Friday the 13th? It's Your Lucky Day. Be My Blog Buddy!

I've decided that I want to have an occasional guest blogger here.  And you might be just perfect for one of the openings.

You know, there are multiple reasons why we blog.  Sometimes it's to sell items from our Etsy shops.  Sometimes it's because we have something to say or show, or perhaps it's to increase our web presence.  Sometimes it's even to perform a service of some kind.  I'm sure there are lots of other reasons too.

I guess I'm kind of all of those in varying degrees plus some other stuff.  But I know there are a lot of other talented bloggers out there, who would love to increase their blog audience.  And I think doing a trade of a "guest shot" could do that.  

I seem to somehow have found that folks email me a lot asking me artist type business questions.  Many relate to marketing, etsy shops, facebook, twitter, social networking, etc.  And one of the topics is blogging.  How it helps get your name out to more folks.  

I'd like to do an experiment with a few of you.  Let's trade a post on a blog and see what our viewer ship does.  We'll both promote it and see if our numbers change at all.  

So what topics am I looking for?  Something relating to your art, or someone else's that is fun and entertaining.  Your art or craft doesn't need to be glass, but it could be about tools and materials, a cool studio, actual art or craft, or something along that line.  It could be showcasing what you do, if you'd like.  Just tell me in a paragraph or two what you'd like to write about.  and don't forget, that blogs need good pictures too.

And how will I choose?  I'll keep all submissions and look them over.  Then I'll see what I have scheduled for upcoming weeks and pick some that will complement the content that I'm already doing. And I'll contact you and let you know.  I'll just pick one or two at first and if it seems to work, I'll ask more of you for your submissions.

And then we'll both write about it - before and afterward.  How did the experiment work?  We'll look at from a personal as well as a business aspect.  Perhaps we'll start more people trading and increasing their presence as well.

So post any questions you have here about it.  That way everyone will know.  And please submit your ideas by this coming Wednesday to me via email.  Here's my address.  And we'll see how it goes.  You do not need to have equal readership to mine- less or more, doesn't matter.  But we'll see what we can do and everyone can learn in the process.  Now send me some submissions please!

Hello Kitty Hotel...Pink Perfection

I was totally amazed to see that there is a Hello Kitty townhouse that is for rent.  It makes Barbie's dream home look dull in comparison.  If you click on the link which shows the rooms and appointments, I'm just warning you that you might want to turn down the volume on the youtube video.

I think all of you know how much I enjoy kitsch- but even this might be a little too much for me.  But talk about marketing and branding... I am impressed with that.

New Labels, New Look...Same Natural Packaging

I am bummed.  I missed this contest.  Apparently, Chiquita Banana had a contest for new sticker designs.  I know, I should have kept my eyes peeled.  I slipped up on this one.

But here is a link for the creative and fun winners... and it's my understanding that they can now be found at your local grocery stores.

ps  Hats off to Chiquita for updating their look, and also creating a wonderful marketing opportunity.  Smart move and well done!

Glass Puppy Dog Buddies- Postcard Material?

Do you ever make similar items and photograph them together?

Last summer when I was making so many bobbleheads, I had a lot of fun of photographing them together.  They looked like a wacky version of the old band, The Village People.

A few days ago, I took a picture of a few puppies that I had made the day before.  As of right now, only the one on the right is listed, but the others will join her soon.

I'm thinking this would make a fun postcard.  I'm just debating whether I want a different background.  Do I need to make a fire hydrant, or some other prop add a little more whimsy, or do you like it as it is?  I need some opinions please, folks.  How would you style the photo and what would you do for a good marketing postcard photo?

And I'd like to add a big thank you to all of you who reached out to help the family that I posted about below.  I really appreciate it.  I could tell by emails and posts of the forums that our beadmakers and friends are a generous group.  And through tomorrow, for any item sold in my shop, I will donate $5 to the fund.  Please read the post below for additional ways to help.

Artist Self Promotion in This Economy

Most of us artists are pretty happy hanging out by ourselves for a good part of the day and doing our artwork. I mean, that's what we enjoy the most, right?

Well, right. But we aren't going to sell anything unless we put ourselves forward, let the public see a little who we are and what we do. Our glass art doesn't just sell itself, even though we would dearly love it.

But face it, the economic cosmos are swirling and right now, we're getting just the debris. High end retailers like Neiman Marcus and Nordstroms reported double digit drops in December. I've read that shoppers are changing their buying style from high end looking good, to feeling good. In the retail world, less bling and more classic styles are moving along.

While I'm no economic marvel or even Ben Stein, I think this could bode well for our industry in the long run. If people are buying more classic clothes, then won't them want more original art jewelry at a reasonable price to make themselves stand out?

So how do they find us? It certainly won't be sitting behind our torches in our studios. We need to put ourselves out there and promote ourselves. Have you signed up for Twitter.com, Facebook or even Classmates.com? Do you have a solid online presence? What do people find when they google your name or your business name? Most importantly, can they find you...easily?

And how are you advertising your glass art beads? Are you on Flickr.com? Do you have a blog? Post on public forums and just as importantly, have a local presence? Are you advertising in places where people who would want to buy your work might be?

Tell us what you're doing to put yourself and your art "out there". You don't need to give away business secrets, but a few hints and tips would be nice. Let's hear them.

And by the way, this is my current Facebook profile photo. It makes me laugh and apparently it amuses others too. If you look closely, that's my black handbag on my head and I took the photo with my Mac computer's camera. Who knows, maybe I can start a trend with recycled handbag hats?

See you tomorrow. I've won the Marie Antoinette Blog Award from Sterling Sue and will blog about it. But first, I need to bake a cake so we can celebrate appropriately.

Sign, Sign, Everywhere A Sign

Thought I'd tell you about more signs

As you can tell, there are all kinds

Make your beads with your concentrator

Then google search for "sign generator"

These are from www.redkid.net

Eye popping variety - you can bet.

Very seldom are they "fine art"

But not too shabby for an old _______

(.....I was thinking "heart", weren't you?)

                                                      

Make A Sign Using Your Art Photos

I needed a basic sign for my Studio Marcy  Etsy Shop that said  "Reserved"

and "Custom Order" on it.

I could have just used text, but decided that I should dress it up a bit.

So I took one of my Christmas elf bead and used my Photoshop Elements to erase a section, draw a border around it and add the text I wanted.

This particular bead already had his arms spread wide, so he was perfect to hold the sign.  He's bright and stands out, as well as is kind of cute, if I do say so myself.

 I could see putting a sign in one of my dog bead's mouth, or a variety of other options too.  If you make long focals, why not turn it on it's side and erase a section of it to write your message?  Or bead sets could have words printed on each bead.

Just a little idea to keep you thinking about looking at the bead business from a slightly different angle and hopefully keep your art in front of your customer's eyes.

Happy Weekend!

Marcy