5 Tips for Opening an Etsy Store

Happy Monday!!

Today I'm talking about Etsy. Now, I'm not here to say that my shops are the most successful or awesome Etsy shops ever, but I have had quite a few people asking me for advice or tips as they start up an Etsy store, so I figured I'd condense my advice into 5 tips and share it here! These are tips that have helped me find success in my stores. I've even been able to sell outside of Etsy because of things I've learned on Etsy. I hope you find some of these helpful!

1. Be Creative. Of course there are going to be hundreds of shops on Etsy that sell similar items as you will. However, there are plenty ways to make your shop stand out whether it be price, style, customization options, item names, etc. Think outside the box! There is no point of having a shop if it's exactly the same as others, so avoid the possible urge to just create a duplicate of someone else's shop because it's easy. That takes the fun out of everything! Think about an ideal shop that you'd love to shop from, and create it!

2. Do Your Homework: Research!! Opening an Etsy shop shouldn't be a quick, last minute decision. I mean, it can be, but you're not going to have as high quality of a shop as if you had done some research. What I mean by research is search on Etsy! See what's out there. What are people selling that's like yours? What are their prices? Can you sell the same item for a lower cost? What do they charge for shipping? What do you need to charge for shipping based on shipping products (packing envelopes, tape, labels), your time and travel to ship? Most importantly: HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO MAKE OR CREATE YOUR ITEM (keep in mind your time/labor. time=money) and HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED TO SELL AN ITEM FOR TO MAKE PROFIT. Those last two are obnoxiously in bold because really if you have an Etsy shop to have a business (which is the point), you need to make sure it's worth your time to be selling through Etsy and that you are not putting forth more than you're getting back (this is usually the case in the beginning, but hopefully this equals out after a little bit of time). When I started my first shop, I wanted to make sure that I kept myself level-headed so I gave myself a very small budget to start out with. I calculated how much I had to sell in order to at least break even. Once I got the hang of how much shop was going to work, I continued investing more money into my shop and eventually saw some revenue. Now I know exactly how and when my shop is successful and what I have to put forth to be successful. Every shop is different!

3. Be Patient. This is important. It can be, if you're like me, really intimidating and a little daunting to put yourself out there and open a shop where you're essentially selling yourself in front of thousands of online shoppers. Keep in mind that people will find your shop. It's just a matter of how long that takes. That being said, be patient, but be proactive (see next tip!).

4. Make Social Media Your Best Friend. Say 'hello' to free advertising! If you know anything about marketing and advertising, or even if you don't, you know that social media is the world's greatest free contribution to networking and advertising. Don't be afraid to use your Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest (especially Pinterest!) to 'sell' your products. With all the ridiculous junk there is online, people enjoy seeing uplifting posts about awesome things you're selling. Also, PEOPLE LOVE PRETTY THINGS. I interned for Shabby Apple last year working with their social media. Hands down, no questions, our followers shared, re-tweeted, repinned, etc. "pretty images" the most. People like things that catch their eye. So take time to take good pictures of your products. Use photoshop to make a little 'ad' here and there. Even if people don't know what your shop is, if they like what they see on social media and it catches their attention (again, especially Pinterest!), they will share it with others.

5. Have Fun!! Ok, this sounds so super cheesy. But it is so super true. I had thought about selling jewelry for years because I used to make it for fun. However, when I thought about how much I was going to have to sell it for to make profit, worrying about if people liked my jewelry designs, etc. I realized that for me, selling jewelry would be a chore and not fun. I love being a small business owner because I share what I love with people. And I found talents that I have to share with people and I'm able to make a little extra cash (it's so fun when you forget people pay via paypal and you randomly find money hidden there). So this is fun for me. Find something you love doing and it will come naturally to you!

 This was very basic, minimal information coming from my experience selling on Etsy. So if you have more questions, please ask! One of my main goals in life is to be a stay-at-home mom. However, I love having little hobbies and Etsy has been a perfect place for me to channel my inner-self when life is getting crazy, and I know I'll keep up with it when I'm at home with kids one day and need an outlet for myself. I think Etsy is a great place to start if you're just getting your feet wet with your business. I hope to one day move my shops to an independent site, but for now, Etsy is perfect for my stores. It gives you stats to look at, and you can see where your traffic is coming from.

Anyway, let me know if you have questions! And if you've been thinking about opening a shop, I recommend it!

