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

Featured by Tender Loving Empire

It's no secret that I have a deep devotion to Tender Loving Empire. Their retail shop, which promotes the work of hundreds of local makers, was my first stockist. Over the years, they have expanded so much– most recently with a second Portland retail shop and a newly-redesigned website.

Among their new features on the site is a page dedicated to some of the handmade artists whose work they sell in their shops. And I'm honored to have my own photo & write-up there! You can see it for yourself HERE.

Thanks, TLE! My business would not be where it is now without you. <3

Three Hearts Home

I love all of House of Moss's stockists, and I thought I would share this one with you! Three Hearts Home is located in Flemington, New Jersey, and recently began stocking my felted pebbles, heart ornaments, and acorn ornaments.

Their website is amazing! And their styling of my products made me really happy too. You can check out their site HERE.

New Stockist: The Little Garden Studio

You guys (especially anyone in the Portland/Vancouver area, and anyone with children!), you should check out this absolutely enchanting venture being created by Brianne of Fleur + Dot! She's making a child-friendly garden sanctuary in downtown Vancouver complete with flowers, fruits & vegetables, chickens, and bunnies! It's like the childhood you always dreamed of, but real.

It's called The Little Garden Studio, and it's located at 108 E 7th Street in Vancouver, WA.

I visited The Little Garden Studio a few months ago to drop off some House of Moss items for the retail shop she has there. It started out as an empty old bus depot, but even in its beginning stages I could see how amazing it was going to be. Erik and I stopped by the Grand Opening this past weekend, and it was bustling with families, with garden plants, flowers, and succulents everywhere! The retail shop is filled with wonderful locally-made gift items (including House of Moss hearts, acorns, and hanging plant ornaments!) and children's clothing made by Brianne herself through her darling line, Fleur + Dot. There are more and more events planned for this space, including children's story times in connection with the local library, art classes, and locally-roasted coffee!

This space is a local treasure, and I recommend checking it out on one of our sunny Spring days! Take a look at The Little Garden Studio's Facebook page for more information.