Bridal Fayre

On Saturday 13th February Oh Cut It Out set up a table at the Jena Louise Local Bridal Fayre alongside a select group of local wedding suppliers!
 

Oh Cut It Out's table was filled with handmade cards, mini flags, save the date postcards, and papercuts of varying sizes. Initially I was concerned I wouldn't be able to fill a table... As you can see below, I didn't have any trouble!

During a practice set up I discovered I needed to create height at the back of the table to prevent the A4 papercuts from becoming lost behind the other products... I improvised with a couple of boxes tucked beneath the table cover! At future craft fairs I will stagger the height of products even more, to prevent papercuts disappearing behind one another.

 

I was really pleased that the mini flags, personalised with names and a date or used as table numbers, were received so well. As one customer pointed out, you could keep them after the wedding as a keepsake!

The save the date postcards, a relatively new Oh Cut It Out product, also went down well. One customer said they were exactly what she had been looking for!

Typically there were a few things I would've done differently. At future fayres I will use smaller price tags so that the focus is on the papercut rather than the price... I will also use a plain table cover, as I found the patterned table cover a little distracting.

I had a great time at the Jena Louise Local Bridal Fayre and I was really happy with all of the positive comments my papercut products received! I'm already looking forward to the next fayre, although I think I need to work on my sales speech!

What do you think of my table layout?

Until next time...

-Karen

Year 1

On 21st January Oh Cut It Out turned 1! I didn't buy a cake. In fact, I forgot. Even though it's written on the calendar above my desk on the actual day I was having a I-want-to-give-up, why-am-I-doing-this, this-is-too-hard flap and it slipped my mind...

And then 2 days later an exciting opportunity dropped into my inbox and my little business seemed possible again!

Opening an Etsy shop is easy, but starting a creative business from scratch is hard.

Here are some of the things I've learned during my first year:

1) You will want to give up. A lot. Struggle on. My Facebook 'likes' are continuing to rise (a quick look at my insights shows they've been steadily increasing since June!), and opportunities are beginning to present themselves.
 
2) You have to wear a lot of hats. The foundation of Oh Cut It Out is my papercutting ability. All of my products are papercut. But I am also Oh Cut It Out's social media representative, photographer, and photoshop expert (unfortunately). I'm currently learning how to sell wholesale... And enjoying it! I've learnt a lot of new skills that I otherwise wouldn't have thanks to Oh Cut It Out.

3) Do your research. Etsy sellers receive regular emails with helpful links to articles that suggest ways to improve your shop, or your photos... Most of which I've never read. Oops! Make use of every resource you can find, including the Etsy seller handbook and blog posts written by long time Etsy sellers.

4) Quality and originality are everything.

5) Pat yourself on the back when things go well! I'm that person who assumes all positive feedback is a fluke, whilst all negative feedback is FACT. Enjoy the good stuff. You earned it!

* * *

Back in May I blogged about some goals that I hoped to achieve in the coming months. Here is a quick update to show my progress:

• Cohesive brand: In January Oh Cut It Out debuted a new logo and business cards! The designs are simple in bold colours with cheeky slogans.

• Improved photos: Photo quality is a constant bug bear when you sell online, since an image can make or break a sale. I'm currently focusing on good lighting, although England's overcast Winter isn't helping...

• Reach 100 Facebook 'likes': I reached this goal in June 2015! Hooray!

• Craft fayre(s): Oh Cut It Out will be at the Jena Louise Bridal Fayre on Saturday 13th February! Wish us luck for our first fayre!

What goals are you giving yourself a pat on the back for achieving?

Until next week...

-Karen