A Friendly Spirit's Ramblings

On strike today

2012-01-18T09:02:00.000-05:00

A Friendly Spirit went on strike today in protest against censorship and against SOPA and PITA bills.

The House's 's bill is called Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). In the Senate the bill is called the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA). SOPA has gotten more attention than PIPA because it was moving faster in the legislative process. But PIPA is just as dangerous, and now it is moving faster.

PIPA would give the government new powers to block Americans' access websites that corporations don't like. The bill lets corporations and the US government censor entire websites and cut sites off from advertising, payments and donations.

This legislation will stifle free speech and innovation, and even threaten popular web services like Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.

The bill is scheduled for a test vote in the Senate on Jan. 24th: We need to act now to let our lawmakers know just how terrible it is.

Read more and go here to write your representatives.

http://sopastrike.com/strike

Happy Holidays !!!

2011-12-20T06:03:00.002-05:00

We will be closed from December 20th- January 4th so we can enjoy the holidays and do our year end inventory. Any orders placed from now on will not be shipped until we reopen. (Order Numbers 8137 and earlier are either shipped or will be shipped by Wednesday, December 21st), unless we are waiting on a mock-up OK.

Christmas Shipping

2011-12-05T09:53:00.001-05:00

I do my best at Christmas, but please remember I'm not Santa Claus and don't have a sleigh and 8 tiny reindeer! All I can do is get your order to the UPS drop off or the post office, packaged and labeled. We're all doing the best we can to get your bookplates to you in a timely manner, but nothing is guaranteed to arrive before Christmas unless you pay for that.

When ordering, make SURE you select the fastest method of shipment for holiday orders placed close to the deadline. NOTE: FREE SHIPPING GIVES YOU FIRST CLASS ONLY. Consider where you live (we are in OHIO) and adjust your shipping method to make sure. UPS is HIGHLY recommended for orders with an arrival deadline. You can check out UPS online to see how long it will take from our zip code 45387 to yours. Also, see Disclaimer below!

Ordering and Shipping Deadlines

* We are now past the deadline for INTERNATIONAL Christmas orders of any kind though you should check out the mini-bookplates - round bookplates -

Deadline for ordering personalized bookplates is December 15th for rectangular bookplates provided you approve the mockups by December 17th if you requested them

. (deadline for mini-bookplates - round bookplates is 6 p.m., December 15th for Standard shipping, 6 p.m. December 20th for 2nd Day and 6 p.m. December 21st for Express, personalized or not - these are produced by a third party, Zazzle.com).

For bookplates not personalized, the order deadline is December 17th - if you want guaranteed delivery , you MUST choose UPS. For orders placed on our website, deadlines are the date the order was placed. For e-mail orders, this would be the date the mock-up is sent to you.

For regular snail mail orders, deadline is considered to be the date the order is received (not the post mark date).

For personalized bookplates, the deadline includes time for mock ups to be approved. Mock-ups will be sent within 48 hours of order placement.. Approval for any orders requesting a mock-up must be received by December 17th - if you have not seen your mock-ups in a timely manner, check your spam filter, then e-mail me! Orders will be completed in the order the mock-up approvals are received.

Customers who place their order on the deadline date should be especially vigilant in looking for and approving the mock-up. If you do not receive your requested mock-up within 48 hours FIRST check your spam blocker/folder..if it isn't there, contact us by e-mail immediately!

Requests made after the Personalized Order Deadline may not make it in time. Orders placed between December 16th and January 2nd will not be processed so we can enjoy the holidays and work on inventory!

Disclaimer: Shipping dates may change due to accidents, weather or illness though it is our intent to have all orders shipped out by December 20th. Delivery times are guaranteed by the carrier you choose, not by us, and may include extra transit time in case of unforeseen delays. We are not responsible for delays in shipping caused by the weather (we are not in charge of weather!) or carriers (all we can do is get your order to the carrier on time!) Late deliveries are always possible, but we've done our best to insure they are as infrequent as possible.

No More Phone Number

2011-08-20T22:27:00.001-04:00

Why do I no longer list a phone number on my website?

Because I don't use it. I don't ever answer it - my voice recording warned people of this - I rarely check it and this being an online internet business, I really prefer that people contact me via e-mail. I had a phone number because that's what you're supposed to have if you're a business. People want to know that they can call somebody.

Mostly that's because it's quicker. If you don't want to go through the annoyance of typing in an order, searching the website, it's easier to call someone. And when you're mad because you can't figure out something about placing the order, or because the order you placed Saturday morning to be shipped First Class didn't arrive this Monday morning, typing just doesn't do it. That indignant frustration gets out quicker if you can yell in person at someone.

So, no more phone number because I'm just leading you on to think I'd answer it or call you back. I won't and I don't.

Everything else can be done via e-mail, you know. You can place orders via e-mail though you have to type stuff out. You can type in caps and so yell at people, but sometimes it so much more satisfying to yell at a human being. I will answer questions and accusations, comments and all of that, via e-mail. I'm as real in e-mail as I am on the phone. Maybe realer. Using e-mail, you just have to be patient - the replies will not be instant. I'm not talking text messaging.

WHAT KIND OF A BUSINESS DOES THIS?

Oh my. Well, let me start by saying, despite the fears that some people have, it is not a business designed to rip off people of their hard earned $12.00 to $20.00 (average sized orders).

It is also not a business where a bunch of people sit by a phone all day, taking orders or making phone calls. It's just me.

I've been advised to hire people to do that - answer the phone. That's how my business will grow.

Yeah, no.

I'm a small time part time business now. Got the bookplates, need to do something with the inventory. And the money helps. But - this is not set up to be a business that will grow every year, bigger and bigger. At least not under my watch. I'm not a capitalist, I'm a Quaker. A rude Quaker.

This is a tiny little on-line business that was designed to supplement my retirement income some 10 years ago, grown out of a need to be busy and a love of bookplates.

Still not fully retired, but the internet and I have both changed. When I started, there was only one other site that sold bookplates on-line. They took big orders, I did small ones. Now there are a whole lot of bookplate businesses, plus a lot of places where the resourceful and/or creative can make their own.

Also, I'm around less, I'm doing other things because I'm realizing how short life is, and how much I'd rather be living my life. I long for the day when I can sell this little bookplate business and move on. Or just toss out the inventory I have and shut down the bookplate section and move on. That day is coming soon.

And then I will spend my time with grandkids, travel, friends and making stuff without having to do customer service, shipping, picking and packing and unnecessary complaints.

A Tarot Deck Fundraiser.....do you know Regretsy.com?

2011-07-10T17:03:00.003-04:00

I have been selling some of my work on Etsy.com, a very successful and well known source for artists and those who make handmade products. It can be a great source for that special gift - although lately you have to be careful you're not buying something not quite up to par from what many of us expect there.

My favorite place to hang out these days is Regretsy.com - run by April Winchell (daughter of Paul Winchell) - it's a fund-raising site that pokes fun at some of the bloopers and crazy things you might find on Etsy. In addition, Regretsy provides the service of pointing out the too many rip off artists and resellers (buy it in Taiwan, ship it here and say you made it yourself, etc.) who are trying to take advantage of Etsy.

Which segues into the video I want to show you all. 25 of Regretsy's artists are working together under the care of fellow artist Wendy Sheridan to create a unique deck of 78 Tarot Cards. The art is based on the humor found at Regretsy.

Warning: this is adult humor. And I mean adult. Please don't visit Regretsy in the presence of children (I don't go there when my 10 year old grandson is in the same room) or if you don't find cussing or reproductive or bodily function humor amusing. This isn't juvenile humor - it's witty, snarky, very adult humor. You have been warned. (the video is fine)

Here's a link that will take you to our fundraising project on Kickstarter and our video. Or you can just watch my video (I'm only on the other one a little)... or my bloopers...

I'm also looking for feedback on which of the two designs I did should be used for my contributing tarot card..if you want to take a look and pass a vote, please do! Go here to look and vote!

Thanks for looking!

You have an account but are you gettting your discount?

2011-05-31T11:23:00.006-04:00

Are you getting your wholesale or returning customer discount when you order your bookplates from me?

