tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83568097821113167372024-02-21T10:39:41.711-08:00Prairie Primitives Folk ArtPrairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.comBlogger133125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-11539215925825115862019-04-19T13:21:00.001-07:002019-12-12T19:29:43.595-08:00Be Sure That "Handmade" Etsy Item is REALLY Handmade!<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8b0kg" data-offset-key="b46vg-0-0" style="background-color: #f2f3f5; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">This morning there was a discussion in one of the Etsy-related Facebook groups about how Etsy now allows almost anything to be sold on their site. Although Etsy still claims to be a place to sell (and buy!) Handmade items, Vintage items, and Craft Supplies, there is a </span><b style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">lot </b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">of "manufactured crap" being sold there, often listed as Handmade (and sometimes as Vintage), even though the seller's </span><b style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">only </b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">interaction with the item is ordering it, then removing it from a box, photographing it, and listing it on Etsy; sometimes the seller even uses the manufacturer's stock photo! The seller had </span><i style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">absolutely no involvement</i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> in the design or manufacture of the item, which is still required per Etsy's </span><a href="https://www.etsy.com/legal/handmade?ref=list#pa" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;" target="_blank">Handmade Policy</a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTMqFQTqb2KVD2u5nDpvoaX0Prrar3G-SG7PMTzGgAAg18ELlr_gULwmD1mBnz6nyX_vtPSjzIpCNUXDhK70pYrLudjCLQXCow1zeWhOe5iq5Ce-b_GDQAgOV5udrknCYL_E0DZ3kPkg/s1600/Etsy+Production+Assistance+2019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="761" height="81" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTMqFQTqb2KVD2u5nDpvoaX0Prrar3G-SG7PMTzGgAAg18ELlr_gULwmD1mBnz6nyX_vtPSjzIpCNUXDhK70pYrLudjCLQXCow1zeWhOe5iq5Ce-b_GDQAgOV5udrknCYL_E0DZ3kPkg/s400/Etsy+Production+Assistance+2019.JPG" width="400" /></i></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Etsy changed their policy to allow "<a href="https://blog.etsy.com/news/2013/notes-from-chad-11/" target="_blank">Outside Manufacturing</a>" in 2013. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">At that time, I expressed concern to Etsy that this was going to be a Pandora's box. Etsy claimed that it would help them reign in things that didn't belong on the site; unfortunately, that's been nothing but a big ol' can of bullshit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">At that time, and for the next several years, sellers </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">who wanted to use an "outside manufacturer" to produce what they had designed were required to submit an application to Etsy. This application was very thorough and the seller had to show how they were actually involved in the design process, as well as provide an invoice proving that they had <i>already </i>ordered the item (yes, before they were even approved to sell the product on Etsy!). The invoice, of course, needed to include the name and contact information of the manufacturer. I went thru this process myself for one item, a "Made in the USA" hangtag, which I designed because of an Etsy seller (perhaps the first one) who was proven beyond the shadow of a doubt to be selling manufactured items where she hadn't had <i>any </i>part in the design or manufacturing process.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Images which I provided to Etsy with my "Outside Manufacturer" application. The 3 images show the original graphic, the tea-stained graphic, </span><span style="color: #1c1e21; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">and finally with the text added.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">A few years later Etsy changed the term from "Outside Manufacturer" to "Production Partner." Sellers were no longer required to be pre-approved; they only had to answer a few questions when listing a manufactured item, with Etsy reserving the right to follow-up if they felt it was necessary. Sellers are still </span><i style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">supposed</i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> to be the designer, even when they use a Production Partner, but that isn't being enforced consistently (if at all). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Many sellers claim things are Handmade when they're anything but that. Pick something that's fairly trendy and search for it and you're almost guaranteed to see a ton of it on Etsy. Since I make </span><a href="http://www.prairieprimitivesfolkart.com/" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;" target="_blank">home decor,</a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> I occasionally search to see if trendy home decor items are being sold on Etsy in manufactured form. My current favorite searches to check on this are "Galvanized" and "Tobacco Basket." I'm sure shoppers realize that a large tobacco basket, priced at $26 or so, isn't handmade by the seller. Handmade, and particularly antique, tobacco baskets are fairly expensive, often priced at $100 and up! While there will always be shoppers who want the Real Thing, there are also those who Just Don't Care.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Based on Etsy's definition of "handmade," a manufactured item can be painted or otherwise adorned and sold as handmade, but there are dozens, if not hundreds, of items in both of these searches which are taken straight out of the box and listed on Etsy as handmade.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Etsy's </span><a href="https://www.etsy.com/legal/handmade" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;" target="_blank">Handmade Policy</a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> contains this phrase: "Providing false, inaccurate</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">, or </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">misleading information is prohibited by our Terms of Use." Over the years, I have reported hundreds of not-really-handmade items, but Etsy rarely does anything about them. There is one item I've been trying to get removed for more than 5 years; I even have an Etsy convo from the seller </span><i style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">stating that the item isn't handmade</i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">, but even that didn't get Etsy's attention!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I hope you have found this information enlightening. If you are wanting authentic handmade items, they are </span><i style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">definitely </i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">available on Etsy however, if the price seems too good to be true, you may want to ask the seller a few questions to see how much they know about the item or its construction. Do your due diligence. Please and thank you!</span></div>
