Happy Autumn! Plus holiday show schedule info!

It's the third day of Fall, and here in NW Oregon, the rain has just arrived. We had a very hot, dry summer, so it feels like everything is taking a deep breath now. I baked some muffins this morning and put on a flannel shirt. Finally, working with wool all day makes sense. :)

Fall is such a paradoxical season: a fresh start and a winding-down, a time to gather cozily in and a time to gear up for the holidays! I love this part of the year; for me and House of Moss, this season is the busiest and most vibrant time of the whole year.

I've been working hard making busy-season inventory for my shops across the country, as well as making sure my online shop is well-stocked! We've also been spending lots of evenings at local parks, collecting acorn caps from the oak trees there.

One thing that feels quite different this year is that I have not been dealing with the holiday craft show hassle as much! Normally I would be applying to 6-9 weekend shows for November-December. This year, I'm taking a different approach to holiday sales: My wholesale and online sales have been picking up, and this way I get to stock the shelves of shops across the country while managing to keep some weekends open for family time & holiday celebrations.

There is a certain part of me that dearly loves the weekend excitement of waking up early in the morning, packing up my shop, driving to a venue, setting it all up, and talking with my customers all day. But it's also incredibly time-consuming, and Erik and I definitely overdid it last year, with full work-weeks bookended by weekend-long shows– we were nonstop for 2 months, and we were too busy and exhausted to enjoy the holidays!

So this year, I'm doing one show only: my favorite, the Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale, on December 12th + 13th (with a special ticket-only pre-show event on Friday evening if you're hardcore like that or want to avoid the weekend crowds!).

But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves! Fall is here, and there is a certain sweetness to the early Fall that quickly gets eclipsed by the holidays as soon as Halloween approaches. Happy Autumn, friends!

500 Items in the Shop

Hello friends! Wow, it has been a super long time since I wrote here on the blog!

Not to worry, though; the main reason is that I've been using Instagram a lot more for my updates & behind-the-scenes pics. :) It's just so much quicker, and for some reason Instagram takes away the pressure to write a lot with each post. I plan to keep the blog, of course, but please feel free to come join up with @houseofmossshop on Instagram!

Aside from that, I've been keeping busy building up my inventory and adding new brick-and-mortar stockists and building up inventory before the holidays hit!

Speaking of inventory, I'm proud to announce that my Etsy shop currently has its highest total number of listings! There are a full 500 items available in the shop. So stop by and check out the largest selection I've ever had, from classic bestsellers like felted wool acorns + hearts, to newer things like color sorting sets in wooden bowls, terrarium necklaces, and macrame plant ornaments in the photo above! HouseOfMoss.etsy.com

2014 In Review + End-of-the-Year Gratitude

I saw another blog where the author used the word "memorable" to describe 2014. I am going to use it, too. It seems like the mildest way to describe a year that was nearly too much for me. So much change (moving twice, Erik's new job) and a few legitimately tough life things (unexpected expenses, chronic health issues, my parents and cat moving 3 hours away). Of course, 2014 was also full of joy– I got engaged in March and married in August, as well as paid off the last of my student loans– but as a whole it seemed entirely too overwhelming.

[The tattoo in the photo above is my present to myself for surviving the year– a reminder and a mark, because things will never be the same. Side note: it seems that since college, every three years I have a traumatic year. 2008, 2011... 2014. :/ I have a tattoo from each of those years.]

But enough about the circumstances swirling around in my personal life. And I'm not just saying that because this is my business blog– it's because House of Moss has been a rock for me this year. It truly brings me so much light in life: it's something I can turn to for distraction, success, and a sense of control. My business is like a safe little corner of the world where things make sense, where the energy and care I put in grows into something worthwhile. In many ways, 2014 has been House of Moss's best year yet.


Here are some notable highlights of 2014 for House of Moss (in no particular order):

• I introduced heart garlands, seedlings in gold pots, chicken ornaments, and new colors of cottage ornaments and pebbles in the shop.

• I interviewed 8 local makers for my blog series, We Make Portland Awesome.

• I finally joined Instagram.

• My work showed up on the Etsy Front Page 5 times, including twice in one day!

• I made it to my gross sales goal for the year– my highest ever– as well as my goal of having 400 active listings in my Etsy shop, and 1000 sales in my Etsy shop!

