Every year my favorite holiday comes around with a bang. No, not the 4th of July. Halloween! I don't know what it is specifically but I love this holiday. Get me around people dressed up in costumes any other time of the year and they freak me out. Especially bunnies, it's creepy. Halloween night? It's fine!
Usually I've had my costume planned out for the entire year before hand. This year, I have no clue at all. School has kept me so busy, then trying to work enough hours to pay my few bills, worrying about other things life throws at me, my costume ideas are on the back burner. Easy ideas that if I end up going somewhere, Jane Lane from Daria (super easy I know) or Moira from American Horror Story. My hair is almost that color already so just need a cheesy french maid costume and that should be easy.
The reason I say this holiday comes around with a bang is because of Etsy. I sell on there and have for years now. Around the end of July I start getting questions about Thing 1 Thing 2 hats for little kids, even adults. This year, one order. By this time last year I was drowning in orders trying my hardest to get them all done and maintain some semblance of seeing human in my conversations with buyers. Even two years ago I had almost more orders than I could come up with.
Now surely I haven't made these cute sets for every person in the United States have I? Surely not, I think my wrist would have swelled up and fallen off from carpal tunnel had I done that. So is it Etsy? Have they changed crap around so much that no one can find jack on their website anymore? Are there so many re-sellers and fake crap that isn't actually handmade but from China and being sold under false pretenses that no one wants to bother with Etsy anymore?
I have no idea but I'm a little bummed this year as to the next to zero sales of Cat in the Hat costume ideas. I loved Dr. Suess as a child and being an only child it would have been silly to dress up as Thing 1 or Thing 2 and not have the other. So I've enjoyed making these hats for others and I absolutely love getting pictures from customers with their kids all dressed up. Trust me, they're adorable. I would post some but I don't have permission from parents and I would hate to disrespect wishes from anyone like that.
So any ideas on what in the world is causing the no sales this year? Dr. Suess isn't popular anymore? Pinterest has ruined the crafters edge in consumerism? (I do not have a pinterest account nor do I plan on getting one. I think it's silly to bookmark all these projects and then waste 3 hours finding more and more that I will never actually do rather than google one project and actually do it). Etsy is becoming so fake and not taking care of their handmade crafter's? I don't know but if you needed an idea for your kids or twins Cat in the Hat is a good choice and I have plenty of hats made up already and extra yarn!
Oh the idea for these hats started out a long time ago. I wanted to make hats for those going through Chemotherapy and had lost their hair. They're super soft, fuzzy like short hair, and as a customer recently said a whimsical way to cover up a bald head. Someone wanted two of these and told me for their little ones for a costume idea and it's exploded from there. I still make the Cro-Wigs as my mother and I called them, in various colors and still donate to the local cancer centers here.
