I'm in an Etsy Treasury!

It's always exciting to have one of my items featured in an Etsy Treasury, but it's really exciting when it's an item I've just listed! My bay leaf and gourd garland, featured in this Treasury was just listed yesterday!

By the way, I'm using a new tool to capture Treasury screenshots. You should be able to click on any item shown in the Treasury below and go directly to that item! If you'd like to leave a comment on the Treasury page itself (and I do hope you will!), just click on the Treasury title!

'Happy, Healthy, Homespun Holidays from the Heartland!' by TranzendentalArts

Sweet Holiday Wishes seasidecards $2.00	Hard Working Brown boot... SSIP $7.00	Bay Leaf Garland - gour... PrairiePrimiti... $28.00
Folksy Hand-spun/Hand-k... Folk $40.00	The Barley Bowl...Brown... CountryKnitCoc... $17.50	Turkey Inspired Coiled ... KatStyleAccess... $20.00
baby booties chasingthenuns $12.00	Christmas tree skirt FromOldStuff $12.00	3 Dollars for 2 Bars P... CircleANatural... $
Serenity - lace scarf FreshFromTheNe... $75.00	4 INCH, Shatterproof, H... AidensBrook $15.00	Bunch of nuts blbeans $19.50
Bits of Whimsy Tag Set ... pearliebird $8.95	Sammie - child mittens FreshFromTheNe... $25.00	Pip Berry Swag with a 1... MpcGifts $27.50

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Midtown Bazaar, here we come!

Sorry about the caps ... I'm using a gadget to grab the Treasury screenshot below and it has turned my text into caps ... Will try to figure it out when I get a chance!

'Midtown Bazaar, here we come!' by PrairiePrimitives

This Treasury features items from members of the Sac Etsy Team who will be participating in the Midtown Bazaar on Oct. 30, 2010. Midtown Bazaar is located on I ("eye") Street, between 16th and 17th Streets in Sacramento, CA. Hours are 10am to 3pm, admission is free, and parking is available on the streets or in several nearby lots. Hope to see you there! More info about the Sac Etsy Team can be found on the Team blog: http://sac-etsy.blogspot.com.

Chunky and Fun Vintage Raspb... RevitalizedVin... $43.00	Green Man Necklace nomdenom $40.00	Fancy Jasper and antique sil... SparklingSiste... $22.00	Burgundy red wool hand knitt... MrsTalbott $28.00
A Touch of the Orient Clutch SewBitchy $25.00	Fall and Autumn Scented Soyb... PurePalette $	Recycled Vinyl LP Spin Art B... oddartist $18.00	Herbal Bath Soak- Perfectly ... WiseEarthHerbs $5.50
Primitive Pillows Antique Ba... PrairiePrimiti... $15.00	Dog Dress Country Denim with... Missteawinkie $25.00	Two Sided Red Enamel Copper ... KewishDesigns $67.00	Party Time, Multi-colored Ne... rocksmapsandcr... $18.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

The Interview!

The interview I wrote about earlier was published in the Sacramento Bee on October 23rd. Entitled "Handmade for the 21st Century," the article was published on the front page of the Home & Garden section! The newspaper was kind enough to feature a very large photo of Mrs. Begg (shown above).

Due mainly to the timing of the publication of this interview, and also because it mentioned the Sac Etsy Team's participation in the Midtown Bazaar held in Sacramento, I've decided to have a booth at the Bazaar this Saturday, October 30th! Midtown Bazaar started in June, but this will be my first time exhibiting there. Hope you'll stop by between 10am and 3pm on Saturday!

Just some ramblings ...

I just posted this as a reply to something on Etsy, and I liked it so much I wanted to blog it too!

I left my day job on Dec. 20, 1996 to follow my heart to California. My heart was broken, but my spirit wasn't and I continued without a (regular) day job for the next 7 years or so ... in Silicon Valley, of all places, where it was freakin' expensive. I took a temp job now and then, sold stuff on eBay, did occasional craft fairs and didn't spend enough time at the beach.

I've now been laid off 4 times in the last 6 years, which is probably the universe telling me I don't need a day job. Yet I can't help but feel that I need health insurance, if nothing else, and I can't afford that expense on my own. I'm currently laid off and yes, I'm looking for a day job ... again. And now I live too far from the beach.

Interview with Sacramento Bee!

Woooo hoooo!!! I was just contacted by a reporter for the local paper, The Sacramento Bee. The reporter had seen a comment I made about an article about Etsy which was published in another of their papers and she visited my Etsy shop and emailed me!

