WHAT'S SO BIG WITH THE BIG CARTEL?

Ok so anyone who has even thought about selling on the internet has thought about where and how to sell on the internet. It's a very powerful tool that if chosen correctly can really launch your business in the right direction.  It used to just be ebay, but now the options range from ebay to etsy, craigslist to art fire, big cartel to shopify.  All of which are great resources for us sellers, but how in the world do we choose? and just because one fits us at one point in time, when do we know it's time to move on or grow bigger?

Don't get me wrong. Etsy has been an amazing platform for me to sell in, and will continue to be as I really don't ever see myself leaving them fully.  However in the past 6 mo the business has grown so rapidly that I know it's time that I can and should be offering a way to purchase directly from my site rather than having to direct people to another source.

Here is what I see as the benefits of each of the sites I will have. Both offering me different, but beneficial things.

Etsy:

• Easy to set up
• Great for new businesses that don't drive their own traffic
• Good way to build a customer base
• Site is well known and marketing is minimal
• Now has the option to pay with credit card and not require paypal

Big Cartel:

• Shopping page can be integrated within your own site
• Layouts can be completely customized to match your current site
• More professional appearance
• Low fees

Here are the reasons why both of them are not perfect, and why for me it'll be better to have both options open for the time being.

Etsy:

• Minimal ways to customize your site
• High per transaction fees
• Relisting items is a must to stay on a current page and not get lost (there are currently over 1M jewelry items on Etsy) means incurring more fees
• Lots of restrictions and rules about how to list items, run your shop, etc.

Big Cartel:

• Site will have to be marketed more
• Professional site design has a high upfront cost

As I said before, Etsy is a great platform for those that are selling as a hobby or list just a few items. It's a great source for new customers (hey most of you came to me via Etsy!)  Overtime though, when your business is strong enough to support and drive it's own traffic, the fees become a little ridiculous.

KALEBISM

Belly buttons are just so strange to me in general. Even though there is a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why we have them, they still look like aliens to me. Kaleb's is the strangest of all!



I started noticing it when he was just a few months old.  Sometimes when I would be changing him his belly button would be in or an "innie" and sometimes it would be sticking out or an "outtie." I though for sure I was just crazy and maybe it just depended on what position his body is in.  After it went on for awhile, I finally pieced the puzzle together. His belly button is a pretty accurate gauge for how full he is! I'm not kidding...

When he wakes up first thing in the morning it's always in.  Feed him a big dinner and desert? Within minutes it's sticking out!  I thought that it would go away as he grew, but to date his built in gadget is still functioning with pretty precise measurements!

I wonder when it does go away (if ever) what it's permanent position will be?!

Stepping Out of the Cubical and into a Shed?

So as cool as a camper would be as an art studio, and as much as I want one, I think the idea is officially dead. I have been doing a lot of craigslist searching and what I have found is that I can get one for almost free, but that means it's basically rotting and leaking everywhere or I can fork out a few grand, for one that is in decent shape, but would still have to be completely gutted to work. Not to mention there's still a big question as to how I would even get it in my yard... on to the next idea.

A shed! I'll admit it's not as cool as the camper and I'm a little bummed about the lack of originality in a shed, but for a lot less I can get something brand new! Plus it has all these benefits a camper didn't:

1. It comes in pieces... no fences to removed or cranes to be rented.
2. Did I mention it would be new! New roof, new flooring, NEW, NEW, NEW
3.No gutting required.  It's already got a clean slate for me to put my stamp on.
4. Size... rather than scouring the internet for the right size camper, I can just specify how big I want my shed.
5. Light... The camper is lacking in good windows. The shed I can order several more windows to help give my space the natural light it needs to keep me sane and happy.

Plus let's be real. I can make just about any space super cute eclectic and fun with the right amount of time and skill (I'm getting really good at finding deals on Craigslist)... Already contacted the used pallet place to get a quote for some super weathered wood pallets for my shed's interior walls!

Here's to more planning and hopefully some good friends to help put it together!

PRIORITIES

I don't know how many of you scrapbook, but as jewelry becomes my work, scrapbooking is filling it's place as my hobby (ok not quite yet, but it will be soon!)  I love finding beautiful ways to celebrate our lives, our loved ones, the things that are important to us.  It's why I do what I do.

Any who, I follow the blog of a pretty amazing professional scrapbooker, Laura Kurz. I found her because of the scrapbooking, but stayed because her posts are quick, funny, and based on her family.  Recently she found out that she lost her contract with one of the major scrabooking brands, and wrote this post about it.

She talks about how her minimalist style of scrapbooking, doesn't help sell a lot of product, but that she never did it for the sales. Instead, she did it for her family. She wanted a beautiful way to celebrate them. Reading this made me so happy. Happy for her that she has her priorities in line, and happy for me that I think I do too.




I'm so excited for my future career.  I finally feel like I'm on the path that is right for me. I'm happy to say that my future career is based out of pure love and never greed.

Love for my family, by putting them first and making time for each other.

Love for your families, by sharing my abilities I help you celebrate, cherish, and remember the ones you love.

Love for my work, by following my dreams and doing something I'm passionate about.

I think this love comes through not only in the products I offer, but also the way that I run my business and treat my customers. Although sales are necessary, I've never been here just to make a pretty penny. In fact, my goal has never been to "go big" or even make enough to hire employees, but rather just to share something I love with others while making a moderate income so I too enjoy everyday.

DIY CHEVRON DOOR

OOOOOOOOOOOOO MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG !!!!!!!!!!

I am SO in love with this door! I don't really know where I got the idea, but really there isn't much that I don't want to paint gold these days.  I'm pretty sure that Dave's going to throw away all the gold paint in my house if I keep this up!

Here's what I did:

1.  The door was freshly painted white a few weeks ago when we redid the carpet so I got to skip this step, however I highly suggest it if it hasn't been done in awhile.

2. Lay out the tape.  I decided to do just 1 "zig" or "zag" depending on how you look at it. So I just divided the width in half. I used 2" wide blue tape and for ease I made my stripes that width.  On the first strip I measured 2" down from the top and then just used the corners of the top of the door to decide the angle. This worked well for me as the angle wasn't too sharp nor too strong, however you could easily adjust yours.  From there I measured 2" down from each of the sides and the middle.
*** Tip 1. MAKE SURE YOU ALSO MEASURE IN FROM THE SIDE EACH TIME. TO MAKE SURE IT'S EVEN.'
*** Tip 2. TAPE THE SIDES AS WELL AS THE STRIPE. I didn't do this even though I know I'm a horrible painter, and really should have. Touch up will be required on my door!
*** Tip 3. My door is pretty narrow so with a 2" stripe I didn't have to do another "zag" on each side. However with the average size door you'll either need to do a thicker strip or create another "zag" towards the edges to make the proportions right.

3. Paint! I used Martha Stewart's Golden Pearl. I am so in love with this color. It was perfect! It took 3 coats to really get it even and thick enough.
*** Tip 4.  If you are patient enough paint 1 coat of the white first and let dry.  This will create a seal at the tape edges making the edges crisper.  I of coarse did not do this! Touch up, Touch up, Touch up for me!
*** Tip 5. Pull the tape off when it's still damp. This also helps makes the lines crisp.

OH LOVE!  The jar of paint is still over 1/2 way full... I'm eying some chairs... a desk... pretty much everything that I think I might use it for! I mean it'd be such a waste if I didn't use it! ;)