The Beat Goes On

I've added a few new items to my Etsy shop recently. Some new coasters and some photo trios. One of the trios can be seen here. I'll be listing a waterfall trio today, and possibly another one--not sure of the theme yet. Also, coming soon- bookmarks!

I'm taking a lot of my inventory to a show this weekend. It's a 5 day show, so most of the journals will be removed from my shop, as well as some of the pendants (depending on how many more I can get made in the meantime). So if you have your eye on a specific journal or art journal, now is the time to snag one!!

I have been exhausted recently. I have not had the energy to do the things I need to get done, let alone the things I want to do. I'm first trying some really good self-care, perhaps I'm just worn out from spring break, but if it does not get better, I will be going to the doctor.

On my to-do list though... besides making all those items for my shop... is digging out some of my writing so I can share it here. And I have a radio show thingy scheduled for next Sunday. I'll be doing a tutorial on making photo jewelry. I'll post the details soon.

So... I hope it's a wonderfully restful, yet productive day for all of you!

Marketing

I added a dozen new items to my Etsy shop yesterday. Well, some Saturday night, some yesterday. I have been very busy! And finally I'm selling some stuff! I also woke up to find I'm in another treasury! http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=49178

I have to say that I have been working my butt off. Marketing is a lot of work, and I probably don't work smarter, but work harder on it. Need to change that. Making notes to self, work smarter, Robyn, not harder. I had a talk about marketing with my boss the other day. I brought up the Twilight movie. After seeing it, I really didn't get what all the hype was about. It's all about marketing. There's a lot of things out there that are not so great... but do so well because they have amazing marketing. Just my opinion here, but a few of those not-so-great things are: Twilight, Hannah Montana, McDonald's.

And since I think I have the most excellent, most amazing products, I need to start thinking like the people marketing Twilight. I've paid for advertisements, I've listed on various websites. Now to fine tune what I'm doing.

I'm in a local craft show next week, and I sometimes show my items at work. I've advertised the craft show. Sometimes I'm a little too shy for local promotion, but I'm getting there. Ok, I'm not shy. It's just difficult to sell my self. I was taught to not be cocky.

I will check into the Saturday Market. Just not sure I'm ready for that yet. Oh, I'll be adding a product of the week to my blog soon. With a paypal button where you can purchase directly from here!

What have you tried? Has anything helped you to work smarter and not harder? What has been a failure?

Ode to REM

REM has a, song that says 'It's the end of the World as we know it and I feel fine'. That one line comepletely sums up life for me. Every moment, every breath, changes life completely. We can never go back... we don't have an undo button.

A child is born. That's the end of the world as you know it. A friend dies. The world changes. The difficulty in life is accepting it with grace, and moving forward. We as mere humans cannot see what's around the next bend. There is a saying that when God closes a door he opens a window. Not going into my religious beliefs, just saying that there is a saying. Grace helps us to handle a situation, knowing that it will change again soon.

Buddhists have 2 main beliefs. Life is hard. Life is ever-changing. I believe those two statements encompass everything. Yes, there are times where all seems hopeless, but wait a minute and it will change again. I think that's why I view this economy the way I do.

I have moments in my past that shaped me. Moving in with grandparents when my mom was ill, my mom's death, my divorce. My children's births. Not in that order ;-). Each and every one made me who I am. And when I'm 80, I will be miles and miles away from who I am right now, because it's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

I just have to remember to handle each obstacle with grace. Had my ex and I chosen to stay in war mode when the marriage ended, our children would still be suffering today. Instead, they now have four parents that love them greatly. My dad said something one time that stuck with me. He said he has no problem with any of his exes because he obviously loved them at some point. And now, instead of an enemy for life, I have a friend in my ex. Not someone I confide in every day, or even every month. But someone I can co-parent with, and who I can discuss our children with at any time. But oh how it could be different.

Don't get me wrong, I've had things that I have not handled with grace. They grew, and festered, and spilled their toxicity into other parts of my life. Even those, at this point though, are fine now that amends have been made. Sometimes you have to suck it up and admit you were wrong. Handled with grace, even that is do-able.

So... thank you REM, for giving me a catchy tune for applying to my life. Are there any guidelines you use in your life? Anything derived from pop culture?

Good Morning

Yesterday I had a wonderful day with my children in an area of Portland they'd never been in. The Hawthorne District is an eclectic, hippie style area with lots of restaurants and shops. We found a great place to eat. If you pass by a restaurant called "Rice Junkies" I highly recommend it!

We found the cutest little dollar store where the lady inside encouraged them to play. They really needed that because we had gone to a million stores that had the coolest things and I was constantly reminding my youngest to not touch. And it's so hard sometimes to not touch really cool things!

