Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
SNEAK PEAK FOR SUNDAY...
My latest Gazebo Collection Layout featuring my very first Unicorn!
Created with my MOST FAVORITE K&CO line EVER, the Wild Saffron Collection- be sure to check out my auctions Sunday night to view the finished piece! I'm so happy with how it turned out!!!
Created with my MOST FAVORITE K&CO line EVER, the Wild Saffron Collection- be sure to check out my auctions Sunday night to view the finished piece! I'm so happy with how it turned out!!!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Back to the reality... of Snow for Spring Break
Well... we have been gone for a couple of weeks celebrating Spring Break with my family. We just got back to beautiful Southern Oregon thinking that finally we would have some nice weather... and low and behold it is snowing today. Once again, what ever happened to Global Warming because it sure hasn't affected my neck of the woods.
My next gazebo layout will be listed on Sunday - I tried to finish before I left however time just ran out on me. I even tried shipping a box containing the layout and other things to work on - I scheduled a pickup and waited and waited for it to deliver at my mom's house only to find out that it was still sitting on my front porch in the rain :) Evidently my postal carrier didn't want to make the trek up to my front doorstep to pick up my packages!
I am so ready for school to start again! With the bad weather the boys are stuck inside, running amok and causing chaos!
My next gazebo layout will be listed on Sunday - I tried to finish before I left however time just ran out on me. I even tried shipping a box containing the layout and other things to work on - I scheduled a pickup and waited and waited for it to deliver at my mom's house only to find out that it was still sitting on my front porch in the rain :) Evidently my postal carrier didn't want to make the trek up to my front doorstep to pick up my packages!
I am so ready for school to start again! With the bad weather the boys are stuck inside, running amok and causing chaos!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
My Gazebo Collection...
Ok- this is FUN. Time consuming... but fun. Before I became ( I know bad grammar) a full time stay at home scrapper... I worked for Gazebo MFG company here in Oregon that specialized in Redwood Gazebos. I had a lot of fun helping to pick out the collection names, and even got to help in the design of our brochures. For trade shows... my job was to make the displays look beautiful. Needless to say, I know a lot about gazebos after 10 years of selling them, servicing them, etc. So- I decided to translate this knowledge into a paper pieced version of one of our most popular gazebos called the La Linda... above is the result, I love how it turned out! After listing this one on ebay, I had many requests for a wedding layout with the same gazebo concept so you will see my attempt at this above too! Keep your eye out for more of these little paper pieced structures... I have so many ideas for these!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Ok. Scratch the Feb. 20th date... Obviously!
Ok, well the ebay boycott is over. Did it accomplish anything? Not sure. Doesn't look like it- it might when the feedback changes go into effect though in a couple months!
Anyway- by then I will have my website set up, that is if we can make it past all these hurdles! What a pain in the @$$ it has been! So... new launch date of March 1st! STAY TUNED...
Anyway- by then I will have my website set up, that is if we can make it past all these hurdles! What a pain in the @$$ it has been! So... new launch date of March 1st! STAY TUNED...
Friday, February 8, 2008
Etsy... or is it Artsy?
Well, if you haven't heard yet - for all those crafty kinda gals, we are setting up new shops on ETSY! Etsy is the place to find all sorts of Artsty Fartsy kind of work- and the BTDL gals are making the move along with the majority of the craft sellers on Ebay! You can now find me at:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5384940
And soon... very very soon (February 20th to be exact) I will have my new website finally ready! YAY ME!
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5384940
And soon... very very soon (February 20th to be exact) I will have my new website finally ready! YAY ME!
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
A Sad Day for Ebay Sellers... or should I say, days to come
Well... finally it happened. Ebay's greed has taken over and they have unleashed a multitude of changes and fee increases that will eventually usher in their down fall in my opinion. If there wasn't competition for Ebay- there will be now. Petitions to Google are in the hundreds of thousands with signatures daily...
Last week Ebay released their new fee structure going into effect on Feb. 20th and their new feedback policy that will go into effect in May. With the outrage going on worldwide, which has now reached world wide news - CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and a host of others- sellers are praying that Ebay will come to it's senses.
In 5 years of selling on ebay, I never thought that anything like this would happen. Sure there is grumbling when Ebay raises it's fees periodically but this time around they are trying so hard to masque the increases with accentuating what they deem as "positive" changes.
They are taking away the gallery fee... they are reducing the initial listing fees somewhat but the kicker is this... a 67% hike in the final value fees. So, anyway you look at it- and crunch the numbers- your fees will go up even with the removal of the piddly gallery fee and some change on the initial listing fee especially if your product sells for a higher amount. They tout "you asked and we answered" - what? I cannot afford to sell on ebay now!