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Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-2677863897168292852017-12-17T09:23:00.003-08:002019-04-27T08:23:23.536-07:00Small Craft Fairs vs. Juried Art Fairs<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9;">(This was written in response to a post in a local Facebook group lamenting the poor turnout at a school-sponsored craft fair.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9;">I've done craft fairs for more than 40 years, so have a little bit of experience with these things. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9;">High booth fees should not be taken as an implication that there will be great advertising, a large number of shoppers, better sales, or anything. Only that they are high booth fees. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9;">If you're a serious artist, you shouldn't be doing school, church, or retirement home/senior center shows. The shoppers at these shows tend to be the parishoners, parents & teachers, and residents & their families; very rarely are there many outside shoppers. Do what it takes to get into the truly juried shows in your area (or as far away as you're willing to travel. I live in Sacramento and did a small antique show in Los Altos for many years. The drive was (at least) 2.5 hours each way, sometimes 3 hours or more coming home due to the traffic on 880. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9;">Some of the better art fairs in the Sacramento area include the Kiwanis Arts Fiesta (June), Harvest Festival (November), Sacramento Arts Festival (November), Crocker Holiday Artisan Market (November), and the Davis Art Center Holiday Sale (December). These are all VERY juried shows. You will need to have awesome photos of your products & booth. Don't even think about applying if you sell trademark-infringing goods or if you're a rep for a direct sales company! You want to see high booth fees? These shows have that too! But they've been around for years and their promoters know the importance of advertising. See you there!</span></span>Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-83392883887059723252016-08-08T08:47:00.000-07:002018-02-15T14:42:31.142-08:00Etsy SEO Tips<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I just helped another Etsy seller with SEO and wanted to share this here. Maybe it will be helpful to you too!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This seller's current title is:<br /><br /><b>Frosty Ice with Iridescent Swarovski Crystal Beads with 3D Silver Reindeer Charms Women's Christmas Holiday Dangle Drop Earrings</b><br /><br />I suggested a better title:<br /><br /><b>Reindeer Earrings, Holiday Earrings, Christmas Jewelry, Women's Dangle Earrings, Girl's Holiday Jewelry</b>... keep going with different phrases like this until the entire title field is filled up.<br /><br /> The title should begin with "reindeer earrings" because that's what they are, right? While they may be "frosty ice" to the seller, that sounds like a Summer drink! And <i>definitely</i> move the word "earrings" closer to the beginning of the title. As Etsy has written in a Help article about "<a href="https://www.etsy.com/help/article/34234144469">How Etsy search works</a>," the first few words of the title have the most weight in search.<br /><br /> Try out potential search phrases in Etsy search. Just start typing the phrase (not the whole phrase) into the Etsy search box and see what the suggested searches are. Type another letter ... do the suggested searches change? Type another letter, and so on! Etsy says the suggested searches are what shoppers are searching for, so if any of them are relevant for your item, use them!<br /><br /> Now, repeat those title phrases in the tags. Tags are limited to 20 characters, so that means longer phrases will need to be broken up. "Girl's Holiday Jewelry" could become "Girls Earrings" and "Holiday Jewelry," for example; doing this should allow this item to rank well if a shopper is searching for "girl's holiday jewelry." Since there are currently 6,420 items shown in the results for this search, "ranking well" may be a challenge, so be sure you're also using accurate sub-categories for the type of earring, etc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Back to those suggested searches for a bit. They <i>do </i>change from time to time, depending on what shoppers are searching for ... which is why having really good SEO </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">can</i><span style="font-size: large;"> be a never-ending job! Personally, I mostly "set it and forget it" when it comes to my SEO. There </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">are </i><span style="font-size: large;">things I change once in awhile, such as heart ornaments which are "Christmas ornaments" in the Fall and thru December 25, then they become "Valentine's Decor" until mid-February. After that, they could become "Bridal Shower Decor," "Rustic Wedding Decorations," or something else. If the items have Americana colors, I will add "Americana" SEO at some point. Of course, most of my items sell before I need to change the tags (YAY!), but that hasn't always been the case.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This article is not intended to be a thorough discussion of Etsy SEO, just a bit about tags & titles. Also, Etsy is in the process of integrating AI (artificial intelligence) into their SEO mix and they have hinted that, at some point, more clearly written titles will work better. But I don't think that time is yet here. </span></div>
Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-80502364679456695292015-09-09T08:06:00.004-07:002016-09-17T05:42:42.845-07:00Late Summer Update<span style="font-size: large;">I know that nobody is reading this (I only get a rare comment on anything I write here), but I thought I'd post an update to my last post.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Serendipity brought me to a cute apartment across town. My concern about trying to find an apartment while being "semi-retired" was quickly resolved when the manager said all I needed to do was show that I had the same amount of money as an employed person would be required to have (3x the rent), though she asked for proof of that for each month of the 6-month lease! She accepted my IRA statement as proof and assured me that she wasn't putting a lien on my money, but I'd have to show proof of income (or savings) each time I renewed the lease. I was thrilled when she told me that I scored 9.5/10.0 on the survey they use to determine whether to rent to someone ... she said most of her tenants don't come close to that! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I like it here except for the traffic noise which I am subjected to for about 21 hours a day; it's especially bad when the windows are open! When the apartment is closed up, it's more quiet, but I like letting the fresh air in (such as it is in a big city!) when the weather permits it! </span><span style="font-size: large;">It's fairly quiet between about 1am and 4am!</span><span style="font-size: large;"> One of the most pleasant surprises is that there are FAR fewer </span><span style="font-size: large;">sirens in this area than at my last apartment!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This apartment is maybe 600 square feet, compared to 850 square feet at the previous place I called home. There is some storage space here, which is much appreciated! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I don't think I'll ever understand how apartment complexes can get away with not showing an actual apartment to prospective tenants. The manager of this complex showed me 4 or 5 photos on her computer and handed me a floor plan. I had to put a "holding deposit" on the apartment based on that limited information. However, since I knew I could no longer afford to live where I had been, not to mention that complex had gone to hell in the 5 years I lived there, I felt I had to go for it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The neighborhood seems safer, unless one is a pedestrian. Sidewalks are apparently not mandatory and it seems to be the property owner's choice whether they want to build their own sidewalk. This means pedestrians often have to walk in bike lanes, even on <i>very </i>busy streets! I am still trying to find places to walk. I've ventured off in several directions thus far; I miss being able to walk amongst million-dollar homes, as I did prior to my move. LOL!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My sewing room is in the "dining room." I need to find a loveseat or small sofa to replace the queen-size futon which takes up tooooo much of the living room. I've had to</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">get back to my sewing ... for <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/prairieprimitives" target="_blank">Etsy</a>, fairs, and wholesale orders, so haven't done much decorating yet. I sold my big antique work table (a farmhouse-size dining table) to a friend for about what I paid for it 8 years ago. I am considering selling this cupboard, though I'd need to find something to keep my new fabric in. I'd like a blind-door cupboard or, better yet, an antique dry sink; definitely something with old paint!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well, I need to get going for now. Doctor's appointment then more sewing ... and hopefully I'll get a few more things listed in <a href="http://www.prairieprimitivesfolkart.com/" target="_blank">my Etsy shop</a> before the day is over!</span><br />
<br />Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-51839636351396200892014-08-26T08:59:00.001-07:002014-08-28T21:20:01.091-07:00SEO & Etsy<br />
