The Etsy shop and the blog have been on hiatus, but we are back! I'm working with existing stock for now, but enjoying making some sales and getting to know new visitors to Etsy.
My best wishes to friends old and new during this long, cold winter. Have some soup!
It’s been a quiet week in the shop, so I thought I would start upgrading some photo backgrounds. These “I Want Candy” magnets look happier against a proper dinner setting, all set for a Labor Day picnic!A very happy Labor Day weekend to one and all.
Taking photos for the Etsy shop is beginning to feel like playing pool to me. Every once in a while I nail a shot, but I never know how I did it! This photo was just a test shot to adjust the white balance on my camera before photographing the three little magnets in the center. I also wanted to try shooting from farther away and then perhaps cropping. I wasn’t paying attention to the composition (or the fact that it was a food theme), I just pulled a magazine off the coffee table and put the magnets on the white portion after a couple failed sets of photos where I couldn’t get the browns or white balance right. It wasn’t until I transferred the images off the camera that I noticed this test shot had an internal logic all its own.
Part of the problem I’m having is my items are so small, about 3/4" diameter, so I need to use the camera’s macro setting. But for Etsy’s photo boxes, that means showing images of small items in a very large size, and sometimes the extreme close-ups actually don’t look much like the magnets in person. I don’t think this shot is the solution — I don’t typically like backgrounds that overwhelm the subject, although in this case the accidental whimsy factor (candy magnets against a photo of lunch) kind of works. I’ve listed two other sets similar to these “candy” magnets but this is the first time the colors have come out right without distortion. So while I’m happy for now with this “accident,” I’m still seeking photo tips!1% of the sales price for these “Eye Candy” Dessert Magnets (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.
I’m resisting listing Christmas items this early (I’m making them, just setting them aside for later). But I did find some autumnal colors and patterns that really appealed to me. My first foray into warmer colors came from a source that only yielded a few circles, so I made them into a little 4-set I’m calling Sedona Sunset (left), since it reminded me of colors and patterns in the Southwest.
I also really liked this African-themed pattern (or at least it felt reminiscent of African fabrics to me), which yielded the first of several eventual sets I’m calling African Autumn (right) These and a few other new items are available — where else! — at 13 Delancey Street’s shop on Etsy.
1% of the sales price for all the items in my Etsy shop donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits
I spent part of the evening over on the Etsy forums, searching topics on older threads. There’s a world of information there for new sellers — very cool! I was geekily excited to learn about “repositionable” glue dots, which may help solve my dilemma about how to package magnets so they don't immediately demonstrate magnetic attraction, flip over, and stick to each other. I was also really pleased to find a source for biodegradable clear cello bags (a happy alternative to polypropylene), which I may start using to package the magnets instead of just upcycling random packaging material from home. Lots and lots of terrific info from experienced sellers: what a wonderful community!
I have some new items in the shop. Little Cocoa Pops (right), are a nice chocolate brown and a bit more understated than my other bubbles. I’m also excited about a new series, “New You” (above) which I like since they’re motivational and positive.1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.
It’s been a quiet week in the shop, so I thought I would start upgrading some photo backgrounds. These “I Want Candy” magnets look happier against a proper dinner setting, all set for a Labor Day picnic!
Taking photos for the Etsy shop is beginning to feel like playing pool to me. Every once in a while I nail a shot, but I never know how I did it! This photo was just a test shot to adjust the white balance on my camera before photographing the three little magnets in the center. I also wanted to try shooting from farther away and then perhaps cropping. I wasn’t paying attention to the composition (or the fact that it was a food theme), I just pulled a magazine off the coffee table and put the magnets on the white portion after a couple failed sets of photos where I couldn’t get the browns or white balance right. It wasn’t until I transferred the images off the camera that I noticed this test shot had an internal logic all its own.
I’m resisting listing Christmas items this early (I’m making them, just setting them aside for later). But I did find some autumnal colors and patterns that really appealed to me. My first foray into warmer colors came from a source that only yielded a few circles, so I made them into a little 4-set I’m calling Sedona Sunset (left), since it reminded me of colors and patterns in the Southwest.
I also really liked this African-themed pattern (or at least it felt reminiscent of African fabrics to me), which yielded the first of several eventual sets I’m calling African Autumn (right) These and a few other new items are available — where else! — at 13 Delancey Street’s shop on Etsy.
I spent part of the evening over on the Etsy forums, searching topics on older threads. There’s a world of information there for new sellers — very cool! I was geekily excited to learn about “repositionable” glue dots, which may help solve my dilemma about how to package magnets so they don't immediately demonstrate magnetic attraction, flip over, and stick to each other. I was also really pleased to find a source for biodegradable clear cello bags (a happy alternative to polypropylene), which I may start using to package the magnets instead of just upcycling random packaging material from home. Lots and lots of terrific info from experienced sellers: what a wonderful community!
I have some new items in the shop. Little Cocoa Pops (right), are a nice chocolate brown and a bit more understated than my other bubbles. I’m also excited about a new series, “New You” (above) which I like since they’re motivational and positive.
