tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34909634301845716542024-03-05T22:18:14.515-08:00Mishaps Odds and Endsmishaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16738990299590614597noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490963430184571654.post-75749573366639475022013-07-31T15:27:00.000-07:002013-07-31T15:27:05.560-07:00E-Bay and their DSR Syster. I just read a complaint on e-bay from a buyer about sellers who don't leave feedback. I always leave feedback as soon as I ship the item which is the next business
day. I also give refunds on any shipping charges that are over what the actual
shipping cost is. (E-bay does not credit me on the shipping fee charges
either).<br />
I just had a lady who ordered a crochet hanging towel which almost
everyone know is a half of a kitchen towel--she said it wasn't what she expected
and was small--even though it was the same as all that I have sold which is in
the thousands in person and on the internet on selling sites. She left one positive feedback and one neutral. When I saw this I offered her the money back and that she could just donate the towel to charity--she refused and said don't worry about it--The damage was already done by her, she left
terrible dsr's. I had all 5's on my dsr for 3 months and 88 sales--now they
have gone way down, from 5's to 4.92 that is on 89 transactions. Think how low they would be if I didn't have as many transactions and if I hadn't had all the 5's.<br />
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I know there is nothing that e-bay will do about her, but some sellers who
really try to do their best run into a buyer (very infrequent buyer her feedback
in only 10). <br />
<br />
E-bay should eliminate the dsr's. Some Buyers like her take advantage of
them.<br />
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Also some advice for buyers--if you have a problem, contact the seller before you ruin their record--they may be willing to do something to make it right or at least compensate you.<br />
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Haven't written anything in a long time but had to get this off my mind--no sense in complaining to E-bay they wouldn't do anything anyway. mishaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16738990299590614597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490963430184571654.post-47002269245469276642012-04-17T05:04:00.000-07:002012-04-17T05:04:16.489-07:00Kids On EtsyWell it has been a really long time since I have written anything here, but I came across a treasury put together by a Grandmother. She had just helped her 5 year old granddaughter open a shop on Etsy, so she decided to put a treasury together of kids under 12 and their artwork and crafts that have shops. <br />
<br />
What a wonderful thing to encourage children. Just think how thrilling it is to sell your own project, for children it has to be a wonderful feeling. <br />
<br />
The treasury has some really nice items in it and it would be nice for people to view it and click on it and if possible promote it on other venues. <br />
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Children are the future and with a lot of the schools not being able to promote art because of economic reasons it would be nice if we all tried to help all of these individuals.<br />
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I will try to feature different individual shops of these children as I have time, which I know as you do is very limited. But as a start, here is the link to the treasury:<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTU2MjN8MjcyMjY5MDQ3NA/kids-create-on-etsychildrens-art?ref=pr_treasury">http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTU2MjN8MjcyMjY5MDQ3NA/kids-create-on-etsychildrens-art?ref=pr_treasury</a><br />
<br />
Thanks you for reading this and let's all promote the kids.mishaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16738990299590614597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490963430184571654.post-12854372627941276332011-07-13T11:54:00.000-07:002011-07-13T11:54:26.013-07:00Etsy CouponsOn twitter today I found a web site where you can publish your Etsy Coupon code. I do not know how it works but I did put my Christmas in July sale coupon on the site. Here's the link <a href="http://etsycouponcode.com/coupon.php?id=6506">http://etsycouponcode.com/coupon.php?id=6506</a> <br />
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I do also put my coupon on Twitter and Facebook and the "My Etsy" on facebook <span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_181122541737">http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_181122541737</a></span>. <br />
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By the way, my coupon code is cijs2011 and is 10% off any items in my shop. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/mishap1165">http://www.etsy.com/shop/mishap1165</a><br />
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Also put my coupon on the Indie discounts which is another place to publicise your coupons. <br />
<a href="http://indiediscounts.blogspot.com/">http://indiediscounts.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<br />
