About a month ago I applied to join the Kat Scrappiness Influencer Team. I’m super happy to report that I was accepted! I’ve even submitted my first order with my influencer discount. I’m looking forward to receiving it and getting stuck in!

Blog posts for Influencer Team projects will be clearly labeled as such. In those, only Kat Scrappiness products will be named and linked. Normally I link all products, including those that I don’t have affiliate links for.

This giveaway celebrates that I’ve reached 500 followers on Instagram. Super happy about that!

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.

I need to stop trying to sell my cards. It’s a distraction and the ROI is terrible.

My next craft fair is at Fairwood Explorer Elementary School here in Sunnyvale on Saturday.

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!

I’ve opened the shop here on ValleyOakPaper.com. Currently there are three boxes for sale. This is a bit of a soft launch, because I’m still setting things up. But it’s important to get stuff out there well in advance of the holiday season.

Usually I post a crafty tutorial on Tuesday or Wednesday. But business is top of mind for several reasons. So I’ll blog while the iron is hot, so to speak.

Most succesful Etsy shops have a specific niche that they cultivate. It can be a product category such as jewelry or clothing. Some specialize in a material or manufacturing process, like resin. Still others sell a wide range of products but they cultivate a specific audience such as art deco lovers or gamers.

When you do research, you always want to start out by casting a wide net.

New insights, new approaches, new tools

Quercus lobata and I go way back

I may need a bigger kettle.

How I got here