Trying something new...or crazy...

I was having coffee with a friend of mine at my house. Nothing unusual in that, but this particular get-together perculated (hee hee) an idea. She spoke of a craft show she had gone to years ago that had started in someones house before getting so popular that it had to be moved to a larger venue. So we decided that we should do the same thing. In my house. MY house! My space isn't big by any means, but would be very charming cleaned up, stripped down and decorated as a Christmas Craft Show.

So, the first annual Littlest Craft Show was born. While not a 'public' show, anyone on my Facebook friends list, coworkers, all face-to-face friends and anyone following this blog are invited. Featured sellers will be:

1) Three Cats and a Broom: herbal fascinations that include a wonderful lavender cleaner (that I use and love), bath teas (which I also use and love), strewing herbs and other wonders created from herbs and essential oils. Find her at www.etsy.com. Click onto Shops, then type in threecatsandabroom.
2) Jen and Kelsey: this creative mother and daughter will be offering Kelsey's beautiful charm necklaces, which are a truly unique accessory. Jen, a talented quilter, will be featuring her adorable fabric bags that really need to be seen to be appreciated. Adorable doesn't even begin to describe them!

3) Wendie: designs earrings so stunning that you can't just own one pair! Her display of elegant ear bling will be a wonderful addition to the show.

4) Eco Diva Designs: that's me and my girls! We have been working hard to offer our largest selection of recycled and upcycled necklaces, earrings and rings! To find a sample of our work, check out www.etsy.com. Then click on Shops, then type in ecodivadesigns.

Everyone is welcome to come check us out! Bring a friend and enjoy a cup of joe and treats while enjoying local artisans and maybe get a jump on your Christmas shopping!

The Littlest Craft Show
917 Birch St.
Okanagan Falls, B.C.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
12pm-5pm
See you there!

Airing my dirty laundry...

So, as I have mentioned, we are being forced to move our business to the basement. We have an office area at the bottom of the stairs that has become a passage way from the top floor to the girls' space.

This is the view at the bottom of the stairs of our soon to be business area. I left it messy for dramatic effect. Unfortunately, this area has been so ignored, that messy has become a standard state. See the litter boxes? Yeah. Haven't figured out where we are going to move those yet.

Here is the area that transitions to the girls' tv room. This also leads to their rooms. See the furnace? Yeah. Can't move that. I have to create a solid divide between business area and living area. 

What a mess! There isn't a lot of space, but with some thought, we should have a great space for working. As you can see, there is some painting to be done. There is also the issue of display space. We don't just want this to be a work area, but where we can bring friends and potential buyers to view finished pieces. We also need a space to organize our Etsy product. 

You see our issues. This is going to take time, but I will keep you posted as we progress. 

Another ball to juggle...

We have outgrown our cupboard. It's sad, but true. We had all our materials carefully tucked away in a large cupboard with all our finished product proudly displayed in the shelves above. It was nice and neat and out of the way.

And that was the problem.

When it's out of the way, it isn't seen. If it isn't seen, then it doesn't get used. If it doesn't get used, it will not become something new and beautiful. Plus, we need to get back to creating! So we have been forced to make a move.

To the basement.

Not a bad place to end up. A whole lot more room than just a cabinet with some display shelving-and the before picture! Whoo! It's a dandy as my girls have had the run of the place and I started to move things without picking up behind myself. Heh heh.

New project. Next step in our business. Let's see where it takes us.

Idle hands are the Devils' playground...

In that first Winter, we were producing a lot of product, but we had no idea how we were going to promote it, let alone sell it.

By Summer I was actually working a third job at a gift store, but was just not comfortable selling our product. We were still learning about what worked and what didn't. For example, when a piece would fall and shatter on the floor, we had to source out a better adhesive. I was also afraid that if we put in some of our pieces and it took off, we wouldn't be able to keep up with the demand. So, we showed our pieces off to friends and family. However, my time at that gift store taught me about their consignment system and we did consign there in March 2011 and graduated to wholesaler status July 2011.

Washer and chandelier crystal necklace

This is what we wanted to do: use as many reclaimed, recycled and upcycled materials as we could. We wanted a no waste attitude with our business in order to be as Earth friendly as possible. 

 We first called ourselves the 3 Divas, but that didn`t quite click. Then it was Eco Divas before we settled on Eco Diva Designs. We are in 2 stores across the Okanagan and online, but we don`t have any plans for expansion. I started this business to teach my girls to be financially creative. To not complain about a less than ideal financial situation and to be proactive with their independence. It has created a massive amount of self-confidence in my eldest daughter, another perk. My youngest just likes to be creative while making extra money. They just may grow up and start their own businesses, but my main hope is that they will develop a work ethic and financial wisdom while having the planets' best interest at heart.

It just started as a way to spend time and make a little money...

I have the memory of a small rodent-on a good day. On a bad one, it's more like that of a goldfish. Seriously. I live my life through my iPhone. So when people ask me how I got the idea for our business, I start telling our story a year after it began. It actually started Winter 2009. My mother had given me a gorgeous domino necklace with a fairy on it. I still love that necklace. But I have to admit, I thought: I can make that. With that idea and one involving Scrabble tiles and glass tile, I thought this would a no-brainer, easy money process. So I tried to reproduce my beautiful domino necklace and failed. I printed the directions off the Internet and followed them, still to no avail.

The Scrabble tiles were easier to figure out, but were time consuming and fiddly. Still made them, but didn't find as much satisfaction. I had more luck and enjoyment with the glass tile and they would turn out so cute! Easily marketable, but I wanted to do something that hadn't been done before.

Glass tile necklace

When a friend mentioned that she wanted to create jewelry made with nuts, a light bulb went on. So I did a quick design and showed her, asking if it was anything like what she had been thinking. Her answer was no and I had the green light to run with our new designs!

Flat & lock washer necklace

This washer design was one of our first. We have since designed many more and this is just the first of our happy discoveries at the hardware store. At this point, we had no name and no point. We were producing for the sake of keeping our hands busy during a long, cold winter. But it wasn't over yet.