Discounts Anyone?

So you don't save much $$ on gas, but at least you can save on everything else!

I've been scoring major discounts lately just from checking retailmenot.com and also from merely using my visa card....I just had to share a few of the recent discounts...

$10 off $25 at Lowes (just fill out form and they e-mail you the coupon to use in stores)

30% off at Restaurant.com (click on link and use your visa -- valid till 5/31)

$10 off $100 at 1800contacts.com --simply use code "SAVE923"

$1.99 Garlic Parm Breadsticks at Papa Johns (VISA)!

25% off your entire order at fabric.com -- use code "2TRY8" (expires end of May)

Ann Taylor Loft --25% off full price items and free shipping --use code "104010029" (expires May 18th)

$10 off $50 -- Cafepress.com -- use code "cactus1050"

organize your wrapping paper...

I loved this post from apartment therapy...I've always wondered what I could do with that extra dead space!

you go purplepinkandorange...

I decided to do a giveaway with purplepinkandorange...I found their info. on the switchboards and I love the layout and content of their site.

My giveaway just started on Sunday and over 75 people have already commented for a chance to receive a free print. This is an awesome way to get feedback on your art! Love it!

Look out Crayola...

This is great inspiration for a Monday! Look at the custom sculpting and likeness ...and from a crayon no less! Please check out Diem Chau's site, the pictures will amaze you!

Breaking News: Map Found at IKEA...

I found this image blog surfing today and thought it was worth posting again. Good dry humor for a Monday! Click on the map image for more info.

sale at elum...

I just received an e-mail update from one of my favorite letterpress companies, elum designs--new stationery and journals! Yum!

Plus use promo code "APRIL08" at checkout to receive a 25% discount on your entire order. Hurry, this code expires on 4/30/2008.

photo courtesy of elum

Fisheye...

I found this camera after searching the sale ads at Urban Outfitters today. The Lomography Fisheye 2 Camera takes the fisheye image to a whole new level! For only $70, this camera would be a great addition to your collection. Great for impressing your college professor, nature prints or even on vacation, you can take fisheye images, long exposures (cool night pics!) and more than one exposure on the same frame! Also has a nifty flash and uses standard 35mm film. You don't even have to spend hours with photoshop filters!

Indie Fixx Contest...

Makeshift Modern is proud to be one of the sponsors of the Indie Fixx Spring Fling Giveaway! Please sign-up for her newsletter to get a free entry (must sign up between April 2nd and June 2nd). You could win all of the lovely products in the picture above (worth over $300!).

I donated a full size print (8x10) of Organic and Tropical Rain.
Both can also be purchased thru my etsy shop.

photo courtesy of Indie Fixx

IKEA...

Its been almost a year since I've taken the annual trip to IKEA in Chicago. I'm getting spring fever and that means its almost time for a day trip!! I found this awesome orange dot duvet cover...now if I can only convince my husband to let me use orange as an accent wall in bedroom??! Hmmm....

ChicCosas...Before and After...

Before...
After...I received my custom purse from ChicCosas in the mail today! Yay! I drew up this design in Illustrator, sent Deborah the fabric, and she worked her magic! I absolutely love it!!! A big thank you to Deborah Maciel from ChicCosas.

Please check out her website and order a hand bag or ask for a custom quote. Deborah is super sweet and her finished hand bags will knock your socks off!

New My Guys!

I seriously don't know why I love these so much--maybe its because they're limited edition, or because a new set is only released every 3 months...

I read the e-mail (probably within a couple hours of it being sent) announcing the special etsy release and they were almost sold out already!! Meredith is a marketing genius!

I was lucky to grab my favorite (pic above). How cute is this couple?

photo courtesy of corporate pig

All Posters dot com SALE

Huge sale at allposters.com with free shipping on orders over $9.99! Most posters are $3-$6 each. A great time to do some spring cleaning and hang up some new art!

Wired Originals...

I'm just full of interviews this week! This Q&A is with Cari from Wired Originals. She was so nice to help critique my blog when it first started and offered to do a post for me--thanks Cari!

I really like Cari's designs and I'm smitten with her "dizzy" ring (picture at left above). Cari would also like to mention that she's proud of her new earrings creation -- "Pendulum" (picture at right above), now available on her website...

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Please describe your inspiration behind the "dizzy" ring...
I've always been fond of spirals and swirls--probably due to my love for water. When I first started making jewelry in early 2007, I saw a free tutorial for a ring that was similar...I tweaked it a bit and came up with my own style, and "Dizzy" was born.

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What was your inspiration to start your site?
Friends and family were encouraging me to start my own business after seeing what I was coming up with. I don't live in an area with a lot of good craft fairs or shows, so selling online was the best choice for me. I've also starting listing on Etsy.

Describe the style of your site...
My site is always evolving. Every once in awhile I'll change the colors or the background, but I always try to keep the overall mood one of sophistication with a side of fun.

How has your business changed/grown since its beginning?
In the beginning, I wasn't really sure what I was doing, or even if I should keep doing it. All I knew for sure was I loved making jewelry and I just kept hoping other people would love it, too. It's been a slow start, but business is definitely picking up. Jewelry is hard because there's so much competition, but once your quality becomes known, word spreads much faster.

