Anniversary Time (and a Reason to Read to the End)

Cyber Monday -- the anniversary of the opening of my Etsy store -- fast approacheth, so this past week has been all about taking images, writing copy, and listing some new Mayfaire products in my virtual shop in preparation for the Big Day. It befuddles me that doing this is easily the most painstakingly slow and torturesome process EVER. But I have a sneaky feeling that I make it harder than it is....

Last year at this time I was just getting to know my digital camera. I have some practice under my belt now, but not enough to streamline things. And since every window in my house is full of glassware, plants, and birdcages, I'm hardpressed to find one that lets in enough natural light for me to illuminate a product or two. I have to get close to it, for one thing. And then I have to have a horizontal surface near enough (and clear enough!) to it to pose a product. Gah!...

And heaven knows there's no shortage of props around here. Anywhere you look there's a cool book or little easel to help support a product or stage a photo. It's choosing one that's the hard part! I'm defined by my stuff and I like to share it in teeny tiny bits so that if you're ever at my house you'll have been prepared for the assault on the senses that is Tumbledown. But then because there are so many ways around here to show a product off I end up taking about a million shots, of course.... (Note to self: In future, just lay the poor thing on a piece of barn board and have done with it.)

After all the picturetaking comes the tweaking. Is the photo too dark? Is the image too blurry? Did I remember to photograph the creation from every angle? Did I remember to add the Mayfaire logo? Choose, save, upload, etc. Wash, rinse, repeat. Whew!

And if it was just about the photos, I'd be happy. But then there's the copy. I love reading sellers' copy! Creative copy makes me fall in love with a seller sometimes. It makes me want to buy their product just to have something made by such a special person!

But by the time I get to writing my own copy I'm tapped out. I can't see straight, I can't think straight. All I know is, the gajillion pics I just combed through make me sick to tears of the product I now have to gush about. Oops!

And this year it doesn't help that at this particular point in time I'm kind of an emotional slug, so it's hard to be all "!" when every cell in my body is feeling "...." I want to be gushy about my work (because no one wants to buy from an Eeyore), but the dishonesty of the 'fake it 'til you make it' rule kind of gives me hives....

This week, during all the tedious nit-pickiness of it all, I've wondered more than once whether or not what I'm doing is worth it. So much of my time has been spent on only a handful of products! (How do sellers with a million items DO this, anyway??) And in the year it's been open, my Etsy store has gotten few views and had few sales. I know I don't have to be a micro-managing perfectionist, agonizing over every product photo and every copy blurb. And I know there are more things that I can do as its proprietor to augment the numbers and statistics, as it's not just about uploading a photo and hoping for the best.

But without some tangible feedback I can't ignore the occasional feeling that perhaps my photos are holding me back, or my copy is lame, or my prices are too high or too low or too something. Or perhaps it's simply just me. (It's always a rollercoaster ride here in my head!)

And then a sale occurs and you'd think I'd won the moon or something, LOL! :)

So it goes....

Happily, I seem to have a smidgen more of a handle on this virtual store thing now than I had at the beginning. And because a virtual store interests the bejaysus out of me, I'm hoping to somehow maintain this interest and energy.

So here's to Cyber Monday and Mayfaire's 1-year anniversary. And here's to some new product listings all ready and waiting for you to check them out! And in the event that you like something you see there, please know that a 20% discount off your purchase (from now through the end of November, or until I remember to deactivate it) awaits you for being my beloved reader. Just use the coupon code CYBER2012 during the checkout process.

Thank you. And happy shopping!
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Cyber Monday Grand Opening!

You've heard of Stratford-upon-Avon? Whimsey-on-Why? Now there's Mayfaire-on-Etsy!

Yes, after all that work and hair pulling and photo tweaking and -- I'll admit it -- FUN, Mayfaire's Etsy shop is finally open. No, it's not called Mayfaire-on-Etsy (although that is dang cute), but it IS called MayfaireArt and you can find it there (check out my sidebar for the slide-show gadget) or by clicking here.

I'm still in the process of linking new work, but as of this post you'll find at least a handful of resin art pins, pendants, and earrings as well as colorbooks and Kris-Moose books currently being offered. PLEASE go there and look around, 'k? It warms my little artist heart to know that you've taken a moment to check out my work.

And in the event that you like something you see there, please know that free shipping is available through Cyber Monday at least, and I'm offering blog readers (old and new and otherwise*) a 10% discount. Just use the coupon code CYBER2011 during the checkout process.

BIG THANKYOUS FOR GIVING MY WORK A MOMENT OF YOUR TIME! And happy cybershopping!

:)
...delayne.
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*Your friends and family might like to be in on the secret, too, so please share!