Lately I've noticed orders coming in from customers who are listed as faithful return customers or booksellers, librarians, teachers or other shop owners. I can see they have have faithfully logged into their accounts - but there is no discount showing. Since others are getting their discounts, I thought the answer might lie in the peculiarities of my software system.

First you need to set up an account. Then you need to let me know you've set up an account by e-mailing me (check out the website for how to do that). Wait for me to manually set you up. Now, the important part.

In order to get your discount you need to FIRST sign into your account, then place items in your basket. The discount will ONLY apply to items you place in your basket AFTER you have logged in to your account.

If you wait to sign in until the check-out process, the discount won't apply.

This info will be tweeted, too - when placing an order - please log in first!

On Vacation...sort of...

2011-05-10T09:15:00.000-04:00

Vacation, these days, isn't what it used to be. Nowadays I squeeze it in where I can. Usually it has something to do with something that needs to be done as cost effectively as possible.

In any case, the website is still open for orders. These will be processed starting next Monday, upon my return from this mini-vacation. The same is true of etsy orders.

Of course anything ordered from the Booklover shop or Nana's Alley - these will be processed as usual, since I don't have to do those myself!

See y'all later.

Cats Books Life is Sweet Custom Jewelry from Zazzle.com

2011-04-05T14:19:00.000-04:00

There's also booklover jewelry for sale on my Cafepress account - here's one example...

Cats Books Life is Sweet by friendlyspirit

Meanwhile, with spring coming it's time to do some yardwork and house cleaning. I'm giving some serious thought to having this be the last year for the bookplate section of my business, for reasons I will go into at another time. It isn't the most portable business...

What's going on in my CafePress shops? Check here...

2011-03-09T22:28:00.007-05:00

Check here for specials and stuff in my CafePress shops !
- Friendly Spirit (book related gifts)
Quaker Shop (kinda explains itself!
and Squidoo To You (all kinds of interesting other stuff, including my Mother In Law items)
Tomorrow we're having a one day 3.00 off
on over 30.00 sales..just key in Coupon code: SMAR1130.
That's ONLY in the CafePress shops linked above!

Note that there's a new section in the Friendly Spirit shop, with inexpensive booklover jewelry!

Not Your Ordinary Fairies

2011-03-06T10:56:00.003-05:00

I am trying to have finger puppets that coincide with bookplates I'm offering. Cats will be coming, but right now, it seemed time for a few fairies. Once again, I don't want to part with these but I thought I'll make up a doll later on and that will make it easier. These really can serve as little mini dolls - they stand up alone.

You've got your blonde, brunette and red headed fairies complete with sparkly wings.

I'm working on a nativity scene for later this year - perhaps I'll do a version of these as angels for then - I suppose they might pass for angels, though I'll have to add halos and probably do away with the frill.

Anyway, they are fairies to me - on my website I'll be offering them as suggestions when customers look at the three Fairy bookplates I offer on the website:

The finger puppets are listed in my etsy store as OOAK - One of a kind. I have come to realize, I don't enjoy making repeats of anything. (Hence the offer of a pattern for the Easter egg sets). All of the things I'm making take time - and to repeat the same old same old makes my eyes glaze over. What I enjoy about creating finger puppets, dolls, ornaments and even sweaters for grandchildren is the uniqueness of each design.

I am remaking finger puppets that are selling (most are selling from my website, rather than from etsy right now - which is too bad because customers can't rate them and help puff up my ego and my rating in etsy!). But when I remake them, they are slightly different from the originals, which I'm now calling templates.

And there are some other book related trinkets I have on my mind (though I guess these are more book story related). Check back later to see what I mean!

Fairies in hand

Fairies rear view!

Cats R Us

2011-02-27T10:38:00.002-05:00

I don't know why it is that cats go so well with books -- one of my best selling bookplates has always been the cats standing on a stack of books.. popular on just about anything! In fact, most any cat on any bookplate seems to do well.

My newest amigurumi doll doesn't have books, but she's a cat woman - she's for sale over at Etsy and I find myself reluctant to part with her. I think it's her hat with the rose on it. Mind you, I made everything myself so it isn't as if I couldn't make another - but she's a one of a kind and as I make these dolls - even the finger puppets - I start getting attached to them and don't want to part ways.

Perhaps I need to get out more.

Hey there little Red Riding Hood....

2011-02-11T16:44:00.007-05:00

Story telling and finger puppets seem to be a good fit for bookplates - since many of my customers enjoy reading and telling stories to their children, grandchildren, or students.

I have a bunch of fnger puppets I'm working on, most to go with familiar stories we tell our children, with and without books. These are all from my own design - later I may work on writing out descriptions of the patterns but... that's a lot of work!

First up is Red Riding Hood...check her out Etsy ... a set of four characters from the story..Red Riding hood carrying a little basket - her hood will slip off and on. Grandma, looking all innocent. The Big Bad Wolf, complete with white fangs, and the Hunter, wearing a dapper green cap and carrying an ax.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears is next -- Papa Bear has a hat, Mama bear has an apron and Baby Bear has a bib... cute!

Then there is the classic Princess and Prince Charming set -- you can turn this into just about any story. It comes with Prince Charming, a beautiful Princess, an evil Witch and... a horse. You have to have a horse so you (Prince or Princess) can ride off into the sunset....

A knight with a shield, sword and of course a horse - and a dragon - seem to make sense ..

To go with the Pooh bookplates, a set of not-Pooh finger puppets - but almost as cute and they will work just fine when telling that Classic story. A little honey bear, a donkey, a striped tiger and a little pink pig.

Each set is hand crocheted, with embroidered faces, so each will look slightly different from others and from these photos.

More will be coming as I think of anything to encourage role play, creative thinking and fun for kids and their grandparents (especially) seems like a good idea to me. And I am open to suggestions, too!

Although I'm selling these on Etsy, not everyone wants to open an account there - and if an item sells out, it won't be at the link - so I'm also offering these on my website, in a new section I've created for Finger Puppets.

Easter Eggs..

2011-01-22T18:09:00.001-05:00

Yes, it's early to be talking about Easter -- I should be focusing on Valentine's Day....but this is about items hand made, and it's late to be ordering up handmade stuff for Valentine's Day -- Easter this year will be April 24th -- 3 months away seems long but these custom Easter Eggs in a Shell take a long time to whip up, and I'm going to pull them off the market sometime in early April!

These darling little eggs are for sale at my new Esty store - Esty is where you can shop for handmade unique items, things that you won't find mass produced on the net or for sale anywhere and everywhere.

These are crocheted, Aminigumi style (my new favorite) - tightly crocheted, stuffed. Each little chick will look slightly different from his or her sibling; they come inside a shell with a little button (the button is very small - so these should NOT be given to children under 3 who might swallow them. I can custom make one for you without the button, just send a message to me when you are viewing them).

http://www.etsy.com/listing/66186918/lone-amigurumi-chick-hatching-out-of-egg

And last, but not least, because these are hand made, they are not cheap - but you know, I love coupons - so here is one you can use to get a 20% discount! .. just enter this code when making your purchase: FSEE411

IF when you click on the links, there are no chicks and eggs there, please send me a message! It just means the ones that were last made have sold and I need to restock - no problem!

A brand new year...

2011-01-18T13:41:00.001-05:00

Oh yes, we got a new year here - and apologies for taking so long to reopen! End of one year is time to take inventory and restock.

On the down side, there aren't any new designs to look at in the regular bookplate line. The round bookplates always have some new designs going on, so that's the place to go for new stuff!

On the up side, inventory has been restocked, so many of the popular designs are back in! And there is a new section, called "LIMITED EDITION" where you may find bookplates you've been looking for. These are bookplates I can't reorder - and they are some of the most popular Antioch designs - Cat on Books, Man on Ladder....

you may be able to find them elsewhere on the internet, but for now, I'm offering up what I have. You can order these in"onesies" only - and you get a discount, if you enter the coupon code revealed in that section (PULLLEASE don't use that code if you order other things!)

OHHH yes, and there are new coupon codes, too, if you haven't made an account. Have you made an account? If you make an account, I go in and make you a regular customer, which will give you a 10% discount every time you log in .. plus, of course, it has all your shipping info in there, ready to go. And once in awhile, there might be other benefits.

But if you didn't do that, you get to use, one time only, a 10% discount. That's in an email you get after you place your order. You can use that one time, no matter who you are. And then after that, you should have a 10% regular customer discount!

