The NorthWesternBelle

In January 2015 I received an inquiry on Etsy about producing a custom burlap cape. The question came in through the listing for our gold-threaded burlap cape , and the client wanted one done in black. The amazing Taiza P was able to recreate the pattern of the gold cape pretty closely, but opted to add some length. When she was done, she all but gushed about how it is the best cape she's ever made! And boy, did it turn out spectacularly. The pictures, not so much, but I assure you: the cape is awesome. Are you looking for a cape to complete your costume? Message us with the specifics of what you want. We can create a cape in any color/fabric combination imaginable, and aim to do so for the lowest possible cost! Thanks for looking! Always Yours, The NWB

Well, it's December 31 of my first official year of operation; I officially launched my Etsy store at the end of March. The first official sale occurred on March 31, 2014 and is actually a pretty funny story: my college roommate scooped up one of the very first vintage afghans I listed for her gender-neutral nursery without even realizing that she was buying it from me. That's the beauty of the internet, I guess LOL! After that first sale, business was slow going until about August. Just when I was starting to lose faith in the whole online retail business thing, vintage blankets started flying out of inventory via eBay and Etsy sales. October was a particularly good month thanks to a bunch of handmade capes that the lovely and talented Taiza P contributed to the handmade inventory and the Jack Skellington Beanie . November and December weren't bad either, thanks to the Crochet Death Star pillow that everyone loves and needs. All in all, I'm pretty happy with the f...

I'm happy to report that the momentum that started at the beginning of October has only continued! Yesterday, October 20, we received a record-breaking five orders, for six items, before noon! Check it out: So awesome! Three of those orders were for capes, which are shipping out today. The other two orders were for handmade goods: Another Death Star and TWO matching Jack Skellington Beanies for 1 year old boys (which, seriously? CUTE!). I'm not going to lie: getting orders for three handmade things at once is a little intimidating. I've structured my Etsy listings so that production time estimates allow me some room in these types of situations. I'm planning to have them all out by Friday at the latest. It's Tuesday, so that's totally doable, considering I already have the supplies on hand. I will probably have to buy more polyfil stuffing...the Death Star pillows take about half of a 12 Oz bag each, but I'm pretty sure that I've got at least t...

Got an order last night for one of the PILLOW sized Death Stars! I am probably going to have to buy more dark gray yarn. Which means a trip to the craft store :) I am totally excited to make another one! I think this time I'll actually use a smaller hook on the super laser so that it is the right size proportionally. This one is still awesome, with its SUPER size super laser. The next one is going to be even better :) So, I'm off to get started on it! Have a fabulous Monday =D Thanks for looking, Loves! Always Yours, The NWB

I love October. I do! It's true. I love it a lot because it means that a) I can start wearing comfy sweaters again and b) HALLOWEEN is coming! And this October I've got a new reason to love it: sales! On Tuesday of last week (September 30) I told Taiza P. that the first pre-made cape would sell on Etsy before the end of the week. And I was right! It's like I've got ESPN or something. We actually sold two capes; this lovely sheer striped one that Taiz made a few years back: And the custom Skeletor cape was paid for and shipped out. I might love this picture of my hot hubby modeling it for us too much. He was pretty stoked that we were making a Skeletor cape. Also, I ended up making TWO (yes, TWO) mini Death Star Plushes last week. I really love making them, and can pretty much get one completed in a day (granted my three year old can be persuaded to entertain himself). On my first mini death star I stitched the trench in with the details. On the one ab...

Received payment for a made-to-order one of my most favorite things ever this morning! Yup, that's right; one of these: I'm really excited to be making a new one (you thought I was kidding about keeping the first one, didn't you? Well I wasn't!), and should have it finished by tomorrow. I'm so glad that I get the chance to make crochet goodies for complete strangers! Until today, sales on Etsy have been limited to vintage items (afghans & buttons). So, getting an order for one of my handmade crochet items is probably more exciting to me than it should be. I have a feeling that the 2014 Holiday Season is going to be profitable for The NWB. Keep those custom orders coming!! Thanks for looking, Loves! Always Yours, The NWB

It's officially September, which is totally weird, because I swear it was just barely May like two days ago. Strangely enough, I'm actually kind of excited for the cold weather this year. Perhaps because I turned 29 this year (the first time), the novelty of summer wore off more quickly than in previous years, and now I'm actually excited for the cold weather! That never happens. I'm a summer baby (literally), and I've worshiped the sun my whole life, but now I'm ready for cozy sweaters and warm food and, mostly, HALLOWEEN! Can. Not. Wait. Anyhow. August was an amazing month for The NWB! I'll admit that I was starting to lose faith at the beginning of the month, thinking that this whole online retail thing was too much work for not enough reward. Well, I was wrong. Gloriously, awesomely, thankfully wrong. Five vintage afghans and one handmade baby quilt were sold between eBay and Etsy in August, plus a few pieces of clothing that I happened to have layin...

Another beautiful vintage blanket sold over the weekend, this time on Etsy! So pretty and soft! That makes three Etsy sales in one month, plus five on eBay. Eight sales in the month of August means that another inventory trip is in order. Hopefully I'll get to do that this weekend. I really hope the trend continues, and that it's only a matter of days before my first handmade crochet item is purchased. Good things do come to those who work their asses off! Thanks for looking, Loves! Always Yours, The NWB

Two Etsy sales and one eBay sale (plus a bid on an auction that ends next week) is a record for this part-time crafter! It's probably not very much to be excited about, but hey, just let me have this moment, okay? Thanks :) On Saturday I woke up to an order for vintage buttons. Last night, possibly the most gorgeous vintage afghan in my inventory was snatched up by a lucky Etsy shopper. If every week were like this week I'd really be okay with it! Hopefully now that we're headed into the colder months I'll be selling more of these vintage beauties on the regular. It also tells me that my prices are finally in the range that they should be. It only took me about six months to figure THAT out. It's an ongoing struggle, obviously, seeing as I'm still trying to sell something I made myself. I think that I've got some Halloween things coming soon that will bridge that gap. Thanks for looking, Loves! Always Yours, The NWB