Lots of Changes Coming

...including a NEWSLETTER!

So let's start there.  Sign up for the Krissi's Art Studio/Skelekitty & Friends newsletter and you won't miss out on any sales, giveaways, events or announcements.

What kind of announcements, you ask?  Well, for example

As I mentioned in a recent post, my online shop will be making some major changes in the next few months.  

• I have decided to reopen my Etsy shop (krissi.etsy.com) with a limited inventory.  For right now, it just has select ready-to-ship art jewelry and the new Lotería greeting cards.
• I will continue to keep my ArtFire shop (skelekitty.artfire.com) open, but will be phasing it out as my "primary" online shopping presence because of some recent service problems.
• In the meantime, the URL skelekitty.com will take you to my main shop, wherever it is hosted.

I have also greed to start selling certain items in two local Sacramento shops.  I don't usually sell through retail stores, but these two businesses are so awesome, I didn't DARE say no!  Since that's still in the works, I'll be saving that for the newsletter!

There are some great contests coming up, as well as some new tutorials and a few pretty spectacular collaborations that you won't want to miss out on.

I hope your Halloween was spectacular and that you will enjoy your Day of the Dead and remember friends and family past.  

Much love,  Krissi & Skelekitty

p.s.  With the holiday gift giving season approaching, please remember, you don't have to buy from me, but when you give...

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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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SPRING CLEANING SALE!

I decided to do a spur of the moment sale on all of my in-stock pendants this weekend only!  To take an additional 25% off ready-to-ship pendants, just enter coupon code SPRINGCLEAN2012 during checkout.

Mothers' Day is coming up and I have quite a variety in stock - one or two of which is sure to please the variety of moms and wives out there!  

Pendants with over 40 different Krissi's Art Studio designs are all ready to ship!

This coupon code automatically expires on Sunday TUESDAY, MAY 1 at 11:59pm PDT.

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Combinable (is that a word?) Shop Discounts and New Listings!

Howdy kids!

I'm taking a break from frantic preparations for next month's show to tell you that ArtFire, the online marketplace that hosts Krissi's Art Studio, home of Skelekitty & Friends has some new features to make shopping easier and, to be blunt, CHEAPER for our customers!

NEW "ArtFire Patron" discount.  Now when you sign into ArtFire with a free buyer (they call it a "Patron") account, you will see prices marked down in many of the shops - in mine, all ArtFire Patrons receive an automatic 10% off.

The number in teal is the ArtFire Patron price (10% off shown);
the small number below is the regular price that non-members pay.
Sign up for a Patron account here.

You can even sign in using your Facebook account, after which you will be assigned a patron number.  Just go into your account settings and fill out your profile for an easier shopping experience - no need to complete your shipping profile every time you shop at an ArtFire store, you can give feedback on purchases and communicate more easily with sellers.



NEW Comment discount.  You can now leave comments on ArtFire items (subject to approval by shop owner, of course).  Some shops even give discounts for commenting on their items.  Just look in the right side bar for the blue button to comment and share for a discount.  After you comment, you will see a discounted price for that item only.  Each seller controls which items receive a comment discount and how much that discount will be.

Brooke Van Gory did a helpful
step-by-step photo tutorial
on this feature - check it out.

If the shop doesn't offer a comment discount, you can still leave a comment on that item.  Just scroll all the way to the very bottom of the screen and look for the text box.

I rarely offer comment discounts, but if you have one of my prints, pendants or paintings,
my future customers and I would appreciate any information you'd like to share!

IMPORTANT TIPS! Please don't disappoint the sellers and leave a one-word comment like "awesome."  Be helpful and leave a decent, well thought out comment in return for the discount.  Pretend you're doing it for free - what would you say then?  Why do you want to buy it?  What have you heard?  It's also very helpful to sign in and fill out your screen name before posting - a comment from "DaisyGirl" is so much better than one from "Patron125094."




Combining discounts with Coupons and sale items.  Now this is where it gets good.  Discounts can be "stacked" with each other and with coupon codes. Pretty cool, huh?   So if you have a Skelekitty scratch-off card from a previous order, you can use that coupon code from in combination with your new Patron discount.  Here is an example using an old listing of mine:

To clarify, the discounts are calculated in this order:

Patron discount (from full price)
Comment discount, if any (from Patron price)
Coupon code (from full price)

Happy shopping!  A lot of shops are giving these new features a run this weekend - why not shop around?  I suggest starting with my fellow Corporate Rejects team members.  I know Ant Farm Studio, Madd Style Cosmetics, Kit Cameo and Brooke Van Gory are all offering some sales, and/or discounts too! Of course, don't forget to drop by and visit little ol' Skelekitty too.