Have a fabulous Monday!

Goals for 2014

I've been thinking about "New Year's Resolutions" lately, and I've decided it's a love/hate relationship. I love them because it's always good to make new goals for yourself, and while many people think it's dumb that people "have to wait" until the new year to start being better, I think hey, at least people are trying to change, right?? However, I hate the connotation of the phrase. It's almost cliché to talk about New Year's Resolutions because it's almost a joke that no one ever keeps them. So I've decided to just use the word goal instead, because then it's just like any other goal I make, but it's made at the new year! Here are some of my goals for this year:

#1. I've always struggled a little with confidence with my body because, well, who doesn't? When I was working on my dance minor in college (feels weird that I can say that in the past tense now!) one of my favorite teachers gave us this really neat object lesson during one of our regular dance days. Being a dance teacher, I'm sure she's come across all sorts of people who have complaints about their bodies. Anyway, she brought in at least 30 different containers, bottles, etc. that were originally ketchup, syrup, peanut butter, etc. bottles & containers. She had us look at them all and talk about them all. We came to the conclusion that though all the containers were different, they all served a purposed and had value in some way. She talked about how we all need to understand that though our physical 'containers' are different, they all have something inside them, and that it's not all about what the outside looks like. I always try to remember this lesson when I'm struggling to love my 'container'. I've mentioned before that I've had some severe back problems the past couple years that have limited my physical activity, which has consequently altered my physical appearance a little (not so toned here or there, for example). It's been hard for me to still be grateful for my body since all growing up I've always been active. It's so hard in today's day and age to not compare ourselves to others (thank you, Hollywood). I never realized the harm I was doing to myself when I thought negatively about my body until I started vocalizing my complaints when I got married. It's different when there's someone there to really hear what you're saying about yourself. Taylor has really helped me to understand that I can't say negative things about myself if I want to be happy with myself. All I can do is change my attitude and do the best I can to be healthy. I've also continued to remind myself that healthy doesn't always mean skinny. While there is nothing wrong with being small, everyone is built different. I'm 5'9" and I know that I was not made to be a size 2, so for me healthy doesn't mean a specifically small size. So this goal #1 for 2014 is obviously something I've already been working on, but I think this will probably be on my list for the rest of my life because I think it's something you always have to work at. I want to love my body when I'm the size I am now, when I gain or lose weight (obviously in a healthy manner), and even (& especially) when I'm pregnant and have kids, which explains the "in all its stages" part of the goal. 

#2 Sadly this is something I've always had to work at! I'm not a big reader in the first place, but I have a strong testimony of reading the scriptures (more specifically the Book of Mormon), so this is a very important goal to me. So far I've kept up with it! So what if it's only been 6 days...

#3 If you know me you know that I can be a very opinionated person. However, I very rarely feel confident enough to share my opinions and beliefs with people outside my husband, and close family and friends (obviously there is a right time and place for this) because in today's world there will always be someone who is offended. I've come to understand that my beliefs and opinions about a lot of things in life are generally not very popular among most people in the world. However, I don't feel like that should mean that I need to keep my mouth closed because what I believe isn't popular. This does not mean I have any intentions of putting controversial Facebook statuses up all the time (that seems to be a thing these days), but I want to be able to at least come here to my blog (where people are choosing to read what I write) and share what I believe at times. 

#4 If you are at all a frequent "follower" you'll know that it isn't unlike me to be posting about Christmas in June...I can get really behind. I like writing and keeping a history of our story (I really want to print our blog in a book each year), so I really want to get on top of blogging. I've come across some fun people in the blogging community, so that has gotten me interesting in continuing as well. So, hopefully I'll be writing at least weekly. Hope you don't get sick of me! 

#5 I've seen a lot of bloggers making a "25 before 25" list lately. Basically it's a list of 25 things you want to do before you're 25. I'm only 22 so hopefully I can get some fun stuff in before then! I'll be working on this list and sharing it soon! 

#6 I created Just Buttons & Bows a little over a year ago, and I've had so much fun with it. My cute grandma always tells me that "it's all about the accessories". I truly believe this (and I love making bows). It's been a little crazy running this shop (and now INKH.Designs as well) while going to school and working, so now that I'm done with school (and currently looking for a job) I'm excited to do more with it. I really want to expand my product (headbands, baby bows, maybe bow ties). I also want to get my brand out there by sending bows to bloggers for reviews! We'll see how this goes! 

