....that is the question friends.....
Hey nerds, Kami here. Long time no blog. It's been an eventful couple of months....
After several discussions about whether or not we want to make money with this blog, we've come to the conclusion that we don't want to get rich from this. Can I just tell you how much we love to crochet? We LOVE it. The thought of not having a Thursday Crochet Night hurts my heart a little bit.
But the more we do it, the more we've noticed that people like what we make and have even asked us to work some things up for them. What we figured out was from the things that we sell, we can keep ourselves loaded with caffeine and Papa Johns for as long as we want! This occurred to us last night and basically, the discussion went something like this:
Shannon: I don't want to get rich. I love doing it.
Kami: I don't think anyone should pay $20 for a headwrap. Unless they're shipping it to a foreign country.
Shannon: I don't want to screw anyone either. (she's a lot nicer than me)
Kami: *SIGH* Okay, I don't either really.
...and so on and so forth.
We did however, make a few decisions after asking ourselves the difficult questions:
Do we start an ETSY Shop?
NO. We were both pretty emphatic about that. Neither one of has has any desire at this point to run an etsy shop. Maybe at some point. But now is not that point.
What do we charge?
Both of us have very strong opinions about what people charge for their homemade handicrafts. We know what it takes to crochet a headband and it's not a week. Some of the prices are a little outrageous to us. I know that these people what the right to charge whatever they want, but we're actually not trying to make a lot of money. We just want dollars for dinner and drinks every Thursday night. For now... :)
That said, what we charge is based on a few things: What kind of yarn we use, how long it took us to make, and whether or not we have to mail it.
Example: When I (Kami) make a headwrap, I have timed that I put in about 2 hours total. There are a four pieces that need to be worked and then assembled. I use the least expensive yarn for most of these, unless it's for an baby or a chemo cap (they're super sensitive). I think $8 is totally fair, based on hours worked and yarn used. Especially when I see the same exact thing going for $20 in boutiques and online. Resist overpriced crocheted accessories. Chances are, they're out of cheap yarn and not too difficult to make. Unless they're knitted, which we don't really care about...If you'd like knitted accessories, this is not the blog for you. :)
What's our "gimmick?"
We are happy to make the homemade gifts that you don't want to make! That's the whole point of this. What we make isn't too terribly difficult, but it is time consuming and sometimes the idea of making a homemade gift can be overwhelming. Let us do it for you! Come on, you know you want to. Everyone's doing it. First time's free.....*wink wink* We're going to crochet either way.
How will we distribute the work?
If you want a Kami headband or a Shannon pair of booties, we'll each do our thang. If Shannon's co-worker/mom/friend wants Shannon to make them something, she gets the moola. If someone we don't know wants something that neither of us made, perhaps we'll pool that money and have dinner on you. :D Basically, whoever made the item will get the money. And then we'll probably buy each other dinner. Because that's what we do. Well, I buy dinner. Shannon makes it because she's awesomely domestic like that. :) I just know how to make things out of string...
How will people "place and order"?
Just email us and tell us what you're looking for. If you want something you've seen on the blog, great! If you'd like us to make you something different, then that's great too! Esay peasy lemon squeezy.
You can find us in several places. We each have a facebook account. If you're a friend, feel free to message one of us there. If you're extra special and have our personal email addresses, feel free to use that!
AND LOOK! We now have an email address just for this very purpose.
Ta-da! We feel so legit. Too legit to quit.
If the item you want is too hard, we'll be the first to admit it. Our specialties include: kickassghans, pillows, throws, hats, headwraps, headbands, scarves, bags, and other various accessories.
At some point, we'll have a page where all the projects are featured and you can pick. We'll also have a way of determining what color you'd like and what kind of yarn you want used.
Should be pretty simple. And we're not expecting mass orders. It's just that people keep asking so here you go!
We're easy and so is what we do really. No one is saying that what we make is special or unique in any way. We just know that there are many times when people want a homemade gift but just don't have the time to make it. That's where we come in.
*Disclaimer*
Life creeps up on us. It feels blasphemous to say it, but there are some weeks were we don't crochet at all. The last couple of months have been stressful to say the least. In this regard, crocheting has saved each of us many times. But it sometimes makes it difficult to finish a project. We both have full time jobs, relationships that need nurturing, houses to revamp, and karaoke to sing.
Which reminds me, I (Kami) have to give a huge shout out to my girl Christy who waited for her headbands for like, 4 months. I'm so sorry!! Does your daughter even like them? They were some of the first ones i ever made so I bet they're a little interesting....
Coming soon: Page for our "shop" with pics and prices. wOOt!
Thanks for readin', appreciate ya!
**UPDATE**From Shannon: Huge thanks to Denise for being our first official custom order. I hope she doesn't mind I share, but I think it's great. Denise is having me make her some coasters similar to the ones I made everyone for Christmas (did I ever post those?). She's upping the awesome factor by taking the crocheted coasters and gluing them to her sandstone coasters. This way all of the percipitation is soaked up by the cotton, but she still has a nice heavy coaster. I know the most brilliant gals I tell ya.
