The business people and the romantics seem at odds. It sounds nice to say that making a living means having fun, but really, then there's nothing to strive for is there? Having fun is easy.


Oh yummy wank.

Personally, I'm all for making money, this is why this is my hobby. When I become unable to sustain it, I'll stop. Being the sort of person who will never get married, I'll have to get an actual job eventually.

I just realized I have never read Fruits Basket vol 12. Must redress this now.

An unintentional example!

On flickr, I learned a new word- bokeh!

I'm fooling around on stylemob. Maybe I'll craft a lot today.

I'm getting back into the swing of things, listing on artfire, fooling around on etsy,etc. I let my mom borrow some of my modpodge for her bag project...

Nice to see folks promoting me on facebook.

Etsy may implement stats.

Etsy showed a pdf about small company exemptions to the CSPIA[sp?] on twitter.

65 degrees and sunny, but a bit windy, so no photos today

Hey, Dennis Anderson will continue to suffer, as he has been mentioned in the New York Times. This means that curious searchers will buy soap after soap from him, tiring him out. He should drink plenty of orange juice.

I'm amused that I'm on the Red Panda's press page.

Revolving Dork makes a comic, we all laugh.



Gave up taking decent picture of these- am wearing them instead

28 photos today. The sun is out, but it is cold. I spent most of yesterday playing board games and will end up spending most of today going to a play, so I'm glad I was able to take some photos, even if my listing may be slow. I'm still listing even over christmas!

I'm also updating my website. Updating it is less work than I remember- I must have been exhausted on my last update. I need to redo most of my photos here, but it's really grey today.

Hey, I'm in styleflash today. Very good, because today is totally gloomy!

I found myself on cheaptweet! I'm hoping for folks to vote me up.

55 pictures today! I took advantage of the brief bit of sun and warmth today to do some rephotos and take photos of some new items. It was a bit windy, but not too bad at all. I wish we had more days like this in winter, but most of my pictures are at least serviceable, so good shoot. Now time to put them into flickr groups, change some photos and list some more!

This holiday break is a good time to improve your shop

While I was noodling around on artfire, I realized that I see stuff on the front page that I'd never see at etsy. I've seen art bears on the front page, I've seen pinbacks, heck, I'm sure some time I'll see some primitives and some vintage on the front page. Nice to see folks all getting a few seconds of fame there.

Loving the five stages of twitter acceptance.

I'm still fooling around with my artfire. I've added categories and a shipping profile.

In Memphis, a local store has tricycle delivery. I'm amused and charmed by their dedication to old world style.

I made a thisnext list for fun. The theme is black santa! Too bad I couldn't find more etsy items with this theme.

In today's neatostuff brand plug, did you know that Paws for Peace has proceeds go to animal charities?

The end of the year is coming, and I'm at a loose end. There are still a few more days for christmas shipping if people upgrade to priority, but I think most of the last bit of the year will be used cleaning things out, putting things on clearance for the new year, setting up new shops and rotating stock between stores. Ah, the less glamorous back end!

Fellow etsybead member StudioMarcy has been featured on Bacon Today.

The twelve days of etsymas? Good!

Also, vote my stuff up on the former skirt.

Here is a valuable green tip for the holidays! Collect all the bags you've been given gifts in for the whole year, and reuse them as holiday gift bags for this year! Why clog the landfills with bags when you can reuse the same bags for years? I think my mother collects the bags at the end of holiday gift giving to go into the container for next year, BTW.

I started a new store on artfire. My plan for the new year involves eggs and baskets.

In today's neatostuff brand plug, tennesee person DoreenBatesArt enjoys using polymer clay.

Lollishops wank on etsy. Was someone banned? Probably not. Should this be discussed on etsy? Why does my throat hurt? It's a mystery

Today's photo shoot was a rout! The wind picked up my paper, flung a pair of earrings around[will have to make another pair] and some paper got into the neighbor's yard. Above is the only decent pic that was made.

Today's neatostuff brand plug is Vixenware!


[so not my pic!]

She makes jewelry using precious metal clay!

A front page experiment on etsy.

The close enough to 1000 hearts sale has begun. Buy two get one free! I'm getting pumped about promoting this.

Hey, I'm featured on Fashion Friday!

Today's neatostuff brand plug is Lynniebags!



[so not my pic!]

I really like coin purses.

Etsians discuss artfire. I may set up shop there soon.

Today's edition of the five threads you'll find on etsy is the "Preference Off". Someone starts a thread talking about how they want free stuff, thank you cards, and sensual gratification from sellers. Then everyone jumps in talking all about how they include tons of free stuff, ten thank you notes in every order, and drive personally to your house and give you a full menu of 'services'.

Every package is supposed to be filled with fairy dust and make you the life long friend of the recipient. These threads fill the newbies with fear- will they not make any sales if they do a hard analysis of time and money and say "hey, I'm not putting $50 worth of free stuff in a $5 sale?" and the crusty business people with laughter as they reflect on the unsustainability of writing 60 personal thank you notes a day.

