My First Time Market Sale 人生第一次市集賣會

After I opened my shop at Etsy, I was stumbled upon a chance to participate in an open market sale. At first, I was hesitated to join, as worried that my products have no market, worried that I might not have what it takes to become a real seller, worried that I can't come up with enough numbers of product to be sold. However, after discuss with hubby and think it through again, I think I should give it a try if I would like to make my hobby into a real business. (Besides, there is an early participate discount too for the fee! ^_^)

自從在Etsy開了我的網路商店後，偶然的遇上了一個參加開放市場的機會。起初，我猶豫是否該參加，因為擔心我的產品沒有市場，也擔心我並沒有條件成為真正的賣主，同時也擔心不可能在預期內完成足夠的成品。然而，在與老公談論并且再反覆思考後，我覺得若想要把我的嗜好變成一個生意, 就應該要試一試。(此外，提早參與還有優惠價呢! ^_^)

So finally, I decided to join this Minikins Market which was held in San Jose on Sep 30.

結果, 我就決定參與9月30日在San Jose舉行的Minikins Market了。

From the day I registered till the actual day, there was a 2 months period for me for preparation. Originally my target was to crochet 60 amigurumis, which means one a day, but then found that it was kind of mission impossible for me, as I'm not a fast crocheter, and, to design, it took some time too. So at the end, I was managed to complete a total of 39 amigurumis for my market sale. (And it could be more if not due to the pain on my wrist and fingers after days after days of full-time crochet. Salute to those who can do it everyday!)

從報名到真正的那天, 總共有兩個月的時間給我做準備。本來我的目標是鉤出60只鉤織娃娃的, 那表示一天做出一個, 可是後來發覺這對我是太天方夜譚了, 因為我的動作不快, 加上要設計也需要時間。結果到最後, 我成功鉤了39只娃娃。(如果不是因為連日連夜的鉤織導致手腕和手指疼痛, 應該可以更多的。在此非常敬佩那些可以每天不停手的高人!)

Finally, the day has come!
The market was held in a hall, with around 50 (I guess) sellers, some were like me selling own product, while some were selling pre-loved items.

終於, 那一天到來了!
這一次的開放市場在一個大廳內舉辦, 大約有50個賣主參與(我猜啦), 有些就像我這樣有自己的產品, 有些則是販賣二手貨.

Since I'm a first-timer, I didn't really know how to decorate my table, and really not good in making sales, haha~
Luckily with the help of my outgoing hubby, able to improve a bit, and finally, I've sold out 9 amigurumis, although only a fraction of my total, but able to get some good feedback from the customers that my amigurumis are cute, so for that, it was a great success!

由於我是第一次參與, 所以並不太懂得裝飾我的檔口, 而且也不太會銷售, 哈哈~
還有有我那外向的老公幫忙, 總算進步一點點, 而最後成功賣出9只娃娃, 雖然只是總數的一小部分, 但是由於得到滿好的回響, 說我的娃娃很可愛, 所以就此來說, 已經是大大成功了!

Although it was kind of fun for joining this kind of open market, but I don't think I'll do it frequently as it was really a hard-work task for my hands, not worth it if it hurts them and cost me a big medical bill, haha~

雖然參與這類型的市集還滿好玩的, 可是我想我應該不會常常參加, 因為這對我的雙手是一份苦差啊, 我可不想因此而弄傷它們而花上大筆醫藥費呢, 哈哈~

 

 

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Grand opening of my Etsy shop: amilovers ~ 新張營業!

After the encouragement from friends and family on the crafts that I've made, finally I've set up and opened my first ever online shop through Etsy - amilovers, selling the toys/dolls (amigurumi) I've crocheted stitch by stitch by myself!

I'm so excited about it and hopes to see some customer flows coming in soon, wish me luck!

經過一直以來朋友和家人對於我的手作的鼓勵與支持, 我終於通過Etsy開始了我人生第一間的網路商店 - amilovers, 賣出由我親手一針一目縫製的娃娃!

