I photographed assorted googly eyes on a few different wallpaper samples I had and came up with this as my new blog background. I'm pretty damn pleased with myself. I also sold two cards to two people on Friday (marking my 50th and 51st sales!), and my shop finally looks somewhat cohesive and full. Considering the migraines have been nasty again lately, I'm doing pretty well in Etsyland.
I need to live closer to a 24-hour bakery. Wait, no, I really don't.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Sweet mother of templates
Someone in EtsyGreetings sent the link to this wonderful page of free blog templates: http://lenatoewsdesigns.blogspot.com/
So first I messed around with just changing my template to one of theirs. I really liked a few of them except for "_____" where "______" was the image at the top or the background or some other detail that didn't it my personal style/snarkitude (how dare they be imperfect, the free site amazing service that they are and all). I chose one I thought was close enough and started to personalize it, but the top image just kept bothering me and I wondered if I could change it to my scissors background thing I use on my shop banner without exploding all the HTML code and such.
Fortunately, I am a giant nerd. I found the spot in the HTML for the template that had the link to the image I didn't want. I dragged it into Photoshop, thinking I'd just play around with it a little, maybe add a poop heart or some of the sheep that Amy drew for the "ewe" cards. But it looked dumb, so I tried using the original banner's dimensions and changing it entirely to my scissors thing, then uploading my new branded-ier banner to flickr, taking the URL of the full size image, and pasting it into the template HTML where the old banner image link was. Bingo. But now my banner didn't go with the background (which I really liked). So I found the background image URL (not far from the banner one) and started playing with THAT, only to overhaul THAT whole thing...I'm still not thrilled with the background, but I feel very techno-savvy and my blog is now undeniably mine-looking. Maybe tomorrow I'll take some photos of googly eyes and yarn or something and turn that into the background instead. Seems a bit ridiculous considering how much time I spent arranging those photos for the current background, but I'm in Super-Fuzzy-Stabby-Head Mode, so I was bound to get stuck on some strange useless project or another.
No, Freud (my dog), you may not have my artichoke kalamata hummus.
So first I messed around with just changing my template to one of theirs. I really liked a few of them except for "_____" where "______" was the image at the top or the background or some other detail that didn't it my personal style/snarkitude (how dare they be imperfect, the free site amazing service that they are and all). I chose one I thought was close enough and started to personalize it, but the top image just kept bothering me and I wondered if I could change it to my scissors background thing I use on my shop banner without exploding all the HTML code and such.
Fortunately, I am a giant nerd. I found the spot in the HTML for the template that had the link to the image I didn't want. I dragged it into Photoshop, thinking I'd just play around with it a little, maybe add a poop heart or some of the sheep that Amy drew for the "ewe" cards. But it looked dumb, so I tried using the original banner's dimensions and changing it entirely to my scissors thing, then uploading my new branded-ier banner to flickr, taking the URL of the full size image, and pasting it into the template HTML where the old banner image link was. Bingo. But now my banner didn't go with the background (which I really liked). So I found the background image URL (not far from the banner one) and started playing with THAT, only to overhaul THAT whole thing...I'm still not thrilled with the background, but I feel very techno-savvy and my blog is now undeniably mine-looking. Maybe tomorrow I'll take some photos of googly eyes and yarn or something and turn that into the background instead. Seems a bit ridiculous considering how much time I spent arranging those photos for the current background, but I'm in Super-Fuzzy-Stabby-Head Mode, so I was bound to get stuck on some strange useless project or another.
No, Freud (my dog), you may not have my artichoke kalamata hummus.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Stuck in Traffic?
Today, I am discovering the world of "traffic exchanges." CraftySteph has an explanation on her website, and she's the one who got me started.
These things seem to be website hits for the sake of hits. If I look at x number of pages, they will show my website x number of times. It's something to poke at, and we'll see what happens.
I get extra credits or special points or something if suck other people in. Who wants to get sucked?
These things seem to be website hits for the sake of hits. If I look at x number of pages, they will show my website x number of times. It's something to poke at, and we'll see what happens.
I get extra credits or special points or something if suck other people in. Who wants to get sucked?
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Southport Green Market
A few photos from the Southport Green Market on Saturday and the banner-making meeting Thursday:
I actually sold cards to a number of different people and had even more people look at them with positive reactions, so that was encouraging. I'm signed up for a bunch more this summer, plus they're now including Summer on Southport in our already low fee, so I'm pretty excited. It'll keep me out of trouble and at least pay for the food I end up buying while I'm at the farmers market. Mmm...apple butter and overpriced organic smoked string cheese...
I actually sold cards to a number of different people and had even more people look at them with positive reactions, so that was encouraging. I'm signed up for a bunch more this summer, plus they're now including Summer on Southport in our already low fee, so I'm pretty excited. It'll keep me out of trouble and at least pay for the food I end up buying while I'm at the farmers market. Mmm...apple butter and overpriced organic smoked string cheese...
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Things that remind me of things
I made a treasury today that had been in my head for awhile. All these things reminded me of other things that made me think of other things, so I had to make them into a treasury. Look at it, please.
Econ 201: The Felted Booger Maker Pricing Explanation will be coming soon...especially once my car is in the shop (stupid truck squished it) and it becomes a pain in the ass to actually GO places. I may put out a little zine-type publication of Econ for Etsy things (shaynamaidel's idea) and sell it through my shop...it'd be a good way to be a paid writer again and still help people out, just not for free. Cheap, but not free. So long as my stupid migraines keep me from getting a normal person job, I need to actually make money elsewhere. Cards, banners, econ blabberings. Whatever works.
Econ 201: The Felted Booger Maker Pricing Explanation will be coming soon...especially once my car is in the shop (stupid truck squished it) and it becomes a pain in the ass to actually GO places. I may put out a little zine-type publication of Econ for Etsy things (shaynamaidel's idea) and sell it through my shop...it'd be a good way to be a paid writer again and still help people out, just not for free. Cheap, but not free. So long as my stupid migraines keep me from getting a normal person job, I need to actually make money elsewhere. Cards, banners, econ blabberings. Whatever works.
Chicago Style Crafters Trunk Show
Find more photos like this on Indiepublic
The show was fun and wonderful, even if sales were slow. I took pictures. Have fun.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Teaming with craftiness
Today was Day 1 of my first show! I didn't know what I was doing, but it didn't matter since it was the most gorgeous day of the year and buyer traffic was very light. Still, my goal for the day was to have people come and just look at my cards so I wouldn't feel like I'd wasted my effort, and that much was accomplished. The best part about this being a two-day thing is that tomorrow 
I can post better signs for my instant super-personalized card-making services and maybe people will actually bite. The other artists showing are fabulous people and there's lots of fabulous things packed into CircaCeramics' fabulous studio. 
My parents came and I predicted they would buy something from CircaCeramics with a chicken on it, and they did. Not that they collect chickens or anything, it just seemed like their quantity and quality of quirky.Wow. I'm rambly and half-stupid right now. Maybe it's the 5 hours of sleep I got last night so I could print and cut and fold and organize and pack and set-up by noon today.
If you are in the Chicagoland area and want to stop by Sunday, May 18 from noon-5 PM, we are at 3759 N. Ravenswood.
Links and press about the show:
Chicago Tribune article with lots of misspellings
Metromix event
Crains Chicago "10 Things To Do This Weekend"
Time Out Chicago article about Circa Ceramics that mentions the open studio
Facebook event
CircaCeramics webpage w/info
Chicago Style Crafters webpage
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