August came and went and September is now pretty much over too. This year has been a blur, but also quite productive. I have a tendency to take on too much and spread myself too thin, meaning I don’t always give things the attention they deserve. In August, I made the decision to make printing my main focus and I’m so glad I did. I’m looking forward to spending even more time on my business over the coming months.
Change of Name
One of the big things that happened this month was the change of name to my business. After much deliberating over many, many months, I finally went ahead and changed my name from The Last Twinkie to The Barefoot Printer. If you follow along on Twitter and Instagram, you’ll have seen the announcement a few days ago. I’ve never really been comfortable with the name The Last Twinkie, as it wasn’t even slightly related to the hand-printed products I make and it didn’t explain anything about my business whatsoever. Back in 2013, I needed a name that wasn’t already taken on Etsy – which is a task in itself. I also wanted a name that people would remember, and at the time, I thought it was a little bit quirky. For anyone who has seen the film Zombieland, you’ll be familiar with the fact that Woody Harrelson was on a quest to find the last Twinkie – hence where the name came from. Although, admittedly, most people stare at me blankly when I tell this story because they’ve never seen the film! I was drawn to The Barefoot Printer as the title gives a little bit more away about the products in my shop and also how I like to print: barefoot! I can’t remember when it happened, but one day I had the realisation about my printing preference and from that day on I couldn’t get the name out of my head. It took me a while to change it, but as the saying goes, better late than never. Once I’d made up my mind it happened pretty fast as I wanted to nab the name on Etsy before anyone else did. I’m still sorting out my branding/business cards etc. so I thank you all for your patience and support as I go through this transition.
Other Barefoot News
September is the month I start my Christmas printing and I feel bad for putting the C word out there, but there’s nothing like running a handmade business to make you aware of the upcoming seasons! As I’m printing Christmas stock, I keep pondering at what point it becomes acceptable to crack out the Christmas tunes?
I was a little sad the wedding stationery I wanted to launch has been postponed, but unfortunately, my timing was a little off. And now that Christmas is approaching, designing a new product line before the end of the year just isn’t possible.
I have a special edition ‘All You Need Is Love’ print now available over in my Etsy shop, which I may or may not have forgotten to add a few weeks ago. #epicfail Using a mix of red and black ink, it’s printed onto 320gsm 100% recycled cotton rag paper. I love the distressed look that printing onto this paper creates.
Other Non-Barefoot News
Who knew the whole buying/selling a house process could be so stressful and time-consuming? I didn’t think it would be a Sunday afternoon stroll, but I didn’t think it would take up as much time as it has done either. After a slight hiccup in the chain, our house has now sold again but we haven’t found anywhere to buy yet. We’ve just had an offer declined on a property, after a very confusing couple of weeks where we had to keep asking the question, ‘so is it for sale or is it not for sale?’. I felt the company selling the property were just messing people around. We have a second viewing on a property tomorrow and also a first viewing on another property. Please keep your fingers, toes and anything else crossed that may help!
I hope you’ve all had a good September and I look forward to catching up with you all again soon.