Teachers, booksellers, educators, librarians can apply for wholesale discounts, too. They only need to set up an account and then let me know so I can sign them up - it's not magic, but in this day and age, it's nice.

The other nice news is that our prices haven't gone up (except maybe shipping - we can't control that!). If you place an order over 50.00, you still get free shipping.

Hope that helps you out in this tough and way tooooo cold New Year! Oh. and if you read this far, you can use this one time, too... a coupon code for the faithful reader... good until February 18, 2011 .. just key in when you check out, BLOGGIE2011

Christmas deadlines

2010-12-08T10:56:00.004-05:00

Ohhhh the time approaches! I can still ship Christmas bookplates (regular ones) until December 12th, the date when the 15% off coupon (found elsewhere on this blog) runs out.(I extended the deadline from the 10th to the 12th, since I'm ahead of schedule, although orders have been flowing in thank you so much!!!).. the free shipping for orders over 50.00 apply, but they will be shipped Priority or First Class, depending on where you are. No guarantee when they will arrive. If you want a rush order, you'll need to pay for the shipping.
My bookplates can be found here

For all the other goodies, time is really running out! Today ONLY you can get 60% off round bookplates plus free shipping by going here and using JINGLESALE42 as your coupon!!!

Christmas is coming and the goose is gettin' ....

2010-11-07T10:12:00.002-05:00

nervous, I think.. because our pocket books haven't gotten any fatter.   Still, there are plenty of things we can do. True, not whipping out that credit card and heading to the big stores isn't going to help Big Business and the Economy.

But we can still have a nice holiday without spending money we don't have, or money we need for other things.

1) Buy less new stuff, but shop locally (and among small businesses over chains). When you shop locally, the taxes paid go into your local economy - and you are supporting small businesses around you.

Many places have a local shopping day after Thanksgiving - even if you think you can't do all your holiday shopping locally and want to take advantage of discounts and coupons the chain stores will be offering, set aside a day and a dollar amount or percent to commit to your local shops - and have fun shopping locally!

2) Shop early (it's not too late - start now!) and take advantage of coupons and discounts. I have some in here.. you just need to do a tag search for coupons -- you can get 15% off on bookplates until Dec 10th with one!

3) Something old, something new -- along with that low budget but nice new gift from a local merchant, how about a quality "used" item?

Goodwill and other second hand stores make good places to shop. Why not? Make sure used puzzles have all the pieces, but Goodwill has things that aren't used, too.   Be a second hand store yourself - what do you have that you can re-gift?   I have a cam corder I never use and a second camera, too - both are going to be re-gifted to family members, along with new gifts.

4) Make what you can. It is true, home made gifts are appreciated. What? You aren't a creative type? Hey, there are all kinds of gifts you can make that require little creativity or even effort. How about a framed photo of a picture you took? An inexpensive mug with a dry cocoa mix for hot chocolate and a peppermint stick candy stirrer? The library has lots of magazines with ideas - the internet is filled - do a search...

Here's a place to start...

http://www.craftbits.com/misc-crafts

Packaging isn't really boring...

2010-11-04T21:07:00.001-04:00

When I started out, the bookplates came in a hard plastic wrap - it's how we at Antioch Publishing always packaged our bookplates. Hard clear plastic that you could see through to examine the bookplates. It kept them from being damaged or getting dirty as they hung on displays in stores.

Of course, they weren't environmentally correct. I'm surprised we weren't ahead of the crowd on eco-packaging given the founder, Ernest Morgan's, beliefs but he was long gone. Not ..gone.. just retired. In any case, last year I got rid of the plastic packaging and replaced it with my own version. Plain brown paper, twine, a label I designed on the back and a bookplate on the front.

So far no complaints and in fact some compliments from you all. The downside is time as the bookplates are wrapped by hand, the old fashioned way. Nope, I don't have the luxury of employing someone to package so these are done by hand with each order by yours truly. I try to do it with patience and tenderness - but it does take a long time.

Hope you all like the look. (and by the way, if you dig around in here, you'll find the 15% off coupon good til December 10th)....

Esty and Me...

2010-10-18T13:17:00.003-04:00

I decided to try out Esty for some of my knit items, rather than adding them to my bookplate shop. So far I haven't started knitting bookplates : ).

I made some knit hi-top sneakers for my grandson, starting with a pattern I'd found and then throwing that away and developing my own. Then of course I couldn't stop and.. well, he only needs a pair or two, and not pink - so let's see if they work on Esty... I hope so. I love making these little cuties!

Here's a link to my NEW Esty shop!

Only one item to start, though it can be adjusted to fit size and color for individual customers.

I'm startin' my Christmas shoppin'

2010-10-09T08:26:00.003-04:00

I'm a shopper, too - and my budget this year is tighter than ever! A new grandchild, my youngest starting college (on scholarships, grants and loans but they still want money from the only contributing parent - me!) and of course - the economy. So in addition to making gifts, I'm shopping , and shopping early, using sales, discounts and coupons. Read on, there's a coupon in this for you!

Knit Pumpkin outfit for my grandson

I would really love to make all my gifts for everyone on my list - but that isn't gonna happen! First - I don't have the time! Second - not everyone on my list needs something knit (grandsons can all use hats and scarves but - really, I'd also like to get them something cool!). Third, I want to support the growth of the economy. Okay, I kind of stretched on #3. I like shopping and buying stuf f is probably more accurate.

In any case, I'd like to point out a few things to my valued customers!

First, if you place an order, you receive an e-mail that has a coupon in it to use on your next order.

Second, if you create an account when you place an order, I manually go in and set you up as a repeat customer - this gives you a 10% discount every time you place an order, as long as you log in first using your account.

Third, if your order is over $50.00 before shipping, you get FREE shipping - even if you're in Canada, Australia or Britain.

And Fourth, if you read my blog, periodically you'll find additional coupons in them - this time the coupon starts now and is good until December 10th, giving you a 15% discount. This is on top of the 10% return customer discount. If you don't have a return customer discount - or if you've never place an order - you can STILL get that 15% discount just for taking the time to read all the way down here! All you have to do is type in (without the " " ) "HOLIDAY2010" when you get to the check-out section, where it asks for any coupon codes.

Coupon can be used once. Pass it on.
Simple, yes?

Here's a Coupon on my Zazzle shops!

2010-03-18T09:17:00.003-04:00

Unique Booklover Gifts $5.00 off your next purchase of $20.00 or more: ERYPSKYAHBXHRMMQTOYK. This code expires on 3/25/2010. (This is for my other shops, not the main bookplate shop)

You can also use this in my Nana's Alley Shop or my Quaker Shop...

Springtime and Your Feet

2010-03-17T09:53:00.002-04:00

Ah, Spring is in the air... finally... I look at it with non-commercial eyes, as well as with my marketeer view which I cannot seem to shake.

The photo I took in early March, of a bird in a budding bush with snow says something to me. Hope! Every year I find myself surprised when Spring really does start to emerge, though you would think by now I would "know" it's a sure thing.

Then again, the older I get, the more thankful I am that I get to see another Spring. Maybe that's where the surprise is - not that Spring is here, but that I've lived to see it! Huzzah!!

Trying to segue gracefully, then, into the marketing ... I do find that with the advent of Spring, I'm more willing to go outside. And needing new shoes. Yes, yes, that's it. And so .. one needs special shoes! Keds high tops for some.. though what seems popular in my shop are these

No such thing as too many books

I kid you not, I've sold more than two pairs of shoes in my booklovers section...

My reward to myself should I shed the extra pounds I packed on over the winter will be a pair of new shoes...probably high tops... but I cannot decide which ones...if you feel so inclined, check out my booklover (and other) Ked shoes

Is it spring yet?

2010-02-18T10:41:00.001-05:00

We still have some time to go until Spring -- but in the interest of Spring, I've been designing things with my little flowers on them... these of course are all about me (Nana) but they can be personalized for Meme, Mimi, Grandma or just plain Louise.

Bookplate, of course
Flowery Ex Libris Bookplate

and matching clothing... (shouldn't your clothing match your bookplates?)

