Boston Beanies

Sweet Treats

2011-02-09T16:53:00.001-05:00

Two new designs, just in time for the season...
I bought the cutest little crocheted hearts on Etsy (since I can't crochet, what DO you do with just one needle/hook anyway) but I am so grateful that there are sellers who do crochet and sell their appliques.

ruffle brim beanie with four valentine hearts

ruffle brim beanie with knit flower and valentine heart center

Both hats are available in size SMALL (3-6 mo) and for immediate shipping. I can make more when I order more hearts.

All Patched Up

2010-12-16T11:41:00.005-05:00

http://newton.patch.com/articles/ho-hohold-on-i-still-need-to-buy-presents-part-1

I've been mentioned in the Newton Patch for their Holiday shopping! And they showed a picture of my Red Velvet Cupcake hat.

I am still accepting online orders but holiday shipping is no longer guaranteed, however if you order a hat that I have in stock and ready to ship, there is a good chance it will make it to your destination and ready to put under the tree.

This is what I have available for immediate shipping, no waiting, these will ship the next business day after payment has been received:

Brown Bear (Small 3-6 months) book also available

Spring Flower Fairy (Small 3-6 months) book also available

Winter Frost (Small 3-6 months)

Winter Frost Sweater (Small 3-6 months)

Purple Crayon (Medium 6-18 months) book also available

Pumpkin (Medium 6-18 months)

Lavender Sweet Pea (Medium 6-18 months) organic cotton

Pink Sweet Pea (Medium 6-18 months) organic cotton

Wimsy Citrus Bug (Large/Child)

Cranberry (Large/Child)

I am Thankful for...

2010-11-23T06:20:00.007-05:00

Such wonderful customers this year! It has been an excellent year at Boston Beanies, and I am back open after a little hiatus to play catch-up on all the fall orders.

And now my annual list of what I have in stock to help out my online shoppers. This is what I have available for immediate shipping, no waiting, these will ship the next business day after payment has been received:

Brown Bear (Small 3-6 months) book also available

Spring Flower Fairy (Small 3-6 months) book also available

Winter Frost (Small 3-6 months)

Winter Frost Sweater (Small 3-6 months)

Purple Crayon (Medium 6-18 months) book also available

Pumpkin (Medium 6-18 months)

Lavender Sweet Pea (Medium 6-18 months) organic cotton

Pink Sweet Pea (Medium 6-18 months) organic cotton

Wimsy Citrus Bug (Large/Child)

Cranberry (Large/Child)

May Madness Treasuries

2010-05-28T12:52:00.007-04:00

I was featured in a few treasuries this month, and I love Etsy's new Treasury East, where anyone at anytime can make one. Don't get me wrong, I still pounce on the old treasury at magic number 333, as I write this I have 20 minutes before a new one opens up. But it is good practice to check out other Etsians, look at color, texture, photos, and that first picture really does matter. Here are two of the treasuries I was in this month:

This one just looks plain yummy:

Cute babies make for excellent treasuries!

Ruffles, Ruffles, Everywhere!

2010-04-26T14:57:00.006-04:00

Ruffles are everywhere! Dresses, shirts, bags, and my hats. I have received more and more requests to make a hat, but can I add a ruffle to the brim instead of the roll brim? And my answer is always "of course!" I can pretty much customize any hat, including color, flowers, antenna, and brims.

Ruffles can really change the line of a hat, they make a hat more girly, they frame a baby's face and provide a bit of shade.

So go whimisical, try a ruffle!

Every Day is Earth Day with Natural Kids

2010-03-30T17:35:00.004-04:00

Team Natural Kids has been busy planning a treasure hunt like no other for this April Earth Day Celebration. So I invite you all to explore other Natural Kids shops, look for discounts and buy wonderful handmade all natural items for your loved ones.

My promotion? On April 22nd find the gnome and get a discount on your order!

Labels are for Cans not Crafters

2010-02-25T16:06:00.011-05:00

“It may be necessary temporarily to accept a lesser evil, but one must never label a necessary evil as good.”
~Margaret Mead

CPSIA vs FTC labels, what goes on what? What needs to be on the front? What HAS to be included? What is exempt? For every product it is different, and while yarn is exempt for some things, I must still label my items with the basics.
And from my reading the basics between the labels are:

CPSIA label

- Your company, shop name, or RN#
-The city, state/territory, & country where the item was completed
-The date of manufacture of the product
-If you make many of the same design then you may also need a batch number, but only if the pieces are identical looking and made of the same exact raw materials as each other and were made or completed on the same day (think hair bows and such)

FTC label

-Your company, shop name, or RN# (sound familiar?)
- Fiber content by %
- Fiber country of origin
- Care instructions

And apparently the Washington brilliants who came up with these tags both want their tag to be important and they cannot share space and they both need to be on the front. This is the only reason I can see for two tags. But hat sellers? If you don't use wool? You don't need a FTC label, don't ask, don't complain.

So I am on a mission to find sellers of labels and good examples of labels. Here are my findings:

Etsy Sellers:

Cherry Hill Designs custom printed iron on clothing and fabric labels CPSIA certified safe

Custom Couture Label a variety of labels including fabulous-looking iron-ons

Green Beans n Strings custom made eco fabric tags

JennifersJewels custom printed fabric or satin labels

Miss Label custom printed satin labels

World Wide Label large order custom woven labels

Web Retail:

Name Maker custom woven and size labels, quantities start at 20 for basic labels with their design, 50 for two printed lines no design, 200 for larger custom designed labels

NameLabels.com for the smallest label, it is more like camp labels, but it can work

Sterling Name Tape you can chose a wide variety of custom woven or fabric in batches of 100

Northwest Tag and Label custom woven and satin labels, batches start at 125

Fancyweaver custom woven and satin labels, batches start at 200

Everest Label custom labels, you have to request a quote and the minimum is 1200!

Organic Lables
Avery Dennison offers organic woven labels, minimums and prices are at request

Cruzlabel offers organic twill labels, minimums and prices are at request

BCI very nice, and eco friendly, but they are expensive and require large minimum quantities

Make your own lables:

German Doll's Tutoral about making her own stamp for her items. As a member of NaturalKids, these are all natural labels, way to go!

CurlyQDesign's Tutorial on how she made a template and printed her own label.

Jennadesigns Tutorial on how she made a template in PhotoShop and printed her label

DuhBe's Tutorial on how to make your own label, even one at a time, and what needs to be on your label

TamisCozies Tutorial on how to make ribbon labels with transfer sheets.

Jo-Ann fabrics has these printer fabric sheets for printing

Rubber Stamp Champ you can upload your label, pick your stamp size and use fabric ink to stamp you label in clothes

_______________________________________________________

FTC Official Website very confusing, but if you take the time, information is there on what is needed on your labels

CPSIA Official Website on tracking labels. Really does not offer too much help though.

Go for the Gold Treasury

2010-02-14T19:02:00.006-05:00

The Olympics are on and this clever treasury was created with my little blueberry hat in it. Thank you to katsinthebelfry a member of the NaturalKids team for creating this treasury.

Boston Beanies Hits 100

2010-02-14T10:36:00.006-05:00

Snow is pounding various parts of the nation, but it seems to be skipping my city, and Bostonians are sniffing the air and thinking of Spring. This week I hit 100 sales in my Boston Beanies shop. A nice milestone since I opened up under this name less than a year ago. It was a hard decision to do so, but I am glad I did, and it is nice to know that returning customers can find me and new one too!

Oh, and the hat that made 100? The bunny, very seasonal. Hop, hop, hop

Stand in the place...

2010-01-09T22:58:00.007-05:00

I often get asked, "Where did you get your hat display stands?" I had to shop around, because when doing craft fairs I wanted items that were fairly easy to transport, and would give me a nice clean uniform look to my table.

