Fly Away: Etsy Sale!

Good news! Everything in my Etsy will be on sale for the next week!

You may have already heard (I've mentioned it about a billion times) that I'll be canoodling around Europe this July which is amazing and exciting but also means I have to shut my shop for over a month. PIXIE and PIXIER is my baby. I'll miss it so much while I'm away!

So, starting today, you can get 25% off everything in shop for orders over $10! Sounds pretty good, right?! This sale will go until 24th June where I'll be closing up until August 1st.

Just pop in the coupon code FLYAWAY at checkout and 25% will be taken off the price!

The shop is choc-a-block full with my legendary (to me, anyway) cameo pieces, with movie and music references a-plenty, as well as one-of-a-kind clothing and some pretty intense Barbie shoe and limb necklaces!

Don't forget: I can also make custom cameo jewellery with any picture you'd like. These will be the same price as those already in the shop and you can also use the coupon code!

And remember, the shop won't be open until August so if you want to grab some gifts, for yourself or others, in July or August, make sure you order them now :)

I hope to have a lot of new and fancy things when I re-open too so some of the think in the shop now may not be returning!

Have a fabulous Monday!

Gabi
x

Etsy Extraordinaire #4: Know Thyself: Brand Building

PIXIE’s Guide to Becoming An Etsy Extraordinaire, Or How To Run a Successful Online Shop

Hello! This is part four of a 10-part series on running your own online shop. Find the other posts here!

#4. Know Thyself: Brand Building

I’ve mentioned branding a little before but, as it’s such a humongous part of all this, it’s definitely deserving of it’s own post. I feel I need to stress that this is all my personal opinion and, with something like branding, that is so personal to each individual business, it’s definitely going to be different for everyone.

Branding can be kind of heavy and involved and, if like me you don’t have a Marketing degree, might leave your head a bit hazy. It has the habit of seeming really simple and straightforward: know your vibe, man; but that’s not too helpful when you’re trying to keep everything cohesive.

Building your own brand is about deciding on your niche and developing an aesthetic that makes your shop immediately recognisable and ties everything together. For me, this has involved realising what the basics of my products are. I’m all about bright colours, pop art and having a sense of humour, so I try and put that into everything I create and the ways I market it too. If you have a vintage shabby chic look, take photos with teacups and doily’s as props. If you’re all about gamer chic use a retro 8-bit font. When you know your core aesthetic make sure you project through little details like this.

Make branding something adaptable that can develop with you and your shop.  You might be obsessed with medieval headgear right now but a few years down the line you’re probably going to come to regret putting all your effort in building your brand around it (unless, you make amazing medieval headgear, in that case, go right ahead!).  Keep it to colours, fonts, photo styling, even lighting can become a signature to your brand.

I found it helpful to have a bit of a Pinterest session, where I pinned all the things I wanted my own brand to emulate and then, whenever I was working on my shop I’d check the board to keep me on track.

Branding is all about knowing your core ethics and projecting them through all aspects. Although this might sound a bit daunting and broad it generally just comes down to following your instinct to what you think will work and going with it. 

Etsy Extraordinaire #1: Ready? Set? Go?!

PIXIE’s Guide to Becoming An Etsy Extraordinaire, Or How To Run a Successful Online Shop

Hi! This is the first part of a 10-part series, in which I’ll let you know all the snippets I’ve learnt in my first year of running and Etsy shop. You can find the post introducing the series…here!

#1. Ready? Set? Go?!

My highschool Accounting teacher used to say ‘failure to plan is planning to fail.’ It’s a whopper of a cliché and more than a little bit cheesy but, as a long-time lover of all romantic comedies ever, I can a few cheesy clichés.

Before you open your amazing shop you’re gonna have to do your homework first. Research shops you admire and those targeting a similar demographic, write lists, create beautiful moodboards, dream up your collections, go crazy on Pinterest and make as many brilliant products as you possibly can! (More on this next week!).

In your preparation, try to develop a clear aesthetic and unique branding for your shop. This sounds pretty heavy but these are probably things that you already half decided on. Things like colour schemes and overall branding just come with developing your shop. It’s your ‘vibe’ and you’ve got to kind of exaggerate it so customers know exactly what you’re all about at just a glance.

You don’t have to perfect this right now. I’ve learnt that branding tends to develop itself. I’m still forever tweaking my shop and trying to develop my very own cohesive brand. Although, my photography ‘skills’ have improved, placing the handwritten logo in the centre of product photos was in my very first listing and it is still something I use to this day! Come up with a colour scheme and aesthetic that makes your listings immediately identifiable, makes your products pop and your heart flutter. 

x

In The Shop

I gazed longingly at the Cat heart appliqued skater dress with a studded collar and perfectly perfect floaty-ness for a solid 10 minutes before I finally pushed myself to list it on in my shop (unfortunately I don't have the charisma to convince myself to keep a dress that won't actually zip up past my breasticles). It sold pretty much straight away and I will live to regret it for the rest of my days (but seriously, thank you buyer!).

