Falling In And Out of Love: ArtFire

Sometimes companies disappoint me or offer products I don't care for.  No big deal, right?  I just don't purchase from them or, if a friend asks, I'll give them my honest opinion about the company/product and let them make their own decision.  I'm not one of those people who feels the need to blog negatively about companies I don't personally care for.  However, I do speak out when when I get exceptionally bad customer service or, in this case, when I've urged others to use a company or product in the past, but no longer use it myself.

Sorry, ArtFire, we gave you every
chance we possibly could have

After three years of selling my art, prints and jewelry through the online marketplace ArtFire.com, I plan on moving my online shop I moved to skelekitty.com (the details are updated at the bottom of this post). Despite past posts supporting ArtFire as a great place for sellers of fine art and handmade items, I no longer endorse them.  I initially recommended them because they offered a great product at an affordable price with incredible customer service.  While the price is still right at a flat $12.95 per month, the service and product have suffered greatly in the last year.

The Good:  On the whole, the ArtFire staff have been responsive to each individual glitch, and resolved each one in a timely manner.

The Bad:  ArtFire's own business practices are what cause the glitches in the first place: specifically, for over a year they have been rolling out live changes on weekends (Fridays) without beta testing first.  They also regularly make these changes without proper advance notification to sellers.  Unless you're spending all of your time in the forums instead of actually painting/working, you don't know about a change until you've had problems for a few days and the announcement e-mail of their "improvement" hits your in box.

The Ugly:  One of the Corporate Rejects sales was a complete nightmare when we unwittingly chose a date that happened to coincide with a major shopping cart rebuild. We were NOT amused, I can tell you that much.  I have personally asked ArtFire on at least five occasions over the last year to use a test environment before going live, and to notify sellers before changes happen, but I've had no luck.  I was willing to overlook the annoyance factor for a while, but in the past few months, I've received an increasing number of e-mails from my customers that  a) they can't find something through a keyword search (the keyword is there, but the item doesn't show up in a search), b) coupons aren't working (because items have 'fallen out of' categories to which the coupons apply) or c) they discover an item 'doesn't ship to the U.S.' (you've got me on that one - I regularly update my shipping and use preset profiles to ensure this NEVER happens).  When I could no longer get someone on the phone and then started getting whiffs of "blame the seller for problems" in email responses about a week ago, my mind was made up.

Several of my friends and colleagues have left or are leaving ArtFire for similar reasons.  This week, after months of conversation with the other Corporate Rejects and her colleagues, Brooke Van Gory Designs has announced her return to Etsy.  She plans to keep her ArtFire shop open until she is completely moved and has a month with no sales, then she'll be closing it down permanently.  ArtFire shut her shop down without her permission and refused her the sales records from 2012.  How professional!

Assuming ArtFire isn't going to magically improve in the next two months (it hasn't over the last 12), I'll be leaving in January or thereabouts.  Now I begin the search for a new eCommerce provider [SEE THE UPDATE BELOW for information on who I chose!]  I have been doing a great deal of research and see that I have many options.  Right now, I don't know where I will be moving.  Here are some places I *won't* be going:

1. I won't be returning to Etsy for my primary online shop.  There are several reasons for that, but it's primarily because I don't like their fee structure (I have hundreds of individual items) and I never benefited from their traffic (though a lot of my friends who offer handmade/non-art items do).
2. I won't be using BigCartel or Storenvy.  While they are both excellent options, all of their payments are required to go through PayPal and I prefer to give my customers options.
3. I won't be using eBay or Amazon because ... well, they're eBay and Amazon.

What I'm looking for:

1. A flat monthly fee or a site with no listing fees (I'm OK with % fees on actual sales, but not for listings)
2. Ability to accept various modes of payment (I currently have PayPal, Square and ProPay accounts to accept credit cards)
3. No sign-up required to shop
4. Ability to integrate with my own website and blog
5. Unique/personalized URL (skelekitty.com, which I own) is a BIG plus
6. Seamless transition for my customers

I'm not happy to pull my endorsement of ArtFire after all this time.  I still think the original business model was a good one and am sad that the reality didn't work out.  I'll keep you all updated on the process of the move.  In the meantime, my site skelekitty.com will bring you to my shop, wherever it is.

