Giveaway time!

Evey and Sara at nashpop are hosting a shop feature and giveaway for Leonem this week!  Take a look here, and enter to win the Zine Tote from my shop!

The contest runs until next Thursday, so be sure to get a few entries in! Also, check out Evey and Sara's cool shop :)

Sewing project: Vintage poncho

It's been quite a long time since I've sewn a piece of clothing for myself! The last time was in 2010 when I made my own wedding dress. I was visiting with my Mom yesterday, and she gave me this vintage pattern for a reversible rain poncho!

We think this pattern is from the 70's, and at the time was only $1.25 (I wish patterns were still this price lol). My Mom did make this poncho a few years ago, and it turned out really HUGE. This one only comes in one size, so I think I will try to alter the pattern a bit for a smaller size.

Even though we do get a lot of rain here, I think I will make this poncho out of some nice wool suiting fabric - it will make a nice addition to my fall wardrobe. I will post some updates when I make some progress!

Also, Heather has featured Leonem in her Etsy Finds this week! Check it out :)

Friday Treasury

Oh my goodness! It's Friday already! This week has flown by like a whirlwind and my blog has lacked new postings as a result. I promise I will do better next week :)

I look out the window today and it hardly looks like summer anymore. What happened to the sun? It's gray, rainy and we've even had some thunder! In order to celebrate the fact that it's Friday, I created a new treasury full of bright items! I won't let the weather get me down.

Stay tuned for some exciting news next week! (Hint: I'm sponsoring a giveaway!)

Friday Finds: 001

White Coconut Candle by Mylana

Aromatherapy Mood Bath Bombs by Elegant Rose Boutique

Gray Cat Bed by VaivaNat

Custom order

My Mother-In-Law asked me to create some tote bags for an annual get-together with her friends. I have to admit that I was a little bit nervous accepting this order, as I was working hard to get ready for my shop opening. However, now that the shop is open, I have had a lot more time to focus on new projects.

 

I wanted to create a clean, simple design that would focus more on functionality. This tote has two exterior pockets and 1 additional pocket on the inside. My MIL is going to see friends from high school, so the totes were created in their school colors! I will be delivering her order tomorrow, I hope she likes them!

Shopping day & sneak peak!

It's always fun to go fabric shopping...well, at least it is most of the time. I do admit that it does get frustrating when they don't have exactly what you're looking for! Today I took a trip to one of my favorite local fabric stores: Joann Fabrics!

My shopping list:
- Canvas
- New cotton prints
- Cotton webbing
- D rings and strap adjusters
- Zippers

Of course, the one time I have a list with me... I didn't look at it once - realized that I forgot the zippers! I'll pick those up later this week :) If you have a Joann Fabrics in your area, be sure to look into their VIP program if you have a reseller's permit. It offers 10% off your purchase, it's not much...but every little bit helps!

Above is a sneak peek at some of the supplies I purchased, stay tuned to find out what they become!

Promoting your shop outside of Etsy

Hooray! My shop has officially been open for 1 week! I can say that I have learned a lot this week about how to improve my shop and gain exposure. Promoting is still an area that I need to explore, but I think I have made progress.

If you're looking for a huuuge list of places to promote, let me direct you to this incredibly helpful thread: http://www.etsy.com/teams/5002/etsy-success/discuss/10278604/

I have found out about so many different websites this week, it makes my head spin (but in a good way). These are just a few of the places I am at:

• Facebook - Such a great way to let friends/family know about your shop! Still working on getting more likes!
•  Twitter - I really need to get better about tweeting!
• Wanelo - Now, this is something I had heard of but never tried...turns out it's really fun. You can submit your listings for others to 'save'. The more saves you have, the better your chances of showing on their trending page!
• Reddit - Etsy - My husband is obsessed with Reddit, but I had no idea there was an Etsy page there! You can submit listings, treasuries, and more for others to vote up and view!
• Squidoo - Create a "lens" for your shop! Squidoo places ads on your lens page, and I believe you get paid if someone clicks them. Still exploring this one.
• Stumbleupon - This is another fun site! You can add your listing pages and shop to Stumbleupon, and pick tags/categories that match. Your page will be 'stumbled' to others that follow those categories! I've had a number of views from this site!

Be sure to let me know if there are any others I should know about! Also, if you use any of those sites already, please follow me! :)