It seems like whenever I'm in the Etsy forums, I'm always trying to explain to sellers how to optimize their SEO (i.e., Search Engine Optimization). Here's a quick review I just did this morning. I chose one item at random from Alyssa's shop, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/AlyssaScarfer" target="_blank">AlyssaScarfer</a>:<br />
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These are the tags she was using:<br />
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<li>Accessories</li>
<li>Scarf</li>
<li>Knit</li>
<li>scarf</li>
<li>scarves</li>
<li>infinity scarf</li>
<li>infinity scarves</li>
<li>arm knit scarf</li>
<li>arm knitting</li>
<li>knit</li>
<li>tan infinity scarf</li>
<li>tan scarf</li>
<li>chunky knit scarf</li>
<li>chunky knit infinity</li>
<li>chunky knit scarves</li>
<li>soft scarf</li>
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My initial response to Alyssa was that she is wasting several tag slots. Etsy provides up to 3 categories and sub-categories for each item; these are the three capitalized words at the top of the list which serve double-duty as tags, so there's no need to waste a tag slot by repeating these words on their own! <b>2 tag slots saved!</b><br />
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Next, I explained how, when a seller is using a multiple word phrase, they don't need to repeat any of <i>those </i>words (in the same order) as separate tags. Since this seller has "tan infinity scarf," she didn't also need "infinity scarf" as a separate tag. <b>1 tag slot saved!</b><br />
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"Scarf" and "Scarves" show the exact same number of search results on Etsy; this means it's likely that shoppers are seeing the exact same items, so that's another tag slot which could be put to better use. I told Alyssa that I would use "scarf" since she's selling a single scarf, but it would seem not to matter. The same is true for "infinity scarf" and "infinity scarves" and, although this search result was actually off by ONE, it's still likely showing the same exact items (except for one!) since the number of search results is nearly identical. <b>2 tag slots saved!</b><br />
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Now, of course, comes the challenge of trying to think of five new tags to replace the ones which were just deleted. I have enough of a challenge trying to think of tags for my own items, so I ended my tag review at this point. :-)Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-35829463289578786452013-10-09T19:29:00.003-07:002013-10-09T19:36:37.565-07:00This ALWAYS Freaks Me Out!<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">This is the second or third time I've seen one of my creations in an Etsy ad on Facebook. Pretty cool, eh?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDvveh7kYMvvFEIu2-k3Nwbct3kIm8_FS8-lLSIg9nvcnfJTHVZVzRCIUkNou-VLl1G-6T_1iM9qEpPD41GQnJcw66Ei1dNdLx_aCbZPPRNSo0rCWjqpFix1wR6tIKxPKq0bOksdxv35I/s1600/My+PumpkinHead+in+Etsy+ad+on+FB+-+Oct+9+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDvveh7kYMvvFEIu2-k3Nwbct3kIm8_FS8-lLSIg9nvcnfJTHVZVzRCIUkNou-VLl1G-6T_1iM9qEpPD41GQnJcw66Ei1dNdLx_aCbZPPRNSo0rCWjqpFix1wR6tIKxPKq0bOksdxv35I/s640/My+PumpkinHead+in+Etsy+ad+on+FB+-+Oct+9+2013.jpg" width="342" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/160124383" target="_blank">here's where you can adopt</a> this charming pumpkin fellow!</span></div>
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<br />Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-36089092996295890682013-09-28T11:38:00.000-07:002013-09-28T11:45:59.056-07:00Did Your Microsoft Office Starter Stop Working Too?<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">About two weeks ago, the Microsoft Office Starter software on my Dell laptop stopped working after one of those weekly Windows updates. Suddenly I had weird ORANGE icons on my desktop and also in the file list when I went looking for the actual files in the folders. Although I have an extended warranty from Dell (thank goodness!), I have been absolutely dreading calling to ask them to help with this problem. If you've ever dealt with Dell tech support, you know what I'm talking about ... </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In a last ditch effort to resolve this problem myself (before giving in and calling Dell tech support), I decided to try to "repair" Office Starter. It said I would lose any UNsaved work, but of course I was freaking out that SAVED work might be lost as well. But I had to try it ... and less than 2 minutes later, I'm once again able to get into my Excel spreadsheets that I use for my business!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Just one small problem, which was super-easy to fix. After the repair, the shortcut on my desktop asked me to put media in the F: drive. I work off of a flash drive and it's the E: drive. So I deleted the old shortcut and made a new one, which references the E. drive and it works just fine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Oh, just in case (like me) you've never tried to repair a program, here's how you do it!</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">Click on the Windows (Start) button.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Click on Control Panel.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Click on Programs.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Click on Programs and Features.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Find your program (Microsoft Office Starter 2010 - English).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Click on Change (at the top of the list).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Click the Yes button (I left the box unchecked).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">There will be a pop-up showing the progress of the repair. Literally, it took <i>maybe </i>2 minutes and the regular icons were back on my desktop!</span></li>
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Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-25311238043624633912013-06-30T14:45:00.001-07:002013-06-30T14:51:06.749-07:00Fall Shows & Current Work<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">This past week I applied to the "Holiday Art & Craft Festival" sponsored by the Crocker Art Museum. I'm every bit as nervous about this show as I was about the Art Fiesta in June; I won't know for sure whether I've been accepted for this show until the notification date in mid-August, so your finger-crossing is most welcome!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">These shows are among what I consider the top three Sacramento-area juried art fairs. The third show is the "Sacramento Art Festival" which is held at the Convention Center downtown in early November; this is a <i>very</i> expensive show to do ($560 for a small booth in 2013), so it's not likely that you'll ever see me at this show. But maybe after I see how much commission I have to pay at the Crocker show (they request 15% commission in addition to the booth fee), it's possible I could change my mind. LOL!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I still have quite a bit of Americana in <a href="http://www.prairieprimitivesfolkart.com/" target="_blank">my Etsy shop</a>. As a special treat for my blog readers, you can use Americana10 to get 10% off anything in my shop through July 13, 2013. It's <i>all </i>included, not just Americana, however you do need to spend at least $25 to activate the discount.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've begun working on Autumn items and will continue with that through July and possibly into August before starting work on Winter and Christmas things. I will probably start listing my Autumn items around mid-July.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-28682709140159441442013-06-18T05:50:00.004-07:002013-06-18T05:50:58.391-07:00<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Good morning! I wanted to share some photos of my booth from the "Art Fiesta" art fair which I did on June 1st and 2nd. Some of these items are still available in <a href="http://prairieprimitives.etsy.com/" target="_blank">my Etsy shop</a>. Enjoy!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbuy3WdlxYtnFaeZsYbtjTM-yvZ8kz4w8C2N98mmQpw_uYlb9fh2p3QUTcg9LejTQ7dZ9JrPHqAFDEXegQrEK7rks76Hz8Bs2_4kevCuiIlKF2BNSER131AkTQ-lArOv84bpfROrA6N4/s1600/June+1+-+1+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbuy3WdlxYtnFaeZsYbtjTM-yvZ8kz4w8C2N98mmQpw_uYlb9fh2p3QUTcg9LejTQ7dZ9JrPHqAFDEXegQrEK7rks76Hz8Bs2_4kevCuiIlKF2BNSER131AkTQ-lArOv84bpfROrA6N4/s320/June+1+-+1+small.jpg" width="187" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkwTixckACaCU2BS1W5YD2h7aGERP9f7OdL_BYtJdFOZCnjHQnhvHNKBvLamYj7Xh_7E6QHNyC-XpuI7G6erTybjbKQZ3EagLd-okJiRU_lFHU6vaQwtM0zeSmxxTHBNLGOZClf9YA60/s1600/June+1+-+7+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkwTixckACaCU2BS1W5YD2h7aGERP9f7OdL_BYtJdFOZCnjHQnhvHNKBvLamYj7Xh_7E6QHNyC-XpuI7G6erTybjbKQZ3EagLd-okJiRU_lFHU6vaQwtM0zeSmxxTHBNLGOZClf9YA60/s320/June+1+-+7+small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcj4cbKe_E2OTdhoVVakCjpwZ0pvX1rRW-rb2n_auXQbDsLug83HOFGNskJmPKfXhA1LUMfOwQk8Z1Pmz0NjolkdNr67fozif0iyiaR2aKacwanAumQVwlpIwC9j8nQe249J_M9rfruc/s1600/June+2+-+6+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcj4cbKe_E2OTdhoVVakCjpwZ0pvX1rRW-rb2n_auXQbDsLug83HOFGNskJmPKfXhA1LUMfOwQk8Z1Pmz0NjolkdNr67fozif0iyiaR2aKacwanAumQVwlpIwC9j8nQe249J_M9rfruc/s320/June+2+-+6+small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-51894494373686475622013-05-11T13:03:00.005-07:002013-05-11T13:05:03.338-07:00ACCEPTED!!!<div>
