join the make it pretty subscription club!

Posted on 29. Nov, 2011 by Princess Lasertron.

Have you ever wanted a one-of-a-kind Princess Lasertron creation, but you weren’t sure what to buy? Are you constantly wanting the newest thing? Do you LOVE getting beautiful things in the mail?

I am trying something new, experimental, and exciting with any fun-loving customers who want to come along on the adventure—the Princess Lasertron Club Subscription! Pay $30 every two months and I will send you an original creation of my choosing every eight weeks—shoe clips made with vintage earrings, a pin made with a new fun color of felt, a sweet small package of handmade ephemera and supplies, a small handmade fabric-covered notebook–you never know what it will be, but you can bet it will be adorable and it will make you happy.

You get a collection of six items over the course of the year that no one else will have, and I’m free to make things using only my own creativity and favorite materials as a guide. Every package will be a surprise for you, and I can’t wait to make you something you’ll love! You can choose the payment plan that works for you–$30 every two months, a six-month membership, or for a year all at once!

Club members will also receive exclusive sneak peeks about our fall 2012 line of separates and other new products, coupon codes for my shop, and inclusion in special giveaways just for club members.

Click the graphic above or go to the Make it Pretty Club page in our shop to subscribe.

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buy handmade: get free gift wrap with each cyber monday purchase!

Posted on 27. Nov, 2011 by Princess Lasertron.

Cyber Monday is finally here! I filled up the Princess Lasertron shop with tons of fun and beautiful new things that will bring as much joy to your life as they brought to me while making them. When you order before December, each pretty thing you purchase will be gift wrapped in the special packaging I have been working on for the last two weeks. Getting a package from me is always a treat for the eyes, but I’ve gone overboard with the pretty for this week.

• Paloma’s Nest :: Handcrafted heirlooms for weddings, children, and home
• Measure Cut Cut Studio :: Wooden hot air balloons, blimps, and rockets made in Omaha
• Forage :: Handmade bow-ties in classic cool patterns
• Artifact Bag Co. :: Beautiful canvas and leather bags handcrafted in Omaha
• Minikin :: Fashion-forward clothing for children
• Moorea Seal :: Gorgeous statement jewelry at super affordable prices–you’re sure to find a signature piece here!
• Pretty Little Things :: Whimsical design for the young and young at heart (I love her bags!)
• Little Alouette :: Handcrafted wooden baby toys (Alice used a Little Alouette teether!)
• Make Believe Clothing Co. :: These hip tees are favorites of many celebrities, and they’re designed and printed in Omaha!
• Kinies :: Handmade canvas bags–I carry a red bow bag every day!

Budget to buy handmade or support other small businesses (and your local economies) this holiday season! Think about the amount of packaging, resources, waste, and in some cases, human suffering it takes to manufacture so many of the things you could purchase from a big box store. Especially in tight times like these, it’s great to remember that we are in this together and honor the spirit and meaning of the holidays by giving a thoughtful gift rather than merely a cheap, convenient one. Sometimes with independent retailers and handmade artisans you will pay a little more, but when you buy from small businesses you are really giving two gifts–one for the lucky recipient who is surely set to unwrap a completely unique gift, and the gift of support for an independent business.

Thank you again for your support–whether you are a shopper or a reader, I love you all! Happy holidays!

xo

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never mind about that etsy thing…

Posted on 23. Nov, 2011 by Princess Lasertron.

Shrug!

So I will try to get that worked out…otherwise look at shop.princesslasertron.com for Cyber Monday goodies as I upload them. The deal I am doing for Monday is free gift wrap for every item ordered that day. Be sure to make a note in your calendar to head over to the shop to see if you want anything, because when you receive your package in the mail it will absolutely make your day. Whether it’s a gift for yourself or a purchase for someone else, the packaging we’ve been working on for the last two weeks will be worth it.

xo

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today’s outfit: that amazing lauren moffatt coat + thoughts about etsy

Posted on 22. Nov, 2011 by Princess Lasertron.

