There and Back Again…A RICC Tale

November 8, 2018Amigurumi, Conventions, Crochet Journey, UncategorizedAmigurumi, Basics, Conventions, Crochet, Rhode Island Comic Con, Shameless Self Promotion, Stuffed Animals, Toyslilluvvies Leave a comment

I always have the best of intentions, but they don’t always work out the way that I intend them to – I guess that’s why they are intentions. I meant to post a wrap up of my first Lil’ Luvvies trip to Rhode Island Comic Con when I got back, but a terrible migraine sidelined me for a few days.

There is so much to unpack from my weekend in the Ocean State…so many good memories and fun crammed into such a short weekend. However, I will try not to bore anyone to tears and will keep things as brief as possible.

The one negative to the whole excursion was I didn’t break even – not even close. I didn’t even end up making my table cost back. But, I met a lot of people – handed out my card to a lot of potential customers, so I am hoping that will lead to future business, so I am optimistic.

On the Road Again….

October 26, 2018Amigurumi, Conventions, Crochet JourneyAmigurumi, Basics, Conventions, Crochet, Rhode Island Comic Con, Shameless Self Promotion, Toys, Work In Progress, Yarnlilluvvies Leave a comment

on_the_road

One week from today I’ll be putting the finishing touches on my display table and anxiously awaiting the arrival of the first customers. This is because one week from today I’ll be at Rhode Island Comic Con in Providence, RI. As this only is my second show as a vendor, and my first out of the state, to say I’m a little nervous is a bit of an understatement.

As with my first time at Steel City Con, I have had many sleepless nights worrying about what could happen. We are leaving late Thursday afternoon/early evening – will we have any problems getting there? Will the New England weather be accommodating? Will it be easy to find where I’m supposed to be. Add to that this is my first time ever attending a convention in Rhode Island. At least with Steel City Con I had the benefit of knowing the layout, having been there multiple times as a guest, and it was close to home, so the additional expenses were minimal. This is completely uncharted territory.

I worry, too, will I have enough products – will I not sell anything – I check and double check all my stitches, but has something happened and there is a tear? I mean endless scenarios of self-doubt go through my head. Part of me wonders if it was so wise to jump into the vending arena this early in my business life – part of me wonders if I would have done this when I had essentialEme (my essential oil business) if that would still be going strong today.

I know that whatever happens is going to happen – logically. And I know that I need to just relax and try to enjoy the experience. However, those little voices in my head just don’t want to quiet. They want to torment me with insecurities and doubts. Fingers crossed all will go well and the show will be a success – I hope to even see some of you there if you are in the Rhode Island vicinity.

I’m sure there will be a ton of pictures on Instagram (@lilluvviesamigurumi) of what is going on at the show. I will also do a wrap up here once I get home and get settled. The only bad bit of planning is I come back from Rhode Island and in about a month, I have Steel City Con again. I need to pay more attention to the calendar when planning these in the future to give me time to restock.

Okay, I’m off to furiously crochet and get as much stored up as possible before next week. Wish me luck.

Hugs and cuddles,

Elisha

Decisions and Changes….

October 19, 2018Amigurumi, Crochet Journey, UncategorizedAmigurumi, Basics, Crochet, Lil Luvvies, Lil Luvvies Amigurumi, Toyslilluvvies Leave a comment

First, no need to panic; I know it is a little scary of a title, but the decisions and changes are not (I don’t feel) negative. They are more to this site than anything.

A few posts ago I asked for feedback about whether to keep a store on this Web page and also maintain my Etsy store. I had some great feedback about the topic, and I took my time to seriously think about what was best for me and for Lil’ Luvvies. In the end, I decided – for now – I am going to direct all traffic for purchases through Etsy. I feel that by having the animals spread between two sites, neither is getting the attention that they should. So, for the time being, everything will be run through the single platform, and the buyer will have the convenience of having the storefront behind them and more flexible means of payment.

With this change, the “Shop” page has been updated to remove all the links to purchase Luvvies directly from lilluvvies.com. There are links both on the Home page and the Shop page to take you directly to my Etsy store.

For added convenience – as I’m sure you’ve picked up on throughout even this small post – every time I use the word Etsy, I am trying to highlight it in a different color to call out that it is a hypertext link that will take you directly to my store for ease. This will be consistent on all the pages to provide quick access to shopping.

So, for me this is a positive. I can focus more of my efforts on one area, which can provide better service to those who need it. Also, while I have left the custom request form on the Shop page, I have reinstated this option on Etsy as well; so, if there is something specifically that you are looking for, please contact me and I can see what I can do. I am not guaranteeing I will be able to fulfill the request (at this time I still use patterns to complete my orders and design my Luvvies), but I will do my best to get you the perfect Luvvie for you.

