I Do Like Surprises...

I definitely thought this day was going to be a total write off this morning when I found myself in the Pediatrician's office with the Boychild, who woke up with a sore throat. Fortunately, the day has gone rather more smoothly than expected due to the mail arriving with this lovely mail-art postcard from "Thom" of the "rainy Pacific Northwest":



It's amazing how something so simple can lift ones spirits.

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Mystery Mail.

After 2 days of just junk mail being delivered to me, I finally got a very cool piece of mail from a mystery someone, who is part of 50th Anniversary of the First Man in Space group mailing (or the "Spaced Out" mailing as I like to call it.). I know I said we were on a "blackout" on this one until April 13th, but a small taste of one of piece of work I've received couldn't really be too harmful, especially since it is mystery mail. And, it was too good to keep to myself. Sooo, here it is;



Notice, it's marked as non-machinable, which makes me wonder if it was hand cancelled? It's all a mystery.


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Listen To The Mail

Yesterday was truly a mail-art extravaganza as I received 4 pieces of excellent mail. Unfortunately, I can only share 2 of them due to The Postal History Boutique's "Space" mailer "blackout", which will be lifted April 13th. So, you'll just have to wait until then, but I promise, it will be worth it.
Onward.

From Lin:





And, a thank you postcard from Nikki who writes the blog "For The Love Of Cats~~Mail Art":





By the way, the "This Better Not Go in The Trash" stamp was on the back of Lin's card.
Wouldn't dare!
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Mail-art and Postcards and Letters, Oh My!

I admit, I am hooked on receiving mail.

About 10 months ago, I joined an online group called "Postcrossing". The idea behind this is very simple. You sign up; then request to send a postcard to a random address that you are given somewhere in this big, ol' world. When it arrives at the said address, the receiver of the card registers it and then you receive a postcard in turn from someone else, but not necessarily the person you sent your card to. Being one who loves surprises, this really appealed to me and I found myself sending a postcard or two (or three) a week to someone in the world who I knew through a random address given to me and their profile page, when I requested it.
And, the best part, is that I would receive postcards in return. Really great postcards. With messages. Messages telling me about what was on front of the card; about the day they were having or a book they might be currently reading. And, great stamps. But, to be honest, I started looking for something more ( I still "Postcross", by the way.).

My next foray was when I had joined a pen-pal group on Steampunk Empire, where one would write letters in their "Steampunk Persona". It was quite the creative writing challenge, which I had enjoyed very much. Unfortunately, it was short lived as I can imagine it became more work then most who had joined realized. Pity.

Back in December, I was fortunate enough to find a link to the International Union of Mail-Artists site through the Ning network. I had read "Good Mail Day" (by Jennie Hinchcliff & Carolee Wheeler; an inspiration and epiphany for me.) and I had done some mail art in the past ( Many years before social networks were popular; I had been "invited" to participate on a few occasions.), so I had some inkling what it entailed; you need to send mail to get mail. So, I signed myself up and started sending handmade collaged postcards to anyone who "friended" me. I have sent off things to "mail calls" and have done group "mailers" (I have never received so many great Valentines in my life!). I must send out, on average, 5 to 10 pieces of mail and postcards a week (between that and Postcrossing, which I still enjoy.). Sometimes more (my mail out last week was 14 cards and then some.) The postal person at my local loves me.

But, don't get me wrong. The internet and social networking I will not knock. After all it has made the world smaller. But, receiving "snail-mail", to me anyway, still makes the world more human.




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Two Hands Good

It's amazing how much we use our non-dominant hands. Really.
Finally, after a bit more than a month off with tendinitis in my left hand, I can finally get back to the things I enjoy the most and will try guitar playing in the next week to see how that well goes. But what I was truly amazed at were all the little things I couldn't do because of it, like typing on my computer (sorry, one fingered typing does not cut it), opening a bottle or a jar, using a can opener (not electric), working on my assemblages and collages (a personal disaster I might add), cutting things with an exacto-knife or a kitchen knife (dangerous at the best of times), writing letters (hey, I still need one hand to hold the paper in place, right?), just to name a few things of which really require 2 mitts. Oh, and it was just irritating. Period.
But, that doesn't mean I didn't do anything. I continued my painting class (although making acrylic skins and transfers was a bit, mmm, difficult; fortunately my transfer mojo was working); I even got some mailart postcards/ATC's ready for a IUOMA mailer using my computer, a Wacom tablet and even one using an app on my IPhone (Really!) . So all was not a complete loss. As for my Artfire shop, you know, the one I had been blogging endlessly about? Well, the few items that were going to go in it actually sold (which is good), so I will need to make some more, but since it requires 2 good hands, they will just have to wait. But, I did eventually figure out an easier way to work out the shipping (also good).

So, there you have it. I didn't abandon you, my 10 (maybe 11) dear readers. I was just on a self imposed hiatus due to circumstance and that can sometimes be alright.


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Today I'm thinking about...

...pizza...that's right, pizza. Windsor Pizza Chef pizza in Windsor, Vermont.



And, without risking of sounding too much like a "foodie", it's one of my and my husband's and the boychild's favorite places to enjoy some really scrumptious pie. Not a gooey pizza at all.


Am I making you hungry yet?

Local lore also has it that it was where J.D. Salinger would quell his pizza cravings. So, if it's good enough for J.D. Salinger, it's good enough for me.



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Blogging from the forest...

Why? Because I can, darling, because I can....



Wishing you all a Happy New Year from a forest in New Hampshire...

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Adventures in Online Commerce: Shipping. I don't get it. (Pt. 6)

This will probably be my last post until after the New Year about my adventures in online commerce.

