Treasury Sunday - March 24th

Every other Sunday I like to showcase some beautiful collections on Etsy, otherwise known as treasuries.  Each of these treasuries has featured one of my products, and sharing them with you is my way of thanking the curators who have taken the time to put them together.  Please take some time today to go shopping and support small business!

'spring blush' by nashpop

Easter eggs- hand felted Eas... katinytis $30	The Bunny Book 1955 Earrings happilymadeove... $15	Spring Photography Print, Wh... HausofAriella $15	Woven Wall Basket Willow Wal... gazaboo $18
1 1/2 Fabric Button Spring R... CatFabricsandB... $4.95	Whipped Cream Soap - Blood O... SymbolicImport... $5.99	wild and free quote art prin... littlelow $18	Tea Rose & Chocolate (Pink/B... PinAndTack $5.94
Lily of the Valley diffuser ... DLitesbyDorene $7.99	Newborn White Bonnet with Ru... PetuniaandIvy $28	20% OFF Pink Gold Flower Cze... TrinketsNWhatn... $24	Wonderful Vintage Easter Bun... GreenPlanetSis... $9
Food Photograph, Still Life ... ara133photogra... $15	Bridal ballet flat slipper ... Erinbonnie $80	Spring Sale Daisies 8x8 Fine... laughlovephoto $20	Easter eggs, pastel wall dec... Raceytay $15

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

'Things That Are Round - SNS Style' by smijims

Rum Raisin tea lights - 6 pa... DLitesbyDorene $6.49	Fuchsia Indonesian Dangle Ea... CloudNineDesig... $15	Shave Soap - Mens Shaving So... SymbolicImport... $6.5	Beaded Bracelet, Stack Brace... GemstonesOnMyM... $19.5
Colorful Mesh Beads, Basketb... CloudNineSuppl... $6	Crochet Circle Area Rug, Nat... WendysWonders1... $200	Round Cotton Wash Cloths Cro... CreativeEndeav... $7	Clown Ornament Zulu LotusAsylum $25
Rustic Reclaimed Barnwood, H... TheDoubleDubs $35	5x5 Cocktail Beverage Decor ... CrystalGaylePh... $20	Resin Earrings,blue earrings... underglass $17	Sparkly Purple, Pink, Magent... EleriaJewelry $59
Brass Bronze Metal Squiggly... BijiBijoux $4.5	Dictionary Page Art Robin on... TheMuckyDuck $10	Light Turquoise Earrings, Bl... PennyandPaper $15	Organic Cotton Mini Cloths G... ThoughtfulGems... $28

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

'Welcome April Showers' by wcuster

RAINBOW & silver cloud- Litt... wildthingsdres... $60	Black Rain Drops Cloud Earri... thessong $21	Aqua Blue Larimar Stone Bead... KapKaDesign $27	Spring Rain room and fragran... DLitesbyDorene $6.49
Fused Dichroic Blue Glass C... Mtbaldyglasswo... $34	April Showers bring May Flow... prettymejoy $10	April Showers Stained Glass ... LittleLaLaOrig... $160	April Showers Soap Handmade ... sherrisscentsa... $5.75
Pink Rose with raindrops pri... NewCreatioNZ $29	Photography Daisy Print Spri... CrystalGaylePh... $24	Pink Rose sterling silver Po... TurtleXIII $11	Pink Flower Photograph, Flor... HausofAriella $15
SALE May Flowers Dress MaggiesFarmm $14	April showers bring May flow... ImaginationCou... $34	Louisa May Alcotts "Cor... isakayboutique $4.99	Tomentose Rose, May Rose 2 S... mysunshinevint... $10

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

'Be My Clementine' by ariella42

Orange Blossom votives, set ... DLitesbyDorene $10.99	upcycled frames, orange deco... nashpop $22	Baby Nursery Child Room Deco... HereandThereSh... $30	Sugar Scrub Cubes - Orange S... SymbolicImport... $11
Gemstone Earrings Natural Ag... LittleHillJewe... $14	Light Orange Magnesite Turq... BijiBijoux $6.95	Lemon Iced Tea Photography P... CrystalGaylePh... $44	Bright orange sherbet dishes... reconstitution... $19.5
Lace Ring Pillow made from W... FairyfolkWeddi... $30	SET of 10 Customized Typogra... fieldtrip $14	Mint Amazonite Earrings - Or... KapKaDesign $49	Harvest Gold Yellow Orange R... Thebracelettre... $22
Honey Orange Body Spray SouthernTwiste... $6.5	THE CAKE SHOP for Edible But... incrEDIBLEtopp... $9.5	Handpainted Citrus Striped C... AmeliaBedeliaV... $22	Amber Opal Boho Bracelet Set... byjodi $215

