Browsing Tag

storenvy

Visual Splendor

So Little Time, So Many Things to Create

09/14/2015

David has been working in the studio a lot lately.. he has a couple shows coming up and some other art events. So I’ve been working up in my half on making a complete mess. As I said in the last video, I’m doing wedding decor so the studio is not video-ready. It looks instead like someone took a big, pastel puke in the middle of my floor. Really though with all of the glitter, ribbons, pompoms and flowers… it was only a matter of time. I’m making just about everything in the wedding and although it will be pretty minimal, the items I make will be pop surrealism crafty cute~ pastel rainbow = my favorite thing forever.

pastel rainbow wedding

I’ll also be using a lot of these pastel kawaii materials (I got bulk goodies because I found so many great deals on things I LOVE) to make some goodies for the shop but that will probably come around after the wedding is over, maybe not but probably! The shop will be getting a revamp next year due to our new tshirt printer and products getting finalized~

On that notion I also started doing some sketches again in spare time that wasn’t spent crafting. I had painted an entire painting of an alien scene when David left a canvas he didn’t need on my craft table.. and the only thing I liked about it was the HANDS. How often do illustrators feel that way? I’m not sure.. but it’s not common for me. So I wondered why I don’t sketch anymore and how much more fulfilling it would be if I sketched a bunch of my ideas out prior to sketching on a canvas. Like I used to do. So I’ve been doing little sketches of my moods displayed on a cartoon-y girl. I also pulled one into illustrator after David asked why I’m not doing them in Illustrator. Something about the actual sketching (besides the mobility of it) is providing some sort of therapy for me in my late-night busy brain, tired body situations. If I like any enough in the future I might make some prints of them, not sure yet!

night sketching

thinking girl sketch

whatever sanrio pop kawaii bow

deer fawn girl sketch

whatever girl

And I’ve been doing dolly crocheting again while waiting for things like appointments or meetings to start..

kawaii kokeshi crochet

What have you been working on?

Diary Portfolio

Creations, Cares & Shop Wares

12/27/2013

Usagi by Amber Renee

So I’ve been sketching so much more since I began living with the man of my dreams and realizing life can be comforting in transition, fear, sadness, happiness, ecstasy, extreme business, security, and overwhelming tasks lists. Sometimes those sketches are finally turned into illustrations by yours truly and other times they are filed, colored by the kiddies or lost and tossed. This one made it through to the other side. I was feeling very dark when I sketched this but also very excited about the future, thus she is split into two. Even more curious I died my hair half and half following this drawing. The dark vs cute seems to be a constant theme in my brain.

I’ve also updated my SHOP a bit and fallen in love with some old and new friends also using storenvy.

cutelandsm_original

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I’ve also got my digital life getting back on track with the welcome of a new computer to the office, my new lovely laptop (little MacBook Pro) which was a gift from Mistereducated. It is so happy to both work with me and snuggle in my still-in-the-plastic Lamb case that was gifted to me years ago. Such a princess of a laptop. She runs runs runs and keeps my eyes happy with a screen that is so decadent and color rich like a Japanese candy store. AH! I was so behind.

Also many more blog goodies are coming along.. I was forced by slight-OCD to organize my Gmail via Imap in Mac’s Mail app (if you need any help with this I have ultimate tips as I ripped quite a few hairs out in frustration). I had (no joke) a bit over 100,000 mails that needed to be organized into folders so I could have an empty inbox and get on track. I was living like a computer file hoarder. Mister even got me an external hard drive because like a hoarder I put off organizing my files and deleting un-needed files for so long and now every file I’ve ever cherished (except for that time in the 90s when my old PC crashed and lost all my files) is organized and neat on the hard drive. Such a relief! Everything is smooth sailing on candy seas. So alas, I have not forgotten about or misplaced your emails! After my crazy roller coaster ride and life restart I am still getting important items in order but I am now pretty much on top of a cotton candy cloud ready to welcome you for chats, cats and tea. I never forgot about you, I was only lost in the forest for awhile.

Also — I got a pink 3ds for a bit of fun in the meantime and mainly for Animal Crossing because it has always been my favorite game next to Maniac Mansion. If you’d like to be friends just leave your friend code. Mine is: 0662 4261 5265

See you in digital wonderland! XX

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Design Your Life

Etsy vs Big Cartel (Storenvy, eBay and more)

09/02/2011

So I originally planned to write an article about using Etsy vs other cart software to open a store but then I saw my friend, Brigitte, did the same thing here. Her article is right on target so I had to feature it as well as give a few of my own findings.

As far as traffic and community goes, Etsy really has the best so it’s hard to compete. If you don’t have an Etsy account simply for buying and meeting new people you’re missing out — it has a wonderful community. However for store customization and less limitations (I can’t sell an item I didn’t make on Etsy so no collaboration pieces are allowed in my shop.) I would have to go with Big Cartel. I know artists tend to use each of these obsessively and I think they’re right on target. It all depends on what you want to do in the beginning as far as which store management you use.

To give you a little taste of what others are thinking, I ran a little poll. I asked people which buying/selling medium they prefer and why, this is what they said:

Louise: Etsy! It has a Girly/friendly feel to it. There’s a lot more communication between buyers and sellers.
Irit: Etsy for handmade items, eBay for hard-to-get items.
Chelsea: I hate eBay – it’s just not user friendly and I dont like how the combined shipping works. For homemade it’s Etsy or Big Cartel only.
Kayleigh: Etsy, mainly just because it’s what I’m used to. 🙂
Amber: I prefer buying off of eBay but selling on Etsy.
Jamie: I like to shop on etsy when it comes to finished products, and I like the community aspect of it but when it comes to buying supplies, I prefer eBay because the prices are more reasonable most of the time.
Kimi: I don’t sell, I just buy. I use both Etsy and eBay.

And, in another poll, when asked which medium users prefer all users asked said Etsy first and foremost. I think you see the reaccuring theme here.

When deciding which store management to use consider the following: are you selling vintage? (Etsy) do you want to feature sold out products in your store? (Big Cartel) do you want a quick turnaround? (eBay) There are so many options for a seller online these days — the sky is really the limit. When you decide what you want to do it’s completely inspiring owning a little shop on the web. Whether you own a store currently or if you’re still researching I wish you the best on your adventures.

Etsy vs Big Cartel Articles
Looking for more articles and information before you make a decision? Check out these other articles/posts I found on the same thing:

Big Cartel or Etsy?
Etsy vs Big Cartel: The Business of Handmade
Guide to Setting Up Shop Online
Why I chose Big Cartel over Etsy
Let’s Talk Etsy vs Big Cartel
Moving Shop / Etsy vs Big Cartel
Why I moved from Etsy to Big Cartel
Etsy vs Big Cartel – How to choose?
Four Venues to Sell Handmade Goods