Rewind

I'm feeling really low right now. I feel like since high school I have just been a cesspool of mistakes. I have pictures of my graduation day on the wall and I see the photos of me at our old house with my healthy dad, and not owing anybody anything. Since that day I have continuously screwed up my life. The mistakes are unbelievable. I know, I know...we all make mistakes, but I have made so, so, so many. I'm tired of struggling. I'm tired of not being able to afford my medicine. I'm sick of being in a house where there are times when we don't have enough money to go buy a gallon of milk. I'm sick of my phone ringing from people wanting money from me that I don't have. I'm exhausted by lenders and creditors harassing me and threatening me. I hate my credit score, I hate that I am still in school at 24 having not gotten even one degree. I hate myself sometimes for the mess I put myself into. Some of it wasn't my fault, but I'm still taking the fall for mistakes others made in addition to my own. I feel lazy and irresponsible. I hate this life and want a second chance to make it all right.

Crochet is in Stock

Crochet has arrived in my shop! I am still learning the craft but have learned enough to put a few things up in the store. So far I have the following items for sale:

3 100% cotton dish cloths/wash cloths

Four pink flowers

Large and Poofy Crochet Flower

I am super excited and have created a new account for when I have enough crochet product to put into the new store, kinetickatiescrochet. I am currently working on perfecting my flowers and learning how to make "scrubbies" (dish scrubbers), my dog's blanket, and multi-color wash/dish cloths.

In other news my allergies are out of control today. 10 Benadryl and tons of nasal spray haven't helped much at all. It's frustrating to say the least!

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 15

This is my dog Sophie's blanket so far. My mom made the purple flower I have spent hours trying to make myself. I am going to get help at a local knit shop so I can make my own from now on. I want to put several on Sophie's blanket since it's just plain white. It will have pink in it before it's done, though. I will run out of white yarn before it's finished and I only have pink yarn to work with :) But Sophie won't care, she's color blind. I am very happy with this blanket so far!

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 14

Tonight Lindsey, Michelle, Brandy and I were talking about feet. One part of my body I do not have a problem with is my feet. I even got my favorite Bible verse tattooed on the left one under the phrase "I am spoken for." Psalm 62:6 reads, "He alone is my rock and my salvation. He is my fortress and I will not be shaken." I got the tattoo when I was 19 and not a day goes by that I don't love it. It's written in my favorite font at the time, Kingthings Calligrapha. The artist did an amazing job tattooing such small letters onto my skin. It's amazing!

New Cool Product: Custom Shop Packages!

I am very happy to introduce a new item in my shop: custom shop packages! They come in three versions, size 1, size 2, and size 3. Each size has increasing elements. For size one you get:

• 1 Banner
• 1 Avatar
• 1 Reserved Listing Graphic
• 1 Thank You Graphic (for feedback appreciation photos)

PRICE: $20


For size 2 you receive:

• 1 Banner
• 1 Avatar
• 1 Reserved Listing Graphic
• 1 Thank You Graphic (for feedback appreciation photos)
• 1 Business Card Design
• 1 Return Address Label Design
• 1 Sale Banner
• 1 Sale Avatar

PRICE: $45

And for size three, the largest size, you'll get:

• 1 Banner
• 1 Avatar
• 1 Reserved Listing Graphic
• 1 Thank You Graphic (for feedback appreciation photos)
• 1 Business Card Design
• 1 Return Address Label Design
• 1 Sale Banner
• 1 Sale Avatar
• 1 Blogspot Blog Background
• 1 Logo Design
• 1 Ad Graphic

PRICE: $65

Check out the shop at http://www.naiveglowarts.com! I also do custom work for any individual element that you see in the shop packages.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 13

Today was pretty uneventful, except for my creation of a new blog background! I was so excited to make my own instead of relying on someone else's design. This is unique and my own. I am proud of it.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 12