I'm in the middle. Personally, I'm a cold cold person. I buy from you because I want your stuff. I get annoyed when the nosy folks at the bank ask after how I'm doing in school, what religion my dad is, and how my aunt is doing lately. I would rather not get into long conversations with the check out girl in Krogers either. I shop online because I want to get stuff in the mail quickly. I don't want to be the friend of the person I buy from.

I'm featured on a livejournal with playdoh of the month, lizards and bowling sets.

Not shabby!

[SO NOT MY PIC!]

Today's neatostuff marketing exchange member is housewifecollection!

Etsy sends me and everyone else a letter:

Etsy News
December 10, 2008

The following is an open letter regarding the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). This Act, which will go into effect on February 10th, 2009, puts forth much more stringent safety measures for products intended for children under the age of 12.

Under the very important auspices of child safety, the Act may have grave unintended consequences: fewer choices for families who are looking for handcrafted alternatives. Many Etsy artists and craftspeople have expressed fears that they won't be able stay in business due to the burdensome cost of testing and certification pursuant to the proposed legislation.

As a venue for handcrafted and vintage items from small entrepreneurs, Etsy has invited the Ombudsman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to join us in a webchat in our Virtual Lab. Etsy would very much appreciate the opportunity to provide a forum for discussing the concerns of artisans who make toys and children's products as well as their customers who support handmade products.

We urge members of the Etsy community and anyone concerned with both child safety and conscientious consumption to contact their governmental representatives; ask them to consider how the Act will impact independent craftspeople.

The office of the CPSC ombudsman: 888-531-9070.
Visit the Handmade Toy Alliance for information about writing your representatives.

Over 200,000 artists, crafters, and vintage collectors sell their items on Etsy.com. Many of these artisans make toys and other items for children. Made with love, care, the human touch and – often -- all natural materials, these items bring the consumer marketplace back to a personal level where customers can chat with toy-makers and even create custom items for specific needs. Etsy members are part of a larger movement that seeks to creatively provide people across the globe with alternatives to mass-produced goods.

Many Etsy sellers are work-at-home-moms and dads. Among them are crafters with the skill and heart to preserve traditions of toy-making or to innovate their own methods of making children's items with a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) hands-on philosophy. You can meet an Etsy toy maker and seller by watching this five minute video portrait (all of our videos are published under open Creative Commons, so please feel free to repost). Amber Dusick aka woodmouse.etsy.com and Los Angeles-based toy-maker/work-at-home-mama, is an artist who would be impacted by this proposed legislation if it is enacted. Amber uses sustainably harvested woods, non toxic paints and beeswax along with her wood burning tool to create simple, natural wooden toys. Her imagery is reminiscent of a child's crayon drawing come to life in wood.

Amber, like other Etsy toy makers and sellers, is fearful that as a sole proprietor she will not be able to afford the stricter regulations of the Act; the cost of testing and certification is likely beyond her means. She told Etsy, “I'd be more than happy to have each of my toys tested, if it wasn't so cost prohibitive. It is the COST involved in testing that will shut us down, it isn't that anyone refuses to have their work tested."

The Small Business Association defines "small business" as under 500 employees. Most of our Etsy members are either sole proprietors or maybe a family or studio of friends working together. Many craftspeople on Etsy have told us that they could be put out of business if forced to comply with the proposed legislation. This is the painful irony bound up in the CPSIA.

Etsy wanted to reach out with this open letter to see what can be done to ensure that small businesses and micro enterprises are being taken into account with this legislation. Our members would like to better understand how the CPSIA took into account these smaller businesses operating with fewer resources for testing and compliance. We believe Etsy artisans are pro-testing and pro-safety; the problem is the prohibitive certification costs relative to their small businesses' incomes. Our community is concerned that this legislature disregards small businesses in its attempts to regulate large corporate entities.

The U.S. House and Senate passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (the CPSIA), and on August 14, 2008, President Bush signed the Act into law. Further information on the Act is available at the CPSC website at http://www.cpsc.gov/ and helpful FAQs are located http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/faq/faq.pdf.

Please leave your comments in the forum thread linked in our blog post. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Etsy

[so not my pic!]

Today's neatostuff brand plug is whimsicalstar! Get a bird pendant for $14!

The last number in search is back! Or will be. I don't have time to check. Also, strange new admin with confusing title appears!

Will etsy ever let us have our stats?

Today's neatostuff brand plug is foofooandmore. Get totes for $8!

I support ya, etsians! I'll buy from you, even if you do eat liverwurst during sex You know why? It's because even if you don't say the first word about your weird and kinky sex practices, you're probably doing SOMETHING I don't like. Whether it's eating herring out of the jar to writing fanfiction that breaches the bounds of decency and good grammar, I'm sure if I stalked you enough, I'd find something. But luckily, even I don't want to stalk you. And my customers? They have lives. They are buying jewelry to go out and do things in. They go to work. They go to school. They go to parties. They don't have time to stalk everyone on etsy to see if they might have once said a bad word.

Today's etsian guide to life is 'etsy is not your boyfriend'.