I thank you all for your continued love and support. I appreciate it more than I can say.

Hugs and cuddles,

Elisha

What’s New in Luvvies – 10/18/18

October 18, 2018Amigurumi, Conventions, Crochet Journey, Patterns, Works in ProgressAmiArtist, Amigurumi, Basics, Conventions, Crochet, CrochetBasics, Lil Luvvies, Lil Luvvies Amigurumi, Patterns, Rhode Island Comic Con, Shameless Self Promotion, Stuffed Animals, Toys, Work In Progress, Yarnlilluvvies Leave a comment

I make every effort to update the blog and to share in my crochet journey with you all, but somehow my best laid plans go astray.

Things have been busy. In September, I took some time off and went to a Supernatural convention with some friends in New Jersey. Also things at home have been crazy busy because my daughter started soccer, so we’ve been running to practices and games. And, to top everything off, my migraines have been acting up – so, I haven’t been as on top of my game as I would like to be.

Despite all the crazy that has been going on, I have been continuing to crochet and get ready for Rhode Island Comic Con (Nov. 2-4). I still don’t feel as prepared as I would like to be, but I still have two weeks to get there.

As I’ve been preparing for con, I’ve discovered that one of the things I absolutely love to make are these adorable little voodoo dolls (Pattern by BlueRabbitToys on Etsy). The funny thing is I think these little ones are so adorable, but my father is legitimately scared of them. Even though I’m soon to be 41, I still share pictures of everything with my father after I’m finished, and for some reason these voodoo dolls just creep him out. It’s a little strange that these would be the thing he has a hard time with, but I also think it’s hilarious.

He also wasn’t a fan of my newest creation, that I’m calling Dee the Nightmare Prevention monster (Pattern by OneandTwoCompany on Etsy). Although he wasn’t as downright creeped out by her as he was by the voodoo dolls, he still wasn’t a fan. Dee was a lot more work than I was expecting, but I am so happy with how she turned out. I love her to bits. Also, OneandTwoCompany is one of my favorite amigurumi designers, I think I have almost every one of her patterns – I haven’t had a chance to make them all, but I have a lot of them. I really do think one of my post-con resolutions is going to be to go through the list and make as many of her items as I can to try everything.

Also in preparation for Rhode Island, knowing that Jenna Coleman from Doctor Who is going to be there, I tried to make some Doctor Who friendly items – like a Weeping Angel and an Adipose. I’m not as happy with how these turned out as I would like to be….they aren’t terrible, but the patterns just were not quite right and led to inconsistent results.

One of my favorite newest creations has been this little chickadee (another awesome pattern by OneandTwoCompany on Etsy). This sweet little girl was so much fun to make. The funny thing is I started her several weeks ago, and then had to put her on hold as I completed orders for my Etsy store. However, once I got back to her, I was so happy I did – she is so sweet. I just want to squeeze her all up.

One other design from my fave at OneandTwoCompany was this adorable Logan the lion backpack. I probably could have made the straps a little longer, but Desi still seemed to like it, and was carrying around some of her reading books for the next couple of days. I still have some problems finishing pieces….like I look at this and I can see that my stitches weren’t quite straight. However, I guess when you look at it in the grand scheme, I’ve only been crocheting for a little over a year, so the fact that i was able to make something like this is pretty awesome – even if the perfectionist in me hates the mistakes.

These have been some of the highlights of recent times…there have been others that I’ve made, too, but are more repetitive. I love trying out new patterns, but I find myself going back to the old standbys more and more.

I’m hoping once I get back from Rhode Island that I’ll have some time to make a variety of different patterns and try to find some new favorites. Thanks for sticking with me!

Hugs and cuddles,

Elisha

Sorry to inconvenience you…..or the People Pleaser’s Guide to Business 101

September 19, 2018Amigurumi, Crochet JourneyAmiArtist, Amigurumi, Basics, Crochet, CrochetBasics, Lil Luvvies, Lil Luvvies Amigurumi, Shameless Self Promotion, Toyslilluvvies Leave a comment

hello my name is sign with blank white copyspace for text message

The picture above is probably one of the most accurate representations of me that I have ever seen. I am a people-pleaser; always have been, probably always will be. I remember from an early age always being concerned if someone was upset with me, or wanting to do the best that I could to not disappoint people, especially those I cared about.

Over the years, those tendencies have caused me problems: I’ve agreed to things that I probably didn’t want to do just to make someone else happy. I spent a lot of years not showing my geeky/nerdy side because I didn’t want to be a disappointment to my parents. I’ve learned some from these quirks – but, even though I have made progress in some areas, this is a fundamental part of my being.