A Few Bad Apples

It's crazy how much time I've had to spend on copyright issues lately. I find the whole thing entirely exhausting and nothing can sap my creative juices faster.  Sadly this seems to have become a regular part of my work these days. From customers using blog banners for other purposes, to bloggers removing my logo from blog images ~ these type of issues just seem to be popping up everywhere.

Of course I'd rather be creating new imagery than writing messages filled with legal jargon. Explaining the do's and don'ts about using someone else's work isn't my idea of a fun time, but it seems a portion of the general public has suddenly become clueless on what's ok to do with other people's creations (!?).

The other part that's frustrating is that I truly like and want to keep things "upbeat" and "positive", so writing about this is not among my top choices for blogging topics. Still it is an aspect of running a business, and sadly negativity is part of this world we share, both online and off, so I guess it's bound to seep in every now and then. And since this little blog of mine is about the business I might as well use it to share all of it ~ the good and the not so.

So there's my little rant ~ which really wasn't much of one, but at least I've gotten it off my chest. I think that's a better approach than having to go the route of a "Wall of Shame" or some other random  thought that pops into my head during weaker moments of frustration.

Best,

Customer Shout Outs

I'm so happy to share with you another selection Customer Shout Outs.  These are always the most fun to post about, not only because I have the joy of knowing there are several more items crossed off my ever increasing "To-Do" List but because I have the pleasure of spotlighting my wonderful customers.

For me there's nothing more amazing than watching these projects unfold because I never really know how they will turn out. Taking a customer's vision; their likes and interests, and putting it all together is as much a mystery to me as it is to them.  It's like watching a beautiful flower bloom without knowing what type of seed you've planted.

So here are some of my most recent customers ~ I hope you'll take the time to visit, check out their themes and get to know them better...

Glamour to Whimsey

For this project the customer was already using one of my Etsy shop sets and wished to continue the theme over into several other realms included a selection of printed items.  From a Facebook cover image and mailing labels to packaging stickers and business cards this theme transitioned beautifully.

The Crystal Tree

 customer's original logo above

This project began as a simple 2-sided business card. The customer contacted me to create a new business card using her existing logo.  Putting my own 3-D twist on her darling image I brought her enchanting crystal tree to life through a swirling magickal scene. 

Not long after that project she returned with a request for an event banner.  Although it was a challenge recreating these elements in a much larger format, as 3 inches doesn't always transition well into 4 feet, the end result was truly wonderful!

 

Pip's Pastimes

This customer was actually a winner for one of my previous customer's giveaways.  Carol of Craftingranny's Card Shack held a giveaway extravaganza earlier this year and chose one of my custom blog themes as a giveaway prize.  Working with the winner was a sheer delight and we both enjoy how the final product turned out.

Loving Heart Reiki

This project involved turning a professional Reiki instructor's black and white "sacred contract" illustration to life through vivid colors.  Her requests were simply that the overall design stick to the original image and that it possess a glowing effect.  In the end I was as impressed with the outcome as she was since from a technical standpoint I created this in Photoshop rather than Illustrator.

Go Pink Wednesdays

This project was for a weekly blog event through the month of October to help spread the word for breast cancer awareness.  The task was to create an eye catching button that captured the theme centered around nail polish.  I chose to incorporate the pink ribbon into the actual polish and couldn't be happier with the outcome.

 

Carole's Soulfelt Creations

And finally we have this most recent blog theme which I previously posted about as the customer chose to gift me with a most beautiful poem.  This project was a sheer delight ~ weaving together a collection of spiritual elements and vintage ensemble seemed like a challenge at first but as with so many of my themes the pieces just seem to fall together so naturally and in the end it's nothing short of magick and divine inspiration.

Thanks so much for taking the time to share in my latest projects. There are many others I'm just finishing up with and so I hope to be sharing those very shortly in the coming weeks.

Best~

What's Your Rating??

Ok, this is really cool! My husband was listening to a marketing class the other night and stumbled upon this website that analyzes your site. It uses algorithms and links and whatnots and... oh, it could have been little trolls on bikes for all I cared...

The point is you visit http://www.websitegrader.com, type in your website (or blog) and voila! you get an instant grade on your page ~ how it ranks with other sites, how well it's laid out, how many visitors and links you have, etc., etc...

It's a really fabulous tool because it not only helps you see how your site ranks but it also helps you improve your grade ~ case in point... I was missing a bunch of meta tags, who knew?? So I popped a few in using another nifty site (www.bloggertricks.com) and cha-ching ~ my grade went up a point, woohoo!

Personally the timing couldn't be better, what with the new corners my little business is turning ~ offering Sponsors and other fabulous goodies I'll be announcing shortly ~ and I couldn't be happier with that grade of 97%! *thud* Yep... that was me hitting the floor when I first saw it, but... I really started doin' the happy dance when I saw that my Alexa rank was in the top 6.37% of all websites ~ holly molly!!

So, give it a go, see what your own business, blog, or website comes up with and remember, you can always increase your score by improving little tweeks here and there. The most important thing is... have fun!

Enjoy~

New Shop Images

Etsy's in the midst of running a terrific series on shop makeovers. It's jam packed full of info about how to set up your shop, working with listing photos, and general 'curb' appeal. ✻click here to view week 1 of the series✻

One of the key areas mentioned was the importance of an attractive shop banner and so I've taken the opportunity to create a few new shop sets, a sampling of which are pictured below...

The great thing about any of my sets is they can easily be used for other selling venues such as Artfire, in case you happen to be a double dipper like me. So click here visit my etsy shop to view the entire selection of shop images and as always...

Enjoy!