Internet businesses can be a love/hate relationship...what issues have you run into as far as site maintenance, customer service, shipping?
In the beginning getting good, clear images was my biggest hurdle--I really struggled with that. I now feel I have that part pretty well down, but the actual picture taking, editing and uploading take a long time. I spend WAY more time on images and printing off hang tags, etc., than I do on making jewelry unfortunately. I've streamlined my process as much as possible, but I'm always looking for ways to make it more efficient. My boyfriend built the basic template for my site (bless his heart) but everything else I do myself. It can be time consuming, but I like having control of the design and content.

As far as customer service goes, I make it a point to always send out a 'thank you' email as soon as I see a purchase has been made...I think a personal note is very important and appreciated.

Where do you see your biz in 5 years?
In 5 years, I hope to be able to support myself full-time with my jewelry. I work full-time at the local library right now, and it's not easy juggling the two, but I can't give either one up! I hope to slowly phase out my 'day' job over the next few years.

How do you package your products...do you include a handwritten note? cute paper?...
I designed my own logo, and found some natural looking cardstock that I use for both my jewelry tags, and gemstone meanings cards. I include both of those inside a plastic bag, for tarnish resistance, and usually put inside a silver drawstring pouch. I'll also do a brown craft jewelry box if it's requested. I also try to write a 'thank you' somewhere, usually on the tag.

If your shop could be featured on any website, magazine, art show, etc. for free--what would you choose?
There are so many! One that definitely comes to mind is the ReadyMade mag, though, because their readership values quality handcrafted goods. Their ads are very well done, but way too pricey for me at this point!

Being on the front of Etsy would be nice, too :)

Little Paper Planes...

After making an order for an art print from Little Paper Planes, I decided to e-mail kelly and ask her to do a q&a interview about her business Little Paper Planes for me. She graciously agreed. Here are the questions that I asked kelly...

What was your inspiration to start your site Little Paper Planes?

I started the site as a place for me to sell stuff my friends and I make to help support us while pursuing painting and art making.

Describe the style of your site...

Its a site that features young and emerging artists that tends to be on the illustrative style. I specialize mainly in art prints and artist type books and zines but also carry bags, jewelry and t shirts.

How has your business changed/grown since December 2004?

ha, its grown a lot. It went from a few orders and a few artists to lots of orders and lots of artists. It went from everything being hand written to all computerized, no standing in lines at the post office, I expanded by having a blog telling about art shows, new products and artists and now I will be doing a line of exclusive letterpress prints with the artists as well having the first little paper planes art show which will be in September here in LA.

Internet businesses can be a love/hate relationship...what issues have you ran into as far as site maintenance, customer service, shipping?

All of the above. I can say I hate shipping with a passion. I have been doing it once a week for three years so needless to say it is not fun. I will be getting an intern at some point to start helping me with the shipping since its time to let go of that and trust other people to package my orders. (I am super anal in packaging so I want to make sure the person makes sure the packages are perfectly packaged.) There are always technical problems, server issues etc. which is never fun but my boyfriend is good with that stuff so he helps me out. I am actually in the process of getting the site completely redone so it will function and navigate way better. I am a big fan of customer service, thats probably the thing I do the most on the site, I always try to keep it personal with all my customers, at least as much as I can.

Where do you see Little Paper Planes in 5 years?

I really don't know, its really hard to say. I never had a plan to begin with so everything has been a pleasant surprise and I feel completely grateful to sell some great work and send art to so many different people all over the world. I hope it will be running like a proper business with a warehouse and I will have people working for me, more exclusives, artist books, and more shows.

What category(ies) do your top 5 products fall into?

art prints

How do you package your products...do you include a handwritten note? cute paper?...

They are packaged in all sorts of stuff, mainly flat mailers, tubes, and bubble mailers. I used to try to do the cute stuff but I just don't have the time when you are packaging 75-100 orders at a time and 1-10 items per order it is just too hard to be all cute. I used to write on the packing slips but that again just takes to much time. I always include a LPP postcard, sometimes stickers and sometimes tea. I ship once a week on Thursdays and it usually is an almost 11 hour day.

What advice would you give artists who want to consign with Little Paper Planes?

Make sure you really look at the other art on the site and see if your work compliments it. You want to make sure you have a similar aesthetic to the other artists. If you feel like it could work you can email me and show me your art.

If your shop could be featured on any website, magazine, art show, etc. for free--what would you choose?

Well, my favorite magazine is Nylon and it IS going to be featured in May! So exciting! Though I welcome all press, its always a good thing.

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Prints that are featured in the main picture above are (from left to right)...Healing Crystals Print by Ryan Jacob Smith, Migration Print by Traci Edwards, Bear Jumper Print by Brooke Bobridge, Butterflies Print Cole Gerst/Option-g, and Big City Girl Print by Rachell

vote for me! My name is Tucker...

Vote for my dog Tucker at the Bissell MVP contest! Voting is open March 18th - 25th!