Eda Doreen

Exiting News!

All the Pretty Horses by LindseysPhotograhy On Etsy

Im super exited today! This morning I heard word from Australia, from one of my inspirational hero's and motivating artist, Adele Basheer. Im not sure if you know of her, but it was in buying one of her greeting cards, and mini journals, that I purchased over 11 years ago, that has inspired me to where I am today. Her words on her products were inspiring, uplifting, and touching to the heart. And, I am proud to say that she is one of the biggest reasons today I write greetings, and make journals with a passion. Anyway, heres the best news. I wrote to Adele back in December of last year, and after a busy work schedule she has so kindly offered to answer some questions that have intrigued me in my creative career, and I will feature her answers and her works in June :)

Her works are sold across the Australasian regions, the U.S, and other major global countries! Here is a mini introduction of Adele on the Ruby Connection Blog .

How exiting is that!

Well Im heading out today, to mail some international shipments, continue painting some upcycled cigar boxes, and work on some more journals.

On that note, here is something to think about :

 "Keep your heart open to dreams. For as long as there's a dream, there is hope, and as long as there is hope, there is joy in living." Anonymous {probably a woman ;) }

Sam

Etsy Weather Report : Business Stats and Sales

I had a great month in April selling on etsy. I believe that my sales are increasing as well due to a number of reasons.

1. relist, renew, and promote.

2. always find new products to make and sell.

3. have pride and life in your work.

The statistics for the April sales report on etsy were released this morning, and it was truly eye opening. A total of 22.4 million dollars of goods were sold on etsy in the month of April, and that is a positive sign to say the very least for the handmade market. The report can be read here.

At the Fair-By gbrosseau

 

Tomorrow, I plan on featuring a photographer I stumbled across on Flickr. His works are amazing, his passion is unbearable, and the photograhy is beyond whimsical.

Its raining here again in the South today, but I do like the rain for my garden, and it was needing an inch or two today. Heads up, bottoms, down ... lets get binding :)

Sam

 

Shop help :: Product Photography

Shop help: Photo’s

One of the most important aspects I have learnt in selling online is photographing your product. When I first started up shop, I had no idea how important this facet in marketing online meant. But after a month or so, of low views, low hearts, and of course next to no sales, I caught on quick realising why other sellers on etsy stressed the importance of product photography.

 

 

Blackbird

 Its something some sellers overlook when they start out for simple reasons. The first reason being quite obvious, lack of experience in online selling. Second, not having the equipment to take macro (close-up) shots of your product, and thirdly, not knowing how to stage your product.

Although many of us beg to differ in the area of staging a product, the most simplest form of staging, is often the most eye appealing.

The following is a list of staging pointers to think of next time you are taking a photo of your product before listing to sell.

• Always try to place your product in natural lighting before taking the shot. Here, on a table by the window out of the shine and glare of the sun is perfect.
• Try to place your product on a white background before taking the shot. The only exception may be if the product is white, cream or neutral in color. In this instance, use a eco-friendly backdrop, for example, bamboo, dark wood grained surface, or even on black.
• Take outside shots as staging backdrops also for variance. Old factory buildings, empty rooms, garden benches, sandpits and the like are fantastic staging backdrops. Use models ( family, friends, paid models, animals ) to show off your wares in photographs. How can you imagine your screen printed t-shirt on you, if you cannot see it on someone else? Sure the t-shirt is a one of a kind, but thinking about it in this light, bears reason to stage on models.
• If there is little or no natural lighting and you must take a shot in order to sell your product, which most often occurs in places where there is lacking sun in the winter months, assemble an easy and inexpensive light box.
• Vary the position of the shot. In other words, take photographs of the product from different angles, including up close, from the corners, above the product, and looking up at the product. Often it gives the feel of the product by doing this. And, because a buyer cannot touch your product, giving a different angle makes them more apt to 'virtually feeling' the product.
• Use the highest quality photography. Note, this does not refer to the resolution, nor the size of the photograph, but rather the quality of the shot. The better the camera the better the quality of the shot.
• Take in the product description when shooting the shot. If the product comes in three colors, or has a silver lining so to speak, make sure when photographing the product your photos show this. Its more of the proof that the seller is legitimizing the description of the product.
• Always convey the physical attributes that make up the product. Here product size is often the most important. Buyers would love to know the size comparrison of this product up against another. If it is possible to do so in a photograph do it!
• Keep file sizes in proportion to the file size required by the site you sell on. On etsy, file sizes for photographs for product listings vary but more often support 800-1000 pixels.