Etsy is not your boyfriend. Etsy does not cry under the covers if you say something negative about it. Etsy doesn't care if you list things on dawanda or ebay. Etsy can take saying that you want better search. Etsy is a website. It is not your boyfriend.

Today's edition of the Cassowary Glossary invovles the phrase 'the crazy part of the country'. The dictionary definition of this phrase is 'the southern part of the United States of America', but this phrase acknowledges the extreme wackiness of the south. The culture of the South may be rich, giving us blues, rock and roll[by the original black creators, not by Elvis, thank you, very much~!], and very fattening food. However, there are many people you'll meet in the south, such as that lady who thinks Halloween shouldn't be celebrated because it's anti christian, that guy who thinks that if only we had no taxes, a utopia would be arising, and that guy who freaks out when folks say happy holiday instead of merry christmas.

Those exciting folks, along with our wacky political situation- really,do we need to know the views on abortion of the dog catcher?- make the south the most colorful part of the country.

Will common sense appeal over panic?

I did a few snapshots of items today to keep my photo hand in.

Why is sarawearsskirts laid off? I think I am sad.

what will the ex admin do? will they have an unemployment party? Will they start their own crafty rodeo? Only time will tell.

Another reason why you should use your tags on flickr. But seriously etsy folks, use your tags! When people search on flickr, or google, the tags are picked up and take people to your pictures. Tags- describing your picture- that's really important,ok?

I often hear on etsy "I don't watch the news- it's too negative". I worry about this because the news broadens your world. When I turn on NPR in the car, I get information about how the economy is doing, about foreign countries, about the surprising epicness of Canada. When I switch on Rachael Maddow, I enjoy her well reasoned analysis and the interesting guests she has on. The PBS news, especially soothing, and I like at the end when they sometimes bust out random poetry.

Knowing what's going on gives me a sense of security. When I know how the wind is blowing, I can move to adjust. When I have no sense of a baseline, of what is going on every day, the big stories seem more surprising and scary. And really, don't you seem more clever talking about the pirates in Somalia than you do talking about man, it's really cold today?

Successful seller AlwaysAmy is feeling burnt out.

Also, I sponsor joyful abode.

Should sellers that are overworked tamp it down?

I don't think so. I mean, I am actually jealous. I'll admit that. But really, expressing my jealousy might hurt their feelings and really, did they do anything to me? Probably not. So I'll go and be jealous over here. I'm being honest about my jealousy, because people who never admit that they have any human emotions sort of scare me.

I also think problems are relative. Some folks may think that I'm silly to get jealous when I have nearly a hundred sales, but I want to sell several times per week, not just one! To me, a hundred sales is chump change, because I am playing business, not playing hobby. When you're playing hobby, any sale is good, when you're being a business, you want to be sustainable.

Now, I don't want to be so busy I get any sicker. But I'd like sales 5 days per week. But I'll probably never be able to, because I'm so unfocused. So I'll sit here, waiting for my sinus meds to work.

In treasury! Will screen shot later. Packing now

Note to etsy folks: nobody likes that guy. As folks say, be human! And nobody likes the click on my junk guy either.

Folks tell etsy to get their search game on.

Should successful sellers leave etsy?

No, because some folks make stuff like prints or soap and so they can sell a lot of that, and if they left, then when we want to buy their prints or soap, we have to go all the way someplace else to find them, and that's a hassle. Also, sometimes I go and make say, ten pairs of earrings a day and list them on etsy because I just don't wear earrings. So some people are just fast.

And I bought from dennis anderson, just because I wanted to buy some of his soap. Is that really so wrong?!

Must tag and retag stuff for etsybead section.

[SO NOT MY PIC!]

Now we got protest soap on etsy.found from morganartfire's twitter . Sadly, I worry I am losing my ability to do stuff. I'm so jealous of people who are focused.

I need to tag for etsy fest.

Etsy shouldn't encourage people to have sales! I usually can't afford free shipping because my prices are not structured to include shipping- I include shipping in the shipping price, and it costs me 1.50 every time I ship out a 2 ounce package[this does not include the cost of packaging, just the cost of shipping 2 ounces. even if it was down the street, it would cost the same]

Only 15 pictures taken today.

Money saving tips are hurting our sales!

But seriously...I'm not the only person spending money out there, you know. ;_; Many people actually have money, and spend more than me, but this is what I've bought this week:

$5 soap

$16 napkin rings.

and I don't even work. People with jobs probably spend way more than me.

I want to go to the trashion sale at 7 PM etsian time on the etsy virtual labs but I'm worried that I'll be late because of dinner. I guess the rest of you can come down, even if I'm not there.

Don't spam the forums,please!

Again, please don't spam!

I don't think etsy can control people being dicks on the internet. Let's imagine we are the admins for a moment. They have to fix the search, get resellers off the site, and pick items to be on the gift guides. If etsy had to go after every single person who was a jerk to an etsy member, no one would ever sleep, and they'd start putting items that no one could tell what they were in the gift guides, and then what would happen to etsy?

