"P.........in Money"

How many of you are familiar with this phrase? Many years ago, rural women sold items to earn money so that they could purchase pins and needles that not only were expensive, but not always easy to come by. We take these items for granted today, but the phrase still means monies we accumulate so that we can buy little "extras" for ourselves.

Because I'm retired, I have the great luxury of looking at my Etsy account for this purpose. I truly admire those Etsians who have great economic success with their shops, but mine is really just for fun. How lucky I am!

Now for the February Experiment analysis. I'm happy to report that I fulfilled the majority of my goals. I relisted, renewed, or listed a new item every day. Most of my shop has been retagged. I was able to blog at least half of the days and introduced a new item, the heavy duty scrubbie. And finally, I was more active with the teams to which I belong. While my first purpose was to find out how this extra activity affected my sales, there turned out to be additional benefits as well. It surprised me that my sales actually fell in February compared to January, but the financial outcome was exactly the same...down to the last dollar! The non-financial benefits were lovely, however. I did more connecting with people than ever, and it is a great feeling. It also made Etsy more exciting than it had been in the past.

Isn't it ironic that what we set out do can take such twists and turns and have benefits of which we never dreamed? And aren't I happy to add each month to my "pin money"?

F.........ebruary Experiment: Day 5

Much to my surprise, this little bonnet has been a best seller. I designed it originally to go with a Christening gown, and it's a good thing it was listed separately in my Etsy shop. Several folks have kind enough to buy it to go with a family or antique Christening gown. It's done in fine crochet cotton, and features shells, the symbol of baptism. The ribbon ties make it adjustable.

It was less of a surprise to find it was my first sale in February as well. I'm not sure if it was the result of the February experiment that I'm doing, but it's possible. Yesterday I rewrote and edited almost a quarter of my listings and posted in several forums. This weekend there will be a massive rewrite and editing. Stay tuned for updates the rest of the month!

F.........ebruary Experiment: Day 4

It seems that more and more young parents are favoring cotton materials for children's' clothing. So for the first time, I've created a baby sweater using a new cotton yarn called Cottontots and I'm most pleased with the results. This white cotton sweater would fit babies from about 6 to 18 months. It's appropriate for Christenings and almost any occasion, because it's completely washable. New colors will be coming soon to my Etsy shop at http://peacoxcreations.etsy.com

Experiment update: About one-fourth of my shop listings have been updated and I'm continuing to list and renew every day. It actually feel good to be making progress!

F.........ebruary Experiment: Day 3

If I could send all of you who are following my blog a personal "Thank You", this is how I would do it! Your comments really keep me going at it.

Day three of my February experiment is well underway. Yesterday I accomplished the following goals: blogged, listed two more items, finished deleting the latest photos, worked on a baby afghan and my new product, edited four shop items, read and commented on several blogs, and posted in all three team forums. DH thought I was glued to the computer, but it gave me a good feeling. Again, my shop got quite a few views and there were more comments than usual on my blog posts. There still have been no February sales, but it's still early in the month.

Today my shop attention will be abbreviated because I have to go out for lunch and play mah jongg this afternoon (poor me, right?) Hope you all have a fulfilling day!

F.........ebruary Experiment

You are invited to celebrate the month of February with me as I show a little love to my Etsy shop with an experiment. Although my sales were OK in January, I'd like to see those figures improve and know there are things I can be doing to promo Peacox Creations. I'd be delighted if you would follow along with me as I try these techniques:

1. Blog every day with an update on what I did the day before.

2. List or renew at least two items every day.

3. Take new photos and edit them at least once a week, even though I know on this old, slow computer, that will be a challenge.

4. Introduce at least one completely new product.

5. Edit the present items in my shop with better tags, titles an descriptions.

6. Be active with at least one team I'm on a day, posting in the team forums, reading others' blogs, or perhaps making treasuries.

There must have been a method to my madness for choosing the shortest month of the year!

One of the new items I'm posting today is this set of crocheted cotton dishcloths/facecloths knit from a yarn that makes its own stripes. They arrive tied with a matching ribbon, so they are quickly ready to tuck in a gift, or untie for immediate use!