Flowery Nana Shirt by Nanas_Alley

Flowery Nana's Girl Shirt

Nana - bright flowers for her by Nanas_Alley

Of snow and thoughts on fear of setting up an account with Friendly Spirit

2010-02-09T09:05:00.003-05:00

Unrelated topics - snow storms and reflections on the fears some seem to have about opening an account on my website- I wanted to post on the latter, but the former is on my mind!

We're in the beginning, I think, of round two of the Big Snowstorm of 2010 here in Ohio... the East Coast (from whence I came) is getting it much worse, so I am not about to complain. Just reflecting on how the power these days seems to go out, and stay out, more often than it did when I lived back East.

Even if the electricity manages to last through this bought of snow (it did fine through Round #1) I anticipate that the weight of the snow has got to do something to the connection to the internet at some point. Not a huge problem except that means I can't receive orders or process them until it's back on... we'll see how she goes.

Meanwhile, about setting up accounts -- much like "why don't people use discount coupons?" I find it puzzling when repeat customers don't set up accounts. It makes it easier to fill out the information to ship to stuff. There's nothing about credit cards or ss# or any of that personal stuff I wouldn't share with my own mother. Perhaps they think I'm a huge conglomerate (5'6, 140 pounds.. is that really THAT huge?) or that I'll bombard them with e-mails....

Actually, this blog is taking the place of most e-mails sent out to customers, aside from order confirmations which are all automatic. So, no, setting up the account just means you log in if you can remember your user name and password, and your bill to ship to info is all filled out.

I've also started adding those who have accounts to the special list of those who get a 10% discount, just for logging in (unless they have a wholesale account -- sorry, no double dipping!)...

Now, I could start on asking how come people who want to get wholesale won't open an account, even though the instructions explain you have to have an account, or I can't set you up as a wholesaler...

Perhaps there's the idea that I'm trying to lure people in to set up an account so I can collect information that will do something for me in a capitalist manner. Maybe there is something I could 'collect' but I simply am not sophisticated to know what it is.

There's really nothing evil in my intent to ask folks to set up an account - as far as I know, the account itself doesn't give me any information about people that I don't already get when an order is placed without an account (name, e-mail and shipping address).

And frankly, though I love doing business with my customers, I'm just not that into them...(I don't collect or sell info - as stated somewhere on my FAQ section).

Enough..time to go stare outside at the snow.

Coupons to start off the month!

2010-02-01T15:52:00.001-05:00

Here's some coupons ...30% off cards, 20% off round mini bookplates and 10% off mugs... what a deal! Good until February 10th at midnight! Use this coupon: ZAZZLEVDAY10

You'll never find a cup of tea by friendlyspirit

Mini Bookplates

Elegant Monogrammed Notecard by Nanas_Alley

Almost February!

2010-01-29T08:17:00.005-05:00

It's almost a new month!

That means this month's coupon will be running out... so for those coupon clippers out there, you can get 10% off of rectangular bookplates by typing in BLOGJAN2010 at check-out on Friendly Spirit's shop ... for a view of ALL products see here...

And there are new round mini bookplates coming up...the first one is this design, using graphics from The Original Mother Goose, provided by OldBookArt.com

Girl reading to Doll by friendlyspirit

Have You Done Your Valentine's Shopping?

2010-01-16T09:31:00.003-05:00

Here are a few ideas... most of these can be personalized...
Valentine Mugs and Shirts for Booklovers!

Love Owls

CA shoppers go here UK shoppers go here AU shoppers go here NZ shoppers go here

Send Chocolate

CA shoppers go here UK shoppers go here AU shoppers go here NZ shoppers go here

I love Books

CA shoppers go here UK shoppers go here AU shoppers go here NZ shoppers go here
Anti-Valentine (or love) Mug

CA shoppers go here UK shoppers go here AU shoppers go here NZ shoppers go here

Reading is Sexy

CA shoppers go here UK shoppers go here shoppers go here NZ shoppers go here

I love books morphing mug

CA shopppers go here UK shoppers go here AU shoppers go here NZ shoppers go here

More Valentines for Booklovers stuff here

History of Antioch Bookplate Company

2010-01-15T19:25:00.002-05:00

How lovely! I "accidentally" came across a piece freshly written about the history of Antioch bookplates, something near and dear to my heart.

Go here ! Read and enjoy!

Haiti Help

2010-01-13T10:28:00.010-05:00

You can donate to help in Haiti at these sites:

Unicef , also Red Cross US or Red Cross Canada

BUSINESS CARDS ON SALE 50% OFF!!!!!!!

2010-01-11T23:58:00.005-05:00

50% OFF YES!!! JUST ENTER COUPON CODE 2010BIZCARDS at check-out!!!!

More designs, here, too!

* 50% of the business card net sale price will be deducted when one or more business card packs are purchased and the coupon code 2010BIZCARDS is applied at checkout. The net sale price is the price of the product (excluding shipping and taxes).

Offer is valid from January 11, 2010 at 12:01am PT through January 21, 2010 at 11:59pm PT.

Coupons good til the end of the month

2010-01-11T16:54:00.002-05:00

...I have tested out the coupons and they work for me. Still not sure why customers aren't using them, but of course 10% not used by you all is 10% more profit for me, allowing me to stay in business. If nobody uses them in January, I will probably stop putting them in.

Working on new designs to replace some of the Antioch designs that I will be out of stock on soon. It would be nice to get feedback from customers on these, so I will post the designs here and see what people think!

Is it summer yet?

2010-01-10T10:57:00.003-05:00

I'm waiting for summer....but no luck so far...we haven't even hit Spring.

Shoveled and Mailed

2010-01-09T10:46:00.003-05:00

There we go...6 inches of snow, as I measure it and more coming but all orders are shipped except two (7584 and 7585), which should go out on Monday. So, now I'm off for the week-end!

Meanwhile, can one of you customers tell me why nobody uses the coupon(s) for an additional 10% discount? Is it because you want me to keep the money? :)

Snow Days

2010-01-08T10:48:00.001-05:00

Dear Customers,

This is a snow day! Yes, I know -- Big Companies have their workers come to work and get those orders out no matter what!! I did make me come to work today. Orders are being filled and processed. But I won't make it to the Post Office today. Orders should go out tomorrow, God willing and the snow don't rise!

Coupon Lovers

2010-01-06T17:51:00.004-05:00

Ok, this is what I don't quite understand.... I can see how many people read my blog.

So far (if I have entered information correctly) nobody but me.

That's fine, I don't take it entirely personally. I moved it from towards the bottom of my website to the top and put a note over it, letting people know they can get coupons by reading the blog.

Still no response. Are people afraid I am going to track them to their home, send telemarketers to their door, spam them?

Well, whatever.

In any case, here we go...

This month's coupon, good for the rectangular bookplates on my website, is ...
(oh, and in addition to this, you know, you get free shipping if you order over $50.00 worth of bookplates)

BLOGJAN2010 (One per customer)

TWITTERFIRST2010 (One per customer)

What is a bookplate for?

2010-01-05T16:24:00.004-05:00

My daughter in law gave bookplates as gifts this Christmas and reported back that most of the recipients loved them! They thanked her and told her how they had been looking for something to mark their pages in their books.

Err and ummm.

That made me realize, it is really time to add something to my packaging that explains to people who are getting bookplates what these nice little things are. So I've designed these litle labels (shown above) which I'll attach to the packaging, hoping people will read it and find it helpful!

And speaking of packaging, over Christmas, I was finally able to get rid of plastic packaging and now use recyclable paper, tied with twine. A bookplate is on the outside. It has a nice look to it. The sticker above will be added to the back, in hopes that people will have an "aha" moment!

For those who still are not certain (because that's a tiny little label and the print is pretty small), I've also got some explanations they can read on-line and pass on to friends.

What is a bookplate and why would I want one?

and

Affixing Bookplates

Site problems

2010-01-04T13:35:00.002-05:00

Evidently customers were getting a warning that my site was not secure -- this was simply because a license had not been renewed -- and that was simply because any reminders that were sent got eaten in the wonders of e-mail.

Dues have been paid. We're secure. Apologies for any who got scared off.

It's a New Year!

2010-01-04T11:09:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year! And here we all are, back at work!