Just a couple of places to use your coupon code. If anyone has others, just leave a comment.mishaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16738990299590614597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490963430184571654.post-18930114375157723122011-03-07T05:51:00.000-08:002011-03-07T05:51:14.444-08:00History of CrochetI have just seen an fantastic article on Crochet. It has some of the history of crochet and also many of the different types of crochet and references as to where you can find the instructions on how to do the many variations. I found it because the author used one of my items in her article. It was the Irish Hearts Doily made using the technique of Irish Crochet but with a thicker thread. Here's the link to my item.<br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/67549072/crochet-cotton-doily-irish-lace-irish?ga_search_query=Irish&ga_search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_5335297">http://www.etsy.com/listing/67549072/crochet-cotton-doily-irish-lace-irish?ga_search_query=Irish&ga_search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_5335297</a><br />
<br />
This article is very well done and had a lot of thought put into. The author has a booth on Etsy and is also a member of etsyhookers team and the wwwg team. Here's a link to the article:<br />
<a href="http://www.squidoo.com/crafty-creative-crochet">http://www.squidoo.com/crafty-creative-crochet</a><br />
<br />
Here's a link to her shop on Etsy<br />
<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/MountainsideCrochet">http://www.etsy.com/shop/MountainsideCrochet</a><br />
<br />
She has some very interesting items in her shop, but whether you crochet or not her article is very interesting because it displays so many of the different areas of crochet.mishaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16738990299590614597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490963430184571654.post-58365706269822858192011-02-10T05:47:00.000-08:002011-02-10T05:47:45.368-08:00Miss the Promotion Thread on Etsy?Do you miss the old forums on Etsy? Well a web site known as "Unofficial Etsy Forums". They have numerous topics to post under similiar to the old etsy forum topics. I especially like that they have a Promotion thread where you can list new items, your blog, sales etc. <br />
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I used to post in the Promotion thread whenever I added a new item. Miss looking at the sales and items being added all the time. The nice thing about the promotion thread a buyer does not have to look under every team to find what they might be interested. Not every buyer will check each team. Posting a new item on your team probably will not generate a buyer (which is really the object) because they make the same things.<br />
<br />
This new place to post has the old format promotion thread. Here's the link<br />
<a href="http://unofficialetsyforums.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=promotions">http://unofficialetsyforums.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=promotions</a><br />
<br />
So whether you are a buyer or seller take a look at the unofficial Etsy Forums. Hope it is very successful.<br />
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As you can see I don't usually have a lot of time, and haven't blogged in a long time but thought this might be helpful.<br />
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Also there is an Etsy Member that recently had a tragedy--Here's the link to the information<br />
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<a href="http://unofficialetsyforums.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=announcements&action=display&thread=1581">http://unofficialetsyforums.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=announcements&action=display&thread=1581</a><br />
<br />
I have added both links to my tweeter, thank you to the people whom started this site.mishaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16738990299590614597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490963430184571654.post-30264532499254378842010-07-25T06:50:00.000-07:002010-07-25T06:50:38.177-07:00Crochet Patterns, Then and nowRecently I have been working on a lot of vintage patterns along with some new designs. What I find interesting is how much the designers have improved the way they write the patterns. Some of the vintage patterns a very hard to determine exactly what you are suppose to do and takes a bit of trial and error. Here are a couple of examples<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65ADRSeJ1e4FzJLH2n3gIu1b53UoShfo6gMlrK8di5y6QHsKhq6JqvHfsIjFiwEyfb9eqMTD4EPpwy7a8CeIfRwqiyqGXYtHekkkD4BNiBKBYEnCnkVRpmIzEven8X13LkrJPec_1TXx0/s1600/Dog+Potholder-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65ADRSeJ1e4FzJLH2n3gIu1b53UoShfo6gMlrK8di5y6QHsKhq6JqvHfsIjFiwEyfb9eqMTD4EPpwy7a8CeIfRwqiyqGXYtHekkkD4BNiBKBYEnCnkVRpmIzEven8X13LkrJPec_1TXx0/s320/Dog+Potholder-2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pot holder <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/48422432/crochet-dog-pot-holder-or-trivet-white">http://www.etsy.com/listing/48422432/crochet-dog-pot-holder-or-trivet-white</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7LZrxTCd5BXVrKvU-ZFqbIwRkYJ26LrPxGK1nwDJ0PdKF6VXXEoUzv5Tjo6IWTXWRlPJaY2ZJ1l-2ho4n7PNHCEG23WNJCxZ9OBWGesiZv_2d1hqtKxtl36F45_rW9-R2XNBsgkaBVK1/s1600/Panties+and+shorts+pot+holders-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7LZrxTCd5BXVrKvU-ZFqbIwRkYJ26LrPxGK1nwDJ0PdKF6VXXEoUzv5Tjo6IWTXWRlPJaY2ZJ1l-2ho4n7PNHCEG23WNJCxZ9OBWGesiZv_2d1hqtKxtl36F45_rW9-R2XNBsgkaBVK1/s320/Panties+and+shorts+pot+holders-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pot holders <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/48213333/pair-of-pot-holders-panties-and-shorts">http://www.etsy.com/listing/48213333/pair-of-pot-holders-panties-and-shorts</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There are other examples of vintage in my shop. The way they are written are more in paragraphs rather than rows. </div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The modern patterns are much easier to read and understand for the most part. For years I have done patterns by a designer whom I think does excellent patterns with unique designs. She doesn't do just the ordinary designs expecially in her doilies. She has designed for many years, and no I do not work for her nor does she pay me. I have just crochet a lot of her doily patterns. I enjoy them because some of them are challenging with the way you stitch them. Following are two of the patterns I recently worked on</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquF-zlKXCIPVIvrtXAq28Bz5pMLkCbMOZIcwHYBqcdwx5-rcAC6N6kWxPjCFyUaNR0CMv7dRKfSd73mwGzvjCez5grK_ZOtyJLfWVt1rt8syrPV-teQKAk8K8-wqT5jhfCDGb8cIsYef8/s1600/Halloween+Doily-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquF-zlKXCIPVIvrtXAq28Bz5pMLkCbMOZIcwHYBqcdwx5-rcAC6N6kWxPjCFyUaNR0CMv7dRKfSd73mwGzvjCez5grK_ZOtyJLfWVt1rt8syrPV-teQKAk8K8-wqT5jhfCDGb8cIsYef8/s320/Halloween+Doily-4.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pineapple Halloween doily <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/51760626/crochet-black-and-orange-pineapple-doily">http://www.etsy.com/listing/51760626/crochet-black-and-orange-pineapple-doily</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVbxZvhVXt7lB8cMyR8tNojzNDL59KsPj_qRt9njqHM0gI-CXqEC0sAXx60FdMaRRDyamFNYgUpz4LuD0tEIOtJGC4CRS27q5j71DpJgCNYASXci9J3KSDqg6dmp1dk70D7HgSfzpbbOd/s1600/Butterflies+and+Hummingbirds-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVbxZvhVXt7lB8cMyR8tNojzNDL59KsPj_qRt9njqHM0gI-CXqEC0sAXx60FdMaRRDyamFNYgUpz4LuD0tEIOtJGC4CRS27q5j71DpJgCNYASXci9J3KSDqg6dmp1dk70D7HgSfzpbbOd/s320/Butterflies+and+Hummingbirds-5.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Butterflies, roses, pineapples and hummingbirds <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/52279162/butterflies-pineapples-roses-and">http://www.etsy.com/listing/52279162/butterflies-pineapples-roses-and</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What is really nice about Ann White's patterns she includes photographs of exactly how the stitch is to be made and where it is to go. She is a very talented designer and makes her patterns very easy to read and follow. You can find her designs on this web site:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bellacrochet.com/">http://www.bellacrochet.com/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Just thought I would pass this along to all of you who love to crochet, and might be intimidated by some of the complicated designs, Ann makes them much easier to understand.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>mishaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16738990299590614597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490963430184571654.post-45374225742611382862010-07-15T06:01:00.000-07:002010-07-15T06:01:10.269-07:00Christmas In July SaleWell it is July again and many of the shops on Etsy are having "Christmas in July" Sales. They can be easily found by going to <a href="http://www.etsy.com/">http://www.etsy.com/</a> and then searching for Christmas in July <a href="http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_query=Christmas+in+July&search_type=handmade">http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_query=Christmas+in+July&search_type=handmade</a> or CIJ. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_query=CIJ&search_type=handmade">http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_query=CIJ&search_type=handmade</a><br />
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My shop, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/mishap1165">http://www.etsy.com/shop/mishap1165</a> has 20% off of every item in the shop. You can convo me and I will relist the items for you or if you purchase it, I will refund the 20% through paypal. <br />
<br />
This Christmas in July sale in my shop includes all items, I have Halloween items like this dancing skeleton towels to numerous Christmas items. There are also a lot of machine embroidered lace bookmarks <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/mishap1165?section_id=5573134">http://www.etsy.com/shop/mishap1165?section_id=5573134</a> and other machine lace to use as appliques or scrapbooking. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/mishap1165?section_id=5571752">http://www.etsy.com/shop/mishap1165?section_id=5571752</a><br />
<br />
