Happy New Year!!

I love New Years.  I always feel so hopeful.  Like it's a new beginning.  Leave all the things behind that didn't go so well last year, wipe the slate clean and start again.

I was looking over last year's resolutions and this year's will be about the same.  I don't feel like that means I failed because I 've made progress or rethought most of them:

My Goals for 2014 were:

 

1. Blog at least once a week and maybe more.
2. Get those patterns on Ravelry.  I have lots of good ideas like a bunting (or garland) a month pattern and a blankie a month pattern.
3. I'd like to figure out Google +
4. Continue growing my Etsy business.
5. And that diet and Exercise.

 

 

1.  I didn't blog once a week but I blame that on the whirlwind the year became after my son proposed to his girlfriend and we spent the first 7 months of the year preparing for and having a wedding. 

 So I still want to try and blog at least once every two weeks.  Maybe that's a more reasonable time frame for me.

 

2.  I still want to put patterns on Ravelry.  I think I got two on there this year.  Not bad, but I can do better.

 

3.  I've decided I don't care about Google +.  People were predicting it was going to be so big, but I don't think so.  I'm concentrating my media output on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram now.  Especially the last two as they are photography based.

 

4.  My Etsy business grew quite a lot this year.  I had almost 300 sales in 2014.  I'd like to continue growing my business.

 

5.  Sigh!!  Diet and exercise.  I lost some weight but gained it back over the holidays.  This is still an important goal for me though. 

 

6.  I'm doing some creative things for me.  I joined Lifebook 2015  which is doing mixed media art once a week.  Hope I can keep up.  Here's the link if anyone is interested in joining.  Life Book 2015.

It's not free but the price is really reasonable and you can break it into three payments.

 

Those are my resolutions for the year.  What's yours?

 

 

 

Why I want to learn how to create and sell digital products

 “Are you ready to make your creative work more lucrative, stable, and sustainable in the long-term? Join April Bowles-Olin for an introduction to digital products and how they can enhance your creative business. This course will show you how to produce and position viable products for generating multiple revenue streams and passive income. RSVP right here to watch it live and get access to the workbook for FREE. This post is part of the Create Digital Products blog tour.”

I Love digital products.  I have bought several over the years and also taken advantage of free ones.  I have always learned something and I often go back to them to study them some more.  I'm a reader and a visual learner so I appreciate having business manuals, patterns  and articles about entrepreneurship  at my fingertips to peruse when I have a question.
I will often sign up for someone's mailing list just to get their free e-book or report.
I like knitting and crocheting items to sell in my Etsy shop, but they have to be made over and over. 
I want to learn to make great digital products because you produce it once and can sell it over and over.  Plus I like the idea of someone using MY report as there go-to info product.
April Bowles is getting ready to teach a course on creating and selling digital products and I personally can't wait.  I took a course from her a few years ago on "Blogging for your Creative Business" and I learned SO MUCH.  I believe a lot of success of my Etsy shop is due to all the fabulous information I learned in her course.
And she gives you a lot of bang for your buck.  I still have all the interviews she did with various successful entrepreneurs downloaded  on my I-phone to listen to.  She always includes a LOT of bonuses.
So if your thinking of taking a course about digital products I would definitely recommend hers.
This post is part of a blog tour.  Otherwise I received no compensation for my post and all my opinions are my own.  I just love April's stuff!

 

Halloween CAL

I'm participating in Fresh Stitches Halloween CAL  She has a sweet prize too; yarn from GnomeAcres.

  I'm going to make her new mummy pattern.  I really like the amigurumi patterns she designs.  They are fairly easy to do and so cute when done.

Charlie Brown Sweater

I love Charlie Brown.

   As a child growing up  I looked forward to "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown"  and "A Charlie Brown Christmas. " 
When my son was born he looked like Charlie Brown for a couple of years until his hair grew in.  And as he got older , he would rent Charlie Brown books from the library and bring them home to read to me.

So I felt inspired to create a Charlie Brown sweater to sell in my Etsy shop.  It would make such a cute baby shower gift.  Or pair  it with black shorts and a Snoopy toy and it would be a great Halloween costume.

Charlie Brown Sweater What do you think?  Did I get it right?
 

Harry Potter Gryffindor Scarf

In honor of Harry Potter's birthday which was July 31, I designed a Gryffindor scarf inspired by his first year at Hogwart's . 

The Pattern is for a toddler and measures 3inches by 4 feet including fringe.  It can easily be made in to an adult skinny scarf  if you  just keep on crocheting until you get the length you need. ( about 6 feet)

It's available in my Ravelry  shop.  Harry Potter Scarf. 
Enjoy!

Photo challenge for August

Here's a challenge for August I'll be participating in.  It's a photo a day for Instagram. based on the graphic below.  The "rules" are at Create and Thrive.  Should be fun.
Feel free to join in.

Noro Purse - WIP Wednesday

WIP Wednesday.
This is the Flower Blossom Purse from the Crochet Noro book.  I love the squares.  They were quick to make and join as you go.  It takes 4 skeins of the Noro Kureyon but I only had three.  Three skeins were enough to make the 25 squares for the body of the bag.  For the edging and handles I'm using Patons wool in a matching olive green.  I can't wait to finish this purse, It came out so pretty.  I plan on lining it  also.
WIP Wednesday