對此心裡非常興奮, 也希望不久的日子裡就可以看到源源不絕的客戶(哈, 好貪心喔!), 祝我成功吧!

amilovers @ Etsy

http://www.etsy.com/shop/amilovers

Welcome to visit/like my Facebook page too, just click on the link on the left or this link below:

也歡迎大家光臨我的面子書頁面, 只需點擊右邊的連結, 或以下的網址:

amilovers @Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/cloudyamilovers

Follow me on Twitter @amiloverscwy

請在推特跟蹤我吧 @amiloverscwy 

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Amigurumi Angel & Devil Palmie Bear Couple 天使與惡魔情侶掌心熊鉤織娃娃

Please welcome another bear couple who newly join the Palmie Bear village~
Let me introduce you to the sweet pinky Miss Angel, and her beloved gentle pinky Mr Devil.
*clap *clap *clap

請掌聲歡迎最新加入我們掌心熊村莊的情侶熊娃娃~
讓我來介紹, 甜美粉紅天使小姐和她摯愛的和善粉紅惡魔先生.
*拍掌 *拍掌 *拍掌


When the angel meets with the devil, she melts his heart, and brings him back from the evil hell.
Since then, Miss Angel likes to fly around the clouds with her cutie little white dress and flapping her angel wings, looking down to Mr Devil who likes to enjoy the calmness during the sunset while wearing his dark cloak.

當天使遇上惡魔, 她溶化了他的心, 把他從萬惡的地獄帶回來.
從此, 天使小姐就喜歡穿著她可愛的小白裙在雲端飛舞, 輕拍著她的天使之翅望向穿著黑披風的惡魔先生, 在喜歡享受著寧靜的黃昏日落.

Angel and Devil, just like love, you can be in heaven for a minute, but the next will fall into hell, up and down in cycle, but this is the wonderful of love, isn't it?

天使與惡魔, 就好像愛情一樣, 前一秒可以是天堂, 下一秒卻可以是地獄, 上上下下的迴旋, 但這就是愛的奇妙, 不是嗎?

 

 

 

Now available to be purchased at Etsy!

現在可以通過Etsy購買這對娃娃喔!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/101382917/angel-devil-palmie-bear-couple-handmade

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Amigurumi Sailor Palmie Bear Couple 水手服情侶掌心熊鉤織娃娃

Just like I promised, another Palmie Bear couple were born~
This time, they are dress in the cute sailor costume, and go sailing...

就如之前期待的, 又一對掌心熊娃娃誕生囉~
這一次, 它們穿上可愛的水手服, 出海航船去嚕...

For the sailor costume, the hardest part was to crochet the front part of the collar, and the result from my limited skill, it looks ok from far, but a bit rough if observed from near....

這一次的水手服, 最難的地方就是鉤織那片衣領的前半部, 從我有限的技術做出來的結果, 遠看可以, 近看則有點粗糙啦....

But who cares, they are still a lovely cute couple!

不過管他呢, 它們依然是一對可愛小情侶呀!

Now available to be purchased at Etsy!

現在可以通過Etsy購買這對娃娃喔!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/101380479/sailor-palmie-bear-couple-handmade

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Amigurumi Beach Wear Palmie Bear Couple 沙灘裝情侶掌心熊鉤織娃娃

Continue to unleash my creativity, and also with the past experiences on the little amigurumi dolls I've made, this time I've created a couple partner - the Beach Wear Palmie Bear Couple!~
Why names as Palmie? That's because they are only palm-sized big~

繼續發揮創意, 以及累計以往那些小型鉤織娃娃的經驗, 這一次創造出了一對情侶搭檔 - 沙灘裝情侶掌心熊!~
為何名為掌心熊? 那是因為它們只有掌心般大小而已哦~

JJ often asked why is that my amigurumi's arms and legs were so long, so this time I slightly changed the style, gave them a pair of short and fatty arms and legs, topped with a big head, kawaii ne~

以前JJ常說我的娃娃怎麼都那麼手長腳長的, 所以這一次稍改作風, 給了它們一雙短短胖胖的手腳, 配合大大的腦袋, 卡哇伊呢~

For the guy version, beside a simple swimming trunks, also crocheted a life preserver as his accessories;
For the girl version, the cutest would be the little piece of bikini, and the blush on the face, how could anyone move his/her sight from this lovely bear?