After we left Hawthorne, we went to a nickel arcade and then to Powell's books. No trip to Portland is complete without a trip to Powell's. It was a really good day, something we look forward to every year. It's the one guaranteed time when I will take the day off work and it's just us. I think traditions are so important with children.

My oldest son was encouraging me to sell my stuff at Saturday Market in Portland... He even said he would get up early and help me man the booth. I told him I would check into it. So, researching will begin. I hope that we all have a fabulous Friday!

Meet Amy from Avlor's Imprints!!

What is your craft of choice, and how long have you been doing that?

Do I have to pick just one? It's a tough choice between photography, designing stationery and graphics and fiber arts.

How did you get started?

Photography - I wanted to take portraits of my kiddos. Started 2 and a half years ago and have been improving my photography since. My local camera club and strobist.com have been excellent help, inspiring me to push myself in photography. two things I've done to improve as quickly as possible in photography - get a grasp on the basics and look at work (and how tos) from the best photographers.

Designing Stationery - just started in January. I've always liked printing my own cards and tinkering with design. This seemed like a good mix and I've been really enjoying it.

Fiber Arts - That started back when my grandmother taught me to crochet as a child. In college the local yarn shop had a class on knitting and I was hooked. Then when my husband and I moved across the state, I found the spinning and weaving guild here. Wonderful folks! Who helped start the spinning yarn addiction.

What is your inspiration?

Culture (popular culture, international culture, and style) seems to be the biggest inspiration right now. I keep a notebook with me at all times, because I always get ideas when I can't work on them! I often doodle in it when I'm waiting for my oldest to get out of school.

How long have you been on Etsy?

A few crafty friends goaded me into starting my shop in December 2007. I tinkered here and there for a year and decided in January that I wanted to do better and have been doing my best to put out a few designs a week.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I would love to still be crafting and at home! My hope is to bring more recognition to printable stationery . I also want to encourage shopping for handmade locally. I hope to help local online shop owners with marketing and getting into galleries and shops.

What is the most challenging thing about having an online business?

Balancing my time! We only have 24hrs in a day, and there are so many things we can do! Have to pick the best and go from there.What is the most rewarding thing about having an online business?Being able to express myself artistically! There's not much of that in laundry and dishes. ;)

How does your internet business fit into your life? Is it your job or do you have another job as well?

I'm a stay at home mom, so I have to carve out time for it. I have my kids help more with the house now and I think it's a good experience for them. But they can't be expected to do everything!

When you are not crafting, how do you spend your time?

Being with my family and friends, playing the wii and games of all sorts, helping at camera club and church.

Are there any links you’d like to share?

http://avlor.etsy.com/ - my shop

http://avlorsimprints.blogspot.com/ - the shop blog

http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/ - one of the absolute best photography sites around!

Happy... oh crap is it only Tuesday?

A lot about my journey lately, then nothing. Sometimes life is like that. I'm still on that journey, still chugging along. I seem to have road blocks, but then who doesn't. This week, however, is all about Spring Break, and about poison oak it seems.

I've been on a mission to ease my children's pain associated with the poison oak. And so far, it seems to be working. I found a wonderful treatment, a wash, that even washes off the oils after it has settled in totally. It was expensive, but oh so worth it.

Thursday I'm taking the boys into a section of Portland that they've never been before. We always explore downtown, but this time we are taking a trip through a really eclectic section of Portland. I'm generally an over-planner, but this time the plans will be minimal. The destination is enough for me. The day will take care of itself. So... yes, the journey continues even when I'm not thinking about it!

Oh... I took the above picture during our road trip on Sunday. I will try to be listing more photos today, on both Etsy and Imagekind.

Now for a question. What lesson have you had to learn in life that you could not avoid? Like, what kept coming up no matter how many times you tried to avoid it. What kept hitting you over the head?

Happy Monday

My weekend was spent cleaning all day Saturday then a 12 hour road trip on Sunday. It's Spring Break!! I still have to work, of course, but it's Spring Break here. This is another of Dad's photos... I love the texture of the clouds. Next to trees, I think clouds are one of my very favorite subjects.

Two out of my three boys have really bad poison oak. They are suffering. I'm treating it, but it's heartbreaking to see them suffer like that. If any of you know of any magical cures, I'd love to hear it!

I came home from the road trip yesterday to an Etsy sale! How exciting is that? I am utterly thrilled with each and every sale.

This week will be spent squeezing in every moment of quality time with my boys, as well as us working on a special project for Dad. Thursday I'm taking the day off for our Spring Break tradition of wandering through Portland.

Dad is home from the hospital. He seems to be doing ok. Continued prayers would be appreciated.

I hope today is the beginning of an amazing week for all of you!