Thursday, February 25, 2010
free shipping week!
the upstairs room will be offering free shipping on ALL jewelry purchases until Marth 5th. yay! go check it out and stuff.
Friday, February 19, 2010
realization - a good one.
after battling some rather unusual financial setbacks in 2009, i realized this morning, after reviewing my etsy profits from the past 5 months, that these profits have allowed me to live normally and comfortably again. pre-etsy, i was struggling a lot, due to mostly circumstantial stuff that was nevertheless very real. i guess my point is this:
you CAN do something you love and make money from it; these things can benefit you creatively AND financially. finding a creative avenue in which to keep yourself afloat during such hard financial times (almost everyone is feeling it, we all know the deal) is an incredibly uplifting discovery. i encourage you to follow whatever creative dream you may have, give it your all, and it WILL give back to you, in many ways, including financially.
just don't give up. ever. hard work pays off. it ALWAYS pays off. maybe not right away...but it will.
now get to work.
you CAN do something you love and make money from it; these things can benefit you creatively AND financially. finding a creative avenue in which to keep yourself afloat during such hard financial times (almost everyone is feeling it, we all know the deal) is an incredibly uplifting discovery. i encourage you to follow whatever creative dream you may have, give it your all, and it WILL give back to you, in many ways, including financially.
just don't give up. ever. hard work pays off. it ALWAYS pays off. maybe not right away...but it will.
now get to work.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
yeepet and other news.
for those of you who don't have an etsy account and/or don't want one, my catnip products are now available at the online pet retail shop yeepet. have a look around the site! it's filled to the brim with pet products of all sorts, and carries items for many other animals besides cats. the direct link to my own products is here. fun!
i'm also working on getting my catnip toys carried in a few local veterinary offices, so i'm excited about that. i'd love to see the toys on sale somewhere tangibly rather than just on the internet. i'll keep you updated about that, and provide the names and addresses of the vets if locals want to do some shopping there and save on shipping!
i've also got some plans to get the plush toys (for humans) carried in one or two local toy stores (that are locally owned and that aren't chain stores, obviously). so that's my next project, but that may have to wait until mid-year sometime.
for now, jewelry and all other items i carry at the upstairs room are not planned to be sold anywhere else besides the upstairs room, aside from POSSIBLY some alice in wonderland themed jewelry to be carried at the canadian store called the rabbit hole, but this too may have to wait until mid year.
2010 has been busy!
i'm also working on getting my catnip toys carried in a few local veterinary offices, so i'm excited about that. i'd love to see the toys on sale somewhere tangibly rather than just on the internet. i'll keep you updated about that, and provide the names and addresses of the vets if locals want to do some shopping there and save on shipping!
i've also got some plans to get the plush toys (for humans) carried in one or two local toy stores (that are locally owned and that aren't chain stores, obviously). so that's my next project, but that may have to wait until mid-year sometime.
for now, jewelry and all other items i carry at the upstairs room are not planned to be sold anywhere else besides the upstairs room, aside from POSSIBLY some alice in wonderland themed jewelry to be carried at the canadian store called the rabbit hole, but this too may have to wait until mid year.
2010 has been busy!
Monday, February 15, 2010
renegade cats down at the post.
twice now it has come to pass: my customers get their packages, and they are ripped open upon arrival. in one case, ripped open, 3 toys were missing, and then shoddily taped back together again. frankly, i'm bewildered. catnip toys don't really strike me as something someone would STEAL en route; what the eff is a person going to do with a unicorn catnip toy? or are people so insane about their cats that they would steal toys for them from postal packages?
there are only two explanations - one that i like, and one that is logical.
1. there are renegade cats slinking about the post office, intercepting all things smelling of catnip. even without thumbs, they can steal from and then tape back the package (albeit badly). my unicorns and cassette tape toys are now being tossed gleefully around back alleys and dumpsters by strays, and since these cats have never seen such magical things, i am quickly becoming some sort of god in their eyes. awesome.
OR
2. the usps treats their packages like trash, and now i have to tape and box things up in such a fanatical manner that the post office clerk always comments about it (i get the sarcastic "think you've got enough tape on that?" comment a lot). this is the logical and probably correct explanation, but explanation #1 is far better.
there are only two explanations - one that i like, and one that is logical.
1. there are renegade cats slinking about the post office, intercepting all things smelling of catnip. even without thumbs, they can steal from and then tape back the package (albeit badly). my unicorns and cassette tape toys are now being tossed gleefully around back alleys and dumpsters by strays, and since these cats have never seen such magical things, i am quickly becoming some sort of god in their eyes. awesome.