So there are some of my goals! I continue to think of more things I want to work on, but those were some that I thought would be fun to share here. I am really interested in others' goals, so if you want to share, I want to hear! 

Adios, 2013!

2013 has been a great year. I don't know what it is about odd numbers, but they do great things for me. I was born on 7/15/91, graduated from high school 5/09, engaged on 11/13/11, married on 3/15 (of 2012, but it still counts!), I graduated and we celebrated our first anniversary in 2013. SO, let's hope 2014 can keep up with the odds!

Taylor and I both learned a lot and had a lot of fun in 2013.

Last year we celebrated the start of 2013 in Hawaii! I had gotten the flu after Christmas but was better by New Year's Eve, and I was so happy we were able to celebrate and not be sick.

New Year's Eve in Hawaii last year 

In 2013 we celebrated our first year of marriage! For us, the first year was a learning experience. A lot of people say "oh, the first year is just the best because you're always happy and you're still in the honeymoon stage". Well I guess we like to keep it real because we definitely weren't always in the honeymoon stage our first year! But don't worry, we had a good share of laughs, smiles, and fun moments as well. We learned and grew a lot, and we're now almost done with year 2 (which has been my favorite so far!). We're excited for year 3 (where does the time go???)! Taylor is the best roommate I've ever had :).

Celebrating our 1st Anniversary 

I started an internship with Shabby Apple at the end of 2012 and worked for them as a social media intern through May 2013. It was really neat to learn more about business and fashion production. Being a small business owner I loved learning how to use social media as a means to advertise and get people buzzing about products. This was such a fun internship, and I was so grateful I was given that amazing opportunity!

One of the emails I wrote for Shabby Apple 

After teaching in primary for about 8 months, I was called to be the primary secretary at church. This calling keeps me on my toes and always makes me have to work a little extra to stay organized. If you know me you know that I'm not the best at that, which is probably why I got this calling haha. I love working with the little kids of our ward congregation!

This year I ended my job at Allyse's Bridal (I was there for almost 5 years!), and I started my new job at the Provo Missionary Training Center as a clerk at the information desk. This desk is open 24/7/365, and there was a LOT to learn. This was a VERY hard transition for me. I went from working with some of my best friends in a bridal shop that had a real 'family' feel (with our wonderful "mother" Janet), to not knowing anyone (except Taylor--which was a big plus--as he works for MTC security). At this job you have to know the ins and outs about all MTC policies & procedures, answers to "frequently asked questions" from angry/sad/super emotional missionary moms/families, know how to answer the most bizarre and random phone calls (people often think we're church headquarters so they call with the most random "needs" and "suggestions"), and also know how to deal with a lot of confidential information and know whom you can and cannot give that information out to (and if mistakes are made with this you can easily lose your job). You also have to get used to the fact that General Authorities of the Church could call at any time and visit often (this is an awesome part of the job, but also obviously very intimidating). I felt so inadequate at first and like I wasn't going to ever be able to get all of this information down. However, Taylor was so supportive and always told me "you can do it!", and now this has honestly been the best job ever. I have had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people through this job. I've seen companionships of missionaries here who can't understand each other at all who speak different languages, but they are so happy to be at the MTC preparing to serve missions. I once worked with an elder who was from the middle of nowhere (it was the most random little island that I had never heard of), who ended up coming with just one small bag, wearing his one and only tattered suit, and arrived at the MTC a week early at 10PM and spoke no English. He was there and ready to serve. There were missionaries who never got packages or letters and felt no support from loved ones, but they were there and wanting to serve the Lord wherever He would have them. I was able to work during the Mission President Seminar in June where all of the newly called mission presidents come to the MTC to be trained by prophets and apostles. I was able to see seven out of the twelve apostles in one day that week. Being so close to them and seeing how they interact with others strengthened my testimony of the organization of the church and the men who God has presiding and guiding us. I finish working at the MTC this week (it's a student job, and I graduated so I have to say goodbye!) and it is definitely bittersweet. I'm excited for the future but so, so sad to leave. I have such an amazing supervisor. She never beats around the bush which can be intimidating, but then when she compliments you, you know she means it. She has been amazing to work under. Though we don't work in the same department, it has been so fun being able to work with Taylor. It has been a blessing to work for the church at the MTC and to be able to work with my husband. This job played a big role for us in 2013!