2013 UPDATE:  

I chose Goodsie.com.  The new shop opened on 1/2/13 and you can find it online at http://goodsie.com/store/skelekitty or, of course, plain ol' easy to remember skelekitty.com.

Why I chose Goodsie: their fee structure and features matched my needs best - as a matter of fact, they provide services that match all 6 of the requirements I listed above.  My good friend Mo of Madd Style Cosmetics opened her new shop this year on BigCartel and is very happy with their service; likewise another company I do business with recommends 3DCart, so I trust those are good companies as well - it's all about matching your needs with the services offered/cost.   



BEFORE YOU COMMENT: All comments, as usual, require approval, so please do not bash or add your "horror story" in the comments - I prefer that this not become a bunch of crafters arguing over ArtFire vs. Etsy, yet again.  If you want to talk about that stuff, I invite you to post on your own blog.  If you have some substantive and constructive information for everyone on eCommerce solutions or options (not just what service you use, but what they offer and why you recommend them), feel free to comment.  Content is king.

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Falling In And Out Of Love (Denouncing Glittersniffer Cosmetics)

The following post was original written for my personal facebook profile yesterday.  However, since that profile is not public and I have several blog readers who also follow my hair and makeup recommendations, I am reposting it here.

Falling in and out of love (or, "dude, it's only make-up")
by Krissi Sandvik on Sunday, December 12, 2010 at 3:58pm

You know that awesome feeling you get when you find something special that you really love and you want to tell EVERYONE you know about it? I have; you know I have. You've even seen it if you follow any of my blogs, videos or even just my facebook status. Just a few things that you may have seen me fall in love with over the past 5 years include Hina's Tea (oh how sad I was when they closed their doors!), Golden brand's acrylic gel medium and fluid acrylic paints, Special Effects hair color, driving, wood burning, Moleskine journals... and Glittersniffer Cosmetics.

Three different formulations of Glittersniffer's pigment "A.D.D."
Notice the unblended chunks of pigment in the far right swatch,
typical of almost all of the pots I received in the last 3 or 4 months.

I have fallen out of love with only one of the above brands/items, Glittersniffer Cosmetics, and I am sad to say that it is not because I found something better, different or that I lost interest in all similar products. It is due, very simply, to the company losing sight of who and what made it so wonderful in the first place. I was quietly retreating, but when several of my friends sent me messages saying they purchased from Glittersniffer because I used her product, I decided to speak my mind. And so, dear friends and fans, I will no longer recommend Glittersniffer Cosmetics to you.

Specifically, I experienced a growing number of the following problems as Glittersniffer grew over the last six months:

Two jars in my "mattes" collection (too chalky to use) arrived
completely open; sifter was improperly inserted, preventing
lid from being secured. My final three orders (which were incorrect)
arrived with open jars and pigment spilled all over the box/envelope.

• incorrect orders / incorrect "replacement" orders
• substituted items without notice or option for refund
• items never sent / "lost" packages
• accepting payment for items out of stock offering only store credit (not refund); credit required to be used in conjunction with another order
• inconsistency in formulations (visibly noticeable from batch to batch)
• poorly mixed or unmixed pigments (aka "chunks" of color and chalky pigments)
• multiple attempts at communications ignored
• broken / open / unsecured jar lids
• blaming others for errors and lost packages

I personally experienced all of these issues on multiple occasions and even brought these issues to the owner's attention, again on multiple occasions. I understand that running a small business is difficult and that mistakes happen. I run a small business and of course, I have made mistakes. However, I do my best to ensure that they never happen twice. I have turned away work if I feel overwhelmed or am unable to fulfill obligations to existing customers. In the case of Glittersniffer, I would receive an apology, sometimes a product I did not need or want and then it was back to business as usual on the next order. After my last 8 or 10 orders, I started to suspect that maybe this was a pattern.