My Table Topper Stands
I found them at MathewsWire on eBay. They are made right here in the US and are sturdy but good for transport. They have only tipped over during one very windy outside craft fair, and with a little rearranging, even then they were fine.

My Floor Hat Stand
My friend got this for me for free from a candy shop. It used to display puppets, and they were getting rid of it so she snagged it for me. I am very grateful, floor stands cost hundreds of dollars. The stand however is rather heavy and does not spin, which a lot of people think it should and then they try and then it could tip. But it looks good with the table toppers when it is full of hats and a nice clean display is what I am all about.

My Basket, Bookends and more
I like to have a sale basket on my table, it attracts people who are looking for something quick and it helps me move some inventory I want to get rid of. Funny, this is what can draw people to a table, but then not everyone always buys from a sale basket. So people still want what they want, regardless of price or a discount. The bookends are mine, and were a great idea of a friend of mine to display my hat and book sets, but people are always picking them up trying to buy them. I could put not for sale stickers on them, but then people would still just ask how much are they, so I just smile and say they are for display only. The plastic displays for my sign and brochures I got from Staples.

So whether I use the floor stand or not, I like to have varying heights for my display, a sale section, and take away info. The bright colors will attract people, but having what someone wants is what is really going to make a sale.

Local Business Adorns Adorables

2010-01-08T13:59:00.004-05:00

http://diasphoto.com/blog/?p=465

My brother got married this past October and he and my sister-in-law used a fabulous photographer for all their pictures. As a thank you, she gave him one of my hats for their little baby, and then he featured me in their blog...an entire cycle of thanks, with one adorable baby at the center! What a great way to start my weekend!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2009-12-06T13:25:00.005-05:00

The northeast just had our first measurable snowfall last night and it is now a winter wonderland outside. So what perfect timing that this beautiful treasury is up on Etsy, I love the earrings in this treasury, and am honored to have my little hat included. It was 70 degrees a few DAYS ago and now we have snow, ahh New England!

Purplicious!

2009-10-12T17:02:00.012-04:00

I have a passion for purple, and lucky for me it is the new hot color of the season! Look in department stores and boutique children's clothing stores and you will find all sorts of purple cropping up everywhere, which is fine with me!

I love designing purple hats, but I make the classic fruit plum too, so this season, get purpled up!

Harvest Craft Fair!!

2009-10-12T08:43:00.003-04:00

I am doing just ONE Craft Fair this season, since I am so backordered. It will be at my alma mater, Needham High School, Saturday October 24, 2009. I will be selling all my hats that I have in stock, and offering free shipping to all who place an order with me at the fair. So come on by!

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

2009-10-10T08:35:00.011-04:00

So in June many of us were upset by Etsy's meta-tag stuffing, and when upcoming changes were annouced, a lot more of us were thinking "what's that Lucy, a football for me to kick?" (Gilmore Girls reference)

And when our views vanished we were left floundering, frustrated, and wondering what happened. Many Etsy sellers threatened to jump ship, the forums were flooded with angry and upset sellers, myself one of them, but now, I believe the dust has settled and things are back on track. So much so that I am over a month backordered and I had to close down my low selling shops and just keep Etsy open. But I promised to do my Google experiment again, even though I knew the results would be off since my other shops are closed. But I still wanted to see how people are finding me.

So here goes. First I logged out of Google, and then I cleared my cache, browsing history, everything I could think of that would leave a trace on my computer. Not an exact science, but it helps. Then I did several searches. I searched for "pumpkin hat", "knit pumpkin hat", "pumpkin hat boston beanies", "apple hat", "knit apple hat", "apple hat boston beanies". I did all these searches without the quotes, and I only looked at the first 10 pages.

Here are the results:

"pumpkin hat" search
none of my items found

"knit pumpkin hat" search
Etsy-page 1 shopping guide
iCraft -page 2 shopping guide

"pumpkin hat boston beanies"
Etsy-page 1
1000Markets-page 1
Cosaverde-page 1, 2
iCraft-page 1
my blog-page 1
Artfire-page 2 (a review)
Shopping Guide had Etsy and iCraft

"apple hat"
1000Markets-page 6
CosaVerde-page 7

"knit apple hat"
iCraft-page 1 shopping guide
Etsy -page 1 shopping guide, and there was a link under another listing show more results from Etsy, I clicked that and there was my listing on page 1, but how many searchers are going to know to do that?
iCraft- page 4 (a different listing), page 9 another different listing
1000Markets- page 6

"apple hat Boston Beanies"
1000Markets-page 1
CosaVerde-page 1
Etsy-page 1
iCraft- page 1
Shopping Guide had Etsy and iCraft.

So what did I learn? I had no expectations for Artfire, 1000Markets, or iCraft to turn up in the searches. In fact it shows how on top keeping clean their listings Artfire is, as I recall my Artfire listings made it in pretty quickly into the searches last time. Also, Etsy and 1000Markets are now in the searches, in places that I can expect them to be, so this is GREAT news.

The only problem is that to be seen, shoppers have to enter terms like "knit" in order to narrow down some of their searches. I hope they know to do so, or they may be frustrated with their hits. But an Etsy product was always on page one, driving a customer to Etsy, and maybe that person will shop there and try and see what else is available and...

So make a good product, take great pictures, and use helpful, thoughtful tags, and the customers will find you.

Ready to Ship!

2009-09-30T12:57:00.015-04:00

Don't want to wait for a hat?
Order one of these ready-to-ship hats and I will ship it out to you the next mailing day!

Bah Humbug Cotton-Small
Winterfrost Cotton Sweater-Small
Purple Crayon Cotton- Medium
Whimsy Citrus Cotton- Large

FRONT PAGE AGAIN??!!

2009-09-28T22:23:00.004-04:00

Missed seeing this one by an hour! But as always I am so thrilled to make the front page again, and another list made by the Etsy admin! Still have a waiting list, but at this point it is better to get on it as I will get to your order as soon as I can. If you wait, the list will not get shorter until after the holidays.

While I was sleeping

2009-09-20T21:24:00.003-04:00

Amazing things can happen while you are sleeping, like I made the Front Page. I have only ever seen my items on the front page just once, but I am thankful for that, and am thankful for each time my hats are chosen for a treasury. It's a nice way to wake up on a Sunday.

Picture Perfect

2009-08-24T15:06:00.010-04:00

One of the suprising things I discovered about being a hat seller is that photographers love knitted hats. Knitted hats make great photo props on babies. Which probably explains why I often get asked for free hats in return for pictures. This sounds good on paper, except photographers often want 10-15 specific hats in specific sizes and this takes me some time to make, and then I am at their mercy for the images.

Because I was receiving so many requests, I started a photographer's rate, my wholesale price with no minimun requirement. But I got burned on this too, with no images from the person, but at least I got some monetary compensation.

Out of all the inquiries from photographers I have only had one positive experience, a woman from France www.butterflymoments.fr/en/ she buys at my photographer's rate, tells me what she would like, I ship them out, and she then sends me these wonderful photographs and I give her credit on my hat listings. A great relationship.

So now I am excited for a new partnership with Boston-based photographer http://www.dianasechrist.com/. She found me on Etsy and I am very excited to be working with a local photographer who has experience photographing children.

For all the photographers out there who are wondering, how do I get a deal like that, keep asking, and try local, it worked for me.

From Caroline Shimanek, photographer, Lyon, France:

The perfect yarn bag

2009-07-06T09:08:00.006-04:00

To my supreme delight my brother and sister-in-law gave me the most wonderful yarn bag for my birthday from the Walker Bag Company.

They got me the lilac, and it is the perfect size for my hat and or sweater projects. They also got me another long bag for my needles, scissors and such. What a treat! I am so glad they told me about this company.

Fourth of July Front Page

2009-07-06T08:48:00.005-04:00

Again, I sing my praises to The Vault, that's how I found out about my little hat making front page late 4th of July night, just as the fireworks were ending!