I'm working on getting out orders, and updating the website. Out with the old, in with the new!
Stationery products are the newest addition -- and they are still in the works -- stamps, personalized stationery, letterhead, notecards and co-ordinated stickers.

Mini bookplates are growing in popularity and choices!

For regular bookplates (the rectangular ones) there will be new ones added later in the season.

As to coupons -- you don't need one for the rectangular bookplates -- FREE First Class shipping on orders over $50.00 for customers in the US, Canada and the UK.

If you order from Friendly Spirit Booklover Gifts there are always coupons there! Today's coupon is 20.10% OFF Binders,

T-Shirts, & Mugs! LAST DAY! Use Code: NEWYOUZAZZLE

And there are MORE coupons good for now!

Use Promotional Code: BIZCARDSAVE1

BINDERSDEAL1

10% off binders

10% of the binder net sale price will be deducted when one or more binders are purchased and the coupon code BINDERSDEAL1 is applied at checkout.

The net sale price is the price of the product (excluding shipping and taxes). Offer is valid from December 23, 2009 through April 1, 2010 at 11:59pm PT. This offer does not apply to past purchases and may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or volume discount offers. If a volume discount applies to your order, you will receive either the discount set forth in this offer or the standard volume discount, whichever is greater. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only.
Expires 4/1/2010.
Use Promotional Code: BINDERSDEAL1

15CALENDAR15
15% off calendars

15% of the calendar net sale price will be deducted when one or more calendars are purchased and the coupon code 15CALENDAR15 is applied at checkout.
The net sale price is the price of the product (excluding shipping and taxes). Offer is valid from December 23, 2009 through April 1, 2010 at 11:59pm PT. This offer does not apply to past purchases and may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or volume discount offers. If a volume discount applies to your order, you will receive either the discount set forth in this offer or the standard volume discount, whichever is greater. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only.

Expires 4/1/2010.
Use Promotional Code: 15CALENDAR15

Custom Buttons
Get up to 36% off Custom Buttons

Create your own flair with Zazzle custom buttons. Perfect for campaigns, parties, rallies, reunions, weddings, birthdays, and more. Add your favorite photo, slogan, logos, or phrases and choose from hundreds of fonts and colors. Add flair to your outfit and express your message loud and clear.

Cards
41% off 20 or More Cards!
Zazzle greeting cards are the best way to send personalized messages. Browse thousands of card ideas for holiday greetings, new baby announcements, birthdays, wedding invitations or party invitations. Add your photos and text to any of our cards (templates too!) to make them your own.

Stamps
$0.50 to $5 Off Postage Sheets
Make every letter a special delivery with your own customized postage! Volume discounts mean you can save $0.50, $1, $2, $3, $4 or even $5 per sheet.

Closed for the holidays!

2009-12-18T08:15:00.003-05:00

Yes, we closed for the holidays, though that's somewhat of an illusion. We will be closed and not working for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but then we'll be working behind the scenes.

Even a teeny tiny little business like mine has stuff to do.

There are records to do for tax filing, inventory to be taken and this year I am hoping to upgrade the website (behind the scenes). It's also time to come up with some new designs, both for the bookplates and booklover items.

And assessment of what's going on with the sites where we carry other items. It would also be lovely to have feedback (and replies!) about what works and what doesn't, from customers.

Wishing everyone a happy holiday!

A new year coming, new directions...

2009-12-16T10:29:00.005-05:00

There is a lot of bookplate competition out here these days -- when I first started back at the turn of the century (!!!!) there were only a couple of other bookplate sellers on line -- now there appear to be hundreds.

When I tried to purchase Antioch Bookplate, the President told me you can't make a living selling bookplates, so he was bundling it with the rest of the company (bookmarks, journals, other paper products). My answer was, I don't have to make a big living -- and I don't have to answer to a board of directors where I make a huge profit. AND I do have other things I design and sell.

But.. off went Antioch Bookplate Company, leaving me in the dust. I have a nice stock of inventory yet, so I'm not terribly worried. And some of my own designs which sell well.

And I recently changed the packaging -- I'd been looking for a long time for something to replace the plastic packaging Antioch used. I tried colored envelopes but they always looked like.. colored envelopes.

Christmas 2009 I started using plain brown wrappers with the bookplate on top, then added a twine to close it. Recycled, recyclable. This is all hand done, mind you. Heaven help me if Oprah ever features me (I think I'm safe).

What lies ahead is exciting -- more of what I'd love to hear from customers -- what designs are missing, what would you like?

The holidaze are upon us...

2009-12-16T10:17:00.004-05:00

About last week, it seemed everyone (myself included) began to realize that Christmas is upon us... orders started flowing in right as I got this feeling that I wanted... or needed.. (whatever!) to get out and do some serious shopping!

Is the economy picking up? I don't know... I'm not entirely shopping with coupons and sales on my mind -- my youngest son and oldest grandson have things they want on their Wish List -- they seem to be like many others in their age groups (9 - 18) so the things they want aren't deep discounted.

And my dear customers stun me by somehow ignoring or not noticing the 10% discount I've offered through Twitter. My guess is most are my age or older and relatively clueless as to what Twitter is, let alone how to use it. I'm also a bit shocked at how many are a few cents (and I mean cents, not dollars) away from the free shipping, but ignore it.

Of course, I've done the same myself many times -- my own attitude has been something along the lines of "daggone it, you aren't gonna manipulate me into buying another bookplate I don't want or need, just to get your free shipping!"

I'd love to know, aside from good service and good products, what do customers want?

too long a rest

2009-12-07T16:45:00.002-05:00

I have neglected my poor blog but... nothing much is new!

The bookplates from fellow artists seem to be selling nicely -- as are the traditional bookplates.

I've also added Twitter to the website -- that's really more interesting and easier to keep up than a blog.

New bookplates!!!

2009-08-23T19:28:00.004-04:00

This was exciting -- I need to get some new bookplate designs, but with the economy what it is, money is limited. I called out to fellow artists and got a bunch of really nice designs, which I put into my shop just in time for back to school.

I hope these go over well -- some of them are so nice, I want them for my own collection!

They're all laid out in my shop..Right here

On the road again

2009-08-13T19:32:00.002-04:00

Summer time, my favorite... in and out of the house, short trips on little errands. And my customers are always so nice about placing orders and waiting 'til I return. This is a portable business, to some extend -- at least the graphic design part is. The bookplates can also be taken on the road, as long as I have a place to park a few months at a time.

Not much else to say -- gone for just a few days, then I'm back for the fall and winter, despite my itch to go....

Still itchin'

2009-08-06T08:08:00.003-04:00

The itch so far isn't going away.

I got a tour of a friend's RV -- much bigger than what I need, but it gave me an idea. And she showed me all the things you have to do.

Went to the library and took out two books, The RV'ers Bible (which I looked at in B and N but didn't buy yet) and Take Back your Life --- both are excellent. Take Back Your Life is especially made for someone thinking about trying RVing full time.

My mother is looking at a retirement home in Dayton - not a good idea because it has to be expensive and she's as broke as I am. But taking her there and discussing it gives me the opportunity to break the news to her that I'm moving on.

My son will be back in school in a couple of weeks, so I can finally start on the house - hard to do with two teen-agers around. I'm going to start first by cleaning out the house of trash and Goodwill donations, sorting yard sale and giveaway stuff, then doing the paint jobs.

Sounds easy, but I know it won't be. But.. you gotta do what you gotta do. Everywhere I go I'm looking at RV's which this time of year are plentiful -- really looking forward to the RV show in early September!

Am I.. certifiable?

2009-07-25T11:21:00.009-04:00

That is the question -- am I off my rocker?

My latest project is enough to make even me wonder. I don't worry so much about my wish to travel and live in an RV - even though from what I read, gas mileage will be between 8 and 11 mph.

In order to get there, there are all these THINGS I have to do about the house, noted in my last post. I am a great procrastinator...there's so much to do, and even giving myself a year.. so little time.

So, I came up with this plan for a way to motivate myself. I've already put the wheels in motion to get a HEL - next I need to get quotes on the things that need doing. Fine, fine. No big deal.. but more than that.... I feel overwhelmed when I look around at my yard and house, all the things I have to do. Lists are great, but you have to do something with the list!

My "do something" is to make this public announcement, complete with before pictures and post it, inviting people to watch as I fix up my house room by room.

