There's a party in the howwwwwws (house =)). It's time to officially announce my new non-eBay web site PhatFabric.com. Having been on eBay for almost 2 years, I feel like I've moved out of a track home and into a custom built house with acres of land filled with flowers and rolling hills. Don't get me wrong, eBay has been good to me. However, it was time to branch out and create something that was entirely me! Speaking of creating, my web designer, the talented Clarke Graves of Clarke design, was amazing. Not only was he full of ideas and suggestions, but he was also a great listener and communicator. I highly recommend his services.
To celebrate the grand opening of Phatfabric.com, I am having an apron giveaway. Hooray! The above apron is titled Sway (like the fabric I used to make it) and it is the apron for the apron giveaway. Here are the details to enter and win.
Visit my new fabric shop Phatfabric.com and come back to leave a comment telling me what you like or don't like (i can handle it, but be constructive not destructive). Here are some website areas that I'm curious to know your thoughts about; the music, is the site easy to navigate through, do you understand the shipping, and anything else that might jump out at you.
Lastly, if you have previously purchased an apron from me, you are eligible to enter a second time. Be sure to include how many aprons you have purchased, because you get 1 entry per apron. Also, you will need to include your etsy user name that you used when you purchased the apron.
If you are outside of the US, you are more than welcome to enter the giveaway. However, you will have to pay for shipping.
All entrants be sure to leave your name, etsy shop, blog, or some sort of title to identify you if you should win. I will announce the winner on Friday September 19, 2008. Let the giveaway begin =)
Oh ya, one more thing. If your name is Cynthia or Julia and you're related to me, you can't enter. You'll get your aprons at Christmas time ;)
The giveaway is now closed. I will announce the winner in just a bit. Thank you for all of your comments and suggestions.
Jamie
30 comments:
Congratulations on your new shop! I think it is well designed and easy to navigate. I like that you sell fat quarters too! The only part that I think would be better changed somehow would be the ordering. When you click "add to cart" you get one yard. It seems as though there should be a prompt asking how many yards because I can see people just clicking "add to cart" and forgetting to change the number of yards.
Amy F
Congratulations, the site looks great. Only one small suggestion - it would be nice to have a link to your blog, then people could see the beautiful things you make with the fabrics! Best wishes!!
I love the header, the look of your blog and shop! Your inventory is stunning!If you ever want to do a giveaway on another blog, I'd be happy to host! http://nowenteringmomville.blogspot.com
quitecontrary1977@hotmail.com
How exciting! It all looks great! I especially like to be able to search by designer. I've ordered fabric from you on ebay before, but this seems easier! Looking forward to visiting often!
timoplus4@hotmail.com
Woohoo! The site looks beautiful, and I don't toss that word around lightly! I wish your taglines were more interesting and descriptive of your exact appeal. They seem too plastic and generic for a website that is so hip and above average. I have been trying to think of a new one for a few days, but a good solution hasn't come to me yet!
Gorgeous stuff!!! Never been to a fabric online store before but I found it really easy to navigate, I liked how when you clicked on 'home' all the designs came up so you didn't have to trawl through each section! Congrats on the new site :))
*PS - I've bought 4 aprons and 2 dresses!!!! Do they all count? :D
I love your shop, it is set up so well. I had no trouble checking out different pages. I didn't hear any music, though? I think you did well!
I like the style and love the photography at the beginning. If I visited the site a lot the music might get old, but that's just me. I hope this helps!
Love your stuff.
It's awesome! I love the clear and concise search tools.
I quite like the music and the beautiful photography.
Congratulations!
Hi there! Congrats on the new fabric shop and I am glad to know where it is :) I normally don't care for music, but I thought this music was very nice a suited to your design. I don't know how music effects those with slower connections though. I thought the site was well laid out and easy to navigate and I thought the shipping was way better explained and fair than 99% of most stores. Well done! :)
Diane
bugsnugger at gmail dot com
Awesome shop!! Love the home page - its quick and direct. What i especially love is your style/choices in fabric and designers. My only suggestion would be when i click on a certain fabric - maybe it could link up to what you have made; it would give ideas of how you used the fabric? OR perhaps just a photo gallery of what you have made?
Congratulations!!!! I went to your new site and it was easy to navigate. I liked how I could shop by designer or style. I love the designers you are carrying --Heather Bailey, Anna Maria Horner, Amy Butler.
I don't tend to listen to music on sites and usually when it comes on I mute it.
Great shop!!!!
I love it! Especially the logo graphic and overall color scheme. The only thing I might change is the rotating graphic in the middle. It's a little confusing exactly where each link leads you to. Maybe just add a rollover graphic in the same style as your logo for those links.
"outing" myself as a lurker for a chance to win one of your great aprons!!
great new site! I love how the panels change on the home page. good music!
