Weekend Wrap Up ~ Trip & New Endeavours

This weekend I made another visit to one of my closest friends up in Auburn. We always have such a great time together. She just found out she's having a little bundle of joy and I will be making her new addition a special blanket. I haven't started it yet and she hasn't picked out the colors but here's what the pattern will look like:

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/iHodge/tumbling-blocks-blankie-80661ad
(not my picture or work - see link for details)

I think this is SO cute and I can't wait to get started on it for her!

I had a little excitement of my own this week as well - my first international order. Innov8ive Knits is officially international. That is so exciting for me. It's amazing how many people from how many places get to see my work. 


I have 2 things to thank to my special sale this week and a tremendous jump in my views & favorites. For the first time I tried out Etsy's search ads. For a reasonable amount of money I got approximately 14% more views than I would have without it. Along with that, I went through and re-did my listing titles and tags to improve my SEO (search engine optimization). It certainly made a difference in my stats this week and I'm very pleased with the results.


Another new thing that I've gotten involved in is that I'm now a proud boutique partner for Oleo O Models (click me).

 This is a great little modeling business that provides precious models in professional photographs for small business like me. I will be sending out a few of my flower clips for some of the models this coming Tuesday. The girls I chose are cuter than cute and I can't wait to see what I get back! 


I started my photography class this month and once I complete it, I plan to take a large chunk of my store photography myself on local models. I enjoy photography and being self sufficient is exciting and important. Up until this point all the photography on my site has been mine. I an excited to get some professional shoots as well as looking forward to improving my skills in photography as well.


I have a lot of things to tackle this week. Hopefully this week will be as productive as the last! 

And the winner of the bearded beanie is....

First of all I want to take a second to thank everyone for their support and participation in this giveaway. I am thrilled to have so many new people in my knitting "family" and I can't wait to share with you all of my new projects and experiences. This truly wouldn't have been the same without all of your support. 


After all of the entries were totaled I put each entry on a same sized sliver of paper and folded them all the same way (no special treatment) and put them all in a bag to pull out at random. Here's the results: 





Contact Me- with your address for me to mail you your bearded beanie!


 If you didn't aren't the winner, you can still get a chance to put your hands on one. I have one for sale in my etsy shop right now! Not only do I have one for sale I am taking custom orderes for them as well. You can get just about any color your heart desires for $40.00. I will warn you though if you want it by Christmas I will need to know within the next few weeks to make sure I can get it done in time.


This giveaway is the first of many to come. Keep in touch for future events and don't forget to follow my blog for exclusive sale codes and giveaways!


Thanks again everyone!

Featured Etsy Seller ~ J. Rachel Besnard Designs

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82644911/artisan-swarovski-pearl-filigree-and

Seller: J. Rachel Besnard Designs ~BumbleBeeBead
Etsy Site: J. Rachel Besnard Designs Store

This is a jewlery seller based out of Paris, France with a unique, vintage/antique style. My personal favorite thing about her style is that she manages to put in a perfect POP of color without it being too wild or overbearing. Don't get me wrong, I love to see some wild colors here and there but every time I buy something vibrant like that I never have anything to match it. BumbleBeeBead has just the right balance so that you can truly make your purchase into a staple in your wardrobe.


Here are a few of my favorite items she has for sale right now:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82618014/artisan-antique-bronze-statement

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83597386/artsian-swarovski-pearl-and-resin-cherry

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83601836/artisan-filigree-teardrop-earrings-with

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82644789/resin-flower-bouquet-ring-in-antique

How many of you can say that you have a fine work of art from Paris, France?!? I know I can't! Her items are extremely affordable too!

Treasury Tuesday ~ Mustache Mania

http://www.etsy.com/listing/84633037/bathroom-art-mustache-sign-funny-sign-i?ref=tre-963502652-6

I am officially obsessed! I love the facial hair! So this week I decided to dedicate my Etsy treasury to all things mustache.


Link to treasury: Mustache Frenzy

http://www.etsy.com/listing/67208370/leather-mustache-wallet?ref=tre-963502652-2

http://www.etsy.com/listing/65462017/mustache-coffee-mug-tower?ref=tre-963502652-1

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83777211/6-pack-beermo-clip-on-bottle-mustaches?ref=tre-963502652-3

Here are just a few listings included in the treasury. This is just SO fun. Don't forget to hit up the link and visit the whole thing. These sellers have some really great stuff that are reasonably priced as well! 

GIVEAWAY ~ The Bearded Beanie

This has been such a fun project to work on. Watching this take shape has been so entertaining! Don't you love it? Well it can be yours for FREE! This is the first giveaway that Innov8ive Knits has done and I can't wait to give someone the opportunity to take a new product home! This hat is great for a gift for yourself, or for a Christmas gift.  It's that season where you start stashing gifts in preparation for Christmas.

Want one? Here's how it works:
Refer a friend to like Innov8ive Knit's Facebook page. Once they like the page, they post on my wall who referred them (you) and that gets you one entry! There is no limit to how many entries you get so refer all of your friends because each "like" gets you another chance to win. The more entries, the better the chance you could be the next proud owner of a bearded beanie! It's that simple!

 The GIVEAWAY starts today and extends for 14 days. That means it ends on November 12th. Shortly after that date I will post a new blog with a video of me drawing the name out of a bag to announce the winner!!