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I'm delighted to announce that I've been accepted to show my primitive folk art at the <a href="http://www.kiwanisartfiesta.org/" target="_blank">55th annual Art Fiesta</a>, so please mark June 1st & 2nd on your calendar! The Art Fiesta is the longest-running <i><u>juried</u></i><b> </b>art fair in the Sacramento area.<br />
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This year, the Art Fiesta will be held at The Pavilions, an upscale shopping center, located on Fair Oaks Blvd. (x-street Howe Avenue) and next door to the Borders book store that closed awhile back. Shoppers will probably be able to park at Border's -- there are <i>always </i>some cars parked there anyway. This show has been held at the Town & Country shopping center in the past (Fulton @ Marconi), however they're doing a lot of construction over there this year, in preparation for several new anchor stores.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjez3HOeN0HjP2Y7Mc06TYj88e2awfjk7IK9-KIxCxKXrz-at0A7_ffCvyiFtAvyh8tU6aoFRmX2_XNutZaXLTPiY39ONceAv_KG2gyirW8HVc7uPHBjqAxjh43zrryJ7wnyefg3xLse5E/s1600/Berry+Dolls+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjez3HOeN0HjP2Y7Mc06TYj88e2awfjk7IK9-KIxCxKXrz-at0A7_ffCvyiFtAvyh8tU6aoFRmX2_XNutZaXLTPiY39ONceAv_KG2gyirW8HVc7uPHBjqAxjh43zrryJ7wnyefg3xLse5E/s400/Berry+Dolls+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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These are my "Berry Dolls" (still need to make their berries!). They will be available for adoption at the Art Fiesta. I will have several other styles of dolls as well, and a variety of pillows and other "smalls" for you to choose from.</div>
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My booth is <a href="http://www.kiwanisartfiesta.org/maps.php" target="_blank">#325</a> (click the link for a map of the art fair booths) which is between Julius, where you can shop from such clothing lines as Armani and Stella McCartney, and Pavilion Shoes, an equally high-end shoe "salon."</div>
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I've got a LOT of work to do between now and then ... but I look forward to seeing you in June!</div>
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Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-13030619462245818802013-04-24T07:40:00.000-07:002013-04-24T07:40:49.360-07:00Sewing Lessons in Sacramento<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've been thinking about offering beginning to intermediate sewing lessons here in Sacramento, California. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've been sewing since before I entered high school, so that's more than 40 years. I have made clothing as well as craft and home decor items. I can teach you how to use sewing patterns and explain the terminology. What is a selvedge? What is the grain of the fabric and why is it important? What is a seam allowance? And more!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Unfortunately, I don't have enough room in my small apartment for students to come sew, but if you'd like to learn how to sew, let me know and maybe we can come up with a solution! </span><br />
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<br />Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-5205322948769488162013-03-07T12:31:00.000-08:002013-03-07T12:39:16.647-08:00Can You Help the Four-Leggers?<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Y'all know I don't blog unless I'm <i>really </i>inspired to, and this photo from Facebook has inspired me!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">One of my Facebook friends is Bernie Berlin. I first heard Bernie's name after taking a collage class. Bernie is an quite an <a href="http://bernieberlin.blogspot.com/">accomplished artist</a>! Then I started seeing Bernie's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/aplacetobark">pics of puppy dogs on Facebook</a>, and learned that another of Bernie's passions is rescuing the four-leggers from shelters where their days are numbered.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Bernie lives in Tennessee and rescues animals, primarily from the Sumner County, Tennessee shelter, where their days are numbered. Bernie's organization, "A Place to Bark, Inc." provides food, shelter, and veterinary care for these animals until they can be adopted. Needless to say, all of this requires quite a bit of money! If you have the ability to <a href="https://www.networkforgood.org/donation/MakeDonation.aspx?ORGID2=204621674&PcaItemId=18369&vlrStratCode=qmDtbL%2bov9nLXYf8Fqsc9Gdq5KSlLgqRerOrZ71ohOmd15UAxnZWR5%2by0qdRP%2fNp">donate a few dollars</a> to help Bernie out, it would be so very kind! </span></div>
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<br />Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-80896730962487767232012-08-31T06:46:00.000-07:002012-08-31T06:46:27.731-07:00I took the plunge!<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I've been hemming and hawing about Etsy's "new" (not so new anymore, I guess) feature called "Direct Checkout." This feature is still an option for Etsy sellers, although many expect it to be required at some time in the future.</span><br />
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<big><span style="font-size: large;">My <b>main</b> concern about Direct Checkout is that Etsy <strike>expects</strike> requires me to ship items paid for via Direct Checkout <b>BEFORE</b> I have access to the funds/payment for the item. With PayPal, which I've used for 12+ years, the payment is available to me <b>immediately</b> (literally!); I have the PayPal debit card and I can use it to shop locally or online <i>immediately</i> after receiving payment for an item. Etsy, however, is holding seller's funds/payment for <b>THREE DAYS</b>, and after that it will likely take another day or two (at least!) for the funds to appear in my bank account and be available for me to spend.</span></big><br />
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<big><span style="font-size: large;">Many sellers feel that Etsy is profiting from the "float" (interest) on the money. With tens of thousands of sellers on the Etsy web site, many of whom are using Direct Checkout, there is probably quite a sizeable amount of money being floated at any given time -- likely thousands of dollars, if not tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars! After all, Etsy sellers sell MILLIONS of dollars worth of goods each and every month! Here's the link to the latest (</span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/blog/news/2012/etsy-statistics-july-2012-weather-report/"><span style="font-size: large;">July 2012 Weather Report</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">), which is Etsy's monthly public reporting of many numbers associated with the site. In July 2012, for example, $69.5 million dollars of goods were sold on the Etsy site (this number takes into account refunds and cancelled sales). Now, of course, not all 69 million dollars of goods were paid for with Direct Checkout, and I haven't yet seen where (or if) Etsy is releasing any numbers regarding the amount of sales paid for via Direct Checkout, OR how many Etsy sellers are using Direct Checkout.</span></big><br />
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<big><span style="font-size: large;">If you are using Direct Checkout, I'd love if you'd leave a comment here! Let me know how you like it, if it has generated increased sales for you, or if you've had any problems with it. Thanks!
