Challenge 52 Update: Week 26

Here we are, halfway into my Challenge 52!  In case you don't remeber (or have only recently started following my blog - hello there!), Challenge 52 was started by another seller on Folksy, who set herself the challenge of blogging once a week for a year in order to update her blog more frequently, and invited others to join in with her.  Well, my poor blog was also looking a bit neglected, so I decided to take part!  And although I haven't always kept up with once a week, I have certainly been blogging more regularly with updates, events and personal challenges.  As I have now reached the halfway point in my challenge, I thought it would be nice to look back over the past 26 weeks and remind myself of some of the things I have done since I started this challenge.  So, here goes....

• I have updated my blog.  No, I don't just mean posting regularly!  I had a gorgeous new background designed for me, and have updated my tabs along the top (although my gallery page is still a work in progress - hmm, next week's challenge....?).  I have turned my blog into my main website because I felt it looked much nicer than my website, and it's so much easier to keep up-to-date.  I spend enough time on the computer as it is without having a separate website to update too!!

• New stock updates, in particular earrings.  My shop was previously dominated by necklaces, but I now have a much better range of earrings; sparkly, pearly, big, small, and even some with dragons on!!  I was especially pleased with these, and they've proved popular as they are currently sold out! (More on their way soon though.)

• I have been working on a couple of big commissions this year.  Some completed ones I have added to my Commissions page, whilst others are still works in progress.  I also made myself a commissions book, which I can fill with photos of past commissions and take with me to craft fairs for people to see other pieces I have made.

• Craft fairs!  I may have bored you all to death actually with repeated posts about the preparations for my fair back in June!  But it was my first one :-) I got all my stock ready, along with sales tags, table posters and lots of display stands.  I have also signed up for several more, in December and next year, and the ones I have confirmed bookings for are listed on my Events page.

• Lots of Folksy Friday posts, on themes ranging from New Home, ACEOs and dogs.

• Sending some of my work to be displayed (and sold!) at Rosewill Cottage in Whitley Bay, as part of their Rent A Square scheme.  I still have my square there, for anybody nearby who hasn't been to see it, or the beautiful bead shop it's in, yet!  I also had a summer sale in my own Folksy shop, something new for me!

• Opening my new Folksy shop, Atlas Moth Designs, very exciting for me!  In case you haven't visited yet, it's where I sell the cards, notebooks, ACEOs and other hand-drawn items I love to make; it was a case of either start selling them or stop making them, so here they are on sale!!

Looking back, it seems I've done quite a lot these past six months!  And the next six look set to be just as busy, so you'll have to find out about the rest of my plans in my future Challenge 52 posts!