Oh yeah, I promised you new listings too, didn't I.  Well, MOST of the new flower & nature paintings are up in the shop as prints and pendants - let me know if there's something you want that you can't find in there and we'll work something out.  ;)

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Yesterday's Progress - photo blog (is that, like, a "flog?")

Well, first:

This doesn't look like the results of an entire afternoon of printing,
 sealing and trimming, but it is.  Next step,
what I do best: "gluing shit to other shit."

OK.  Now I have glass tiles with little
pictures glued to them.

Here's what they look like dry - these still need the backs glued on
and then have the sides and back sealed with resin

These are all finished - they just need final polishing and bails, then
they'll be going to new homes (or joining me at Art Bazaar & Bizarre Art in
Midtown Sacramento on Saturday night!)

But then:

Hey!  This is new!  1" rings!

So you take your glass tile with awesome art glued to the back...

... and you pop it in (with the help of a little E6000 adhesive).
These little goodies will be premiering on at Art Bazaar & Bizarre Art
on December 10th (5-8pm) in Midtown Sacrament OR you can order
them from my ArtFire shop (contact me for a custom listing for now).

And just because:

YAY!!!! HANK IS HOME!

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Shipping and Order Status Information

"I'm too pretty to work." ~Skelekitty

Hi everyone!  Things are much busier than usual here in my studio, but as usual, Skelekitty is being a lazy bum, moving from sun spot to sun spot without lifting one bony paw to help!  Darned cat.  I've been so overwhelmed with orders for the Help Hank fund that I'm running a little more behind than usual. Mind you, I am NOT complaining!  My heart is absolutely full to bursting with how people have come together for that dog. 

So.  Updates.  I haz dem:

SHIPPING PROCEDURE: 

When I print your mailing label, you will receive a notification e-mail from USPS tracking, however, there is usually some lag time between when I print the label to pack your order and when the package is picked up by my super-awesome mail carrier. When the package actually goes out the door, you will receive an e-mail from ArtFire* saying that your package shipped, and one with your shipping confirmation number again. Oh, and shipping on original art and pendants ALWAYS includes insurance, so if you have any difficulty with your package, we've got it covered. 

* if your order ships in separate packages, you will received the ArtFire "shipped" confirmation only after all items have shipped.

ORDER UPDATES:

Prints:  All prints in orders placed before December first have been packed & shipped, and USPS Track & Confirm notices have been sent.  These shipments include orders for prints placed with jewelry or original art (prints and jewelry/small art ordered together always ship separately because of the different shapes and sizes).  Print orders placed after 12/1 will ship later this week - probably Thursday, maybe earlier if I stay focused!

Jewelry:  Turnaround time for jewelry orders is usually 7-14 days.  Yep, it takes that long for me to make them since they involve lots of little steps with 12-hour drying times in between.  With the increased number of orders (and my aforementioned alter ego being a bum), I'm estimating a minimum of 14 days for jewelry now, just to be on the safe side.  Anyway, since the prints are out the door, I am spending today working on finishing up earring and pendant orders and making some extras for the show Allyson and I are doing on the 10th in Sacramento.

My sincere apologies for the extra wait time.  All orders already placed WILL be to you well before Christmas!  I promise.  And if anyone has some extra elves they want to send my way, I wouldn't refuse 'em!

Do you have a question that wasn't answered in this post?  The fastest way to get a response is to e-mail krissisandvik@gmail.com.  Facebook posts/tags/PMs, ArtFire messages and other contact methods are hit and miss at best.

Thank you again for the awesome response to the Help Hank fund!  I do still have some in-stock and ready to ship pendants, so if you're in a hurry for a gift, check 'em out.  More will be added on December 11th.

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New Look & Call For YOUR Questions

Howdy all!  I hope you were all able to find something to be thankful for last week (well, every day would be even better).

Hand turkey art by my friend Wenchkin,
for whose friendship and creativity I am constantly thankful

Aside from some breaks to walk Abby or spend time with friends and neighbors, I've been nose-down in the studio raising funds for my friend Allyson's dog Hank who contracted Leptospirosis (he was a stray who Al stalked, lured, caught and then fell in love with).  Hank does seem to be improving, but there is a lot of creation, packing and mailing to do before the day is out.  Then some more fundraising.

I also took an hour out of my schedule today to update the look and feel of my blog - it had been really bothering me for the last few months.  I hope you like the changes.

As the year comes to a close, I'd love to know what you would like to see from me here.  As you know, I have been posting at the group blog, Modern Rosies, since it launched in September, and I will continue to post recipes and DIY household tips over there along with the Ask Krissi's Art Studio column.

