I just can’t do it. Can’t shut this blog down! It’s a good friend that never expected anything of me, and I can’t give it up just yet.
I’ve started my new blog at:
http://www.silversistersstudio.blogspot.com
and will be weaning myself off of this one soon. Please join me at my new blog.
Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Setting up an etsy shop.
I’ve been considering setting up an etsy shop. It just seems like a good way to sell the barrettes I’m making. I had dismissed the idea before as it’s a big job and I don’t have a lot of extra time to devote to another project. Then I got thinking - the parts I’m really worried about I just need to ask for help on. Pictures. You can see my blog hardly has any pictures on it. Here’s the situation: I work in an office full time and spend 2 hours each day commuting. When I’m at home my time is 100% kids and family and making sure our lives don’t completely fall apart. I have 2 young kids, one of which doesn’t sleep through the night, and a busy life. I don’t get to the computer most days. I check my email over the internet, check out blogs etc. and write the occasional blog post here all from work. The one thing I can’t do from work is download pictures. Hubby, on the other hand, doesn’t have to go to bed as early as me and gets lots on computer time – you can see where I’m going with this – he’s agreed to download pictures for me and upload them to the internet somewhere so I can post them from work. (updated: I tried this and can’t seem to get them to upload to blogger correctly..... something to figure out.)
The other thing I need help with is making a shop banner and avatar. I’m hoping to find a smart friend to help out with this (have a few in mind). This may not be as difficult as I thought – there are all sorts of “easy” guides out there.....but I don’t have photoshop, and I suck at figuring new technology stuff out.
I wrote most of the above yesterday when I was all excited about the idea. And then I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, got up late, stepped on a tack, realized that I hadn’t made lunch the night before, got into a (minor) scuff with the hubby about bathroom time and coughed up a lung all before 6am. Do I really have the time and energy to deal with an etsy shop?? Why am I doing this again? Right now I’m about 50/50 again. I think it’ll be fine once I get things set up and then you put in as much effort as you decide to put in. It’s just all overwhelming in the start, and I don’t really know what to expect in terms of time and energy commitment. I keep reading stories about people’s successful shops, but they’re all full-timers, so they HAVE to spend all that time promoting their shops to generate enough business to keep a full-timer going.
I forgot to mention the blog. One of the best ways to promote your etsy shop is through a good blog. Etsy is getting big, and you can’t think that all you have to do is set up your shop and the orders will start pouring in. You have to spend some time promoting your shop. A good blog has lots of nice pictures. Works in progress, ideas, it shows people what you’re working on, what you’re thinking about. People who make a point of shopping handmade are interested in getting to know the person who made the product.
This blog isn’t that. This blog is personal. It’s for me. I’ll have to make a new one. A prettier one with a little less complaining (only a little), and a whole lot more pictures. Even if I just update once a week, that’d be ok, I think.
Back to scheduled programming, here’s the list of things I’d have to do to set up an etsy shop. Everything I’ve thought of so far anyway. This is what I started with for this mammoth post. A simple list.
TO DO
Set Up
Shop banner and avatar. (Help!)
Write a bio, shop announcement
Figure out cards (packaging – to display the barrettes on.) (in progress, with help from sister J)
Figure out shipping packaging and shipping charges
Set up blog
Make blog banner
Upkeep - ongoing
Shop:
Taking photos (weekend)
Uploading photos (hubby)
Listing items
Shipping orders (!)
Etsy forums?
Promotion?
Blog:
Take photos (weekend)
Upload photos (hubby)
Write posts (on a regular schedule – once a week??)
All Right! I'd better hit publish on this before I think of more to write! Please, please, please feel free to comment if you have any thoughts or experience on any of the above. I'd really appreciate the advice.
The other thing I need help with is making a shop banner and avatar. I’m hoping to find a smart friend to help out with this (have a few in mind). This may not be as difficult as I thought – there are all sorts of “easy” guides out there.....but I don’t have photoshop, and I suck at figuring new technology stuff out.
I wrote most of the above yesterday when I was all excited about the idea. And then I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, got up late, stepped on a tack, realized that I hadn’t made lunch the night before, got into a (minor) scuff with the hubby about bathroom time and coughed up a lung all before 6am. Do I really have the time and energy to deal with an etsy shop?? Why am I doing this again? Right now I’m about 50/50 again. I think it’ll be fine once I get things set up and then you put in as much effort as you decide to put in. It’s just all overwhelming in the start, and I don’t really know what to expect in terms of time and energy commitment. I keep reading stories about people’s successful shops, but they’re all full-timers, so they HAVE to spend all that time promoting their shops to generate enough business to keep a full-timer going.
I forgot to mention the blog. One of the best ways to promote your etsy shop is through a good blog. Etsy is getting big, and you can’t think that all you have to do is set up your shop and the orders will start pouring in. You have to spend some time promoting your shop. A good blog has lots of nice pictures. Works in progress, ideas, it shows people what you’re working on, what you’re thinking about. People who make a point of shopping handmade are interested in getting to know the person who made the product.