Hat Details:
This hat is made out of a super wash merino wool. This means it's washable and not itchy like regular wool but just as warm. The beard has button holes and there are buttons on the inside of the hat so you have the option to wear with or without the beard whenever you want! As great as having a beard it, it's not appropriate everywhere. LOL. The size is made for an adult male head. Sorry ladies, this hat will probably be a little too big for you.

If you don't win(sad face), there are other ways to get your hands on one! I am currently working on another just like it that I will be putting up for sale on my Etsy Store in the very near future. I will post it on FB when the listing is made available for purchase. Also, if you are a local customer I will be making a special coupon for FREE SHIPPING and will meet up with you to hand deliver.

In addition, I am taking custom orders for these to be made in time for Christmas. This means you can pick out your own colors (to match football teams, certain outfits, or favorite colors). Christmas is coming fast and so are the order requests, so I won't be able to offer these guaranteed by the holidays for long. Message me ASAP if you would like to have one for a stocking stuffer or special gift this year.

Special thanks to my fiance, Blair for being such a cooperative model!

Good luck!!!

Introducing Gift Cards!

Awesome news! I am now offering gift cards! These can be used for custom orders or Etsy store purchases. There are a lot of holidays coming up and there are ALWAYS people getting married or having babies. Ocassions to give gifts come all the time. Giving the gift of something handmade gives an extra touch, more so than something commercial you can grab at the mall.

Gift cards can be purchased via the Gift Card tab on the top of my website.

Show someone special that you love them, and give them the gift of hand made art.  A boutique quality, heirloom piece has a place in everyone's home and heart and won't be soon forgotten.

Introducing: Innov8iveKnits.com

Now Innov8iveKnits officially has it's OWN domain name!! 


I was recently given some advice about starting a business (especially one based around a product/service that someone may consider a hobby), "If you want people to treat your business like a business, YOU have to treat it like a business first." People react based on your attitude and how you treat things. You're demeanor is contagious and reflects your business tremendously. You can't treat a business like a hobby and expect others to think of it anything more than how you treat it. This is just one more step forward to Innov8iveKnits being what I have been dreaming for it to be.


A domain name shows professionalism, not just a hey I like to blog on my free time because it's fun and stuff, cool, yay! Although, I must admit I do find it quite rewarding.  It's also easier to remember than yadayada-website.blogger/soonandsofourth. Having a domain name is crisp, easy, and to the point. 


In addition, the website will be having a few new renovations (most likely over the weekend) to feature separate pages such as- about me, contact, for sale, etc. I think this will help make the page more accessible and user friendly.


AND speaking of treating your business like a business, I am in the process of having a logo made! I'm quite excited about having a uniform branding label for all things Innov8iveKnits. It may be some time before it hits the streets… or the website BUT it is in the works and I can't wait to share it!


Next time you are in the need of an Innov8iveKnits fix, all you have to do it type : www.Innov8iveKnits.com!

Do It Yourself Photo Studio

Since I've started promoting my work and have purchased a nice camera to help out, I have even more realized the importance of having excellent pictures. I've been reading through "How to make money using Etsy" by Timothy Adam on my free time (yeah right... what free time???) and it touched on making your own inexpensive photo box for small items. Since most of my items are small in nature I thought, well this would be a good investment. After Googling and researching for a while I found this blog DIY $10 Photo Studio. My fiance has been out of town for some time and as soon as he came home this was on his Honey Do list. I brought a big gently used box from my shipping warehouse from the day job and told him to get to work... This is what I get for asking a man to do a cheap quick project-- before I knew it we were in Home Depot buying wood and nails and cutting and hammering!! What started out as a flimsy, thrifty project turned into an all in project. lol

Although this is a little on the grander scale of what I was thinking, I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. I do believe though that because of the size (to accommodate my hat display we made) of the box, I will end up needing 2 spotlights instead of just one. The pictures are turning up a little dark, which I have fixed in editing. Here's a small run through of the modifications we used:

• particle board cut to 2 different dimensions for the back and base of the box
• 1x2 board cut to frame the front/sides/top of the box
• 2 yards of cheap cotton from a craft store (much like white t-shirt fabric) to line the top and sides of the box to control and disperse light accordingly attached with thumb tacks
• 1 yard of heavy duty white lining fabric. I am not a seamstress, so my verbiage of fabric is not excellent but its a super stiff/thick fabric used for the back of drapes. We had an incredibly hard time finding a piece of thick paper big enough to line the inside that was under $25.00 and this feels like the stuff in a real photo studio. we taped it to the top from the inside with scotch tape so I could remove it and wash or iron it as necessary.
• also, we extended the boards on top so you can attach a clamp light onto the back for easy lighting arrangement

End result (photos from the box):







Oh and did I mention that I got my custom clothing labels in?!?!  I am so thrilled with how they came out and think they will play a great role in advertisement and branding. Make it easier for people to remember where their "favorite" scarf or hat came from for repeat business. :) If you want some for yourself they came from here: Custom Clothing Labels . They did an excellent job and are the best price from anywhere else I could find! The only downside is that they take a terribly long time to come in... and by terribly long time is like 3-5 weeks which isn't really terrible especially because they tell you that on the website so you know to expect it.

All in all, I'm overly satisfied with it. It will take me some time to get used to it.

On an unrelated note, I got my first official payment from my first happy customer!!!  Hopefully several more are close behind!

-Chasing the dream- Tiffany