男生版的, 除了那簡單的泳褲, 還給它織了個救生圈當配飾;
女生版的, 最可愛的莫過於那小小件的比基尼泳裝了, 還有那臉上腮紅, 讓人怎麼舍得把視線拿開呢?

I'm looking forward in creating more Palmie Bear series, coming soon...

我盼望著能夠創造更多的掌心熊系列, 敬請期待哦...

Now available to be purchased at Etsy!

現在可以通過Etsy購買這對娃娃喔!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/101378630/swimwear-palmie-bear-couple-handmade

GREAT NEWS! Beach Wear Palmie Couples have been bought and found a new home!

好消息!沙灘裝情侶掌心熊已經被購買, 找到它們的新家了! 

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Amigurumi Sweetheart Pink Bear 甜心粉紅熊鉤織娃娃

After two successful attempts of crocheting cute bear dolls, I have now more confidence in creating more of them.

經過兩次成功鉤織出可愛的玩具熊, 現在的我更加有信心去做更多的熊熊了.

This time, I've chosen the same yarn as Baby Bear Paton Divine, but the color is Chantilly Rose, a light pink color.
The mouth of my last two bears was crocheted with normal worsted weight yarn, but this time, I used the same yarn as the body, and changed the yarn for palm and feet into the same as for Snuggly Polar Bear, so the whole teddy is just a furry little fellow, so adorable!

這一次的熊熊, 我選用了和熊寶寶同樣的毛線總類Paton Divine, 但是顏色則是淡淡的粉紅色.
上兩次的泰迪熊的嘴巴都是用普通毛線鉤織的, 而這一次的, 我就使用和身體同樣的毛毛線, 而手掌和腳掌則使用軟軟北極熊同樣的毛線, 所以整隻熊熊都是毛茸茸的, 可愛極了!

Besides, I've added a little detail for it, stitched a bright pink love on its right foot, and also a tiny belly button, create some personality out of ordinary, haha~

除此, 我還使了一點小心機, 在右腳掌上繡了個鮮粉紅愛心, 還給了它一個小肚臍眼, 讓它在平淡中增添一點個人特色, 哈~

 

Finally, a family portrait time!
現在, 來個家庭大合照吧!

Now available to be purchased at Etsy!

現在可以通過Etsy購買這只熊熊喔!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/101371112/sweetheart-pink-bear-handmade-crochet
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Amigurumi Snuggly Polar bear 軟軟北極熊鉤織娃娃

Last time when I bought the yarn for Baby Bear, I also bought a big ball of Bernat Pipsqueak which was on sell in Jo-Ann, very comfortable and soft white yarn, the weak point of this yarn is the fur kind of easy to pull off, and due to its texture, it is very hard to identify each stitch for crochet, so I just did it by instinct.

上次買毛線做泰迪熊寶寶時, 就同時買了一卷Jo-Ann在特價中的Bernat Pipsqueak毛線, 非常舒服又柔軟的白色毛毛線, 可是缺點就是毛毛比較容易脫, 而且也由於它的毛毛, 鉤織時很難看見針目, 只好憑感覺鉤.

This Snuggly Polar Bear also took me three days to finish, and the difference between this and Baby Bear, were the shape of the mouth piece and the length of the doll, and the hard part was to sew the nose.

這隻軟軟北極熊同樣也是花了我三天的時間完成, 和熊寳寳不一樣的是嘴型和娃娃長度, 還有比較難的是用毛線繡上鼻子的部分.

