Post - A Crafty Den

Wowee, what a year 2019 was! It really felt like my first “proper” year as a little business, and I have LOVED seeing my year on year Etsy stats looking ridiculous as they have increased 367% compared to 2018 when I did very little! I’ve also loved receiving and reading positive reviews from my wonderful customers!. Whether it’s from Etsy or someone has emailed me directly or followed me on Instagram, the kind words mean so much. It’s amazing to think that my lampshades are up in homes across the UK!

When I look at stats, making 100 sales was such an amazing achievement, and one that I was really hoping to achieve by the end of 2019 - and did! And to have over 100 followers on Instagram really was the icing on the cake.

Some highlights for me have definitely been making Custom Made Lampshades for my customers. This is when a customer will post me the fabric of their choice and I will make this into a lampshade, and sometimes also cushions, for them. I had some beautiful “Escape to the Chateau” fabric, as well as this beautiful swallow linen fabric which I made into two lampshades and two cushion covers.

Every year, I realise how much I love to experiment and maybe struggle to focus on one thing! That said, I really enjoyed my Lino Printing course that I did at Victoria Works studios. It was such an amazing and therapeutic workshop, and I have enjoyed dabbling with it ever since…

I also experimented with some more sewing craft; making fabric boxes was a real treat, as was making a lovely sewing bag at Atelier, Stroud. And who could forget the Arm Knitting workshop!

All in all, when I look back, it’s been a very productive and rewarding year! So, what next? For me, it’s going to be about focusing more (something that I struggle with…). Honing in on key areas of the business and, crucially, keeping business crafts on one side and “fun”, personal crafting on the other. Hopefully then, I will be able to really focus on building up A Crafty Den in 2020. I’m also going to set aside more time to focus on ACD, rather than the pockets of time that I give to it here and there.

I’m so excited about 2020, but I couldn't have done anything without my fantastic customers and supporters. Whether you’ve bought a product, liked an Instagram post or shared a story, I really appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you!

Looking back on 2019, and ahead to 2020