Hello, people. It has been awhile since I have written. Partly because I had nothing to say on the subject of crafts, and partly becuse life happens. So I am a bit late in reporting a major thing for me. My sock animals, and their buddies, went on consignment at a local store; Soaptopia!
OK, let me start at the beginning. A friend of mine asked me to make something for her baby. I was, as usual, busy with stuff. At first I couldn't decide on what I wanted to do, and of course, like most of the things that I make for people, they give me a general ideal of what they want; color size, etc., and then it is pretty much left up to me on how the final project is completed, so that doesn't help. Not that I'm complaining, because I have yet for someone to tell me that the item was nowhere near what they had in mind.
So I finally decided on what to do, but kept getting blocked by the fact that there was a item I needed, couldn't find, and did not want to include because I thought that the child was pretty much still in that oral stage, that the piece could come off and present a chocking hazard. I finally found what I was looking for, completed the sock animal, and sent it to my friend. She said that her daughter absolutely loved it, when she could get it away from her father! (Shh, he's on my back order list).
No picture at this time )-;
Now, I have been creating things and coming into Soaptopia to show Jolie, "The Soap Goddess", things for years. She always has a kind word to say about what ever goodies I bring to share. This time I showed her the sock animal for my friend's daughter, complete with a get to know you card, and she absolutely flipped! She like it so much, she asked me to make five sock animals and she would put them in the store! This was in January. I didn't get finished until April.
Because this had to be just right, I made sure every animal and buddie was as perfect as could be. First I had amended the get to know you card into a birth certificate, which took forever! Then I got the idea to shrink wrap the card, but a hair dryer was too hot, so I used something else that would work, then not. I have a high level of quality that I hold myself to, and now this was going into a store, not just to a friend's friend, so I was determined these were going to great. Finally finished, I brought all five creations into the shop.
Needless to say that I was all stoked about it the day they went into the store, taking pictures, stopping by later in the day when the store was closed to show my son that they were there. In the days that followed, I would make
12228 1/2 Mar Vista,
CA 90066 on Venice Blvd. part of my morning workout by periodically walking by the shop nonchalantly peeking in.
Now for the first few days, I was good. I had a feeling of accomplishment. I mean, I had my product in a store, I told my friends, I called myself promoting on my Face Book page by posting pictures and mentioning the address, I felt accomplished. I thought I was doing something. But by the next week, and the week after, when people would ask if any had sold, and I sheepishly would come up with a pliable "NO", the enthusiasm sort of died. Especially when I was that they had moved from a prime spot in the window to some where on the side! I just kind of stopped looking.
So imagine my surprise after coming home from a camp out this Memorial Day weekend with my son's boy scout troop, hey there Troop 67 of Santa Monica, while doing my walk, I casually looked into Soaptopia's window and saw that they were back in there prime spot, and one Sock Animal and one Sock Buddie was missing from the basket!
(See for yourself!)
SUCCESS!!
