Cute as a button

I am loving my new buttons I purchased on Etsy from Jcraftinagineering. I have been toying with the idea for a while of getting personalised buttons for my hats. Sure enough I can spot one of my creations a mile off but its time to start building the brand and expanding.

Firstly I am going to try these out on gifts and a few bespoke designs I am working on at the moment, and then expand to using them on my range.

Keep an eye on this space for some pictures of my new designs with the customised buttons !!!

The link to the shop where I got the buttons from is as follows: https://www.etsy.com/ie/people/jcraftimagineering?ref=pr_profile

Who is Little Lids Siobhan

I am a mammy, a wife, a full time worker and a crafter. I guess I am a lot of things to a lot of people, but becoming a mother made me start my business. I originally started making items for Isobel when I was pregnant, I wanted her to have pretty things and not all shop bought.  Also I suffered from low blood pressure while I was pregnant and found myself bound to the couch at times. So from here a crafty business began.

I am a mammy to the gorgeous Isobel who is five and started school last year. She is the inspiration behind the hats and now is at the age where she has her own ideas and opinions and is only too happy to share them with me.

I am a wife, I married Barry in 2014 and we live in Mountmellick with Isobel. Even on my wedding day I had the personal touch using many items which I made myself including my own bouquet.

I also work full time in Laois County Council for the past 15 years. At present I work in the Environment Section, a lot of my work is with the Tidy Towns. I am lucky to be able to say I love that job, its very rewarding and it's nice to work with the Tidy Towns Groups and feel that I can make a difference.

And finally when I have any spare time between work, homework, lunches, dinners and other tasks, I LOVE to craft. From making things for Isobel and family, I have grown my craft into a business and am always looking for ways to expand. If you want to see some of my creations check out my Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/littlelidssiobhan

I can also be found on the following social media sites:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/littlelids1
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/littlelidssiobhan
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/littlelidssd
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlelidssiobhan

Thank You

Well Friday has come and gone and we are sporting our new hair, getting lots of compliments and well done's on the event. Our hair is making its way to the Little Princess Trust who make wigs for children with cancer.

Thank you to all who have supported us and the donations received to date.

The idonate page is open till the end of March so there is still time to support our event. Monies go to the Irish Cancer Society and the Ben & Jake Connolly Trust.

Donations can be made using the following link:
https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/11258419_siobhan-and-isobel-duff-s-fundraising-page.html


A special thanks to Michelle and the staff of Christle Hair Company for cutting our hair and running a competition to raise funds also. Cathy Bishop also gave her time on the morning to come and take pictures, thanks again Cathy. If you want to see more of the pictures from Friday check out this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJMDphTVpmY

Some of our Cousins came in on the day for support, as Ruth had donated her hair last year also for kids with cancer. Pictured below are Ruth, Isobel and Roisin.

I have to say I am tremendously proud of Isobel, it was such a nice and brave thing for a little girl to do. When I explained I was doing it and where the hair and money would be going she also wanted to help out. I asked her why she wanted her hair cut up so short and her theory was that she could give enough to make a wig for a boy and a girl.

The spirit of my dad will always live on in her, she has such a big heart and always wants to give.

2016 creations

2016 creations #crochet #littlelidssiobhan #flipagram #Coldplay made with @flipagram . https://flipagram.com/f/m4mnPG5Psa

My most popular pictures on Instagram

Use #Likemeter to find out who likes you the most! Get link to the app in the profile @likemeter

Charity Haircut Update and Competition !!!!

Firstly thanks so much for the great response to our hair cut and charity collection on the 18th March 2016.


Donations can be made online at: https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/11258419_siobhan-and-isobel-duff-s-fundraising-page.html


Donation boxes are also in McElwee Pharmacies in Mountmellick and Christle Hair Company.


Christle Hair Company have been very generous and are running a great competition to help raise funds.

If you donate online and are on Facebook; after you donate visit their page to let them know you donated and guess the length of my hair to win an intensive hour long treatment with massage.

