A Busy Month

I've been keeping busy this month. Not shopping...I've been staying away from fabric stores for the same reason a recovering alcoholic avoids bars.  Not long-arm quilting...just haven't been inspired and, I'm sure, no one wants me to quilt their project when I lack inspiration. No new quilting projects or even ideas for projects...talk about backlog - I have a long list of project ideas so the last thing I need to do is flip through magazines and books and internet sites and add to my project list. I did none of those things in June. What I did do was make jam, lots of it (see the Moser Good Eats blog) and did a lot of mindless stitching. The studio was nothing more than a sweat shop (figuratively, as well as literally)...and it felt good, the figurative part. I made a couple dozen totes. Some from quilted panels I'd made previously and made others from scratch. I don't know what it is about completing a stack of colorful totes, but it just feels so darn good. I also got out my Tsukineko inks and painted another portrait. This time my subject was from one of Sandy's big cat photos. 

Well, it's a good thing I've been productive, because Sally has scheduled a table for us at a art/craft fair in Santa Barbara called "Art on the Mesa." It will be held Saturday, July 20th from noon until 7 p.m. Our reusable and, in some cases, recycled bags/totes are perfect for the eco-friendly theme. I'm not overly hopeful that we'll sell much, but I'm looking forward to spending a day with Sally and Sandy in beautiful Santa Barbara. 

My stack of 30+ totes has also inspired me to set up an Etsy site. I thought it would be a simple, an afternoon's project to set it up. Well, let me tell you...I've already invested about 10 hours and it's not close. Nothing is exactly intuitive and at times I've had to just walk away from the frustration. For example, I was going to do this a few years back and I think I reserved the name "Functionality", because I tried to set up my site with that name and was told it was already reserved. Well, after several dead ends in solving that problem, I gave up and named it FunctionalityDesigns and moved on. Overall, I think Etsy is a winning idea on many levels. It's just that the backend could use a bit of work and a handbook for dummies would help. Trial and error, though, has gotten me to the point I can now begin loading pictures and descriptions of my items. That means I now need to take pictures and write up descriptions for each of my listings. I have four different styles of bags/totes at various prices and my commissioned pet portraits on pillows, which will be included in a art category, separate from the bags/totes. I am allowed five pictures for each item. I think about 10-20 hours of taking pictures, loading them on the computer, uploading them to Etsy along with a paragraph describing each item should do it. This is going to be a major undertaking. The final step in my marketing plan will be to print business cards with my Etsy address. 

I've still got more stuff to make for the big event on the 20th and now hours of work on the Etsy site. Sounds to me like I'm going to be very busy right on through July. If you happen to have a quilt in the pipeline, don't give up on me. I will take a break from my on-line business and get some quilting done this month. That is, unless I have to replenish my inventory, because I'm an overnight Etsy sensation and sell out!