Boo-ming Halloween Business & Tips From The Ground Looking Up

Business has been coming in thick and fast since I packed away academia to salvage what was left of the Halloween preparation time!

A couple of months ago, I decided to foray into the hitherto uncharted territory of eBay, and it's looking like it's paid off. Both my Halloween Hello Kitty hair grips and my Blackpool pride grips have done well in the last two months I've been testing the market on eBay. Considering I've only listed three designs and two of those have sold has more than exceeded my expectations.

These Hello Kitty hair bows in her Halloween garb are so cute no one can resist!

In fact, one slice of advice from someone who is doing nothing more than that with her designs - merely testing the market to see what sells before trying to dare to imagine herself as a full time crafter - is that eBay is perhaps a more reliable marketplace than sites which allow independent crafters their own place in the spotlight. I've been haphazardly listing on Folksy and Etsy for a couple of years now, and have yet to sell more than a couple of items. Two months on eBay and I've already more than doubled my sales.

It seems to me that eBay is a more even playing field, with those looking to sell and buy in equal proportion. While it is good to have a base on the other sites, it strikes me that most designer use these as a means to compare their own products and so very rarely buy from other designers. In short, we're all looking to nurse our own nest egg. My experience at least has been that no matter how many page views I get, few actually buy, whereas the same items sell quickly on eBay.

I can't say, however, that it really surprises me, but I can say that I buck that trend. The past three Christmases I have bought a substantial amount of my presents from Folksy, and even treat myself to items throughout the year, as well as eyeing up unconventional gifts for those friends and relatives that I wouldn't come by on the market. If in fact designers aren't buying from fellow designers, then I think that is a shame. We should all be encouraging each other by purchasing each other's great designs! Not just expecting that we can list and not pass any trade in another's direction.

New Halloween Creations!

It's that time of year again and since I've packed up my studies for the foreseeable future, it's time to focus on the things that really matter!

My creative tentacles have been busy stitching lots of ghoulish items over the past few weeks, so I thought I'd share some of them with you here. As always, if you like what you see, visit my shops on folksy or etsy.

 

Killer Bananas! Woo's Project For Halloween

Two Christmases ago I crafted this little vampire/evil banana skin for my boyfriend. We had had a conversation about creating a game around killer banana skins that latch onto people's faces and, well, kill them! So I decided to make him this friend to remember that idea by.
He is made of three parts of yellow felt, lined cream in the inside and stitched with bold brown cotton thread. I have also inserted wire in between the layers of felt so that the skin can splay out or be arranged into a position! I must admit, a killer banana would be a great addition to any Halloween party! They can be positioned anywhere in the house, on a banister to greet guests or on top of a cupboard to surprise your housemates!
Inside the banana skin in green and purple felt 'slime', as this is the banana's secret weapon! And I must admit, I think the googly eyes really set off his koo-koo look! And yet serve to make him slightly loveable...
Once my MA is completed, I'm hoping to make a few of these terror banana skins specifically for Halloween! Including some new pals for a whole army of them...

To Absent Friends...

Happy New Year fellow Witches!

Things have been rather hectic at Witchy Woo Crafts of late, which somewhat accounts for my absence from the blog-writing world!

In September I began my MA (which I've been putting off for three years and could put off no more!) and needless to say it involves a lot of hard work, reading and not much stitching. In other news, however, I also sold one of my smiley candy corn brooches on Etsy, which was a nice piece of Hallowe'en treatage!

However, until next Hallowe'en, the world of Witchy Woo is going to be relatively quiet, though I am still forraying into craft fairs and doing the odd crafty job here and there. My New Year's resolution is to make more of an effort so check back for updates!

Hallowe'en at Witchy Woo Crafts

It's Hallowe'en time across the world and Witchy Woo is feeling mighty generous with her treats!

Check out my Folksy and Etsy shops to find great seasonal items in the SALE! Yes! Hallowe'en treats abound for all!

Not only that but Witchy Woo has been busy crafting (in between studying for an MA and working two jobs!) all sorts of new creations in time for the season of All Hallows. These pictures give you a sneak peak of my Candy Corn and Witch's Hat Brooches!

A New Season of Spells and Witch Craft

The days are darkening, the leaves are strew across the pavement and the winds off the Fylde coast are really picking up, it can only mean one thing: September!

Forget about all those who mourn the death of yet another year, here at Witchy Woo Crafts it always means fresh new starts and adventures in casting and crafting, with Hallowee'n the most beloved and sensually awakened of all seasons! 

To prove it, Witchy Woo has been busy updating her Folksy and Etsy shops in time for the grand old season of Hallowe'en! Included on there are some real treats:

•  the Me&FYC hair grips, with their burnt orange and black tones as a perfect accompaniment to any autumnal outfit, 
• as well as new experiments in hair bow-age, such as my ghoulishly gothic burgundy and black lace grips perfect for that vampy witch look!
• And a whole array of spootacular gifts for yourself, your home or another witchy familiar...

So why not take a sneaky peak? Go on, I dare you! Details are included on each of my pages via the tabs above, or more simply follow these links to my

Folksy page or Etsy page

Spooks be with you x

Blackpool Glorious Blackpool

If you, like myself, are a fan of our beautiful and bedazzled town then you might be interested in the BBC programme All Lit Up, which aired this morning.

The programme was presented by Laurence Llewelyn Bowen (the creative curator of the Blackpool Illuminations) and uses last night's centenary switch on of the Blackpool Lights as his starting point for exploring the resort's hidden heritage and glamour. I am a proud sandgrown Blackpudlian and though while it was a slightly biased, passionately positive representation of an often overlooked town, I feel it's this kind of 'good press' which we need in order to continue turning a corner in how the rest of the country sees us.

What I liked was that the programme made use of a lot of the often unknown but awe-inspiring facts which most visitors and locals do not know, such as: the town was the first to have electricity; that the man (Sir Hiram Maxim) who created the Flying Machines - the Pleasure Beach's oldest ride) also invented the machine gun; and that a lot of the unseen resplendent architecture which is hidden behind the doors of the Winter Gardens, Grand Theatre and Tower were designed by some of the most talented and revered architects of their day. This show has it all, so if you want to learn more follow the link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01m9c6x