Christmas in July gives us all an opportunity to shop early while in the Northern Hemispere the weather is still nice and a head start. With all the great sales going on both on Etsy and in Storefronts it is a good time especially in this economic time to start our Christmas Shopping. This time of year are the best sales.mishaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16738990299590614597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490963430184571654.post-31250888281726951792010-02-27T11:17:00.001-08:002010-02-28T06:43:50.818-08:00An E-bay Sob Story, I have a store on e-bay which I have had for a number of years. When e-bay started their dsr ratings awhile ago there were a lot of objections and buyer's posting wrong dsr ratings. Well nothing has changed.The first low rating I got was from a customer who didn't pay until I filed a non-payment. That person gave me a low dsr rating on the shipping. Now again one of the last 5 that posted gave me a low drs on shipping. Now I do not charge handling and the shipping usually costs me money. If you were to look at the items these people bought and the amount they were charged for shipping you would know they were not charged more than what it costs.The next item on the list is shipping time, now I have a 5 rating but I should. As soon as I receive payment, I ship the item and notify the buyer. The only time this does not occur is Sunday or a Holiday. If that is the case I contact the buyer and tell them it will be shipped the next day that the Post Office is open.On communication I always e-mail the buyers and notify them of shipping and if delayed because the post office is closed I e-mail them.I have contacted e-bay about the latest low rating and of course they will do nothing. Because I am a small seller this low rating really affects my standing.When is e-bay going to treat sellers with proper customer service. After all we are their customers not the buyers. When are they going to understand that buyers should not have the power over sellers. As far as shipping charges go, when I have purchased items from some sellers, sometimes their cheap price is made up for by high shipping charges. It is up to me as a customer if I want to pay it. I have never marked a seller down over shipping charges because I agreed to them when I purchased the item.I have read in numerous instances that unfair dsr's have caused many sellers to have their ratings reduced. E-bay needs to change this policy and eliminate them altogether and just go with the feedback they way they used to. DSR's are a flawed system.Here are the shipping charges for the last five, one of them left the low score:<br />Plate, charged 5.65 actual shipping charge 8.10<br />Towel charged 2.00 actual 1.90<br />Doily charged 2.00 actual 1.55<br />Sweater charged 4.90 (issued $3.00 refund) cost 1.90<br />Towel charged 1.50 actual 1.73<br /><br />Guess e-bay wants me to pay the total shipping charge and ship free. All those items included boxes and the plate a lot of bubble wrap to protect it. With the low selling prices I use I can't afford completely free shipping.<br />To visit my store just click anywhere on the article and you will be redirected to my e-bay store, from there you can look at the feedback and that no one has been overcharged for shipping.mishaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16738990299590614597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490963430184571654.post-51995850470792621552009-10-09T07:33:00.000-07:002009-10-09T08:27:00.550-07:00Where oh where does the time go?Well it has been a long time since I wrote anything, kept meaning to but just didn't get to it. Right now I am embroidering a Christmas towel that has a lot thread changes so I can't really do much else. I like to embroider the crochet hanging towels because then they are appropriate for either kitchen or bath, unlike the ones that have the scenes on them that are more for kitchens. This is a red hatted tweet towel <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32258942">http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32258942</a><br /><div><div><div><div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 182px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390616639585331906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZnLrnIBL4ZL1-PjQXA0EVqDXsz30JPlGAZOE8PsJo41qz5z5ZsQKhf5yVfxNckUZduWHsjChH7go2sWWc-of8XBgcxZIC0Qa_wajF8RGTd3Ux-EVBaLZPupXVX-HkacLOPIHxzoJSAxX/s200/Red+hat+tweet+towel.jpg" /><br />Also have all of you seen the new pattern book from bella crochet, Butterflies and Roses Pineapple crochet doilies <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32288875">http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32288875</a><br /><br />I have done one of the patterns, the cross, but changed the colors for Christmas, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32214636">http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32214636</a> </div><div> </div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 177px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390621243242784018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijp0PnJKKX8vAmQidXwsy4bJgpleNoLxpYMT68jWLckiMqGk3MpT9kQlnYs0jNv2uSgWWFXtbNbLG_Rx3V-UBU4J9061uFtw7-950aPX8vmECXN0ATm5fKAIjoWl3V0nB2Iq5mp8hkpsvz/s200/Pineapple+Christmas+Cross.jpg" /><br />I have also created a hat that has an opening in the back for a ponytail so if you have long hair and wear a pony tail it doesn't get mashed into your head. I saw one that was knitted so I thought I would try a crochet one.