One of the rare times that we saw each other at work for more than a few minutes. 

{Sorry for that mini novel, but that was a big part of our 2013!}

I became a biological aunt in April 2013!
My older sister, Nicole, and her husband, Glen, welcomed Leo Eric Ellsworth to the world on April 2. He (his middle name) was named after my dad who passed away in 2007, which makes his name extra special. He definitely makes me a little baby hungry, but for now being an aunt is the best :). Click here to see his birth story (the pictures are amazing! Taken by Lizzy Jean Photography).

We had some family visit from Hawaii this summer. This is my sis-in-law teaching little Noelle how to be gentle with Leo :) 

We ran our first 5k together for the 4th of July! Not a huge deal if you're a runner, but I'm not a big runner, and I had never done a race before, so we were excited and proud of ourselves! I'm excited to have time to run more now that I'm graduated.

Taylor took the OAT  (optometry school admissions test) in July 2013. He put a lot of effort into studying, and it paid off as he scored in the 95th percentile! I was so, so proud of him. He is currently finishing his optometry school applications! We'll know where we'll be living for the next few years in just a few months!

Being the wife I am, I made him pose for a "before" picture before he left to take his test 

Tay super happy after getting his score, telling his dad how it went

We took a "quick" trip to Hawaii in August (quick being about 2 weeks, but for the time and money it takes to get there we like to stay as long as possible!). We love spending time with family there and giving Taylor some time at home before we came back for school. Read about the trip here, here, here, and here.

One of my favorite days in Hawaii this trip

Our nieces and nephews minus two 

WEDDINGS: I had lots of friends get married this year! All of them I consider to be my best friends! My friend Matt got married to Amanda in May. I've known Matt and his twin, Rob, since high school. My old roommate and BFF Lauren got married in July, and I got to be one of her bridesmaids! It was such a beautiful day with a gorgeous reception. My best friend Andrea (whom I've known since I was like 8) got married in August to Nathan, after he flew around the world to propose to her while she was in Thailand. On that same day, my friend Scoty (also from high school, and best friends with Matt & Rob) got married to Larissa. And last, Matt's twin Rob got married to Hallie in October! Their wedding day was amazing. Their sealing was wonderful and their reception was so creative. It was so whimsical and had a 'bountiful' feel. I'm so happy for all these people, and I'm so excited for the rest of my friends to find their special people one day!

Matt's wedding day 

Lauren's wedding day (see her wedding here)

Andrea's wedding day 

Also Scoty's wedding day 

Rob's wedding day 

In September I opened my second Etsy shop, INKH. Designs. I love making invites so I decided to share that love with others! You can see some of the work I've done for friends here. I'm up & running again with Just Buttons & Bows as well. I'm excited to work on expanding both shops in the coming months! If you or any bloggers you know would want to review a bow, let me know!

Of course among all these events we had all the holidays and traditions including celebrating the 4th of July with the Nielsens (Glen, Nicole, and Leo were in town!), dressing up as Guess Who characters (from the classic game), Thanksgiving at my mom's house (and some Black Friday shopping!), and Christmas in Provo this year!

Taylor & I both worked on Thanksgiving morning during the Thanksgiving Devotional. Elder Nelson was the speaker. 

Christmas morning 2013. Read here about it. 

I'm honestly super antsy to find out where 2014 takes us (literally). I end my job this week and I don't have another lined up (yet), so I'm hopeful to find a way to help our income while Tay finishes school! We have family coming in town to celebrate our graduation when we walk in the graduation ceremony in April. We'll hopefully find out soon where we'll be going for Tay to go to grad school. This is the first year together that we don't already have a full plan (last year we knew we'd just be working and in school, and the year before we knew we'd get married and spend the summer in Hawaii).

So cheers to 2014! I have a post coming up about 2014 goals (I give up on the word "resolutions" because who keeps those anyway, right??).

Happy New Year to you and yours!

...Christmas, New Years, etc. 2012

Yeah, that's right. I'm kind of behind.

I know that you aren't sitting around thinking "WHERE IS KELSEY WHY AREN'T CHRISTMAS/NEW YEARS POSTS UP???".

However.

I have the intent to print my blog into books as a way to sort of journal-keep (I know handwriting is the real-deal, but for my A.D.D. self, this is what I can handle right now). So for me it is important to keep up with blogging so that one day when my child (NOT PREGNANT) looks through the books I intend to print he/she won't be like, "Mommy, did you and daddy not celebrate Christmas or New Years your first year of marriage?". Okay, like they'd really care. But I would.