More forum combing- background on the latest drama that's made it into legal circles[other sides not available]

Ebay bashing and OMG! I just saw this site!!! combine.

This is the prize for my mailing list giveaway! Every month, someone is drawn from the postcard list to receive free stuff! Yay for prizes!

Dear people on the internet, my etsy shop will have a BOGO earring sale on black friday. Gentlepeople, start your hearting.

Rob white explains that threads about doing unetsylike things to the etsy admin and how glad you are that your legs haven't been eaten by rats go in etc. So if you're particularly glad that someone set up a website, put it in etc.

Is handmade just a fad? We've got to push for people to see the value here! We need to push our durability to customers!!!

abalone squares

abalone squares
Originally uploaded by cassowaryjewelry

I'm really piling on the crafting for the holidays. I've got plenty of supplies! Although I'm supposed to be writing a paper instead of making earrings...oops.

The favoritism on the front page is tearing us apart.

"Because we so profoundly personalize success, we miss opportunities to lift others unto the top rung. We make rules that frustrate achievement. We are too much in awe of those who succeed and far too dismissive of those who fail"- Malcolm Gladwell on p 32-33 of Outliers.

The gift guides continue to pit seller against seller, as I continue to be annoyed about having to pay the postman.



JPAT realizes she just can't win!

Funky forum fun thread on etsy.

I'll be on own the hour in just an hour or two. I'm excited.

I was featured on indie finds from etsy on sunday.

better than expected

better than expected
Originally uploaded by cassowaryjewelry

was today's photo shoot. 2 new items photoed and a rephoto. I also updated my dawanda shop. I'm so not looking forward to baby proofing this room with my computer in it. There's jewelry with small parts everywhere!

11:25 pm CST- time machine 2 is on the top of the front page!! exposure for the rest of us!!!!!!!! sorry for the multiple exclamation points there. I made two items, but it's super late at night for me, and I should be in bed.

also, the thread of dooom about the front page.

We finally got the ability to flag more easily on etsy. I wish they had random pounce, then all of us could get more exposure.

Another neatostuff brand feature!

I like this necklace from shupg's shop!

We can now look at who has been featured time and time again. I guess we can search for our own names to see if we've been featured in the gift guides or the front page, but maybe that's a fool's errand..

Neatostuff brand feature!

Renewed resources is a supply shop that sells everything from feathers to dice and more. You might want to check it out.

Now I have a rss feed of my shop with pictures. Wonder where I'll try this baby out...

Rivka's mom gets boing boinged. I die of pure envy!

Put the mature gift guides back, says abitabite.



I tried to take a few photos and do some packing, but I didn't do much today. I got some amazing beads, though.

Etsybead theme sale section up



Finally got my etsy bead theme sale section up!

It seems that majaba has a new face and a new name. Now it's craft cult.

I made three items and took 27 pictures. A few turned out OK. Now it's time to promote, promote, promote.

Etsians discover there are 700k jewelry items on etsy. I myself have over 170 items to choose from.

look, I found a brooch

look, I found a brooch
Originally uploaded by cassowaryjewelry

Today's photo shoot was two necklaces. It was cold and windy and the winter light wasn't amazing. I need to buy more snake chains. Making pendants is a lot of fun.

Etsians read things they don't understand and freak out.

It's time for a huge ebay update. I hope that there will be enough sun tomorrow for me to get some pictures in. I made a recycled brooch necklace this week but haven't been able to take pictures of it.

The USPS raises rates. I may have to raise my shipping prices a quarter and if anyone complains about 2.25 for direct service to their door, well...be my guest to drive up $5 worth of gas trying to find something as nice at the mall.

Etsy brings the wank to the yard! BTW: I think they should improve the search. Thanks to everyone who acknowledges the photos, product and work of the other 99% of etsians!

Etsy bitch thinks hard about the sales numbers on etsy. I think the majority of folks not selling anything is even sadder than normal places since people are working so hard.

Today's etsian guide to life is welcome to the internet! or why people say such mean things on the internet. You may have heard in recent days that people on the internet don't think everything on etsy is truth and beauty. In fact, they think some of our stuff is ugly and say so! Shouldn't etsy shut them down!? How dare they say this! Actually, welcome to the internet! There's a book on the internet called Here Comes Everybody- and yes, the internet is everybody. It's that jerk down the street, that gossipy chick over at the next cubicle, and even worse, furries and fanfiction writers galore. It's you too. It's you when you look at gofugyourself and laugh. It's you when you write really bad poetry and post pictures of your awful hairstyles on the internet. So in a nutshell, that's why people are mean on the internet- because they are people.

But what can we do about it? How can we sleep with all that negative energy out there? Basically, we can do nothing about it. You can whine but then that's just inviting mockery. There are many corners of the internet I don't go. I don't want to know about the deep love between a man and his wife, a horse. So if you want to ignore human nature, try to hide in cupcake land. Sure, reality will occasionally intrude, because noone can be nice all the time, and sometimes people really might have to say that your Popsicle stick and glue crafts may not exactly be marketable.. . but if that happens stick your fingers in your ears and say la la la or maybe just yell in faux outrage. Because that's going to keep people from being mean. on the internet.