I've discovered that before I can actually post anything for sale in my "studio/store, I need to have the shipping figured out beforehand. No easy task, I have discovered, especially if all your items are different sizes and weights and I need to have costs for "primary" (one item) and "secondary" (more then one item) shipping. Then there is the added task of also figuring out what it would cost to send it the U.S., as well as internationally. Ugh. Too much to think about. So I decide I'll ask my local Postal person, she knows everything and is always helpful in these matters. And, she is helpful. She hands me a brochure on shipping and tells me I should go to the Canada Post website. Should be easy, I think. But, I discover everything seems to be priced from postal code to postal code. And, priced by weight. And, size. Not so easy or obvious as I hoped. Mmm...I'll definitely have to purchase a scale; then figure out what box size(s) will do; then I'll need to do some postal code to postal code test pricing.
But, it's going to have to wait until the new year...

Happy New Year, all!


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Adventures in Online Commerce: Reading is cool (Pt. 5)

As I was trawling around Artfire the other day, I happened upon their help guide called "The 45 Day Guide". Oooooh, this sounds good.
Upon reading it, I realize, that according to this help guide, I've only gotten up to "Day 2", so far, which requires me to read a whole load of articles, so that I actually understand what I'm doing here.
For that day, I read. Just read and nothing else.





Reading is good.

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Adventures in Online Commerce P. 4

I guess I can't very well keep avoiding this bio/blurb/shop's policy business. So what better way to figure this out then to read what others have wrote before you. Brilliant!
I start with shop policies, copying and pasting the ones that sound good like "all sales final" or "all items shipped by Canada Post". Anyway, I get about 7 or 8 policies posted. Well, that wasn't too hard.

Next, "the blurb". I check out one of my old cv's as I know it has an artist statement of sorts. Hmmm... I only can write 125 characters?! No matter, I'll just edit it down and take out the fluffy parts which kind of bugged me anyway. There...125 characters of slimlined beauty.

Bio.
Again, I am on the hunt to see what others have written in the bio area. Bugger. Most of them have hardly written anything! Some have written too much. Ugh. Not very inspiring, is all I can say. So, I begin by writing a "Welcome- to-my-online-shop-and-would-you-buy-something. Please?" sort of thing. Honest, direct and not very long.

And the final addition; a very nice photo, so that whoever visits your "shop/studio" knows that you really do exist.

I can feel, nay, know I'm getting closer to having my shop up and running...


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Adventures in Online Commerce P. 3

I find nothing harder then writing about one's self. I even have a former instructor, who would laugh at knowing how true this is for me. Usually, if I have to write my own bio, it means finding something else more meaningful (and possibly more painful) to do avoid this task: like the laundry; or housework; or plucking my eyebrows. But, never the less, here we are. So, I skip ahead to the Method of Payment.
You figure this would be pretty easy, but there was more to it than I thought, as I had to set up my own PayPal account. Don't get me wrong, there were other options. But, how many people do you know, who shop online, pay by check. Really? Sooooo, I sign up for my PayPal Account, but it will still take a few days for everything to be confirmed. Good thing, I'm not ready to open shop as I still have a bio, blurb and shop policies to write up. Remember?
Something tells me this whole undertaking is going to take longer then I anticipated.
Mmmmm....to be continued.....


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Adventures in Online Commerce P.2

I did it! I picked a name for my online shop. As daunting as that hurdle was, I managed to a) pick a name that I could live with (and that wasn't lame) and b) wasn't already taken by someone else, which by the way is always a possibility. Phew.
Now on to the next task: filling out the rest of this behemoth.





"Pro" or "basic"? I chose "basic" for now, as to be rather blunt, it's free. No, you don't get all the extras, but that's just more stuff to fill out and who wants that? Not moi.

"Avatar": easy. I have one always on hand (my self-portrait as an old-style pilot: I like it anyway and it has served me well.), but if you don't, you can always put up something temporarily in the meantime. Maybe a photo of your old Auntie or pet lemur or the type of thing you'll be selling, how novel? At least you can change it, in any case.
"Shop banner" (also easy): now that your shop/studio has a name, it's just a matter of picking a nice font (I just used one I downloaded for free off the internet.) and put it over top of a nice copyright free image. I figured, this could always be changed later as well. I want to get up and running, right?

Fortunately, with the "basic" package, you don't get much choice when designing your page; in fact, you only get a choice of 3 colour schemes. I choose the blue one. Done!

At having to fill out the shop bio, blurb and policies, I feel a sudden urge to lie down for a nap....

To be continued...

Adventures in Online Commerce P.1

I've been toying with the idea of setting up an Etsy or Artfire site/shop over the last few months and I finally took the plunge a few days ago. My reason being, mostly, that my basement work area is beginning to get crammed with the box assemblages I make and it's time I did something about it. I chose Artfire over Etsy, not for any particular reason other than I had looked at it a few times and I kind of liked it's name (yes, yes, I know, very shallow...actually more like lazy... but anyway...). So, I proceed to sign up and started to input all the info required to set up shop.

Difficult task #1: what to call your "studio" upon signing up. "The name you choose cannot be changed", I am informed. Choosing a name, especially one you can live with, can be a challenging task; it's kind of like naming a child (with the exception that if the child hates his/her name they can change it later, much to your chagrin.).
At that point, after staring at my laptop for a few minutes (...hours...), I decide that I've had enough for the day and that it's a good time for a cup of coffee.

To be continued...


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The Business of Art Business

Here is a blog link that was passed on to me by my friend, Betsy (she actually posted it on our Alumni Group Page), and I thought it might be of interest:
 http://www.artbizblog.com/
Read it now and bookmark it for future reference! You will not regret it.


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