Recently in Castle Argghhh!!! Creations Category
Yesterday, I spent a ton of time trying to upload (from our faster than dial-up but slower than broadband satellite access to the internet) photos of my blank notecards made from, what else, my photos - to Artfire.com.
I think that the link to my "studio" is : www.artfire.com/modules.php
or this - http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&seller_id=17160
Hmmm. Not sure how that works. I’m still working on how to display things, and I have many things to add, including supplies like carded kid mohair for needle felting and blown eggs for egg artists.
So I’d be very happy to get any kind of feeback from you. I should probably also set up shop at etsy.com and ebay.com. Then I can compare which works best for me!
So, I have been looking at a lot of my photos, and I think that printing them as blank notecards would be a way to sell my work. So, I have been checking the prices on several on-line photo developers - from Exposure Manager (where I store all my photos) to Walmart and everything in between.
Basically, unless you want to purchase a full dozen of one design, the cost per card approaches $1.50 each. Now, if I want to sell 4 cards (with envelopes) for something like $6.00, there is really not enough profit to make it worthwhile - it is not like I would be selling hundreds of cards or anything!
I’ve been doing some searches trying to discover what other photographers and artists do to sell their work as notecards and I was somewhat surprised that many of them do it themselves with their good ink jet printers on good card stock. Hmmmm. I need to research this!
I think these photos would make nice notecards - what do you think? Honestly, now, don’t pull any punches!
For many years, we have spent a lot of money on friends and relatives for Christmas gifts. I know for a fact that some rather pricy gifts were never used, and that's okay. Those were years when I was working and bringing in the "big bucks" and had no time at all for a thoughtful gift that came from our hearts.
So, this year, I'm baking and probably canning gifts for people. I have made some nice bowls and such (they are all hopefully being fired as I write this), and I've made a couple of baskets. I hope to fill these things with Christmas Cookies, breads, home-made egg noodles, and perhaps some apple butter or pear butter.
The local Future Farmers of America came around selling fresh apples and pears as a fund raiser. My fruit was just delivered by two of Rodney's kids. (Rodney is my go-to farmer. He cuts my hay and bales it for me. If I have a question, he always helps, and his 8 children and his wife are just wonderful people). So now, I really have to figure out what to make.
Robin gave me a great recipe for parmesan/garlic breadsticks, I'm trying that out right now. Robin has also helped me to make some baskets.
I need to make Whiskey Balls (a rather yummy no-bake cookie/candy laced with bourbon and cocoa), Spritz cookies, Almond cut out cookies, Key Lime cookies and pecan puffs.
The weather is really cold and nasty, so I'm sure that I can get all this baking done and baked goods put away in the freezer.
Robin also taught me how to can fruit, I think I'll try either a hot cinnamon applesauce or apple butter in the pretty little decorative jars.
I dunno. What do you think? I figure if nothing else, if they hate it, at least the wild birds will get a treat LOL!
So, my friend, Robin, also a farmer of chickens, goats and vegetables, only with 4 children, 3 of them homeschooled, and I (ok, that was a run-on clause) are going to be selling our handcrafted baskets at the Farmer's Market come springtime, as well as my pottery and anything else we can figure out!!
Robin and I spent hours on Saturday, remembering how to build baskets - it's been awhile for both of us! - and we had a great time, but did not finish our baskets. I think once we reacquaint our fingers and hands with the steps required to make baskets, we will be a lot faster, and once we have some nice baskets, we can talk to the Carnegie Art Center in Leavenworth about maybe teaching some basket weaving classes - and if we get enough students, we can each probably make maybe 60 or 70 dollars a week more than we do now - which is like nothing - LOL!!!
Also, Robin can make very quick quilts - if I get the sewing/embroidery machine from John for Christmas, we can make many quilty things to sell - I'm thinking maybe ETSY.com, or maybe EBAY. Or maybe just on a page here on my blog.
And, KCSteve, please note - I will be using one of my baskets to collect eggs with so I will no longer drop the eggs!
