Friday, May 24, 2013

When Life Hands You Lemons You Make Lemonade - And Not Be Afraid To Use Real Sugar!

Hello Friends! Wow, this place is dusty !! hack hack COUGH!!

Hi there!! How have you all been. Spring is here though it feel like Winter today. 45 degrees?? Seriously?? LOL!
So, what can I tell you today? Well I can say I missed blogging. I can't do that FaceBook thing and post every single thing on the net lol! So I think I will stick with what works..for me. So as you guys already know I have been up and down and all round the net between Arfire and Etsy..and this website and that selling my wares. are trying to keep up with the Jones-es of the ever growing artisan world.

But it was time for some humble pie. I got burnt out..It is as simple as that . I couldn't handle the demands after the Winter of 2011 and be a single parent work at home mom. Pride and be a P.i.T.A as you look at other artisan single moms that seemed to have it under control..that whole "I will feel like a failure or a wuss, I can do this" And I could ...but orders were late ..sometimes very late. Customers got angry..Some spoke back about me very harshly....some spoke bad about me privately and publicly.


ImageSource:http://thesestones.wordpress.com/2011/06/30/lemon-face/


Etsy cut me out of their world. Yep, after 5yrs and all that hard earned money I paid in fees, years of promoting they gave me the boot. Why?? For being human, flawed..burnt out unable to keep up and being willing to admit it... But the online shopping world can be so demanding..and forgetful there is a human behind the monitor..who can't control the federal government, run post office if an order is lost or slowly processed. That honestly asking for 24hours to provide customer service because that is really the time I needed to reply. That is human and may have forgotten something but never intentionally.

But no badmouthing of Etsy here. No love lost. I still adore them and all the artwork I find and shop for. They gave me my wings to fly and grow. They gave me the exposure for the world to know who Nyblaque and SwanRiverStone was I have NO REGRETS! Etsy still rocks!! Like most relationships, sometimes things come to an end. Time to grow and move forward with all the hopes for the best.


ImageSource: http://homeschoolpool.info/home_school_curriculum/economics/lemonade-day-2012/
The one thing I wish the online shopper to keep in mind is what I have I learned as an online buyer and seller of handmade: True handmade things take TIME. I have been off Etsy since June 2012..I have noticed more & more how sellers from the range of near begging to flat out demanding are making extra efforts in their shops asking for patience from the buyer...regarding shipping time, creation time, customer service..etc. You MUST have patience if you want the real deal and for it to be done right. That most of us actually LOVE our work. Care about what we create.. truly sweat, cry and for some of us bleed making our skills come to touchable life to sell to the world...but I suppose I digress. Now there is never any excuse for poor service..I just know I was not perfect. Lessons learned

So here I am in 2013. I have learned alot and have no regrets.. Not one. I have been busy crafting and working at home. Teaching my cousin how to make her own jewelry and gifts and teaching at our local library bead stringing and wire wrap classes for the elderly. Raising my beautiful son and keeping a close eye on my daughter! Life has always been good. Up, down left or right everyday IS a blessing.


ImageSource:http://blog.jordanmatter.com/2011/09/racing-clock-sunrise-and-spontaneity-on.html





I am coming back to the net to sell again new and improved. I miss it soo much but I miss the community more. Finding new talent, sharing what other are doing, learning new things...and of course chatting it up!! I miss BLOGGING. Twitter is ok but I'm an avid reader I like to sit back and read a good blog post. 140 characters is not enough for me;-)

In closing. I'm here. Baby steps but glad to be back. Look forward to reconnecting soon. To those who care, I'm sorry I have been out of touch. I have missed you guys & gals and look forward to reading what you have been up to. And to those who have long gone or whatever...always love and best wishes to you. We all grow and move on some take it personal I look at it as just another stage of life, we are here only for a time. The time shared is the time that counts.

Happy Weekend!





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