Since I used a different color of yarns, mine is totally different kind of bear than the Coffee Teddy Bear introduced in the book, I transformed it into a Polar Bear ^_^ I've added some length to its arms and legs, and widen its waist a bit, since I felt the original was a little too thin.

因為毛線顏色的差別, 我的這一隻和<就愛新歡泰迪熊Teddy>裡面所教的咖啡毛毛熊就完全不一樣總類了, 它的熊熊被我變成北極熊了, 哈~ 而且我也加長了它的手腳長度, 身體的寬度也給我稍微增肥了, 因為覺得原本的似乎太瘦了點.

The teddy in the book was having a scarf, so I've made one especially for my Polar Bear too. I've chosen bright pink and blue, looks very striking when wear around its white fur!

書上的毛毛熊有一條圍巾, 所以我也給我的北極熊量身訂做了一條. 選擇鮮豔的粉紅和藍, 圍在白色的毛毛上, 很出色呢!

 

Took a few photos for both Baby Bear and Snuggly Polar Bear together, and they seem to have a very close brotherhood feeling, don't you think so?

為熊寶寶和軟軟北極熊一起拍了幾張相片, 它們看上去就像感情很要好的哥兒們呢, 你們覺得呢?

Now available to be purchased at Etsy!

現在可以通過Etsy購買這只熊熊喔!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/101369663/snuggly-polar-bear-handmade-crochet-doll Pin It Now!

Amigurumi Baby Bear 熊寶寶鉤織娃娃

Few days ago I finally received the crochet books I've ordered through a Taiwanese online store 'Books.Com.Tw', and one of those that I'm really looking forward, is this book on crocheting teddy bears (no English version available), those teddy bears shown in the book look so cute, and all are just make by crochet, the patterns also look understandable, so the next day I received the book, I started making one.

前幾天剛收到從台灣博客來訂購的鉤織書本, 其中讓我最期待的, 就是這本<就愛新歡泰迪熊Teddy>, 裡面的熊熊看起來都很可愛, 而且都只是用鉤針就能夠做出來的, 鉤織圖樣看上去也沒有很難, 書到後的第二天, 就立即動手開工了.

Since I've never had any attempt in making a teddy, so I wanna to first try a basic teddy model, the one I selected was featured on the cover of the book, the Little White Teddy.

想說沒有嘗試過織泰迪熊, 所以就選擇了比較基本款的熊熊開始, 被選上的就是封面上的白色皮皮熊~

The book was published in Taiwan, and I was not sure about the yarn specified in the book, so I selected the Patons Divine, a soft mohair look yarn in Soft Earth color, and did not checked the gauge, I was thinking that the worst of it will only affect the size of the teddy, which turned out to be a little mistake here, I'm not sure whether is the yarn caused the height seemed shorten or the width seemed widen, my teddy's head seems not as round as the one shown in the book, and the body also seems smaller, but luckily, the final look of the teddy bear is still adorable~

由於該書是台灣出版, 所以書上註明的毛線總類我不太清楚, 所以我就自己選擇了Patons Divine, 大地色的毛毛線, 也沒有去檢查標準尺寸, 想說頂多只是娃娃大小的差異而已, 結果果然有影響. 不知道是高度縮短了還是寬度加長了, 我的泰迪熊的頭部似乎沒有書本上的圓, 身體也比原版的小. 不過還好的是, 做出來的成品還是很可愛嘀~

The furry and yet thin body, is so comfortable to hug, and it looks just as lovable as a little baby~

熊熊毛毛卻嬌小的身體, 抱起來很舒服呢, 看上去就如小小貝比那般惹人疼愛, 哈~

The tiny-tee was borrowed from another bear friend 小小T是從其他熊熊借穿的

 

Now available to be purchased at Etsy!

現在可以通過Etsy購買這只熊熊喔!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/101365338/baby-bear-handmade-crochet-doll

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