Birthday Wishes Front Page

2009-07-04T07:23:00.003-04:00

So a very Happy Birthday to Me! I come back from vacation, and I notice a high number of hearts on a hat in my other shop. Did you know that you can search old front page treasuries from the delightful tool on The Vault from Craft Cult? It's amazing, saves you hours of looking for your missing "I was on the front page does anyone have a copy of the treasury?" I don't have a screen shot of the front page, but I'm good with that, I am in the Vault!

Sing it Dean!

2009-06-21T20:43:00.002-04:00

Continuing with my music theme, with all this rain we are having here in New England, I can't tell if it is Spring or Summer, regardless, these fun items from EtsyBaby and NaturalKids remind me of summer, enjoy this treasury.

When green is all there is to be

2009-06-18T13:01:00.012-04:00

When green is all there is to be
It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why?

Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful!

And I think it's what I want to be.

~It's Not Easy Bein' Green by the Muppets

The Green Revolution has really taken off. Organic food, hybrid cars, energy-saving light bulbs, small steps and ways to make a difference is everywhere. I like to think that buying handmade is a part of this, learning how products are made, and where your sources are coming from. It all matters.

I started knitting to keep my hands busy in grad school so I could concentrate on the lectures, but, tragically, I am allergic to wool. I am teased and tantelized every time I walk into my LYS and see the rows and rows of beautiful skeins that I cannot knit with. So I was forced to find alternatives to wool, and the most popular was acrylic, imagine my dismay when I discovered that acrylic is petroleum based. So I was basically knitting with oil? So I switched to cotton, that's earth-friendly, right? Well better than acrylic, but then as my research shows here cotton has it's downfalls too, unless you get organic, and many companies are realizing this.

So now that I have found suppliers for organic cotton, is there a call for it? Sort of. Customers would like it, however when push comes to pennies and dollars, many want to save the extra dollars and buy my regular cotton hats. I will continue to make and offer them, but I know they will never be popular as my other items. I am also a member of NaturalKids, an Etsy team dedicated to natural products for children.

However, like many things in life, it comes down to marketing, and that is where I heard about Cosa Verde. This is a place to showcase your earth-friendly wares, but your don't sell from there, you link to your selling venue like Etsy and Artfire. What I have noticed, they bring a lot more attention to my organic hats, and with this trend becoming more popular, all it can do is help. And it is a direct place for the people who like to shop with the earth-friendly products in mind.

The Great Watermelon Hunt

2009-06-17T09:36:00.009-04:00

Etsy Admin Update 6/18/08 There will be changes to this once Etsy rolls out the updates and they get integrated in the search engines. I will run this experiment again. It took a while for my listings to get bumped off, it may take a while for them to reappear.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Further using my watermelon hat as an example, I thought it was time to do a thorough search of google for my listings of my hat. I have it listed on several sites and with all the hoopla on Etsy, I wanted to see, in real time, how the other sites were holding up against each other for the who's on first listing.

First I cleared my cache, my browsing history and anything that could be lurking that could filter my search. And I logged out of Google.
Next I did a simple search in Google for "watermelon hat" without the quotes, thinking like a buyer, that they want a watermelon hat so that is what they would enter.

Here are the results:
Artfire: page 1 in the shopping results
Cosa Verde: page 5
iCraft: page 6

Other hits:
Twitter iCraft: page 14
my blog, previous post: page 14
iCraft (for a different listing): page 15
another blog: page 17

Note: My Etsy and My 1000Markets listings were not found

I stopped looking after page 50, forgive me. Now as with all experiments there are flaws, so let's point them out. First I did not look at all 79 pages (there may have been even more), and I may have missed a listing on the 50 pages that I did scroll through, but I believe I was looking pretty carefully. A few other Etsy shop's listings did appear, but not mine, and not near the number for sale on the site. Also, since this is my personal computer there might still be some residual memory that would muck up the page numbers a bit, but I don't think it would make a listing disappear. Also I am a new member to 1000Markets, so maybe they are slower to put up their listings, however my listings for Artfire and Cosa Verde are also new and they made it in somehow.

And it should be noted in an attempt to find my 1000Markets listing, I searched for my exact title listing "Watermelon Cotton Hat by Boston Beanies" and still I got nothing, so I am really puzzled by that. I checked my tags, and there are enough and not too many repeating words, so it really should come up.

And when I did the same search, "Watermelon Cotton Hat by Boston Beanies", a completly different listing on Etsy came up on page 1. It is like the Twilight Zone for those two sites.

So what did I learn? Well I know the average buyer will never scroll though 50 pages, I'm lucky if they look through 5. And that Etsy is not the only site having listing visibility problems. And it should be noted, I have been watching my Google Analytics very closly this past weekend, and will continue to do so for the next few weeks, and that while Etsy is still having listing visibility problems, somehow, I manage to get more Etsy hits than Artfire hits, despite being on page 1 with Artfire. And many more of these hits come from search engines. I will not jump the Etsy ship, but I am puzzled at where the leaks are.

So the mystery continues...

Not all watermelon hats are created equal

2009-06-15T15:08:00.021-04:00

SEO 101 from Artfire

So quite a commotion has been going on in the Etsy forums. It seems that while many of us were fretting, wondering why our shops went the way of the Leaky Cauldron and buyers turned into Muggles, Etsy admin manipulated the meta tags of everyones shop listings making sellers invisible to search engines like Google and Yahoo.

I list my hats on several sites. You can view the HTML source by going up to the menu bar and view then source or right click view source. These Title headings are in between the title tags <>
I have edited my watermelon hat titles to the bare bones for some sites.
The title headings for my watermelon hat are as follows:

Etsy: Handmade for Children on Etsy - Watermelon Hat by bostonbeanies (64 characters)
Artfire: Watermelon Cotton Hat : BostonBeanies - ArtFire Children's (59 characters)
iCraft: Accessories, Hats - Watermelon Hat by BostonBeanies - icraft.ca (64 characters)
cosa verde: cosa verde Watermelon Cotton Hat by Boston Beanies (53 characters)
1000 Markets: Watermelon Cotton Hat by Boston Beanies (40 characters)

The problem with Etsy is the adding in the front the phrase "handmade for children on etsy - " all of those characters and spaces take up precious searching characters. Google and Yahoo often will not search after 60+ characters, and Etsy takes up half of them with their tagging, leaving me without my own title tags.

Check out Artfire, they add their tags at the back, that's fine.
iCraft is a little strange and puts tags in the front and back, with the category in the front and their id in the back. Strange and almost as bad as Etsy, note the same high character numbers.
cosa verde is simple, just their name and then my title, what you don't see is that there is a verticle line between verde and Boston, but still not bad, not too intrusive, and still under the character limit.
1000Markets doesn't even stuff the title tags, they add nothing, what you type is what you get.

I am not opposed to Etsy marking my listings on their site, but keep it simple, and keep it in the back end.

Before April, when I would Google and yahoo my hats, my Etsy listings used to be on the first few pages of hits, now my Etsy listings have disappeared because the spider bots that organize the searches have to crawl all the way through the other words in the title tags to get at the heart of my listing title.

But my Artfire listing shows up on page 1 or 2 usually. This is because Artfire lists to Google base (thank you!!) 1000Markets not yet, I am still tweaking to figure out why, and iCraft still needs work, but all are better than Etsy right now.

So what should we sellers do? We can't change the front tag stuffing, only Etsy Admin can, and they should soon. They get .20 per listing but over 3% per sale which is more than .20 per hat. Right now, with my visability down to zilch, why should I bother to relist? I am glad I have my own URL, http://www.bostonbeanies.com/ and now I may just redirect that link to my Artfire shop instead of my Etsy shop. I am in a wait and see mode, and am really upset that people are telling others that this is not a big deal.