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

'softly ' by KapKaDesign

Spring botanical print 20x20... peraboom $25	20% OFF Pink and Green Clust... TrinketsNWhatn... $20	Fashion / Prop Scarf for Chi... CricketsCreati... $45	20% OFF Rivoli Crystal Butto... TrinketsNWhatn... $25.6
Light green ribbon looped pe... AlyxAndreaDesi... $29	Necklace Pendant Pink & Gre... GlitterbirdGla... $20	Set of 17 Gift Tags Light Pi... PreciousBowtiq... $1.45	Rust and Green Multicolored ... crochetedbycha... $20
Pink Rose Fused Glass Pendan... GreenhouseGlas... $20	Love Heart And Green Pendant... Euphena $30	personalized bridesmaid gift... mamableudesign... $117	Tea lights - Key Lime DLitesbyDorene $4.88
Hand Lino Printed and Collag... TrottingJackPr... $3.5	Photo of Soft Pink Tulips wi... CarlaDyck $25	Ombre Chiffon Infinity Scarf... JANNYSGIRL $18	Felted Flower Scarf Necklac... nurlu $35

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Inventory Management, Part 2

As your business continues to grow, you'll need to develop a system for inventory management. In a previous post, we discussed the why an inventory management system is necessary; today we'll discuss how to develop your system.

Consider the variety of your products. What do they have in common? If you develop a variety of products, try to align them similar to how you would shop a department store: bedding, kitchen, clothing, decor. If your products are in a similar line, such as jewelry, align them around similar functions: necklaces, earrings, bracelets. And don't be afraid to be specific.

When I first started my inventory management system, I grouped my products similar to the sections in my Etsy shop: container candles, tea lights, votives, etc. For the most part this worked.....but then I needed a way to differentiate between three container candles I carry.  While "container candles" creates a category of similar enough products, I have a different pricing structure for my 7 oz and 12 oz candles. So in addition to the tea lights and votives, I now have separate product categories for my 7 oz. container candles, as well as my 12 oz. status jar and 12 oz interlude jar candles.

You'll also want to be able to differentiate between sub-categories. At D'Lites by Dorene, I use a sub-category of fragrance. If your product is jewelry, you may choose a sub-category of metal or stone; if your product is paper products, you may choose a category of notecards and a sub-category of stamped or stenciled.

Why are sub-categories important? Because at some point, you'll probably want to cross reference your products to understand your best sellers. For example, I can easily identify by my Etsy sales that tea lights are my best selling product. But what if I want a better understanding of my best selling fragrance? This is where having a sub-category and the ability to sort comes in handy. Think of how you could get a better understanding of which stone sells best or whether your stenciled or stamped products are most preferred.

As I've mentioned before, I utilize the online system Stitchlabs to manage my inventory. What's nice about this system is it has already developed dashboard functionality to show my sales trends.

This can also be easily accomplished using Excel or another spreadsheet software. Here's a snapshot of the same information:

And, using a little Excel Pivot Table Magic, here are my top ten fragrances for the same time period:

But what if most items are similar but a few are unique? I have a category for my clearance items, many of which are five or less. The pricing structure is different, but it's still a way for me to collect "similar" products yet use the same formula to be able to analyze my results.

As you grow, you'll find yourself creating a unique identifier for each item - a shorthand method for you and your customers to place and to analyze sales.

What questions do you have? My intent is to "build" this information in segments.  Our next chapter will be on how to use our inventory system to develop sales sheets to distribute to retail and wholesale vendors.

Until then, Happy sales!

Dorene

Etsy shop review - Wendy's Wonders

It's my pleasure to introduce to you today to Wendy of Wendy's Wonders. Please take some time to learn about her fabulous work!

My name is Wendy and I am the owner and designer at Wendy's Wonders. I am a self taught knitter and pattern writer. I learned to knit about 10 years ago after I had my first child, and have been on a wonderful journey since.

Men's Knit Beanie

My Etsy shop came about 2 years ago, due to some life changes and the need to try to make a living through my knitting accessories. I was determined to work out of the house so I could still be available for my children as they needed me. So Wendy's Wonders was born.

Winter Wool Scarf

 In my Etsy shop you will find lots of accessories that are an original design. I love to write my patterns. I try to use only natural fiber. Wool, Mohair and Alpaca are a few favorites. 

Hand Painted Knitted Shawl

I also have learned to spin my own yarn over the years and hope to have a lovely collection of hand-spun items in the future. I am always learning new techniques and writing new patterns. So when visiting my shop, you will always find something new. I have plans to have a collection of Men's Winter Accessories for next season, including hats, scarves and fingerless gloves.

Bulky Fingerless Gloves

I best accomplishments so far would be my collections of hats. I really love each and every one of them. I am very happy to have written that patterns for this collections. Also, thankfully that they are loved by the public also.

Women's Big Bow Knitted Headband

<Dorene inserting.... Wendy did not provide a link to her favorite finished product, but as a fellow knitter and crocheter, I have to say I love this area rug!!!>

Crochet Circle Area Rug

My Wonders can be found in two Rhode Island shops. A salon called Luniac Glamour in East Greenwich, RI. and a small market shop called Small Circle in Providence, RI.  I can also be found on facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/WendysWonders127

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To my readers,

Every other Sunday I like to introduce you to an artisan who sells on Etsy.  If you, or someone you know is interested in a feature, please email me at DLitesbyDorene@gmail.com I can send you my sample interview questions!