Favorite Etsy Memories

Because Etsy is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month, it is encouraging all members of its community to share their favorite Etsy memory. I’m both a buyer and a seller in the Etsy marketplace, but I thought I would participate by sharing my favorite memories as a seller through Lost Cause Revival. 🙂
The first moment that comes to mind is just that: one of the first moments with Etsy. Paranoid stressball/glutton for punishment I am, I stayed up until 7a.m. before LCR premiered making sure every item I listed was appealing with quality photos and colorful descriptions. Needless to say, I was an exhausted loopy mess the day of Lost Cause Revival’s official grand opening July 11th, 2014. My best friend Mary came over bearing my favorite coffee and encouraging my bedraggled pursuits.
LCR’s big day happened to fall on that year’s Cow Appreciation Day, and Mary and I had always wanted to dress up like cows for free food. She painted cow spots on shirts on the floor as I continued to stare at my computer screen, eyes twitching.
By noon, I was ready to reveal my business (my baby) to the world. Lost Cause Revival went live and we danced around my living room. The next moooove? (Heh) We changed into our bovine attire and made sure we had everything.
As I went to shut off the computer, I received my first order. Subsequent screaming probably startled the neighbors as we danced again and went to check the order— this antique lock plate necklace.

 

I can’t look at this photo without mentally fixing the symmetry. Ah, very humble beginnings.

In that moment, I was so excited that I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. Thus, I went to eat a free meal with my best friend dressed up as a cow. Obviously.

We glowed with excitement and white cow garb. (Mary is on the left, and I’m the awkward potato on the right)

It wasn’t until a bit later that it began to sink in that Lost Cause Revival was now a real thing that real people were interested in.
This leads to my next favorite memory, which happens to be my most recent one. (Seriously, really recent) (as in today).
I have been experimenting more with computer key jewelry lately, especially with mixed key styles. As sort of a prototype, I created a piece for myself featuring Lost Cause Revival’s acronym.

 

Experimenting with multi-colored keys (before necklacedom)

After getting some good feedback, I turned this piece into a necklace. Today was my day to wear it out and see how it acted in the wild.
I had a university event today representing a club I’m the Vice President of (UAH Charger Theatre Club ftw), which brings me to my memory (finally).
At the event, two girls approached our booth, so I launched into my spiel. After talking with one of the girls about the club, the other girl took a good look at my necklace.
“Does LCR stand for Lost Cause Revival?” she asked.
I looked at her like she had three unicorn heads. When I finally could speak, all my brain could muster was “Yeah… How do you…?”
As I struggled to regain functionality and not cry, she told me that she loved my Etsy shop and thought my work was awesome. I couldn’t find the right words to tell her how much everything about this serendipitous situation meant to me in my state of shock, but I tried my best. After talking about her favorite creations and upcoming events, they continued on their way, and I was left in a haze of disbelief and happiness.
The idea that my work could be recognized by a stranger who admires my little Etsy shop I care so much about is such a crazy, amazing concept that I’m still trying to wrap my brain around it.
Both of these memories have helped me realized that I can connect with people and spread my passion for upcycling through something bigger than myself. Taking such huge steps towards my dreams wouldn’t have been possible without Etsy. I’ll keep memories like these in my heart as I battle challenges and keep working to make Lost Cause Revival grow to be the best it can be
There are no lost causes.

 

~Kaylie

Catching Up!

Hello friends!

Things with Lost Cause Revival (and life in general) have been rather crazy, so this post will be mostly my attempts to catch up!

Since my last post in March (oy vey), Lost Cause Revival has had a few fun/awesome developments.

In April, I met with my lovely model Lydia to photograph some recycled plastic jewelry.

This funky mosaic necklace is recycled from used gift cards!

During the shoot, I accidentally hit a setting that recorded footage between every photo I took (as long as I didn’t turn it off). The result was this fun unintentional behind-the-scenes video.