 
Vintage Truck- Molly O'Bryon Welpott

The factors above are some of the most important to think about when taking shots of your handmade items.  However, there are many different aspects to product selling online that also come into play. Etsy has some great shop help with tutorials, and testimonials on their blog, and in their help section for further reading.

Never underestimate the power of photography for selling!

Have a supercalafragalisticexpialadocious afternoon,

Sam

I am but a fool

“Mix a little foolishness with your prudence: It's good to be silly at the right moment”- Horace (65 BC - 8 BC)

 

Although many of us do not know the true origin of April Fool’s day, it would almost be safe to say that whoever the fool that instigated this day in history, probably had no idea what he was starting when he initiated the first deception. According to msn.com, they have discovered that “no one knows for sure why people began pulling pranks on April 1, but we've been doing it for centuries. The first unequivocal reference to April Fools' Day was in a 1539 Flemish poem. It described a man who sent his servant on a series of wild goose chases on April 1," says Alex Boese, author and curator of Museum of Hoaxes. "Eventually, the servant caught on and complained that he'd been sent on a 'fools' errand today.”(msn.com April 1, 2010).

And alas, the rest is history.

 

Jester Kitty 

 

Today, I plan on keeping myself at bay from some foolery. I must admit that I am the type that likes a wee laugh or two, and although in this world we are caught up in the spindle of 'getting by without a smile', I will give you some permission to play a trick on someone that maybe has been making you frown. After all, what better way to fight for sweet revenge than on a day so otherwise named as 'April Fool's Day'.

 

 
Denture shaped handmade soap ( set of 2 ) 

 

 

So, on that note, find yourself lucky perhaps that I have not taken the time to make even myself look the fool, nor you for that matter, but remember one thing, today is just today, and tomorrow will never come, because it is always today.

 

 

Leigh Viner

Leigh Viner

The other day, while perusing etsy, I stumbled on some of the most beautiful artistic work I have ever seen. The artist, Leigh Viner, a Colorado native and resident has a natural eye for emotion, rawness of humanity, and above all, talent in every sense of the word.

For those who may not know of Leigh’s works, having had the opportunity to gaze eerily over her works in the last week or so, I have come to appreciate her talent and I cannot wait to spread the word. Leigh’s natural intrinsic talent is something many of us dream to acquire, and although she admits to taking commercial art and drawing classes, her abilities are “mostly self-taught”.

 

Greenwich Reflections-Leigh Viner (C) 

Her greatest influence, the human body, the femme woman, is of course evident in many of her works, fine arts, and photographic depictions of moments in life. The fashion industry, design, make-up, and photography also streamline her works.

Something About- Leigh Viner (C)  

Leigh’s most recent works are featured in last year include:

Cover spread in the April/March issue of Dujour magazine.

The cover of Skirt Magazine's November issue
http://skirt.com/artists/leigh-viner

Forever 21 's blog the Skinny ~ http://blog.forever21.com/blog/perma.asp?articleid=139

Premier issue of Forever 21's Editorial Magazine out November 2009 www.forever21.com

N.E.E.T. Magazine's December issue (pg 216)
www.neetmagazine.com

This year, her works will be featured on set of "The Roommate" 2010 featuring Leighton Meester.

Untitled Art Print- Leigh Viner (c)

Her blog  Create is also a very informative, and reveals her thoughts on her creative career and life as an artist. She is both professional and inspiring to women artisians around the world.

Beautiful, eye-opening, and intrinsically emotional, her works are to die for. I appreciate the opportunity today to feature her works, but also to expose her raw impressive talent to the rest of the world! I wish Leigh the very best in her career, I know you will go far, especially with your talent Leigh.

Have a wonderous afternoon whereever you may be, rain or shine,

Sam

 

Atmosphere- Leigh Viner (c)

 

 

 

 

On life...

“We don’t see things as they

Are, we see them as we are.”

-Anais Nin

 

Yesterday I sold a journal to a great friend, and repeat customer and she made note of something that I do when listing my items in my etsy shop. I had often thought that when listing items, I wondered if the buyer did take the time to read the small quotation I use at the very beginning of the product listing. And, it turns out they do!

