My Mommy comes to visit us today for a long stay! Yahoooooo! I love my mom and she is such a great support for what I do. She bounces ideas around with me, we brainstorm things to make and she is my support when it does not work out how I want.

I know a lot of fabulous mom's out there. Here is a huge shout out to them. A huge hug and kiss for each great home cooked meals, the washing that magically reappeared into the closet all clean and pressed, the help with last minute projects (lots of those : ) ), fixing all those things that just needed fixing. For just being there. For all the great hugs you give us.

My fondest memories are of coming home and my mom would be there and suddenly the world was OK again. All the school bulling vanished, nasty kids became unimportant, homework not too much and of course there was always a snack and a cold glass of milk to have with our chat.

I have been blessed with a great relationship with my mom. I have been able, through my whole life, to be able to discuss anything with her. She always understood, even when I did not want to share something.

I am a mom now which has just added to the appreciation of all the things my mom did. I used to think she was so lucky not having to rush off anywhere everyday, but I did not think of all the things running a house takes. I did not know as my mom did them all. I never once asked if she minded being home- giving up her career to be there for us. I am trying for balance between a home business which I run by myself, and being all those things a mom has to be. I am also a wife, gardener, chauffeur, cook, cleaner... well- I am a MOM!

I love you mom! Thanks for everything!!

Another week going by with no blogging : ) I have been brainstorming new things to make for Etsy to sell. I love making bears and soft toys but I am starting to think it is not enough.  So now we look at ideas that could sell all year round as gifts and below the $25 to 30 mark.
Not as easy as it sounds because once you have added in time, material costs and other things that make up the final selling price of an item, it is easy to be over that!

A typical  formula I now use to price stuff is:

ITEM COST = COST OF MATERIALS+ COST OF LABOR+ LISTING FEES + SELLING FEES+ PAYMENT PROCESSING FEES+ COST OF PACKAGING

SELLING PRICE = ITEM COST X 4
WHOLESALE PRICE = ITEM COST X 2

As you can see there is a lot more to pricing than just materials. When I started out, I used to just take materials and multiply by 3. It works for a bit but then you realize that while the price sounds great if you are a buyer of goods, as a seller it is priced more as a hobby rather than a viable living. I have been told so many times by people that my bears are so expensive. I make a living doing this and I have a lot of costs associated with this. I did not add Overhead as a category in my formula as a lot of my costs are covered as I work from home and do not rent a space and my cell is used for more than just work. It is hard to split this out. It also takes a long time to make a collector bear.
 My bears are meant to last a lifetime and to be passed on to the next generation. They are made as such and prices as such.

Even so, with that fancy formula I often end up with a price that is not realistic to sell the bear at. Often it ends up being a compromise between the two formulas: old and new.

So now I am looking at making things such as book covers with applique animals, coffee cozies, tissue holders and satchel messenger bags with animals appliqued on. The list will grow...

Any ideas?

What my kitchen counter looks like right now! I am trying to get the monster (E calls him Gum Drop) and Fall Bear finished for Halloween so I must do that and list- well, like- today. Listing takes a long time as you want to be sure you not only tell what is important about the character you are listing but also that you spell correctly. I am amazed at how many times I have gone back to see a listing and found mistakes in the wording and spelling. I have many "cross gender" animals being called he and she in the same paragraph !

Photos still are my main bug-bear. That means my main problem. How do you convey the softness of the fur, the luxury of the fur and the expression of the animal. Sometimes you really do need to see them in person.

I am still in the planning stages of E's next birthday.  I know it is in December, but the speed at which this year has gone by tells me not to delay too long. I am hoping to have many items listed for the Holiday Shopping Season. Etsy tells us what to do and when but it does help that it is not my first season doing this. Still got a lot to learn though...

As we stand right now, the theme is still Alice in Wonderland and I am thinking of casting silver keys as the party favor. My jewelry studio is finally up and running!! Yay! Look at Etsy soon for some earrings, stack rings and necklaces. I love making chain necklaces and bracelets. I almost have some  finished. Silver sure has gone up in price since I last had to purchase it. I can see why so many studio artists are working in metals other than silver and gold. I have seen some gorgeous stuff out there:

This is a friend's work- check out her fabulous style: https://www.etsy.com/shop/KimberleyMorris

I lost touch with Kim a while back and was thrilled to find her work on Esty. She is super talented and works in a strong, beautiful and bright style. Her materials are unconventional, but then I remember her being so too and enjoying her company because of that.

I hope to show pictures of jewelry in progress soon. It is kind of hard to photo and work at the same time : )  I am also going to explore some polymer clay jewelry as that will allow me to add a sculptural element to my work. Watch this space...