<br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32192774">http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32192774</a> </div><br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 178px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390617003325018050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKbjsJwHyj2weHuMWq7KqOh8ymae-8eogvq5POk0c6CMvxDEIKHwf1sGkzd15JXXyWydAF-Kg8pAj3xtdon6S4_pqUDqv9uZ7fYmPAsfwwaEKMVe0btPROhIBdJosTcd59_V9BEd9EMnMU/s200/Ponytail+hat+main.jpg" /><br /><div>I have done a lot of lace bookmarks on the embroidery machine, those are amazing how the stay together as free standing lace. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/search_results_shop.php?search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_6084057&search_query=Bookmarks">http://www.etsy.com/search_results_shop.php?search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_6084057&search_query=Bookmarks</a> </div><div> </div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 197px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390620479126601410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEXaz81xlgg11Mzcz6uCm0pZbbAptVUKMoPLK7x_ry-rz52Emz4gi0IT7xgp-eoS3KNVBYn3_D9L4yI82VnJjp8xOLYhsMCqH62u58trbXt7XWa4h-fQkxTtlZVAPCcWxI2_tniE1gVUP7/s200/Bookmark+pumpkin+2.jpg" /> Lots of things to make with it, but where do we get the time?<br />Well I better get back to work, try to add things more often, maybe I can make that a new resolution. </div><div> </div><div align="center">Hope everyone has a wonderful and rewarding Holiday Season.</div></div></div></div>mishaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16738990299590614597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490963430184571654.post-16543130628665106712009-08-25T03:55:00.000-07:002009-08-25T04:01:23.112-07:00Free Applique<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJPmwr1zkbQR3lyAG15uUOWPW_ikQV5RfNOHtthKFg5UedfHJqWcP-ET8nC3IiELVuacGuKW6r4-Cx1ZkcsaXEdsIv9Aiy2LkpJLNfoMh2YcUgv18M2bojfbFW62rZGW61Qjn2LPgN57z/s1600-h/Mrs+claus+2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 220px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373854495231808242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJPmwr1zkbQR3lyAG15uUOWPW_ikQV5RfNOHtthKFg5UedfHJqWcP-ET8nC3IiELVuacGuKW6r4-Cx1ZkcsaXEdsIv9Aiy2LkpJLNfoMh2YcUgv18M2bojfbFW62rZGW61Qjn2LPgN57z/s320/Mrs+claus+2.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTkGIfz60ohuJaDtv76mzLWU5-8cQ5cx2rn1306aifhjIHhYgWbfwTZmF4udDdB6KFYDALh7Ngv3f6XndEbbz9kaPTu_KhMyoVoclLQ7z_EQ4eFHPBEl516HaQlLZSPTR6YIY5xJnZO_x/s1600-h/Mrs+Claus.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 220px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373854344979253474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTkGIfz60ohuJaDtv76mzLWU5-8cQ5cx2rn1306aifhjIHhYgWbfwTZmF4udDdB6KFYDALh7Ngv3f6XndEbbz9kaPTu_KhMyoVoclLQ7z_EQ4eFHPBEl516HaQlLZSPTR6YIY5xJnZO_x/s320/Mrs+Claus.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>Well I succeeded in making a project on the embroidery machine and it worked fine. Guess it just took perseverance. It was probably operator error. Anyway here is a picture of it and now that it is done, I don't have a use for it. It is done on muslin with a stabilizer. If anyone has a use for it just leave your e-mail in the comments and I will contact you for your address and will send it at no charge. The pictures are the front and back, but the edges are a bit rough. It would probably work well with wonder under.</div></div>mishaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16738990299590614597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490963430184571654.post-12868565472825687762009-08-18T09:13:00.000-07:002009-08-18T09:16:18.349-07:00Learning an Embroidery Sewing Machine<span style="font-family:lucida grande;color:#666666;">Last year while I was still working I purchased an Embroidery machine. Well a whole year past and the only thing I did on it was to make sure it worked by doing the test design. Now that I retired I decided it was time to tackle it. Tackle is an understatement. They are not as easy as you think and I have sewn for over 40 years and used numerous different machines.<br />In reading the instructions I found out that this machine has to be oiled if it is not operated it for any length of time. I haven’t had a machine that required oiling in numerous years, so off to the store to get sewing machine oil. Now to take the machine apart to oil it, wonder if I will be able to put it back together, hope so.