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<big><span style="font-size: large;"></span></big>Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-85728616349155559992012-08-12T06:21:00.001-07:002012-08-12T06:23:29.317-07:00Ingenuity!<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Got an idea this morning that involved using paint in a container I couldn't get open. I have <em>never</em> liked the large "jar" type paint containers -- talkin' house paint here, folks, not craft paint. These containers are too large to grasp easily and, if the lid has gotten stuck on by dried paint, opening them is a real challenge! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">First, I tried the usual trick of banging the edge of the lid with a knife handle (ok, so I used a screwdriver this time ... same thing!), but the lid still wouldn't budge. You may have done this with ketchup bottles or jars of pasta sauce -- and if you haven't, DO give it a try, as it has always worked for me! Anyway, since this was latex (water-based) paint, I thought maybe a little warm water would help.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTikcT1yZjyQ39JMO7_tQFkN2vlDE3O-PYI2FycP25sddaNogrt-qNExgf5rwbHUeFKi7rK4sOD7RqwyuJfsk7vgdnd6EpnnoVp5O_UdAN6tgdyXyQMxxqdpwOVDMms_1H51Ny0wf-L-c/s1600/Paint+Jar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTikcT1yZjyQ39JMO7_tQFkN2vlDE3O-PYI2FycP25sddaNogrt-qNExgf5rwbHUeFKi7rK4sOD7RqwyuJfsk7vgdnd6EpnnoVp5O_UdAN6tgdyXyQMxxqdpwOVDMms_1H51Ny0wf-L-c/s320/Paint+Jar.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I set a timer for two minutes so I didn't forget about it ... it happens, ya know?! And just about two minutes later, voila! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCqjYDjEHu80pOaKV6DQqKsbV36A4yspxmj0mPLkRQ8nWpistm3K_k6sf1nkSUrvI1B0gnuuGzS2TcrNGWp_bskZI-6mx8u40g2AAlyKfM0Rr5v1vxq1oBXN5-_NgEqvwtMMAx0Aio1Y/s1600/Paint+Jar+-+open.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCqjYDjEHu80pOaKV6DQqKsbV36A4yspxmj0mPLkRQ8nWpistm3K_k6sf1nkSUrvI1B0gnuuGzS2TcrNGWp_bskZI-6mx8u40g2AAlyKfM0Rr5v1vxq1oBXN5-_NgEqvwtMMAx0Aio1Y/s320/Paint+Jar+-+open.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now to get back to my project ... </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What is the most ingenious thing you've done lately?</span></div>
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<br /></div>Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-79357317869891293122012-07-27T05:00:00.004-07:002012-07-27T05:01:43.448-07:00A Primitive Shop in ... JAPAN!<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZdglM2o4xdDiFL1OIKaxQCYZ_JugEFdd-G_3pj3RSk8eELadfui1Pn_ppHIpGCTL2XaUHZ9KC1Gvw767fBKOOrUup8YUJb7waxYNd-LSFd09mANZ1HsNtu_DyzeEkGZfFJXYrXPYj3g/s1600/Masami+-+Hearts+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZdglM2o4xdDiFL1OIKaxQCYZ_JugEFdd-G_3pj3RSk8eELadfui1Pn_ppHIpGCTL2XaUHZ9KC1Gvw767fBKOOrUup8YUJb7waxYNd-LSFd09mANZ1HsNtu_DyzeEkGZfFJXYrXPYj3g/s400/Masami+-+Hearts+2012.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today I received this picture from one of my wholesale customers in Japan. She ordered these hearts recently and yesterday she took this pic and posted it on </span><a href="http://nantucketc.exblog.jp/17613900/"><span style="font-size: large;">her store's blog</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> and her </span><a href="http://nantucket-country.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">store's web site</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> ... she says the hearts almost sold out right away!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The store is <strong>Nantucket Country</strong> and has been buying from me since about 1998. Masami found one of my early attempts at a web site shortly after she opened her store and bought things from me for a few years. My style then became "too primitive" (grungy & stained) for her customers, but earlier this year she found </span><a href="http://prairieprimitives.etsy.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">my Etsy shop</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> and saw that I was still making things and has placed two orders in the last few months!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you're in or near Kobe, or have the opportunity to visit in the future, I hope you will stop in at <strong>Nantucket Country </strong>and say hi for me!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And if you're a store owner who is interested in buying wholesale, please contact me for wholesale prices! Besides the hearts, I make grungy & grubby "extreme" primitive dolls (i.e., the grungier the better for me!), stockings for Christmas and other seasons, pillows, and a variety of things (mostly sewn or fabric). I <em>love</em> to work with antique quilts and other vintage textiles. Today I'm starting to work on Fall and Halloween dolls for a few customers and have already shipped some Santas to other wholesale customers!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tana</span></div>Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-44683340663841298362012-04-22T06:13:00.004-07:002012-06-16T02:48:57.642-07:00A Sad Day on Etsy<span style="font-size: large;">Etsy has a "Featured Seller" section on their front page. Usually this space is filled by a seller who makes things in their own studio with their own two hands. But they blew it this time. BIG TIME. They're currently featuring an Etsy seller who sells furniture and accessories which appear to be imported from Indonesia. I apologize for not providing any links but I don't want to provide anything which could be helpful to this Featured Seller.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For those of you who feel I may be a little harsh here, Etsy has a list of "<a href="http://www.etsy.com/help/article/483#production_assistance">Do's and Don'ts</a>" which they <i>usually</i> take very seriously (sometimes a bit TOO seriously). If you click on the Do's and Don'ts link, you'll see a list of rules regarding who can help an Etsy seller produce their work. These include:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">An assistant, under the direct supervision of the seller, may:
assist with a portion of the creation process, list items in a shop,
ship items, communicate with buyers, accounting or other record keeping.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">A third-party vendor may be used for intermediary tasks in some
crafts. Acceptable examples include, but are not limited to: printing
the seller's original artwork, metal casting from the seller's original
