Painting

Yes I know it has been a while...Keeping up with this blog, the Facebook page, and the Etsy site can be a bit overwhelming at times, sorry!  I have been crafting though.

Recently I finished a special order quilt.  The quilt was one of the largest I have sewn on my home machine, and to be honest I learned that I just don't have the space I need in my apartment to do anything more than a baby blanket myself.  It's just too cumbersome to do anything more than that here.  I did get this project finished though and to the client just in time for her to give it to her husband for their anniversary. I'm really happy with how it turned out though!

Serenity Quilt

Since completing this quilt back in May though I just haven't gotten a lot of quilting done...or crocheting. It's just been far to hot here.  So I began to paint, something I don't do all that often, but felt the need to so I decided why not.  Normally I don't do much with my completed paintings. They either sit in a closet for me to one day give to Goodwill, or I throw them out. Painting is more of a personal thing for me, unlike many of my other crafts I don't paint with the intention of giving it to someone, or selling it later.  When I finished the painting though I really liked the way it had turned out, so I posted a picture of it on my personal Facebook page and was amazed at the response, so I posted it on the Handmade Heart Facebook page and get a similar positive response.  So I figured if people were interested in it, why not post it for sale.  So the painting is now sitting on my Etsy site waiting for someone to come along and decide it will look lovely in their home.

Sunset Sunflower

So I have several projects waiting in the wings to be finished.  Primarily quilts that need to be sent to a longarm quilter to actually finish them for me.  This costs money though, and until I sell some more items they will have to continue to wait.  So be sure you are checking my Etsy site (click on the big orange button on the left of the screen to visit) since that is the only place I sell now to help me finish some things! And I'll try to blog here more often, lol.  <3 br="">

Etsy

I'm on a quest this year to get some of my half finished projects that have been lying around for forever finished.  This can be easier said than done though since many of these projects are quilts and I don't have the space to quilt them myself.  That's one of the disadvantages to living in an apartment.  So in order to finish some of these projects I need to make some money so that I can send the quilts that are too big for me to finish, off to a long arm quilter who does have room to finish them for me.  This means I've been updating my Etsy shop (www.etsy.com/shop/HandmadeHeartDesigns) with some projects that I've had around for a while.  Yes some of them you have probably seen before, but there are some new things too, so don't totally think I'm not giving you anything new!

 

Why Etsy? This is a question that I've been asked quite a bit recently since I used to post more on Facebook rather than Etsy. Well there will still be things posted to Facebook that are for sale, but I've noticed that since Facebook changed their format again it's more difficult for people to find the items that are for sale, as opposed to just being showcased.  I've also had some problems with payment, and although I know this doesn't apply to everyone, Etsy protects both me as a seller, and you as a buyer much more than I can through Facebook. Not to mention I'm only able to accept PayPal for the items I post on Facebook, where Etsy gives you many more purchasing options that I can't provide otherwise.  I'll still post some things for sale on Facebook, and I'll still do special orders on a case by case basis, but especially for bigger ticket items I'll be using Etsy much more.

I'm able to provide some more time to my crafts right now, this is both a good and a bad thing, but I'm aiming to see the positive in it.  With more time devoted to it, I'm hoping that this will also mean more money from it.  I would still love to see this small business become so much more! I know it most likely won't ever become more than just a side business for fun, but it's nice to dream, lol.

Be sure to become a fan of Handmade Heart on Facebook if you aren't all ready. As I'm sure you've noticed I don't keep up with the blog as much as I used to. I am able to post to Facebook quickly, and more often though, so just click the "Like" button on the Facebook sidebar of this post. <3 br="">