As for this blog, I have every intention of diving back into the Marketing Tidbits as soon as I look up from my orders and projects - have no fear. So are there any particular marketing questions you'd like answered?  Any tutorials that I haven't yet covered?  Anything you'd like help with? Something you're just curious about? Please, take advantage of my years of trial and error and error and error.  Clue me in on what you'd like help with by either leaving a comment on this post or dropping me an e-mail.

Thanks, as always, for reading and supporting my art and ramblings.

xo & <3

Krissi

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Hank Fundraiser - background and update

11/27 UPDATE!!  THIS JUST IN!!!!  Donation amounts from all "Help Hank" purchases made in my shop between NOW and 11:59PM on Monday night will be matched DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR by an anonymous donor!!!  The love just keeps pouring in!  (Just go to my shop and search HELPHANK or click on his happy photo!)  http://skelekitty.artfire.com

If you are wondering what all this is about "Hank" the dog, let me plagiarize a friend (Paige Lettington)'s Facebook post:

To all my friends who love animals (as well as music and lifting heavy things)...Allyson Seconds was my first trainer at BodyTribe and she rescues animals. In fact, she was late to our first session because she was rescuing a squirrel. Her most recent rescue (that I know of) is Hank, a very sweet black lab whom she has had for about a year. He has come down with Leptospirosis, and has had some vet bills this past week that are tough for Al to handle. Her other dog, Lulu (also a rescue) had two vet incidents this month too, and Al makes her living making music and making people strong, so her financies are limited. There are a couple of ways to help. You can buy something (and support a local artist) from Krissi Sandvik through Monday, or donate directly to Al via PayPal. See both options here: http://krissisandvik.blogspot.com/2011/11/hank-dog-and-sale-update.html


Thanks to ALL OF YOU, I've been able to gather $130 from the sale of prints and pendants, and we still have two full days to go! Through donations and purchases, Allyson was able to obtain the diagnosis via an expensive 'senior blood panel."  I cannot express just how much the purchases and notes I've received, both to me and on behalf of Hank, Allyson and Kevin Seconds, have done to restore my faith in humanity.  For that alone, thank you.

I have a few newish pieces going up in the shop to help raise funds for Hank's vet bills.  To find out which pieces will have all profits donated to Hank's vet fund, just click on the "Help Hank" picture in my shop or search "helphank" on ArtFire.com.

The HELP HANK sale has been extended INDEFINITELY

If you can only afford a couple of dollars or would prefer your entire donation go to Hank, you may also donate directly to Allyson via PayPal (her address is alnational1@gmail.com).

Thank you again for your caring, help, notes and for just being awesome.

You guys rock.

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Excuses, Tutorials and A BIG-ASS GROUP SALE!

Have you been wondering where I was?  Yeah.  Me too.  First, I survived "The Plague" (OK, it was really just strep & sinusitis) which seems to be going around with a vengeance this Autumn.

Second, I've been blogging every week over at Modern Rosies (and I have another really REALLY awesome Ask Krissi's Art Studio tutorial publishing tomorrow!).

Third, and this is the biggie, the GB Handmade team of creative types has been busy behind the scenes cooking up a GREAT pre-holiday sale for all of you!  We're calling this our Skull Appreciation Sale 'cause it's that skully time of year and, let's face it, you'd look funny without your skull (not to mention several other non-cosmetic issues you'd have).

clicky-click for larger version

Here's what will be on sale starting Monday (Halloween!) and going through Wednesday (Día de los Muertos):

• Wenchkin: 25% off  sugar skull masks and custom muerto portraits
• Krissi's Art Studio: 30% off items with skull/skeleton/bones images (including fine art)
• Brooke Van Gory Designs: 20% off custom diaper bags using prints from her Skull Appreciation Fabrics Collection with coupon code; 10% off Fundamental, Expedient, and Upsized bags using other fabrics (no code needed).
• Ant Farm Studio: 30% off everything skelly or ectoskelly-themed (includes ants, scorpions and crabs)
• Madd Style Cosmetics: 20% off of everything
• KissZombies: 20% off all skully/skeleton-themed items
  
  Our affiliates are all taking part in this sale too!
• Scott Krichau: 25% off all Tank-O-Lanterns and Chimineas
• KitCameo: 15% off large, skull-themed art bottles and 25% off all other skull-themed items
• Indiscretion: 50% off everything (in both Indiscretion and Haute Indiscretion Etsy shops)
• Kittycrossbones:  50% off Halloween items
• Sweets N Stuff: 15% off hair accessories - AND she'll be doing a giveaway on her facebook page!

Wow.  That's a LOT of stuff to remember!  Well, to make your shopping experience super easy, we will have our sale information in our shop announcements AND you can click this handy little widget, which you'll find in the right side bar of each of our ArtFire shops, which will take you directly to all of our sale items (ArtFire shops only).