All of this batch of quirky jewelry is handmade from various types of plastic from gift cards to shampoo bottles. Everything is available in the Etsy shop now.

Also in April, I applied for Lost Cause Revival to be a vendor booth at a huge event in my area, the Madison Street Festival. This month, I got the email saying that I was accepted as a vendor!

Hurray!

I’m so excited that Lost Cause Revival will be in a craft festival for the first time ever! I’m looking forward to meeting interested people face to face, seeing people’s reactions, and really introducing Lost Cause Revival to my local community. I can’t wait to design my booth and set that up, either. It’s going to be crazy getting preparations ready, but I can’t wait.

Here are some photos of some new items I’m considering bringing to the festival:

These barrettes are recycled from denim belt loops!

These flower hair accessories are made from fabric scraps, belt loops, and vintage buttons.

These quirky pendants are made from bottle caps, polymer clay, recycled wire, and various other upcycled doo-dads.

 

A fairly recent (meaning yesterday) development is one I was unaware of to begin with. While checking Lost Cause Revival’s stats, I saw that there was traffic coming in from some sources I hadn’t spotted before. Upon further investigation, I found that some of my computer key pieces were featured on several sites.

These computer key earrings were featured on a list of geeky earrings!

This CTRL ALT DELETE necklace was featured with many ideas on how to upcycle computer keyboards. 

They are both still available in the Etsy shop. 🙂

Thank you for keeping up with my late rambles and updates. I hope to get better about keeping things here regular as I had planned.

Until next time,

Kaylie

Photoshoot Adventures!

Photoshoots for Lost Cause Revival are always an interesting experience. I remember the first one I did was a blur of panicking and forgetting things before getting down to experimenting. I’ve since settled into my own groove and it is working thusfar.

Anyways, the most recent LCR photoshoot occurred Saturday, and it ended up quite successful (if I do say so myself). The weather in my area has been particular, so I was nervous that me and my lovely model Lydia would freeze our butts off like we did in December. Thankfully, the weather smiled upon us, and it ended up being pretty lovely in our downtown setting besides some pesky wind.

She’s fabulous even with SUDDEN WIND STRUGGLES.

We set up shop in the shade for the most part, so Lydia maneuvered to stay toasty warm between shots.

Staying warm with a fuzzy jacket!

This is Lydia’s second time modeling LCR creations, and I daresay she is pretty darn fabulous. She’s sweet, gorgeous, versatile (which is so helpful with LCR’s eclectic styles), and most importantly SUPER GOOFY.

Lydia’s version of “the Smolder”?

We have too much fun. I swear half of the photos from Saturday look like this. We got distracted by passersby and dance music more than I care to admit.

Okay, now I should refocus and focus on the reason for the photoshoot in the first place. I’m so super excited about the Lost Cause Revival creations featured this time around.

Steampunk statement necklace! 

I was able to recently delve deeper into steampunk creations with my fabulous antique watch parts. They were given to me by my now ex-boyfriend’s aunt whose father repaired watches back in the day. She didn’t know what to do with them, so they are mine now! Life is weird. Anywho, I can’t get over the artisan quality of the watch parts and the intricate little details.

This is my favorite watch part by far. I can’t handle the beautiful patterns and mixed metal aspect.

I also experimented with some computer keys from the many used keyboards people have given me. These are quirky in the most fun geektastic way! I can’t wait to make more combinations.

This CTRL ALT DELETE necklace is made of Win.

I will be editing and listing items in the very near future, so keep an eye out!

~Kaylie

Favorite Materials

As an avid upcycler, I love experimenting with a broad spectrum of different materials from candy wrappers to bicycle inner tubes. I have overwhelming resources, and it’s such an awesome creative challenge. Still, I can’t help but have my favorites.

Here are my top 3 materials to work with:

So many colors!

