#thewingedwhale

The yard sale was fun! Although not much got sold, I managed to hand out cards and get some feedback about my display, my products, and some tips about other venues. So all in all a success I say!

Were making little knit whale keychains! Compete with a keychain ring, these little cuties are super fun to make. We’re hoping to have an inventory filled soon of these so we can get them up on the shop as well. We’re trying something different with these products. We’re going to be taking 20% of sales on whale items and donating that percentage to the Save the Whales cause. We hope to offer other products set to contribute to other environmental conservation causes as well. So, for each whale keychain sold, we will donate $1 to the cause.

With the world’s climate changing, environmental conservation is a responsibility of the modern age. We at thewingedwhale hope to contribute what we can in donations and volunteer events. More information about our plan here is coming as we develop a proper plan! Thanks for your support and keep checking back for more production updates and new items to go up on the shop!

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September 9, 2017

Finally got this cutie up on the shop!

The kangaroo took longer than expected to finish up and piece together, but in the end we did it! The final product is nearly a square foot in area, and has a 3D standout snout, big ears, and a stable tail to balance the body. It stands on its own! 

The stripes came out very bright against the black and we’re very excited to have it finished and posted! 

Now it’s time we moved on to our next project, next stuffed animal, SO much knitting to get done. 

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Eric and I took my kids&knits shop, TheWingedWhale to a Girl Scout troop's community outreach day out at a church in Havover, MD by Arundel Mills Mall on August 18. It was our first opportunity to set up a vendor table at an event. It sounded like a great event with food, crafts, vendors, scout badge work, face painting, balloon animals, a fire truck, dj, the whole nine yards!  I was informed it would be a "SUPER DUPER" event by the organizer, with more than 60 vendors attending, an event program, etc., lots of hype from the organizer.

So, I entered production mode, made bracelets and last minute knits and stuffed animals, got the day off at work (cashing in on a little guilty accommodation after my over-100 hours of work and consequent work-related injury), and gathered set up supplies from my mom and Eric's parents. I took out money from the bank to make change, shared the flier on Facebook, talked to some friends who apologized for not being able to make it out, and packed up the car. We drove almost an hour out to the location Saturday morning, talking and anticipating.

When we arrived, we pulled in the driveway and were greeted at our car by girls asking for our table fee, which we had already sent via mail. Then we met the organizer, who shook my hand and commented with some amazement that Eric and I were very patient -- which seemed a fairly odd comment following a ten second interaction. We were a little skeptical because of the greeting party and the fact the location was significantly smaller than we imagined for over 60 vendors and all the other stuff promised for the event. Other vendors were getting upset because there was not clear instruction on where the aisles between vendors were meant to be, etc. Still! We've never set up for a show like this, so we figured it was all probably pretty normal and got our tent up (eventually with some help from three other vendors), stored the car in the off-location lot available, and set up all the goods we brought, and settled in for the event to start.

And so we waited.

And waited...

My mom came by to say hi and check out the venue, but we only saw maybe four or five other groups people walking around throughout the entire day who weren't other vendors or the few girl scouts present. Many of the other vendors packed up early in pretty sour moods because no one was around. It was about 98 degrees out with 99% humidity, which may have deterred people, but ultimately, it was clear the event had just not been advertised to the public. There wasn't even a cardboard sign by the main road indicating that there was an event, which I've seen almost any other time I've seen an event going on anywhere, even for small events like this one.

Eric and I waited it out until the official 2:00 end of the event, but only managed to make one sale. By the end of the day, we only brought in a $2 profit, not counting the cost of gas to drive out there, so all in all, fairly disappointing. But! Now we have the experience, so we are better prepared for a proper show. We've set up the table and the tent, and found out what works and what doesn't, what things we should maybe invest in, and that we should really put our energy into one of the larger shows, even though the table fee is higher.

We are thinking about the Great Frederick Fair-- which we have missed the entry deadline for this year-- the Annual Frederick Festival of the Arts and the Frederick Fiber Festival for next year. We're also looking south to Montgomery County which has a number of art and craft festivals down near where I used to live, like the Sugarloaf Crafts Festival in Timonium or Gaithersburg, or the Rockville Town Center Art Festival next year.

All in all, not a lost effort and we've learned a lot! But next time, we'll probably stick to the shows we know more what to expect in terms of turn out.

New item!

My mom used to complain about how cold her hands would get at work when using the computer, and so she found pocket gloves like these to keep warm. She called them her "mouse mits". 

Along the same idea, I began to play around with the idea of animal gloves, so animal "mits" seemed a no brainer!  These cute fingerless gloves will keep your hands nice and toasty. I knit the base and hand sew the buttons to form a face. 

So far, we have foxes and a pair of lions, but more animal options will be coming soon! 

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Come check us out on Etsy at TheWingedWhale!

December 2, 2017

Wheew. 

I’ve been sort of M.I.A. for a couple months while I’ve been working on getting our partner store RocketRobinPrints set up. I’ve been busy churning out art for that shop and working on some marketing outreach, establishing a new blog, making sure we have the right paper in stock, etc., etc. 

BUT! I’m back to TheWingedWhale in time for winter holidays!

We have a BIG shop update today. 

I’ve been working long shifts for the last few days to churn out some new products in time for the winter holiday season. 

I have SIX new sets of wings for you to check out. I have a couple regular sized wings, including a new color, and a couple new designs. I also have MINI wings in orange angel, purple angel, and orange dragon that are a perfect size for smaller kids or even pets. 

I have a few options for 2D foam tree ornaments too! I have metallic swirls on green, red, and blue -- each unique from the others. I also have some trees in red and green that I think are particularly cute. 

We also still have all the COZY STUFFED ANIMALS up on the shop!

We’re keeping busy!

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Come check us out on Etsy at TheWingedWhale!

September 26, 2017

Last listing for today.

These are the whale little knit whale keychains we’ve been working on. Our inventory is still relatively small, but they are quick to make and we hope to boost the inventory soon. 

With these keychains, we will donate 20% of profits to the Save the Whales foundation to help support efforts to combat climate change and other human environmental effects, protect the ocean and its inhabitants. As lovers of ocean creatures, we find the cause very important as new levels of temperature change threaten to decimate whole ocean communities and habitats. 

With the world’s changing climate, environmental conservation is a responsibility of the modern age. We at thewingedwhale hope to contribute what we can in donations and volunteer events.

This item ships internationally!

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