Wishing Everyone A Happy New Year!!

Wrapping Up 2010

Reflecting back over the past year..

I think.it has been a very good year!

I've had my share of things that I've complained about...

mostly to do with my computer and internet..

but I've managed, in spite of them.

This was my best Etsy year ever...

and I did it mostly from my dining room table

or my from my recliner.

With my youngest son now living in North Dakota...

and my 'college' son happy with his little 

'efficiency' upstairs...

I'll be turning my basement back into my Studio.
This should mean...
more original paintings in my Shops.

I've changed the looks and the contents of my
Bonanza Shop.
I've removed ALL Rustic Goth pieces from this Shop
leaving only my CMZ Art pieces,
which all have much 'lighter' themes.

My Rustic Goth Artfire Shop
houses my 'melancholy' girls
which will not be found on Etsy or Zibbet.

I'll be adding a lot of new Rustic Goth pieces to my
Fine Art America Shop
which make my art available on Greeting Cards
and on Gallery Wrapped Canvas.

Hopefully, before the beginning of the year,
I'll have new pieces in my Zibbet and Zazzle Shops.

A nice 'Plus' to the end of my year...

my 'Two Hearts' piece was featured on the Front Page of

Fine Art America

recently!

All in all...I'm looking forward to a Great New Year!!

Big plans for the New Year!

It's that time of year again...that I decide which items to 'retire'.
I'll be placing those items in a

'Clearance' Section...

in my Shop..

As I list the brand new items I create...I'll begin to 'unlist'

those items that haven't sold.

I like to try to keep my listings from becoming too overwhelming...

so as I list the new items..

I 'retire' some of the older items..

in an effort to keep my Shop as fresh as I possibly can.

Wishing Everyone A Merry Christmas!

My favorite Trans-Siberian Orchestra Song.
I think it really says a lot about how I feel about Christmas.
I hope you enjoy!

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

Thinking Christmas....

I'm thinking Christmas...purposefully so!

Jaime and I were talking a while back...she's my one child

who is ALWAYS soooo excited about Christmas way before any of the others.

This year...she got off to a bit of a shaky start.

I think it comes with having an online business that requires so

much work during the Holiday Season.

Even when one is completely caught up on shipping,

packages tend to get 'lost' somewhere in the deep Abyss of the USPS.

She had one International package that was returned twice...

(the buyer did not pick up the package either time)...

for some reason she had to pay $24.00 Customs Fee on it the last time

it was returned...

and still the buyer wanted it re-shipped (on Jaime)...

all this in the middle of the normally hectic Christmas Season work.

She also discovered...by a very compassionate postal worker...that her

post office was holding a batch of International packages

because she hadn't put the words...'from'  and 'to'  on them.

This after they had accepted them and received postage fees.

That's still being investigated.

So...you see...with all this 'drama'  it becomes very necessary

to make myself  'think' Christmas. 

I have to find that 'spirit' that lights the joy within...

so that I don't risk turning into some kind of 

'Grinch'.

While I Wonder

Sometimes I feel like I just 'wander' through life 

without a plan or a clue...

luckily I don't feel that way often..

mostly when I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed..

like I have been lately.

Because it's essential...for my livelihood...

to make as many sales as I possibly can everyday..

I put off taking the time to do a little pre-planning and organizing.

Eventually I need to just 'stop' and regroup...

that's where I'm at currently.

I'm getting everything out as quickly as I possibly can...

but I'm not really working on anything new...

just ideas and thoughts

for new pieces for the coming year.

So...I'm wondering which of the older pieces I need to retire...

what I want to do with new series ideas..

I reflect on ideas that I thought were good ones

that didn't go anywhere...

and why.

I wonder what I will do about Christmas gifts for my family...

and what my youngest son will do out on his own.

I wonder about a lot of things....

Taking An Internet Break

I've been soooo busy with my Etsy Shop

holding 'Sales',

packing, shipping...

just trying to stay 'afloat'...

that I've totally neglected the Season...and the meaning

behind it.

Sooo....I'm taking an Internet break...for at least a week

maybe even until after Christmas.

I'll monitor my shop and emails a couple times every day...

but  since I tend to spend way too much time everyday on my computer

it leaves so little time for anything else.

Forget doing any decorating..baking...or gift making/shopping.

So, I need to pry myself away from my computer long enough

to do everything that needs to be done to have

a joyful Holiday Season.

 

I've run into similar problems the past few years...then...

before you know it, it's a day or two before Christmas and I'm scrambling around

trying to throw up some decorations...

doing my Shopping at the last minute...

baking a few goodies...

and it's not really that much fun or joyous.

