Recent Featured Treasuries

This last month I have been included in a couple of treasuries and I am so flattered and excited about it! For those of you who aren't Etsy freaks like me and don't know what a treasury is here's the gist of it: ANYONE that is a member of Etsy can make a treasury (sellers or buyers). How it works is you pick a theme ~ any theme your heart desires (I always find this to be one of the most fun parts) and you choose  Etsy items -up to 16- to put in it. The things you choose are totally up to you but it's things that in your opinion are a good value, a beautiful product, and/or has great photography. So as you can imagine every time someone considers my work good enough to include in their treasury it I'm very flattered. 


Treasuries are a great way to help others discover products they would have never come across before and to help you keep track of things that you really like. As a goal this year I am trying to make at least 1 a week to spread the love and help all of you keep your thumb on the pulse of some great Etsy products. Ever since I have started my store, supporting small business, hand made, local, etc. business has been a huge deal to me. No one wants to see Wal-Mart run the world one day (as if they don't already) So try to keep these in mind when you go gifting next time.


Here are a couple of treasuries I have been featured in within the last 30 days!!


Treasury: Purple Rain, Purple Rain (click me)



Treasury: Waves of Color (click me)



Treasury: Is Elegance an Attitude? (click me)



Treasury: Cranberry Chocolate (click me)



I hope as well as sharing my excitement about having so many features that you have found a couple of other items that I've been featured with you want to add to your favorites.  I encourage all of you to make a treasury some time soon! If you do please share them with me, I would love to see them!!!

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! 

Weekend Wrap Up ~ Happy New Year

I hope that everyone had a very fun and safe new year! This week I've had some exciting things going on.


I have added the flower clip line to my Etsy Store! I have yet had the chance to get them on a model due to the holidays and crappy weather we've been having lately here in Alabama (lots of overcast) but the photos can always be changed in a listing and I really wanted to get them out there as well as meet my monthly goal of introducing them to the store!

All of these can be found in my Flower Clip Section (click me)

In addition to adding a brand new line, I've picked up a great new order that I am super stoked about... a custom made cardigan! I'm so flattered and thrilled to be asked to do one and can't wait to get started. It's going to be a simple and flowing cardigan made of a silk/wool blend. Super luxurious and super fun! 

On top of the excitement of that, my awesome fiance got me the BEST needles money can buy for Christmas: Addi clicks! This cardigan is going to be a breeze and a real pleasure to work on with my new, slick, coolest ever on the planet needles. Seriously, these are like the Royls Royce of knitting and I can't wait to put a big fat project on them.

This week I also got a new shipment of yarn. This shipment has included more fun colors for the ear warmers (red, blue, and pink), more colors for flower clips (white, red, and green), and more colors for bearded beanies ( red, grey, heather green, and orange).

 I haven't put up a bearded beanie in some time but it has moved up high in my list of things to knit so be on the look out for one of those! In new color combinations. 

AND I can't forget that I have recently been included in a treasury which is so flattering here: Waves of Color (click me)

All in all this year has been a great year. I have high hopes and many exciting things to look forward to in this coming  year including my wedding in March, and hitting the first year mark of Innov8ive Knits. I can't wait to see what else 2012 holds!

Weekend Wrap Up ~ Stocking up on Stock

In trying to keep up with my goals for the month I have recently added 3 more items to my stock. One of which has sold before I was able to take good photography of it. I'm very excited to be making strides towards my goal. I did a photo shoot for the 3 items yesterday. Here's the results.

All but one of these items are currently available for sale in my Etsy store. Check them out here:
Tan Ear Warmer: Click Here
Green Ear Warmer: Click Here

I'm very excited to be tackling my monthly goals and I'm so excited to be adding all of these great items to my store.

Future Friday ~ Flower Pin

One of my closest friends has a sweet little baby girl. We spent this past Thanksgiving with her and her family. While we were thanking and feasting, I noticed on her little headband was this great little flower clipped on it. BOOM! Innov8ive Knit's new line is born (in thought at least)


People do this all the time, clip bows and flowers to those little scrunchy headbands for baby girls. It's quite genius, and so simple I can't believe I didn't think about this earlier.


Remember this hat?

This is that precious ball of inspirational sunshine I was talking about by the way. Innov8ive Knit's next new flower clip is going to look a whole lot like this flower. Except smaller and attached to a great ribbon covered clip and all kinds of fun centers!


I currently have in the mail on it's way to me several new colors with this project's name all over it. Keep on the lookout for these to hit my Etsy store soon. Pre-orders are available (contact me) for details. I am thinking of selling individuals and doing deals on sets of 3's and sets of 5's. 


This isn't the only flower style making it's way to the new baby clip line, it will make it's Future Friday debut soon.


I am dying to hear your opinions on this, and what colors you want to see these in first! Comment away.

