Welcome to Valley Oak Paper
I design handmade greeting cards.
Pinkfresh Giveaway
This giveaway celebrates that I’ve reached 500 followers on Instagram. Super happy about that!
Post-Tax Season Business Update
This was my first tax season as a small business owner. Unfortunately I came to the conclusion that I need to get a paying job. So I’ve spent a lot of time updating my resume and portfolio site. My timing isn’t great, so it may be a while before I find something. The San Jose Mercury seems to have articles about more Silicon Valley layoffs a couple of times per week.
Sales tax time
I made a little more than $1,000 from selling my cards last year. That’s actually more than I thought. It’s still not enough to pay even one monthly mortgage. 😭
Thinking ahead to 2024
I need to stop trying to sell my cards. It’s a distraction and the ROI is terrible.
Craft Fair Crunch Time
My next craft fair is at Fairwood Explorer Elementary School here in Sunnyvale on Saturday.
Business planning
I’ve started my giveaways. Here’s the first announcement post. You have until Sunday to comment to win.
A change will do you good
Stay tuned to find out what I’m going to do with the destash items. It may involve a giveaway or two…
Halloween makes for tomorrow
Tomorrow, Saturday October 7th, I’ll be at the De Anza Flea Market in booth O45. I hope to see you there! For this market I’ve changed my pricing structure to hopefully sell more. I’ll report back if it worked.
Crafty business update
Silicon Valley in-person shopping
Unique Boutique is open 10.30 to 2.30 Monday through Friday at the Sunnyvale Senior Center
De Anza Flea Market: October 7th, next and probably final day.
Unique Boutique Craft Fair: November 3rd - 4th, Sunnyvale Senior Center
Catching Up
Top of mind, for obvious reasons, is my surgery that is scheduled for 11.30 Pacific tomorrow. Any positive vibes or prayers would be appreciated!
August priorities
Now that I’ve done the early August flea market, it’s time to look at my priorities for the rest of the month. The next De Anza Flea Market is on September 2nd.
Cupertino Caturday
This week I’ve been busy preparing for the De Anza Flea Market on Saturday. Attendance should be better than last month, because it’s not a holiday weekend and it’ll be less hot. I’ll be in the same location as last month, O45.
Unique Boutique & Mica Sprays
The Unique Boutique is actively looking for new vendors. They jury new products on the second Wednesday of every month, except of October and April. So right now is a great time to apply!
Scrapbooking launch
Five pages start at only $120
Ten pages start at only $240
Reference customers pay only $30 for five pages
More flea markets
I’ve signed up to sell at the De Anza Flea Market in Cupertino for the rest of the year. I’ll be in the same booth number all the time - O45. The August date is on the 5th. I’d love to see you there!
Flea Market Post Mortem
The bottom line is that I made back the fee I paid and then some. So I reached my goal. That feels good. I also learned a ton.
Booth O45 on Saturday 8 am - 2 pm
My booth number is O45. That’s under the solar panels closest to the Food Court and the ATM. Yay! The star marks my spot on the map.
Preparing for the big day
As expected, pretty much everything is about preparing for my first flea market day right now. The big day is Saturday July 1. There’s a lot riding on how well I do there. If it’s profitable and sustainable, I’m going to buy a six-month pass. The six-month pass doesn’t give you a discount, but you’re assigned a booth for the duration. That’s going to be more important in the run-up to the holidays.
De Anza Flea Market July 1st
I’ve signed up as a vendor for the De Anza Flea Market on Saturday, July 1st. If you’re in the area, come by and say hi. Entry and parking are free!
Selling IRL
I’m looking for offline venues for selling my cards. Here’s what I’ve found so far. If you’re aware of other low-barrier-to-entry options, please let me know.