Their Facebook Page is:  https://www.facebook.com/chchair


Thanks again

Siobhan & Isobel

Etsy Trial

Like every craft business I am trying to make my mark and get my items out there for sale. There is nothing like that little burst of pride when you hear the cha-ching of a sale on Etsy. Literally that's the noise it makes, letting you know someone has fallen in love with one of your creations.

If you want to give it a try please use this link for 40 free listings:   http://etsy.me/1QFKDoj

My Shop is not long up and running but I am learning as I go. So far a few tips I have picked up are:

Creating your page

Profile pic: 400 x 400
Shop Icon: 500 x 500
Banner Size:Your banner will need to be exactly 760 pixels by 100 pixels in size. Save your banner image as a .jpg, .png, or .gif file format.




Item Listing photo: 800-1000 pixels wide.


Postage rates: check them out with your local post office or online and add a shipping profile to your account. This will help you go international.

Policies: Read through other shops policies and make yours tailored to your page, include returns policy etc.


Setting up your shop you might feel daunting and hardwork, but personally now that I have it done that was the easy bit. The items are not going to sell themselves, it takes a lot of active work on your page and promoting your items to get them noticed and increase your sales.


Getting Noticed!!!!
Getting your items noticed in listings takes time and effort, you may have to tweak your tags and words. If you google or research this it will come up as SEO - search engine optimisation or keywords.

An example here is my penguin lens buddy and the keywords I have attached to this listing.

Etsy’s search bar can give you a leg up on tracking what customers are searching? Start typing what you sell in the search bar. The words that appear are popular customer search terms. This will give you the exact keywords and phrases shoppers are searching, so be sure to use ones that are relevant to your product in your titles, tags and description.


 Networking and Social Media

Use all available platforms open to you, there normally free and have a good exposure. I myself have the following and try share on them as much as possible. If you wish to leave any of your links in the comments below I will be glad to check out your pages.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littlelidssiobhan  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/littlelids1
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/littlelidssiobhan
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/littlelidssd
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlelidssiobhan

While time consuming, using social media is quite cost effective and you will find many apps help you share. For instance if I put a picture on Instagram it gives me the options to share to Facebook, Twitter and Flickr directly without me having to replicate my work.

It is important to be active on these platforms once you have them set up. Its good to network and comment on other peoples page and profiles. Its a win win situation as you will gain followers and contacts for future business.

Keeping Love Alive

When the honeymoon period is over and your back to the daily routine, its nice to have a few reminders of your special day.


I start mine by seeing my handmade bouquet on display in the hall each morning and it doesn't stop there.

I made some cute little penguins to be part of the wedding day. There were two on my husbands motorbike on the day and I have upcycled  them into an air freshner for the car. So every morning on my way to work I am surrounded by memories of that special day.

Ready, Steady, Cut .............................

On the 18th of March myself and Isobel will be donating our hair to the Little Princess Trust who make wigs for Children with Cancer in Ireland and the UK. It is something close to my heart as my dad underwent several rounds of chemo during his battle with cancer. The day he was diagnosed I was with him and his only question was would he lose his hair. It has always stuck with me, you think a man wouldn't mind as much as a woman, but I suppose it takes away your privacy and way of dealing with your illness.

****UPDATE*****

I have now set up a donations page on idonate: https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/11258419_siobhan-and-isobel-duff-s-fundraising-page.html

********************************************************************************* 

As part of the process I hope to do some fundraising during the Month of March for two great causes.
The Irish Cancer Society and the Ben & Jake Connolly Trust. They are two that are close to my heart.

Everyone unfortunately has had someone they love have to battle cancer. My own dad passed away after a six year battle. You can make a donation to them at: http://www.cancer.ie/get-involved/fundraise/how-to-donate

The second are two little boys who live locally, Jake unfortunately passed away recently at the age of two; which devastated our local community.

To read up on the boys and the trust please visit their website: http://www.benandjakeconnollytrust.com

Donations can be made to the trust from here: http://www.benandjakeconnollytrust.com/donate

You can also donate by text:

Locally, if you want to donate you can contact myself (086 8407359) and also collection boxes are in the following locations for the month of March.

Christle's Hair Salon
McElwees Pharmacies in Mountmellick



Thanks in advance for your support.

Siobhan & Isobel