Is it really May out there?

Good morning!! :-)

So yet another week has passed (of cold and unpredictable weather), and I've realized that getting around to blogging on a daily basis is going to take a lot more work than just saying that I will, lol.  It's a lot harder to get into the habit of writing more frequently, but I am determined to get my act together and talk to you guys on a more frequent basis (being  a writer is just naturally difficult for me, I'm an engineer by day and live and breathe numbers and science!). 

But on another note, this isn't to say that I haven't been busy this past week.  So many things have transpired that I need to fill you all in on! 

First off Happy Belated Mother's Day to all of the mother's out there in cyberspace.  This was our weekend, and I hope you spent it with your family, enjoying the many reasons why you are the mother that you are. 

Even though this is my third Mother's Day, it's still a shock that I am a mom!  It seemed like just yesterday I was graduating from high school (2002), and then graduating from college (2007).  Where did the time go?  When did I become such a grown up?! Aargh, time needs to slow down just a little bit. Please, pretty please??  I just don't want to turn around realize that it's year 2063 and I missed the last 50 years of my life!  And honestly, I think that's the case with everyone out there.  No one wants to fly through life and realize that in being so busy, they missed out on the little things that really mattered.  :-(

Ok, so enough of the sappy stuff, lol.  In other news, I have decided to start sending out weekly newsletters showing various sales, promotions, discounts, new items, etc., as it relates to Passionate Knitting.  These newsletters will be going out every Friday to those that decide to take part and sign up.  If you are interested, please feel free to use the sign up box to the right (in the white box that says "Subscribe to our mailing list").  These WILL NOT be spam, and will only come once a week.  And as a perk, only those that subscribe to this newsletter will get exclusive deals and coupon codes that will not be published any where else on Passionate Knitting's social media sites.  So, get to it!  Sign up!  Also, I would really appreciate it if you could comment and let me know what you would like to see in my weekly newsletter.  As always, I really would love to hear from you guys. 

In addition to starting my newsletter, I have also expanded my advertising and am now being featured on www.everythingetsy.com, as a clickable advertiser.  This is huge news!  But to be honest, I'm a little fearful of this whole thing.  It means that I am moving along towards becoming a more productive and efficient small business, which therefore means more orders!  I mean, of course this is a great thing to have more orders, but it means that I will have to become more streamlined in my day to day activities and get moving on orders a lot quicker.  Do I need to start getting more people involved to help with tasks such as managing ads, customers, etc?  These are just things that I need to start thinking about, and quick too!!  Are there any small business owners out there that have dealt with this before?  What did you do when your business started to pick up?  Are there any other tips and tricks that you can fill me in on?!

Now I promised in my last blog post that I would start to share with you what I have been working on for my customers, and I have some things to share with you this week!  A few of my customers have ordered my "Chicago Cowl", which has a stitch pattern reminiscent of the John Hancock Center in Chicago.  Because it is spring, I've decided to switch up the yarn originally used, from a thick and chunky wool, to a light and airy acrylic.  This is the finished product:

So this cowl is not a complete infinity cowl, or scarf that will wrap around your neck more than once.  It is designed to be lightweight and just wrap loosely once and then button closed.  It's perfect for any spring occasion and this green color is really reminiscent of spring!  If you're interested in ordering one, please visit https://www.etsy.com/listing/118857233/chicago-style-cowl, where you can customize it with any color you desire.

Something else I have been working on are my owl keychains.  I've had a huge order for them in bulk and was pounding them out this weekend lol Here they are!

Once again, if you are interested in ordering these, please visit https://www.etsy.com/listing/128078489/hand-crocheted-owl-key-chain.  And if you would like them in bulk, just convo me on Etsy, and I will get you pricing information. 

Ok guys, well that's all that I have for now, and I will be getting back with you guys in a few days!  Don't forget to sign up to receive our weekly newsletters as well as our blog updates, using the subscription links to the right.

Seeya!
Nykisha :-)

Giveaway time!

I haven't had a giveaway in quite a while, so why not start one today?! I will be having a giveaway starting today, May 8th through Friday, May 10th, where this beautiful cowl will be given away FREE to the winner (in your color choice)!

All you need to do to be entered into this giveaway is subscribe to my blog through the link on the right!  It's that simple! Once you complete that, please comment with 'done'.  The winner will be chosen randomly on the morning of May 11th and announced here on my blog! 