I'm not real fond of being put on the spot, so I gave it my best shot. She asked how long I'd had an Etsy shop and if I sold at craft fairs or other places. She also asked if I had another job and I told her I was looking for one, having been laid off by Sac County; I even told her she could include that! :-) I also mentioned the Sac Etsy Team and that the Team will have a a presence at the Midtown Bazaar on October 30th.

She asked for a few pictures of my work, so I sent her the pictures I've included in this post. Can't wait to see the published article!!!

Fall Craft Fairs

My Fall craft fair calendar is starting to get filled in ... YAY!

 Sunday, September 26th

8am to 3pm

Antique Trove Peddler's Faire

236 Harding Blvd., Roseville, CA

Look for me in Space 56-S

Sunday, October 3rd

8am to 4pm

Lodi Street Faire

School and Church Streets + cross-streets

Downtown Lodi, CA

Look for me near the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

Saturday, November 13th

10am to 4pm

Reclaimed Legacies

Petaluma Women's Club

518 "B" Street

Petaluma, CA

Hopefully I can find another October fair in which to participate, and maybe another November or even December event too, if I have enough inventory left! I have participated in the Bird in Hand Christmas Fair in Los Altos, CA in the past, however I never know if I will be doing that show until October or November ... so stay tuned!

Sewing Up a Storm!

Wow, how the time flies! Since getting laid off on July 2nd, I have been sewing non-stop! Thought I'd take a minute to write about what I've been making!

I've made angels, snowfolk, Halloween dolls, more of the clothespin dolls like the one on my business card (and the banner here -- till I get around to changing it), and more!

Wanna see?

The "Strawberry Doll" at the top of this post is a doll which I've been begged to make again. I made 1 of these dolls about 5 years ago, and it sold quickly. Can't believe it's been 5 years already!

Most recently (as in yesterday!), I finished up 2 pumpkin and 2 snowman dolls. While they all started out the same, you can see how each took on its his own personality!

 

 

 

It's only the second time I've made up some of these clothespin dolls too! It's probably been 6 or 7 years since I made them! One has found a new home, but there are 2 (or maybe 3?) left!

 

Love these primitive rabbits! There were 3 black rabbits in this litter, and they're still looking for their "furever" homes!

  

And, oh yes, Mrs. Begg! The "Widows Begg" (all 3 of them) came calling a little early this year! Here is one of the ol' gals, there's another one in my Etsy shop and the third has gone to her just reward (that's her new home, of course!)

 

All of these items are available either in my Etsy shop or on my Picturetrail site, if you don't have an Etsy account.

Right now I'm working on 3 more snowmen (in a different style) and several wee angel ornies. After that, who knows?!

♥ Tana

New Primitive Dolls on Picturetrail!

In the last couple of weeks, I've really got my Picturetrail site up and running! I started this site as an "online yard sale" several years ago, and there's still a "flea market" section where I sell odds and ends, but it is now mostly a site for my primitive folk art! Here are a few of my most recent additions!

I'm furiously working on more primitive dolls and folk art! My goal is to have 50 dolls for the Lodi Street Faire on October 3, 2010! I will try to update the PT site at least once a week.

Oh Beautiful for Spacious Skies

Just wanted to share an Etsy Treasury I created yesterday! If you know me, you know I absolutely adore muted colors (I call them "dirty" colors), and being America's birthday (almost!), this seemed like an appropriate theme!

If you see this before 1:18pm on Saturday, July3rd, and could click'n'comment, that would be awesome! You need to be registered on Etsy and logged in to Etsy for your votes to count. After 1:18pm on July 3rd, this Treasury will disappear, so hurry!

Sacramento's Very Own "Etsy Craft Party"

Etsy's birthday is coming up, and they want US to throw the party!!!

Please join us at 6pm on June 18, 2010 for Etsy's 5th birthday party! We'll be meeting at McKinley Park in Sacramento. We won't have a reservation because to do that means someone has to be at the park at 11am and remain there until the event starts at 6pm! One member of the team did offer to do this, but so far we have less than 50 RSVPs -- which is the magic number, after which a reservation is required.

We'll be having a potluck, so if you're attending our Craft Party, please bring some food to share -- enough to feed 6 to 8 people is probably adequate, since everyone won't want to have a serving of every food item (I hope!). The Sac Etsy team will furnish paper plates, forks, napkins and bottled water and/or soda. You can BYOB as long as it's not alcohol (no booze allowed in city parks, sorry!). If you have a folding chair (or two) or a blanket, you're welcome to bring that. Without a park reservation, we may or may not be able to score a picnic table! It would be nice to at least have a table or two from which to serve the food! I have an EZ-up canopy, so if I can get a couple of strong folks to help me put it up (and take it down), we can use that, if folks want to.