I am not qualified to say that every experience was like mine (though I can assure you that this issue is quite wide-spread throughout at least 25 of her very long-term customers), nor am I telling you to boycott her items. However, I will say that if you do purchase, I hope that you do it of your own accord and not based on any recommendation I may have made in the past.

There are MANY cosmetics companies out there - some which are also 'cottage industry' businesses - from whom you might wish to purchase. Here is a very small list of companies from whom I have purchased in the past and with whom I continue to be happy (just type the names into Google - you can find them very easily):

• Madd Style Cosmetics (new company this year)
• Hi-Fi Cosmetics
• Medusa's Make Up
• Alima
• Aromaleigh Cosmetics (no longer in business)

And I added another to my "faves" list in March 2011:

• Brazen Cosmetics

Other companies from whom I have not personally purchased, but about whom I have heard good things:

• Pure Luxe Cosmetics Fell prey to Glittersniffer Syndrome and is selling glow in the dark pigments (updated 3/28/2011)
• Beauty From The Earth
• Detrivoire Cosmetics
• The All Natural Facekept her shop open during a 4-week absence, selling items not in stock (3/28/2011)
• Shiro Cosmetics
• Sugar Pill Cosmetics
• Elohi Cosmetics - noted here for good product, but mixed reviews on customer service admitted to allowing people to smoke in enclosed space with product ingredients and packaging (3/29/2011)
  and, of course, there's
• TKB Trading for bulk purchases and supplies

The 2-5 week turnaround time is the only reason Fyrinnae is not on this list. I understand why the production time is so long, but it's tough to recommend a company who takes that long to ship.

One final note: This is a description of my experiences only, and you are free to disagree. However, please keep your comments here civil and to the point. I know I may lose "friends" over this, but frankly, if I do, my response will be "it's only makeup and they clearly weren't my friends."

------------

Update (12/13/2010 - 2:20pm):  Yesterday, I set out to write a simple, clear post with the single purpose of letting my friends know that I had experienced ongoing and unaddressed problems with a company and was removing my recommendation.  I assure everyone that I had no idea the issue was so widespread or ran so deep.  While I did NOT set out to defame anyone or to bring anyone down, I cannot apologize for the avalanche this first post started since all I did was state a few facts about my personal experiences.  I cannot control that others had similar experiences as well.


With that said, while I empathize with everyone's anger and disappointment, I also request that you keep your comments constructive and restrain the urge to name-call others on this post (you can call me whatever names you like).  I'm not asking you to edit yourselves, just to post those more "subjective" expressions elsewhere so the point of this post stays on topic: the removal of my endorsement.


Thanks everyone.

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Swag From A Cross-Dressing Cat

I just opened a mail package from my pal Amy of Oblinaknit to find the  super cool hot pink custom "Zip It" and "Wristlet" I ordered!  When the sun comes back up tomorrow I'll take some snaps of the inside - I love the linings in both pieces, but the bees inside the wristlet are to DIE for!



She also sent along some cool swag, including:

• a REALLY cute heart shaped white & pink keychain (is that perfect timing or what, 'cause I picked up what is going to become the Skelekitty-mobile today!). 
• some FREAKIN' adorable 1" buttons and oversized postcards of her fabulous cross-dressing, fruity hat-wearing kitty, Ken.  

I'll be taking the pins (minus one for my denim jacket, of course) and the post cards with me to give away on the Crafty Chica Cruise next month.

...

But wait, do you think I give some away here too? (I know you'll say yes, but tell me how I should decide who gets 'em. AND BE FAIR!)

Oh, wait!!!  Before you go off on a commenting rampage asking for one of these super cute kitty diva pins/post cards, did I mention that Amy also makes jewelry as "Oblinaknit Bejeweled?"  Ken swiped these earrings off of her work table and mailed them to me for my birthday last June after I shamelessly drooled over them online.

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Stuff (Without Which I Would Surely Perish) #1

Business has been happily busy here at the estudio de Krissi y Skelekitty (although she's wanting top billing these days, the pushy minx). I didn't want you all to think I didn't love you any more, so I'm starting a series of "bloglets" I am calling Stuff (without which I would surely perish). In short, they are Krissi-style mini-reviews of things I love and MUST ALWAYS HAVE. Mostly I'll feature arts & crafts stuff, to be sure, but the occasional non-art product will be featured now and then.