October 31st through November 2nd
FIRST GBH SKULL APPRECIATION SALE!
Click skully for sale items from GB Handmade Members & Affiliates
when you use coupon code BRAINCASE.
Need more info? Visit GB Handmade on Blogger!

We hope to see you on Monday (but you can click on the skully for a sneak peek at some of the sale items now).

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Handmade For The Holidays

Folks, here's a little one-hand-washes-the-other action for you and me. Listen up.

ArtFire.com and Amazon.com have revamped their wish list integration.  What that means:

• you can add ANY ArtFire item to your Amazon wishlist with the click of a link (conveniently located right under the "Add To Cart" button, and
• when you add an ArtFire item to you Amazon.com wish list, that item and the artisan's shop (let's say, oh, Krissi's Art Studio, home of Skelekitty & Friends) will get more hits! 

How great is that for promoting handmade for the holidays?  Pretty great, I think.  I've already added all kinds to handmade goodies to my public wishlist!

What's in it for you?  That's a fair question.  I mean, I did promise some reciprocity.  ;)

Well, starting this week and for the next 10 weeks, Amazon is giving away $2,500 Amazon.com Gift Cards to a lucky winner who has added goodies from another website to their Amazon wish list. You want $2,500 of free shopping money, doncha? Well then add at least one item to your wish-list every week!  Week 1's contest ends on the 16th, so you still have time to get in there.  (If you don't have an Amazon.com account yet, they're really no hassle to sign up for.) http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist

official rules here

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Marketing Tidbit: BE THE PARTY, Don't Just Wait For An Invitation

It's pretty well universally understood that sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring isn't going to get you any dates, and that if you want a social life, you need to go make one.  You know, meet people, talk, invite people over, stuff like that.  Likewise, if you don't send out invitations, it's a good bet nobody is going to show up for your parties.

So why, when it comes to business, do people forget everything they know?

Several people have told me over the last few weeks that they "don't get enough sales/walk-ins [in their online shop]" so they don't bother to put any time into it or refer customers there.  Seriously, how can anyone call/show up to your party if they don't have the number or know there's a shindig going down at your crib?

Here's the breakdown of one of these very candid back and forths (I've had about five in the last month, but this one was the easiest to find and copy/paste):

[SCENE: a group discussion about glitchiness of Facebook notifications]

Artist:  Most of the people who buy from me do so through Facebook, and it was getting very frustrating and stressful.

Krissi: Why don't you send them over to ArtFire? [note: ArtFire was suggested in this case since this artist has both ArtFire and Etsy shops and using ArtFire would save on fees.]

Artist: I have a hard time diving in completely on ArtFire because I've never gotten a "walk-in" sale from that site. I can send artists there like crazy to set up shops, but I don't spend a lot of time on the site because even when I post new links to items in that shop, I still don't get sales there.

Krissi:  The more people I send over to purchase through ArtFire, the more drop ins I get. People go there, look through the shop and tell their friends about it. So even if I have a 'sale' on facebook, I set the listing up on ArtFire and have the person purchase through there. Then they know the shop is there and they go back and browse.

Artist: I get walk-ins from time to time on Etsy, most especially because of [a collaboration shop] and [a popular blog]. Because of those two things, most of my fans are just used to Etsy. 

Krissi:  People will shop where your stuff is. There's nothing magic about Etsy - it's just a tarted up online shopping cart with name recognition.  Keep Etsy for the walk-ins, but ask your facebook fans, friends and repeat customers to go through ArtFire to save your fees. You can even increase the prices by $1 or so on Etsy to compensate for their listing fees and people will probably start 'getting used to' ArtFire pretty darned quickly.  If you don't want to increase your prices on Etsy, you can hold "ArtFire only" sales to introduce people to it.

Artist: I have to tell you, though, I don't get the bulk of my sales through my inventory at all. If I relied on either shop to pay my bills, I'd be even worse off than I am now. Most people just contact me on Facebook about custom orders, and I set them up with a Paypal invoice.

Krissi: I don't get very many drop-ins either since most of my customers come from Facebook, but I do have more than I used to AND hear from people who say they've been 'stalking' my shop for months before they actually buy something.  I've learned that most people want the freedom to look around at items with prices and without a sales clerk following them.  If they need to contact someone to ask the price, a good number of them probably won't.  Providing a fully stocked online shop with full descriptions to allow potential customers to browse at their leisure is critical.  It's kinda like me walking past Crate & Barrel every day at lunch and then one day wandering in to buy that vase I've been looking at for a week.

