Monday, June 30, 2008

Wholesale, The Eye of a Storm, and Thumbprints

Hopefully I can chalk this post up quickly, despite being my normal scatterbrained self. I'm now accepting wholesale orders! I've gotten one so far, which hopefully in two weeks the first offerings of Blue Hands Fibers will be up and running on WoolGirl. I'm really excited about this and hope to be able to have more offerings out there on the web and in brick and mortar stores as well!

The eye of the storm has been life lately, not that I'm complaining too much. The hubs took the day off today, as we had been out of town this whole weekend, and we've both been relaxing. I'm about to get him and child off the video game so we can maybe go out to lunch. I've had a horrible craving for Pot Belly's meatball sub and cup of broc and cheddar soup. (warned I was scatter brained!) But have been trying to do the little catch-ups here and there, have plans for laundry (ugh), and winding yarn (yay!) I also hope to get out the Suri bfl combo, which I have four skeins of and three will be for sale up on the store (sorry!), and I'm going to have some fun with the merino tencel blend as well. This next store update will surely have exotic offerings. But today is definitely the calm before the storm or the eye of it, either way I have that feeling something fierce is coming soon!

Now, onto Thumbprints. Our family lost someone very important this past week, and a community lost an important figure to their unique bicultural history: Wilbert North Helde Timmons , my husband's Grandfather. The service was this past Saturday, and while I'm not one for most funerals, one thing this preacher said was about our thumbprint that we leave on the earth, our impression. It really made all of us in the family think about what our thumbprint is going to look like and realize that we have one heck of a thumbprint to live up to but I felt more resound, after thinking about my own life, that I'm on the right path. My only regret, having been to the funeral, is not getting to know him better. The sweet man who took me by the arm over to his piano and played, "It had to be you" Who, when I saw him only a few months ago, had to play it again for me. I'm glad for the thumbprint he left on me.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

The ugly side of business

I've been having to make changes, in response to the economy, namely that nasty little liquid that my car has to munch on. Four freaking dollars! And Texas is normally pretty cheap on gas too. As soon as I get enough money to, I'm buying a vespa. The hubs has called me many various names but I know I'll be getting a kiss on the cheek after the first month I've gotten it for how much money it will save us. 70 miles per gallon!!! Hopefully I will be able to make enough by the end of the year and it will be my present to myself. Of course it will be blue and I might get this girl who's done some decals for me in the past to make a custom decal that way it can be the blue yarn mobile. (yep, I'm that kind of dork)

Okay, back to the ugly side of business. I'm having to alter my shipping. I'm going to go to first class where I can charge roughly the same amount for domestic shipping and not have it eat into my profits. I will still offer the option for priority where in the notes you can ask for it and I will send an adjusted invoice through paypal. Long story short, it takes roughly four dollars for me to the yarn in the store and get it out the door. Half of that is what I've been splitting in the difference for priority shipping. With the cost of everything going up, I can't do this anymore :( I will still be more than willing to ship priority, however, it will be for the full price. I will have to charge an additional amount per skein as first class is measured by ounce. But I will offer shipping savings on orders over $60. They will get free first class shipping. I will also be reducing the amount of times I go to the post office to Tuesdays and Fridays. Now, of course, if I happen to know that I'm driving by and I have yarn that needs to go out, of course it will be! :)

I'll keep trying to find ways to pass on shipping savings to all my customers and where there is a will, there is a way.....right?

Monday, June 16, 2008

So much to post, so little time!

I am, and have been sooo busy! Store is empty, but stuff's in the pots! I recently spent a week in colorado, while my mom was having surgery. Wasn't too bad of a trip, but I had that scary feeling of being away, that I had constantly forgot something! :(

Let's see, updates: I am now venturing into taking on a few wholesale orders, very excited about that. The next months sock club delivery, Mama Rav is in the pots as we speak. And I am busily working on stocking up the store since it's been empty for so long!

Pretty soon, we'll have a new winder video out there. For all my dye friends, it's a reskeiner! And it's quick! :)

Sorry so short and sweet, but too much to do! More to come later!