Please bring something for a crafty show & tell! This can be your current project or something you've already made (or ???). We're also going to try to work some "Make It & Take It" demos into the evening, so if you have a technique you can teach in 15 minutes or so, bring some supplies to share with your "students" and we'll try to give you some time! We have one lesson planned already -- a couple of our team members will bring yarn and knitting needles and/or crochet hooks and teach the basics of these crafts. The goal is to create enough "granny squares" to make a small afghan, which we will then either raffle off (probably to build up the Team treasury!) or we may decide to donate it to a worthy cause.
 
Because it's their birthday, Etsy is going to send presents to the 50 parties with the most RSVP's, so if you'd be so kind as to RSVP for the Sacramento "Craft Party" that will help us reach our goal of being one of the top 50 parties!

We hope you'll join us on June 18, 2010 ... see you then!

Cash for Appliances Rebate Program

There's a new rebate program funded by ARRA that starts today! As with the "Cash for Clunkers" program last Fall, if you want to get in on this, you should act quickly!

Here's the web site: http://www.cash4appliances.org

The Cash For Appliances rebate period starts April 22, 2010, and lasts until May 23, 2010. Rebates are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Only refrigerators, clothes washers and room air conditioners are eligible. The rebate amounts are:

• Eligible Refrigerators - $200
• Eligible Clothes Washers - $100
• Eligible Room Air Conditioners - up to $50

Other appliance rebates may be available from your utility company, appliance retailer, or other entity, so be sure to check on this and "stack" your rebates just like coupons!

Selling on Consignment

A CCCOE member had asked about consignment to an out-of-state shop. I posted the following thoughts in reply to her question, and thought I would share them here too.

I have had problems several times over the years when consigning to an out-of-state shop. Personally, I wouldn't do it. Period.

Consignment is a great deal for the shop owner because they don't have to put out any of their money in order to get your product. Unfortunately, this may also mean that they don't have any interest in promoting it in the shop. If they sell a mixture of consigned items and items which they have purchased outright (wholesale), their energy will most likely be focused on selling the items in which they have an investment.

However, if you're determined to consider consignment, here are some thoughts ... in no particular order.

The artist who posed the question indicated that the shop wanted the items for one year. I suggested that she ask why they only want your items for one year. If the same items are sitting in a shop after one year, chances are they will have been relegated to the back of the shop (storeroom) long before that time.

If the time comes that your items need to be returned to you (after the one year or whenever), who will pay the shipping cost? Will they be packed securely to withstand the shipping process?

Ask how long they have been in business. If they've been in business less than a year, think twice about consigning to them. If they only do consignment, and don't purchase any of their inventory outright, it would be preferable if they've been in business 2 or 3 years. Consignments shops are super-easy to start since there's little investment beyond the rent and utilities; unfortunately this also means they tend to come and go very quickly!

Ask if they have a web site and check it out -- does it look professional or amateurish? Would you trust a web site that looked like that? Would you trust a shop that has a web site that looks like that? If they don't have a web site, ask them why not. EVERY business should have a web site these days, even if it's purely informational and not set up for online sales. Since you can't visit the shop in person (or if it would be difficult to do so), you need to have a feel for the shop.

Make sure the shop or boutique is the type of place you would want to see your product in, i.e., is it also a hardware store or a baby boutique? If you create art which appeals to this clientele, then GREAT!! But if you don't why would you want to show your wares in this type of shop? Over the years, I've received inquiries from some very interesting places (including car washes) that have absolutely nothing to do with the type of work I create.

Do they get an adequate amount of traffic? This may be hard to judge long-distance. If they're in a mall or a busy pedestrian area (i.e., 4th Street in Berkeley, shown in the picture above), they'll get plenty of traffic. If they're in a rural area, maybe not so much!

Ask what percentage of commission they want. If it's 40% (which is fairly common these days), you'd do better off wholesaling, even if you had to give them 50% off to do so -- at least you'd have your money and wouldn't be worrying about whether or not you'd ever see your product again (or payment for it).

Ask if they have a contract stating their terms. If they don't have one, could you write one up and would they be willing to sign it? You need to have something in writing, signed and dated by both parties of course,
regardless of which one of you writes it up.

Be sure you know how often you will get paid, and be prepared to hold them to it. If they can't pay you for your sold items at least once a month, there's likely something wrong (i.e., if they only want to pay quarterly, they're probably hoping you'll forget about them before three months have passed).

Don't consign more than you can afford to lose, should it disappear forever w/o compensation; everyone has their own threshold here, whether that's a dozen pieces or $1,000 worth of product.

Hope these thoughts help ... good luck!