Black Friday, Small Biz Saturday, Cyber Monday -- Oh My!

I don't know about you, but I can't imagine setting foot outside my door this weekend for any reason. I did that once by mistake: I ran an errand for something absolutely trivial on Black Friday one year and thought I'd either lose my mind or commit a murder. NEVER AGAIN.

NEVER AGAIN!!

So as soon as the dishes are put away after Thanksgiving dinner, this girl is going to either curl up with a book, hide in front of a movie somewhere, or shop online perhaps. And I hope you'll do the same.

But be sure to shop small, 'k? There are a lot of creative people out there who are trying to make a living in this sad economy. You'll find many of them on Etsy. And here are a few of my Etsy faves (who just so happen to be readers right here on this blog -- get to know them, they're wonderful people!):

Check out Everyday Friends Art for quaint and colorful polymer clay houses that fit in the palm of your hand! You'll find other fun stuff there, too, like old-fashioned photo-style greeting cards, polymer ornaments, and buttons sporting the image of Her Maj.

StoneWing Designs offers exquisite handcrafted jewelry using semi-precious stones and other quality materials.

Handmade, affordable earrings for under five bucks?? Jeweled Fibers. Nothing else needs saying.

How about the rest of you? Got an Etsy shoppe? I've been burning the candle at both ends and the middle trying to set one up for myself -- it's been fun but I can certainly appreciate the amount of work you've done to get yours up and running!

So why not introduce yourself and your work by sharing directions to your shoppe here in the comments section so that we can all visit you this weekend from the comfort of our nice warm unchaotic homes (not to mention our nice warm super-comfy jammies).

And you're right, I did NOT point you to ME on Etsy. You can find me easily enough. And besides -- I'm a complete Newbie. These folks know what they're doing and are amazing at it.

So check them out, 'k?

Happy shopping!

...me.

Etsy or Bust!

An example of my resin work

My 'flat art' (meaning two-dimensional work that can be framed and hung on a wall) is really what I'm known for.

 

I was originally juried into the MN Renaissance Festival with it over 25 years ago and, as a result, it's technically the only kind of work I can sell there. My customers know me. They expect to see drawings and prints. And at the moment Fest is the only place that I really show my work. 

 

However, in recent years I've begun playing more with materials other than papers and pencils. And even though I've since been granted permission to do so, the little oddments I'm making are ones that are difficult (for me, anyway) to sell at Fest. And, to make matters worse, Technical UN-savvy Me has yet to figure out how to sell them from my website.

 

SO. I'm thinking they might just be ideal for an Etsy shop.... 

 

The idea intrigues me.

 

Fest is my only show now for a reason. I'm naturally reclusive, for one thing. I love my weekends and dislike venturing too far from home. And, I'll just say it: I'm older now and just not fond of the travel and set-up and tear-down (not to mention the expense) that goes with doing a show.

Over the years, in an effort to get my work out there and still not wander too far from my cocoon, I've occasionally thought of opening a little local storefront. Sounds quaint and fun at first glance, but then we're talking again of uber-busy weekends and the worries of covering expenses. :(

So how much better is the idea of a virtual storefront? A virtual art show? Where the lease/entry fee is minimal, the customers all warm and cozy shopping in the comfort of their own homes, the upkeep and maintenance and utilities all non-existent? And Happy-Artist Me behind my virtual counter in my comfy clothes?? (Awesome!)

Granted, 'if you build it, they will come' doesn't apply. Because they won't, necessarily. As of right now, Etsy has a million bazillion quillion virtual stores all offering amazing products. Being noticed at all will be a dang miracle! But no one ever said this will work as well for me as it does in my imagination....

But it can't hurt to try!

Anyway, I've done boatloads of reading since I saved a spot on Etsy for myself a year ago, and I keep revisiting my 'shop space' there and sticking a tentative toe in the water. But now seems like the time to get down and dirty with it. My Eldest has put the pressure on, for one thing, by suggesting an Etsy shop in the first place and daring me to get one up and running. She offered to do all the set-up for me recently when she was home for a bit, but I disliked the idea of putting her to work on her visit.

Plus, I wanted to show her that I can DO this. (Because I CAN!)

So since her departure a week or so ago I've been knee deep in all things Etsy. Black Friday/Cyber Monday are big incentives. I've taken a crapzillion digital photos of my creations. I've written and rewritten copy until it no longer makes sense to me. I've researched shipping charges and Paypal accounts and packaging ideas, blahddy blah. It's all been a baptism by fire, but I think I'm making some teensy progress.

Or maybe I'm just facing the right direction!

But that's progress, too, right?

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