More soon on this...but, thought I would share.
Inspired by the city. Spent the day in the West Village on Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed myself...went on a tour of Murray's Cheese Shop caves...incredible. We bought a blue and a bottle of Spanish Rioja and had homemade Moroccan food for dinner...all in all, an inspiring day.
New clips will be added to the store today. There are also some other new, upcoming products, and updates to current product designs, that are viewable on my flickr page.
Anyhow...I'm loving these, they are really fun to make, and great to use, too. These jumbo clips not only satisfy my love of pattern, but they also feed my unstoppable lust for office supplies. Yes, that's what I said. Unstoppable Lust.
Anyone who knows me knows that I will walk into Staples or similar stores and spend at least an hour wandering the aisles like a crazycake. Slowly, slowly...mentally cataloging the entire inventory. Classic, functional items like these always pop out...in a few weeks, I wake up at 3 AM knowing what I want to use them for.
Sometimes, I trace my love of office supplies back to my childhood...my dad was an engineer, and you should have seen some of the incredible office thingys he would bring home...I could not believe that such cool items were so readily available.
Lucky for me, they still are.
Or hardly workin?
Today, I sat down to work on some new ideas...it was a very welcome rest...I have been doing production for almost 6 weeks solid...and, although it takes a while to re-acclimate to the artistic side of things, I feel like I at least hit upon a couple of designs that interest me further.
Tonight we go out for German Food. I have no idea what's involved in this...but I *hope* it's beer and some sort of sausage covered in pastry or dough. Seems likely. Yum! Tomorrow, I will probably have trouble reaching my toes.
And this weekend, we're going on a tour of Murray's Cheese Shop in the West Village, and I can't wait! I don't know if there will be much inspiration for patterns there...but perhaps...
I'm not a perfectionist...really far from it.
One day, when I was freelancing, I inteviewed at the Blue Q...I didn't get work from them...but, anyway...I noticed they had something really interesting on their business cards: "A good idea today is better than a perfect idea tomorrow."
And I thought to myself...if these people-- who are responsible for so many fun ideas-- think this, then I'm going to try thinking it too. And to this day, it's been helpful.
Anyway, it doesn't mean that I'm going to be listing *this* notebook up here anytime soon. It's just not there. I could do better. But, it does show a new binding that I'm working with...I want to keep the notebooks really flat and uninterrupted. I like the way each notebook reads as a canvas...but, cutting notebooks is really hard on my hands...so, it's kind of a must that I change the design in order to save my mittens. This is just a dummy, somthing I'm trying out.
Anyway, that's news. A huge thanks to all who took the time to comfort me this weekend (see my insecure little post below). You guys are the best. Absolutely!
I feel better today...I think I was just really stressed. Writing about a doubt is not something I'd ever done in my blogging life...but, I'm glad I did.
Oh, I almost forgot. To your right ----> is a little poll I put into my blog. If you have a sec, let me know how you found me. I wish Etsy would put some sort of field so that sellers could better harvest this info. It's really invaluable...especially when you don't have many advertising outlets, and it helps one to know how to best use their PR energy!
I hope everyone had a great weekend.
xx
Well, this about says it all...
I don't usually post about my doubts on my blog...but, at this point, I think I have the January Lulls. This is actually the first time I've ever posted a doubt on either of my blogs.
Here's the issue: help me if you can. Since November, I've enjoyed a period of growth with SusyJack*. Things have been great. But...also, since November, I've been running a promotion with Free Shipping, which ended on the 10th.
Am I paranoid, or does the fact that no etsy sales were made since the evening of the 9th have anything to do with this? Should I try to reinstate some sort of lower-cost shipping now? Sigh. I'm kind of worried. I'm worried that people only buy the items because the shipping is free. Yes, I realize I sound paranoid. But, I guess when you're new in business, this happens. Basically, I'm sitting here typing and hoping that seeing my fears typed out will help me to see that they are not really founded in much.
But...time will tell. The postal service is pricey. My credit card statement for Nov thru Jan 10th testify to that. Also, I want to be able to keep providing my customers with a tracking number/email confirmation for their purchases. Unfortunately, that amount is too much for me to swing...If I was selling things that over 40 dollars...well, I'd always have free shipping. But, for the type of items I offer, it's just not feasible as a constant thing.