1.) BUTTONS~~ Dear goodness, I could write about buttons all day. Buttons are by far my favorite material ever. Ever. I have a collection of them sorted by color (amongst other things). Why are they my favorite thing to work with from a creator’s perspective?
• Buttons can be so unique. They come in all shapes, sizes, materials, and colors, making so many possibilities for me to work with. Metal round brass button with a military emblem? Got it. Tiny mother of pearl button? Got it. Brown plastic button shaped like a pretzel? Got it.
• Buttons are also incredibly versatile. They can be used as decorative or functional elements in a wide variety of creations. In one purse I create, I may use some buttons to hold the purse closed while others embellish the outside of the purse.
• Buttons are so timeless. I only use vintage buttons in my work, whether given to me from my great great grandmother’s collection or found at a flea market. Buttons span so many centuries that it’s difficult not to imagine the stories behind each one—what article of clothing it came from? Who owned it? It’s crazy.

This is a small selection of my collection.

2.) Antique odds and ends~~ This is a pretty broad category, but I couldn’t bring myself to narrow it down. I encounter many beautiful antique materials in my ventures, sometimes as found treasures or sometimes as “donations.” I appreciate the artistry of times past, and I am an old soul at heart. Who knew I would find myself freaking out over old silverware and rusty keys? Materials like antique watch parts have beauty and stories within themselves, so working with them is incredibly special to me.

So many plastic materials in various stages of being altered

3.) Plastics~~ I love working with plastic because doing so really feels like I’m truly recycling. Most of the plastic I use would have been otherwise discarded. Not only are they a classic example of “lost causes,” plastics come in all sorts of textures and thicknesses from plastic bags to shampoo bottles to gift cards. I’m all about experimenting with variety! I also feel like I have more control and ability to manipulate them creatively. Plastics can be cut, burned, or twisted to my liking without harming the integrity of the material.

2014 Review + 2015 Goals

Hello friends. I know it has been awhile since I’ve had a handle on this business blog, but things will be changing soon. Before I get into that, I suppose I should cover everything that Lost Cause Revival has accomplished in 2014. Being such a young business, LCR has had a year of many “firsts” and fumbles, but that’s what made 2014 special.

These are the items from LCR that got sent to new homes!

2014 in Review for Lost Cause Revival:

~Designed and printed first set of business cards

~Staged first photoshoot

~Opened the Etsy shop!! (HURRAY!!)

~First sale!

~First custom piece!

~Got featured on the Patriot Pages news site

~Participated in Wounded Warrior Project 5K raffle by donating items

~Sold first out-of-

state order!

It’s not a long list, but it’s significant one. I’ve wanted to share my work for years, and it’s crazy to think that Lost Cause Revival is actually a thing now. I have a shop. I sell my work. Mind blown. 2014 has been a crazy year.

With that being said, 2015 is going to be even better. Thanks to better planning on my part, I feel better prepared to handle ventures and reach my goals.

I drafted the goals in my handy dandy notebook that I keep Lost Cause Revival everything in.

Here are some of Lost Cause Revival’s 2015 Goals:

~Have a booth at a craft market/festival
~Create and list new items each month (and everything that comes with that, like regular photoshoots and such)
~Stick to plans for the LCR blog (don’t give up!)
~Create regular newsletters to send to those interested
~Sell at least three items per month
~Experiment with new materials and techniques
~Collaborate with local businesses
~Be a part of a creative community (don’t be an island!)
~Build relationships with customers

I feel like I should explain my reasoning, so here we go.

Have a booth at a craft market/festival: I’ve always been drawn to crafts/art festivals and seeing the wide variety of artisans coming together. There is something inherently exciting about it, and I’ve always known I wanted to participate in such an event. Now, as a business, I can really see the potential to make wonderful connections. Meeting fellow artisans would be such a blessing, especially for someone just starting out like me. I take all the advice I can get. Making connections with interested customers is also EXTREMELY valuable. People specifically come to the festivals to buy handmade things, right? Representing at an event like that would allow me to have face-to-face discussions with potential customers and connect at a personal level. This is a really important goal to me, so I will be pressing to follow through.