We were all left in the dark while Etsy Admin let us flounder.
They knew what they were doing.

They. Knew.

Treasurypalooza!

2009-06-09T05:40:00.007-04:00

Somehow I managed to snag another treasury in the early morning! But I seem to be stuck in 80's song themes...

And an hour later I got another one!

Vacation treasury

2009-06-04T18:21:00.000-04:00

My first treasury under my new shop name! So can't wait for summer vacation!

A Little Advice

2009-06-03T07:30:00.028-04:00

A while back there was this amazing thread on Etsy with a huge list compiled by VieleraDesign with places to sell, promote, network, craft fairs all online. It's amazing! I added a few more and put it in alphabetical order (the librarian coming out in me:-)
Here are my thoughts on the places I have tried.

Places to Sell Online:
I have a few requirements that should be noted. Since traffic is uncertain at a new place, I like the joining to be free, and the listing to be free or cheap. The site also has to be easy to navigate, otherwise what is the point, I don't want to fuss to hard to figure out how to get a banner up, get a listing up and register.

http://www.artfire.com/ Just opened a shop here. Apparently they went through a face-lift upgrade and things are much nicer now. But it is free to set up a shop for a certain number of items, so I did that. They upload to Google Base, which is excellent and puts you at the top of the search in Google and lists you in Google shopping searches. Their prices for a monthly account are going up soon though, I just have the free one.

ArtFire Referral Use my referral if you want/can!

http://www.bigcartel.com/

http://www.cafepress.com/

http://www.canduru.com/

http://cosaverde.com/ Just joined. An eco-friendly marketing venue, it is really isn't a selling venue as you have to have other selling venues that you link to. But it has a clean interface, it is juried, and user-friendly. You can upload items through RSS feeds as well, and their admin responded to my suggestions within HOURS, I was stunned and impressed. And there are many promotional codes out there to get a few months free and use me as a referral if you wish:)

Cosa Verde Referral Use my referral if you want/can!

http://www.crowsoup.com/

http://www.dawanda.com/ Closed my shop down, had sold only one hat and it was really clunky to use the website. Every time I wanted to edit a page the HTML kept getting in the way. And items must be listed in euros.

http://www.ecrater.com/ Could never figure this website out. And there did not seem to be enough traffic to be worth the headache or time. Yes, I am demanding, I want to understand something FAST!

http://www.elsewares.com/

http://www.erayo.com/

http://www.etsy.com/ Have sold on here for years and was my first step into selling at handmade specific markets post eBay. Last summers"keyword stuffing" scandal" took a while to clear up, and it slowed my sales and views. However, Etsy corrected the tag situation now I am listed in google automatically so I will continue to sell here, as this is my shop that get by far the most views of all my shops. There also promises to be many positive changes on the horizen, which I am excited to see.

http://www.girlshopspot.com/

http://www.gozabo.com/

http://www.handmadecatalog.com/

http://www.handmadefusion.com/index.php?

http://www.icraft.com/ Based in Canada. Paid a one-time fee. Had a shop, ignored it, but it got views, no sales. So now I have updated it and revamped it. Best part about it, you can change your shopname/URL without changing your username, they are not attached. So when I changed names I did not lose any views or anything. Wish other sites could implement this. However, this is the only site that I know that does this, though Etsy clims this change is in the works.

http://www.imagekind.com/

http://www.lollishops.com/ This is a juried site that I joined during frantic opening days. I kept getting kicked off and reasked to join that I decided I would let them work out the kinks before I signed on. Then I saw the listing tier pricing system and thought it was a bit steep for a very limited market. But the site seems to be doing ok. There is no feedback system though, a bit strange.

http://lov.li/

http://www.mintd.com/

http://www.pinkpoodle.com/ Just closed my site to this one too. No traffic and now they charge to list. Sorry no way.

http://www.seekingdesigners.com/

http://www.shopify.com/

http://www.shophandmade.com/

http://www.silkfair.com/

http://www.skydowntown.com/

http://www.supermarkethq.com/

http://www.winkelf.com/

http://www.yessy.com/

http://www.youcraft.org/

http://www.zibbet.com/

http://1000markets.com/ I opened a free shop, the site looked beautiful, very easy to search. What I don't like, it is not international friendly, and in this global world that is a setback. I understand they are working with Amazon on that though. And payments are made through Amazon, which is odd why not PayPal like many other sites? However it was pointed out this eliminates Non Paying Buyers, so that should be a plus, but I wonder if it will be a turn off to some buyers. But it is a free juried site, and I liked the exposure, but I could not maintain it through the holidays, put it on vacation, and they kicked me off. Oh well. I think I still have an account there, so my name is parked, which is good.

Places to Advertise Online:
Most people find me, who tell me how they found me anyway, is through a Google search or by searching the site. So tags are more vital than ever to be kept accurate.

http://www.thelittleblackboxes.com/ She reviewed me! I was very excited to see this and I never sent her anything. I felt like a chosen one!

http://www.craigslist.org/ I have done this, I can't say if it helped or not, I didn't see a change in my vews or sales. And no one has ever said they found me on Craigslist.

http://www.webbcatalog.com/

http://www.usfreeads.com/

http://www.oodle.com/http://modish.typepad.com/

http://www.theindiego.com/

http://www.craftster.org/advertise

http://www.webclassifieds.us/

http://www.linkrefferal.com/

http://www.projectwonderful.com/

http://www.diyscene.com/

http://www.stumblehere.com/

http://lunacraft.com/help_promote

Social Networking Sites:
Social networking for me is still a way to connest with friends family and buyers, and I like it to be free.

http://www.artbistro.com/

http://www.cafemom.com/

http://www.thecreativespirit.ning.com/

http://www.creativestem.com/

http://www.deviantart.com/

http://www.entrecard.com/

http://www.facebook.com/ I have a facebook page, and a fanpage. I linked my blog to my fanpage so I don't have to double post and it is one more way to be seen, I don't know if I have made any sales through there, but it is a good free marketing tool that people have heard of.

http://www.flickr.com/ I have a flickr site, but I am very careful to not post anything about Etsy, they will shut you down and you will lose everything. I try to include other photos as well so it is not just my hats. You can see a few of my magical kitty Gryffin!

http://www.indiepublic.com/

http://www.linkedin.com/ My friend keeps asking me to join this, hmmmm.

http://www.mylot.com/

http://www.myspace.com/

http://www.stumbleupon.com/

http://www.smidge.ca/

http://www.squidoo.com/

http://www.stylehive.com/

http://www.twitter.com/ I have a Twitter account, I have no idea what to do with it, and honestly, it seems like one more thing I have to do and can't keep up with.

http://www.thedb.com/

http://www.weloveetsy.com/

Find Craft Shows/Fairs:
Typically for craft fairs when I am driving around and I see a show advertised I pull over and write down the date. Also I search the net for surrounding town names and craft fairs and hits come up. I like to scope out a fair the year before to see if it will be a good fit for me.

http://www.artandcraftshows.net/

http://www.artfaircalendar.com/

http://www.bazaarbizarre.org/

http://www.craftconnection.net/

http://www.craftlister.com/

http://www.craftmasternews.com/

http://craftersbuzz.com/craftshows.html

http://www.craftsreport.com/showfinder

http://eventlister.com/

http://www.hpifestivals.com/

http://www.fairsandfestivals.net/

http://www.festivaldirectory.comfestivalnet.com/

http://www.juriedartservices.com/

http://www.indiecraftfairguide.com/

http://www.indiecraftshows.com/

http://www.sunshineartist.com/

http://zapplication.org/

Free Web Design: I am excited to try building my own website, as I have my own URL. But I need it to be easy clean, preferbly free for now, and quick to make changes on.

http://www.yola.com/

http://www.wix.com/

So Who Knew?

