So……How’s All That Change Coming Along??

Got a few minutes?  I’d like to give you an update on the status of all of the changes going on at Pink Chapeau.  Progres is excellent on some fronts, and a bit stalled on others.

I’ll start with good news.  My jewelry tags arrived tonight!  I’ve got some in silvertone, and some in goldtone.  The engraving came out really nice! I’m so excited. From now on, when you buy a piece of my handcrafted jewelry, it will be identified by my own tag.  Want a peek??

The tag logo was designed by the talented people at WP Pro Web Design  that design my website logo, and the charms were done by The Charm Factory.  I recommend both of these vendors if you need some custom work done.  They are both quick, and they do the job right.  I couldn’t be happier!!

More exciting news! I had mentioned that I would be changing the way I do shows.  I have purchased several more upright bust displays in many sizes, so my necklaces will be displayed to their full advantage.  Those are nice, but the part I’m really excited about  is my storage and transport.  Check out these monsters that I purchased from Nile:

I have two of them.  One contains 24 narrow trays, and the other contains 12 deeper trays for bigger items. The trays are lined with white leatherette, or black velveteen, and can go from the case to the display table in a matter of seconds.  Much easier than what I used to do!!!  For those of you who may not have seen how I did it before, most of my jewelry was stored in vintage jewelry boxes, which I ADORE!!! But for show prep, they are not the best. Then, all the pieces were individually laid out on the tables.  With the drawers,  I can prearrange by color , or maker , or however I wish.

Now for the not so exciting news….my “stall” points.  The online shop is at a point where my IT guy (aka my husband) is going to have to spend some time with me this weekend.  The shop itself looks great, and I”m happy with how it looks and works.  The part that is not working is the transfer of information from Paypal back to the store.  If anyone has ever set up an online store before, you may know that part is often troublesome.  I’m sure he will get it up and running soon, so please be patient with me.  I really want to share the store with you, but I can’t when it’s in Beta still…Keep your fingers crossed!

The other part that is taking me a loooooooonnnnnnnnnnnggggggggg time is my inventory  program.  I’m in the process of converting my existing inventory to a table in the database, and it takes  some tedious manipulation.   I just finished the first sheet of purchases from 2006 and 2007-the original worksheet had over 4,000 lines on it.  That’s a lot of stuff to go through!  I hope to get all of that completed this week.

Lastly, I got notice today that my paper tags and earring cards have also shipped.  I’ll be sure to share those with you when they arrive.  The talented people at Dolphin Bead have done a great job, and I can’t wait to photograph the finished product to show you.

So that’s the long and short of it…How’s your 2012 so far?  I hope you are reaching your goals!