Here's a visual.   Look at the difference by clicking on my Facebook fan page.  Can you immediately tell what I have available for sale, what my prices are and whether I take custom orders?  

Now click on my ArtFire shop.  See a difference?

[at this point the conversation went off on another tangent about programming shop widgets and tagging, which will be addressed in separate Marketing Tidbits]

Don't be the sad pug.  Make your shop accessible and invite your customers over.  This advice has already started working for one of the Glitter Bitches Handmade Corporate Rejects, AmyLynn of Kittycrossbones Custom Promotionals, who recently reopened her custom promotionals business after a 7 month hiatus.  Not only has she successfully moved her customers from Etsy to ArtFire, but she is quickly regaining her entire customer base at the same time.  Go AmyLynn!

And GO YOU!  I know you can do it!

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Five DIY Pricing Mistakes (repost from BlogHer)

Yours truly (that's me) has the featured blog spot over at BlogHer this week thanks to my very glittery and crafty colleague, Kathy "Crafty Chica" Cano-Murillo.  THANKS KATHY!

Since I'm still working on a few new marketing tidbits for all of you, I thought today would be a good time to repost some mistakes we all make when pricing our art or DIY products.  I've never tackled this subject myself, so instead, I defer to an actual business coach and brand strategist, Annemarie Cross.

HOW TO PRICE YOUR CREATIVE SERVICES
Annemarie Cross, BlogHer Member

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Marketing Tidbit: Be Awesome (Part I)

I was chatting online yesterday with fellow artist (and one of the newest GB Handmade Corporate Rejects Affiliate Members), Scott Krichau, about a technical problem he'd managed to get customer service help on where I had failed. When I asked him just how he'd accomplished this amazing feat of persuasion, his answer was,

"I made it clear that I was awesome and they needed me, and they bought it."

This got me to thinking about how important it is to project a certain level of self-confidence whenever you are representing your indie business (which, let's face it, is pretty much all the time, but that's a subject for another tip).

Really?  OK.  I'll just go buy stuff
from someone who doesn't suck.
Thanks for the warning, though!

I hear all the time from artists, writers and DIY company owners that they don't like to talk about themselves or that they don't think that they or their art/writing/product is 'good enough.'  Well then, my friends, let me tell you something: you either need to find a way to get over it or admit that you're in the wrong line of work because self-deprecation is NOT charming.  Not even a little bit.

I'm not saying you need to walk around saying how awesome you are.  But posting "here's my shop, like it if you want to, but I'm just starting out and my stuff sucks" isn't going to win you any new fans or customers.  Think about it, why should they want to buy something from you if you are already telling them they shouldn't want it?  I mean, would you buy it?

By publicly undervaluing your own work or even your shop design, photography or description writing skills, you are actually selling your competitors' goods to the people who would otherwise be your potential customers.

Your friends may be willing to overlook your negative self-assessments for a while, but I promise you, it will wear on them sooner or later.  Not only will you lose your initial supporters and potential customers, but you drive away others in the DIY business.

Successful indie shops aren't going to promote a shop owner who can't or won't promote him/herself.  I know because this subject comes up constantly in DIY/indie business owner/artist groups.  For example, I asked for some of the biggest marketing mistakes my colleagues noticed, and one posted "I get sick of seeing ... people do the guilt trip 'Does my stuff really suck so bad none of you want to buy it?" Another mentioned shop owners who asked for advice and then refused to follow any of it because they "'don't get enough customers to bother putting more time in to this.' *face-palm* "  Well, if you'd follow your friends' advice and stop telling everyone how much you suck, you'd probably get more customers.

Of course, there is the Irony Exception to the don't be mean to yourself rule, but if you're going to employ comedic self-deprecation, you'd better do it really REALLY well and be completely thorough about it.  Joint venture The Worst Shop Ever! is one of the few shops that has managed to get it right:

Being featured in the Regretsy book totally ups their "we suck" street cred.

OK, so we have a pretty good understanding that self-deprecation is not the same as modesty (which kinda went out of fashion in the 1920s anyway, Granny).  I'm guessing that the next question is -because it is always the next question- "But Krissi, what should I say? I don't want to sound full of myself!"  Well tune in next time for some tips on how to write positive posts, listings and descriptions (even for items you goofed up) without sounding like you think you're the best thing since sliced bread.  Trust me, it is possible.

Read "Promoting *YOU* Without Sounding Self-Centered"

Read all Marketing Tidbits

Do you have an indie business question or tip?  Drop me an e-mail at art@krissisandvik.com and let me know!

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Marketing Tidbit: Make The Connections for Them

This little piece of advice is probably the one I give out the most: MAKE IT PAINFULLY SIMPLE for potential clients to find you.

How?