<br />Completed one part of the oiling, the bobbin and feed dogs. Getting the needle plate off was easy enough, but putting it back on with the bobbin case didn’t seem to work properly. After ten minutes I finally turned the hand wheel and the bobbin case then went flat enough for the needle plate to fit properly. <br />I decided I better see if it sewed properly before attaching all the embroidery equipment, but I had to change to a regular foot. Found the foot and took the embroidery foot off. Removed the screw completely the way the show in the pictures, could not get the screw to engage. So took the foot away, started the screw part way and then slid the foot up and tightened the screw. <br />Started sewing, oops forgot to engage the feed dogs, so it sewed in one spot. Engaged the feed dogs and then the sewing was really loose, oops forgot to set the tension for sewing not embroidery. Well it does so, so I guess I have to re-attach all the embroidery stuff. <br />I am not mechanically inclined, I can sew and crochet and do many other things, but dealing with the mechanics is really hard. Plus if anyone knows what the best thread to use for an embroidery machine please leave a comment. I had purchase a small set of Gutermann thread but notice a lot of designs call for Mediera thread. Well enough of this, back to set up the machine for embroidery, hopefully a lot quicker than oiling it. </span>mishaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16738990299590614597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490963430184571654.post-77231832814835238472009-07-22T07:26:00.000-07:002009-07-22T07:30:09.327-07:00Increase Traffic to your shop<div align="left">I have found through trial and error that the more you post on different web sites the more traffic you will get to your shop. I used to just post in the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Etsy</span> Forums, but now I try to post wherever I can. I also have Google Analytics which shows what web site that people used to get to your shop. It is a very useful tool. <br />Twitter is a great place to post on. You can post your items, or your web site, or your shop, or wherever you sell you items. It is also a good practice to make other posts than just promoting. It is also a plus if you check out what other people have posted. This is also true in the Forums. Post your items but also check out others posts.<br />If you follow on some blogs, you evidently can get referrals from them. In the Google Analytics I have referrals from web sites I did not even know about, but some that I know I am following. The biggest problem with selling on the Internet is to direct people to your shop or web site. This takes a lot of time but will pay off in the end.<br />Just since I started promoting on Twitter visits to my store on <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">etsy</span> has increased 68%. I can also tell the increase especially when I post a new item. When I post and do not promote it except on the Forums I will get a few views, when I post it on Twitter within the hour it has over 20 views. <br />Participating in the gift guides on the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Threadartists</span> blog has also referred people to my store. So the trick to selling is not a trick at all, it is just self promotion.</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div>mishaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16738990299590614597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490963430184571654.post-50187639548583503542009-07-13T08:48:00.000-07:002009-07-13T08:51:46.100-07:00Christmas in July<span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#006600;">This has been around for a lot of years. It probably is a good idea except that July is usually as busy as December. In July people are going on vacations, enjoying the beach and doing many other summertime activities. Plus most of the children are out of school and how do you buy their presents when there with you and would rather be doing anything other than shopping. December is also a very busy month because of Christmas and you have just finished with Thanksgiving. October is also a busy month with Halloween, finding or making costumes, decoration, finding the perfect pumpkin etc. Now the weather, July has better weather than December usually but it is very hot. <br />I think we should start a Holiday Preparation month, September encompassing all three holidays—Christmas-Thanksgiving-Halloween. The weather is a little cooler, the kids are back in school, supplies and clothes already purchased, and the only holiday, Labor Day is over. Nice relaxing month. So with all that time, we could prepare for the upcoming holidays with plenty of time, and then during the actual holiday months be able to enjoy them. We could call it All Thanks Christ in September, or something that would attract more attention.<br />Personally, I like Christmas, so I think it should be all year. Just a wacky thought to extend the season.<br />By the way, I am having a Christmas in July Sale, 20% off any item, either convo me and I will relist with the adjusted price or I will refund through Paypal. Have a Merry July Christmas Selling season. </span>mishaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16738990299590614597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490963430184571654.post-68889807962755295222009-07-08T05:33:00.000-07:002009-07-08T05:39:42.665-07:00Sun Bonnet SueWhen I was a kid I used to love Sun Bonnet Sue, I thought she was so cute. Now as an adult I still think she is cute and nostalgic of days gone by. I remember she was mostly on quilts but some people even put them on towels, which I notice there are a lot on etsy. Just search under handmade and you will see the variety of items related to her, even potholders. Well anyway here's a link to my Sun Bonnet Sue magnets. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/search_results_shop.php?search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_6084057&search_query=Sun+Bonnet+Sue">http://www.etsy.com/search_results_shop.php?search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_6084057&search_query=Sun+Bonnet+Sue</a> Eventually, I will be making them into sachets. One of my Sues is wearing a red hat and dressed in purple in honor of the "Red Hat Society Ladies". She would look cute on her frig. The magnets on these items are easily removed if you wanted it for an applique, or I can make one in the colors of your choice with or without the magnet. So much for now. have a wonderful day.mishaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16738990299590614597noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490963430184571654.post-59160751638427685022009-07-04T04:38:00.000-07:002009-07-04T04:45:26.221-07:00Pricing Handmade ItemsThe pricing of handmade items has also been a problem for me. Most people think my items are priced too low which takes away from the quality of the item. What I consider more than anything else is the cost of the material used. I really do not consider my time, not that my time isn’t valuable, but I do most of my work when I would just be sitting and watching TV, so it keeps me occupied, because most of the time on TV it does not require your full attention. So if when you look at my items you think they may be lacking in quality because of the price, that is not the reason. Some of the items that are extremely low in price are because they are made from yarn or thread or material that was left over from a different project which has already been sold. Right now I have a lot of items that I am just using up small amounts of yarn rather than just throwing the yarn away, so the items are low priced. Examples of that are the pot holder handle covers, and the Sun Bonnet Sue magnets. <br />If a pattern requires a lot of work such as attaching some appliques (as in the swan and lady doilies) <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27047690">http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27047690</a> or <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26338912">http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26338912</a> then I do charge a little bit more. Some of my sewing items are made from material that was on sale at extremely low prices. <br />Visit my Etsy shop <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6084057">http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6084057</a> and take a look at the variety of items and different types of crafts I do. After raising three children I had to develop several different skills to accommodate the clothing requirements of 2 girls (very fussy) and 1 boy. <br />I am new to blogging so I am not sure how it is done, but if you have ideas on setting prices let me know, I would appreciate the input.mishaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16738990299590614597noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490963430184571654.post-27233230358035266582009-07-03T04:29:00.000-07:002009-07-03T04:34:59.397-07:00New to Blogging.I have just retired in April from the communications department of an airport and thought I would try to create a blog. I have many interests in crafts and handmade items. I also have a collection of very needy dolls that I want to restore and then will be putting them up for sale. As you can see I have not yet learned how to design the blog. Any information as far as designing or reformating would be helpful.<br /><br />I have an etsy store <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6084057">http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6084057</a> which contains crochet items, sewing items and sometimes a doll or two. <br /><br />This will probably take awhile before I can really get this going.mishaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16738990299590614597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490963430184571654.post-11856072502708872692008-12-21T13:12:00.000-08:002008-12-21T13:15:29.708-08:00Thread Artist PromotionHi,<br />On etsy they have a place where you can post promotions and it is free. I have found that it works as well or better than the showcases. I have never been in a treasury so I can't comment on that.<br />All you have to do is go to community, forums, and under forums scroll down to promotions. I have been posting our team on there as often as I can. You can either add to the post or create your own.<br />I have also posted on other promotions, and have created my own posts. I believe it helps in traffic to your site.This is the link to the promotion I have made<br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5949683">http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5949683</a><br />This is the link to the promotion main page:<br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_board.php?forum_id=6">http://www.etsy.com/forums_board.php?forum_id=6</a><br />The idea is to keep the post going to the beginning of the list.Try it, maybe it will helpKarenmishaphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16738990299590614597noreply@blogger.com2