Art Room - A work in progress

Two years ago when I quit the job I was working at, they gave me a parting gift in the form of a Lowe's gift card for$500. I've spent the bulk of it on my getting my art room in working order. I know I know, two years? But I've been working, working on orders, and at the same time, living life and taking care of a household. And buying more supplies. And more supplies. I have no more room for supplies, but I keep buying. I finally broke down and got the things I have most of- ribbon and paper, organized by color. The shelves have been a tremendous help, as well as the 12 x 12 paper drawers. I used wooden dowel rods (what, 56 cents a piece) and wooden dowel ends to hold my ribbon in containers I got from Walfart(not a typo) that had holes in it. I propped the containers on their sides and was able to put 4-5 dowel rods full of ribbon in each container. I also used larger dowel rods and hooks to put up additional ribbon overflow. Trust me, there's more ribbon, but I still have to find it. It's in the other portion of the room that I still cannot go thru until the rest of my shelving is up. Anyway, if anyone has any questions or comments about my storage or other great ways to store art supplies, drop me a comment.

Admiration for Others

So I wake up this morning and check my usual sites- Facebook, Hotmail, Twitter, Etsy, and on the front page of Etsy is this great handmade jewelry box, made by Jim Jenkins 510. First, I love wood, and I love boxes, and the way Jim alternated the different woods- Black Walnut, White Oak, and Bird's Eye Maple just blows me away. If you notice also he's made the drawer handles out of Black Walnut. Craftsmanship, people. ARTISTRY! Selling at a price of $175, this is definitely a one of a kind masterpiece that will be cherished for years.

Here is the link to the item:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24770759&ref=fp_feat_7

Spend your money, people. And spend it on things that are HANDMADE. Trust me, that jewelry box you pick up for wifey around Christmastime is on about 200 other womens dressers. Give your wife something one of a kind. This definitely isn't cookie cutter. And trust me, women like to have things that no one else has.

Promo Boxes-Not so fast.

I have to say that I was so excited last year to do a promo box that is put out by a particular site that many etsy sellers have used in the past. I pumped out 150 hand made cards in two weeks so that I could get one card in as many boxes. I did four different styles (or five, I cannot remember) and mailed them off and got them to the promo box people in time to have my items in the October promo box. I was hoping to spark some interest for Christmas card sales for the year.

So, I get a convo from an etsy buyer who tells me she received one of my cards in the promo box she purchased and wanted to compliment me on my work, and since my card was in the December box and had already purchased her Christmas cards for the year, it was too late for her to order any for the holiday. I was shocked and pissed off all at the same time.

You see, my cards were supposed to be in the OCTOBER promo boxes, and somehow they didn't make it in until the DECEMBER box, which killed any chance for me to maybe garner a few sales for the holidays. I know, I know, it's a year since I've mentioned this happening, but I chalked it up as a learning experience NEVER to do promo boxes again. I counted on the people to use my cards in the month that I had submitted them, not two months later. Do what you say and say what you do, is my motto. Why email me and remind me constantly to get my promo items to you by the specified date then confirm receiving them in time only to HOLD THEM FOR TWO MONTHS AND PUT ME AT A DISADVANTAGE? I've gotten over it, I really have. I just will not ever put my items at the mercy of someone else who made money off me and not living up to their end of the bargain. Bad, bad, Karma.

Truth in Handcrafting

I love handcrafted items. There is something special about holding something that you know someone made in their back yard, their garage, or at their kitchen table. There's love in it. It's not just about an hourly wage. It's usually a passion that drives the artist to create.

I'm no longer calling anyone who makes something at home a crafter. They are an artist. And if anyone who has an art degree disagrees, I am sure you will get over yourself eventually. I've seen talent come out of people who are not "professionally trained" that far exceeds anyone with hours of class instruction. I never look at those kind of credentials anyway. I look at the passion in the work that is presented.

That said, so many people are becoming more and more interested in handmade art. The problem with handmade art, however, is sticker shock. We have become a society where the expectation of price is based off of mass production, where items are made in the THOUSANDS. Handmade art is not made in the thousands. Lovers of handmade art should keep this in mind when admiring a person's work and hesitating on making a purchase.

Now, I'm not whining, ok maybe I am, but just a little. It's disappointing when people want what you work for for next to nothing. I know that it's not always intentional. A lot of the time, it's ignorance, and going back to my saying we are a society that is used to buying things based on a mass production scale.

I'm sooo done with mass produced items. I do try to buy locally as often as I can. If I do buy retail, I try to buy something that I know is of good quality from places I know people are being hired for their skill and not for how cheaply they can be hired at. If it means my having to pay a little bit more, then so be it.