Well, for expample:

Add your business' facebook fan page to the employment section of your personal profile AND be sure to make it publicly viewable.  That way every time someone lands on your personal profile, there's a bright, shiny link right up at the top sending them over to your business page.

Add a shop link every single time you promote.  Don't make people click over to your Twitter/Facebook/whatever profile from their news feed to look for the link.  More times than not, they won't do it -especially those who get posts on their phones- and you'll be wondering why nobody took advantage of that sale you ran ... somewhere.

• WRONG: 25% off everything in my shop for the next hour!
• WRONG: 25% off everything in my shop for the next hour!  Just go to my facebook page and click on the ArtFire Kiosk link.
• WRONG: 25% off everything in my shop for the next hour! Find me on ArtFire at MyAwesomeShop!
• RIGHT: 25% off everything in my shop for the next hour!  Ends at 11pm Eastern! http://myawesomeshop.artfire.com

Provide all of the coupon/sales/promotional information a customer would need every time you post about it.  You might actually have a potential customer who just 'tuned in,' after all.

• WRONG: IMAGINARYWIDGETSALE for 25% off almost all of my widgets this weekend!
• WRONG: Widgets 25% off this weekend - scroll down for coupon code and terms/conditions.
• RIGHT: 25% off all widgets in my shop through Monday when you enter coupon code IMAGINARYWIDGETSALE at checkout (excludes clearance widgets)  http://myawesomeshop.artfire.com

Add your shop link and e-mail to your information/profile section already.  Right at the top where people will see it when they visit your fan page.

Utilize applications like the ArtFire Kiosk and My Etsy (they can be a little glitchy, but if you can get them to work properly, they're great tools).

If people ask for the information you have already painstakingly provided for them (and they will, 'cause there are just TOO MANY LINKS our there screaming for our attention), simply provide them with the link and then tell them where the info is for future reference.

• WRONG: It's in the side-bar, genius.
• WRONG: It's http://myawesomeshop.artfire.com
• RIGHT: It's http://myawesomeshop.artfire.com and if you can't find this post again or forget, you can always look in the left sidebar and find the link under the ABOUT section!  <3

You can come up with some of your own 'painfully simple' tips by taking note every time you see a link or post and need to link somewhere else or ask someone for the information.  Remember, if the info is there but it's buried in text, then it's not painfully simple, is it?  The easier you make it for your customers and clients to find you, the more customers and clients will actually make it into your shop!  

Read all Marketing Tidbits

Do you have an indie business question or tip?  Drop me an e-mail at art@krissisandvik.com and let me know!

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Marketing Tidbit: Give 'Em A Visual

So you know how important it is to show photos of each item you list in your shop, but that's not enough.  Be sure to also include example photos showing any options you offer like sizes, personalization, colors, chain, patinas, etc.

View Ant Farm Studio's new KID KRITTERS
shop section for some cute child (and adult)
friendly wall art and home decor!

Example #1: Kim offers a new option on her new 'child friendly' art pieces where you can add your kid's name or a word to the piece.  Her customers are going to want to be able to see what their child's name will look like, but... uh oh!  She doesn't have examples of names on any of the kids' room art pieces yet!  No problem - because she HAS painted words on other pieces so all she has to do is include photos of those pieces. By adding photos that seem unrelated to her listing, her customers get a better idea of what the finished product will look like before they order.

Example #2: I offer pendants with my art on them in "inchie" and "twinchie" (one-inch and two-inch square) versions.   Although I clearly list the measurements and mark the photos, sometimes people really need a visual reference for sizes.

That's where the lovely and talented Beth Br00tality comes in!  Not only did she photograph herself wearing each size pendant, she went above and beyond.  Now people know what to expect (because the 2" pendant is really four times larger than the 1" pendant)!  Yowza!


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Is It THAT Time of Year ALREADY???

August isn't even over.  Labor Day is at least a week off.  The apples haven't started ripening.  Kids are JUST NOW going back to school.  So *WHY* am I thinking about, dare I say it, Christmas??  ("Because you're an idiot."  "Oh yeah, that's right!")  Because every year, around Thanksgiving, I get panicky messages from people wanting custom pieces for Christmas... made from resin...  or painted with glazes... which take forever to dry... while it's raining outside.

I feel bad turning people away at that point, but I just can't make 10 layers of acrylic glazes dry any faster in 100% humidity.  And resin is temperamental when it's cold and damp.  Then we all make the sad face.  Like this :(  Sometimes this  )`:

Let's try to keep the happy faces on this year.  If you're going to support the handmade community, and I really, REALLY hope you do, you need to think a few months in advance.  We can't carry a lot of stock, so we won't need to clear out unsold items to avoid inventory taxes in January.  We're not WalMart.  If an item isn't in our shop on the 20th of December, we can't just reach into the warehouse and put another on the shelf for you.  If you want a one-of-a-kind or personalized gift, now is the time to start shopping around.  So start poking around on your preferred handmade shopping site and see what's out there.