Good luck everyone :-)

Mother's Day Sale!

This week (until May 12th), we are having our Mother's Day sale, where every order gets 25% off, using coupon code LIKETHIS during checkout.  There are plenty of items for everyone, including our new golf club covers that are perfect for Father's Day (or any avid golfer in your life for that matter)! 

Also, every item in our store is completely customizable, so if you do not see something that you like, or if you want a color that isn't listed, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me! 

www.etsy.com/shop/passionateknitting

New Month, New Week, New Day!

Hi guys :-)

We've started another month rather successfully at Passionate Knitting, and my hopes are that my business continues to grow!  However, I have been faced with some challenges these past few weeks, that prohibit my store's fans and customers from receiving updates, promotions, sales, etc.  So with this being said, I'm going to be upping my blogging to hopefully daily, if not every other day postings!  It's going to be tough ramping myself up to do this, but in the long run it's definitely going to pay off. 

But the great thing about this, is that I'm going to be expanding to more than just knitting and crocheting.  If you didn't know Passionate Knitting is more than just a store on Etsy, it's a lifestyle of balancing family, a full time job, and my customers/fans.  So with that being said, this blog is going to cover it all!  From tips and tricks to balance daily life around the house, to getting through the day without feeling like a corpse by dinnertime, you're going to hopefully feel rejuvenated after reading each of my posts.  In addition to this, there will also be updates to my current projects that I am working on, as well as any sales/promotions that are taking place in the store.  I hope everyone looks forward to this new, REVAMPED blog for Passionate Knitting, because I'm more than excited to take on this challenge. 

So, moving along to more fun stuff!  I want to share with you three tips that keep me going and motivated ....

With the increased amount of customers and sales that I have been seeing in my store (as mentioned above), it has really been a challenge to balance working full time, keeping up with orders on time, as well as taking care of an active 2 year old.  I find that by the time I get home from work, I'm dead to the world ... it takes all of me just to make something substantial for dinner, and get us into bed in one piece.  Ugh!  I so look forward to my Fridays, which are my days off where I can just have some me time. 

So that's my tip #1 for today: Make sure that you take out time for yourself.  No matter how busy you are, make sure that you can at least do something for 30 minutes (or even 15), that calms and relaxes your nerves; where there aren't any stresses to completing a task, a to do list or anything along those lines.  Watch your favorite TV show, exercise, read, take a long shower ... just do whatever makes YOU feel good!  I know it sounds really crazy, and so simplistic to do, but trust me.  I didn't believe it until I started trying it.  It works wonders!

Ok, now tip #2: Have you ever felt like you're moving at such a fast and furious pace that by the time you are ready to go to bed, you can't fall asleep?  Isn't that the worst?! ugh!!! I literally am faced with this EVERY single night, LITERALLY.  And trust me, it makes for a really bad morning ... So what I have found is that drinking some warm tea really helps to soothe and relax me.  But ... the question now becomes, which tea should we drink?  There are so many to choose from!  To answer that question, I've came across a pin on Pinterest that is really working for me.  It tells you which teas are best for how you're feeling at the moment. Take a look:

You should try it tonight ;-)

Lastly, tip #3 deals with keeping your energy levels going throughout the day, so that you don't pass out from starvation, without even knowing you were hungry!  I've found that keeping small, high protein snacks with me throughout the day, really helps keep me moving despite not having time to sit down and eat a full meal (the typical working mom, huh?).  For me, bringing various nuts (I'm not a huge nut fan at all, so I really only stick to almonds), raisins, fruits and cheeses with me helps.  Try testing out what works for you, and trust me you'll start to feel better and get through your day more efficiently! You really don't want to be this guy, do you?! lol

So that's all the tips that I have for today! Hopefully you can implement them into your day and work towards becoming more productive. 

Also, please make sure that you sign up to receive email notifications of new blog posts, using the sign up box to the right.  You don't want to miss out on new tips, tricks, sale and promotions that are going on.  Just remember that interaction on our FB page is going to be dwindling down as new FB rules and regulations are really limiting who is seeing Passionate Knitting's posts. 

I love my customers too much, to not pass on something that could benefit you! 

Please comment and let me know what you think about the new revamped blog.  And if you have any suggestions or advice, those are always welcome too! 

~ Nykisha ~