Keep it Simple

TamaranDesigns has been around for about 4 years now and from the beginning I worried and toiled over making my business look "professional". This meant trying to have a cohesive brand while not spending a fortune on supplies, (bags, labels, cards, etc...). I found this very difficult since I am not a major retailer and don't have the buying power of say Macy's when it comes to having packing supplies look like mailing supplies look like, well you get it. So I inadvertently spent a small fortune on printer ink cartridges in an attempt to make my own matchy matchy brand identity. As I participated in more shows this season than any before I began to notice something from my fellow artisans and started to wonder why do all of my supplies have to look like I'm a major retailer, doesn't that sort of defeat the whole aesthetic of handmade small business? I saw so many wonderful talented artisans who's bags weren't all the same, using re-purposed tissue paper and worrying more about a high quality handmade item rather than looking like Bergdorf's. A heavy weight was suddenly lifted off of my soul, I no longer have to run around printing letter heads and mailer labels that match my business card, or search for the right shade of tissue paper to look like it was custom made for me. Yippeee, now all I will worry about are my creations, as it should be for artisans and craftspeople

How about the whole set?

For the first few years of TamaranDesigns pretty much all of my work was "one of a kind" and definitely all "statement" pieces. The kind of things that you wouldn't want to have anything matching. Last year however I introduced a new line called Alice Toowilliger which are a more streamlined, basic set of pieces. This seemed to be what the customers out there wanted. So far it's been a great success, as a matter of fact I would say that the Alice Toowilliger line has become my "bread and butter". I find that most of the pieces that I've worked into my own wardrobe are from this line as well. I however am a maniac for color, even my favorite dishes are a multi colored set of fiesta ware so it just didn't occur to me to make sure that I had matching pieces on hand at the shows I've been doing this season. At the very first show I did though my customers started requesting them, (matching gloves for this cowl or a matching hat for those gloves). The color combinations that I did have on hand gave me a good bit of insight into my mind set while I was yarn shopping and then deciding what colors to use for what pieces. And even though I can make any AliceT item in any color of the provided swatch pallet, when at a show customers want to buy and take home the whole package then and there. So I got to work making sure I had enough of a variety of my Alice pieces to put together "sets". So how about a nice "set" of winter wear for that gift to your niece, or sister, or mom, or....

Two additions to my holiday schedule

December 12
10am-5pm
The Emerging Leaders in the Arts Buffalo, (ELAB)
art sale to be held at the Pearl Street Bar and
Grill in downtown Buffalo.


SQUEAKY WHEEL'S ANNUAL DYSFUNCTIONAL HOLIDAY PARTY (v.10)
Saturday, December 18
8:00pm - 11:00pm
Squeaky Wheel
712 Main Street
Buffalo, NY

The Holidays!

Hi all, here is a list of the events at which you can find me, TamaranDesigns, at selling my wares this holiday season. Check back for updates since there will be a few more for which I don't have dates yet.

Daeman Homecoming & Family Weekend Brunch
11:00 am - 1:00 pm - Wick Center: Wick Dining Room
4380 Main Street, Amherst, NY 14226
Enjoy this elegant buffet-style brunch featuring live musical
entertainment by BABIK (voted WNY's Best Jazz Band). Several of
Daemen's student organizations, artists, and hobbyists will also have
booths and displays set up in as a city-style marketplace for your
perusal and patronage. Pre-sale tickets for the brunch are only $7.00
presale ($7.95 at the door); Current resident students do not need to
buy a ticket; children under 5 years old are free.

14th Annual Buffalo Women's Gifts
Saturday, November 13, 2010
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Asbury Hall at Babeville
341 Delaware Avenue at West Tupper

Trocaire Alumni Assoc. Artisan show
Saturday, November 20th, 2010
11a.m.—4 p.m.
Russell J. Salvatore School of Hospitality
6681 Transit Road
Lancaster, NY 14086

Holiday Arts and Crafts Show
Date: December 11, 2010
Time: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo
695 Elmwood Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14222

I'm back!

Well it's been a great summer. I had fun, went places, lived adventures, and spent a lot of down time doing only what I wanted to. But the weather is turning and people are starting to look for those warm and snuggly items that keep us all warm, so I'm back and open for business.
I finally left etsy behind once and for all, I feel they never had my best interest at heart, but certainly had their hands out for my fees. I read on another blog where an artist closed her etsy shop, paid her bill, then promptly filed a chargback with her bank for "services not rendered" and she did get her money back. Although I am not ballsy enough to try that, (but big positive kudos to the person/people who did), I feel I've spent a lot of time and money for the same lack of services and have had enough. 1,000 Markets is no more so that's a bust, or a Bonanza as the case may be, which is a site that I truly didn't feel met my needs, (not a bad site however for what it's worth).
I'm selling at Zibbet and Artfire and just applied to Cargoh, (which is juried so it's not a given that I'll get in).
Early this year I joined a great group of women artisans, who's fan page can be found here:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Buffalo-Niagara-Falls-region/Women-Helping-Other-Artists-WHOA/323787254716
The connections I'm making there is upping my festival and show presence in the WNY area this holiday season and I couldn't be happier about that. So all in all I'm back and I truly do believe better than ever!