2009-06-02T21:30:00.000-04:00

That you could merge blogs? Love that. So I just moved my old blog here. Lost all my comments though, but at least I have my posts that I can pinpoint people too. Very cool.

A new beginning

2009-05-31T10:34:00.000-04:00

New name, same items. You never realize how comfortable you have become in your old space. Things were set up the way you liked them. Whether it be shipping profiles or a lamp, sometimes having to move and change is exhausting, and time consuming. But it's also a good time eo evaluate, do I really want that in my shop? Do I really need this? Can I destash that?

I only hope my customers will find my new home with my new name.
I know just how these sleeping babies feel.

Changes

2009-05-29T19:33:00.001-04:00

Currently I sell on Etsy at ButterflyDesign but because several other users are taking varaitions of that name, I am considering switching to the name of BostonBeanies. More fitting, I think, but I hate to make the switch. Changing ones shop name can create more problems than it is worth.

Late Night Front Page

2009-05-29T08:27:00.000-04:00

So, the treasury elves were hard at work last night and behold, I was put in a treasury and made it to the front page all in one night! How funny my bunny hat never made it to the Front Page of Etsy during the Easter season, but now it does, I'll take it.

I just love the little doll at the bottom too!

The Return of Blueberries for Sal

2009-04-11T09:31:00.001-04:00

Breaking News! According to Publishers Weekly, Blueberries for Sal is coming back into print. As I previously blogged about some adventures I had when trying to get a copy of the book to go with my blueberry hat, one of my favorite hat and book sets.

McCloskey is a favorite author in Boston, and with the recent caper with one of our beloved ducks, the news of this story being returned to print with new attention to ink shades is a treat. Maineiacs should delight in this news, especially when blueberry season gets underway!

Natural Kids Team Friday Interview

2009-01-25T20:08:00.000-05:00

I had the honor of being interviewed for the Etsy NaturalKids Team blog this past Friday, which was also my mother's birthday. I think Tricoteria did a wonderful job selecting pictures. The interview looks lovely.

http://natural-kids.blogspot.com/2009/01/friday-interview-with-butterfly-design.html

Build-a-Bunny

2009-01-23T13:26:00.000-05:00

Bunnies abound! With all the great yarn out there, there are many different kinds of bunnies you can get for your little bunny from my Etsy shop!
This nice cotton blend yarn is perfect for newborns and small babies.

I also sell it with the book, The Runaway Bunny, perfect for showers or Easter gifts!

I make a Peter Rabbit hat out of a snuggly soft acrylic yarn that is sadly no longer made, so I am on the lookout for new colorways in cotton yarns. But in the meantime I am using up my stash that matches the sepia-tawny browns of Potter's illustrations of our favorite bunny. While supplies of the yarn last I sell the Peter Rabbit hat with or without the book.

I also have an organic cotton Bunny available. This snuggly-soft yarn has been grown without chemicals and dyed with low-impact dyes. A true delight and an heirloom gift for years to come!

Many more styles are available, as I love custom orders, and have an array ofcolors in stock of 100% cotton, organic cotton and acrylic yarn. So celebrate spring and bunny season in style!

EtsyBaby and EtsyKids fight for Handmade

2009-01-10T07:56:00.000-05:00

graphic copyright Goldtone Designs http://goldtonedesigns.etsy.com

EtsyBaby Shops are now offering sales to help promote the shops that will be hurt by this new law. Check out the store here: http://shopetsybaby.com/CPSC

CPSIA Changes?

2009-01-08T17:11:00.000-05:00

Well, there is hope.

My cotton yarn and organic cotton yarn hats have been deemed lead free by the government.

Duh.
And now resellers, such as thrift stores, and consignment shops have some reprieve from this strict law. http://cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09086.html

Or do they? Read it carefully, it says that they can sell it, but at their own risk if it contains any lead. I'm not sure how many consignment shops and thrift shops are going to take this news. Exempt should be exempt, and that's that. These are not individually recalled items.

But like I said "The two-member commission, reacting to complaints from manufacturers, also agreed to exempt natural products such as gems and cotton from mandatory testing for lead. "

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a0Xr2Iw1Vi_8&refer=us

So this is good news for now.

And read this wonderful blog post from Rick Woldenberg , I especially love the title, but the entire post is dead on.

http://learningresourcesinc.blogspot.com/2009/01/cpsia-emperor-has-no-clothes.html

SAVE HANDMADE!

2008-12-14T15:03:00.000-05:00

Right now there is a law that will end hand made as we know it for children starting February 10, 2009. This is terrible news for handcrafters and others who demand handmade natural toys and goods for their children.

Essentially, the new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act written by congress, would put many handcrafters, like myself out of business. In short, no product that is intended for child use in any way is to be sold without being tested for lead. Now handcrafters are not against the idea of eliminating lead in children's products, but we are not the cause of this legislation. The real purpose of this legislation is to prevent unsafe imports for children. But what it will do is that every hat that I make with one skein of yarn needs to be sent out for testing. Every shade, equals a new test. Even if I have proof from the manufactor that my yarn is lead-free, this as the law is currently written, is not good enough.

How thoughtless were the writers of this document?

In essence, if this were to relate to the food industry, it would allow Kraft and Dole to stay in business, but would destroy local farmer's markets.

I say put the burdon of proof on the manufactors who are selling the pieces and importing products to sell. They can afford the costly (thousands) it would take to test the items because it could be done on a larger scale. It would be more streamlined while still ensuring safety for America's children.

Small business, I sell less than 500 items a year, should not be shut down because of a thoughtless and poorly written legislation. This country is run on a symbiotic relationship within each other, do legislators not realize this yet? When peple couldn't pay mortgages, banks began to fail, and now the auto industry is in crisis. If they brush off handcrafters, what do they think will happen to the millions of crafters who buy supplies to make and sell their wares in this country alone? Those stores will fail, more jobs will be lost, thus plundging our economy into more of a tailspin.

Good intentions, bad legislation.

Want to get the word out? Make some noise! Write your congressman and senator!

It's the holiday season

2008-11-23T09:54:00.000-05:00

and I got a treasury!

It's brisk here in New England, and I have already started my holiday shopping, so am in a festive mood! I can't wait for the first snowfall!

Natural Kids in the Blog!

2008-11-23T09:09:00.000-05:00

http://www.etsy.com/storque/spotlight/featured-team-natural-kids-team-2941/

NaturalKids made the Etsy Blog!

It's a wonderful article about a fabulous team I belong to, all my cotton and organic cotton hats are tagged with "team naturalkids".

"This week's Featured Team, NaturalKids, makes sweet, wholesome products for your little ones! We love the way these toys inspire creativity while staying true to their natural materials. You'll find these items are crafted with a lot of love, and it seems this affection pours into their Team as well! The NaturalKids Team has a great website and blog to promote their work and also holds weekly promotions in the Forums. We love how they've created their own co-operative advertising program within the Team and have ads running on parenting websites! To learn more about this Team (including how to join) check out their Team Profile. To see all the products made lovingly by NaturalKids Team members, simply search "naturalkids team"."

Butterfly Design Cotton Acorn Hat

butterflydesign says, "I love being a part of the Natural Kids Team because they celebrate the joys of childhood and the earth all in one Team. And we only have one of each, shouldn't they be celebrated?"

This isn't my favorite hat, but hey, making the blog is pretty cool!

I Made the Front Page of Etsy!

2008-09-21T19:42:00.000-04:00

My Falling Leaves hat made the front page of Etsy a week or so ago. I was fortunate enough to snatch a screenshot. I got tons of views and hearts, but alas, no one has bought this OOAK hat. Good thing I have three craft fairs coming up this fall!

Organic Cotton: What's the difference?