For my first entry, here's a pretty traditional craft supply that I use in almost every mixed-media art piece I create (but if I didn't tell you, you might not even know it was there):

Tulip Fashion Glitter by Duncan in Silver Hologram comes in three sizes - ultra fine, fine and medium - but I have a particular love for the fine.

Until meeting Kathy Murillo on her Crafty Chica art cruise in 2008, I wasn't into loose glitter AT ALL, much to the continued chagrin of my long-suffering pal, Yoli. I still thought of glitter in big dullish, hexagonal chunks that gathered in the bottom of your winter decorations box after having flaked off your ancient Xmas stocking. However, I got one look at the line of glitters Kathy mixed and Duncan produced, with their amazing colors and shiny holographic goodness, and I was HOOKED.


I use all of the Crafty Chica glitters in my artwork (most notably Goddess Gold, Frida's Fuschia and Bollywood Blue), but the most popular glitter is the holographic silver - it makes ABSOLUTELY PERFECT STARRY SKIES! Can you see it in the sky of "A Brand New Sky To Hang The Stars Upon...?"






What about here in one of my (many) Venture Bros. fan art pieces, "The Grand Galactic Inquisitor?"



Can't leave my favorite supply off of a new Skelekitty painting:



I even used a bit in my most recent piece:


And since I'm teaching a class of my favorite techniques this month, it showed up in one of the class samples, too.


I wish you could see just how fabulous this glitter looks under and between the layers of gel medium - the photos truly cannot do it justice.

If there's a takeaway point from this first SWWIWSP "bloglet," it is to look at ALL of your supplies when creating, and don't fear mixing your "craft" supplies in with your "art" supplies!

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Crafty Chica Products REVIEW PART 2

Yesterday, I reviewed several of the new Crafty Chica craft products (by Duncan) which are now available to us, the crafting rabble including her glitters, loteria game and decorative papers.

Today, as I promised, MORE product reviews! WOO HOO!


Glossy Gloss Varnish



overview: It's a clear, non-yellowing brush-on high gloss varnish with just a touch of iridescence.

why I like it: Sure there are a million varnishes out there, so I'm sure you're asking what's so great about this one, right? With sealants, like adhesives, each has its own 'special purpose.' In the case of the Chica varnish, I love the sheerness, extremely fast drying time (not just to tacky-dry, I mean D-R-Y) and the VERY LOW ODOR of this product. The product has a non-viscous consistency that is great for projects calling for thin layer of finish (versus the thicker 'dimensional' glazes like Aleene's Paper Glaze). I've varnished just about everything that didn't move out of my way with this and I still have my first bottle (from March). I've used this on papers (without excessive wrinkling or cracking!), plaster sculptures, mixed media on canvas and wood, all with excellent results. Want more shine? Just layer on a few coats (remember? I told you it was fast drying!)

what I wish for: a big-ass vat of the stuff


Inspiration Cards

overview:
There are three collections (uno, dos and tres, of course) and each pack contains 24 double-sided 4.5" x 6" cards. The fronts depict full-color reproductions of original Kathy Cano-Murillo and Patrick Murillo paintings featuring Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), collage work and Crafty Chica personalities ("What kind of Crafty Chica are you?"). The reverse side of the cards are loaded with crafty tips, inspiration, anecdotes and more.

why I like 'em:
They're fun. They're silly. They're inspiring. They're bilingual.

I purchased all three collections and have already gone through them once or twice, putting my favorites aside, reshuffling, picking new ones, reshuffling, etc. Since I've been a fan of Patrick's work as long as I have of Kathy's, it's just plain ol' fun to think about painting a bunch of wooden frames, sticking about 10 of his DdlM drawings in them and hanging them around my studio. Then again, I might NEED to put a few of Kathy's inspirational drawings and collages on my work table to keep me going.