• I opened other online storefronts at Storenvy and The Scoutmob Shoppe, and on the wholesale site Self to Shelf.

• My work was featured in a Scoutmob email blast, a promo video for The Happy Cabin in Australia, in Presents of Mind's Valentine gift guide, on The Frosted Petticoat Blog, on Faerie Magazine's website, on SpoccaDeals, as Scoutmob Shoppe's holiday section header, in Alpine Lily's holiday gift guide for hikers, and in Retailing Insight Magazine. My website was featured as part of a promotion for a SnapPages/SquareMarket integration campaign.

• I was interviewed as a featured brand on Storenvy, in a Storenvy email, on the OPB website, on Tender Loving Empire's artist page, and on the Anna Attard blog, and some of the business tips I submitted were included in an advice post on Create & Thrive and in an article for the Etsy Seller Handbook.

• I cultivated relationships with quite a few wonderful new stockists across the country.

• UncommonGoods picked up my acorn ornaments for the second year in a row.

• I participated in Crafty Wonderland's Spring Sale and Holiday Sale, as well as 6 other holiday shows around the Portland area.

• I celebrated my anniversaries of 1 year self-employed, and 4 years in business.

• I finally launched my official website, HouseOfMoss.com!

...So, as you can see, I channeled all my frustration and angst from 2014 into my business, ha.


But I also want to emphasize that, while I am a one-woman business, I am so grateful for the support and opportunities extended to me by my network of awesome family, friends, and fellow handmade business owners (alliteration!). And my wonderful customers and stockists! You guys are so positive and encouraging. There are many reasons why I love running my own creative business, and the support of this community is definitely one of the biggest. Thank you for following along with me and House of Moss.

Much love and smooth sailing to everyone in 2015! <3 <3 <3 <3

1000 ETSY SALES!

Today I reached a milestone I've been looking forward to for literally years: The day I would reach 1000 sales in my Etsy shop.

I know that a business is much more than the number of sales you have, but somehow the number feels significant. The even number is very pleasing to those of us who are driven by goals. :)

Orange Acorns on the Etsy Front Page

Anytime I see that one of my items has an abnormally high rate of views and favorites, I have to do a little digging! This morning I noticed that my orange acorns had been very popular during the past 24 hours, and I found that they'd ended up on the Etsy Front Page in a beautiful treasury made by another Etsian. Thanks to Sinéad from IrishVikingDesigns!

The Independent Lives of Felted Things I Make: II

I love seeing what my little felted things go on to do after they leave my studio! Paula from Sweet Red Cottage (one of my favorite customers) has sent me some photos she uses in her own shop, which include my pumpkins, mushrooms, and acorns as props for her own creations! So very sweet. Thanks Paula!

My Business Tips in the Etsy Seller Handbook

So honored to have some of my business tips featured in THIS ARTICLE on the Etsy blog for their Seller Handbook this morning!

 

Milestone: 900 Sales in the Etsy Shop

Somewhere in the insanity of the past week, my Etsy shop reached 900 sales! And each and every one of those sales represents a significant amount of creative energy, individual communication with a customer, production time, packaging, and a smile on my face! I love what I do, and seeing the numbers going up is just icing on the cake. On to 1000!

Hello, Busy Season!

And so it begins! Labor Day Weekend usually kicks off my busy season, and this year was no exception! So many orders going out! ...As well as a huge pile of wedding gift thank-you notes, and my quarterly tax payments. Bring it on, busy season!

Etsy Front Page Twice in One Day?!

Woah! Etsy front page twice in one day! This time during the 9pm to 10pm hour.

My Felt Pebbles are on the Etsy Front Page!

My felted wool pebbles have been featured in this gorgeous collection, and they ended up on the front page this afternoon! In the top left corner even. Hooray!

1 Year Self-Employed & 4 Years in Business: What I've Learned

These anniversaries completely snuck up on me this year. They both fell within a week of my wedding, which was August 18th, so I was a little frantic yesterday when they came to mind for the first time after blowing right past them in all the wedding madness. So, in what is apparently typical 2014 fashion (ahem, 2013-End-of-the-Year-Recap posted on January 6th), I post this late.

