Déjà vu - Adding Etsy To My Shop Options - Again

 

Don’t want to bore you, but this is a business update of sorts.
Some of you noticed that I have added items to my Etsy shop recently, so here’s the reason…

I love having my own website, Honeysuckle Lane. And yes, there are expenses such as annual charges for a domain name and annual charges for hosting my shop on Shopify. The Shopify charges are increasing in September. And then there’s always PayPal fees when someone makes a purchase. One more thing is that no one knows my website exists if I don’t constantly blog(which I need to start again), post on Instagram, send newsletters, comment on other blogs and social media accounts, etc. Despite all that, I like being in control of my shop.

However, Etsy can reach scores of customers that I can not easily reach. The downside is Etsy charges so much in fees, fees for every aspect of selling and shipping and being paid. They also promote other shops at the bottom of my page, so I am constantly in competition on my own shop page. Having said all that, I decided to grin and bear it and try selling on Etsy as a secondary source of income. Because their fees take a bigger cut of my sales, some of my items on Etsy will be priced higher than on my website. I wanted to explain that so you would understand.

My handmade business has always been an outlet for me to be creative, but it has always been a source of income to allow me to be at home and available for my kids, parents, and now, grandchildren. Recently, my husband and his brother have had to step down from building houses, which was their job for more than 35 years. They both have had back surgeries and are now helping a local cabinetmaker, so once again, I am trying to keep my business afloat to supplement our income. It’s more than just a hobby, as is the case for many of you.

If possible, I’d love to have shoppers order from Honeysuckle Lane.
But if you prefer to shop on Etsy, you are more than welcome to shop Honeysuckle Lane on Etsy.

All these years I am so appreciative of all of my customers, many of which have been with me from my early days. I am blessed and so thankful for your business and most especially, your friendship.

Take care and God bless,
Lana

Lavender Festival Tomorrow!

Tomorrow’s the day! If you live near Oak Ridge, TN come for a visit! I always look forward to seeing familiar faces… and getting acquainted with new ones! The Lavender Festival began in 1999 and I think I started setting up my booth in 2000 or 2001.

You can find me in my usual spot, on the sidewalk in front of the Ferrell Shop. Be sure to stop and say hello!

See you soon!

Lana

Antique French Letters and Velvet and Gilt Frames

Ooh, la, la! I think love is in the air! I have a small collection of framed love tokens made, ready to gift to a special someone! I know, Valentine’s Day has passed, but love is always in season. And you never need a reason to give something lovely to your wife, mom, sister, best friend, etc.

I’ve collected stacks of letters, papers, receipts, cards, and envelopes over the years. I usually keep my scraps until they are too small to handle, maybe 1/2” in size. So when inspiration strikes, I get out my box of goodies and find my tools and get started.

I’ve collected frames over the years, too. I’ve gone through most of them, but I have always kept back a few favorites for myself. The old velvet frames and the gilt frames are getting harder to find at an affordable cost. I’m hoping to find more soon.

My love tokens are available at Honeysuckle Lane. Come over for a visit and see which is your favorite! 🥰

Thanks for stopping by. I will do my best to post a little more often. I miss my blogging friends!

Lana

Flowers Galore

 

I suppose my love of flowers comes from my mom. She loved flowers and even though we moved a lot, she always managed to have a few little flower beds around the house and yard. She worked hard digging the ground with a mattock, then planting, watering, weeding. Whether there was one bloom or many, she loved her flowers.

It seems like nearly everything I make has florals… art, quilts, key fobs, and zipper bags. She would be proud!

If you’d like something special and unique for Mother’s Day, visit Honeysuckle Lane to see all of my handmade products.

Spring Has Sprung!

 

Spring is here (cue the little lambs in the green meadows!) and I still haven’t finished the crochet project I mentioned in my last post. Oh well, maybe I’ll have it finished by fall!

I began a small project to transfer my lavender linocut art to digital art. My plan was to have it printed on fabric and note cards. It takes a lot of time to hand print each piece of fabric or card. Having digital files allows me to print in bulk, and then I have time to work on other projects.

I enjoyed working with the Procreate app so much that it just snowballed and now I have a few dozen artworks to offer as prints and note cards! I still paint with acrylic and watercolor, but this is just one more way of sharing the things I enjoy doing. You can find my art at Honeysuckle Lane.