April 16, 2012

Time is running out. I really have to finish everything soon. It's time. I need my brochures finished and I need my packaging done. NOW!

My design portfolio is coming along wonderfully. I completely redid it. Well just made it less of a jumble. I did a few small artistic touches (changing the banner, ever so slightly) and rearranged the pages. I hat way to many tabs at the top, so I've incorporated a lot of what was in tabs, as links on my portfolio page. It's easier to understand and when viewers get a pop up saying they need a password, they will understand why. I just can't leave my designs open for everyone to look at.

I've put teaser images with links. Some of them are open designs, but I have to let the visitor know what I'm capable of don't I? I still have a lot of work to do on it, but not nearly what I needed when I started. I'm very pleased at how it's coming together.

I suppose I should mention somewhere on the site that it was designed by me, and that I do graphic designs too. I think I know where to do it. My about page needs some serious work. I may add a home page and definitely a contact page. The rest will all be hidden and accessed through links on the other pages. I'm kind of enjoying web designing. Maybe I should take an HTML class. Not right now I think.

Tomorrow I sew. Still my bread and butter, although I have really increased sales for my jewelry and product design.

April 4, 2012

Today I finished some new flowers and shipped the ones I sold. I'm pretty happy that I'm finally selling jewelry, and it seems I sell brooches in lots too. I suppose I should try that on eBay. Lots of pick your own bouquets. Might get some wedding orders there.

Things are still quiet on the design front, so I'm enjoying the peace and getting some personal things done today. I really need to clean up my area. I've been working so much that it looks like a tornado hit inside the room. Too much work and too little time to organize. I didn't really mean to work quite this hard. It's not the designing or the production that is the issue, it's the planning and extra blogging that I won't be doing in the future, that is adding to my work load. I really didn't think that my plans would work so well before I had completed them.

It is really amazing what just taking a step back and looking at what you're doing can do for your business. At the end of the four months, I will give a summary as to all the changes I've made in my business as a result of my examination. Those of you faithful readers, probably know already.

Tomorrow I plan to spend a little time on my sewing. My new product there, has been taking off like mad too. I added bow ties to my line, and they are great sellers and pretty profitable too. I'd love to cut back on everything else and just make bow ties. Not that they are entirely original, but I did make my own pattern, and because I have so much grosgrain ribbon, I used that for the neck portion. They actually look really cute on a bare neck for women, and they are fastened with hook and loop. I'm making Jack Skellington tomorrow, but so far the Beatles fabric and Batman are my best sellers. Genre Bow Ties.

March 27, 2012

It's getting so close to the end of my four months. I'm finding that I've given myself too many tasks to do. The reason I am not accomplishing my goals though, is that my workload has increased so much that I can't finish everything. I wish I could have just focused on getting it all done, but I had too many sales and unexpected design clients.

Last year at this time, things were so slow, that I had to sell a lot of my jewelry to make ends meet. Oh well, next year at this time when I have loads of money, I can buy new jewelry, right?

The thing I regret the most is that I didn't have the free time to learn the new CAD program. I can do a bit on it, and I can take what I've done into Photoshop and alter, but most of my drawing has been on Photoshop.

I also wish I had finished my design website. I plan to contact some more people soon and want to have it up and running smoothly. Wish I could put on some of these new designs. I guess I can put some of the rejected ones. As soon as I'm finished with the new client designs I need to finish that site. I can make a decent living just off the drawings, not even including commission from the sales of product.

When I look at my old designs, compared to now, I have grown so much. It's a lot due to the freelance work, and partly due to my time on Etsy and Artfire. I've been exposed to so many techniques and styles by working there and seeing so much, that my work has improved greatly. It has only served to improve my product design and still influences future designs and trends.

March 12, 2012

I was a Girl Scout leader for many years. I was involved in my troop and my unit. I actually received honors as an outstanding leader and volunteer. I had to pay those girls a lot of money to nominate me. (enter snicker) I'm proud of the work I did with the girls. They are all grown now and wonderful strong women. It's almost like my co leaders and I made a difference or something. Well at least I know Scouting did. It made a difference to me too.

