How bloomingdaythings got started
Introduce your Etsy shop and tell us your story. How did you begin and decide on what to sell on Etsy, and how do you create your products?
The history of my shop began in 2016. Embroidery has become my hobby that helps me deal with stress after a hard day, and I created an Instagram page for that. I made embroidered brooches (birds, animals, flowers, etc.) and was surprised to realise that they got some love and that some people were willing to buy such things. In those days, a few hashtags were enough, and interested people found you themselves and asked how to get a product. Then I found out about Etsy, and that is how the journey started.
For a couple of years, it was just a hobby that brought me some earnings sometimes. Over time, I felt that I would like to expand my embroidery activities. I began to devote more time and effort to this, and perseverance brought results.
Time passed, and in my creative search, I found myself in the field of embroidery reproductions of famous paintings. First I tried brooches, and then I embroidered hoop art. I recreate art made by impressionists and other great painters with needles and threads.
As I continued to follow the reaction to my activity on Instagram, I realised that, in addition to finished products, people are very interested in the opportunity to create such things on their own. So I started creating digital tutorials and embroidery kits, which quickly became the most popular items in my shop. Now everyone can make embroidered art inspired by great painters and create their own home museum.
Since I am Ukrainian, the war since 2022 has greatly affected my business and life in general. For a long time, I couldn't make or sell physical items or create new digital ones, and this in many ways led to the temporary decline of my Etsy shop. Now I live in another country, doing my best to return, and fortunately, I can see that my efforts are rewarded.
Favorite items
What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?
I have three favourites: "The Starry Night" by Vincent Van Gogh, "Japanese Footbridge" by Claude Monet, and "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt. They are presented as kits with all the necessary supplies and in the form of PDF instructions. Kits are usually a little more popular among buyers since they do not have to search for a hoop, threads, or fabric and transfer the pattern themselves. On the other hand, the PDF format allows you to scale the pattern and select the desired hoop size, choose the materials you like more, and immediately get to work without waiting for the parcel to arrive.
I myself am happy to remake these famous painting reproductions according to my own instructions, double-checking if they are clear and detailed enough.
If sometimes I feel a lack of creativity in my work, I make some brooches or hoops with new designs and place them on Etsy, since there are still buyers who are interested in my finished products.
Getting sales on Etsy
How long did it take for you to earn your first sale and how do you currently attract customers to your Etsy shop?
After some organic growth on Instagram, I found out about Etsy and attempted to post some listings. To my regret, a miracle similar to Instagram did not happen again. Listings remained on the page with several views and then went to expired mode after four months. I decided to get serious about using Instagram as a platform to promote my Etsy shop. So I started to share the news from my shop regularly, and it paid off: the ice broke, and I got my first sale and the first good review. I remember it being a hummingbird brooch that went to Australia. With that minimal reputation on Etsy, I continued my Instagram engagement strategy to promote my Etsy shop. In fact, even now, many loyal customers come from there. On Instagram, I have more opportunities to show behind the scenes of my work, keep up with new items, and be close to my followers. I also continue to work on my SEO to attract buyers on Etsy. The competition among sellers in the embroidery niche is increasing, so do not neglect any way to promote yourself.
Managing bloomingdaythings
How do you manage your shop? Are you running solo or do you have any team members? What tools or services do you use to run your shop and how do you handle fulfillment?
While embroidery was my hobby and I only sold finished products, I could operate with that on my own. But when I decided to make embroidery kits, it became clear that I needed help. Happily, my husband took over some of the business, like shipping the parcels and transferring patterns onto fabric. He even developed a plotter device to automatically draw patterns on felt.
When it comes to apps and programmes, I consider myself a minimalist. I widely use the Etsy app, and I think that I still have a lot of things to learn from it. For creating my products, especially tutorials, PDF patterns, and printed booklets, I use Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign programmes.
As for my fulfilment, making kits has brought a lot of things into my life that I need to keep an eye on. I have to make sure that there are enough booklets with tutorials for each kit, threads of all needed colours, fabric with transferred patterns, and other important components. And I'm not even talking about business cards, boxes, envelopes, ribbons, or other packaging materials. So that our apartment does not turn into a warehouse at all, I optimise the order of placement of all the materials and try to have kits ready to ship. When I have free time, I replenish the stock of items.
The future of bloomingdaythings
What goals do you have for your shop in the future?
In the near future, I am going to provide stick and stitch kits that will allow the buyers to embroider their favourite paintings on a backpack, cap, clothes, or other things made of fabric. I’m also working on providing needle minders in original designs with art motifs. My global goal is to instill love for these two wonderful art forms: painting and embroidery. Therefore, I think there are many more new products and designs ahead.
Advice for new sellers
What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?
I am sure that the main thing is your love for your work and your constancy. It may sound trite, but without these two factors, it is impossible to get a long-term result. I'm sure buyers feel it when something is made with love. It can even be seen through the photographs of your product. And please don't give up if the result isn't fast. Do your best, and then keep doing it for fun. Even if external circumstances unsettle you, your favourite thing will help restore your spiritual strength to continue on. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about.