mold, or kiln firing the seller's handcrafted ceramic work.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">A third-party vendor may not fulfill your orders to your Etsy customers on your behalf (no drop-shipping).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">An assistant or third-party vendor's involvement may not comprise a majority share of a handmade item's creation.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;">And then there's the current Featured Seller. Research indicates that she may be the owner of a gallery in Malibu, California which imports the items being offered in her Etsy shop. She willingly provides the information that she has four carpenters helping her, and I'm willing to bet that their "assistance" comprises a majority share of the creation of these items! (See the fourth bullet point above.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Resellers on Etsy are nothing new. Hundreds of Etsy sellers have their items flagged for review every day because someone believes the item(s) are not handmade or at least not handmade <i>primarily</i> by the seller. Unfortunately, Etsy rarely (if ever) takes action to shut these shops down. And now they've gone and featured one of these shops as a Featured Seller?!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Etsy, you owe us, the REAL artisans on your site, a huge apology.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you would like to support a true American artist (and one residing in California!), please visit my Etsy shop: <a href="http://prairieprimitives.etsy.com/">Prairie Primitives</a>. Thank you!</span>Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-30600490600335044432011-12-09T18:35:00.001-08:002011-12-09T18:51:01.636-08:00FOLKStore is Open!<span style="font-size: large;">By now, you've probably heard of <a href="http://magazinebyfolk.com/media">FOLK Magazine</a>. It's a new kid on the magazine block and just published it's first issue earlier this year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss55/decodivadebi/stackedcovers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss55/decodivadebi/stackedcovers.jpg" width="177" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The editor is a "youngster" from the Midwest. I'm old enough now that I feel ok calling anyone less than half my age a youngster. :-) But Ben, the editor, seems to be onto something because the magazine has been a HUGE hit!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ben has been busy! In early November, Ben debuted <a href="http://americanfolklife.blogspot.com/p/folklabel.html">FOLKlabel: Private Selection</a> at the <a href="http://www.picturetrail.com/simplegoods">Simple Goods</a> primitive fair in Ohio. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRnAs7VSXh0aonMKUvkUI2phUhHYoT2TvXjjbVhqrhVOh7CLAVjDGPxXc0Jp-iIJbcxDMkvhSmdXQAyRvDsuOi-Bo8td70XqMzha_lCNt1n9EbFuGUpqVdQ77lAhrATkXEAAtjMFqovWB/s640/316063_311782852170540_252309821451177_1520065_1963695601_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRnAs7VSXh0aonMKUvkUI2phUhHYoT2TvXjjbVhqrhVOh7CLAVjDGPxXc0Jp-iIJbcxDMkvhSmdXQAyRvDsuOi-Bo8td70XqMzha_lCNt1n9EbFuGUpqVdQ77lAhrATkXEAAtjMFqovWB/s200/316063_311782852170540_252309821451177_1520065_1963695601_n.jpg" width="145" /> </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm honored that Ben chose to include my handstamped flag pillows as part of this new collection!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9kCacfzZhI2Cpx44y8MV-lsR-9DoWsRJ12crcven0QCZOzoJqyJbaB25kGDZZkx95DtWUfQz1iJB27uTJpe19_yjm33C2fQ0HS-biAv7ElCfDUs0zk7WOivqut2o020bfcIE_nG1144s/s1600/Large+Pillow+Group+Pic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9kCacfzZhI2Cpx44y8MV-lsR-9DoWsRJ12crcven0QCZOzoJqyJbaB25kGDZZkx95DtWUfQz1iJB27uTJpe19_yjm33C2fQ0HS-biAv7ElCfDUs0zk7WOivqut2o020bfcIE_nG1144s/s320/Large+Pillow+Group+Pic.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In fact, he bought all of these pillows that I had left!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And, as if that wasn't enough, now he's gone and opened <a href="http://americanfolklife.blogspot.com/2011/11/folkstore-preview.html">FOLKstore</a> in Beaver Dam, Kentucky (population: 3,033!). And looky! There's those pillows again ... right in the front window of the new store!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyY6m7a91eclKt6MduLGoq0y9Guo95zN4jC65zSAwQ7x70HMXdwwfEaf69goLPb1c3_Yyd5GNeKB4F5RPqmGDSdKO9ptpsRTV89cD9hNLZA3OL4vHbtxiEVLu5xQkyYPalGPKktPQ6I6h/s640/IMG_0496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyY6m7a91eclKt6MduLGoq0y9Guo95zN4jC65zSAwQ7x70HMXdwwfEaf69goLPb1c3_Yyd5GNeKB4F5RPqmGDSdKO9ptpsRTV89cD9hNLZA3OL4vHbtxiEVLu5xQkyYPalGPKktPQ6I6h/s640/IMG_0496.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm still smilin' and I'm busy making more stuff with the hope that Ben will keep buying from me!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-2066507142942597962011-11-24T21:07:00.001-08:002011-11-24T21:50:32.923-08:00Black Friday Comes Earlier Every Year!<span style="font-size: large;">Used to be the stores opened at 6am on Black Friday. Then it was 5am. Then 4am. Then Midnight. And this year, I think I heard that Walmart is opening at 10pm tonight (in less than 15 minutes), except the electronics won't go on sale till midnight (?).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Michael's opened at 4pm today with 30% off <b>everything</b>, including sale-priced items. I had only a few things on my shopping list but couldn't find any of them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrFXdMeii6kJo9nT1WUkCckaS7YjFetBRvhHX5izxlmRDWaA-Xp5SmBlpJml46osc2541xnSgxjpKTg3EFD0FhAS8boNvaBeM_nPOAjlq5L9emxRUb3OOXXXWionek0t8uCJ0G4a-HcY/s1600/Rosehips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrFXdMeii6kJo9nT1WUkCckaS7YjFetBRvhHX5izxlmRDWaA-Xp5SmBlpJml46osc2541xnSgxjpKTg3EFD0FhAS8boNvaBeM_nPOAjlq5L9emxRUb3OOXXXWionek0t8uCJ0G4a-HcY/s320/Rosehips.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Rosehips or some sort of red berry</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://static-americas.fiskars.com/var/fiskars_amer/storage/images/frontpage/products/ease-of-use/crafting/tag-you-re-it-squeeze-punch-large/10217-2-eng-US/Tag-You-re-It-Squeeze-Punch-Large_product_main.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://static-americas.fiskars.com/var/fiskars_amer/storage/images/frontpage/products/ease-of-use/crafting/tag-you-re-it-squeeze-punch-large/10217-2-eng-US/Tag-You-re-It-Squeeze-Punch-Large_product_main.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> A tag punch (size and shape negotiable)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/236/1/f/Parchment_paper_by_Allocer2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/236/1/f/Parchment_paper_by_Allocer2009.jpg" width="222" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Parchment paper to print on</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One strike, two strike, three strikes, you're out!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But since I was there, and since I <i>did </i>have a coupon for 30% off <i>everything</i>, I took a look around the store ...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7wkXjmLn5IG83tZiAaEMPdKB_VHwkMkcR7-cay8dEsXG7Ip0-kz0LmP24tBIZzgzfRwanbMYBbeyDTanVc0-TzaXzCzrlq6u_aWVWB5ssSkU8iJ8ToPh2ZFEbkr3mKD7k1DgvAsy3PQg/s1600/TimHoltz+Paper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7wkXjmLn5IG83tZiAaEMPdKB_VHwkMkcR7-cay8dEsXG7Ip0-kz0LmP24tBIZzgzfRwanbMYBbeyDTanVc0-TzaXzCzrlq6u_aWVWB5ssSkU8iJ8ToPh2ZFEbkr3mKD7k1DgvAsy3PQg/s1600/TimHoltz+Paper.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A pad of Tim Holtz Kraft paper was the first thing to jump into my shopping basket!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is called "Kraft Resist" ... but who can resist kraft paper</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">(especially when it's printed with Tim Holtz designs!)???</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This was quickly followed by ...