Ok. Chime in here, if you have any thoughts for me! I won't ask again....well...maybe sometime again, when I'm freaking out...which might be....next week? no, tomorrow!
: )
Valentine's day...or any other day for that matter! These will be added to the store shortly.
What I like about them is that they can turn anything into a valentine-- even a piece of white paper with a heart drawn on it becomes something really special when it's clipped with one of these.
In other news...my hands hurt. I've been filling lots of orders, and have been really busy this week! I'm beginning to think maybe I need to change my methods so I don't give myself arthritis by next week.
So...that is really important...and I'll be thinking about it. It may mean changing the way the journals are bound, something I've been thinking about, anyway...but, we'll see!
I had to design a Valentine's Card! I just had to. And it got me thinking that, y'know...we're all really lucky that 'love' is a short word. It is just a beautiful word, in print, and in definition.
So...details: this card comes in a set of 4...and yes, those corners are round!
In other news, I'm going to be filling a wholesale order at openhouse. If you haven't been there, go right now! Katie and Megan stock some really wonderful contemporary items...and I am proud to say, I'll be their first in the paper category!...So, I'm really thrilled about that.
Also, I received my contract for the NY Stationery show on Friday and held it in my hot little (shaky) hands today. Yes, I'll be attending. First, I went on etsy to see if anyone had advice, and the forums came through for me...now, although I am still pretty anxious about it, I don't feel like doing the show is a ridiculous move. I'm pretty excited, actually!
That's all for now...more soon! xx
Etiquitte Cartlettes
Originally uploaded by susyjack
These are freshly designed. One of the things I'm going to do in January is stock up theEtsy store with little treats like the ones you see above. They're really fun to make, and I like the idea of offering some items that can be used in multiple ways, like scrapbooking, gift-wrapping etc. The Scrapper's Batch has been really popular, and personally, I love to think of items I make being used by other creatives! So...that's to come!
These cards have a needlepoint-inspired design that accents the border...like little cross-stitches, which I'm getting really into lately.
In other news...I love my little postal scale!! It fills me with an odd, nerdly joy when I see my officially labeled and bar-coded packages ready to go. And, I like being able to know they've been delivered.
ok. that's it. off to try and go to the gym. wish me luck. xx
I do hope everyone had great Holidays and New Years.
Personally, I know that the new year is one of my favorite times. I love that everything calms down and people seem to get back to business. Trust me, being that I run my own business, and it's been my main focus most days since it began, I really get thrown off when there are a few days when most people are not around...and there's not a peep...and I'm forced to take time off. This year one of my resolutions is to be better at picking up my cell phone. It's basically a glorified answering machine. But, I will try to pick it up. Promise.
Well, my time off was wonderful, though. I got to finally see the tree at Rock Ctr. (from a distance, there were lots of tourists) and went back to Boston for a little bit to visit my family and pick up some clothing I'd left there. I feel like I have a whole new wardrobe. Yes, it all smells like mothballs, but I'm working on that.
I have a new blogger header...which I think looks a little too bright for my liking, but I'm gonna leave it up and see if tomorrow, with fresh eyes, it looks any better....in other new developments, I've bought a huge new cutting board and a brand new shiny Postal Scale!! Sooo...now packages can be tracked and delivery confirmed much more easily. Also...I can keep neater records.
Hello all! I hope you are all enjoying the end of 2007 and looking forward to 2008 and the surprises it will undoubtedly bring. I'm uploading some images in this post...just some patterns I'm particularly fond of. They are big enough to use as a desktop screensaver...so click, save and enjoy!
This has been a really incredible year for me, for so many reasons. I am home now in Boston visiting my family, and have some time to reflect. I'm thankful for all of my friends, family and loved ones who have made this year so special for me. Their support and encouragement has been incredibly edifying.
I'm really inspired and encouraged every day by my creative peers, my great customers...some of whom are new friends...and by the art/craft community in general. I hope we all continue to enjoy ourselves...not losing sight of why we make what we do and why it's so important. love, Susy
It's funny how sometimes something you design for one purpose accidentally turns into another...
I've been experimenting with some new ideas, as far as products go, and I'm really excited about some of them, although they are not *quite* where I want them to be yet. I'm hoping to introduce a small selection of home decor items...different interpretations of everyday household wares with a clever handmade touch. Behind the necktile in these photos is one idea I'm working on for a bound vase.