Kim's custom wooden trinket box

Like many DIY-ers and artists, I work on a strictly first-come, first served basis.  If I have the time, I'll happily take the last-minute commissions.  Luckily for me, my workload has been filling up earlier and earlier each year, but that means the holiday-rush "last minute," which used to be around December 1st, has been pushed back to mid-October.  Even I can't say when the "last minute" will be this year.  However, I understand that people are more focused on returning to their school-year routines and getting in one last day on the lake before the weather turns and the days shorten than buying stocking stuffers.  Therefore, I'm offering you all a little incentive plan this year: order early & get some deals. <-- keep an eye on that link for updates and details as we get closer.

"inchie" pendant of
Grinding to a Halt

To get you started, I'm running a little pre-sale-sale in the form of five four "golden ticket" coupons for 30% off your entire jewelry and print order from Krissi's Art Studio (yep, that includes custom pendants).  If you would like to get a jump on the winter holiday crazies, enter the code HOLYCRAP30PERCENT when you check out.  These are one-time use coupons, so get everything you'll want the first time.  And once they're gone, they're gone.  Adios.  Bye bye.  Sayonara.  Hasta la...  etc.



I'll be looking for some handmade dealios for you all as the shopping insanity slowly descends upon you.  Be sure to check in on my Facebook page to keep up to date on those goodies.  When I see them, I'll pass them on to you!

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It Is Good To Have Friends, Is It Not, Mr. Garibaldi?

I'd apologize for the gratuitous geek reference of the title but, let's face it: I'm not sorry at all!

Skelekitty & Skelemouse art quilt
©2007 Krissi Sandvik

Those of you who have been hanging around in the same circles I have for the past 6 or 7 years will remember that I started my "art career" as a hobbyist quilter in 2004 or so. That addiction quickly turned to art quilts in 2005 (which led to the very first Skelekitty image in 2007).

I have since changed my preferred medium to pyrography & acrylic on wood paintings, but in between there was a quick stop at fabric painting.








A a few months ago my friend, seamstress and bag designer extraordinaire, Brooke Heavey of Brooke Van Gory Designs told me she had a customer looking for something special for a diaper bag.
Her customer wanted a purple and green "tree of life" theme with a hand-painted look, but was having difficulty finding fabrics that she liked.  Since I had some experience with fabric painting, I was happy to create a couple of custom panels for this bag.

silver alcohol-based ink & acrylics
on black cotton 

Then I remembered...  I had a a "black calavera" panel I'd painted back in late 2007.  Not knowing what to do with this weird hybrid creation, promptly rolled it up and stored it away.  I figured now would be a good time to pop it in the mail to Brooke to see what she could make of it.

As usual, she delivered in spades, creating one of her signature "Expedient" bags in black, red and a coordinating sacred heart print with my calavera painting front and center as a HUGE pocket.

Wanna know how MUCH stuff this bag will hold?

Although Brooke is known for high quality custom diaper bags, this would be just about the coolest laptop bag, like... EVER.  It would also make an amazing gift for any traveler, college student, mom (or dad!). It would even be a perfect substitute for a DIY business owner who needs a briefcase but wants to make a statement that says "I buy handmade."

With that winter gift-giving season coming up faster than you think, you guys won't want to wait on this one.  While Brooke and I will certainly continue to create collaborative items, this bag will never be duplicated and Brooke's schedule is pretty packed through the new year.  Don't try getting a custom bag made in November.  It won't happen.

Oh, and did I mention that I'm tossing in a free 1" glass tile and resin art pendant with the matching design? 'Cause I am.

 And shipping's included.

Try getting something this bad-ass for under $100 at the mall ... go on, I dare ya.

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Christmas in July!

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Something New - Weekly Quick Bitch Picks

Today, I decided I would make a weekly habit of stalking the shops of my fellow Glitter Bitches Handmade members to see what I'm missing when I rely on the ol' Facebook feeds.  Yep, I realized there was a LOT of stuff I hadn't seen and some things that I'd forgotten about, so I decided to pick three items every week and tell my peeps about them.  Since there are only eight members of our team, I'll also include items from our team shop, from shops of current and previous Guest Artisans and from our Affiliate Members.  This is stuff you will want to know about, trust me.