Goals for December

Source: http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/01/better-business-goals-2011.html

I think it's a great thing to set short term goals for yourself, especially a business. Sometimes it can get discouraging when you have a long term goal and it doesn't happen overnight. Well duh- by definition it's a LONG term goal. None the less, it can still get you down when it doesn't happen sooner than later. This month I have decided to make a goal for EVERY month. I think this is a great way to set myself up for success, and in sharing this with you I can have a cheerleading team as well :). You are the people that make it happen!

Here's some key things that I want to get done this month:

• Add at least 5 items to my Etsy store stock
• Sell at least 5 items in from my Etsy store
• Introduce the flower clip line to the store
• Blog more consistantly (this way everyone will know when to expect new things)
• Create & blog at least 1 treasury a week
• Make a goal for every month

It's a small list of things, but in the beginning stages of my new business I think that these are plenty and will certainly keep me busy and hopefully more successful than before. I am looking forward to tackling these goals for the month and sharing my process in taking them all down!


Everyone needs a list of short term goals to tackle things in a manageable way and keep the spirits up. What are your goals this month?

Weekend Wrap Up ~ Sneak peek & Life

I am getting to a point where I am wrapping up all of my current Christmas orders and getting back on the road to working up some stock. This week I have been working nonstop to get Christmas goodies done in plenty of time to be mailed to their home in time. All that's left are some finishing touches until I'm back to providing more things for my Etsy Store.

Included in one of my Christmas orders is something that is going to be a new line for Innov8ive Knits. I've already done a post on this item, but I thought I would give you guys a sneak peek of what it will look like :)

I will be doing a photo session with this item next weekend to provide a much better viewing experience, but here is a little peek to water your mouth :) I really LOVE this pattern it's simple, clean, and stylish (not to mention a fun item to crochet up)

Once my work is done on all these Custom orders, I will finish up the Mardi Gras scarf I have sitting on the back burner. This is going to be a stock item. A light, flowing scarf with beading. The mardi gras scarf will be perfect for southern Mardi Gras weather.

On a more serious note I wanted to share a life experience with you that I have had this week. Earlier this past week a great woman I know and love was taken by breast cancer. It left me with a huge reminder that all of our time on this Earth is incredibly valuable and limited. There simply is not enough time in a person's life to live angry moments or live a life doing something your heart doesn't desire. Life is too short to put off chasing your dreams for even a moment. After this great loss, I will remember to tell my friends and family I love them more often, and hug & kiss my fiance just a little longer because you just never know when God will see it fit to take them or you to be with him forever. 

Weekend wrap-up ~ funky flu & Etsy opening

Source: http://my-sweet-sweet-time.blogspot.com/2010/04/late-saturday.html

This week has been incredibly busy! This is exactly how I feel but add a couple tissues up her nose and add some yarn and needles. Juggling a day job and your own business can be very trying at times! I certainly do not feel like I did enough for Innov8ive Knits this week. I've been pulling some extra overtime at my day job for trade shows and inventory. At the end of the week, I managed to catch one of the worst colds I have had in a long time. I don't think I have slept this much in well… ever! I tried to squeeze some knitting while I was on the couch but my head was so fuzzy all the stitches mushed together and when I looked down, I had no idea what I had made!! lol It was best I stopped while I was ahead.


On the bright side, I DID manage to get some things accomplished before it all went downhill! I have officially started putting things on my Etsy store!!! I am building up stock and listings for the GRAND OPENING. I don't have a date picked for it just yet (this depends on how many more custom orders I pick up and how much time I have to work on stock pieces) nor have I decided what I will do to make the GRAND OPENING something special (I'm thinking a special coupon or sale for my blog or facebook followers). I am so proud and excited about it. This really feels like a big move forward for my business, and I hope it really starts to gain traffic. The more I get in that store, the more hits it will get, and the better the chance people will make purchases. 


If there is something that you have seen or that I made that you would like to see in the store or you think would be popular let me know! I am always looking for people's opinions. YOU as my follower and customer has the most important input and my ears are ALWAYS open to your thoughts. (or my eyes in this case)


Also I have found someone to model for the Rhythm hat. If I am still not couch surfing this week due to my super awesome cold, I intend to get the photos done for this in the coming week, so be ready to see that. Let me know what your thoughts of this hat are too! Do you like this more traditional hat, and what colors would you like to see in the future? I have been told that a charcoal grey and crimson red would be nice (even though they are Alabama colors). 


Believe it or not, I am STILL working on that never ending scarf! I am on my last skein of yarn though so it is finally coming to an end. Next time I make this thing I will pick a bigger yarn for sure! 

I decided as well that I have another idea to add to my store categories: baby mobiles! I want to knit tiny themed toys and attach them to different materials to hang over a baby bed. Themes including: stars & moons, safari animals, farm animals, & planes. If you have any other ideas for this I would love to hear them. This is definitely going to hit a future Friday soon when I clear up some projects already on my queue. 