So...I'm scheduling some blog posts...

some Etsy listings...

and taking a step back...

so that I don't run into the same last minute scramble.

This year I really do want to enjoy the Season.

It's a bit too easy to get a little too caught up with my online business...

and I want to take some time to reflect on how

I can spend more time with myself and my family

in the coming year...

I don't want my business to become so grueling that

I grow not to like it so much!

Gift Certificates in the Shop

I've given a lot of thought to whether or not to offer

Gift Certificates in my Shop.

I've heard they don't do well on Etsy.

But...I decided to go ahead and offer a few of them anyway.

I am offering them through email...

quite simple for any last minute gift giving...

and this is how it works..

*Once purchased... I will email you the Gift
Certificate so you can print it. Especially
good when time is of the essence.

*This Gift Certificate is redeemable ONLY
in my Rustic Goth Etsy Shop.

*Each Gift Certificate has it's own unique
code, which appears on the Gift Certificate.

*Rustic Goth Gift Certificates do not expire.

*Rustic Goth Gift Certificate balances do carry over.

*There is not a 'handling fee' on Rustic Goth Gift
Certificates...you will not be penalized for using
them.

*Gift Certificates are Not Refundable or Redeemable
for Cash.

*Any balance spent Over the amount of the Gift
Certificate will be due and owed by the user, and payable
via PayPal.

*Gift Certificate amounts can also be used toward
shipping costs.

I'm Caught Up with Shipping

Okay...this picture is a MAJOR Exaggeration of

how much shipping I had to do...

but when you are doing it by yourself and you get behind

it can often feel like this!

I'm caught up to 5 business days...which is great for me.

Once I get my own printer, I'm hoping to cut this to 3 days...hope..hope!!

The only things that are still behind are the calendars.

I'm still waiting to get those from the publisher.

Hopefully they'll be here so that I can get them shipped right around

the 15th!

I've Been So Busy....

I've finally got 'almost' everything
packed and shipped.
Hopefully everything will reach it's destination before
Christmas!
My calendars should be on their way from the publishers and
I'll ship those out as soon as I get them.

I've ordered new canvas...so I can get started on some
new paintings for next year...whenever I can sneak some free time.

I haven't had a chance to visit my favorite blogs...so I'm hoping to sneak some
time as I can...and find out what you all are up to during the Holiday Season.
I still haven't had a chance to put up a few decorations
to make my home feel a little more 'festive'...
maybe I'll try to set aside a little time for that.
I think I'm feeling a little 'blue'...
my youngest son has always lived with me...
and he will be moving out the week before Christmas.
Not just out of the house...but out of the State!

I guess I'll deal with that when it actually happens.

Reaching A Compromise

Jaime and I each have our own Shops

and 

for the most part

our businesses are completely separate.

Her and Mikey are free to do as they please in their Shop..

and me in mine.

But...we still do our little 'brain storming' every week.

What new things can we do?...that sort of thing.

She is of the belief that original paintings and prints are more than enough

to keep her busy...

but

the 'crafter' in me is constantly wanting to 'expand' my line.

And...I tend to try to 'talk' her into going along.

Now that we aren't doing anymore shows this season...
(and possibly not next season either)

I think I'll let her do her thing and just keep doing what I enjoy doing.

I just need to be 'smarter'.

For one thing...it takes me almost as long to do an art cover

or an egg ornament

as it does to do an 11 x 14 inch painting...

and I charge far less.

So...I've reached a 'compromise' with myself.

Next year...I'll concentrate on the paintings and prints...

then

every so often

I'll switch over and do a batch of covers..

or

wearable art

or

'whatever'...

See...the 'crafter' in me is 'always thinking'...

2011 Calendars on Etsy

 

Today is the last day to get one of my 2011 Calendars

in my Etsy Shop.

I won't be able to guarantee delivery by Christmas

if I have to order them from my publisher

and then ship them out when they come in.

I have posted links on my sidebar

to be able to order the calendars directly

from the publisher

for anyone who wants one and didn't have a chance

to order through my Rustic Goth Etsy Shop.

The Winner is...

I found a random generator link on one of my

favorite blogs...

and used it to draw the winner of one of my

2011 Creeper Calendars.

The winner is....
Daphne White!

Please contact me (cmzart@yahoo.com) with your address

so I can get your calendar to you

as soon as they arrive.

2011 Calendars

I have a couple different calendars that I am offering this year.
The first calendar is my...
2011 Creeper Calendar

I've shown only a small sampling of my
2011 Creeper Calendar
but hopefully you 'get the idea'.
I've limited the number of calendars to 100...
and they are being printed by a professional printer.