Check out what our friend Miss Belen did with some of her inspiration cards - just paste some white paper on the back & insta-awesome-snail-mail-surprise!

postcards
Originally uploaded by TiaBel

Other ideas:

• make a notebook for art journaling or jotting down ideas for future projects - get some paper cut to size, use a card for the front and back of the notebook and have it bound at your local print/copy center - or just decorate a composition book!
• use them as love notes or leave them for your roommates/friends to find in their stuff during the day
• use various transfer techniques to incorporate them into collage work or even textiles
  
• decorate your coffee table (or serving tray or ...) with cards and some self-leveling super-thick varnish (check out Kathy's books for projects)
  
• ____________________________ (you tell me).
  

what I wish for: umm... nothin' that I can think of - except maybe more ideas of what to do with the cards!



Chica Paints

overview: The official Crafty Chica color palette is now at your fingertips! This pack includes seven water-based acrylic paints work on wood, fabric, canvas art, paper, murals, jewelry and leather, and can even be thinned down to act as watercolors and fabric dye. Colors include black, white and Kathy's versions of green, purple, yellow, red and blue

what I like: OK, I have a huge selection of artist fluid acrylics already, so I didn't spend part of my budget on these little babies. HOWEVER, I will say that I used these paints on the cruise for every single project and was thrilled with the coverage and brightness of the colors. The texture is a creamier than artist fluid acrylics while maintaining the high level of pigment found in those "professional" paints, but not as thick as soft or heavy body acrylics.

The colors in this pack contain bright primaries and secondaries and mix together perfectly without becoming muddy. We even mixed various "flesh" colors on the cruise out of yellow, red and a little black (each in varying amounts depending on how far north or south our 'people' came from). I found I was able to do multiple coats, blend and work the paints without them getting gloppy or too thick. Pretty dangded awesome for less than $2 a tube!

what I wish for: metallics and iridescents! Maybe next year, huh?



That's all for today, but be sure to stay tuned for the next installment: BOOK & PROJECT REVIEWS!

• The Crafty Chica Collection (also available at the Crafty Chica display at select Michaels)
  
• Collage Journal - Workshop in a Box
  
• Empowerment Shrine - Workshop in a Box
• Empowerment Guardian - Workshop in a Box
• Market Tote
  

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Crafty Chica Products REVIEW PART 1

As you all MUST know by now, my pal, partner in Crayola-like hair color, awesome chick and creator of the Crafty Chica "brand," Kathy Cano-Murillo is out on the road pimpin' her brand spankin' new craft supply line (created by her at Duncan)! If this is news to you, check out the schedule for the Spread the Sparkle Tour going on NOW in select Arizona Michaels stores - soon to come to CA!

And, of course, if you don't live out here in the wild west where the live appearances are happening, there are still about 150 Michaels stores in quite a few states that are also part of Michaels "Crafty Chica pilot program." This testing-the-waters program runs until the end of October so Michaels can see if their customers want these glittery supplies enough for the store to carry them as part of their regular stock! Therefore, if you CAN get to a Michaels for your stuff, please do, so that ALL of us can run down to our neighborhood craft supply store soon whenever we need a Chica supply fix.

Anyway, I headed out to my "local" Michaels (cough cough!! about 30 miles away - luckily I added it to another trip), and gleefully found a colorful end cap loaded with all kinds of goodies:

As my pal Michele put it (and even with my bad camera-phone pic), stuff around the Crafty Chica displays looks drab by comparison! Wondering why, exactly? It's not just the wild colors and the pretty products themselves, it's the PACKAGING too. Instead of just using plastic clamshells (I hate those, by the way), Kathy and Patrick researched and designed something that you'd expect to find wrapped around some high-end face care products or pretty eye shadows. As much attention to detail and creativity went into designing those boxes as the supplies and kits themselves (so don't throw 'em out - they're "ephemera!").

Once I finished my happy-craft-store dance (and called Yoli to share), I got to work deciding what I wanted most. Like everyone else hit by the economy, I'm on a strict budget for art & craft items at the moment. However, I still managed to come home with quite an armload and without feeling deprived, since everything is really, REALLY reasonably priced.