My dad and me on the way to my doctor. Before we left the driveway I asked my dad if he wanted to be in my "photo a day" photo and he said sure, he had no idea I was taking this picture when I hit "Take Photo" on my phone. Thus, the unfitting expression on his face :) I combined two photos since I'm s...ort of hidden off camera in the left photo. It's been awhile since my dad has been able to drive, so it's weird being in the passenger seat with him in the car. Without so much pain meds in his system he's capable of operating machinery thanks to his nerve stimulator implant. He did a lot of driving today and I don't think he's had a single nap, which is incredible for him! If you didn't know he has a rare blood disease called Myelofibrosis that makes him weak and tired. Now that his nerve pain is under more control, he can slowly start becoming more active. It's great :)

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 11

Honestly, I had no idea what to photograph today. I haven't done a whole lot aside from some personal demons being brought into daylight, finally. But seeing as how personal that is, I didn't want to photograph anything related to it so here's my photo: "Who knows?" I certainly don't :)

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 10

I don't do a lot around the house. My mom spoils us all by doing pretty much everything. So today I decided to take care of dinner: crockpot salsa chicken with a side of Spanish rice. It may have only been before noon, but dinner was already underway when this photo was taken several minutes ago. Hopefully this won't be a total disaster.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 9

It's no secret I suffer from depression. It's a very severe case but thankfully my doctors have found a "cocktail" of meds that put me in the right place...they make me feel normal. Without them I am an empty shell. Some people say I should try other methods without all the medicine, but I am too frightened of stopping the medicine to even try. My life is barely existent without it. I am alive but am like a ghost...empty and lost. I won't go into details on what exactly I take, but the pills I am holding are a very important element in my treatment. It is a new drug in the United States and therefore has no generic form. It is $15 a pill here, so I go through a Canadian pharmacy to get the generic form. It ships from Germany so it takes awhile. Due to financial reasons I can't always order it at the right time, so at times I run out and my dad gets me samples from my doctor to hold me off until the medicine arrives. As of today I have been out of this particular medicine for 3 days and I have felt like crap. The doorbell rang today and I ran to the front door to make sure I got the delivery (I have to sign for it). I had a feeling it would come today, and I was right! I am not feeling much better yet since I just took it, but I should be feeling better by the end of the day. This medicine is a learning experience in planning...it takes about 12 days to arrive after ordering it, so I have to carefully plan when to get a refill. Lots of little things in life are big learning opportunities, so pay attention to what happens during your days!

New Sapling Website in the Works

After the urging of my buddies on Web Design Group, I decided to scrap my website and start over. After the dozens of hours I put into it, it was hard to upload the new sapling site, but I like it better. I found a free template from a pet shop-themed site and have modified it a bit. It's kind of safari-themed, which my pal Lindsey says is very family friendly. I have finally finished the wedding section with the exception of the pocket card invitations as I still need supplies to photograph them. They aren't on Etsy yet and won't be until I can order the right supplies from pocketsandcards.com...or is it cardsandpockets.com? Can't remember and I'm too lazy to go find out :) But so far the site looks great. I haven't run it through any validators so that scares me to think I've got ANOTHER faulty template, but at least everything works on this site. If you'd like to check it out, it's at NaiveGlow.com.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 8

It's a lazy Sunday. After waking up at 2:30am this morning, I finally went back to bed around 8:30 and slept for 3 more hours. This was taken right before I fell asleep, hence the dazed expression. If I look comfortable, it's because I was :)

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 7

Here I am chatting with my BIFFs (Best Internet Friends Forever)...I just love it when we are all online and talking. We share everything about our lives together and I can tell them things I can't tell other people. I don't know why that is, but I just know I am very thankful I met them through the whole Kristie Tunick scam. Brandy, Lindsey, and Michelle, I love all three of you!

