Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Merry Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas Everyone
 
From my tree to yours...
 
Merry Christmas from the frog fairy too.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Craft Show Display Improvements!

I did the last craft show of the year a couple of weeks ago and made some improvements to my display!  I decided NOT to take my camera to the show (these were taken with cell phones)...I know not why I made this stupid decision....it would have been so useful....I forget that when I apply to craft shows they require photo's of your display....a show that I am applying to next year want 10 PHOTOS!!!!!  I could have done with some more detailed pics of my display...oh well!

Anyhooo I painted the wine crates and I love them white!!!  
2 coats of primer did the job....I didn't even use paint ...ran out of time!

Trust me to miss the first 'T' in my shop banner!!! 


Thanks goodness my handy dandy helper captured it.



A close up of the right side of the booth....it was a U shape.  This had all the bibs, blankets and burp cloth sets.  Should have added a piece of white fabric or foam board behind the bibs hanging on the lines!  Next time!



Close up of the blankets....remember these pics are cell phone pics



Left side of the booth.  All the other stuff I had for sale. 



Close up of the Christmas items I had for sale


There are still areas I want to tweak but it was less cluttered than the previous craft show partly because I had a much bigger space!

I still need to add some more height....items at eye level are supposed to grab customers attention more!!!  And I'd like to insert some shelves within the wine crates too!
And maybe some more backdrop to detract from next door.

Bibs sold the best.....so I think I'm going to focus more on those and work on de-cluttering and not selling as much other little stuff.   I had a lot of stocking stuffer items which really didn't sell so well....not sure if it was the people and the location or what?

Anyway, you live and learn and see where there is room for improvement!!!

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

SNOW DAY!

I think I might still get as excited about a snow day as I did when I was a child!





I remember one year our bus driver ploughing into a massive snow drift on a narrow Yorkshire Dales road, you know the kind that is lined with drystone wall and if you meet another vehicle someone has to back up or squeeze up to the wall.  Well we were immediately stuck....I don't know what the bus driver was thinking!  We all had to walk back to the village and mum made homemade soup and we spent the day with snowball fights, building snowmen and jumping off drystone walls into 8 ft snow drifts!!!  Ah those were the days!!!!

Now I probably won't do any of the above today but it definitely looks like I won't be going to work if the snow keeps coming down at this rate (like the weather people say it's supposed to).  I have my coffee, the fire blazing and a whole stack of sewing, packaging and organizing to do!

I started writing this post yesterday.....then the snow stopped and I had to go to work....so much for a snow day  LOL  But it still looks beautiful outside!!!!  And best thing is I took all these pics by sticking my head out the front and the back door!    :o)











Wednesday, November 27, 2013

The latest Craft Show



So my last craft show was this past Saturday at Vorhee's High School, Glen Gardner, NJ.  I had heard great things about this show from various crafters and also a friend that had done quite well there last year....so I was excited to do such a reasonable show that pulled a large crowd.

It just goes to show you....every year is not the same!  There was a considerably smaller crowd there this year according to the crafters around me that had done the show before.  I have to say I was a little disappointed at the turn out and I'm not sure I will do this show again.  Thankfully it wasn't just me that had that opinion.....almost every crafter I talked to was of the same mind.

I did meet some lovely people, although not as many as I would have liked as I was alone most of the day so couldn't leave my table.  If you're looking for a modern handmade doll or super hero cape check out Made With Luck.

Anyway here are some pics of my table.  I didn't have time to paint the wine crates which I will be doing before my next show at Warren Tech. but besides that I feel my table is too crowded.  You have to really stop and look carefully at everything I have there and I think most people's eyes just glazed over and they walked by smiling  LOL  So I will be revisiting the table design AGAIN!  At least next time I will have a 10' x 10' space...this was an 8ft table























Tuesday, November 26, 2013

My Zulily.com Experience

It came to my attention that I never gave an update of my Zulily.com experience.

To recap....I made these 2 items for Zulily.com to sell in one of their flash sales...they are available in my Etsy shop now https://www.etsy.com/shop/TextileTrolley

Cotton Blanket 29" x 34"


Bib and Burp Cloth Set


I have to say my whole experience with Zulily.com from start to finish was very professional...these people are on top of things and know exactly what they are doing......WAY more so than Groopdealz.com (would never work with them again).

Everything was laid out very clearly for me....how they worked, who would be my contact, if I had any questions they were answered within 24 hours, I felt like my hand was held the whole way through.

