The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

First the good, Kerry and I received an adorable ephermera pack all the way from Canada from Altered Kat at Great Musings. She has a great blog and a really neat website with wonderful ephemera and embellishments. She does lots of giveaways and offers freebies galore. Thanks Kat, for the great packet of things. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Stop by and visit her when you have a chance.

The bad, we are offering a fabulous class next week--The advent calendar class. (see the photo) We loved making this project! So much so, that we each made two. One for December and one for the fall months. So what's bad about this? We only have two people signed up for the class. We may have to cancel!

We offered lots of classes during our first year in the studio. We pulled back a bit during our second year. Our friends and studio regulars started asking for new and different classes again, so we came up with a few. We have lots of interest and few sign-ups.

So many variables go into whether or not some one signs up for a class. the time of year, holidays, money, other time commitments, family, class topic, etc, etc.... Kerry and I haven't become mind readers, yet. Someday we'll have it down and know how to make everyone happy.
In case you're interested, here are our two classes this season. If you're not local, we're sorry. If you know someone in the area of Boulder and East Boulder County Colorado, pass along the information.

UPCOMING CLASSES:

• November 8 (NEW DATE!!) Magnetic Mixed Media Advent Calendars – perfect for your home or as a special gift. Check out our samples to see the possibilities.
  7:00pm – 9:00pm
  $45
  
• November 27 Collaged Candles and Wine boxes – It’s your call, make as many as you like!
  7:00pm – 9:00pm
  $10 per item

The ugly. Sometimes customers can be tricky. We always hope that our customers are satisfied with their purchases, from Amazon, from our Etsy shop, or from our website. We make every attempt possible to make a customer happy if they are not satisfied with their order. That being said, we have come to realize that some people are hard to please. Others are, in fact, impossible. It is that occasional, impossible person that causes things to get ugly. Recently we had an order for a cute little pendant from our Amazon shop. In fact this pendant has been flying off our bench--we have to keep 4 or 5 in inventory just to keep up! It is simple, it is easy to wear with lots of styles, and it is inexpensive. This pendant is made from something called Crazy Horse Stone. Our gem and stone wholesaler describes this stone this way: Crazy Horse Stone~ A kind of limestone material (from China) exhibiting natural circles and lines of flamboyant colors and combinations. No two pieces are alike. This material mixes well with many colors. Coated with clear epoxy to provide better luster and hardness.

So here is the ugly part, one of the recent customers who ordered this pendant wrote a review (rating us 1 out of 5) that says this: "show and said stone...when real is plastic!!!" Not only that, she has filed a complaint with Amazon against us. This is upsetting to both Kerry and myself. We certainly have offered this customer a refund, but her goal now seems to cause trouble for us.

The truth is, we don't sell plastic jewelry. We don't attempt to misrepresent our jewelry or ourselves in any way. We do want our customers happy. But, how do you resolve a situation with someone who doesn't really want resolution?

So, there it is folks, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I guess we'll tough it out! We hope you all have a great weekend!

S a n d y l a n d - Handpainted Pottery

Next Friday, October 19 and Saturday, October 20, we have invited 4 artists to join us for our fall art and fine craft sale. I would like to take the opportunity to introduce you to each of the artists who will be joining us.

Today, you will meet Sandy. Sandy has a gentle soul, and a big heart. She is new to selling and marketing her art; it is a challenging and vulnerable position for anyone to be in. We think that Sandy's art is special because she takes regular items and turns them into magical, whimsical creations. When looking at her pieces, it's hard to even imagine that they had a "life" before she got her hands on them.

She says this about her work: "My work takes on many forms from pottery, painted tiles and "found" objects to greeting/post cards, prints, magnets, pins, containers, tote bags, clothing, et cetera. A large part of my inspiration comes from a desire to honor the Earth and all living Beings. I RECYCLE gently used items so that they will be REUSED, thereby RENEWING each item so that it is REBORN. Each piece has a chance to return to life rather than taking up dead space on our planet. Inventory is constantly changing as I "find" new treasures to paint/rebirth. This process also supports local agencies, charities, those-in-need as I purchase most of my items at places like the Habitat for Humanity Thrift Store, Greenwood Wildlife Thrift, Ares, Salvation Army, Savers and many, many more. Most of my work involves recycled parts, some does not. My images range from the comical to the spiritual. "

Sandy redefines "recycling" and uses it as a creative outlet. Her pieces are special, she gives new life to carefully chosen pieces with her magical painting. She takes re-purposing to a whole new level. We are glad that she will be joining us for the sale. And, we are happy to be able to share her work with you.

You can read more about Sandy and see her work on her website. You can come to our studio on October 19 and 20 and see her work in person. What more could you want, a unique piece of art that is eco-minded as well?

and the winner is.....

Thanks to everyone who signed up for our giveaway! We were excited to read all the suggestions people made for our studio.

Using the random number generator, the number 5 was picked. That number belongs to Kari and Kijsa, who left us the fifth comment on our giveaway blog. Congratulations, ladies!

Kari and Kijsa have a great blog and website with fabulous design tips and ideas! They are two talented sisters!

Stay tuned, we may do another giveaway!

Deal of the Day: Swag Bag Giveaway!

We have some wonderful goodie bags left from our launch party. We would love to share! So it's time for a swag bag giveaway! We will draw a name, at random, to select the winner. To qualify for the giveaway:

• leave us a comment and give us a piece of advice about the best way to get people into our studio;
  
• you must have a US mailing address (which we will contact you for, should your name be drawn);
  
• leave a link to your site or blog, or if you don't have a site or blog, leave your email address;

If you win, you will receive one (1) goodie bag via the USPS. You will receive a bag similar to the ones pictured. The items (and colors of the items) in the bag will vary, but each bag will contain 3 handmade items. The drawing with be on Monday, October 8.

Good Luck! We can't wait to read your comments!

Studio Tour, Part I

It occurred to me that we should give you a studio tour. So, here is the first installment. This is the outside of the studio. It is a one room building in my (Rachel's) back yard. To the best of my knowledge, it was build at the same time as the house, in 1890.
Kerry so eloquently wrote about our studio last March in this blog. But I don't think that we have given you a visual tour.
(This is also a way for me to stall. Amy tagged me, and I just can't think of what to write. Gee, I hate writer's block. But, come Monday, I promise to get it done!)

Etsy - Showcase for Handmade Items

We have recently listed some of the art items on a sales and showcase site called www.etsy.com. It features thousands of handmade items sold by artists around the country. Every time I start looking at all of the fabulous things for sale on Etsy, I get just sucked in. I can't stop looking and going from store to store. Rachel does the same thing and then we email items to each other in case one of us missed them.

Cowgirl Apron Sold On Etsy

It just amazes me to see how many talented and creative people there are. There are so many artists living typical lives in our country. You could probably find several people in your own neighborhood who make fabulous works of art. You don't have to go to a museum to find art. There are people doing textile work, pottery, woodworking, paper media etc. The list of mediums is endless. I love to see people's work. It inspires me and as I look at their items, I want to create more as well.

Take a look at our store at www.etsy.com and let us know what you think. Let us know who your favorite sellers are. We would love to check them out.