That was the stomach wrenching feeling that I had last night when I realised that I had become so caught up in life that I hadn't written a blog post in months! For that, I give myself a slap on the wrist and award for the Worst Blogger of 2011.
So a quick update on Piccaninny Rugs...
After a couple of disastrous markets (distinct lack of customers through the door) I was pretty demoralized. Drove home more than once in tears wondering why I had bothered to kid myself that I could make a go of this little biz and kicking myself that I had invested so much time, effort and money into something that people like me would never succeed in. I mean, who was I kidding! I am a mum to an active 18mth old, work part time (3 days a week) and thought that I could build a business? Pfft! Then the rational side of my brain kicked in and I realised that if I kept doing what I had started with, and it wasn't working then it was time for a change!I took a well needed break from markets over winter to collect my thoughts, re-energise and refocus. I looked at my options for exploring other markets and have a clearer idea of where I want to be seen and the best times of the year to participate.
My problem was that people have been associating my product with nice sunny days spent outside rather than the multipurpose product that my rugs are! It was time for a little bit of a tweak to my marketing strategy... Winter was the time to focus on using my rugs indoors on those cold tiles and hard wood floors. The rubber lined backing is perfect as an insulator, not only as a water resistant layer, and the padding softens the impact when littlies topple over. I won't say that I achieved immediate results, but things have been slowly on the improve.
For a while I've been concerned with the amount of wastage that I get when cutting out the squares for my rugs. There is often a piece left over that is too small for another square but too large to throw away. The pile of 'it might come in handy one day' off cuts kept growing and growing until I decided that I could use it all to expand my product range. The Piccaninny Puppy was born! Super cute, about 40cm in size and oh so squishabale, my puppies were a hit at the very first market they were sold at! I really enjoy creating each litter of puppies and love seeing the kids give my puppies a hug as they walk away from my stall.
Winter also meant I had to be more inventive when it can to entertaining the little monster. Flicking through pattern books at my local haberdasher, I spotted the perfect imaginative play item - a Tee Pee! I bought the pattern, a roll of calico and, after a few hiccups, had a gorgeous Tee Pee set up in the family room a day or so later. The monster loves using it as a garage for his bikes and cars and daddy likes using it as a hiding place from where he can jump out and scare people! Unfortunately due to the cost and amount of fabric that goes into making a Tee Pee, I don't stock them for markets, but take my sons along and am happy to take orders. They are currently recommended as an inside only item but I'm hoping to add some vinyl around the bottom to protect the fabric from dirt so it can be taken outside.
My next new item is currently in production, and as much as I would like to reveal what it is here, I can't... Or won't... All I will say is that I ordered some hardware (yes, you read that correctly) and hopefully it will arrive during the week and I can unveil the surprise really soon. It's nothing groundbreakingly new and I haven't invented the wheel but it is a Piccaninny Rug take on something my brother had as a kid, super cute and very handy addition to any toy box.
My next adventure is my debut at Craft Markets Australia's Hanging Rock and Weribee Park markets in October and November and my very excited involvement in the establishment of Huckleberry Market a new and fabulous market in Melbourne showcasing the best of boutique and handmade items for babies and kids.
So there you have it, the trials and tribulations of Piccaninny Rugs! I'm back on track and ready for the really busy Spring and Summer market season...