House of Moss was created 4 years ago, when I signed up for Etsy on August 19th, 2010. It was almost exactly 3 years later (August 16th, 2013) when I quit my day job to pursue it as my full-time career! When I started my Etsy shop, I had no idea it would ever be more than a self-sustaining hobby, but by taking each new step as it came, my business grew into what it is today.

I'm not a business genius, and although I've learned a lot over the past 4 years, I know there is still more to learn. But the one thing I know will guide me, in business and in life, is this: Follow the light. Wherever is brightest, most joyful, most fitting. Whatever is working. Even if it's in the distance, orient yourself toward the brightest spot. Keep your face toward it, and just like real light, you will benefit from its bright, sustaining warmth even before you get to the thing itself.

Thanks for following along with the progress of my business, friends! You are a big part of what makes this endeavor so enjoyable and fulfilling.

The Independent Lives of Felt Things I Make

It's always so interesting to learn about the lives my felt creations go on to lead after they leave my studio. This mushroom bottlecap garden is now a photo prop for another Etsy shop, Speckled Owl Studio, in NW Washington!

Milestone: 400 Listings on Etsy

This morning I finally got to 400 active listings on Etsy! That means that I have 400 distinct items available for purchase at one time! I'm always looking to expand my selection, so I'm excited to announce that there are more choices in my Etsy shop than ever before.

Among the new items are a wide selection of heart ornaments, a couple of new rainbow heart garlands too, some new amanita mushroom ornaments, and lots of new rich colors of pebbles!

Oh, and I also changed my shop avatar to my stamp logo instead of the photo of the tiny mushroom in a lid. Let me know what you think of the change!

New in the Shop: Rainbow Pebbles

I finally decided to make my felted pebbles in all the rich jewel tones of the rainbow! You can visit them in my Etsy shop to see all the new ones, plus the natural-colored pebble sets.

New Wholesale Site for House of Moss: Self to Shelf

House of Moss is now available to retailers in on additional wholesale site. This one is called Self to Shelf, and it's an up-and-coming online wholesale hub for handmade goods. Self to Shelf, like Etsy Wholesale and Vianza, is only available for shopping to official retailers with a tax ID number, etc., but if you're interested in purchasing large orders of House of Moss products at similar discounts, feel free to check out my Wholesale/Large-Order section on my regular Etsy site.

New in the Shop: New Cottage Ornament Colors

As I've written here before, the rhythm of my year is such that I end up making Christmas ornaments in the Spring and Summer. It always makes me feel kind of silly at the time, but every holiday season I thank myself every day for preparing early!

The good thing about this weird schedule is that it allows me to get new inspiration. I've been playing around with different color combinations for my popular cottage ornaments, and I've made a bunch of them in cheerful brights and pastels! I think they will mix well with the classic reds, yellows, greens, and whites of my normal Christmas items.

There are more cottage ornaments in my Etsy shop than ever before! You can see them HERE if you'd like.

New in the shop: Chicken Ornaments!

Back by popular demand (they sold out during holiday shows before I could even post them on Etsy), my chicken ornaments are up in the shop! I can hear you thinking, "Um, ornaments? Aren't you a bit early posting Christmas decor in April?" Well, in that sense you are right. But a lot of people decorate Easter trees with ornaments, and these little hens are perfect for mini-trees or for hanging in windows to celebrate spring!

And since I was on that track of thinking, I went ahead and expanded my color offerings for my amanita mushroom ornaments as well. For the previous holiday seasons, I only offered them in classic Red. But now there are also Black Cherry Red, Saffron Yellow, and Mint Green, which would all look good on your spring Easter tree too. ;) Stay tuned for even more colors as the year rolls along!

New in the Shop: Seedlings in Gold Pots!

Brand-new for 2014: Felted wool seedlings in GOLD pots! The same sweet little 1-inch-tall terracotta pots I've been making for a while are now available with a fresh coat of gold paint, a cheery update on a sweet springtime staple. I can't help but smile seeing these sitting in a row on my windowsill in the sun!

Chickens Are Back in the Shop!

Chickens are available in my Etsy shop again, just in time for Spring! Available in Rhode Island Red, Barred Rock, and White Leghorn, which are all types my family used to keep when I was growing up!