Me, I'm a great "idea person" - it's the follow through that's my weak point. I'm hoping this will help -- I'm posting the link to that here and on the side too. For anyone who bothers to follow me (I have the feeling most of the time this is my diary, and I'm just talkin' to myself.. that works to I suppose..it's a lonely life sometimes, no matter who you are!)

Traveling itch

2009-07-21T16:32:00.003-04:00

I have a headache. But it doesn't seem to be from overwork... it's that time of the year when my allergies kick in... ah well...

Spending my time patiently waiting for September, when everyone returns and starts realizing that the holidays are upon us. Will orders start pouring in? I'm not sure...

I've been working, if you want to call it that, on writing things for Squidoo, which is an online ...um.. well, what is it? A place where people write all sorts of How to's and What nots ... Some of it is selling junk, but the majority of it is interesting and useful stuff... If you want to know how to do anything, or where to get anything, or if you have information to share, Squidoo is the place!

One of the things I want to research there is living the RV life full time. I'm not sure I'd ever have the nerve to do it.. ever being a short time period that I'll have to go about and do it.

But it appeals to me -- I wouldn't be traveling endlessly, mind you. In my mind, I'd like to sell my house, get rid of all the stuff I have accumulated and live in a somewhat small camper truck, going south in the winter and returning here in the summers. I fancy myself running my bookplate business out of it... it isn't difficult these days to have wifi hook-ups for your computer and printer; orders can be shipped from anywhere.

There is the sticky matter of all those bookplates I'd have to truck around, but they really don't take up that much space.

What is scary about this idea? I'm not mechanically inclined and one of the things I keep reading is, your vehicle is going to break down, you need to know how to fix it up.

I'm also not the neatest person and when you live in a small space, you have to be neat. There's only so much space for things -- and neatness counts in the way of cleanliness too. I read also about the bugs and insects that like to try to infiltrate.

A woman traveling alone - yes, that's a bit scary. I've done it before when I was much younger and more attractive. I've had bad things happen, too - but I survived. If I do this, I'll have a dog with me rather than a gun. Dogs are great companions (I have one now) and they tend to fend off intruders who decide to go find someone who doesn't have a dog.

Although I'm ready to go tomorrow in my mind, there is a huge list of things that would have to be done. I really don't like to do lists (heavy sigh here). My mother and youngest son both need to decide where they'd go. My son is fine with this, we've already talked. My mother is another story -- the first thing I have to tell her is, no, you can't come with me.

Then of course there's the house, which I mentioned before. It has to be tidied up a lot in order to be sold - but then it has to be tidied up a lot anyway. My financial situation isn't yet dire, but I don't have the 20,000 or 30,000 needed to do the updating needed.

A new roof, gutters, kitchen floor and counters -- some electrical wiring work too.
I want to go lie down when I think about it.

And stuff. I have stuff and stuff and stuff. I figure I will begin sorting it out, trashing a lot now, good willing some, and getting a lot of it ready for yard sales next spring. I do not use 3/4 of what I have, I swear.

My good furniture, what little I have... I suppose can be 'left' with my son and his wife, hoping that if I change my mind in a year, I can have it back.

My car. What do I do with my car? It isn't paid for yet - 3 more years. Ideally I'd love to give it to my youngest as his h.s. graduation present, but that would probably backfire on us. I suppose I could just sell it, though I hate to.

Keeping my bicycle. Yep.

There's the matter of my epilepsy - controlled. What would happen if... ?
I want to lie down again. It's a cross that bridge question. It's controlled. I drive.

To be free of most of my junk and free to roam, of course, does not mean I would be free. My youngest will be in college - payments have to be made. I'm not planning to be out of touch with family - and I have to establish a home base somewhere to register my car and my driver's license - and my business.... so I imagine it would still be here in Ohio.

Could rent my shabby home, I suppose, though the idea of being a long distance landlord doesn't appeal to me. My mother would jump at the change to move in here, though she can't afford full rent... that would be one solution. I could go home again.....

Guess I have ample time to think on it...

Getting by

2009-07-15T11:45:00.006-04:00

Back at work, I can't get myself much into the mood although thank GOD for those bookplate lovers out there who are helping me pay my bills! Not even halfway through the month and I've got about $100 to live on until next pay day. That's what happens when life throws things at you that aren't in your budget!

We'll manage -- moving money from here to there, stalling on some payments. I think of those commercials with the bald moustached guy selling computer software.."buy my products" he says with a slight southern accent. He's so trustful and charming, if I didn't already have most of those products, I'd truly consider it. But I want to say the same thing on my website, if I could just get people to it..."Buy my product".

There are a ton of bookplates out there to choose from. And all the other little items I've made to supplement the bookplates. Competition is so fierce that CafePress, which used to be the main place where I made and had my other items manufatured and shipped, is now competing with its own artists. They sell our items, too, for more than we do and with less commission to us -- but they have the big bucks to fill google ads up, so customers see them first.

What I can't figure is why a customer might see my Cat on Books, Life is Sweet items (my top seller!) in several locations if they do a Google search --

CafePress's more expensive version of my shirt, selling now at $28.00

Direct from my shop - same exact shirt, $22.99, shipping cost is the same

another location of mine where the same organic t-shirt is $19.95 and shipping is about the same..

and my highly recommended manufacturer, a local Ohio company $18.99 plus comparable shipping, and the work is done with consideration of fair trade and labor, as well as environmentally friendly processing. I'm slowly moving several of my designs here, but if I can't get folks to buy from anyone but CP, it seems hopeless!

instead of going to the original artist's store (that would be the second one up there) go directly to CafePress where, not only do they they pay more, the artists who sell there get much less due to CafePress's new procedures. Of course they don't know that, and there's no way I can say "buy my product here!" though I am gonna try!

The matching bookplate for that design is running out - it was an Antioch bookplate design. That sounds like a sad and negative thing, but on the bright side, I have the rights to print this design on a bookplate of my own -- I'm thinking it will be a matching "Life is Sweet" design. I'm not sure if that will turn away some more serious bookplate buyers. Maybe a survey on my bookplate site is at hand!

Back to work

2009-07-10T08:27:00.023-04:00

I haven't left for Tennessee yet, so back to work. No doubt my customers are not checking my blog to follow my personal life!
One of the uses of a blog is to show what's new -- and to give little perks to those who use it. So, here's the news. For those who are on Facebook and follow Friendly Spirit there, you will find a coupon to use for a discount. The same with my Twitter followers.

As for those who don't I can tell you about new products at my non-Bookplate shops. Two new product lines added this summer.

First is the ".......always Welcome" line. This was inspired by the sign I saw on the door of my son's new house, when helping his family move this summer. He and his wife went to Woodstock this summer (omg, shades of my past, 40 years ago this summer, my husband asked if I wanted to go and I turned him down because I didn't want to take our year old baby!)

I loved that poster and decided to add a whole line of " "Welcome always" to my line of non-bookplate items, including the Hippy offer, which I didn't see much of on-line.

So, here are some of my Welcome signs -- these aren't just signs of course - they come as shirts and postcards, and I a couple of bumperstickers. The Hippy design can be converted to whatever someone wants, so the word "Hippies" can be replaced.
The Grandchildren always Welcome postcard already got some favorable comments! I really love the idea of sending out a postcard with a matching stamp to the grandchildren, letting them know they are always welcome -- but the Cats always welcome is also appealing!

And although it is a bit early, I've started on 2010 Calendars. Mine are almost all for booklovers - quotes and sayings of interest to booklovers. There's only one big one, a wall poster.

The rest are all sweet little pocket sized, or maybe slightly larger than pocket sized - postcard sized or greeting card sized. The prices are really nice - I know a lot of my customers like to buy inexpensive gifts to give as added gifts for friends, co-workers, family or book groups, and I think these will work. The Calendars can be seen here - I'll post more about them later, they really need their own spot!

Life is a Journey

2009-07-09T09:43:00.005-04:00

It's been a busy week or so. My youngest son's girlfriend is staying with us for a couple of weeks - so two 17 year olds (though she just turned 18) in the house. Lots of energy. I haven't driven in days, they're both getting ready to take their driver's tests. And my second son and his wife just bought their first home, so we all helped them move in - which was fun. The pictures I took of the move and them sitting on the steps with my 8 year old grandson will be part of the family history, talked about and passed down for generations.

