Through Etsy, Jennifer, who runs this blog called "J. Leigh Designs", found Davie & Chiyo, and decided to feature us on her weekly post called Feature Friday! Jennifer herself is an Etsy seller, making stationery items such as thank you cards and Wedding invitations. In her blog, she talks about a various range of topics, such as her own products that she is currently working on as well as about other artists and crafters that she has discovered.

In the Feature Friday post that she does weekly, she picks a seller from Etsy and thoroughly talks about them, while displaying images of their products. This week's Feature Friday was extra special though; she also did a "Giveaway Product", which is another thing that she often does in her blog from time to time.

So go check her blog out!

If you follow the few simple steps outlined at the end of the blog post, you can win the cutest little coin pouch!

Posted by Fumi Bull at 9:05 AM | Comments (11)

Ok, that sounds waaaay better than what actually happened, but it is technically true, we did sell 10 bags today! Here is what happened:

There is a section in Etsy called Alchemy. This is where buyers can post requests for custom handmade items, and then sellers bid on the opportunity to make the goods.

My sister and I have been occasionally searching in this area, looking for buyers with interests in purses. Yesterday, we found two. One lady looking for five bridesmaid clutches to go with their green dresses, and another lady looking for five bridesmaid clutches to go with their pink dresses! I bid on both, explaining to each one what kind of clutch I had in mind for their bridesmaids. Today, after 14 bidders later, I found out that I won both of the bids!

So although the bags are not made yet nor being paid for yet, yes, we did sell 10 clutches today, the most we have sold in one day! Yay!

Posted by Fumi Bull at 1:33 AM | Comments (5)

The other day, an Etsyer messaged me asking me if I wanted to be a part of this Etsy sale that happens in Vancouver every year. I didn't even know such thing existed, but right away, I replied back saying I was in! For $45, I get a table from 11-5 on a Saturday at the Cambrian Welsh Hall, alongside 20 or so other Vancouver Etsy sellers. I think this will be a great sales/marketing opportunity for Davie & Chiyo, and I'm also pumped to meet other local Etsyers!

Hopefully there will be a lot of traffic at this event. Melanie, who is the creator, said she has "posters and handbills ready to go for the Sale as well blogs, and some local advertising." She also said that there will be "a huge sandwich board out front on the day of the sale with loads of balloons." How fun and exciting!

I will remind again of this event when it's closer to time so those of you who live in Vancouver can come and visit me! :D

ps. Do you see "Davie & Chiyo" on the poster at top right corner? Doesn't it look so cute?

Posted by Fumi Bull at 3:29 PM | Comments (2)

A couple of days ago, I came across an odd shop on Etsy. It was called "Victoria Bushfire Appeal", and while it had only been open for 2 DAYS, it already had 200 SALES! Right away, I knew there was something going on. No matter how good a business strategy you had or what amazing products you had in the store with the lowest of the lowest prices, this was just simply impossible. So I read the profile of the store and soon realized what it was.

This lady in Australia, a very clever lady, had started a fundraiser on Etsy. How it works is, sellers on Etsy donates items to this shop through emailing the product info, and the item will then get listed in this shop. When a buyer buys it, the buyer pays this lady, but the item gets shipped from the original seller to the buyer! So by donating an item to this shop, sellers are able to market their stuff, as well as donate to a good cause. Meanwhile, the shop attracts millions of buyers, who are more likely to make a purchase, knowing that her money is going towards a good deed.

Why didn't I think of this???????? Some people are sooo cool!!

Anyway, right away, I too donated a clutch to this shop, and in a matter of hours, it sold! Currently, the store has been open since Feb 8th, and there are over 500 sales. This is the best, fastest, the most efficient and funnest fund raising I have ever heard!

If you are interested, go check it out!

Since we are on the topic of Australian bushfire, have you seen this video of a fireman feeding koala some water from his water bottle?? It's so cute!! :D

PS. So you know that Cosa Verde webshop that I mentioned in my last blog post? Well, the Jury accepted my stuff, and my shop there is now up and running! In fact, the morning after, I got a sale for a clutch on Etsy; the clutch that was displayed as my profile pic for Cosa Verde! Coincidence? Or was that sale from someone who found my clutch through Cosa Verde?

Posted by Fumi Bull at 1:04 PM | Comments (0)

FREE shipping for any items in my Etsy shop that is PINK/RED/PURPLE/WHITE!!
Only until Feb 17th!!

I found this website called Cosa Verde, that is: "a new marketplace connecting independent and emerging artists with environmentally-conscious consumers." This site allows you to create a storefront, which links to your Etsy (or other) shop to bring you sales. I just signed up for it, but it has to pass by the Jury first, before I am allowed to start advertising on this website. Hopefully they will accept me!

http://cosaverde.com/

Posted by Fumi Bull at 11:23 AM | Comments (0)

Have you noticed my new and cool slide show that shows up at the front page of my website?!?

