early readers.
"Cloud Picnic" could also be used to help early readers because it has no words. Children can exercise their imaginations and create a story to accompany the illustrations.
"Super Paws" and "Cats I Know" may be more interesting to cat owners because their stories are so true. People who know and love cats will recognize the characters and actions in the stories.
I recommend Missy's work to anyone and everyone. I know I will be back for more.
The titles I got were "Cloud Picnic," "Super Paws," "A Ape," and "Kneehigh: Cats I Know." All four are charming, amusing and appropriate for people of any age. This is what most impressed me about her work. It is suitable for children but she didn't write these with children in mind. So often it seems that children's books end up pandering and talking down to their audience. Not so with Missy's work.
"A Ape" in particular captured the attention of my son because of the a/an article confusion. I won't spoil it for you, but it can easily be used as a learning tool for early readers.
"Cloud Picnic" could also be used to help early readers because it has no words. Children can exercise their imaginations and create a story to accompany the illustrations.
"Super Paws" and "Cats I Know" may be more interesting to cat owners because their stories are so true. People who know and love cats will recognize the characters and actions in the stories.
I recommend Missy's work to anyone and everyone. I know I will be back for more.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Friday updates
I've been working on new things for another venues here locally. My mother in law is a fantastic quilter and sewer and has a booth in a downtown McKinney antiques mall. Thsi is a new venture for her and she invited me to contribute some small bags and pouches to her booth. I'll post photos of the whole thing once it's all set up.
I also need to get into gear and keep making things for the upcoming Show Pony Show. The vendor list is up and it is a wide range of top quality crafters. I had the pleasure of talking to Tara last weekend and she is working hard to make sure this is an awesome event.
I also need to get into gear and keep making things for the upcoming Show Pony Show. The vendor list is up and it is a wide range of top quality crafters. I had the pleasure of talking to Tara last weekend and she is working hard to make sure this is an awesome event.
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