I love this coat.

Everyone I run into who has seen it at Anthropologie says “I almost bought that!”

Definitely the best piece of the season. Way to go, Lauren Moffatt.

Working in the studio today on Cyber Monday stuff.
I’ll have lots of pins and headbands.
I’m launching three new kits.
I’m introducing an experimental idea–a subscription club that I will mention again later.
And I actually want your opinion about this–I’m thinking about putting it all on Etsy as well as my own shop.

As a seller, I’m not a big fan of Etsy. It is better for SEO and it’s easier for people to stumble upon your work–when I moved to hosting my own shop on Big Cartel I saw a huge drop in traffic and sales. But I liked Big Cartel better because there was no “community” cattiness, no rules about profiles and linking, I didn’t have anxiety about seeing copies of my work two days after I listed it, and I could customize the look of the shop to my brand.

Being able to customize the look of my shop and the page’s URL was my biggest motivation for the move away from Etsy. My Big Cartel shop could be “My Own Shop.” I could feel ownership of the design, the layout, and the success or failure of the product I shared.

But now, I don’t really care as much about “brand look.” I care more about meaningful interaction with readers and customers, creating content that people like to engage with, and having fun.

More on that later too.

I joined Etsy in 2006 and left in 2010 because I was frustrated with the heavily moderated community and rules about listings and terms of use contrasted with the completely unmoderated landscape of sellers ripping each other off. I wanted more control over my business and Etsy was not a channel I saw as part of my future growth. But with my changing feelings about brand and the results I’ve seen from my move to Big Cartel, I am re-evaluating my strategy. I’ve had a tough quarter and I need those sales. Owning both Princess Lasertron and CAMP Coworking has my resources spread thin right now. I’m an entrepreneur and I take risks. That’s just real talk.

My biggest priority right now after a few years of experimentation is just ease of use for customers. I want it to be easy for customers to learn about me and engage with my products. I don’t want them to have to search. I want them to find it. And then I want to see them share what they like on Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook. People know who I am. I’ve done well for myself. I can leave the brand schtick behind for a while because I have a personality, and maybe going to back to Etsy help me lower some of the barriers that staunch branding has created for me.

More on that later, too.

I like that Etsy does a lot to promote their sellers, and that it’s the most easily searchable database of handmade goods for consumers to find during their gift shopping this season.

So what do you think?

Coat: Lauren Moffatt Sugar Cane Coat
Top: Robin
Skirt: Made for my birthday by Emma Erickson
Socks: Target
Shoes: MIA Girl
Necklace: Erickson Beamon for Target

xo
meg

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you asked for it: new pins and baby headbands in the shop!

Posted on 12. Nov, 2011 by Princess Lasertron.

What I’m working on now, mainly, is building up inventory for Christmas shoppers! Every year we do something for Cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving) and I have some great ideas for that–we’re also launching a few totally new kits on Cyber Monday.

In the meantime, I’ve been making headbands for babies by popular demand! I don’t like a lot of baby headbands and Alice won’t wear them, so they have never really been on my radar as far as a product that I identified my brand with. But the requests kept coming and I decided to challenge myself–what does a Princess Lasertron baby wear? Here’s what I came up with–just these four at first:

bee baby headband - $35

drew baby headband - $40

sasha baby headband - $35

lucille baby headband

All of these little beauties are available at shop.princesslasertron.com now! I also uploaded a few new embroidered flower pins, so check those out too.

Today I had a great photoshoot with Daniel Muller and the girls who are planning Lovestruck 2012 with me–I haven’t said much about that yet because I like to wait until the website is up for things like that, but I’m working with Candace Kalasky and Lesley Pick to bring a nontraditional wedding fair-type event to the Midwest here in Omaha. In the next few weeks we will launch the website so I’m sure I’ll say more then. In fact, I’m sure you’ll get sick of hearing me say more.

As always is the case.
Thanks for reading and make it pretty!
meg

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