It used be just a picture of "Marshmallow" clutch, but now it's a slide show of a selection of clutches!

Ps. I'm going to be added four new glasses cases on my shop tonight!

Posted by Fumi Bull at 7:45 PM | Comments (0)

The Sidekiss Wristlet "Bistro Check in Chocolate" got featured in a blog tonight! The blog is called "Moods and Appetites", and it is written by a New Yorker named Katrina. She says that her website is: "a daily record of my culinary and creative adventures, whether it be trying new foods, reviewing exhibitions, or simply looking at the details".

She wrote a little blog called "Heighten the Hues" tonight, and my little clutch made the cut!

Here is the website if you want to check it out!

Posted by Fumi Bull at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)

So far I have sold:

4 glasses cases (all on Etsy)
2 "Vampire" classic clutches (one on Etsy, one on the webshop)
1 "Retro Faces" camera case (webshop)
1 "Sketches in Gold" Sidekiss Wrist let (webshop)

Hmmm. Maybe glasses cases are the most popular? After doing some research on Etsy, it seems that it's not necessarily true that glasses cases are a very popular item, but there just aren't many of them out there. I get these interesting shaped metal frames from Japan, through the help of my father. The company that I get them from only ship inside Japan so you would have to have some kind of a connection in Japan in order to get a hold of these frames. The main market and sellers of Etsy are in the states, so it is very difficult for most of them to buy these frames. So then maybe I have an advantage over a lot of people in this category. I'm currently working on a lot more styles of glasses cases so we'll see if they do well!

I have recently taken extremely cute photos of my nephews Alex (2 and half) and Andrei (1):

Prepare to yell "Awwwwwwwwwwww"!!

Posted by Fumi Bull at 3:08 PM | Comments (0)

A shot of the Gift guide that I mentioned in the last blog!

See my clutch in the middle?

Ps. I have decided to start including more photos into my blog. I think images always make the text seem more interesting. Right? So less text, more images from now on. Or more of both how about, since I love writing!

Posted by Fumi Bull at 12:44 AM | Comments (0)

On the front page of the Etsy website, they always feature 'handpicked items.' This is consisted of 12 items from different sellers on Etsy that one person has picked as their 'treasury'. Now when that treasury gets chosen out of many that gets submitted everyday, it gets featured on the front page of Etsy for about 10 min everyday for a week or so. (something like that...) So if you are lucky enough to have one of your product picked by an etsier for her treasury, and that etsier is lucky enough to get her treasury picked by the Etsy Admin, then that means one of your item gets its attention for a little while on the very front page! Now this is an excellent marketing opportunity that any seller would love to have.

Now see that purple clutch at the top right corner?

Yep, a Davie and Chiyo clutch!

Now when you go to the main page of my Etsy shop, you can see that that clutch as a quite a few more views than another clutch of the same sort.

You can also see that 'Airforce Polka Dots' has tons of views. Now that was from being featured in the Gift guide that I mentioned in my last blog post.

Ps. Have you noticed that I have added glasses cases to my web shop??? So far, those seem to be doing the best on Etsy so I might start concentrating on that line more than others!

Posted by Fumi Bull at 12:20 AM | Comments (0)

I just had the first sale ever at Etsy!!

http://www.etsy.com/shop_sold.php?user_id=6822069

I sold two glasses cases! One of which I had just put it up last night after work at midnight! Talk about fast product turnover rate!

I was so excited when I saw it this morning in my email that I quickly phoned my sister and we basically screamed on the phone together for about 10 min. But guess what? My luck continued on to a second order at davieandchiyo.com!! I sold a Retro Face camera case!

It's so weird, I used to work in a shoe store Stoneridge for half a year or so. It was my first sales job ever and I can't say I was good at it. It definitely took everything in me to try sell shoe care that I didn't believe in. But I must admit, when a customer finally decided to actually buy something that I offered, it felt pretty good. But you know what? That feeling doesn't even compare to this. Selling a product that you have designed and made, for a brand that you created and is named after your parents, on a website that you take care of like it's your baby, is a whole another feeling that is INDESCRIBABLE. :D

PS. There are going to be glasses cases added to my webshop very soon as well! I'm also currently working on a section of my website called "The Future is our Responsibility", which will discuss issues and ways of doing a business ethically and 'greenly', so come back and check it out!

PSS. One last thing, Davie and Chiyo was featured in Gift Guide on Etsy! Apparently, this is something that only happens once in a very long time........ VERY LUCKY!

http://www.etsy.com/gift-guides/
(If you scroll down to about the middle of the page, "Airforce Polka Dots Camera Case" is featured under 'Her', which is under the heading 'Who are you Buying a Gift For?')

This really helped advertise my shop since that camera case now has been viewed 216 times and it has only been up in the shop for 2 days!!

Posted by Fumi Bull at 1:48 PM | Comments (1)