I had to provide 2 different items with at least 10 of each item.  I chose to provide 14 blankets and 20 bib and burp cloth sets.  You are set up with a portal so that you can see how much you have sold and to which states....they told me that most items sell in the first few hours so I was glued to that computer screen most of the first morning.  The stats update every 15 mins so it was very exciting to watch!
I managed to sell almost all my blankets....12 out of 14 but the bib and burp cloth sets did not do that great...only 3 were sold out of 20  :o(

So I came away with a positive experience, I made money that I probably wouldn't have made in a weekend (even though I had to discount my prices) and reached new customers who will hopefully visit my Etsy Shop.
I took what didn't sell to the craft show I did this weekend (more about that later in the week) and I will post the other items in the shop.

The only downside I could find to Zulily.com is that there are SO MANY SALES all going on at the same time.....I counted over 100 on my day.  Within each sale is at least another 100 items for sale and a lot of the designer names are at the very top of the sales.

So I wonder is Zulily.com so big that small fry like Textile Trolley seem to get lost???  I don't know!  I would definitely consider doing it again if approached but for now I'll focus on my Etsy shop and the last craft show of the year Crafts in the Warren Tech

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

New Christmas Item

Busy preparing for my next craft show, this Saturday at Vorhee's High School in Glen Gardner NJ.

I have a few new items for the show like these fabric houses.  I'll see how they sell but will probably make a couple for the shop.  I think they are a great gift for a family, a hostess or someone that has everything!

Hopefully I'll get a tutorial up on these before Christmas has come and gone!  But then again, they don't have to be restricted to Christmas.







Saturday, November 9, 2013

New York City Baby Blanket. New York City Bib and Burp Cloth Set

 36 hours left on my Zulily.com sale.

Here's a link to purchase my NYC items.  Only for sale on Zulily.com

http://www.zulily.com/textile-trolley?fromSearch=true&searchTerm=textile+trolley


29" x 34" Baby Blanket   100% cotton




Bib and Burp Cloth set   100% cotton


Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Textile Trolley on Zulily.com

Hi everyone......wanted to share with you my Zulily.com event that starts this Friday, November 8th through to November 11th

You can sign up here http://www.zulily.com/ to receive their emails and events.

The following items will be for sale with them under the sale
'SURPRISE BABY SHOWER COLLECTION'

This will be the only place I will have these items for sale!


NYC Baby Blanket



NYC Bib and Burp Cloth Set



Monday, November 4, 2013

Apple Picking in the Fall

Very much a tradition around here in New Jersey is to go apple picking in the fall.

While my Mum and Aunt were visiting from the U.K. we stopped by one of the local farms so they could see what it was all about.  Don't get me wrong, we have apple trees in England but I never encountered the 'apple picking experience' from an apple farm until I came to the states.

Fortunately we had a beautiful day and there were many families visiting the farm too, everyone looked to be having a great time no matter what age.....definitely something the children enjoy as often there are hay rides and other activities too.

We went to Melick's in Oldwick  http://www.melickstownfarm.com/

Here are some pics I captured

























Make the last of the Fall/Autumn days and spend some time at a farm near you.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Thanksgivukkah or Chanksgiving?

So, have you heard of Thanksgivukkah? Chanksgiving?  Chances are if you live outside of the U.S. you probably won't have!

It's when Thanksgiving and Hanukkah fall on the same day!  The first day of Hanukkah November 28th 2013 is also Thanksgiving.

This is the first and the last time in your lifetime that it will happen!  According to calculations the next time it will happen is 79,043 years from now!

The term 'Thanksgivukkah was created by a couple of Bostonian ladies.  They created a Facebook page and Twitter account devoted to it.

I'm interested to know which holiday most Jewish people will celebrate on November 28th this year!!!

I did have a go at making a few items to mark this memorable occasion which are in the shop now.


A couple of double sided place mats
 Thanksgivukkah Placemat / Thanksgiving and Hanukkah Reversible Place mat / Kids Place mat / Thanksgiving Table Decor








 A double sided baby bib
Thanksgivukkah / Hanukkah and Thanksgiving Bib / Double sided bib / Hanukkah one side - Thanksgiving the other side / triple layered bib




And a Happy Thanksgivukkah card



Friday, October 25, 2013

Here a holiday, there a holiday everywhere a holiday!

Tis the season my friends......tis the season of HOLIDAYS!

My family have sadly returned to England, it was a great visit but the holidays wait for no woman!  I have so many ideas for items to make for the holidays, so many ideas and not enough time no doubt!

I just put these beautiful glitter hair elastics up in the shop.  I have a set with Thanksgiving/Fall colours, a set for Hanukkah, and a set for Christmas (perfect for stocking stuffers).