I love the way the string (just basic butcher's twine) becomes something completely different, when it's wrapped around the...beer bottle...in this instance; creates almost a faux-thrown look. I'm hoping to get a better bottle, next time...but, this is the basic idea.
For now, though, it's a happy accident that this makes a great texture to put behind a product! I love the way it looks behind the NeckTiles, especially and you'll see more of these wrapped shapes in some of my other photos, too.
The Scrappers Batch. I think that name is hysterical...but hey, that's what these are. Bits of yummy paper and pattern that are meant to be used in new ways.
Another way of making use of extra samples...I hate throwing printed paper away. Actually, I hate throwing most things away. Lately, figuring out how to re-use items in my studio has really been in the front of my mind.
It's mainly trimming that I have lots of extra pieces of...long strips of paper. But sometimes...I end up with sheets that were a little misprinted, or that just didn't get used up completely...and so, I've been saving them up, cutting them up, and creating little giveaways, goodies, and bundles like you see above.
I've always been a believer that if you open your mind to creativity, syncronicity will follow...meaning, that the world begins to read your mind, and show you things that you've been pondering...in a beautiful reality.
I've been meaning to to post these incredible images of artwork and illustration done by Francesca of Birdie, who was kind enough to send a link to these beautiful pieces created with her Dotty Dots.
A while ago, Francesca ordered some dotty dots...and this is what she came up with...her interpretation of the wonderful Parisian film The Red Balloon.
Anyway-- to return to my original point...Synchronicity. The Red Balloon is one of my favorite movies of all time. I used to sneak into the children's library screenings of it...as an adult! So...I found it very wonderful that somehow, somewhere, some way, those dots contained that for both Francesca and me.
Look at these messages I found hidden in the New York Times this morning! I know there's lots of buzz about the Craft Community article ...especially for Etsians. Cool.
NOW GET BACK TO WORK!
So...with most of my, I think all of my, packages, I include something extra. A little gift tag, a bookmark, a clip, a coupon. I like to try out different things, and this is how I use a lot of my scraps and trimmings-- to print up little goodies on.
A while ago, I included a little matchbooklet with a package...and then forgot all about it. Well, the buyer who received it emailed me and asked if that was an item I was going to carry in my shop.
Actually, it was...but, with all the xmas orders, I hadn't had time to make any up...although I had the template ready. So...without further ado, I went to work, making a batch for her. To be honest, they were a very pleasant surprise...I really loved the way they looked, so yummy, all those bright patterns stacked together. So...soon, they will be offered in the store.
Anyway, this is what I love about Etsy, and selling online in general. It's really fun to communicate with buyers. Making custom orders is not something I want to do a ton of...because then I'd never get to design more products! But, when it works out, it can be really great, and what they call in the corporate other-world...a win-win.
A couple of journals are featured on the front page of CUT + PASTE....the handmade consignment shop which, in my humble opinion, was one of the pioneers in craft, handmade, and diy retail. There are lots and lots of amazing gifts over at C+P, so make sure and head on over...Personally, I love the dress in this image. It would look really cute with colored tights and a pair of vintage booties.
In other news...orders are going out for the holidays! I've been very, very busy filling all of them, but I'm on top of it, and having a great time preparing and sending off packages. A couple of new products are in the works, so that's exciting...I can't wait to put them up. Response to the calendar has been really, really great...and I'm thrilled because a great deal of effort went into designing it. I'm thrilled to think that people are looking forward to seeing some of my work all year round. What a compliment.
Unfortunately, she forgot all about her date with Ted, he had asked her on Monday if he could see her again on Thursday...but, when Thursday rolled around, well, she was so busy that Ted flew out of her mind and into the stratosphere. If she had had these clips, things *could* have been different.
There are lots of orders to fill....that's why no blog post lately...Above...Photographic proof that I have been a busy bee.
More soon...back to work!
Ok, soon, I will stop posting about the calendar...but I had to do one...more...because the calendar now comes in a mini size, so I wanted to let people know. It's about 1/2 the size, all other features are the same. Great to hang in a small space, or...separate the pages and hang up a few months at a time.
More on the way...I have some orders to fill, but then, design resumes! I hope you all are well, and enjoying the holidays, so far!