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.createforless.com/p-images/3/2011/0304/201679-3-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.createforless.com/p-images/3/2011/0304/201679-3-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A booklet of "Salvage Stickers" ("Crowded Attic" collection) ...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Reinforcers ...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A sunflower stamp (Inkadinkadoo) ...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">and just for fun ... </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A package of red & white polkadot cupcake liners!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Total damage was $26 after the 30% discount, and that's about what the kraft paper pad and the stamp would have cost at regular price!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then I came home and was going through some mail and found a Joann's flyer for their Black Friday sale. Oh my ... I know where I'll be in less than 9 hours! :-)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Let's see, a few boxes of poly stuffing (on sale at 40% off and with a 25% coupon on top of that, I'll get as many boxes as I can get into my truck!). Their Fiskars punches are 60% off (unheard of -- and the 25% off coupon is good for that too!); sure hope they have a tag punch (or two). And I'll probably have to take a peek at the fabric while I'm there, though it will have to be something I <i>really </i>"need" to stand in line very long.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And after that, I may just drive to Modesto to see what Jamison's looks like on opening day!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-28317704793526291872011-11-18T17:08:00.001-08:002011-11-18T17:22:44.543-08:00Harvest Festival - Sacramento<span style="font-size: large;">I have a feeling y'all are probably anxious to see what I bought with my Harvest Bucks ... right? I walked the whole show, making mental notes as I went about booths I wanted to go back to. I ended up buying from two almost local artists, one lady is from Modesto and the other is from Red Bluff.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6IgKA6S9HbSGP5mAphCwYeRB9quxTfEU9-4LvvTOOy-xF_vHhkv1vN_-2JADxkAzv4Vg1YzNotw9DKWR06aWVAzhUZP0KFREbubTu3QQdzxWhYC48NNj-uxxxokTYpiK5HZIeeeDremQ/s1600/Harvest+Festival+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6IgKA6S9HbSGP5mAphCwYeRB9quxTfEU9-4LvvTOOy-xF_vHhkv1vN_-2JADxkAzv4Vg1YzNotw9DKWR06aWVAzhUZP0KFREbubTu3QQdzxWhYC48NNj-uxxxokTYpiK5HZIeeeDremQ/s320/Harvest+Festival+2011.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The crow pottery was made by Charlotte Certain whose business name is "Crooked Finger Pottery." I couldn't find her on Facebook, Etsy, or Google! She lives in Red Bluff, if you're trying to track her down. I love the crows! The berry bowl (there's a separate saucer underneath it) is for a friend's birthday/holiday gift, so if you're reading this, Jennifer, you'll get it in a couple of weeks! :-)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The "California" bracelet is from <a href="http://grouseandbadger.etsy.com/">Grouse And Badger</a>; they <i>do </i>have a shop on Etsy, but readily admitted they don't list everything they make there. The bracelet is made from a vintage California license plate!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And I still have $15 in Harvest Bucks left, so I'll be going back to the Harvest Festival on Sunday!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-13357078368735664082011-11-09T15:55:00.001-08:002011-11-09T16:01:29.323-08:00Etsy Treasury - Happy Homespun Holidays<span style="font-size: large;">I just put together an Etsy Treasury for the holidays. Hope you'll take a moment and give it some love. Log in to your Etsy account and click on some (or all) of the 16 items and leave a comment. The link is below the image of the Treasury. Thanks, and Happy Homespun Holidays!</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6uyXEE-u8EV-vE2wKxoJ5TP9jzQUKOaUfIMrFLD6NgB6ft4WVDUzvxmURZzBthUn2ueGbQvQ_eB79Yd3zBa8ti9OJWCUsG9AzMMpbjTAxJ1zPi036dLPJ0VHDeL1qrfYWbZclImr8-0/s400/Happy+Homespun+Holidays.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="373" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NzI0NzZ8MTA2OTMzMDA1Mw/happy-homespun-holidays"><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NzI0NzZ8MTA2OTMzMDA1Mw/happy-homespun-holidays</span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-52158999030531178032011-11-06T06:05:00.000-08:002011-11-06T06:52:54.845-08:00Blogger Finally Got It (mostly) Right!!!<div><div><span style="font-size:130%;">I don't know when Blogger made this change, but I've just discovered the ability to port all of my blogs to a new email address! In the past, it only seemed like I was able to port a few abilities, i.e. writing new posts but not changing the template, for example, but now I've got ALL of my blogs associated with the email account I use on a daily basis. So now I won't have to log out of that Gmail account, log in to another Gmail account to work on the blogs, log out of that Gmail account, and log back into my regular day-to-day Gmail account. YIPPEE!!!<br /><br /></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-size:130%;">Maybe this will even tempt me to post more often! :-)</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />Now ... if they'd put space back between paragraphs, make sure the easy edit option (the pencil icon) is available when it's supposed to be (it seems to only show in Firefox at the moment), and fix the image adder thingy so images get inserted where they're <em>supposed </em>to go, rather than at the top of the post, where I then have to drag them to where I want them. Oh, and make their site work better with IE. I go back and forth between IE and Firefox, and lately it's been IE, but publishing posts has been next to impossible in IE, as well as saving in draft format.<br /></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />So Blogger got <em>something </em>right, but it looks like other things may have gotten broke in the process. Sigh.</span></div><div><br /></div></div>Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-79773721679442070952011-10-30T16:15:00.000-07:002011-10-31T02:18:11.333-07:00I Love My Customers but I Hate Dimensional Weight Shipping!<span style="font-size:130%;">I need to whine and vent just a bit about the post office and their "dimensional weight shipping." In case you're not familiar with this term, this is how they calculate postage when a package is larger than 1 cubic foot (i.e., 12x12x12 or <span style="font-style: italic;">any </span>measurements which make the total cubic inches greater than 1728 when you multiply the length times the width times the height.<br /><br />This morning I received a wholesale order from a new customer. Ben likes my hand stamped flag pillows, but needs them in Ohio no later than this coming Friday, so he can take them to the <a href="http://picturetrail.com/simplegoods">Simple Goods</a> show on Saturday where he will debut the new <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WEAREFOLK">FOLKlabel: Private Selection</a>! He requested all of the large pillows I have on hand and a few small ones, but the only box I have that this many pillows would fit in is huge; there was a little room left in the box, but not very much.