2008-09-18T15:58:00.005-04:00

With the green movement becoming so popular, many yarn companies have developed "organic cotton" yarn. And it's a good thing too. According to the Sustainable Cotton Project and Pesticide Action Network North America cotton crops used about 23 percent of the world's insecticides and more than 10 percent of all pesticides. And then these toxins are passed on to us, the consumer.

So what is organic cotton? What does that mean? From my research, I have determined that there are three types of organic cotton for the consumer.

Organic cotton undyed

Organic cotton organically dyed

Organic cotton chemically dyed

Now, for each of these types you have to take your good with the bad. All have a place in the market for color varities, weight, and brand. But the thing to remember about all of them, is that if they are USDA certified organically grown, you have already helped the environment quite a bit.

And always be sure to read the package, and check the website. If a company does not claim to be USDA certified, I do not count it as true organic yarn. And if it does not give credit to organic dyes, then I assume the dyes are chemical dyes.

Organic Cotton Undyed
Undyed organic cotton is cotton at it's most natural state. No chemicals were used in the growing process, and you will get very few colorways from your suppliers. Most will be in shades of off-white and brown. Many big name brands are now producing certified organic undyed cotton.

Pakucho Ecobutterfly : NearSea Naturals Yarn On the Cone:

Organic Cotton Organically Dyed
Organic cotton that has been organically dyed has not been grown that color, but has been dyed without the use of harsh chemicles and bleach. You will get more colorways than undyed cotton, but the hues are still rather muted. And I have not tested many for longevity of the color, so fading may or may not be an issue.

Woodstock Knits:

Lion Nature's Choice: Rowan PureLife:Sublime:

Organic Cotton Chemically Dyed
Organic cotton that has been chemically dyed is still organically grown, so long as it bears the USDA label. But bear in mind, these yarns have been chemically dyed, so even if the companies claim that they have used "low-impact" dyes, there is not goverment regualtion or clarification on what defines "low-impact", so this could mean anything. Typically these dyes are still caustic and are running off into our waterways and land areas. The organic cotton, which started off as a good thing, could become so chemically treated, that it defeats the purpose in the end.

But the big debate is, should Chemically Dyed Organically grown cotton be considered organic cotton yarn? Only you, the consumer can decide.

In my opinion, this is still a better choice over traditional cotton yarn. Why? The yarn is still organic in the beginning stages. So we as consumers are taking a stand and saying that there needs to be more regulation on cotton growers to insure a less caustic, less chemical way of growth.

Chemically Dyed Organic Cotton can be amazingly soft and comes in a variety of colorways. So in the end, the choice is up to the consumer of what they choose to knit with.

I can only hope that one day there will be amazingly soft organinc cotton in a wide variety of colorways that do not use caustic dyes.

Patons

Blue Sky

Blueberry Bummer

2008-09-17T11:40:00.000-04:00

I have sold only one hat and book set from my show at the Needham Library. I hope people are waiting to see me at the Needham High PTC Craft Fair next month! But what was interesting was that my blueberry hat and the Blueberries for Sal book sold. Not a problem, I thought. So I made the hat, and went off to my local bookstore to buy the book, and was shocked to find that they have all been pulled from the shelves.

All copies of Blueberries for Sal are no longer for sale because of negotiations between the McCloskey family and the publisher, Penguin. What is even more interesting is that next to nothing can be found on the internet about this. This great classic of a book has silently been pulled from circulation, and that saddens me more.

From an online Publisher's Weekly Children's Bookshelf August 21, 2008:

Rhalee Hughes, director of publicity at Penguin Books for Young Readers, acknowledges that the classic picture book is currently unavailable, but says, "We have been in negotiations with [Robert McCloskey's] estate and we are hopeful that we may be able to put Blueberries for Sal back into circulation."

So please, don't buy inflated used book prices you might find. Wait it out. Reprinting will happen in due time.

My Blueberry hat collection:

A Labor of Love

2008-08-29T15:44:00.001-04:00

Several months ago I was asked if I could display my children's hat and book collection at the Needham Public Library in Needham, MA. I was thrilled and accepted the opportunity at once. I began designing new hats in my mind. I wanted to blend familiar titles with new favorites and create new hats to go with them. The result is a kaleidoscope of color and memories. So you can have Pinkilicious cupcakes and eat your bluberries with Sal, too!

If you get a chance, stop by the Needham Public Library and check out my hats, and a book!

Apple-y Delicious!

2008-08-15T09:58:00.000-04:00

It's almost time for back to school and what says that better than a nice bushel of apples! Who knew so many etsians could do so many things with red delicious fruit?
Munch, munch, munch...

Butterfly now at OAK

2008-08-14T08:15:00.000-04:00

I am very excited to announce that my hats are now at Oak in Boston at the intersection of Newbery and Gloucester. It's a wonderful boutique run by a smart young woman named Keara.

The store is funky and fun, and everything is handmade. A lot are by local artisans, but others come from around the globe, many found on Etsy. It is a unique collection with something for everyone. I usually shy away from consignment, but the location was irrisistable, I am very excited about this.

If you get a chance, stop by her shop on 31 Gloucester St!

http://www.oakboston.com/ Her website is just the beginning of what is in the shop!

Lemon 'n Lime Treasury

2008-07-30T16:17:00.001-04:00

Sometimes at the store I can't decide between Lemonade or Limeade, so here is the best of both from EtsyBaby! Yummm!

Custom Orders

2008-07-24T10:35:00.000-04:00

I just sent this hat off to a customer, she custom designed it by looking at other hats I have made. This is the kind of creative work I love. It's a simple change, But I think it came out pretty cute, I hope she likes it.

So while I can only do wholesale orders through the end of summer, I can do custom orders all year long, so keep them coming!

The Great Destash has begun!

2008-07-22T18:33:00.000-04:00

I don't really have a craft room. My yarn is stored in my closet in zippered sweater bags and plastic totes. But now I am having nightmares of my yarn attacking me in the middle of the night, so phase one of THE GREAT DESTASH has begun. I MUST MUST MUST get rid of some of my yarn.So take a look, see something you like, please, visit my Etsy shop and take it off my hands!

Pinkalicious Treasury West

2008-07-21T18:33:00.000-04:00

I got another treasury in treasury west. I just happened to meander over and there it was, the magical number of 222, so up popped the pretty wondow to type in your treasury title. So of course I had to come up with one right away, and I misspelled it, but I corrected it in my image capture here. Don't 'cha just love pink?

These are EtsyBaby pink items, next treasury I will have to do a Etsy NaturalKids treasury. It's best to go back and forth I think when you belong to multiple teams. But these items sure are bright and cheerful during what promises to be a rainy week!

New Consignment Order

2008-07-21T15:28:00.000-04:00

It's always flattering to have new customers who want to wholesale or consign my hats. Imagine, stores wanting to invest space and effort displaying my little hats! So when Debbie from Bella Boutique asked me to consign with her new store opening in the fall, I gave her my scary story from last year when I consigned with an Etsy seller, (She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named) and her store went bust and many of us had a devil of a time getting out items back from her, and things got really ugly. So needless to say, I prefer wholesale to consignment, but I completely understand the need for consignment with startup handmade shops. It helps so much with overhead and keeping inventory moving. And Debbie wad very professional and understanding and put me right at ease, I can't wait to see how her store progresses along, and I wish her oodles of sales for the season.

So here is what I shipped her for the first wave, and may there be many more, three cheers for Bella Boutique!

http://www.freewebs.com/mybellaboutique/

Birthday Girl

2008-07-15T08:49:00.000-04:00

My goddaughter's birthday was a hit and so was the pudding cake! My friend dreamed up this cake for her daughter so we were up until 2am gathering all the ingredients and putting it together. Usually this "Pudding Cake" is called "Dirt Cake" and is chocolate, but Denise wanted it to look like the beach, so she made it vanilla, and the ocean is blue jello. We put jelly candy fish in the jello and candy that look like rocks on the sand, we made a long buoy out of marshmellows and a long red vine. All in all it was a bit hit with everyone, including the birthday girl!