Today's Etsian Guide to Life is... how to sell items in your sleep!

It can be tiring to do all that promotional footwork, but there are some things you can do to sell items without doing much work at all!

1)Make your titles google friendly. When someone is looking for something to buy, they usually don't type in something fanciful like 'Maria Maria Earrings' it's probably more like like 'Sterling Silver with Red Stone Earrings'. Take advantage of that tendency. Have what your item is, what it's made of, and other relevant things in your title so that google can pick them up.

2)Use your tags. In etsy search, it's title and tags as the default. If you have many descriptive tags that people will search for, your item is more likely to pop up than if you have three tags with words like pretty wonderful beautiful on them. No one searches for wonderful but people do search for colors, occasions, and people. If your bow looks like something a little girl would wear tag girl tag children tag kids.


3)Have plenty of items! It's much harder for people to find one of your three items than one of your hundred items. People may go into your shop to see one item but something completely different catches their eye. The more items, the more opportunities for people to come into your shop!

The storque publishes an article on Obama items. I'm sure somebody will complain that customers might be turned off by having Obama in the storque or on the front page, but think about it, folks. Not only has one of the huge book retailers had 30% off all Obama themed books lately, Obama is big news around the world. People will be googling Obama, wanting t shirts and art. This is a great opportunity for etsy to ride that wave, to get more publicity for all of us by showing up in those searches. To ignore the big Obama trend to appeal to some old saw about not talking about politics? That's just bad business!

No search improvements, but a weird voting thing. I voted for dippylulu.

Man, we have some weirdos there on etsy. People fear the refresh!

And no, you can't get someone's twitter shut down for saying that people's items on etsy are ugly. I think the next etsian guide to life will be welcome to the internet

Today's etsian guide to life is what do they mean promote, promote,promote?

I think that there are several different things people mean when they say promote, promote, promote- advertising, social networking, and promotion.

Advertising is like someone taking out an ad in a magazine or an ad on a blog. It's paid, and everyone knows what's going on. Promotion is like when you put your site address in your email signature or put a business card in an ebay package. It's usually free. Social networking is when you have your twitter account with a link to your shop or comment on everyone's flickr accounts. This is less about selling and more about getting to know people and have a community. All can be good and have their benefits and drawbacks. Advertising can be expensive and may be a waste if you don't target correctly. However, if you do target correctly, it can yield big returns. Promotion can be time consuming, and cost some money[such as buying business cards or stickers to put in or own packages] but can pay off with greater awareness and sales. Social networking can take a long time, with relationships developing over months, but that can yield much fruit as people feel more comfortable and opportunities come your way.

There are as many ways to promote as there are people, and everyone will have a different way to do it. For example, you'll never see me handing out business cards, and you may never see someone else on twitter.

The controversy continues. Can people sell paddles to spank children with on etsy? The problem here is that we have so many different cultures here. For example, my mom works at a school that allows corporal punishment. My mom is OK with this, I think it's too extreme, and that other methods should be used. There are also religious groups that approve of spanking. It is unknown whether this is allowed on etsy or not

Alwaysamy tries to improve her business

CidTalk has an important message for all of us about branding.

Today's etsian guide to life is can you still sell items if you complain/ don't stay positive?

Yes, you can. Even if you notice that your items are on page 100, that your pictures aren't showing up, or some weird search glitch makes it so your items can't be found and say "what? I'm paying good money for this! Fix this crap!", this has nothing to do with sales or how hard you work or the value of you as a person.

I think that assuming that anyone who has anything but the most glowing remarks about everything isn't working or doing anything is an error in thinking. Let's say that Sally Etsier complains in the forums for thirty minutes a day. They still have hours and hours to build up their business! Sally may even have in another tab[in internet time, tabbed browsing is 25 years old.] all sorts of promotional stuff! So when we assume that people who may be more aware of situations than others aren't working, we're being a lot more negative than the person who is aware and talking is.

Another issue is that you're on the internet. Maybe in real life you do have to be a used car salesman, but online, good pictures, good promotion, good product wins over thinking happy thoughts every time. I buy things on the internet all the time, and everything pleases or displeases me when I get it in my mailbox based on the merit of the product, not whether people act like they smoked something they weren't supposed to. In fact, I prefer people who are down to earth and realistic.

On etsy bitch, there is wank. Personally I think if you say something like rice ride and folks say yo, that's racist and you still do it, you can't whine if folks call you racist. That's the breaks. Offend anyone you want, but no crying is allowed! All offensive people need to suck it up!