There are so many great things up my sleeve and I can't wait to put them out there for the world to see. It's so exciting to see things really start to come together. Now it's just waiting time until I get my first Etsy buy! I am in need of feedback to build credibility. Don't forget to share the growing store with your friends and add it to your Etsy circle. Also keep subscribed to the blog because the bearded beanie Christmas giveaway will be here before you know it and you won't want to miss it!

Future Friday ~ Pinwheel Flower Hat

Hapy Friday! Man have I been looking forward to this weekend! I have been doing SO much this week (mostly for the day job), but those details will come up in the weekend wrap up.
For this Future Friday I am introducing a little girl hat: the pinwheel flower hat. This one is already reserved for a cutstomer but I am planning on making some for the Etsy store in the future. BTW I have recently opened it to start adding products. Look out for a blog in the near future about the grand opening and other details on that. 



http://www.etsy.com/transaction/58194124



I am making this hat out of a SUPER soft yarn in a pink and green! I plan on maing a modification to this hat by adding a jewel/crystal of some sort into the center of the flower. I think this will make it POP a little better and give a little more "princess" to the look. Nothing says princess like bling :).

On a side note I already have a model for this hat but I am still looking for a little boy to model the rhythm hat. If you or someone you know may be interested please feel free to message me and pass the info along. (There is a tap at the top of my page to get in touch). Also I am making things all the time for people of all ages, if you are interested for future shoots, I would love to hear from you too!

Weekend Wrap-UP ~ Busy bee! rhythm hats, polar bears, and lions, oh my!

Happy productive weekend time! I just LOVE the feeling of getting things accomplished. Although my poor fiance has been left to his own devices this week because I've been so busy, I have been tearing up my to do list and taking names! I was quite sure at times I had taken on too much this week and my head was going to explode but it didn't and I feel so relieved to be able to look back on what all Innov8ive Knits has gotten done this week:

Polar Bear photo shoot & edits. I finished up the polar bear set sometime last week and since my customer was in need of them for a shower fairly quickly I found a last minute model and did a shoot after work one afternoon. We met up in a grassy area near an abandoned church that my model's mommy recommended. I would have never thought to go there but they turned out very good. I got the chance to finally sit down and narrow down the pictures I took and edit them. Put to work some of the new things I have learned in my much valuable Photoshop class- taking out odd things in the background, adding my business name in the photos, making the pictures have brighter pictures and softened them with more light. I'm so thrilled with how they turned out. I was concearned with that after I looked at the original pictures because my settings weren't right and they turned out a little blue straight from the camera. I'm really pleased overall with them and quitr proud of them. Each time I do a shoot like this I do new edits and new angles, and they look better. You can almost see the progression in my albums. Photography is so important in a mostly web based business.

You can see the full set of pictures on my Facebook under Polar Bear hat & diaper cover set in my albums.

Also this week I finished the Lion Toy. I must admit that this project entailed a bit more than I exptected! There's about a MILLION strands of hair this bad boy needs to have individually cut and attached to his head. I have taken some pictures but haven't gotten the chance to edit them just yet because I want a couple more first. I do plan on sometime before this weekend taking him to the park and photographing him in places children would play- sitting in a swing, on a see-saw, climbing ladders, etc. I think this will bring a fun, playful element to the pictures.

AND I started the rhythm hat from last Future Friday's post. It is coming along fairly quickly and the colorwork is very cool. I love watching a project take shape, I think that is my favorite thing about knitting/crocheting is watching a shape develop from nothing. It's like magic.

On the business side I have also put together some spreadsheets to keep track of profit, what has sold, and what hasn't. And I'm preparing for doing a grand opening on Etsy. I was going to wait until I had a few more things in stock to add but what time is better than the present right?  I am planning on having it open by the end of the month! I've also created a new cleaner/professional Quote & Invoice template. On top of that I have hired a graphic designer to create my logo and we are working on the details of the design and soon it will be on EVERYTHING. I can't wait to get new business cards, make new website banners etc.

 Things are really coming together, and although it's not at the point where it pays all the bills it makes me happy and it certainly is growing. I've picked up 4 custom orders just this week! Once the Etsy store is open I hope to be selling stock and picking up more orders. Especially with Christmas on its way I need to take advantage of that and be prepared. If only I had more time to knit!

Future Friday - ROAR! Lion toy

This future Friday's project is a custom order from a local customer. In fact it's a project that I plan to start tackling this weekend.


http://www.etsy.com/transaction/57164587

 This is a pattern from one of my favorite Etsy designers- Beezy Mom's Creations. I've decided to do this project in a special yarn made of a tightly wound cotton that makes it durable, absorbent, and washable. As a baby toy, this will need to be washer friendly and a natural fiber that can be in a baby's mouth. This will be filled with fiberfill with a lining around it so the fill cannot be pulled through the stitches.

I'm very excited to add to my portfolio Innov8ive Knits very first toy! If you or someone else are possibly interested in a special hand made toy let me know. I am always interested in new ideas and challenging projects!