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYSU5WZaaGOlenmbTpkupUcOQbglFWGceKlzhxRlJ_hW4H7QzefUYSfjxdhDgnOlx8RAXFqfO2VddI1mcR2jCGbJvezwKiHtMKhWg1hOe-7zI65TXKI8jj0XNCVpE7sbSjoOE_Ic_hprI/s1600/Large+Pillow+Group+Pic.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYSU5WZaaGOlenmbTpkupUcOQbglFWGceKlzhxRlJ_hW4H7QzefUYSfjxdhDgnOlx8RAXFqfO2VddI1mcR2jCGbJvezwKiHtMKhWg1hOe-7zI65TXKI8jj0XNCVpE7sbSjoOE_Ic_hprI/s320/Large+Pillow+Group+Pic.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669430855213435714" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />The box weighs just 8 pounds. I checked shipping via <span style="font-style: italic;">all </span>of the major carriers. Priority Mail is $57.67; Express Mail is $51.28; it would get there the same day either way, except Express Mail is guaranteed to arrive by 3pm, that's the </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >only </span><span style="font-size:130%;">difference ... and it's cheaper! FedEx Ground is $45.75 and is guaranteed to arrive by the end of the 4th business day (i.e., Friday, Nov. 4th if I ship on Oct. 31st). UPS wants $43.26 for their "3 day Select" service, and says it will arrive by the end of the day on Thursday, Nov. 3rd if I ship tomorrow. All of these rates are simply </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >OUTRAGEOUS </span><span style="font-size:130%;">and they're so high because of the Dimensional Weight calculations! Back in the good ol' days, that is before 2007, Priority Mail didn't cost much more than Parcel Post, and FedEx Ground and UPS home delivery were both very competitive, especially for larger and/or heavier packages. But since then, it's been VERY expensive to ship any packages larger than 1 cubic foot, especially if they're traveling any distance, as is the case with these pillows.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" > </span><span style="font-size:130%;">Oh, and in case you're wondering, Parcel Post would be just $14.15, </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >but </span><span style="font-size:130%;">the package likely wouldn't arrive until Monday, Nov. 7th, which is three days too late!<br /><br />Anyway, Ben and I shot some emails back and forth, trying to decide what to do. In the end, he decided to have me put as many pillows in the huge box as it would hold, so he's got all 21 flag pillows that I have left!<br /><br />If you go to the Simple Goods show, please stop by Ben's booth and say hi and pick up one of my flag pillows!<br /><br /></span>Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-52372495663634582202011-10-14T11:22:00.000-07:002011-10-14T11:26:02.909-07:00Prairie Primitives Mercantile Lives Again!<a href="http://prairieprimitivesmercantile.blogspot.com/">The Merc</a> has been neglected for much too long because I couldn't quite decide what I wanted to do with it. For the time being, anyway, I've redesigned it and set up tabs which link to the corresponding sections in my Etsy shop and to my yard sale page on Facebook.<br /><br />I'm giving serious thought to reopening my <a href="http://www.picturetrail.com/PrairiePrimitives">Picturetrail site</a> soon too! Stay tuned!Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-11238805094197729782011-10-11T14:37:00.000-07:002011-10-11T14:43:29.065-07:00Want to Change the Name of Your Etsy Shop?<span style="font-size:130%;">Starting October 18, you'll be able to!!<br /><br />Did you sign up for Etsy using a goofy name, or maybe just one you regret? Ready to let it go? Of course, you won't be able to use any Etsy shop names which are already in use, but if you have a new, unique name in mind, you'll have the chance to make it yours! If you'd like to use proper capitalization in your shop name, you will be able to do that as well, however Etsy is still not allowing any spaces in the shop name, so multiple words will remain run together. You will be able to change your shop name ONE TIME, however if you want to change the "case" of your name now and then later you choose to completely change your shop name, you will be able to do that; changing the "case" (i.e., from all lowercase to upper and lower case ... prairieprimitives to PrairiePrimitives, for example) will not count as a name change. Your old shop URL will redirect to your new shop URL (changing your shop name changes your shop URL as well), so you won't end up with a bunch of broken links all over the internet! <a href="http://www.etsy.com/blog/news/2011/names-and-shops-on-etsy">Read more here!</a><br /><br />It also appears that Etsy is re-visiting the whole personal name thing again. If you've signed into Etsy today, you may have been greeted with a pop-up that offered you a chance to change the way your name will be displayed. If you're in business with someone else, consider adding their name to this display name! And, of course, you can opt out of showing your name as you've been able to all along. I don't know, however whether Etsy will automatically begin showing your name if you have previously opted out of doing so. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/teams/7718/site-help/discuss/9114846">Here's the forum discussion</a> about these changes and this answer (and others) may be in there; it's already up to 20 pages and I don't have time to read all of that right now.</span>Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356809782111316737.post-68704472318913359462011-08-23T22:45:00.000-07:002011-08-23T22:58:07.455-07:00Another 15 minutes of fame :-)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY21pKM3Rf9AcJhJl8Dq1naUHvFWekmwU28Tre6YUvCNJpG1tKHUsXE1thBRw2m3lgjFfDeFcWOOy4A62kqRxKAHsUGQwM0dWLuieI0iV_yN-t0i68tD1vfpZOvIcAAAF2Opl0ksZxxVA/s1600/Large+Pillow+Group+Pic.JPG">
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<br /><span style="font-size:130%;">At the <a href="http://californiacountryshow.com/">California Country Antique Show</a> back in June, my hand-stamped flag pillows were photographed by both Create & Decorate and also <a href="http://www.maineantiquedigest.com/">Maine Antiques Digest</a>. The MAD photographer assured me that the photo </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >would </span><span style="font-size:130%;">be published, probably within three months.</span>
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<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY21pKM3Rf9AcJhJl8Dq1naUHvFWekmwU28Tre6YUvCNJpG1tKHUsXE1thBRw2m3lgjFfDeFcWOOy4A62kqRxKAHsUGQwM0dWLuieI0iV_yN-t0i68tD1vfpZOvIcAAAF2Opl0ksZxxVA/s1600/Large+Pillow+Group+Pic.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY21pKM3Rf9AcJhJl8Dq1naUHvFWekmwU28Tre6YUvCNJpG1tKHUsXE1thBRw2m3lgjFfDeFcWOOy4A62kqRxKAHsUGQwM0dWLuieI0iV_yN-t0i68tD1vfpZOvIcAAAF2Opl0ksZxxVA/s320/Large+Pillow+Group+Pic.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644296340717618194" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >Large Flag Pillows - $18.95 includes U.S. postage</span>
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<br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Today, I sold one of the flag pillows in <a href="http://www.prairieprimitivesfolkart.com/">my Etsy shop</a> to a MAD subscriber who had seen the photo in the September issue of the paper, and tracked me down on Google. How cool is that?!</span>
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<br />Prairie Primitives Folk Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01228429089289890494noreply@blogger.com0