It's a wall calendar and much larger
and easier to use than the
2010 Creeper Calendar.


I also have a
2011 Steampunk Calendar
which is also a wall calendar that includes  both
US (and) UK Holidays.

This calendar took me a bit

longer to finish,

since I decided to do some extra

artwork to each page,

so that I could show the entire print rather than just a portion,

as with so many prints on the Creeper Calendar.

I'm limiting the number of Steampunk Calendars to 50.

With that...and the extra work involved...

these Calendars are a few dollars more than the Creepers.

Finally...my original Pocket Calendar painted art covers.

These are handpainted original 'paintings'

on real canvas.

I'm including a 2011 Pocket Calendar in each of these

covers and the number of

these will be incredibly limited...just due to

the constraints of time.

(Unfortunately I didn't have a pocket calendar for sizing purposes,

until recently...

and I just can't work fast enough to get very

many done between now and the first of the year.)

These can be found in my

Rustic Goth Etsy Shop

for anyone who is interested.

The 'Never Ending' SALE

If it seems like I've got a

'never ending Sale'

going on in my Rustic Goth Etsy Shop...

in a way...

I do.

See...I do make my living selling what I create..

mostly through my Etsy Shop.

And...occasionally I'm fighting to keep this utility on

or paying my rent in increments

instead of in one lump sum...

For the most part though...

it does seem to pay the bills.

What I don't have though...is the 'extra'...to get myself

a new computer and my own Pro Printer.

So...I have Sales...almost constantly...

because I am 'determined'.

When my husband fell ill...I was selling my art on eBay.

And...at that time it was Great!

Put the bottom dollar price as the starting bid...

and sometimes it would go far above what I thought I'd ever get

for my art.

Everyday I listed new paintings...and almost everyday

I sold paintings.

One of the things that gave my husband comfort...was knowing

that he didn't need to worry how I was going to make a living

when he was gone.

Neither of us had any idea what would happen to eBay...or the economy.

But...I'm a bit of a 'fighter'

and I do what I have to do

to pay the bills...

even if it means having one Sale after another.

The Etsy Bloggers HOLIDAY SALE

H a p p y H o l i d a y s ! !
The EtsyBloggers HOLIDAY S*A*L*E* is going on from Black Friday thru Cyber Monday!!
That's Friday 11/26 thru Monday 11/29!!
See our team website for a list of all shops having a SALE http://etsybloggers.com
H a p p y S h o p p i n g ! !

An Upcoming Give Away

My 2011 Creeper Calendar is out!
And...I'm having a giveaway for one 2011 Creeper Wall Calendar!

How it works....

just leave a comment on this post...

I'll use a random generator
to determine the winner
and post the winner on December 1st.

That time of the year!

It's getting to be
'that' time of the year again...
I'm not talking about the 'Holidays'...

It's that time of the year when I begin
'cleaning house'
in my Etsy Shop.

I like to keep the number of items in my Shop
to a 'manageable' number...

 I've always liked to keep that number to 150 or less..
but since finding 'Etsy on Sale'
200 is a good number...
who knows...
maybe one day I won't be so intimidated by
higher numbers
and I'll get my shop up to 250 or even
300!

A New Look...

I've given my blog a new look...
sort of.
I selected what I think is a much neater template
and now I'm in the process of
going through everything on my sidebar
and cleaning that up...
so that it looks...
well..
a little less cluttered.

It's been an ongoing process
and I may not get it all done until after
the Holidays.

Featured Etsy Blogger for November

As a member of the EtsyBloggers Street Team

I have been very remiss at my own level of participation.

So..in an effort to improve this situation...

let me present

The Etsy Bloggers Featured Member of the Month...

Divine Designs Jewelry.

She creates some awesome pieces that she has listed in

her Etsy Shop

and she has a Supply Shop which

can be found by visiting her blog.

Join me in congratulating her for being

November's

featured Member.

The Power of Positive Thinking

 

I know I've mentioned this in a post or two in the past..

but since I do so firmly believe this,

I find myself wanting to post it again and again.

My husband was the 'positive thinker'...

which I really needed

since I tended to be the more negative and skeptical one.

Over the years...I did begin to become a little more positive...

but I still have a long ways to go.

Thank goodness several of my children have more

of their dad's 'positivity'...

positive things just seem to 'follow' those children

whatever they choose to do.

And..during those times they allow a bit of 'negativity' to creep in...

things don't go as smoothly for them.

For those of us for whom 'positivity' doesn't come as easy...

we have to work a little harder...

but

the rewards are always great enough

to make it well worth it!