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 6

I woke up today to a glum outside I haven not seen in a long time. The rain was relaxing but the day seems so dark with clouds muffling the sun. When I let my dog Sophie outside, I stood there like this getting more depressed by the moment from the ugly weather in front of me. I have since retreated to my room and try not to look towards the window that reminds me of the ugliness outside. This photo wasn't intentionally blurry, but I like it that way.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 5

I love making charms...these are used on scrapbook albums, purses, or keychains. What I love most is the combination of beads...beads are so fun. Pearls are my favorite, along with bead caps which just look gorgeous on these charms. I sell these on Etsy for various prices. This is an Alice in Wonderland themed charm with tons of single charms related to the book. I made it red for whatever reason...but I love the way it turned out!

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 4

Since 2007 I have been an addict...to nasal spray. It began when I started to have this serious aversion to not being able to fall asleep unless I could breathe through my nose. After three days of use, I was hooked. Now my nose congests at the absence of nasal spray. My doctor said it's not good for me, but it's not really harmful either. He still suggested I get off the stuff, but the last thing I need is something else to keep me from falling asleep. And I'm very particular about having the pump mist spray, not the squeeze bottle stuff...it doesn't work as well as the pump mist. My favorite brand is Meijer, but as long as it's a pump mist nasal spray I'm happy.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 3

Today I woke up to more horrible allergies. They're pretty bad every day but today they were even worse than usual. My nose has been stuffed up since 10am and is showing no signs of letting up. Sometimes I swear I go through a pound of Kleenex a day!

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 2

In September I started learning to crochet. After failing miserably at making a scarf, I kind of gave up. All the inspiration on Etsy got me to try again. I still can't start a project myself, I have to get my mom to do the first row, but I'm slowly getting away from the "shrinking" size thing where the rows get shorter and shorter. Once I start crocheting I think, one more row, and then five rows later I'm still saying the same thing.

A good friend asked me to crochet a blanket for her soon-to-arrive baby...I only hope I can do it justice. I may need Mom's help...especially if it's more than one color :)

Crochet!

Tonight (rather last night) I started to crochet again. Don't be misled by that statement, I was never a big crocheter, only made it to the beginning stages, but I decided to give it another try. It's a little late in the season to be making a scarf again, (which I never finished) so I'm making a blanket for my dog, Sophie. She weighs 13 pounds so it's not really big. So far so good, it's looking nice and straight and not shrinking like many crocheter's first projects. Not sure why I chose white yarn as my dog is black and leaves little black hairs all over anything fabric-like...but it's what my mom had lying around so I grabbed it and had her start the first row for me. I still don't know how to start a crochet row...mainly because I suck at tying slipknots. Here is my progress so far:



And yes, my shelves/bed are a mess...I'm putting together resume packets and have lots of different papers strewn about. I can't wait to show you my packets...they're coming together nicely! I need to write my cover letter still, but the resume and samples are all done. Applying for a graphic design position requires a bit more work than some other jobs as it's usually a bright idea to include some samples of your work. I got a little bit creative with my presentation of samples so as to make my resume stand out. I am mailing out 14 resumes right now, and if I get no bites I'll send out more. Hopefully that will not be the case, but God has a plan for me and I will get by as long as I trust him. And listen to him too!

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 1

So this whole "30 Day Photo Challenge" thing is pretty popular. And it sounds fun. So I'm going to do it. I took this photo early this morning on the 27th of February.


Someone in Etsy chat said I look confused...I wasn't confused but rather looking at my computer screen, watching the posts scroll up my screen. I chose this photo because I spend a lot of time in Etsy chat. When my friends aren't online chatting on Facebook, I go to Etsy for my social fill. It's a great way to learn new things and meet some very friendly people. Yesterday I encountered a not-so-friendly person, but those are few and far between. The papers you see on the right of the photo are all for my resume packet that I will be mailing to 14 different places. I am on the hunt for a design job!