OR
2. the usps treats their packages like trash, and now i have to tape and box things up in such a fanatical manner that the post office clerk always comments about it (i get the sarcastic "think you've got enough tape on that?" comment a lot). this is the logical and probably correct explanation, but explanation #1 is far better.
Friday, February 5, 2010
stuff and junk.
trying to run a successful etsy shop (by my standards, which are practically unattainable anyway), work full time, spend time with friends and find time to read has become the central problem in my life.
what is a successful etsy shop, anyway? it's not as though i've sold thousands of units. but to me success is simply having happy customers, and so far, i've had the kindest and coolest customers one could ever hope to have, and i know that i make them happy, or do everything in my power to make them happy, anyway. running the shop is very all-consuming, and lately i've been haunted by thoughts of the GRE, grad school, my grand and former dreams that have fallen by the wayside...if only i were a cat. i'd have 9 lives, and i'd live every single one of them drastically differently. as it stands, and as far as i know, i only have this one life, so i have to prioritize instead.
you'd think it would be easy to sit down, pick the things you love to do most, and then just set about doing your life's work. simple, right? but my loves and interests are extremely varied, moreso than probably anyone i've ever met, and i just can't find a way to satisfactorily combine all of these things into one life. but the thought of cutting something out just kills me. that is essentially giving up a dream, and i don't do that without a fight. and i'm not in the business of dream trading and compromise. i want them all, i can do them all, and i'm going to figure this out. and if my life begins to burst at the seams, so be it. it will be ever so full.
what is a successful etsy shop, anyway? it's not as though i've sold thousands of units. but to me success is simply having happy customers, and so far, i've had the kindest and coolest customers one could ever hope to have, and i know that i make them happy, or do everything in my power to make them happy, anyway. running the shop is very all-consuming, and lately i've been haunted by thoughts of the GRE, grad school, my grand and former dreams that have fallen by the wayside...if only i were a cat. i'd have 9 lives, and i'd live every single one of them drastically differently. as it stands, and as far as i know, i only have this one life, so i have to prioritize instead.
you'd think it would be easy to sit down, pick the things you love to do most, and then just set about doing your life's work. simple, right? but my loves and interests are extremely varied, moreso than probably anyone i've ever met, and i just can't find a way to satisfactorily combine all of these things into one life. but the thought of cutting something out just kills me. that is essentially giving up a dream, and i don't do that without a fight. and i'm not in the business of dream trading and compromise. i want them all, i can do them all, and i'm going to figure this out. and if my life begins to burst at the seams, so be it. it will be ever so full.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
insert clever blog title here.
a few things.
first of all, the death of j.d. salinger. i didn't talk about this in my private blog (although judging by his former character, he'd likely prefer that arena). there is nothing to say, really, except that he was an exceptional man, and one of the first authors who ever made me truly believe i could also be a writer (i should probably mention my former college education and literary pursuits at some point). i was quite wee when i read my first salinger work, but i remember thinking: wow, i can be this frank in a novel? i can say awkward things, and that's ok? i was just floored. i think it's something all youngsters at some point realize, via one way or another - yes, it is okay to be brutally and painfully honest, and sad and confused, and to talk about it. that's a big realization for a young one. i consider it one of my first important life lessons. that and being potty trained. that has been super useful.
anyway, enough of that.
my other announcement (are these announcements?) is simply that if you're an etsy customer of mine, please send me photos of your cats playing with their super cool toys, or whatever you purchased, and i shall start posting them here in my blog. i have a few already that i need to post, but i'm just saying. SEND!
first of all, the death of j.d. salinger. i didn't talk about this in my private blog (although judging by his former character, he'd likely prefer that arena). there is nothing to say, really, except that he was an exceptional man, and one of the first authors who ever made me truly believe i could also be a writer (i should probably mention my former college education and literary pursuits at some point). i was quite wee when i read my first salinger work, but i remember thinking: wow, i can be this frank in a novel? i can say awkward things, and that's ok? i was just floored. i think it's something all youngsters at some point realize, via one way or another - yes, it is okay to be brutally and painfully honest, and sad and confused, and to talk about it. that's a big realization for a young one. i consider it one of my first important life lessons. that and being potty trained. that has been super useful.
anyway, enough of that.
my other announcement (are these announcements?) is simply that if you're an etsy customer of mine, please send me photos of your cats playing with their super cool toys, or whatever you purchased, and i shall start posting them here in my blog. i have a few already that i need to post, but i'm just saying. SEND!
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