This is the attitude I'm taking while I'm determined

not to let myself get too sick

with whatever it is that has me a bit

under the weather.

And...I'll take all the positive vibes I can get!

Real Egg Ornaments

I have the first of the eggs to be listed in my

Etsy Shop.

The top picture is one of my 'Hummingbird' Eggs...

over the years it was always one of those ornaments that sold

immediately.

The second picture...is one a little more 'close to my heart'

as it is an 'Abstract Nativity' painted by my husband.

This was his own design and one of his

most popular ornaments.

This egg was painted in 2004...initialed and dated by him...

but was never coated as we didn't usually coat the eggs until we

had 24 of them ready to 'pour'.

(It was a rather messy undertaking...so we always waited until

we had enough eggs before dragging out everything we needed to do the pour.)

The third and fourth eggs...

Candles and Black Holly

were also painted by him, and are pictured

to show what the eggs look like with a heavy coating of resin.

The ornaments are actually quite durable...about the same

as a glass ball ornament...in spite of the fact that they are

real eggs.

We began painting the eggs in 1993, while living in Wyoming.

My sister had some geese eggs that she didn't want

to throw away.

For some reason, my husband thought they'd look

good painted up and tried to talk me into painting them.

I put it off...so he painted them.

One thing led to another and he messed with them until

he came up with the idea to coat them with resin.

Then we bounced them off the floor...to test their durability...

some broke and some didn't.

For the most part...we were satisfied and took them to a local

craft show...and sold out!

Every year after...from '93 to '03 we did the shows...

in Wyoming and then in Nebraska...

folks came to the shows to see what new egg designs we

had, so they could add to their collections.

I don't even want to think about how many special orders we did

over the years....including a standing order for 100 eggs every year

for one collector.

It seemed like we never had enough eggs to get through a 

Season so we started early in 2004, to get a head

start on the Season...

but we ended up not doing the shows that season...

and then he got sick in 2005.

So....I have a few eggs left that were never finished...

except for the painting...

that I'm listing.

And a batch of new ornaments in various stages

of completion

that I will be listing over the next week or so.

Most will be uncoated...leaving the option of

personalizing them...until around the 10th of December.

Then I'll have to offer only those ornaments that are

ready to ship out...because of shipping times during

the Holiday Season.

Anyway...that is the 'story of the eggs'.

I wasn't going to do anymore of them...since it was something

my husband and I did together...

but I have several dozen eggs that he'd already prepared

for painting...

and it seemed such a shame to let those just go to waste.

Some new paintings in the Shop

I've got some new paintings in my

Rustic Goth Etsy Shop.

These are currently part of my Veterans Day SALE...

and will be available at the Sale Price for one more day.

I'm continuing to work on some new paintings...

the Egg Ornaments

and a few other new pieces that I want to list within the next week.

Maybe I Should Have...

We all know about 'hindsight'....well I'm wondering...

in 'hindsight'...

if we should have gone ahead and tried one

more show.

I ended up with a week-end that I didn't get anything done

anyway.

Oh well...we made our decision and I'll go ahead

and stick with it.

I'm going to have to get really busy with the eggs...and I've also

decided that I'm going to paint some Art Covers for

Pocket Calendars...so that I can use up

the rest of the unstretched canvas that I ordered.

Hopefully...I'll get completely caught up with

my Shipping

and end up getting a lot of new items done this week.

Short Show Season

Well...it turned out to be a very
short...'show season'...for us.

After a lot of discussion and all the family issues
we've encountered in recent weeks...
we decided that our 2010 Show Season is over.

It was a disappointment on one hand...
and a relief on the other.

For 10 years...from '93 to '03
my husband and I offered hand painted egg ornaments
during the fall show season.
I even sold a few of them through an internet shop
we used to have and through eBay.

Well...I knew that I had about three dozen eggs that had been
blown...cleaned and painted with a base coat...
hiding in my closet...
so Jaime and I had decided we were going to finish
those and offer them at the November shows.

What we're going to do...instead...
is offer them on our shops
starting the second week of November.

I LOVE Etsy On Sale

I do LOVE Etsy on Sale.

It has saved me so much time

and we all know

'time is money'

so it's saved me lots of money.

Only problem...if I re-list something that sells...

that item doesn't revert back to the original price..

since it is no longer in the 'sale queue' it was

originally placed in...

and

if I 'forget' to edit it...

then some things end up

'on sale'

even after the sale ends.

This happened at the end of my

"New in Shop" Sale.

One of my bracelets had been re-listed...not changed back..

and sold for half price

hours AFTER the Sale was over.