Here are my thoughts on the products I either purchased today, have from other "sources" and/or got to play with or make on the Crafty Chica Cruise in March:

TODAY'S PURCHASES

Glitter
overview: These glitters are uniquely vibrant because they were painstakingly hand-blended by Kathy, and they're super-high quality because they're manufactured by Duncan. By using slight hue & shade variations in each color, Kathy has achieved glitters with a richness and depth that others just can't match. I like that they are ultra fine so that you get a lot of sparkly surface area while only using a small amount of glitter. Oh, and did I mention that they're washable? Yeah, the color won't come off in the wash leaving you with what looks like foil shavings stuck to your clothes! At around $3 each, you'd be loco to pass these by.

why I like 'em: After eschewing the chunky, fading kid-stuff I find all over the garage from the Christmas stockings, I became a glitter convert on the cruise thanks to Yoli (of Sacred Snatch Designs), Kathy and my pal Alisa. Though you still won't find as much shiny-ness in my work as in Yoli or Kathy's, I never thought I'd have another jar of loose glitter ... EVER AGAIN. I was clearly mistaken.


I purchased 5 colors (pictured left to right): Bollywood Blue, Glamor Queen Green, Goddess Gold, Sunset Pink and Frida's Fuschia. I already had Popstar Purple, Be-Bop Black and Sci-Fi Silver (not shown) at home, which is the ONLY reason I didn't greedily stuff those into my basket those too. My personal favorites are the purple and silver because they're holographic (how awesome is that?), then Bollywood Blue because it's the first glitter of that AMAZING shade I've ever seen. I can't wait to do something with that blue and the fuschia together (ooh, and some green too)! Why I walked out without the Nova Blue (not shown) is beyond me, but I'll rectify that soon enough.

tip: The Rockabilly Ruby (not shown) mixed with the gold makes an AWESOME flamey color!

what I wish for: a pretty snowy-sugary white (for sugar skulls).


and now on to the paper goods...



Lotería Game

overview: The cards are high quality with a nice semi-gloss finish so they'll hold up better for longer than most of these games -- should you actually play with it instead of cutting it up and gluing it to stuff (with glitter, of course). Each game comes with 18 player cards ("tablas") featuring 16 pictures in a 4x4 arrangement, and one deck of cards featuring one of each image for the caller. The game is played pretty much like Bingo - just with pictures instead of numbers and cards instead of ping-pong balls in a basket.

why I like it: I'm a collector of these quirky Mexican picture-bingo games which are traditionally played with bottlecaps or dried pinto beans. I have about 6 versions so far, and I LOVE Kathy and Patrick's. Not only have they offered us their version of Lotería standards like La Dama, La Calavera, La Sirena, El Cotorro and El Corazon, we get new figures and items like La Super-Estrella, La Artista, La Bolsa, La Margarita and lots more - making 52 different images in total (personally, I love El Gato, 'cause he looks a bit like my orange kitty). Oh, and the reverse of the player cards have a beautiful rose in red on a white background.

what I wish for: online purchasability or time to move forward so I could stock up


Mojito Papers:

overview: Affordable papers with bright, colorful and 'Mexified' designs (2 each of 10 designs). Each sheet is 5” x 8.5” (about a 1/2 sheet of printer paper).

why I like 'em: For a mere $5 (or a penny less if you want to get technical), you can get 20 awesome sheets of paper, with totally custom/unique designs for mixed media, collage or whatever. The papers have a nice heft without being heavy, and also have a satin coating which is great for folks like me who like to layer and layer and layer the gel medium - these are not going to fall apart! And let's face it - it ain't easy finding Dia de los Muertos and similarly themed papers in your corner scrapbooking store!

what I wish for: more, More, MORE (and bigger)



READ PART 2 OF THE CRAFTY CHICA REVIEWS NOW, for reviews on:

• Glossy Gloss Varnish
• Inspriation Cards
• Crafty Chica paints!
  

THEN, STAY TUNED FOR ...

Chica Workshops (now available "in a box!"):

• The Crafty Chica Collection (book, also available at the Crafty Chica display at select Michaels)
• Market Tote (now in canvas!)
  
• Collage Journal
  
• Empowerment Shrine
• Empowerment Guardian
  

Read more ...