I took a look at the shipping page-- while it isn't really confusing, it isn't that easy to understand. I would prefer it based on price.
lots of beautiful fabric!!
I really like the vibrant colors ( I love the combo of blue + green) on your site and the layout of it. It is very easy to navigate. Thanks for the chance!
The new shop looks great! I liked the colors and the music and the navigation. I think it might be nice to include your top links on the shopping cart page as well, especially a link to the shipping information. Personal preference, but I also like to select how many items I see on a page so I don't have to keep scrolling when there's a lot (e.g. show 10, 15, All, etc). Congrats and good luck!
p.s. great to see you this past weekend!
The shop looks visually appealing and very organized. The opening page that you linked to has drop down menus on the left, but subsequent pages do not. It would be nice to keep the dropdown menus to be able to jump between designers easier. As far as the music goes, it fits the website, but I never really got why music was necessary in the first place. Sometimes I find it a bit annoying and distracting, or a dead giveaway at work that you are not doing what you should be doing and are instead shopping for fabric :)
Hi Jamie!
The website looks great. I love the fabric choices. A big PLUS for accepting Paypal. I don't feel that the music is necessary as your page speaks for itself.
Good luck with your new site!
I have purchased 4 aprons from you.
www.hairpetals.etsy.com
I did forget to mention that I thought the search feature works very well too! I look forward to ordering from you!
First off, go girl! I will make sure to send this to my peeps, especially the artsy fartsy ones like us.
I am not much of a sewer, and despite that technicality I found it very organized and it was easy to locate a particular motif or designer. The opening music was cute, but you don't need it. I appreciated how you gave the viewer a frame of referrence when it came to approx. weights of home decor vs. quilting fabrics. I think this would be particularly helpful when someone is planning how many yards to purchase. I am very happy for you and you and your designer really thought many details through. Enjoy your rolling hills and custom home;)
May God Bless your new site,
Gloria
Beautiful Store! Love it! I especially like how everything is organized. Great job!
dbstout{at}juno{dot}com
I shared about your giveaway here:
http://acupofjoy.wordpress.com/joyful-finds/
Have A Happy Day!
Deborah
Jamie I think your new site is gorgeous! I'm a graphic designer and I think you have covered all your bases - it's bright and lively and totally engaging. As far as music goes I'm generally not a huge fan because most times I'm listening to my own stuff on my computer and it scares me when something else chimes in unexpectedly! But the song you chose is quite appropriate for you and your shop so I think it does fit.
Honestly I don't really have any real criticism for the website. I noticed that the 'solids' link was the only one that had rounded corners... the rest are all square, which made it stick out a bit from the rest - I'm not sure if this was intentional or not?
Beautiful job! You should be so proud of it!
Chrissy (PS I've bought 1 apron from you!) (my etsy username is Bittersweeets)
I have to tell you your website is adorable. I love the colors and the general setup. And the fabrics you offer are GREAT, and the pattern book looked like it would have cute stuff in it.
Maybe this is me being slow, but it did take me a little while to figure out that the website was just selling fabric and not any completed projects.... right? No aprons here?
Does it count if my mom purchased an apron for me? I don't know what she used for a user name, but her name is Karen and she had it mailed to me (Nicole) in Calabasas, CA.
Nicole Freel
Having shopped at MANY online shops as well as Ebay, I really liked your shop. The colors and graphics are fresh and happy, and the layout is easy to navigate. I found the music pleasant but distracting. I also like gallery pages for inspiration. Or some suggested projects to make like at JCaroline Creative. Good luck and good wishes!
How exciting. Congratulations! I've always admired your aprons on etsy.
I think your fabric website is darling! Love the colors you choose, love your logo, love the name. It seems playful and stylish. I think the drop-down menu's on the left side are easy to use, and it seems like it's easy to search around on the site. I am a total fabric whore, so I bookmarked your site and will surely be back.
I do think it would be nice to have a link to your blog. It might make it feel more personal, while still being professional.
Good luck!
smhaven@yahoo.com
www.lilyhavencollection.blogspot.com
Love your shop, very easy to navigate.
loves2shop712@earthlink.net
Your site is wonderful! I can't wait to purchase new fabrics from there!!
brookefvickery@gmail.com
You have all of my "favorite" fabric lines! You just need to add a your pretty aprons and dresses! Keep up the good work!
p.s. I agree with lucky knitter!
I love the website! A few suggestions... On your sale page, the color font used to show the sale price is a little light making it tougher to see what the sale is. I wish the drop down menu that you have on your splash page continued through the rest of the site since I found it easier to navigate. I also agree with Heather that the taglines should be more descriptive to fit your store. You have such a unique vibe to it, the tag lines should fit with that! :) Congrats on the great site.
The giveaway is now closed =( I know - all good things must come to an end.
Thank you so much for all of your great comments and suggestions. I will announce the winner soon.
Jamie
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