What next for Mr B’s Button Jamboree?

Initially I started this blog because I was starting my own little business up (see my very 1st post ‘And so it begins….’!).  At the time I had big dreams of creative enjoyment and success, expanding from my simple button earrings into more elaborate pieces as my business took off and I became more confident.  The blog was to follow this journey and yet instead it became a reflection of how things stalled and stopped.

My plan was to start small and as sales grew, so would my range and my ability. However a year after opening my Etsy store Mr B’s Button Jamboree, I realised that I had stopped developing and growing.  Yes I had added a few new things like my hemp bracelets, felt brooches and fabric buttons, when I looked at my range though I could see that I had not reached the potential I had hoped to.

So what was behind this stagnation and lack of progress in my plans?  One reason is that very word – ‘plans’.  I spent so much time reading and planning, drawing up new plans all the time, constantly changing things. Too much time.  Hours were invested working out social media, SEO keywords, listings, business plans….and not making or experimenting with new products.  I sabotaged myself.  I feared failing and people thinking my button jewellery was rubbish.  So I over-planned, trying to be the most prepared I could be and drew back from pushing myself to try making new products because I was afraid of not being good enough.

Things then became more complicated as I took on work preparing photos for our microstock portfolio..  This is incredibly time consuming yet something so important if we are to achieve our plans of mobile working. I have since also started writing freelance for blogs.  This does not leave much time for my button business and the combination of it all leaves my brain somewhat frazzled and exhausted.

Setting up my little business has not been without its positives though and when I remember to stop and take stock of these, I am grateful for what it has bought me. Without it I am not sure I would be here now talking to you. Not only did it introduce me to the world of blogging, it has given me a community of friends and support on Instagram (why not pop over and say hello!) that has made so much difference to little old introverted, solitary me. My confidence is still shaky and yet it has also grown. I have learnt the joy and comfort of sharing my thoughts and feelings with others…and that there are some truly awesome cats out there!

My favourite Instagram photos from 2016

So where does this leave me and Mr B’s Button Jamboree? To be truthful, I am not quite sure. I am not quite ready to say goodbye to it and still want to get more creative with what I make.  Whether it fits in to how my life is going is a different matter.  Whatever happens though I am glad that I tried it…it has given me confidence, bought me friends and taught me valuable lessons.  Watch this space for what happens next I suppose!

April’s Instagram

My favourite photo of mine on Instagram in April

My enjoyment of using Instagram is continuing to grow and grow.  Using it to both publicise my button jewellery as well as show my photography and life is something I take great pleasure in.  Add in the lovely feel of community I get interacting with my fellow crafters, seeing all the amazing photographs out there and getting to have a general nosey into the life of others and…well…I think I have finally found the social media for me.

Having followed an Instagram challenge in March (click here for the #marchmeetthemaker summary), I did approach April a little concerned – would I lose focus, struggle to find photos to put on every day, run out of ideas?  Thankfully these fears proved groundless.  I love finding things to include on my feed and seeing what gets responses from others on there.  The photos that for me got the biggest responses this month were these two:

New business card design

Nippori station, Tokyo – our old local station

Okay we are still talking small numbers…everyone has to start somewhere though!

I am experimenting with my feed at the moment and trying to use either the same or similar filter for all my photos.  I kind of like the effect (what do you think?) although I am finding that what works for my more general photos doesn’t always work for all photos especially my product ones.  I think I will try this for a while longer and then maybe try a different approach.

To finish off today, here are a few of my favourite photos from my Instagram feed last month.  To see more, why not head over to Instagram and follow me there!

A few of my Instagram highlights for April

And I’m back!

I haven’t been on holiday (sadly) or become bored of my little blog though.  My shop Mr B’s Button Jamboree lives on the wonderful home for crafters that is Etsy.  Starting in January, they ran a 4 week programme aimed at encouraging people to open shops or improve existing ones called Etsy Resolution 2016.  I signed myself up and put everything else on the back burner (including my blog) to focus on the programme.

It has been an interesting 4 weeks where I have learnt much about how to improve my use of Etsy and hopefully make a success of Mr B’s Button Jamboree.  I have written pages of notes (I am such a note writing fan!), found out things that I never knew before and generally discovered that having a successful shop on Etsy requires much more than making products, taking a photo or two and copying/tweaking the same listing over and over again.  I have spent hours re-tagging and rewording each individual listing as well as re-doing all my photos.

I do think it has been worth it.  My shop looks much more welcoming, cohesive and professional.  Still the odd thing to finish off and I have already seen an increase in people viewing and favouriting my shop…hopefully this will soon translate into more sales!  Please take a look and send me your thoughts 🙂

Experimentation has occurred…

I have finally had a chance to sit down and play with those lovely buttons that I took delivery of last week.  Alas I discovered that my wire work is a little rusty so some of the products I was planning to trial will have to wait a while longer.  I did though come up with some potential products that I am quite happy with and which I think variations of will probably make it onto my Etsy shop in the not too distant future.

I made the rather lovely button bracelets above – the top one I tried out different spacing on to see what effect I liked the most so the variation on gaps is intentional!  Both of these designs will certainly be making their way onto my shop.  After the success of my Christmas tags amongst my family and friends, I decided to try out some ideas for Valentine’s Day and made some tags.  Am not completely sure about all of the designs – I will definitely be making some to sell though.  Last but not least, I had a go at making double button earrings.  I used up an old pair of buttons with writing on to make them (something I wouldn’t do if selling them) and was really pleased with the end result.  Now I need a good stock of base buttons in order to make these to sell….oh dear….more button shopping!

 

New ideas and products

A few posts back I shared my rather fantastic drawing ‘skills’ with you and wrote about how I was spending time planning some expansion to my current range of products.  Well my planning led to shopping which led to this lovely lot arriving through the post.

Some new buttons also somehow made it into my shopping…this seems to happen quite regularly!  Am quite looking forward to making some lovely earrings with these beautiful heart buttons in time for Valentine’s Day and some bright happy jewellery with the stripy buttons.  Keep an eye open at my Etsy shop for some new arrivals in the next week!