You don't realize that, of course, while you're doing that. It's just another day in your life.

But having spent some time recently going through old family stories of my grandfather's life and death, and photos of my own early life and marriages - and even my youngest son's early days only 15 or 16 years ago - I am somewhat stunned now by how meaningful these every day events can be.

Right now I am preparing to attend my first mother-in-law's funeral two states away this coming week-end. The past comes very much to mind - I do not have many photographs of Rosemary, and not even that many memories, not enough.

Whenever someone dies, I find myself sobbing not so much at their passing, but at the things I did not do with them, the things I did not say. It's all about me, still (sigh). Life is so short, and I still don't get it. And a death is about our losses, as well as the losses of the world.

I saw Rosemary last summer, but she wasn't herself. In her 80's she had been suffering from Parkinson's for some time. It had the same effect, after awhile, as Alzheimer's -- it steals away much of the memory and When I saw her, it was clear that the Rosemary I'd known, the person she was, was pretty much gone.

And yet, nobody could mourn that passing. It's an awkward state. She'd known it was coming before she left, and that makes me want to cry, although knowing the woman she was, I imagine she handled that better than most anyone could have.

She was an awesome woman. I met her when I was 19, pregnant with her 18 year old son's child. I have three sons - I don't think I would have been so kind, loving, accepting, funny, direct and genuine in the same situation (and I hope I don't have to find out - only one more to go). I know she wasn't perfect, but she was emotionally healthy, something pretty unfamiliar to me, and I loved her.

Her son and I were, of course, much too young for our marriage to survive under the circumstances we gave it. She included me every Christmas in her mailing of her funny Christmas letter she sent out to friends. She called me to let me know her husband died, though I expect she called me to let her grandson know his grandfather died. She was always there, and I know it was because she loved my ex-husband and my son, not because she thought I was marvelous (though back in those days, so hungry for mother love, I saw it that way). She treated me like I was a good person, when I felt I wasn't. I think she probably was like that with most people. She gave me my first new car in 1978.

She has always been my role-model for what a mother-in-law could be, as well as what a mother could be. I was sad to see that she was there and yet gone last summer - this week as I get ready to go to the funeral, I find memories of her as I knew her popping into my mind.

She had a big toothed smile and a hearty laugh you had to love. I remember and feel both loss and joy for the her I knew, which was just a touch of Rosemary.

On being petty

2009-06-28T15:04:00.003-04:00

Today I'm going to be petty.

I've resisted (somewhat) the complaining online about recent cuts in pay we graphic designers and artists have "suffered" at the hands of CafePress. Here's the story, for those who are not familiar with the set up.

We (the graphic designers, photographers, real artists, and such) design and create the words and pictures you find on items offered in our stores - in my shops, it's the designs on the mini bookplates, along with the interpretations of favorite booklover quotes or simple things like "Grumpa" found in my Nana's Alley shop. We spend hours doing the art, and rather than sell them in real world stores, we upload the graphics to stores on-line called POD's (print on demand) where they are sold for us.

It's a sweet deal - we provide the art and the POD business does all of the tiring stuff - the printing, processing orders, shipping, customer returns and problems. For many of us, the money that's come in has been anything from a little pocket change to a huge portion of our income. We've come to depend on it. In some ways, because I run my own business with bookplates, where I have to do all that tiring stuff myself, I think we the artists have become a bit spoiled by the POD folks!

However, it was a shock to us all this past April when we were suddenly told that any orders not coming from our own websites or links that we had were being drastically cut on commissions. Now, again, I don't think the commissions we are now getting are all that awful, having worked as a sales rep years ago, and then having overseen sales reps - 10% commission (to a sales rep) isn't bad. To an artist, however, I think it's something different.

Bear in mind, many of the artists selling their wares are awesomely talented folks. Their work is beautiful - many of them sell the real deal in the real world (framed and fancy stuff) and just use the POD's to supplement their income -- t-shirts, mugs, bumperstickers -- so having someone tell you suddenly that your artwork is only worth 10% commission has been a bit of an insult.

I haven't felt terribly insulted - my work is creative, and fun and I'm getting better at it, but it isn't exactly Van Gogh. Or Grandma Moses.

Not until this week, when I noticed what happened when a customer of mine,ordered one of my products (coming from my website), then cancelled that order, then reordered another similar product. She either called the second order in, or went in through Cafepress - I'm not sure what all happened but -- the folks at Cafepress decided that she was their customer now, not mine.

So, my commission got cut in half. I wrote and disagreed, but their basic response was, "too bad".

I am feeling a bit petty. CafePress has been very very good to me. And I'm sure they are just trying to stay alive, which I certainly want them to do.

However, what they are doing is .. peculiar at best.

Here's how it works.

Let's say an item is marked as at cost, $10.00 (this is what the seller would see - no doubt that's marked up, and it really costs a lot less - but let's leave that aside).

I can take that Item and decorate it, charge $14.00 for it and make a nice $4.00 profit. That's provided a customer buys it from my website.

If they do a search and find it through the CafePress Marketplace, the story is different, both for the customer, and for me.

The same exact $10.00 item may be marked for anywhere from $10.00's to $30.00 by CafePress.

Let's make it $20.00. Another customer buys the same exact item for $20.00, costing them $6.00 more than if they'd bought it from my website.

I get $2.00 commission.

You do the math.

So, my feel grumpy over my lost little commision may be petty but it's my pettiness.

I am not leaving CafePress, although a lot of artists have. I've found an additional POD, and I'm trying to convince customers to enter CafePress from my website (the search engines, may I add, are overpowered by CafePress -- do a search for any of the items I sell by name, and CP's entrance comes up long before mine)

Just begging, in all my pettiness, if you see something you like from any of my shops, please enter through my stores. And if you have to call in an order, please tell them your purchase was a Shop purchase. Make sure the price I quote is the one you get (if it's the lower one).

Alright. Done whining for now.

Peace!

The upside of the downside

2009-06-26T17:13:00.000-04:00

Recently -- very recently - some very bad things happened in My Little World, things that are disconcerting, to put it mildly.

There's the Economy, of course. I know I'm not alone in that. For some reason I was blithely meandering along, thinking the shake up we had back in 2000-2001 was the Big One. Denial was not my middle name, but my first name, all the way through October when I suddenly realized, my finances were not good and I really should try to find outside work.

I was also in denial about my Age. Like many of my fellow Boomers, I didn't think my being.. um.. older.. was going to have any kind of negative effect on my marketability - I have all this knowledge, experience, wisdom - surely someone would appreciate it! Several months of job seeking have given me a fresh view.

Realizing that in today's Economy, those few jobs that are out there are going for the younger crowd, I realized I needed to work harder at my own Little Business. Now, I felt smug back in 2000 when I found a niche market - bookplates are a niche market, but my niche market within that niche market was small order bookplates.

Last year my main supplier, The Antioch Company (formerly Antioch Publishing, and before that, The Antioch Bookplate Company) was sold, and along with it my supplier of bookplates. Fortunately I have a good deal of bookplates in stock but I realized I needed to get more serious about the bookplates and sidelines I've been designing.

Except - the Economy. This April, one of my secondary sources of income decided to cut the commissions paid to the artists (or graphic designers, in my case) who provide the art sold on their lines - commission checks starting with next month's check will be about half of what they've been.

Yeeeee gads. I found a secondary source for selling my graphic designs, but it's slow work right now.

To add insult to injury, my oldest computer, the one where my fonts and old records were stored, decided it had had enough, and died on me, followed by my newer family computer, where I do a lot of my design work - the motherboard died. That all happened within a 10 day period and required some technical help to pull out some records and reload them onto the remaining computer, another work computer.

But that wasn't enough. After things were running again, the wireless router decided it had had enough, and went out. On a Friday. We were essentially down and out until the following Tuesday, when someone could make it round and set us up with a new one, though we had sporadic access and work did get done.

Because this is a slow season, this happened at the best possible time for me. But not for some of my customers, who found their orders taking longer than usual and me more frazzled than usual.

So, I'm now down from four computers to two - frightening in some ways, because I don't have the resources (because of the Economy) to buy a new computer if something happens to either of the remaining ones.

