1.31.2014

SELLING ON ETSY: PROS AND CONS

SELLING ON ETSY: PROS AND CONS

Hey guys! This is a something that I receive a lot of questions about so I thought I would address them in a post. I have been on Etsy for a few years now and overall I love it and would definitely recommend it to those of you who are interested in opening your own creative / design business. However, as with anything, there are some negatives as well.

PROS:
1. It's User Friendly Etsy is super easy to set up and to use. Some other sites that I've used have been pretty tricky and have taken a week or two to set up but with Etsy, you can really have it all set up in as little as one day. Other steps in the process of running your business are easy too, like printing shipping labels, uploading photos, and communicating with customers.
2. Reputation Etsy is a super popular, global website that has a great reputation so you know that you're not going to experience any major problems. It has proven itself over time.
3. Advertising Etsy makes advertising super easy! You just set your weekly budget and they do the rest. It is really effective too and has paid off several times over for me.
4. Community When you join Etsy, you really become a part of a community of buyers and sellers who love to support small businesses and that is really fun! I love how easy it is to communicate with other sellers and with my customers, and I think that Etsy makes the experience feel really personal.
5. International Selling on Etsy means that your products will be in front of a worldwide market, reaching people that would be difficult to reach on your own without that platform.
6. Digital Products Etsy makes it really easy to sell digital products, like my digital prints. You just upload the file, list the product, and then people can buy it and instantly download it. Money comes in - you do nothing! Pretty great.

CONS:
1. Competitive There are a countless amount of shops on Etsy. Getting your listings to stand out from all of the others can be tricky, especially in the beginning.
2. Customization It can be tricky to put your personal stamp on the look of your shop. With the exception of the header on top of the shop, there isn't any other area to customize so shops all tend to look the same. Which brings me to...
3. Brand Recognition People often say "I got ___ from Etsy" rather than mentioning the name of the specific shop. This can make it really difficult to get your name out there, and for people to recognize your brand. I find this to be the biggest negative when it comes to selling on Etsy.
4. Fees Add Up As Your Shop Grows Etsy charges per listing and transaction, which is great when you're first getting started but as your shop grows, it becomes much more shop effective to use an E-Commerce site that charges a flat rate per month.

You can check out this video that I made for more details, and subscribe to my Youtube channel if you haven't yet! :)


Do you sell on Etsy? Do you agree with my pros and cons? I'd love to hear in the comments below! Have a great weekend!

BUNDLED UP | WINTER FASHION INSPIRATION

I don't know about you guys, but I am so over this cold weather! I cannot even handle these single digit forecasts. Is it summer yet?? Seriously. If you find yourself wanting to leave the house in sweats (they're so cozy!), here is some fashion inspiration that will keep you looking pretty and put together while braving these super low temps.

BUNDLED UP | WINTER FASHION INSPIRATION

BUNDLED UP | WINTER FASHION INSPIRATION

BUNDLED UP | WINTER FASHION INSPIRATION

BUNDLED UP | WINTER FASHION INSPIRATION

BUNDLED UP | WINTER FASHION INSPIRATION

sources:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

WINTER FAVES:

1.29.2014

BRASS IN THE KITCHEN

We're planning on putting hardware in our kitchen soon, and I can't help but consider brass rather than silver because of these gorgeous photos. I don't know if it would be too trendy? Do you guys think that this brass look is going to last? It sure is tempting...

BRASS IN THE KITCHEN

BRASS IN THE KITCHEN

BRASS IN THE KITCHEN

BRASS IN THE KITCHEN

BRASS IN THE KITCHEN

sources:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

1.24.2014

FASHION FRIDAY: STRIPES AND BRIGHTS

I hope you guys had a great week! Today it is sunny outside (for a change) and I was feeling bright and cheerful so I wore one of my (many) striped tops with a bright yellow statement necklace and hot pink lips! The top is from Loft last year (similar), the necklace is from J.Crew, and my lipstick is Fuchsia Shock by Revlon. I also got a new bag from Target today (couldn't find it online but this one is similar) that I love! I think it looks so much more expensive than it was, and it's neutral so it matches everything. I hope you had a happy day!

FASHION FRIDAY: STRIPES AND BRIGHTS

FASHION FRIDAY: STRIPES AND BRIGHTS

Check out my little video that I made to go with this post below - I'm having a lot of fun with this whole new Youtube thing. :)

Have a great weekend! xo!

1.23.2014

MY FIRST YOUTUBE VIDEO!

I started a Youtube channel! I explain why in the video, but I really just wanted to start a channel so that you and I can get to know each other on a more personal level, and also to more easily share certain types of posts. I just uploaded my first video (that's what my voice sounds like!? thank goodness I can edit out all of the "um"s! haha). Check it out below, let me know what types of videos you're interested in, and subscribe to my channel if you'd like!

1.21.2014

EASY DECORATING TIP: RAISE THE CURTAINS!

I hope you guys are having a great week so far. I've been busy juggling what feels like a million things, one of which being decorating our new house (one of the most fun things on my to do list!). Today, I just wanted to share a super simple way to make your room look bigger and more elegant: raising the curtains up to the ceiling!

