Transitions & Tech Speak
Well, ever since I decided to stop doing dressmaking/alterations, I have received a call or email almost every day asking me to do all kinds of various projects!! I have also had an unexpectedly good time saying, “no” for once! Apparently the word is out now because the requests have died down. I really feel…
I’m completely in love with it, but will have to save up as the computer wiped out my funding. 🙂
Then, as I was looking through the Storque’s articles on pricing and trying to find a better, more organized way to do my business finances, I got an email from Etsy in my inbox chalked full of small business helps. One of them is called Outright, and it is a free online way to track your business expenses and income in a Schedule-C friendly format. Not only that, but you can view charts and graphs tracking your profit, expenses by category, and more! It’s very basic, but pretty nifty and just a neat, clean way to organize your finances. I would still need a spreadsheet to track sales tax and my budget categories, but if when tax time comes I have all the right info in the right place with outright, it will be great. I’ll have to let you know come tax season. 🙂
I also posted a while back about how I had gotten my website up and going again. I mentioned I had been reworking the websites at my job (here & here) and had learned a new way to do them using wordpress.org. Well, in an effort to keep my overhead as low as possible, I’ve set up a regular blog on wordpress.com to see if that can be a solution to combining my blog and my website using domain forwarding and free blog hosting. WordPress blogs allow you to have a static front page, and about me page, and then a separate blog page, however, it does not let you post your Etsy mini or other javascript. I think it might make a good compromise for now, until I get some regular sales going to justify paying for web hosting. I won’t reveal that now, since it is no where near ready, but just know that I will be switching to wordpress in the next few months…
As far as current sewing projects, I finished my son’s Halloween costume and showed it to him with pride. He responded, in kind, by running away and saying “no.” Not in a forceful way, but just mater-of-fact-like. I chased him and tried to put the hood on and he proceeded with screams. LOL. I’m trying to think of ways to get him to like it and if I can get him to put it on, I’ll post pictures. It really turned out cute!
I am also still trying to finish up Kim’s skirt (the one she asked me to make from part of the dress that didn’t work out). Since I know what she really wants is knit, and lining and Georgette are not knit, I went ahead and bought her some new fabrics. I figure I’ll just use the satin, lining and Georgette for a little girls party dress some time in the future. She also wants me to create a top for one of her other store-bought dresses, but I’m not sure I’ll take on that project.
All that to say, I’m kind of excited to have given myself the holidays off – no craft fairs or high Etsy sales expected for lack of inventory, no more weddings and alterations – just finish a few projects and then to sew through my fabric inventory in search of some inspiration and fun. If you have an Etsy (or otherwise online store), what are some can’t-live-withouts for you??
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