Luckily there's this black number going!







Umm, Girl Power Super Heroines Tee? Yeah, yes please!


I don't even know why I do things like this. Bart made me do it?


Rabbits, guys. Bunny Rabbits.

This Maggie tee and Ghost World vibes skirt are also up for grabs.



Just in case you were worried there wasn't enough Simpsons appreciation merch.

There's a load of other stuff too that I'd love for you to have a gander at.

PIXIE and PIXIER on Etsy. Where clothes are bright and photos awkward.

The Ultimate Dream Hat

I did a saw with Tori, the owner of the amazing etsy shop YoBananaBoy, and am so very in the love with this masterpiece of a hat she made me!

The colours, the pom pom, the cat and the fact that I can now have 'CAT LADY' plastered around my head in a cosy little device. She does custom orders and, naturally, all I could think was cats.

Now I just need to go somewhere cold enough to wear it

And we're back!

Hello, Ladies and Gentlemen!

I arrived home Saturday night and have been sleeping and catching up with my cats ever since. I have, despite this overwhelming schedule, managed to fit in planning and making some new goodies for PIXIEandPIXIER.

Speaking of, I re-opened my shop and, until Friday, you can get a massive 30% off your order by popping in the coupon code "HELLO AGAIN" at checkout.

I've had such an amazing time travelling around South Africa these past months and I can't wait to share some snippets from my trip here with you.

There are a lot of really exciting plans in the works for my shop this year and I'm crazy excited to spend my days cutting up Barbie dolls and taking 200 to many gratuitous photos of myself.

Get excited, guys.

Gabi
<3

Party On Garth!

I leave for South Africa in 4 days! So very excited to try different foods, take a billion foods, see beautiful animals, see my sister (BFF for lyfe!) and just explore a little bit more of this beautiful world.

I'll be closing my etsy shop while I'm away and I just know already that I'm going to miss it so much! Over the year PIXIEandPIXIER has become a really big part of my life. I'm just so happy to be able to make things and send to people all over the world to cherish. Even if it keeps me up until 4am packing sequins and glitter in the packages I just feel fortunate that I'm actually able to spend hours a day devoted to it.

I wanted to write a really big and profound post saying how truly happy I am that all these lovely people have appreciated what I've made (even enough to buy it!) but I've just been so busy getting all the last orders ready and getting ready for my trip. I guess all I need to say is: Thank You. It may not seem like much that a few people have given me a few dollars for some necklace with Daria on or earrings of Kurt and Courtney but it really brings a smile to my face when I see every new sale. It's nice to see that the things I make aren't entirely pointless and that people like the same bizarro crap I do.



So, thanks guys.


P.S. The shop will be closing later tonight (probably tomorrow morning Aus time) so feel free to pop in any last orders for my final post office trip for the year!



I got this cat fabric for new amazing stuff to come and just had to take some pictures with my feminist and naughty word stickers.

Bart Simpson on Acid - Daily Outfit

This dress is every bit amazing - not only does it have Bart - freaking - Simpson pulling a crazy face on the chest but it's also super flattering and just a bit swish! I'm not gonna lie, I felt a bit fancy in it.

After trying it on to take photos to list it on etsy I may have fallen in love and now I don't know if I can even bring myself to sell it. My business model may be flawed.

I don't know if you can see but this outfit is actually double (or triple, even!) Simpsoned. I have my Lisa and Milhouse couple cameo earrings that I made. I'm so obsessed with these. I'm thinking of making Bart and Milhouse ones because, well, they were a match made in heaven.

Have a great weekend - I'm working - yay!

Would you like fries with that?

Today I mailed out some orders, bought pink paper and groceries and then sat around thinking about doing stuff. 
It was a good Tuesday.

I got this skirt for about $1 at my favourite op shop the other day. It's a little bit Grease (like a mash-up before Sandy before and after) which, obviously, I love.

The FRENCH FRIES COLLAR (!) is from one of my favourite etsy shops fathipster. It is every bit perfect and I fully intend on wearing it to a 50s style diner one day because I feel that it's important to match your outfit with your meal plans. 

Garth is always around my neck because he is the bee's knees. I literally wear this necklace five days a week (the other two days are spent sleeping so they don't count).




Sunglasses: Vintage; Collar: fathipster; Necklace: PIXIE; Tee: random $5 shop; Skirt: Vintage; Bag: ebay; Socks: Forever21; Shoes: ebay