Cheap Offs Vs Change

I love a good cheap off! Competing to see who can save the most money- I bought a scarf for 50 cents! I bring tea in a thermos to work! I don't have a TV!- can be an exciting and fun high. The problem comes in when we start thinking that cheap offs can actually solve problems for others. Thinking our credit card debt problems can be cured by taking tea in a thermos or that poverty would be wiped out if only folks didn't smoke cigarettes. In these economic times when people are charging groceries on credit, talking about tea in thermoses as if the debts were caused by Starbucks misses the point completely. Not to mention the many other debts people incur- car break downs, medical debts, and the high cost of educational testing nowadays[folks are trying to charge me $300 to take a test!] So when we ignore all those issues, and focus on whether people should smoke a cig or drink starbucks, we're getting off point.

But you may say, my cousin Niecey goes out and smokes all the time and is always asking for money for diapers! There's a saying in legal circles- hard cases make for bad law. Your cousin Niecey may in fact be an idiot. But have idiots ever improved through lectures? When we're focusing on those few unrepentant cases[ or even worse, focusing on a fifth hand story about someone you don't know] we could be focusing on real ways to make a change in people's situations.

Being a cheap bastard is a lifestyle choice and is a lot of fun, but let's not kid ourselves. If you're 10k in student loan debt, not going to starbucks isn't going to make your situation that much better. If your rent is $1000 a month, cutting out that $25 a month cable not going to make a huge dent.

I think we talk like this because it's reassuring. In these tough times, it's nice to think you'll be protected from financial disaster merely by taking your lunch to work. We don't want to think that virtuous people like us could have bumps in the road. It's also nice to think that people who aren't virtuous like us will be punished. Sadly, the world doesn't work that way and the faster we realize that, the faster things will get better for all of us.

Seems like a bunch of etsy drama going on!

I am hoping that we have some good light today. Maybe make some items and take photos of them. Good procrasination.

I saw a google ad for etsy and was so amazed, I had to go right out and post about it on the forums. The mention of vintage was a nice touch. I probably should buy my own google ads- the holiday season is here!

Heh, thetinyfig's got gag gifts on her blog!

Popular seller Aussiepatches is closing shop.

I changed out my etsybead theme of the week section. New items are featured too. Got to change out my shop window occasionally!

Sherry Truitt tells us about the importance of having your own website. I have had my own website for a long time!

Business cards in packages cause wank.

People have very specific ideas about what you should call the winter holiday seasonal event. Now, I'm not consistent on this point- I'm in the Jet Holiday Sale, some things are marked christmas, some are marked holiday. Maybe I should mark somethings xmas because people might search for that. I live in the south, where we have churches on every corner eager to help you celebrate religious Christmas, so I don't worry too much if someone in a shop writes 'xmas'. I have never heard of anyone who says 'I'm going to put Xmas as a tag to put down Christians'- they probably are just covering all their bases as far as search tags are concerned.

I guess this ended up being a mini etsian guide- why people put xmas or holiday as tags or titles on items. Protip: nothing against Christianity.

An etsy seller has died. let's surround her family with thoughts and prayers.

Today's etisian guide to life is how do you get time to blog?

You see, I take time that others use to match socks, clean the baseboards and iron t shirts, and blog instead. It takes me about 15 minutes per day. Then I use the time others use for asking how others find the time for things commenting on other blogs or promoting mine.

Good ol' stuck categories on etsy! I plan to go yard saling- yesterday I found the best supplies- a huge chain and a enamel butterfly for $2.50! And I should update my ebay too.

time for jet holidays!

time for peppermints
Originally uploaded by cassowaryjewelry

Got my jet holiday sale section up! My theme is red for this year! You search jhsjetteam in etsy search to bring up all jet holiday sale items.

There's a fake Hey Michelle now! Pissed off employee on forums? puss daddy lolz

The oldest mint farm in the USA wants you to buy a dram of mint oil for $5 to save it from foreclosure.

I think it's important to support our farms.

Hey, check me out on the side here!

[So not my pic! all credit to antb!]

Arrange your nativity scene the way you want! I like the fact that there are so many choices. I like the traditional scene too, but some variety is also good. This reminds me of a woman my dad works with. Every year, she gives us a nativity scene for Christmas. They are very nice nativity scenes, although for some reason this strikes me as odd. I understand the religious part of Christmas, but explicitly religious gifts? I guess maybe it's a culture clash. I thought of that because now nativity scenes make me think of that woman.

Although it'd be a nice scene to put up at a college too- I saw a nativity scene made of straw or something at the theology library in undergrad once.

[Update! This post was written a day ago- but oddly, there's controversy. and crazy people. all because some lady wanted to share the joy of Christmas with everybody!* It may have sold already, but I still love it- maybe one day I'll be able to afford a really nice nativity scene]

*is aware that antb isn't a christian, but neither am I, and I share the joy of Christmas to people all the time!

Help support Saint Jude by buying from their gift catalog. Fight cancer!

Today's etsian guide to life, the internet and everything is "Will blogging/flickr/twitter/etc bring me sales?" The answer is it depends. Now if you update your blog once a month, you probably won't get any sales from it. And I have to admit I don't follow twitterers that have nothing interesting in their feed. Social networking- that is blogs, flickr, twitter, the promos forum- is more about soft marketing than the hard sell. Basically, you're building a relationship with others, which takes time and technique.