Dealing with Troublesome Buyers

My second order with my new store has of course hit a snag. My printer has decided it no longer wishes to work properly. Thankfully my customer doesn't need these until March, so I can wait until pay day to buy a new printer. It makes me wonder if any order is ever easy. There's always something...shipping goes wrong, item goes missing, etc., etc. Then there's the wonder if the customer is happy. When that glowing feedback rolls in all that fear is thrown out the window and success has been had.

But when running a business you have all kinds of troublesome people. Some people are just plain impossible to please, others expect way more for their money than what they're getting is worth, and some only exist to complain. It's so nice to get a decent customer. I have this problem much, much more on eBay. I really wonder why that is. Are eBay buyers more rude than Etsy? I'm inclined to say yes. I think their personalities are different. Etsians are on Etsy for a reason: to find unique things, not a bargain. So when something is slightly wrong on eBay, the customer flips out because they didn't get the great deal they thought they were getting. They may be right, they may be wrong, but either way they want things done their way. So I guess my point is, you can't please everyone, but all you can do is your best.

On Etsy, people are usually pretty reasonable. Note the "usually" in that sentence. There are always exceptions to that statement. And when you find that unreasonable person, all you can do is damage control. Stop trying to make yourself sound "right" and try to keep the buyer under control. Keep the lines of communication wide open, and stay calm. Before sending conversations think carefully about what you've written...is it snotty at all? Does your attitude reflect professionalism? Think about a time when you were on the other side -- the disgruntled buyer. What did the seller or store do right and wrong? Follow that experience and learn from it. Respond as if the buyer isn't steaming mad, never retaliate. If you have to think twice about what you've written, you probably shouldn't send it.

Just remember that all you can do is your best. If you have done your best, you have no reason to feel defeated or down when something goes wrong. Just keep a cool head and take advantage of the fact that you are not dealing with people on the phone or in person -- you have time to compose your messages and edit them before sending. You're not likely to let something slip while typing like you would in person, such as a condescending tone or bad attitude.

If you're ever unsure of what to do, you can do several things. One, contact Etsy. You may or may not get a prompt response, so do not rely on this too heavily unless the issue has escalated past your ability to handle it. Next you can go to the forums and post under Site Help, just be sure to state your situation hypothetically or else your post will be considered "calling out" and your post will be closed. Third, you can go into Etsy chat (under the Communication tab on Etsy) and get some live advice. Lastly (and this can always be your first option!) talk with friends and family. Find out what they think you should do. Get several opinions before making a decision on something you're unsure of.

Lastly, don't get too worked up over troublesome customers. They are few and far between for the most part and you have to focus on the good transactions. That is what will make your business grow!

Reinvention

Reinventing your shop is a scary thing…especially when you’ve enjoyed a small taste of success with another medium. What about your old customers? How do you promote your new image? It’s something unfamiliar and you’re new at selling it. This is my situation at the moment, and to be honest, it’s a bit frightening.

Today I assembled and shipped off my first order from my “new” shop. Sure, it’s the same name but I’ve switched from handcrafted paper products to graphic design. Design has been a passion for several years, and my scrapbooking took off when my computer drowned in diet coke and I lost all my design software. Now that I have it back…scrapbooking and paper crafting has taken a back seat and graphic design, my future career, has flourished. I have filled my shop with banners, shop packages, business cards, invitations, and party kits. It has been more than a blast doing it. I have loved every minute of it!

But back to my first order from my “new” shop…I encountered the problems typical of a newbie. Printing errors, learning what paper to NOT print on, how to adhere the paper to the cardstock correctly, how to not get adhesive all over the invitation, what size to make the invites so I can actually obtain envelopes for them…and this had to be a quick job, too. My customer was in a time crunch and needed things ASAP. So with an ice storm getting in the way, I had to hurry while not sacrificing quality. After not making much money off the deal but having learned a whole lot with just one sale, I feel better about my new shop. I still have reservations about things not working out, but I suppose I will cross that bridge when I come to it…or those bridges and when I come to them.