I will have to be more 'alert'...or ... not re-list

Sale items until After the Sale has ended.

But...definitely on the 'plus' side...

I'll be having a variety of 1, 2 and 3 Day Sales

more often

during the Holiday Season!

Happy Halloween!

I'm sure I'll have lots of little ones

coming to my door

for candy...

they'll all be my grandchildren!

Most of them are now living here...only the older two..

who now have their own lives...live outstate.

I don't 'do' the handing of Halloween candy to the neighborhood children

since I spend most of Halloween by myself...

and I just can't get up and down

over and over

to answer the door!

It's a little sad...but it's my reality

and I have to deal with it!

Still

I do wish everyone who is still able

to have fun...

to have a

'Happy Halloween'!

Man in the Moon

I was reading an article on Etsy about

'telling a story'.

It concerned item descriptions...

and what makes an item 'unique'.

After giving it some thought...it occurred to me that,

while I intend for each work of art to 'tell it's own story'...

perhaps I should also include something about what

inspired me to create each piece.

So...I started with the

'Man in the Moon'.

Someone commented on my Facebook page

about what I would do with a 

Lovecraft 'Cthulu' subject.

I really didn't know the subject...so I

looked it up in the wiki.

And..I 'accepted' the challenge.

While creating the piece...I thought about 

the demons and fears

most of us face during the course of our lifetimes...

and about 'embracing them' instead of running from them.

So..I guess there really is

'more to the story'

on every piece of art I created...

sometimes it's conscious and sometimes it's not...

but the 'story' unfolds all the same.

It's going to take me more time than I care to think about...

but I will be including those little 'stories'

in my descriptions 

(if I think it 'pertinent' to the piece)

Maybe I'll shoot for 4 or 5 every day until I get them all finished.

And..from time to time...I'll post a blog about

those that I would like to share with you all:)

Gearing up for a Busy Week

Last week I had a family emergency that took me

clear across the State...

driving in the middle of the night..

sleeping until 8 pm when I finally got back home and got some sleep...

and just kind of threw my normal routine

totally upside down.

It was filled with drama...stress...and just plain exhaustion.

And...it's not over yet!

Still I have to work at what I do...or I don't pay my bills...

so I'm really 'gearing' up for a busy week...

trying to work,

visiting with a sibling I haven't seen in a couple of years,

and dealing with my oldest...who is the last of my children to move

back home (not actually into my home..but only a few minutes away).

The Show Season is a bit of a Disappointment

Here are a few pic's from the first local show of the Season.

It was such a disappointment that we still have most of the 'stuff' left and listed

in our Shops.

Our sales were more than half as many as last year's show...

the weather was perfect...

there were no extra events going on in town...

and more people have jobs this year than last...

so

I'm not sure what to make of it...

or whether to do the last three shows or not.

Maybe we'll do ONE more and see what happens...

New Apps on Etsy

I am so excited about some of the new apps on Etsy

that I just had to share...

especially with those who have an Etsy Shop.

My new 'favorite' is...

Etsy on Sale

This app not only lets me schedule the beginning time...and

ending time for each Sale that I have in my Shop...

it allows me to do it by Sections...

it changes the prices and the titles

for me when the Sale starts...

it also changes the price back and removes the 'sale' wording

in the titles

when the Sale is over.

Oh my gosh...this saves me 'literally' hours and hours of work.

In the past it has taken me a minimum

of two hours...(for a small sale)

to four or five hours...(for a store wide sale)

And...the app is free to use...

though the developers have a donation tab..

which I think is more than fair.

Another App that I often use is

Craftopolis...

or 'Etsy Love'...

they now have a new feature that allows me to

change the prices by section.

This is soooo handy for those prices that were lowered

before I found 'Etsy on Sale'

and I will be using it in the near future

to put my prints back to their regular prices.

It has BEEN a Week!!

Oh my goodness....it has BEEN another one of 'those' weeks!

I 'long' for the day when I can afford to buy a new computer...

I think my poor thing is on it's last 'leg'.

I try very hard to keep it 'cleaned up' so that it doesn't just crash on me

before that day...but it needs to come sooner than later.

So my computer was down for part of the week...and then I had a family

emergency that took me out of town for a bit.

Like I said...it has BEEN a week...one of those that I won't mind

putting behind me.

In the meantime...since I really do need to work up the funds for a computer

on top of my regular bills....I'm having several different

'Sales' in the Shop,

going on at the same time.

The painting sale ends tomorrow...while others will end on Friday and

others on Saturday.

New items in Shop

I have...or will be...listing quite a few new items

in my Shop.

I'm hoping to have all my new items listed by next week-end.