Finding myself, re-inventing myself, and taking the summer off to boot!

Last fall I found myself getting the inspiration bug sometime in September, and started working again, (finally). I told everyone that I un-intentionally took the summer off, which wasn't a lie because I hadn't planned on not doing anything work related all summer. This spring I felt determined that I wasn't going to do the same thing but here it is almost mid july and I haven't much of anything. Well, I've thought a lot about things, things like my style, my design, my business acumen, and all sorts of other "junk" and here's what I've come up with so far...
Somehow in 1999-2000 I managed to lose my style, this is due to a two part situation. First I had cosmetic surgery that changed to overall shape of my body and second I moved from NY to Ga. The Georgia part impacted me in that I fell madly in love with southern food and couldn't stop eating it, so like "poof" I gained a bunch of weight, which further affected my not knowing how to dress my new body shape. Then there's that crazy heat down south, who the hell wants to put clothes of any kind on when it's 98 degrees with 89% humidity. Also I feel there's a whole different aesthetic and sensibility down there that I just never "meshed" with.
So finally this spring, after almost 3 years of being back up north I've found my style and remember how much I love the fun of fashion, the art of decorating ones self, and the burn I've always had to create my own decorations for this purpose!
With all of that being re-discovered I now plan on proceeding this fall with work that follows my passion, things that make me smile as opposed to things that I think will sell. In the past few years I've had these basic thoughts in my head when writing patterns or working on one-of-a kinds, "keep it simple so I can keep the price down" or "will it appeal to the masses?". I didn't worry about these things when I was creating without the intention of trying to earn a living and my work was so much better then.
Now I'm thinking about just how I'm going to retool my on-line shops to best highlight my new found self. Am I going to remove the items that I made with saleability in mind rather than my aesthetic? Will I keep all of my shops around, (I've been flirting with ditching some venues for other reasons anyway), or streamline back into one store? For now I'm in the very early stages of my re-invention and I know I have a ways to go, but every day I make a new decision and come closer to having a finalized vision. By then it should be late summer and I'll be ready to get back to work.
Oh yeah, about that summer hiatus thing. Seems it's just the way it's going to be for me, I do have some summer pieces up and will probably have some next summer too. But really, once that mercury starts it's climb I'm just out of inspiration so I'll consider myself on hiatus until fall.

Spring Teaser

I had one of those fabulous bursts last night! You know how it goes, one idea hits you and then an aftershock of 12 more. Well here you have it, my teaser of at least one of the hopefully many things to come this spring/summer.

Oh another Valentines day behind us and I still have the only 3 heartsy items that I've ever made in my shop. I was thinking about it last night and maybe it's because they're cutsie and not diamond encrusted or chocolate covered? Oh well, I do keep them in my shop, (well not the hat), year round. After all VDay isn't the only time people like hearts is it?

This one is cute but doesn't fit on my big head!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=38589769

I may just keep this one, it is kind of nifty
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19997416

I really am surprised this one hasn't sold yet.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19891176

The New Alice

one of the biggest hurtles I've been facing with my two shops have been achieving the right "feeling" with my photo's. I think I"ve finally found it with AliceToowilliger! I am very excited to introduce the new Alice:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/alicetoowilliger

Hellooooo

I'm feverishly working to make myself one of the Etsy Success Stories. I know I can do it! I have two great shops and I just don't want to be a graphic designer anymore, and I don't want to be penniless either. I found some good strategy advice and have been following it. Google Analytics is my new hero, and I'm patiently waiting for syndication of my shops at Etsy.
I know about a year ago or so I had the five a day project and after about a week I gave up, but this time I'm going to preserver! Hopefully soon I"ll be blogging tips about what worked for me, or someone will want to interview me as a fine example of a success story.

Hmmm....

OK, so this didn't work out at all like I thought it might. But you know what; Alice was just featured in an article in the Etsy Finds about noobie shops. Soooo, I'm thinking that in a week maybe we'll try again.

OH! I forgot one detail.

I will be tweeting when it's time to start e-mailing. And here's a hint: my lunchtime in noon. the discounts will be good from today until Friday Feb. 5th.

Contest Today!

Hi all! So here's the deal, the first person to e-mail me at: tamarandesigns@gmail.com

with the subject line "Make Alice's Day"

will get 50% off any one item at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/alicetoowilliger

I've decided that the second e-mail sender will get 25% off any one item from Alice! And remember just about anything in Alicetoowilliger is available in any of the colors in the color chart in the listing.
Good luck to everyone!
Tamaran

going to try a contest with Twitter

I would really like to get the ball rolling in my sistershop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/alicetoowilliger
by having a sale, by that I don't mean a "20% off everything blowout!", I mean one item that was purchased by a potentially happy customer.
So I had a thought about how to utilize Twitter in order to help this along.

Tomorrow at lunchtime, (because GA says this is when my sites have the most traffic), I will tweet a link to my blog, (here), with the directions on how to get a 50% code for anything in Alice Toowilliger.
I'm just wondering now if I should post some teaser hints in the etsy forums at all today? You know what, that might not be such a bad idea.
See you all tomorrow,
Good Luck!