Create and list new items each month: Because I’m a full time college student, time is something I have to manage very carefully. I think that setting specific dates for making items, staging photoshoots and listing new items will be really helpful for my schedule. Creating is my favorite part of Lost Cause Revival, and I wasn’t able to make as much as I wanted these last few months because of lack of planning. Plus, generating more content (oh no, my technical side is showing) brings Lost Cause Revival to a larger group of people. It will be challenging, but I will strive for this goal.

Stick to plans for the LCR blog: So you all may be familiar with my LCR blog plans and failures in the past. First, I neglected the blog altogether because of lack of planning (I’m sensing a trend here). Then, I overcommitted to a huge blog plan: three posts a week. I don’t know how I thought I could handle that with 17 credit hours at school… Oy vey. Anyways, the NEW PLAN is two posts a month—specifically the first and third Tuesday of every month. I already have the year’s worth of posts planned, so I’m already one step towards this goal! I’m super excited for everything I have to share with you!

Create regular newsletters to send to those interested: I’ve been told from the start that newsletters are invaluable to small businesses, so I’ve done some research. It seems like a good venture to invest in. If all goes as planned, I should be able to let people sign up for the newsletter if they are so interested. As for scheduling, I’m planning on once a month. The newsletter should include new listings, any events Lost Cause Revival will be at (fingers crossed), a blog post roundup, and special offers and such. I’m not limiting myself to those, but it’s a good start.

Sell at least three items per month: While this does sound like a goal I can’t really control unless I force people to BUY MY CREATIONS (dammit), I mean it as more of a marketing challenge to myself. It’s hard being a tiny voice in the Etsy marketplace of so many talented artisans, so I’m hoping to find creative ways to put my creations in front of people. That’s all. There are many ways, and I hope to explore them. I hope this physically measured goal can be reached (please). I kid, I kid.

Experiment with new materials and techniques: As I said before, creating is the absolute best part of operating Lost Cause Revival. I LOVE learning new techniques (or inventing versions of them) (*hair flip*) because it is creatively fulfilling. Experimenting with new (to me) materials has the same effect. I love it when people give me a materials to work with, and I have to figure out what to do with it. I don’t often make designs ahead of time. Most of my work is just me experimenting with materials from my collection. Holding chopsticks in my hand and wondering how to make them into jewelry is as thrilling as holding a pen to a blank page for a writer or holding hands over a piano for a composer (in my humble opinion). So this is more of a personal/business goal that a solely business goal. Oh, how things intertwine.

Collaborate with local businesses: I have always been invested in supporting local businesses. Seeing people so passionate about their work and hearing their stories in person is so inspiring to me. I think some sort of collaboration (whether big or small) would be really awesome. End of story.

Be a part of a creative community: I suppose this could be included within a few other goals, but oh well. Being an introvert with an online business, it’s really easy to become an island. It’s also pretty lonely and unfulfilling. Though being my upcycling self, I would probably make jewelry out of old coconuts or something… Anyways. In 2015, I want to be a part of some sort of community, whether it is chatting regularly with local Etsy artisans at craft fairs or mustering the courage to speak up in the Etsy team I am a part of (Etsy Recycler’s Guild) or joining similar teams. I want to make connections, build relationships, and learn things. I really hope I can make this one work.

Build relationships with customers: Again, it’s more difficult to reach people through a screen. I’m going to continue doing what I can to build positive seller-customer relationships. My work is handmade, and I want to keep my business relations personal as well. Lots of my sales as of yet are from people familiar with me (Kaylie) as a person, and that’s great. However, my goal is to connect with people interested with my work who don’t know me. I have some vague plans for this, and it will be a work in progress to be continued as long as Lost Cause Revival is operating.

