It looks like I'm kind of in the habit of updating my blog once a month. :P I've just been really busy and when I have "free" time that I'm not spending with my family...I usually just use it to work on more sticker designs or product ideas. :P I basically work from about 10am until 2am everyday. Granted...it's not JUST working because I have to do dishes and laundry and make dinner and I do spend time with my family...but I just really enjoy working on CandiMaker stuff. It's easy to focus on your "job" when you love what you do. And I feel lucky...because a lot of people don't have that opportunity. If it weren't for the support of my husband and my family, I wouldn't be able to do it, either. So I'm very thankful for that.
Etsy sales have picked up again after a slower September. I had 26 sales in the month of September and then during the first week of October, I'd already gotten 14 sales. So that's always exciting. I had three orders yesterday and one from Monday that went out this morning. I've been having Aubry drop off my orders on her way to work in the mornings. She leaves EARLY so I just pack all my orders before I go to bed and then she grabs them when she leaves the house to drop them off for me. It's working out really nicely.
So...I've finally decided to let go of doing sublimation transfers. I really enjoyed sublimation at first...but once I started doing stickers, that's really where my passion was. I've kept my second Etsy shop up and continued taking orders for transfers, but I only get about one order per month aside from my sister...largely because I just don't devote the time to that Etsy shop compared to my sticker shop. I really only log into that shop when I get an order. My heart just isn't there right now.
I've been wanting to convert my ET-16650 back to regular pigment ink for awhile...but then I'd get an order and/or my sister would want some prints so I'd put more sub ink in the printer to complete the orders. And I wasn't going to waste the sublimation ink...so I didn't want to convert it until I'd used all the ink. BUT. Yesterday I noticed that the ET-16650 was on sale for $599...when it's regularly $1229. It's 51% off which is such a great deal. SO...I talked to my mom and sister and tomorrow I will have a brand new ET-16650. Eeeee! I'm so excited. My sister is going to get my current ET-16650 because she loves doing sublimation. And then my mom is going to get my ET-5800 that I've been using for stickers so far. She's been wanting to get a printer for awhile and she loves how everything I've printed for the party has turned out (including photos printed on glossy cardstock). The ET-5800 is basically the same printer as the ET-16650 except that it's smaller, slower, and only prints up to 8.5 inches wide. If there's anything that mom needs printed larger than 8.5x11, then I can print it for her. And if there's anything that I want sublimated, then Chrystine can do it for me. And I'll be able to print faster as well as print up to 13" wide which will really expand my product capabilities. So it's working out for everyone. :)
I'll be removing all the sublimation transfers from my other Etsy shop...but I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with the shop itself. I'm thinking about leaving it as a digital product shop like it was in the first place. It started just as sublimation designs but I'm thinking about adding other digital products like spreadsheets and printables. That was the plan before I started stickers so I think that's probably what I'll go with. But for now I'm focusing on my die-cut stickers and my new sticker sheets. I've decided to do all my sticker sheets sized at 5x7 instead of full page. That way I can still ship them via letter mail with my standard shipping materials. So we'll see how that goes.
I also applied for a Faire shop and was immediately accepted. I've got the shop set up, but I haven't had time to start putting up my listings. I figure I'll do that next week when we're done with the graduation party. I've been printing and cutting a lot of stuff for the decorations...I just have a few more before I'm done with that. Then I just have to get the groceries for the two dishes I'm making for the party: Crackpot Chicken and Baked Rotini (although now I use bowtie pasta). It'll be nice to have the celebration...but I'll also be glad when it's over. :P
But on that note...I'm gonna get back to work!