This blog isn’t that. This blog is personal. It’s for me. I’ll have to make a new one. A prettier one with a little less complaining (only a little), and a whole lot more pictures. Even if I just update once a week, that’d be ok, I think.
Back to scheduled programming, here’s the list of things I’d have to do to set up an etsy shop. Everything I’ve thought of so far anyway. This is what I started with for this mammoth post. A simple list.
TO DO
Set Up
Shop banner and avatar. (Help!)
Write a bio, shop announcement
Figure out cards (packaging – to display the barrettes on.) (in progress, with help from sister J)
Figure out shipping packaging and shipping charges
Set up blog
Make blog banner
Upkeep - ongoing
Shop:
Taking photos (weekend)
Uploading photos (hubby)
Listing items
Shipping orders (!)
Etsy forums?
Promotion?
Blog:
Take photos (weekend)
Upload photos (hubby)
Write posts (on a regular schedule – once a week??)
All Right! I'd better hit publish on this before I think of more to write! Please, please, please feel free to comment if you have any thoughts or experience on any of the above. I'd really appreciate the advice.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Monday, November 19, 2007
Homelessness
LOVE this post at Belly Tales.
Maybe it's the sociologist in me.
When someone comments that that homeless guy on the street should "just get a job" I always ask - "Would you hire him?" Would you hire a guy with no fixed address??
Honestly, I have a hard time imagining what happens that ends up in someone not having anywhere to go for the night, but I know most of them didn't choose it. I've been down on luck before and had to leave groceries on the checkout counter because I couldn't pay for them. I've known the helplessness of arguing with government departments and banks when you don't quite fit their mould. I've never been close to homelessness because I've always managed to keep one stroke of bad luck ahead of it, and as well, I have family to fall back on. How many people don't have that?
Now I have a good job and a house and a comfortable life, but I will never forget those days when things weren't as certain. So when you say that that guy should "just get a job", ask yourself, do you really know anything about him?
Maybe it's the sociologist in me.
When someone comments that that homeless guy on the street should "just get a job" I always ask - "Would you hire him?" Would you hire a guy with no fixed address??
Honestly, I have a hard time imagining what happens that ends up in someone not having anywhere to go for the night, but I know most of them didn't choose it. I've been down on luck before and had to leave groceries on the checkout counter because I couldn't pay for them. I've known the helplessness of arguing with government departments and banks when you don't quite fit their mould. I've never been close to homelessness because I've always managed to keep one stroke of bad luck ahead of it, and as well, I have family to fall back on. How many people don't have that?
Now I have a good job and a house and a comfortable life, but I will never forget those days when things weren't as certain. So when you say that that guy should "just get a job", ask yourself, do you really know anything about him?
Friday, November 9, 2007
"Might As Well"
My New Favourite Blog has got a bad case of the "Might As Well's" Every time you say "might as well" in a project it costs you 50 bucks. Or in poor Ree's case, many more bucks than that.
That's how you get from changing the breaks to swapping out the whole drivetrain and engine. The breaks are shot. If we're changing them Aaaannywayyyss, might as well change to disk breaks, if we're doing that we have to swap out the axles, might as well switch to bigger tires, need to change the steering, tranny etc. etc. until the inevitable, the ultimate "might as well" - we find some reason why it's not good enough and decide to start over again "and do it right this time".
For the lone dissenter who will think this comment is aimed at him, tell me, what's original in the blue jeep - maybe the... doorhandles?? Um, cause even the floorboards have been replaced....
OK, I'm just giving you a hard time, it's a spankin' jeep that's even meaner than your wife. I can't pick on the deceased (the jeep, not the wife, for those of you who don't have a clue what I'm yammering on about).
OK, I'll stop now, before I get in more trouble and am the one sleeping in the car tonight. It doesn't have heated seats...
Check out the fantastic printer that everyone needs in their livingrooms. Drool.
Changing my Christmas list. Scratch off housecoat, add bigg-ass printer. I NEEEED this. And I still need to figure out how to post photos on here....speaking of photos...
That's how you get from changing the breaks to swapping out the whole drivetrain and engine. The breaks are shot. If we're changing them Aaaannywayyyss, might as well change to disk breaks, if we're doing that we have to swap out the axles, might as well switch to bigger tires, need to change the steering, tranny etc. etc. until the inevitable, the ultimate "might as well" - we find some reason why it's not good enough and decide to start over again "and do it right this time".
For the lone dissenter who will think this comment is aimed at him, tell me, what's original in the blue jeep - maybe the... doorhandles?? Um, cause even the floorboards have been replaced....
OK, I'm just giving you a hard time, it's a spankin' jeep that's even meaner than your wife. I can't pick on the deceased (the jeep, not the wife, for those of you who don't have a clue what I'm yammering on about).
OK, I'll stop now, before I get in more trouble and am the one sleeping in the car tonight. It doesn't have heated seats...
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
blogging woes...
sigh.
cute templates, but do you think I could get it to look like I want!
sigh.
And so the blogging begins with me complainging about blogging!
I really am tired of smiling!
cute templates, but do you think I could get it to look like I want!
sigh.
And so the blogging begins with me complainging about blogging!
I really am tired of smiling!
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