Monday, March 30, 2009

How do you work this thing?

So I'm still trying to get used to this blog thing, lol. I'm usually pretty good at figuring out websites and such but for some reason I haven't figured out how to converse with people on here, is there a way?

I've figured out the whole comment thing, but there doesn't seem to be a way to respond to a person's comment T_T (besides commenting after theirs) Or am I just being technologically impaired? lol

Thanks to Ally and Andi for your sweet comments! I appreciate you stopping by ^_^

Currently I'm working on some brand new items that I've never done anything like before and I'm so excited! I don't know if they will go over well, but nothing really seems to be selling at this point in time because the economy is in the toytee -_- Anywoser, if you're just curious you can stop by my etsy shop and check them out when I list (2 of them will be tomorrow if I can manage to get moving early enough in the moring). http://www.sweetgal981.etsy.com/ ^_^


Laina

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

New Items & New Policies

When I was younger I used to cut up pictures of clothes in magazines and put them together with other things and glue them on a page in a notedbook that I made. I would then draw models in on some of them or outfits of my own creation occasionally. I sort of used that thinking when I came up with my new Undergarments Line! I was originally thinking I just wanted to do corsets but then I thought, why stop there? What about cute undies too?! So I left it a bit more broad.

The first corset that I made is "The Temptress!" I LOVE how it turned out - just FAB! In the photos it looked a little orange but the lighting in the hotel bathroom was strange. That's a whole other story! My cousin and I went to see Nickelback, Seether and Saving Abel in Moline, IL. I was only looking forward to seeing Seether and I actually caught one of their drumsticks! ROCK ON! Anyways . . .


(I took my beading supplies with me but I didn't get as many done as I hoped. Sitting on the bed beading was not that comfy -_-)



The second corset that I made was the "French Maid Corset." I was originally going to call this the "Business Woman," but I found that after I added the bow it didn't make it look so business-like. Perhaps if I had put a different bow on it or if I had painted pinstripes on it, it would have been more fitting. Nonetheless I thought it looked RAD! ~_^


(I was also fortunate enough to find some super cool corset charms just before I finished this one so I thought, what the heck?)

And I actually did do a pair of undies! The "Punk Rockers Underpants," I think they turned out to be uber cool. I really like the body jewelry look of the jump rings and silver beads that I put on here - they just give the pendant something totally unique ☠




Now for the next topic at hand, I haven't totally re-vamped my Shop Policies but I gave them a HUGE update. I now have pretty much everything that I can think of in there that anyone might have questions about. Like it says on the front page of my shop (http://www.sweetgal981.esty.com/) I really racked my brain to think of a bunch of questions. Some are based on questions that people have asked me, some are questions that I get often, and some are based on issues that haven't even happened yet *knock on wood*. Just to give you all a second place to review these policies, let's list them, shall we? ~_^ This isn't how they apear on my Policies page, this is more of a short and sweetened version, just for time's sake and organization's sake as well.



1) I don't take payments. You have the option of reserving an item for a $10 reservation fee (which knocks the first $10 off of your item so the listing price will decrease by that amount). I will reserve an existing item for 2 weeks, after that if it is not purchased it will no longer be reserved and the $10 will not be returned. You'd think that it would be obvious that if an item is on hold for you, you should purchase it within that time frame but I've waited over a month for a couple people who never purchased the item that they asked me to reserve for them and I just stopped hearing from them altogether - lameo!



2) My necklaces are durable but not invincible ^_^. I've been selling my necklaces for over a year now (using the same basic materials) and no one has had any issues with them breaking or the beading coming apart. I've literally thrown my pendants at the cement floor in our basement and across the room at the floor and it didn't even phase them! You may recall my post a while ago with Brandi's custom Fall Out Boy Bat necklace?

(I was bound and deterined to break one of those wing tips off of that necklace before I even put the image on but none of them ever budged! I even told her this before I listed it ~_^)



3) Cleaning - I recommend using a slightly damp cloth to wipe off anything that gets on the front of the pendants. NEVER submerse them in water, bathe, or swim with one of my necklaces on! THE HORROR! *blood curdling scream*. Most of this is common sense but some of us out there may have lost our commons, teehee =)



4) I can always take a custom order! I may not have the same charms or style of chain that you saw on a different necklace (my supplies aren't endless) but most of my items I can recreate. Even when working on a request for a past item I try to do something a little bit different, so that the necklace was made specifically for you ^_^ After all, isn't that the whole point to handmade items? Take this Mario necklace for instance. The first one I made just to put in my shop, the second was a request for that necklace that I changed up a bit:


4) I don't sell my pendants individually.

5) I will do collaboration pieces with other etsy members! I just did a collab piece with Nicole at http://www.candyrave.etsy.com/! And Shielou (http://www.shielou.etsy.com/) and I have discussed doing a piece together as well, but we're not sure when or what it will be ^_^

6) I will make changes to things listed in my shop IF you want something minor done. For example if you want a heart charm instead of a star that's no problem - if it's really that big of a deal to you :P. This DOES NOT apply to sale items though - they're already marked down so low I'm not about to redo something ^_^

Like I said my Shop Policies page covers A LOT of stuff! If you're interested in purchasing one of my items, of if you already have, please at least give them a once-over ~_^

Hats off!
Laina