Changing the address

I finally took the plunge tonight and moved all the posts on this website onto my new one - nisseworks.com. And it was much less painful than I expected... I was convinced posts would go missing, photos would end up bungled or I would break the internet somehow.

But it all went smoothly. Yay!

And from now on, that's my new home. So change bookmarks, redirect links, do whatever you have to.

See you there :)

On the move

Within the next week, this blog will be moving to it's new home - nisseworks.com. I will try to keep this as painless - for everyone - as possible. I will keep this blog running for as long as I'm moving posts & comments, but in the new year, it will no longer be my home.

I'm starting a new venture - a shop. My own shop. I will list pieces and products there that aren't available in my ArtFire and Cargoh shops. I need a home for the stationery/design work I'm creating and this seemed like the best solution. I'll probably list a few special pieces, too, like handmade felt toys and such... it's also where I hope to showcase my custom work.

Things are going in a very different - but happily different - direction than I had planned when I started this little handmade adventure earlier this year. I know where I want to end up and the path I was on was not going to help me get there. I'm happy I've made the decisions I have and hope that things keep progressing. Even if it's at a snail's pace.

(and yes, I did mention this previously. this time, it's a definite go.)

Customized creations

This is how my head feels today. Ugh.

I'm sick - again, 3 time in 6 weeks - but thanks to my iPod Touch, I can keep on top of emails and read some pretty fantastic blogs (scoutiegirl - seriously wonderful. Same with design*sponge).

And it's a good thing I can check my emails from under a pile of blankets on the couch. I sold this wallet a few weeks back to a customer in Austin, TX. It was one of my favourites to do - I love the argyle print on this oh-so-soft material and business card holders are a must-have in my life. I've gone through 4 since I started carrying my own earlier this year (3 were 'just because'; 1 ended up being a victim of spilled apple juice in my purse).

This morning, I had an email from the wallet's buyer to do a custom order. This will be the first custom order I've had from someone that I isn't a friend; this will also bring the number of custom orders I've had since mid-August to 6.

I've been very interested in doing custom orders since I started doing this earlier this year. I've tried to research exactly how to do it, how to promote the availability of doing custom work, and the only thing I can come up with is to just say I'll do it. Make sure it's mentioned somewhere, everywhere, I can. Especially with the holidays coming up, custom work should be in demand. Handmade should equal custom; custom should equal one-of-a-kind. And who doesn't want one-of-a-kind pieces? Individuality is a good thing :)

So here's my first official statement & promotion: I do custom work. I can't sew a wedding dress, but if you take a look at one of my shops - ArtFire or Cargoh - or my Facebook page, there may be something that strikes your fancy (even poke around on this blog - I've posted some things I've done for Maddy that might be of interest). I will be totally honest and upfront about what materials I have access to and time frames for completion.

If you would like some info on custom orders, just email me: nisse.works{at}gmail{dot}com. I'll try to get a more 'official' posting up this week for custom orders and what I can offer.

More frugality

I've been looking for leather to use for various projects for months now. Buying leather wholesale is just way too expensive - and the only choices I can find for sizes is either small (8x11") or HUGE (a whole hide). So I've been on the lookout for a decent leather jacket that I could use to make handles and possibly even bags with.  Every time I go to the second-hand shops in town, I've found jackets that were ok, but not great. I wanted something that had been taken care of, not scratched and tattered beyond use.

I've been finding a lot of unique and quite useful pieces at our local MCC Thrift Store.  This jacket was one of them. It's in incredibly good shape, with a couple of small tears along seams and worn bits here and there, but it's a decent size and is such a lovely, rich reddish-brown that I couldn't turn it down.

The $8 price tag didn't hurt, either.

The extra-wonderful bonus to this jacket is the lining - it's got a zip-in vest lining, made with 100% wool felt and polyester, both of which are in incredible shape. I'm really excited about the possibilities that this piece can bring to my work.

I may even have time in the next couple of days to start taking it apart to get working on making handles and such soon... glee!

Changing it up

There's a very unmistakable chill in the air these days... yes, fall is here, but around here, it also means winter is right on it's heels. There's frost on the car's windshield this morning and the furnace has been on since yesterday.

I still haven't tidied up my gardens and don't know if I'll be able to do the full-on tear-up-and-roto-til I wanted to this year. We've got a fair bit of compost and a lot of leaves in the yard, all perfect for a winter mulch, but ever since I went off my thyroid meds last week, I've got no energy to do anything physical. The good news is I get to go back on my meds in 3 weeks, right after my second (in 10 months) radioisotopes scan... hopefully I'll get some of that energy back and the snow stays away for me to get the much-needed yardwork done.

October 1 was a big turning point in my business. I closed my Etsy shop and opened my ArtFire shop. I'm staying away from reading forums of any kind, as much as possible. I can't deal with the overall negativity they breed and I really don't have time to waste on them, anyway. I have much more important things to do, like build up connections and network with other crafty/handmade folks.

I made a 3-month to-do list last night and was kind of surprised at how little I've got on it. There's the usual 'make stuff, sell stuff' on it, but beyond that... I didn't include anything extremely challenging or too far out of the ordinary. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. I'm sure challenges will pop up along the way, but have I purposely put any in place? I don't think so. I may have to rectify that.

Close door, open windows

I closed my Etsy shop this morning and moved most of my pieces over to ArtFire. I'll be listing a few bags from Etsy in my Cargoh shop later, too.

I'm feeling good about this. Within the month, I'll hopefully have my shop open on my soon-to-be new website, and with the move to ArtFire and more focus on Cargoh, things are looking up.

Or, at least, I'm saying they are. A little positivity can't hurt, right?