So, if you’re still reading, thank you for sticking around. It means more than you think that you would listen to my goals. I’m excited for this new year and the adventures it will bring. I’ll see you in 2015.

~Kaylie

Exciting Blog Plans!

Hello, all. Kaylie here. I’m sorry for the months of neglect. Things have been crazy over here.

Anyways, updates: Lost Cause Revival has been scraping by (very good for a start, I suppose). Balancing time has been a challenge, which leads to my plan of action. Drumroll, please!

I’m setting up a schedule for the Lost Cause Revival blog. I want this to be a space where I can connect with people who believe in the LCR philosophy. I want to inspire. I want to be inspired. I want to let you behind the scenes. I want a creative community. I want to share what I know. I want to share what I love.

Lost Cause Revival is more than a business. It’s my way of life, and I want to invite you to join me believing in no lost causes.

So I can be held accountable, here is my blog schedule (for now) with brief explanations:

Sneak-Peek Sundays: I’m dedicating my Sunday posts to shop updates and insider insights about what I’m working on. I think this will be a really cool feature. Expect anything from sales to process photos to excitement about new materials.

Make It Mondays: On Mondays, I’ll give a step-by-step tutorials on how to make some fun recycled crafts! I’m tentatively looking at some interesting techniques I use like fusing plastic, felting sweaters, and using Mod Podge with recycled paper.

Waste Not Wednesdays: Wednesday posts are going to revolve around Lost Cause Revival’s ideology of sustainability. I’m hoping that this will allow me to support other artists, businesses, and organizations that stand for reducing waste. I may cover anything from upcycled fashion bloggers to small companies with big ideas. I want to start sparks, connect ideas, and bring together change.

These are certainly subject to change, but it’s a start. Everything will commence starting NEXT SUNDAY, September 28th.

I’m so excited to start this journey! There are no lost causes.

~~Kaylie

The Shop is Open!!

Hurray! I am proud to announce that Lost Cause Revival is up and kicking on Etsy! My recycled jewelry is now out an available for the world to see… It’s a scary, wonderful thought.

Check out the shop here: www.etsy.com/shop/LostCauseRevival

I tried to get most of my stock up to show the variety of styles I make, but I’ll keep adding items as I feel needed. I’m serious about my eclectic designs, though. I make everything from rocker necklaces to vintage rings to bohemian earrings. Call me indecisive, I can’t help that I love so many styles!

Selling my own creations… I have wanted this for so long. It’s crazy to think that my middle school pipe dream is a blossoming reality. I’m an entrepreneur at 18 years old, and I feel…like an electric tangled mix of twitching determined passion.

The crazy preparations for launching have about sent me over the edge. I’m not even going to lie, I was so stressed out and “AAAH LAST MINUTE EVERYTHING” that I got a full one hour of sleep before the launch. If some of the listings sound a bit wonky, it’s probably because I typed it at 3:32am under the influence of high Mountain Dew dosages.

I’ll try not to get too stressed out about the shop. I want to continue to be able to truly do what I love without being an occasional zombie.

~~Kaylie

Huge Announcement!

Hey there! I’m sorry I haven’t done a great job keeping everything updated. The business cards printed beautifully, and I can announce that the Etsy shop will be open for business this Friday (July 11th)!

So much has happened this past month. I finally got my business license! So that means I won’t be selling my jewelry illegally, so YAY! I do admit that I happy danced down the hallway after that. I feel very official.:)

Everything else has been a blur of photo editing, form filling, description writing, banner making, and all sorts of things in between. I can’t wait until I can unveil the Lost Cause Revival Etsy shop in all its quirky glory!!

Welcome!

Welcome to to the official blog of upcoming Etsy shop Lost Cause Revival! The shop features an eclectic mix of handmade upcycled jewelry and accessories designed by Kaylie Miller (yours truly). Stay tuned for more about the designing process, recycling inspiration, and special deals!