Without any further introduction, here is the first of what I hope will be MANY Krissi's Weekly Quick Bitch Picks:

GLITTER BITCHES MEMBER, Kim Mayhew's "Loco Folko" Dragon
http://antfarmstudio.artfire.com

GLITTER BITCHES MEMBER, Wenchkin's Dork Dog Magnet
http://wenchcraft.artfire.com

GLITTER BITCHES MEMBER, ArJay's Fuchsia Skullerfly hair clip
http://kisszombies.etsy.com(coming soon to ArtFire!)

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Where the HELL Have You Been? Do You Know What Time It Is!?

I know I haven't been over here blogging all that much lately, but I don't want you to think it's because I don't love you all.  Amidst and amongst the usual excuses of the colder, darker, wetter winter season, I have been working on some fun stuff.

Glitter Bitches Handmade logo
(art by Wenchkin)

Life of a Glitter Bitch - My team, Glitter Bitches Handmade has been crazy busy over the past year since we first formed.  Initially, we figured we'd simply cross promote across our fan bases and give a few things away as a group.  After we added four new members at the end of last year, the group started to morph into a full fledged "guild." We expanded our presence on Facebook and opened an ArtFire shop to cover our growing administrative expenses like mailing prizes, business cards and promotional items.

Around the time we were setting up our shop, our good friend and fellow Glitter Bitch Kim Mayhew of Ant Farm Studio** was diagnosed with an aggressive form of uterine cancer - and there she was, with no insurance.  Well if you don't already know this, you can knock a Bitch down, but she'll get right back up again.  Fighting.  Hard.  So we started adding items to the shop to raise money to help Kim out.  The Teal Ribbon Fund, as it came to be known, has been a runaway success, thanks in large part to Kim's friends and the DIY community who turned out in force.  We even list items donated by some well-known non-Bitch artists & crafters as weekly featured Guest Artisans - Honorary Bitches, if you will.
**you can find Kim online at Got-Ants.com, on Facebook or in her ArtFire shop!

Hmmm.... Let's see, what else?  Oh, one of our members, ArJay of Kiss Zombies, has started up an inspiration contest series to help spark creativity in our collective fan base.  The current round ends on April 7th - Fabulous Prizes are a definite possibility if you enter....

Glitter Bitches Handmade Inspiration Contest
"Bitch Favorite" Prize
2" Pendant of Old Growth (detail)
(ends Thursday, April 7th
check here for details on how to enter)

Random prize:Loco Folko Vampire PEZ dispenser
by Kim Mayhew of Ant Farm Studio

Anyone may enter, as long as they follow the rules ArJay has set forth here:  INSPIRATION CONTEST GUIDELINES AND RULES.  The "Bitch Favorite" entry will win my twinchie pendant (doesn't Brooke look cute modeling her twinchie Glitter Bitches pendant?), and a random winner will receive one of Kim's awesome "Loco Folko" PEZ dispensers - I have a few of them myself and love them.


Art Stuff - I have been working on a few new pieces, but they are mostly in the sketch phase or are "secret" and not available for public consumption.  Yet.  Sorry, but that's just part of the deal I struck.  I've been keeping up on my prints and pendants (which were featured in December on Rings & Things' blog), with earrings in the works.  The prints and jewelry have become a very popular (and affordable!) way for people to collect my art.

Oh! And my new business cards came in yesterday!  Next week's shipments will have them.

I've been replacing the headers in my sites with the newer, more Krissified image.  This blog is next.


Makeup - It was a weird winter and several indie makeup companies have been outed for a lot of bad/unsafe/unethical practices, which makes me sad for the good companies out there.  However, I have tried to focus on the fun part of makeup, rather than turning into a Mean Makeup Girl.

For those of you who want to see what I do when I'm painting my face, you can follow it on my relatively new Facebook page: Krissi's Makeup Studio.  I will remind you that I am not a makeup artist; I am an artist who likes makeup.  However, there is some cool (to me anyway) stuff over there like my series of tutorials on the color wheel called Beginning Color Theory for Non-Artists (so cool, in fact, that I am in the process of copying them all over to this blog too).



Life - I continue to spend just about every day enjoying the life as a Jack Russell Terrier's human.  Abby keeps me sane and happy.  I am THRILLED that the clear weather is finally upon us so that we can take more breaks during the day and get outside to take pictures and dig for voles (I do the former, she the latter).

Me in my 2007 Z4M Coupe at Thunderhill

Finally, I have started tracking my car.  For those of you who don't know what that means, it means that I take my car to the racetrack (yes, a real one, not an oval) and run it around.  Fast.  As I write this entry, I am preparing for my second track day on Friday, April 1st at Thunderhill Raceway here in Central California.  It would appear that the Skelekitty has a need for speed....




Enjoy the Spring and I'll really TRY to check in over here more often.  In the meantime, you voyeurs can spy on me over on Facebook.

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