Well, here it is. . .my first post. I was hoping to have something really fancy for the first post, but I don't think that will happen, and really, how many people are going to read this blog before it gets established a bit? So, I'm just going to write, and it will have to suffice. It will certainly take the pressure off.
So, in all arstyness, what have I been thinking about lately? Well, I've been thinking about my etsy store. (sisteramanda.etsy.com) It is, well, not doing very well. And I really want it to be profitable. I have a lot of issues - I have no idea about pricing, and I've had a hard time reaching my target market. Oh, and I don't know anything about shipping. I think of things to make and I'm all like, how in the world would I ship that??!?!? So, yeah, any etsian readers could really help me out there!
My "target market" was Christians. When I asked God about this etsy store He said it was fine as long as what I did glorified Him. I took that to mean that I would need to have a Christian shop. I've now come to question that interpretation. One of the main reasons is that it seriously interfered with my Bible study. I would always be thinking in the back of my head - I could make something based on that and put it in my etsy store. I started to feel like one of the moneychangers in the Temple. Now, I'm not going to completely abandon Christian themed items, but it can't be my focus. I've considered donating some proceeds to charity, or even different charities depending on the item. So, I want to make toys - toys are awesome. I'll also continue to do digital prints and acrylic paintings as inspiration strikes me.
Speaking of inspiration, I thought of an awesome idea last night - pillowcases! Artistically designed with hand-stitched appliques cut from recycled/vintage clothing. Woo! Oh, I had so many ideas last night for designs, and it would be soooo luxurious to sleep on a beautiful pillowcase!!!! They could also be used for decorative pillow covers anywhere, but I want them to be standard pillow size. That way, I can reduce shipping costs by only shipping the case/cover, and people can pick up whatever firmness/brand of pillow they prefer.
I'm not sure if I should use "recycled" pillowcases as the basis of my work or if I should buy/sew new ones. One of my issues here is that I want the "case" to be sturdy, not some threadbare thing. The other thing about using already made pillowcases is that I'd like for them to have a fold over flap so that they could close neatly (think plastic sandwich bag) instead of having the open ends that pillows always end up wiggling out of - at least mine do. Hey, why limit myself? I don't have to carve anything in stone. I'll start out with premade pillowcases and go from there! Eureka :)
Another thing is that I don't know where my sewing machine is. How is that possible? Well, I have a big "shed" and not such a big house, and I wasn't using it enough to justify it staying indoors. And now its disappeared. I'm sure its in there, but my husband is having a hard time locating its exact coordinates. I do have a friend with a sewing machine, but I wouldn't want to impose on her. I've never really visited her before and I would feel rotten to start visiting her in order to use her sewing machine - that's just not cool.
I'd also really like to get some tags, like fabric label tags. It just looks so much more professional. I could put them on the toys and the pillow covers. I suppose I could embroider a label on until I source some of those things. Anyway, I really want to explore more aspects of my creative self - particularly dreams and whimsy. ^_^ Oh yes, and cuteness, geekery, romance, ultrachic, etc., etc.
By the by, the picture is a scan of a painting I did recently. Its called "Purpose" and it was and image I saw while praying one day and I had to paint it. It has already been purchased! Yippee!
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