The technique is different on every site as well- for flickr, it's important to get in, add your photos to groups and comment on other people's photos. Tag your photos with tags that people will search for. Be a part of other people's fanbase and therefore build up your own.

On twitter, twitter feed is a god send. I have two feeds set up on twitter- this blog and my etsy shop, and so whenever they update, they are sent to twitter. On etsy, it's easy to find your feed. RSS this shop is beneath email this to a friend in your public shop. That page address is the address of your shop feed. And don't just feed me your shop on twitter. Give me something to chew on. Funny links, interesting observations- I don't want to see only ads on my page, ladies!

The main gist is that yea, social networking won't bring you instant sales, but it can help you cultivate a fanbase and some buzz, and that never hurts.

I'm doing an update of my website.

Today's Update

hearts
Originally uploaded by cassowaryjewelry

I did a nice photo shoot today. The background has changed because my dad took down the old deck and built a new one with his brother. I'm hoping to get a lot of work done today because my fatigue isn't as bad as it usually is.

The JET Holiday treasure hunt will start at 12 EST today. Need to get my Jet Holiday Sale items in order.

There will be an ebay update today, so look forward to it!

Our deck is being dismantled, so photo progress may be slow. I created a new bracelet today.

On my mailing list, we have a winner for my postcard contest! It's a random drawing of my postcard list- the lucky winner won the pictured pair of earrings!

You can convo me on etsy to be added to my mailing list and get the scoop on sales and contests!

Hey, I won a contest. I have ridiculous luck. Once I went to a mini con and won two games. And horribly lucky things happen to me all the time. I get through life on my luck, I guess.

Forum drama is fun! But I need to retag my etsy bead theme of the two weeks section.

I learn I don't work hard as I've never been on the front page.

I started a flickr group for cell phone charm lovers.

Today's photo shoot yielded 30 photos. The light is weaker now as it's becoming more fall like, and even though it's 70 degrees, I wore a sweater because of superstitions about cold and health.

I may update my website and supply shop today.

Calling in sick for the weekend. Also, JPAT learns that all her items will be on page 104 after she lists them.

[so not my picture, credit goes to Galactic Stone]
An etisian is selling a rare 1940s era calculator. That's the advantage of offering vintage on etsy- we get the advantage of people sharing their knowledge and their items with us. The lucky buyer gets a piece of history, and the rest of us get to enjoy looking at amazing items.

I sell a little vintage in my supply shop, and I like having contact with things that were made before I was born, sometimes long before...

A new group about shopping handmade for the holidays.

Jewelry subcategories are slow to load on etsy.

I should stock my ebay. Maybe tomorrow.

My new series is the etsian guide to the internet and life- basically, the basics you need to know!

My first post will be "why are there cuss words on the internet". You may notice that on the etsy forums or in some listings, there are curse words. Why, you may wonder, isn't that against etsy rules? No.[There's a bit on mature items in there, saying that they must be tagged mature and have the first thumbnail be safe for work].

Is this because etsy doesn't care about children and families? No, it's because they are a worldwide shopping site. In some places, a painting of a naked lady isn't a big deal, but violence is. In some cities, a well placed fuck or shit isn't a cause for soul searching, but part of the daily noise of life. Millions of people live in those areas, and accommodating them and their artwork is useful in terms of both profit and an artistic community.

But what if you live in a cow town where the mere thought of the word crap causes your head to explode? Well, there are many things you can do to help. First, in etsy search, put NOT mature on the end, and that will filter out mature items. In etsy search, I rarely ever run across anything very spicy, and this is because of how I search. I don't type in any synonyms for sexual body parts or the words nude, naked, pin up, into my search bar unless I want to see what sort of them. Same for curse words.

If I accidentally stumble upon something I think is too spicy, I use the back button, located on the top left of my browser window to go back to what I was looking at before. In the forums, I check the titles of the posts to see which ones I want to go into. If the title is something like "Our yucky girl part problems" I scroll to something I like such as "Complaining about Shows We Don't Like" or "Let's Argue About Politics". I know from experience that on "Let's Argue About Politics" people may be rude or use bad words. I will either join in or not read the thread if I don't want to see the bad words and rudeness. I certainly don't scold people for having fun on the internet! That just invites mockery.

If you have children that are too young to see bad words, always supervise them on the internet! If you think etsy is bad, the wide wide world of the internet will just kill you! Google rule 34 if you want to know what I mean.

Today, I'm going to roll my ebay money into getting new moo cards. I may do a beading derby during the daily show today. I also put my etsy shop feed into my twitterfeed so that if you follow me, you can see when I've renewed or listed something new.

Surrender Dorothy posts and she is pissed.

I've got a supply shop on etsy, but only one vintage item, so I guess I've got a dog's tail in the fight, but not the whole dog.

Always Amy wants more Dawanda talk in business, and I want more energy so that I can work the whole day through without a nap.