Too bad we tripled the recipe, and now there is tons left over!

But now It's back to work, I have a consignment order to work on!

The Purple Kitty

2008-07-07T21:36:00.000-04:00

My goddaughter turned three today. We are celebrating her birthday this weekend, and I went overboard buying her art supplies and all kinds of goodies. And the one thing she asked me for was a purple kitty hat to match her favorite stuffed animal. She loves this thing, it's like her own BooBoo Kitty.

Her mother told me I can skip the rest of the presents, just give her the hat. I hope she like it. But just in case, I decorated a bag just for her. I like doing this for presents adding the person's name to it, it makes it extra special. And the little decals are fun for kids too.

I do something similar for my craft fair bags. It's easy. I buy the bags in bulk online and then I print up the sticker labels on my computer and voila! Walking advertisement!

I don't add the Hello Kitty bits though. I'll save that for my goddaughter.

Going Buggy

2008-07-05T09:26:00.000-04:00

Bugs abound! We had cicadas on Cape Cod, bees are buzzing, 'squitos are a flyin', it's summer and bugs are everywhere!

So I have designed a new hat called the Whimsy Citrus Bug, which to me is both cute and summery. It is made out of 100% cotton and uses this creat tangerine-coral color that I just love!

Of course no summer would be complete without a buzzing bumble bee going from flower to flower. Also made out of 100% cotton yarn, this bumble bee is a classic hat for any bug lover!

Ahh, yes, the original over-eater himself, The Hungry Caterpillar. Inspired by Eric Carle's picture book art, I created this little hat.

Chomp, Chomp, Chomp!

Sun Kissed

2008-07-05T00:27:00.000-04:00

I can't seem to break my habit of making treasuries, it's like a drug! So here is my new one, I should have named it Front Page or Bust, because that is my new goal, to have a treasury on the front page.

I tried to follow all the Front Page guidelines: interesting pictures, a good theme, none of the items are mine, nice variety, blah, blah, blah.

So now I wait.

But I love the Orange brightness, so cheerful on a dreary Fourth of July.

Wholesale Season

2008-07-03T12:50:00.000-04:00

Tis the season for wholesale orders, fa la la la la

It's kind of funny to be humming a holiday carol when it is summer and almost 90 degrees F, but it is the time to start thinking about wholesale orders stocking up stores for the fall and winter sales. Because handmade takes time to create and plan the earlier the better, and you are guranteed to get the designs you want for the season.

I will be sending this order out today for JShane, a new customer, I hope they like it!

http://jshane.com/

EtsyBaby Pop Goes the Fourth

2008-07-03T11:46:00.001-04:00

What a better way to spend a Thursday midmorning when you are waiting for a fridge to be delivered than to make a new treasury on Etsy! I just love all the red white and blue!

However you celebrate the Independence Day, enjoy! Happy 4th of July!

http://www.july4th.org/

Treasury Monday

2008-06-30T09:58:00.000-04:00

Chomp, Chomp, Chomp lots of Hungry Caterpillar items to be found in my Etsy Treasury!

And it you ever get the chance, visit the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA. It's amazing! http://www.picturebookart.org/Home

It's Time for Summer Reading

2008-06-29T10:06:00.000-04:00

Summer is the time when I like to catch up on a lot of reading I just didn't find the time to do during the school year. So what better way to excite children and books than to combine a fun hat to wear that matches the story you are reading to them? I have several sets that people love to give as gifts.

This is a great popular classic story, what will the hungry caterpillar eat next?
It can be fun to line up the real food in your house in two, threes, fours and even more!
Chomp! Chomp!

Yum, sun ripened strawberries!
But watch out!
A BIG HUNGRY BEAR wants a bite too!
This story is so much fun to read to little ones, I had a blast doing the voices when I was reading it to my goddaughter and her older sister. This is one that they will beg "Again, again!"
And the strawberry hat is just plain fun.

Little fairies in the garden, in the trees, in the air, little fairies are everywhere!
Your little girls will start seeing fairies everywhere when you read to her from this little poem book while she wears her little fairy hat. There is one for each season.
The illustrations in this book are to be delighted over and cherished for generations to come.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see?
A wonderful reading game to enjoy with children, this is another classic, and what little one doesn't look adorable in ears??
What animal will be in the next page for your child to find?

One berry, two berry pick me a blueberry!
Children will love this rolicking adventure with the boy, the bear, and the berries in this rhyming text of fun! And the blueberry hat is perfect for a boy or a girl. My goddaughter's older sister calls her blueberry hat her blueberry muffin hat.

Oh, Peter, you were warned to stay out of the garden.
Snuggle up with your little bunny and enjoy this little classic with your favorite treat, because what is reading Peter Rabbit without being rewarded for being a good little bunny?
Although, reading about Peter's capers sure is fun!

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation

2008-06-16T09:08:00.001-04:00

I am now proud to be a supporter of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Cancer Research!

After emailing the foundation and conversing with Alex's mother, $5.00 from the sale of my Lemon hats will be donated to this wonderful charity. You can read more about this charity and the remarkable little girl here: http://www.alexslemonade.org/index.php

Recently they had their Lemonade Days, where children all around the country opened their Lemonade Stands in support of Alex and Cancer Research and raised thousands of dollars. But it doesn't have to stop there with that one weekend! I encourage everyone to open their own lemonade stand whenever they can this summer!

Truly amazing, children being butterflies, making a difference one step at a time!

Memorial Day Craft Fair

2008-05-30T22:48:00.000-04:00

Memorial Day weekend was beautiful! The weather could not have been better, the sun was shining, there was a cool breeze, and I was at the Coonamessett Farm on Cape Cod for the Fiber Festival. It was fun but not as well attended as many had hoped. There were a lot of people out looking, but not so much buying.

People behind me were giving spinning demonstrations, and one woman even brought in her bunny and showed how her yarn went from fur to fiber, it was very cool. Alpacas made an appearance, and there are two new baby sheep on the farm!

I sold a few items, many people love the bunny, the bumble bee, and the flower hats (I was going for a spring theme) but the exclaimation came over my hat and book sets.

As a children's librarian I am always trying to find a way to include books into a gift or whatever I do. So I started pairing up children's books and my hats. People loved the idea of putting together a book and hat, as they make great gifts, but I only sold one, as many people were just out for the day and not really buying. I hope this economy slump does not last for long! But all in all it was a nice weekend to be outside and meeting new crafters and fiber artists. I can't wait for the fall Craft Fair!

Going Organic at Coonamessett Farm

2008-05-20T14:10:00.000-04:00

Memorial weekend is coming up and the weather should be beautiful on Cape Cod! I will be at the Coonamessett Farm Fiber Festival and Crafts Show, and really I can't wait. I have been knitting up a storm for months and have many hats to sell, some one of a kind. The festival will be complete with alpacas and sheep, demonstration of fiber making, felting crafts for kids, and much more!

http://www.coonamessettfarm.com/id224.html

I am also planning to launch my exciting line of organic cotton hats. I figured why not, at a Fiber Festival? The organic cotton is wonderful! Super snuggly soft, and so many companies are going organic that the selection is increasing with price and colors. I also realized that organic has many different meanings, so you have to be careful. I like to look for the certified pesticide-free grown cotton, and pesticide-free dyed cotton, I will eventually offer dye free organic cotton hats. I just need to make them. So this butterfly is being a butterfly and making a difference and embracing the world of organic cotton!

Think Pink! And Bunnies!

2008-01-12T10:18:00.000-05:00

It seems that as soon as I packed up my tree and took down the lights, pink sprouted everywhere. Seriously, I couldn't even catch my breath from Christmas when Valentine's was being hailed from every corner.