This also is the year my youngest gets his driver's license, and my car insurance rockets up again. I'm having to pick up his health insurance, and he's looking at the colleges he'd like to go to, and I just want to go lie down for awhile.

On the bright side, because everything fell apart, I ended up deciding to revamp my website as long as I was having to prepare a new site for my new POD supplier.

There's a silver lining, yes?

Minimum wage would be a raise!

2009-06-25T03:04:00.000-04:00

It's 12:04 a.m.. Do you know where your website business woman is? I swear, I am working for a dime an hour, though I don't mean to complain. I enjoy this, I just wish somebody was paying me!

Spent several hours working on the main web page, not ready to upload any corrections yet. The FAQ page is updated, as is the section that answers questions about problems on the site.

But trying to lay out the bookplates and work with the Miva software in a way to make the whole thing more palatable for customers is taking me years! I'd rather be making new stuff!

Tried to find a way to allow customers to type in their name and test run the fonts, but it just isn't feasible for me -- I know my competitors have it but I don't have the money or the techie knowledge. Perhaps I should put a little jar out on the store front for donations and ideas. It would be cool, but...

Inviting customers and others to read my Blog - and mixing business and personal life on Facebook and Twitter - is an odd feeling. Pleasant in some ways, it has a feeling as though a small business inworld can be something like a local shop you go to, where you know the shopkeeper and they know you, at least a little bit. That kind of business setting suits me more than the impersonal, behind the scenes type of business that I think has been on the internet for sometime. We are going back to a friendlier way, more like it was when I first "discovered" the web in 1993.

Facebook, especially, is like a big small family. I like the way I can see my sons' lives, their friends and comments and find out what's going on with them, without being intrusive or being left out. I posted baby pictures of them on my photo album there, titled "Why You Don't want your Parents on Facebook" - only viewable to friends, but they were well received. Though I wonder, as us elder folks start logging onto Facebook, will the younger ones find another place to hang out? I hope not.

I'm really enjoying the way the internet feels these days. I hope it continues.

When there's nothing happening

2009-06-24T17:50:00.001-04:00

What do you do when there's nothing happening?

Summertime is a slow time for retailers, even when the economy hasn't crashed and crumbled around you. There's a usual slow down this time of year in orders, but I seem to be more aware of it because we are home more.

Usually we go somewhere around this time, and I put a warning up on the website , notifying customers that they can place orders, but nothing will be shipped until we return.

My customers are so wonderful, most go ahead and place their orders and patiently wait the week or two until we come back without a word of complaint.

Only we're not going anywhere until late July, and that for only a few days over a week-end, so the dribbling in of orders is painful. Not just with bookplates, either - which are slow anyways. But my Cafepress orders are slower than usual, and of course, Zazzle - which is new to me - is painfully slow!

I don't think this is because of anything permanently shocking going on. And it isn't just the Economy. It's the Economy Plus Summertime. People are on vacation, puttering around outside, enjoying time off work or the nice weather, even if they don't have a lot of money to spend - it's too nice to be inside, shopping.

So, rather than panic, what should I do, what should I do?

I could clean house or work on the yard, which I am certain is the weediest house on the block. Nawwww, it's too hot and there are other things to do. Besides, my youngest son's girlfriend is coming for a few weeks. She's promised to help with all that stuff.

So I'm spending my work time (which for me is usually a good 8 - 10 hours a day) on my laptop outside or inside, depending on my mood and the heat, working on:

1) Fixing up my website.

I redesigned the main page and added a couple of new ones that look fresher to me.
I'm going to bravely look into a different shopping cart, a major change. This is the time of year to do that, before fall and the (hopefully!) Christmas rush.

This included stuff like redoing advertising and working with SEO's, techie stuff I never make time for.

2) Cleaning up inventory and old junk out of my CafePress shops shown on my main page.

3) Opening up a new shop on another POD shop (Print on Demand), also shown on my main page.

4) Creating new graphics, learning stuff I've learned over the past two years while creating things on Second Life. And here I thought that was a waste of time, just something I was doing to escape reality and have fun! Turns out, I was educating myself!

5) Wrote a little descriptive piece for Squidoo that I hope will help people who want to make their own bookplates

6) Joined Twitter which I don't really understand, but OK, follow me.

7) Got myself more active in Facebook, which I do kind of understand. I use it both to keep in touch with family/friends, and for business.

8) Started this blog, which seems mostly a place for me to write down some of the thoughts in my head.

I need to get outside more, walk around and spend time with friends. I'll put that on the "To Do" list I started. I figure if I keep a big TO DO list here, I'll do some of the stuff and check it off!

Of Pies and Books

2009-06-23T20:44:00.001-04:00

My friend Pat and I had to meet somewhere between here and there to plan the bookstore for our Yearly Meeting next month. I suggested a bookstore with a coffee shop, thinking something like Barnes and Noble with Starbuck's. I have little imagination sometimes. Pat suggested Readmore Books in Richmond, Indiana.

I drove my 72 minutes or so to get there and felt a bit doubtful, the closer I got to 901 East Main Street in Richmond. This is downtown Richmond, where the buildings are old and a little tattered looking. A block or two from Readmore was an area where you might want to lock your car doors. I've lived in places like that, when I was young, pretty, poor and guarded by my own perception of reality. Now I'm an aging female with illusions of wealth and a paranoid streak. I lock my doors.

Readmore was on a corner - no parking, which I think was a good sign for downtown Richmond. It had seemed to me most of Richmond was off in the outskirts, parked in the fancier areas where the fancy bookstore is. Not the one I'd suggested, but a discount chain bookstore with miles of books, many of them remainders - and in the back a large somewhat impersonal coffee shop with decent coffee and an offering of decent pastries and sandwiches.

Readmore doesn't look anything like that. Small, cramped in the corner, with signage that was hand done. Not some cutesy store bought to look hand done, but real stuff, painfully handwritten on plain white paper and taped to the door.

I stepped closer, expecting the sign to announce "Out of Business". But no, it was today's lunch specials. In I went and found myself in a tiny shop with a lot of magazines and a few books, a lot of tables and some smiling people, among them my friend Pat.

Pat and I spent a good three hours there, our papers spread out over two tables, our laptops plugged in around the corner behind the magazine rack (we were shown how to do it carefully so it would be less likely someone would trip on the exposed cords).

For my food, time and electric usage, I spent a total of $7.35 and forgot to leave a tip, for which I feel awful. (I'll go back and leave a big one, that's for sure - but in my mind, I was treating it like a bookstore, where I never leave tips, when in fact it is mostly local small corner restaurant, and a very good one!)

We ate breakfast, drank tea, talked on and on about the books on our ordering list (and other topics not on the approved Quaker discussion list).

While we were sitting there, someone came in asked if there was any rhubarb pie today. He was told there wasn't any today and then asked when he'd be back in.

"Well, most likely Thursday" the visitor said.

"Alright, then, there'll be rhubarb for you on Thursday," the woman behind the counter said.

I didn't need any pie, the breakfast - definitely homemade - was filling. Still, when I'd looked up the directions to get here, there was mention of the pies. Driving all this way, the least I could do was look at the pies. No rhubarb, of course. And I do like a good rhubarb pie. but there were a couple of pieces of apple pie still unclaimed, some kind of pie with nuts across the top and an uncut creamy pie that looked dreamy.

So when I ordered my slice of apple pie (which, by the way, was a generous slice indeed), I asked that friendly young woman behind the counter if the pies were homemade there.

Oh yes," she assured me. "Homemade pie is the best."

I had to agree.

Pat had something else, I'm not sure what. I was so busy moaning and stuffing my mouth with chunks of fresh apple pie, I didn't take the time to try to figure out specifically which pie Pat was moaning over.

Today I was trying to explain this to a young friend - he seemed to understand and I didn't have to apologize for loving a small bookstore that was more a pie shop to me than a bookstore.

"Hmm," he said, "would you rather go to a bookstore with a lot of books and no pies, or a bookstore with few books but great pies?"

Good question - and I think we all know the answer.

I hope many people stop on in.. I live over an hour's drive away in another state, but I'm planning to go back again real soon. Not so much for the books, but for the ambiance, the friendliness. And OK, the pies.