My big plan for today

jasper
Originally uploaded by cassowaryjewelry

is to have a big update in my supply shop

Why do people ever buy new clothes? I think that because I just walked out of my door, nabbed two shirts, one from Banana Republic and one from New York and Company, for 50 cents each, and then returned here to my computer and my blog. Yard sales- in spring and summer and fall, they are constant, and in winter, you can just go to the thrift store, which is more expensive- the shirts are $4- but also more convenient.

My personal credit crunch-

I'm having a personal credit freeze because last week, I couldn't find my purse, and so I had my debit card canceled and shredded it. Last Thursday, I realized my purse was missing. Saturday, I applied for a replacement. Tuesday, I found that I had left my purse behind in class and my teacher had been keeping it in his closet the whole week.

Now, on Friday, I don't have a debit card, so my working capital is comprised of what I have in my paypal account. So I guess I'm echoing the global credit crunch. I should get my new card by next Friday, and I can use paypal shipping for the time being.

Etsy Bitch crunches the numbers.

Tired shannon is tired.

Oh more wank about art/craft.

It's not the weekend, and we have pricing wank.

I like low cost earrings, BTW. There's room for all price ranges.

I need to make more stud earrings for me, because all of the ones I've kept for myself are dangles and I'm not allowed to wear those in the ward.

Lampworking wank starts over shop policies.

Friday night will be an exciting bead derby.

Etsians want smaller batch loading categories! i.e. when new items load into categories, 5 pages at a time[so at worst, you're on page 5] rather than 15 at a time[end up on page 15]

I need to stock my shops like mad, but I've been falling asleep at my normal daily show watching craft hour, and sleeping or promoting on my 'lunch hour'.

Etsy publishes stats for September.

Thanks to simplysophia for featuring my 900 hearts sale on her blog!

Oh my god, this shop is cute!

I've added some stuff to my ebay.


I also added some stuff to etsy.

Stock, stock, stock!

Handmademovement is sponsoring a sneak attack today at 2 pm est.

Magic Jelly gives etsy an open letter about its customer base- the sellers.

Etsian creates first yarn community supported agriculture, joins contest to get tech makeover. Found on sailorjenny's twitter feed.

Oh, and I changed my theme of the two weeks section to the current theme.

There's wank on flickr!?


A seller reviews Ruby Lane

I made 5 items today, of which I have taken 24 photos. I may have a posting marathon soon, but my fatigue level has gone up from mild to moderate. Today's photo shoot was good, with bright sun. I wanted to do it a little earlier, but got sidetracked by an idea for a new item.

Soap is love.

Yet another thread against us assemblers. I *like* assembling. I like being able to put two things that someone else might not have thought of putting together and making it into a coherent whole! Also, for me, maybe I don't *want* to handforge metal. Maybe I don't want to invest in lampwork glass lessons. Maybe I just want to make some jewelry, darn it!

Etsy artist ripped off by Delta Creative.

I took photos of a new necklace, and some old beads today. I've already posted the necklace.

Dolls and Miniatures getting a category? How exciting!

Will that news and a photo booth picture calm the nerves of the DaM folk?

I'm having a 900 hearts sale at my etsy shop- buy 1 item, get 10% off, buy 2, get 20% off, buy three, get 30% off, buy 4 get 40% off, buy five or more get, 50% off.

Etsians freak out about the economy.

Etsy bitches pissed about renewing glitch. On that note, enjoy my ebay listings.

Etsy freaks out my mom- I got my teaman tea today and my mom was like "OMG! it's in a ziploc bag!" She'll probably end up drinking it by accident because I put the bags in an old box of tea. It smells good, and I can't think of any reason why the tea could have been injured by this. It's about to be 50 degrees at night, so I'll see if it tastes as good as it smells.

Etsy artist jelene has her toys in crane machines in Cleveland. I'm glad to see a more human sized aesthetic here. Maybe in the future instead of thousands laboring to make the same thing, we'll have thousands of small little companies making different things. Of course, that's probably not as efficient, but I like the idea anyway.

Lost on page 3675? An ad from shophandmade found on flickr.

My plan is to get 200 items in my etsy store by December and stock Dawanda up to 50.

Best etsy twitter ever.

banana earrings
Originally uploaded by cassowaryjewelry

I took the plunge and listed on etsy today. I'm hoping that listing new won't be too bad- I'll have to stop renewing and do all my promotion the hard way now. *sigh*

Great, renewing will still be useless! What should I do now?

The thread.

We have a winner!

strawberry ring
Originally uploaded by cassowaryjewelry

This month's winner of the mailing list giveaway won this ring! I've got another giveaway going on this month, but only to mailing list members.

Your email will be only used for emails sent less than once every two weeks.

Sign Up For the Happily Handmade Giveaway


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It's a tale of new soap. This soap smells like this season- it's the end of summer, but there's still a very strong sense of growing and life. Also, it's not too feminine, but not too masculine either. Very strong smell in the shower- skin smells aggressively clean afterwards.

The bar is new, but seems fairly hard, and it probably won't melt easily.

OMG! vacation mode!

Yesterday, etsy went kawaii. Congrats to thetinyfig and boygirlparty!

BTW: I own this.