But that's ok, because babies look seriously cute in pink. And then I took a good look at my shop and realized that I have a lot of pink in it. But what sells even better are the rabbit hats, the white and the Peter Rabbit ones.

There are rabbit hat patterns available all over the net and in books, it can be fun seeing the different styles that are out there.

But in keeping with the season, if I have to pick a favorite out of my shop, I would say this is one of them:

My Raspberry hat. Sweet, pretty, but no hearts, so no seasonal overkill. Perfect.

Just Desserts

2007-12-03T19:34:00.000-05:00

It's the holiday season and I now have three hats in my desserts series; a Neapolitan, a cupcake, and now a Christmas pudding hat. I sold the pudding hat right after I made it, but here is the picture of it.

I am having trouble with the holly leaves, and am trying to find a good pattern, the rest of the Christmas Pudding hat I just made up on my own, I can post the pattern here if anyone wants it. I used my regular fruit hat leaves in the picture, but I will change it once I can make good holly leaves. I usually like my leaves to be double sided, but I may have to compromise in this case. But I have a whole year to perfect my pattern.

The ever-popular cupcake hat pattern is a combo of the pattern from Susan Anderson's new book, Itty Bitty Nursery and from this website: http://www.nakedsheep.com/cupcakehat.html.

As always, number of stitches are a suggestion, check your gauge, and I like to think of all patterns as suggestion, not a demand. I love her patterns for inspiration, but I do like to may my own changes and adjustments. The nubbles took some working out, but then they became rather fun to make.

The Neapolitan Ice Cream hat is the easiest, just three simple colors and a cherry knot top. I gave this one to my collegue who photographed her daughter wearing it and she gets plenty af awww's in it. So I know it is a keeper of a pattern. The trick is to get the right number of rows for the red for the cherry. And this will vary from yarn to yarn.

It is is a nice, quick, and easy novelty hat to make. But now I have to make three baskets of baby goodies for three pregnant cousins, and then it will be bunny hat season. But right now my Etsy store is a pink explosion for Valentine's day. I never knew I made so many hats with that much pink. It's almost scarry.

Maybe I should invest in some anti-pink patterns, a black apple hat perhaps?

As cool as Elvis

2007-11-29T11:55:00.000-05:00

You know you've hit the bigtime when you are on a stamp. Well I did the Snoopy dance of joy when I went to my corner post office and they showed me these holiday knit stamps. Imagine being imortalized like the greats: Elvis, Madonna, and now knitting items! I bet if you blew up the image enough you could even get a neat winter pattern to follow for a stocking or some socks. So head on down to your local post office and support your knitting addiction, say it with stamps!

Ode to Harry

2007-11-28T10:36:00.000-05:00

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Harry Potter. The books, the movies, I'm a sucker for the bespeckled wizard. So I was delighted when the book Charmed Knits came out. I ran out to my favorite independent bookstore, New England Mobile Bookfair, and they had one copy left. If you ever get a chance to go to this bookstore, GO! It is a warehouse of books from floor to ceiling and books are stacked behind each other and arranged by publisher then title. And don't get me started on the discount room. The theory of "I only came in for one book" will become lost on you... But the staff is excellent and the prices are great, be prepared to spend a few hours looking around.

So I run home with my shiny new copy and I can't wait to leaf through it. I bought it this spring, right when it came out, before HP7 was released, and the movie. I thought I would be so cool and make myself a bookmark, and maybe some baby hats for my shop...never did. I love the patterns, I got some great ideas, but I never made a single thing from this book. It looks great on my shelf, but it is a constant reminder of all the things I want to make but don't have the time to do. And with the other movie coming out on DVD now...

Well there is always the next movie release. But if you are interested, check out the really cool charmed knits blog

There are free patterns available, including an owl and the house hats. There is also a flicker group where people can show off how ambitious they are by actually knitting the items the foud in the book. For now, I will just admire the pretty pictures.

Tis the Season

2007-11-27T11:13:00.002-05:00

School gyms and churches all across America are teeming with crafts this time of year. But are people shopping at them? This year I found attendance was there, but buying was consistently at about a third of what I made at shows last year. Despite the Made In China Scare of 2007, people are still very careful with their money.

I sold at several craft shows this season, the first was The Public House Harvest Festival, in Sturbridge, MA. This was my first year doing this show. I had signed up early on, after my first sign-up got lost in the mail, and my friend Denise agreed to sell. Problem was, Denise thought I said Stoughton, not Sturbridge. So the directions confused her, and she made me promise that no matter how much we sold, we would never do this show again, because it is just too far of a drive from the Cape for her.

This was not a hard promise because the sales were only so-so. And there were spiders in the tent. Big, fat, hairy spiders right out of The Forbidden Forest dangling their hairy spider legs all over my precious baby hats. I had to work really hard not to scream like a little girl. But I did get a few of the suckers.

A funny moment of the day was when two women swooped down on my lavender blossom hat and started to almost rip the flower off trying to figure out how I made it. I told them they could buy it and take their time to figure it out, but I think that would have taken the fun away from doing it right in front of me. They insisted that it had to be crochet, I said no, it was knit, this turned into an amusing Who's on First dialogue.

I told them that there are several sites online that gave free patterns, books too. But they wanted me to give them the pattern right there. But I didn't have it on me. But this is my favorite website for finding new pattern ideas Knitting Pattern Central. They also have one for crochet, but since I can't figure out what you are supposed to do with just one needle, I don't use that site so much.

After returning from our trek to Sturbridge (it was a beautiful drive), we were off to the Needham High School Craft Fair. I did this one last year, and it poured, but we were in the hallway and we had great sales. This year we were at Pollard Middle School (PMS) because the High School is under construction. Sales were sluggish despite my fabu new hat stand that Denise found with her mother while alley-diving. They live near a shopping district that can toss things to be picked up for trash, and many people can find great things there, and they found me a hat stand! So my table set-up has changed from cluttered mess to nice and organized.

My new hat rack! The hat stands on the table I already had. I bought them off of eBay from Matthew's Wire and they match the stand perfectly. So I have a nice updated display.

The final fair I did this season was on Cape Cod, the Coonamessett Farm Artisan Fair. Again it was cold and we were in an unfinished building, which was better than those who were in the green house, or worse, the pavilion. But I sold well, not as well as I had in the spring, but I did a decent business. It was a two day fair and I had a good time despite the cold, the customers were lovely and the rooster crowing kept me entertained throughout the day.

Denise claims that this is it for her for craft fairs, but who knows, next season, she may be bit by the bug. There is something nice about selling to people in person, helping them, and then they come looking for you at these shows. That's why I go back.

C'mon, everyone else is doing it!

2007-11-26T14:53:00.000-05:00

So I succumbed to pressure. I have joined the ranks of blogging. I suppose it will be nice during the dreary winter months here in Boston to write the hours away, but I am a knitter who is woefully backlogged on orders. I sell hand knit baby hats on butterflydesign.etsy.com and my holiday rush began somewhere around Halloween and it has not stopped.

But when talking with a friend who works at a candy and ice cream shop, I decided to try my hand at dessert hats, a Neapolitan Ice Cream , a Cupcake, and a Christmas Pudding. I finished and posted the Neapolitan.

I can't make any more new hats until I finish my backorders though, they haunt me!

But I really want to make the others, sigh. So much knitting, so little time!

Tonight I'm off to make a custom order of a lily of the vally hat with lavender petals all around the stem. It's a take-off of the daisy hat found in Itty-Bitty hats by Susan B. Anderson.

I love this book, such great ideas in this gem. And she has a new one out, Itty Bitty Nursery, which has a version of the cupcake hat, but I think I might alter it a bit, but I like her measurements.

I am so bummed that I missed her recent signing at Black Sheep Knitting in Needham, MA. It is all over her blog what a wonderful time she had, and I would have loved to meet her. Check out her books, she's got a ton of talent!