If you follow me on Twitter, you may have heard, but I am planning on closing up my etsy shop.  I don’t have a definite time frame that I’ll be closing it up for, could be a few months or it could be forever.  Or I may actually just put it on vacation.  Does anyone know, if you officially CLOSE the shop, can you reopen it again? I’m going to be traveling tons this summer and between blogging and work and just keeping up life with family and friends, it certainly wouldn’t be easy.  As you handmade owners know, between making items, taking pictures, posting them, and making frequent trips to the post office, it definitely takes a lot more time and effort than it may look!  I currently have a good amount of inventory leftover from recent craft fairs I’ve been apart of, so I plan on listing those items within the next few weeks.  So there will probably be a few more months until I fully close up shop, but just wanted to give everyone a head’s up.  I hope you understand!

I’ve honestly had a lot of fun with my shop.  I’ve made a lot of handmade business owner friends, have truly learned what it takes to have a shop open, and learned a little bit about customer service as well.  I definitely want to THANK all of the people who have helped me in getting started with the shop, given me advice on how to improve my shop, and of course to all those who have made purchases and kept me in business!! 

Here’s some of my newest inventory, just listed!!

And to celebrate, from now through June 4, 2011, take 20% off your order with code MEMORIAL!  Please help me clear out my inventory if you can!  You can bet that all orders will get FREE EXTRAS as well!!  All of my items would make great gifts, just saying!! 

Over Easter Weekend (I know, I’m super delayed on posting) I went to my second craft fair!  It was in a huge space with a variety of vendors and the lighting was great!

But the best part of it all, was that I shared a booth with Ashley from My Little Sunshine.  And both our husbands were sweet enough to stay the whole time with us and they sure chatted it up.  Here’s a look at our joint booth!!  Thanks for letting me borrow the chalkboard sign, Ashley!

Here’s a close up of my setup.  I love the vintage suitcase, the inside is pretty gross but I plan on sprucing it up so I can have it open for my next display!

It’s a pre-req that if you have a sharing booth, you should match… Ashley and I ended up wearing the same Forever 21 shoes, just in different colors haha!

And the best thing known to craft fairs is Square payments.  If you don’t currently use it, you should, it totally makes credit card payments a jiffy and allows for email receipts for cash payments if you so choose!  Here’s a little step-by-step guide I created.    Open in new tab to see a more close up view!

1. Enter in amount with a description (No, my earrings are not usually that cheap, this was only for demonstration purposes!)

2. Take picture of item (too cool)!

3. Click on Charge icon.

4. Select method of payment (Card or Cash).

5. If Card is chosen, swipe card on handy dandy Square card swiper!

6. Wait for payment to be Authorized.

7. Have customer sign their name with their finger.

8. Send a receipt via SMS or email!  An immediate email gets sent to customer AND you!  The email includes product description/picture and even location purchased on a map!

9. You are ready for your next payment!

What are you waiting for?  Get your Square now!  It’s free to sign up and the device only takes a few weeks to be sent to you.  The fee is 2.75% per payment, which is comparable to Etsy/Paypal fees.  Payments are sent to your bank account nightly!  (I totally wasn’t paid to advertise for this, I just thought it would be a cool thing to share since I’ve had people ask me how it works.)

Do you accept Square payments at your booth or have you paid with it before?

Hi friends!  Hope you are having a great week!  It’s been quite some time since I’ve updated my shop, as you know I haven’t been home very much and this weekend I’m going to have a booth at my SECOND CRAFT FAIR!  My sweet sponsor, My Little Sunshine and I will be sharing a booth space together and I’m excited to have her company.  For all those in the Kansas City area, check out the KC Artists Easter Craft Fair for more information on the event, hope to see you this Saturday! 

Speaking of my shop, it’s about time I share some customer photos.  It always makes me giddy inside when I see my friends sporting handmade creations made by moi!  First off… we have the bow that pretty much defines my shop, the mustard lacey, which comes in bow clip or headband form!