So pretty and good news they are perfect for adults too!  They don't leave that horrible line in your hair that regular hair elastics do and they look great on your wrists too.  WIN WIN!


https://www.etsy.com/listing/166928514/thanksgiving-glitter-hair-ties-fall-hair?ref=listing-shop-header-1















Just a quick update today.  I am busy playing catch up!  So much to do - so little time.
Have a fab weekend.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

My Favourite Halloween Items on Etsy

Quick post today....I have family staying with me.....so without further ado......here's some of my favourite Halloween items on Etsy.  Click on the link under the pic to view the item and Etsy shop.


Cute little orange chevron dress that would be great for after Halloween too from  
Sassy Divas Dress Shop
Fall Baby Dress-Orange Chevron Dress, Fall Baby Clothing, Thanksgiving Clothing, Football Dress, Fall Baby Outfit, Holiday Fall Dress 





 LOVE these simple but very effective cupcake toppers from The Gift Garden Shoppe
 Halloween Cupcake Topper Glitter Witch Leg set of 12 Old Fashioned  Modern Charm Vintage Retro Fun Paper Straws Holidays Handmade Decoration





 WHOA!  Totally awesome lollipops.  Never seen anything like these.  They do all sorts of designs, check out all the items in the shop Vintage Confections
Spooky eyes Halloween lollipops - 6 pc. - made to order






These mason jars from The Pink Picker are perfect for a party or party favor.  The sticker can be peeled off after Halloween and be replaced with another or just keep the jar plain.
30- Halloween 8 oz  Plastic  Mason Jars with Daisy Cut Lids,  Halloween Party, Kid's party Spooky, Black Bat






This bunting from Dot and Anne is guaranteed to add cheer to any room.
Halloween Bunting, Halloween Banner,  Kid Friendly, Child Party Banner, Fabric Bunting, Reusable Halloween Decoration, Halloween Party Decor






This is such a sweet little necklace from Cherry Cute, just one of 100's of designs.  Check out the shop.
Ghost Halloween Bottle Cap Necklace - halloween ghost necklace, halloween necklace, ghost jewelry, children halloween jewelry, kids necklace






ELSLOW5 have these wonderful knitted pumpkin hats in many different sizes, so great for Fall and Winter.
Jack O'Lantern Pumpkin Hat NewBorn thru 5 year  punkin hat photo prop hat pumkin hat Jack O Lantern halloween hat kids hat unisex hat






To keep with the pumpkin theme here are some adorable knitted pumpkins that will last for many many years from Two Peas In A Pod Co
Crochet Pumpkin - Pumpkin - Halloween - Thanksgiving Decor - Holiday Decor - Photo Prop - Fall Decor
https://www.etsy.com/listing/156927841/crochet-pumpkin-pumpkin-halloween






Something for the kitties in your life for Halloween?  These would be so much fun on a black cat wouldn't they?  Cool collars from Swanky Kitty Designs
Black & Orange Halloween Breakaway Cat Collar
https://www.etsy.com/listing/108354949/black-orange-halloween-breakaway-cat






It doesn't get any cuter than this for Halloween.   Check out all the mice at
As Nice As Mice
Halloween Ornament - Little Witch Mouse - a Unique handmade felt mouse ornament, a different gift for Halloween - READY FOR SHIPPING
https://www.etsy.com/listing/112545904/halloween-ornament-little-witch-mouse-a





What a great alternative to a Halloween bag - a Halloween bucket from Dotted Design
Personalized Halloween trick or treat bucket pail - many designs - trick or treat
https://www.etsy.com/listing/158545145/personalized-halloween-trick-or-treat





Ive just been informed that these Zombie fingers have been so popular that
Candy Cottage have taken all the orders they can for Halloween but I wanted to share them anyhow.  I'm sure they will have some equally fun treats for the other upcoming holidays.
Halloween Chocolate Zombie Fingers pretzel rods or krispy rice
https://www.etsy.com/listing/82995418/halloween-chocolate-zombie-fingers





Little Miss Betty Lou makes precious handmade Halloween costumes.  Check out this beautiful mouse costume.
Mouse Halloween Costume Baby Size
https://www.etsy.com/listing/112040408/mouse-halloween-costume-baby-size?ref=shop_home_feat





I LOVE these Halloween characters from Gingermelon.  This listing is for the PDF pattern so you can make them yourself.
Halloween Ornaments- Dracula, Frankenstein, Bride, Mummy pdf Patterns - Instant Download
https://www.etsy.com/listing/166411371/halloween-ornaments-dracula-frankenstein?ref=related-0





And as always I have to add my own Halloween items too.  Head on over to
Textile Trolley to take a look at the full range of Halloween items but here's just a few





























https://www.etsy.com/shop/TextileTrolley


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