Today I did some lighting designs again. I'm having to learn/relearn a lot of things. My server bounces emails from their server so I have to use gmail. I'm not fond of it at this point because I don't get everything there. I use it as an alternate address and have mail forwarded to my other account. Another skill I must learn.

Then there is this darn CAD program I have. It's kind of like Autodesk, but not. Every time I try something I learn something new. I can almost draw on it now. I can at least add dimensions now, but I still can't figure out how to draw things the size I want in the first place. I find the tools, but don't know how to use them. It's really annoying. And I really need to learn it if I'm going to do work for people. Or I could just shell out $500 for an old used Autodesk program. Not likely to happen.

I remembered a friend suggested another program, just looked up the price $1200, better than Autodesk $2600, but if I had either of that, I'd have working car. Oh well, I'll just struggle with the program I have and someday, I'll be a better person for it. After all, I was one of the first designers, at least in lighting to use CAD to design at all. I've talked many a designer into using it too.

At least I can use the program right now to alter my old drawings to make new ones. That's better than nothing.

March 10, 2012

I know I should be saving my new found money to fix the car, but it's been so long that I've had a bit extra, that I'm spending it. Not on frivolous things, mind you. I'm spending it mostly on supplies and one extra little thing.

I bought a glass cutter that I've been eying for a long time. I want to cut my beer and wine bottles and make glasses, vases and rings for wind chimes out of them. I even have a microwave kiln that I might try to melt the rings with. I think I need to get some kiln paper though. I'm very excited about this whole recycling my bottles thing. I know it will take a while to do them perfectly, but I can always put the bad pieces in recycling.

I also bought some supplies for the future of my business. New business cards, beads for flowers, and I think I'll make my design website legitimate. It' will only cost $10 a year. Can't believe I couldn't afford even that.

Now on to finishing my design website and renewing old contacts.

February 28, 2012

“Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.” H. Jackson Browne - I needed this today. Things have just been intense and crazy lately. Lots of personal stress, and while I'm determined to get my jewelry business at a full and fruitful pace, for the first time in about four years, I'm getting contacted about design work. I guess I should post changes on Linkedin more often.

I haven't finished my design portfolio or even started trying to work on the CAD program yet and I just got an offer for design work. Freelance, but it could be steady work. It could possibly be decent income too. Funny how life just happens. I'm thinking that I might contact a few other people I've worked for and see if they're interested too.

This has been a remarkably long week already. It feels like Thursday and I just can't believe it's only Tuesday. I've been on the phone half the day today and yesterday, and I never use the phone. Life has just been surreal this week. I see a positive light at the end of the tunnel though.  

February 19, 2012

I suppose it's just the flu, sinus infection, cough, headache, muscle aches and cold lasting well over 2 weeks, but I'm ready to pack it all in. I'm remembering Maslow's hierarchy of needs and my jewelry is about at the lowest rung of the need ladder. But I guess that's where marketing comes in.

I really have to create need and desire for my product, my flowers. I sometimes think it would just serve me better to do something to earn money, a little closer to base needs. If I asked my friends what they need, I know most would say money. I'm pretty good at making facsimiles, but I might go to prison for that.

So I either have to create a driving desire to possess my product or move a little closer to basic needs, like air, clothing, food, or even love, shelter, health. I know, maybe the flowers should be edible, no, maybe they can be made with like rose quartz crystals to bring love.

Oh I know, they are pretty durable, maybe they can be bath scrubbies. I'd have to mkce the centers with plastic findings instead of metal though. If they were glow in the dark, you could use them as locaters. Maybe I could make them Solar and led lighted, and they can be used for airplane landing strips.

No, I just think they should be pretty flowers that make you feel special wearing them. That is if I don't decide to do something else. Like – what do people need, not want need. People need ______. OK so maybe want – people want _______. I just need to fill in the blanks.

Oh I'm tired and I'm tired of being funny. I just want to earn enough money to live in a tiny place of my own and afford meager food. I can do so well with that. Yesterday I fed dinner to 5 mouthes on about $6 worth of food. I was so proud of myself. Pulled pork on buns and coleslaw. We actually had leftovers for lunch too. Maybe I should write about how to live on a very tight budget. That could get published.