1 Love how colorful Adventures in Love and Happiness’ outfit is!
2 Selective Potential matched a mustard skirt and lace top with the bow… how perfect is that?
3 Totally adore how The Violet Reaction wore her bow with her hair up and isn’t her purse too cute?
4 Teehee, love that Freckled Italian sent me a phone pic!  She’s cuuuute!
5 Yellow Heart Art is hysterical, charming, sweet, and a great designer! And she’s fashionable too!

And we have some of  my other items modeled here:

6 Goose and Lovie kept her hair out of her face with a vintage pearl pin!
7All Kinds of Complicated sported a bow to put her hair half up!
8 Wattlebird matched her Sandy a la Mode earrings with a cute bow headband.
9 And Gracie Bella Butterfly spiced up her messy bun with a mini hairpin!

Next I have a GIVEAWAY WINNER to announce, woohoo!

The winner of the Rouge and Whimsy giveaway is Jenna from A Home Away From Home!

Congrats Jenna!  Please email sandyalamode(at)gmail(dot)com with your mailing address and let me know which color headband you’d like (yellow, magenta, white, light pink, turquoise, red, black or purple)!

Lastly, our wedding was featured over on Lemon and Lavender yesterday!  Head on over there to see how Marvin and I met, to learn a few of my wedding tips, and to see where we went on our honeymoon!    Sorry for the somewhat random post, but I just had a lot to share.

Don’t forget to enter the Livy Love Designs giveaway for the print of your choice in 8.5 x 11″ size!

To get me prepped for my craft fair this Sunday, take 15% off your Sandy a la Mode order with code GOODLUCK (through Friday only)!

I’m back home from a week of traveling and I couldn’t be more sad this time.  The past 3 days were some of the most inspiring, encouraging, eye opening experiences I’ve had in awhile.  I spent 3 days with bloggers and shop owners who can totally relate with me.  I’ve met many of the bloggers I talk to daily in person, many of them who are just the same in person as they are online, but it was great to get to put a personality and a voice to each and every one of them.

Well this isn’t going to be a full recap of the conference, but I wanted to give y’all a preview of some pictures from the weekend.  I’m still on my high and have some orders to get out since I was gone all last week, so hope this will do for now! 

The cupcakes, oh the yummy cupcakes, and not to mention the fabulous decorations.  We ate well this weekend.

The handmade market featuring many shops that took my money.   And a love for silly Oh, Sweet Joy! and Much Love, Illy that grew way deeper.

Lots of fabulous colorful outfits and accessories from bloggers/shop owners around the country.  This one is Aisle To Aloha.

Getting to meet bloggers who I’ve followed for awhile and the opportunity to find new bloggers as well.

Getting to do an impromptu maternity shoot of my fave hot momma and preggo lady, Josiah’s Nest.

LOVED spending time with these girls and showing off our handmade headband collection.

Pssst… you have until Tuesday at noon to enter the Oh Sweetlee Me giveaway!

It’s here, it’s here, it’s finally here!  Right now I’m in sunny and warm Arizona for the first annual Creative Estates conference!  For those of you who don’t know, it’s a blogging conference for those involved in the handmade community.  What I’m looking forward to most are the cupcakes (holla!) and cocktails reception, the letterpress and DIY necklace classes, shopping the handmade market, and finally meeting so many of my blogging friends that I pretty much talk to daily!

Sooooo in celebration of this upcoming conference and my new fabric bow hair tie line, I just wanted to offer a 15% discount to my etsy shop (good through this Sunday) with code BECREATIVE15!  Shop away!  I’d love to come home to some orders!

And last but not least, one of my FAVORITE fashion bloggers (bonus points because she lives in Michigan), Selective Potential is giving away $25 credit to my shop!  Head on over there to enter and definitely follow her SWEET blog.  I am seriously swooning like crazy over her latest outfit post!

Have you attended a blog conference before?  If so, which one and what did you think?