 

Which triggered a smile or two when I started to think about the impact that words have on individuals lives, and how they may interpret the quotation, or the writer or author of the quote. This one quote in particular, spoken, and documented by Anais Nin many years ago, actually does make you think. And, considering the topic of my blog post today incorporates interpretation, I must stop to ask not only myself, but others, “Do you see things as they are, or do you see, or interpret things in life as you are?”

Think on that one for a moment.

Love  

It is so easy to get caught up in the melodrama’s of our everyday lives, and often we are misconstrued by outside media sources, the newspapers, the radio, the television, and other media related sources. We take what we are told and sometimes we don’t take the time, or have the time to question the validity of the realities of life. We see vignettes’ of life through the eyes, ears, and words of another individual’s interpretation, and we can and often do become influenced. I am not saying we all do that, but I will be honest and say I do sometimes. So, my challenge today to you is this. Take a topic in life, a situation, or a realization that perhaps you would otherwise shy away from, or feel uneasy about and look at it in another perspective. Don’t look at it from society’s point of view; look at it from your own point of view. Open up your heart, your mind, and your soul, and consider the positives, the negatives, and the neutral ground of the ‘out of the ordinary’ scenario. I did this a few weeks ago, and I have not been the same person since.

Fox Art Print 

Which brings me to the word that we often fear the most. CHANGE. It is perfectly normal to fear change, or to go with the flow in life, but today give yourself permission to let go, and to change. Change the way you think, feel, and act in life. I promise you will not regret it. Infact, I can almost guarantee you will feel a new person, and happy that you allowed your heart, mind and soul to feel free of the pulls of the world we live in.

Be kind to yourself, Change often, and accept reality in all its interpretations, but most of all see life as you see it, not as others tell you to see it.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Sam

 

 

All in a day's Blog

 Little Girl-SashaBell 

“Stop worrying about the potholes in the road, and enjoy the journey”- Babs Hoffman

I read this interesting forum post yesterday about blogging. It basically was a how-to get more blog readers to follow. And, considering I am just starting out, and I know there are many around starting their journey into the blogging world also, I thought I would spend a few moments today on this topic. There are a few pointers, so here goes.

 

1. Blog with pictures. Seems simple enough, but this is very important in gaining blog followers. Although a good writer can reel in the readers, having some pictures in your post can work wonders.

 

2. Use other Forums to post your thoughts on your craft, and link back to your blog. It doesn’t hurt to self promote! Actually, if you do no self-promote, then who will? Yes, other etsians may feature your shop, and your products on other blogs, but it cannot be your only source of advertising.

 

"In the Sea"

 

3. When reading other blogs, always try to comment. Commenting on blogs not only shows your interested, but that you have taken your time to read their blog.

 

4. Feature other sellers!

This pointer seems self explanatory, and although you are trying to sell, and market your products, by promoting other artists that are in your area of expertise, or even in others , it identifies to the reader that your a professional. This also inspires other artists.

"The itsy cosmetic bag"

 

5. Read and follow other indie bloggers. In using feedburner applications, or RSS feeds, you too can subscribe to blogs and read them daily, weekly, or whenever the moment is suitable. This pointer actually correlates with point 3, in that subscriptions can be the outlet to comment banks.

 

6. Give surveys, competitions, and giveaways. Even as your starting out with blogging, offering some of your products as a giveaway may seem questionable, but it is a form of self advertising. This can also be done in offering giveaways to other etsy bloggers, on their own blogs with big follower counts. Driving traffic to your shop, and your blog is paramount, and marketing in this form is beneficial that is for sure.

"Green Swarovski and Silver wrapped earings"

7. Use social networking sites to get out the word on your blog. The most popular, facebook, and twitter can bring readers, which in turn can bring buyers.

8. Include How -To's on your blog.

So you craft jewelry, or make leather purses, or make your own paper, every now and then offer a tutorial to show your readers what it is you do when you take the time to handcraft your products, and let them try themselves. This is how I learnt my bookbinding craft, and I am forever thankful to my first tutorials by Eve at evalicious and Rhonda over at MyHandboundbooks.

 

"How Green is My Valley Series"

9. Use a melange` of topics to blog on. If your planning on keeping blog followers, it helps to give them something interesting to read about every day. So, change up the topics often. Over at Scoutiegirl, Editor and web designer, Tara, offers a great e-book based on 52 weeks of blogging. It is a huge resource for blog writers, that are starting out, or fizzling so to speak.

52 weeks of Blogging

 

So that about wraps up today's blog post. I hope you all have a wonderful afternoon. Live, love, and learn!

Sam