Below, you can see one set of curtains placed at the normal level (just above the window). I originally bought this set of curtains because they were the only length that I could find at Target and I just wanted to have it done. Plus I didn't really think having the taller curtains would make that much of a difference. Then I went online and saw that they had longer sizes (94") so I decided to put the shorter set in one of the guest rooms and put these longer ones in our living room. These are the curtains that we got. Hubbs raised up the curtain rods for me and...

EASY DECORATING TIP: RAISE THE CURTAINS!

...ta da! Doesn't it look so much better? It's such an easy change but makes a huge difference. I feel like our living room looks so much more, like, high end now. I love it! The living room is almost done, by the way. All that's left is side tables, hanging a gallery wall, and getting some more accessories and then I will be sharing a living room tour!

EASY DECORATING TIP: RAISE THE CURTAINS!

Have a great week!

1.14.2014

FREE PRINTABLES - CLEANING & WORKOUT SCHEDULES

I'm trying to be more organized in the new year - something about a fresh new year just makes me want to de-clutter everything, including my mind, you know what I mean? I'm a big planner person but I also wanted to come up with more consistent weekly schedules of things that need done every week.

Before this, I was cleaning the house a little each day but I didn't really have a plan or a consistent way to do it so I'm sure there were some things that I was forgetting. And likewise with working out - I was working out almost every day but it was kind of random and I didn't feel like it was having much of an impact. So to help with these two areas, I made print outs of my weekly workout and cleaning schedules.

I posted a picture on Instagram and a lot of people were interested in downloading these and printing them out themselves, so here you go! You can either download my exact schedules, or I also have included blank ones if you would rather fill in your own tasks.

Cleaning Schedule
(size 8.5 x 11 - standard printer paper)
Download my schedule (below) here
or
Download a blank schedule here

The way that I laid out this schedule is great for procrastinators (like me) because it's just a little bit (usually one room) each day. Even though some days look like they are a lot of work, each day is only about a half an hour of cleaning which doesn't seem like so much and keeps me from putting it off, whereas cleaning the entire house on the weekends or whenever just seems so overwhelming and I won't want to do it at all. I also like it because it keeps the house pretty clean all week long. If someone comes over on any day of the week, I know that the house is fairly clean as opposed to doing all of the cleaning on the weekend and then if someone comes over on a Friday, the place is a mess because I haven't cleaned in a week - know what I mean?

FREE PRINTABLES - CLEANING & WORKOUT SCHEDULES | hollywouldblvd.com



Workout Schedule
(size 8.5 x 4 - top of a piece of standard paper)
Download my schedule (below) here
or
Download a blank schedule here

My thinking behind the workout schedule is that, in the past, I have worked out super hard for a few weeks and then done nothing for a week - I've just been too extreme with it. This schedule will keep me from getting burned out I think because every other day is a short workout (30 mins) and I also threw a fitness class in the middle of the week for something different. I left the schedule pretty vague and open so that I don't have to do the same thing every day (ex: I wrote "cardio" instead of "running" or specifying which type of cardio so that I can do whatever I'm feeling like that day).

FREE PRINTABLES - CLEANING & WORKOUT SCHEDULES | hollywouldblvd.com

I hope you enjoy these printables! How do you like to organize your weekly tasks?

1.07.2014

NEW ARRIVALS IN THE BOUTIQUE!

I hope you are having a great week so far! I'm sick as a dog, but I figured while I'm coughing and sneezing, I might as well share some of the awesome new arrivals in the shop! Check them out here and stay healthy, you guys!

new arrivals | charmandgumption.com

1.01.2014

HOW TO STYLE A COFFEE TABLE TRAY

Happy New Year! Here's to a fabulous 2014!

Today I wanted to share my go-to way to style a tray. Trays are such an easy way to collect little odds and ends without looking cluttery, and to create a pretty display in your home. Keep reading to see how I styled our coffee table tray.


Start with a pretty tray that will create a nice foundation for your display. This tray is from my shop but I no longer sell them. If you're interested in one though, just send me an email and I can have one made for you and invoice you via Paypal.

Pile up your favorite reading material in a neat little stack.

You know all of the pretty little things you see when you're browsing online or at Target that seem to have no purpose but you just like them for some reason? Those are the perfect items to put on top of a stack of books to pull it all together. This is a gold arrowhead from Target, but I've included other items that would work at the bottom of the post.

I looovvve the look of flowers throughout my home, but the reality is that they are only temporary, so why not go faux!? I got this bouquet from Blue Orchid Creations on Etsy. They are quite realistic looking and they brighten up our living room so much. They have a ton of different types of flowers to choose from and they will last forever. Pink peonies that never die = happiness!

Scented candles are a weakness of mine. I keep them all over the house, but a tray is the perfect spot to hold a candle and display a little dish full of matches. The aqua dish shown is from my shop HERE.

What do you think of this little display? Do you keep trays throughout your home? Let me know your go-to styling tricks in the comments below! xo




Style Your Own Tray With These Pretty Finds:

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