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Dear Reader,

Wishing you a very Happy New Year! Can you believe it's 2025? I sure can't.

I'm changing things up a little bit this year and sending out two emails a month. The first one will share what's happening behind the scenes in my business plus some of my usual ramblings. The second one will be sneak peeks and quarterly product drops (yep, I said drops...I feel like I might be too old to use that word...am I too old to say that?)

Here's what's inside this month's email:

• The deets on my very first in-person market (!)
• A sneak peek at some of my 2025 plans
• Giving yourself the best boss award

Hope you enjoy!

Yours truly,

Kristi

What happened in November/December

I participated in my very first in-person market! Even now, weeks later, I can't believe I did it. This is me behind my booth!

I was excited and nervous, but thankfully my friend Rosanna was right beside me to give me tips, razz me about my low prices (now I know for next time), and share a laugh. She made the day so much fun.

I learned SO much watching people react to my artwork and products in person, I can really see the value in participating in markets, especially if you are just getting started (I still consider myself in that category).

If you want to participate in a market in 2025, but feel a little scared to do it, here are a few tips to help you along the way.

1. Don't be afraid to use old art. See those prints in the red frames? I carved those blocks in 2022 (yep!). I knew I needed a few larger items to fill up my table so I decided to print winter fruits in gold and frame a few. I went with a fig, persimmon, pomegranate, and citrus. I learned a few things from selling these. One, people were not interested in the citrus, the figs however were a big hit. And two, the packaging made some people think these were greeting cards (which they were not...no envelopes). Something to keep in mind for next time.
2. Start small with time-intensive handmade items. Case in point: those tote bags. I saved time by using an existing tote and adding the patchwork pocket, but not a single one of them sold. These were pretty time-consuming to make so it was a big bummer. Looking back I wish I had only made 4 instead of 6.
3. Don't be afraid to mix in a few resale products. Since I was selling notebooks and calendars I thought it made sense to also sell a few pencils. So I hopped on AliExpress and bought some interesting pencils that I could sell at a small markup. These ended up doing pretty well. I had several people add them to their purchases, plus it added some interest to my table.

I have so much more to share about this experience, but I think that's a good start for now. I'm no expert, but if you have any questions I'm happy to help, just hit reply and we can chat.

What’s inspiring me lately…

Last month I shared that I had done a little bit of block printing after a long hiatus. Pulling those prints got me excited to try out some new techniques this year starting with this cutie bear. He's going to be a reduction print, my first one ever so wish me luck!

This year I'm challenging myself to release a group of products each season in my Etsy store and spring will be full of flora and fauna native to the San Gabriel Mountains that stand tall behind my neighborhood. All going well you'll see the final print in March when I release my first collection of the year.

One more thing worth sharing...

Be Your Own Best Boss If you haven't already, I highly encourage you to listen (or re-listen) to episode 63 of The Tillage Podcast: Overwhelm and Shiny Object Syndrome with Elizabeth Silver. I was thinking about a phrase she said in the episode the other day and then like magic she gave a presentation in The Tillage Village on the exact topic. I loved her talk and the episode so much, I can't recommend it enough. ​ Listen to the Episode

Warmly,

p.s. Not into receiving emails about products? (I completely understand) Just one little click right here will fix that (and you'll still get all my other emails).

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Support from people like you helps me continue to do what I do, and it is much appreciated.

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