SO! Here is what we did for our first married holiday season:

Attended our first "Ugly Sweater" Christmas party. I wore one of my mom's old sweaters, and Taylor wore one of my dad's. Mine was somewhat cute (you can't see it well in this pic..but it was just falling apart :( ), but unfortunately my dad once wore Tay's sweater and unfortunately it used to be good-looking. yikes!

Though I never got to go on a study abroad before getting married, I have flown more being married than I probably ever did prior to getting married. Taylor and I took our THIRD trip to Hawaii in the year 2012 for Christmas/New Years since we spent it in Utah in 2011 when we were engaged (Tay's work didn't let him off for Christmas, but we got to go for New Years, which actually was the first and only time I met his family before we got married!). It's funny because when people hear that my husband is from Hawaii they assume that ALL we do when we go is go to luaus, eat coconut, and surf. Not exactly. However, this trip I convinced Taylor to take me to do some touristy things that made him kind of embarrassed (acting like a giddy tourist anywhere can be kind of embarrassing I guess).

Getting to Hawaii was a little stressful and tiring. We finished our finals on Friday, Dec 14. The next day we had a class Christmas party with our Primary class (so cute!), then we left the following Monday. During this time I also had SOOOOO many orders to do for Just Buttons & Bows. Which was AWESOME but reallllllly tiring. I ended up not even STARTING to pack until Monday morning, and our flight left early that afternoon. Long story (sort of) short, we got to Hawaii. Yay!

                 I seriously can't thank everyone enough for their support with my little shop! I love it so much and I love that I actually have customers :)


The day we left to Hawaii, Utah got a hugeee snow storm! I won't lie, it made me sad because we hadn't had much snow yet, and I was sad to miss a (FINALLY) white Christmas.

However, we got on our plane, and made it to Hawaii.

This post will mostly be pictures, because it was almost 6 months ago, and pictures are how I can remember what even happened. But we mostly shopped, ate, spent time with family, and ate some more. Taylor and I both got the flu at separate times on the trip, which was REALLY not fun, and it led to me losing instead of gaining weight for the first time ever in Hawaii.


Our first day there, Tay and I went shopping at Ala Moana (my favorite mall ever). We didn't want to fly with all our presents, so we did most our shopping in Hawaii. We went to lunch with my mother-in-law (she came shopping with us. I LOVE shopping with her!). We at at BUBBA GUMP SHRIMP! In case you don't know why that's cool, it's the restaurant from the movie Forest Gump. I loved the food and the restaurant was SOOO cute!

My first visit to Hawaii to meet Taylor's family we (our nieces and I) started the tradition of having a "girls night" sleepover where "no boys are allowed". This visit we made salt dough Christmas tree ornaments, watched movies, and did nails. The girls were nice enough to let Tay join in :)

 

Tay and my adorable mother-in-law

Christmas morning. We took pictures of each other taking pictures. Not sure where my pic of Tay is...

{pic is out of order...but at this point I don't care!} Tay and Kaiakea. Love this boy!

We went to go visit Tay's old school {Kamehameha}

Meet "well" AKA Noelle :)

The kids going through Grammy's things

Zacky boy and Kevin on Christmas

Christmas morning we had brunch and opened LOTS of presents. Everyone was so generous.

Anson!!

This little rascals fight over everything (meaning Noelle likes whatever Kaiakea has at the moment)so they got the same thing :)

This trip I taught Peyton how to braid hair. She did really well!

Me being the ultimate tourist, I made Tay bring me to the King Kamehameha statue that is used as the "headquarters" for the show Hawaii Five-O!

Also made him take me to go on a tour of Kualoa Ranch, where lots of big films and shows have filmed (even if it was only one scene...still cool right??)

My cute boy :)

SIGNED by Hawaii Five-0 cast

Signed by the LOST cast!

Sunny +glasses=no bueno

 

 

                                                        New Years Eve with my love!

                                   Probably drinking ginger ale because I had just had the flu :(
                                                                 

Had fun with our friends Matt and Wendy visiting for the week

Saw Wicked with my mother-in-law, Tay, and Tay's siblings. It was SOOOO GOOD!!! Tay even loved it!

Such a fun night!!!

 

We had so much fun over the holidays. It was so much fun spending time with family there.