I think what is even worse- is the feedback changes. Sellers will no longer be able to leave a buyer a negative or neutral feedback. They are giving paypal the power to withould payment to a seller until the seller leaves positive feedback for the buyer, and can hold payment up to 21 days. So, for buyers who bid and don't pay- a seller has no options. We can not reflect this any longer with feedback. Now, a buyer doesn't have to pay in a timely fashion, they don't have to comply with terms of auction- they can pretty much do as they please because the seller has no way to protect themselves or let other buyers know when a transaction has gone bad. This makes no sense. It is just plain crazy to me! Oh- get this, they have raised the number of blocked bidders a seller can have from 1,000 to 5,000. However, if a seller can not leave appropriate feedback, then how do other sellers know who to block?
Ebay fails to realize... that it is the sellers on ebay that line their pockets with gold. We pay 20% and more in fees just to sell on ebay and use paypal. We can no longer protect ourselves from feedback left that is unwarranted if we don't comply to a buyers demands- so why sell on ebay? Why not find a place to sell where the seller is offered more protection against non payers and people who bid just to bid with no intention to pay but can leave nasty feedback regardless? It's not a game for us, this is our livlihood- and this is how I stay home with my kids and still manage to earn a living.
Sellers have staged a week long boycott that will go into effect from Feb. 18-Feb 25th. This is to send ebay a message. Change the changes, or I'm going elsewhere along with a lot of others.
I am checking in to "Etsy" which is an online site much like ebay but craft oriented. A number of us are setting up shop there- so, I will post where you can find me just as soon as I'm set up. I'm also in the process of developing my website which will launch within the next month. If these changes do go into effect, and ebay doesn't listen to the sellers that support their company- then I am gone. It's just not worth it to me anymore!
If you have questions on the changes ebay is implementing- please email me. I'd be happy to send you all the of the documentation. If you are a seller- do your research. Ebay has sugar coated these changes to make it look like they are helping you out... it is so so so not the case...
Last week Ebay released their new fee structure going into effect on Feb. 20th and their new feedback policy that will go into effect in May. With the outrage going on worldwide, which has now reached world wide news - CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and a host of others- sellers are praying that Ebay will come to it's senses.
In 5 years of selling on ebay, I never thought that anything like this would happen. Sure there is grumbling when Ebay raises it's fees periodically but this time around they are trying so hard to masque the increases with accentuating what they deem as "positive" changes.
They are taking away the gallery fee... they are reducing the initial listing fees somewhat but the kicker is this... a 67% hike in the final value fees. So, anyway you look at it- and crunch the numbers- your fees will go up even with the removal of the piddly gallery fee and some change on the initial listing fee especially if your product sells for a higher amount. They tout "you asked and we answered" - what? I cannot afford to sell on ebay now!
I think what is even worse- is the feedback changes. Sellers will no longer be able to leave a buyer a negative or neutral feedback. They are giving paypal the power to withould payment to a seller until the seller leaves positive feedback for the buyer, and can hold payment up to 21 days. So, for buyers who bid and don't pay- a seller has no options. We can not reflect this any longer with feedback. Now, a buyer doesn't have to pay in a timely fashion, they don't have to comply with terms of auction- they can pretty much do as they please because the seller has no way to protect themselves or let other buyers know when a transaction has gone bad. This makes no sense. It is just plain crazy to me! Oh- get this, they have raised the number of blocked bidders a seller can have from 1,000 to 5,000. However, if a seller can not leave appropriate feedback, then how do other sellers know who to block?
Ebay fails to realize... that it is the sellers on ebay that line their pockets with gold. We pay 20% and more in fees just to sell on ebay and use paypal. We can no longer protect ourselves from feedback left that is unwarranted if we don't comply to a buyers demands- so why sell on ebay? Why not find a place to sell where the seller is offered more protection against non payers and people who bid just to bid with no intention to pay but can leave nasty feedback regardless? It's not a game for us, this is our livlihood- and this is how I stay home with my kids and still manage to earn a living.
Sellers have staged a week long boycott that will go into effect from Feb. 18-Feb 25th. This is to send ebay a message. Change the changes, or I'm going elsewhere along with a lot of others.
I am checking in to "Etsy" which is an online site much like ebay but craft oriented. A number of us are setting up shop there- so, I will post where you can find me just as soon as I'm set up. I'm also in the process of developing my website which will launch within the next month. If these changes do go into effect, and ebay doesn't listen to the sellers that support their company- then I am gone. It's just not worth it to me anymore!
If you have questions on the changes ebay is implementing- please email me. I'd be happy to send you all the of the documentation. If you are a seller- do your research. Ebay has sugar coated these changes to make it look like they are helping you out... it is so so so not the case...
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