Temptations!

As I mentioned before, I am doing this this 30 day vegan cleanse program and it is almost over. I have learned a lot about eating, like how much I was doing it, and the mindless calories that I was consuming just because they were there.

When you have to be conscious of what is in the food, eating it randomly becomes a bit more difficult. I am very lucky that my wife has been thinking ahead and making bulk vegan dishes that I can take for lunch. The hardest part isn’t not eating regular foods, it is finding suitable replacements if you are not prepared.

Eating out at lunch is tricky, but bringing a lunch that I already know is all good, makes life easier. So this morning, I filled a Tupperware with one of the Salads that my wife made, it has Peppers, cilantro, curry, millet, chick peas, and some kind of delicious home made dressing. I took the time to bring it so that I wouldn’t have to worry about what to eat for breakfast or lunch (I don’t mind having the same thing for both)

That is when a co-worker says “Hey there is warm blueberry coffeecake in the kitchen” COME ON! Seriously?? It is hard enough on Tuesdays not to use the olive and chive cream cheese that is provided with the corporate bagels, but coffeecake???

There was only one thing to do, Grab the coffee, skip the cake, I RAN from the kitchen back to my cubicle where I have printed and displayed the menu listing the bacon cheese burger I an having on the first day after this program. Yeah, I am not cheating on my burger with the likes of coffeecake. I feel better already.

So yes while this program has helped me mentally with portion control realizations, I am not becoming a fulltime vegan eater or giving up meat… maybe just less of it.

Photos Matter (Use Editing)

One of the key things that people on Etsy were saying 4 years ago and still today was that photos are soooo important. A bad picture of a great product can cause it not to sell, and at the same time, a great photo of a product in a highly competitive market can make you stand out from the crowd.

My wife has always done my Etst photography for me, for a few reasons.

1 She has a nice camera, and an eye for the right shot

2 She can edit.

In the age of digital photography it can be a major Faux Pas not to edit your photos. No one is perfect, and the odds that you nailed the perfect shot, just arent likely, that combined with time of day, sunlight, background and the like, can make it difficult to get what you are looking for.

I took this picture in color with the intent of doing this to it. After some googling, and a few tutorials (yes I am slow) It finally looks how I imagined it when I took it. when you take the picture, have an idea of what you want the final result to look like.

So if you arent amazed at the pictures that you have on your site currently, you really need to look into editing them. After all if they dont wow you, how are they ever going to wow your customers?

I am still learning, and sharing as I go, but if you aren't getting the sales you want, take a look at your photos and ask yourself if they could be better.

Ummm... I dont get it

I recently wrote about why your treasury isn't on the front page. It had some great stuff in it, but apparently I was wrong.

I managed to snap a screenshot of the front page of Etsy around 4:00 on St Patrick's Day

Not going to Lie... I don't get it.

Mockery = Flattery?

I have heard it said both in business and elsewhere that “Mockery is the greatest form of flattery” the phrase is basically saying if someone is copying you it should be taken as a compliment.

That isn’t always an easy pill to swallow though.

I started my Etsy shop 4 years ago. I had created a few pieces for my wife, and she had suggested that I sell them. I primarily made earring frames. Now obviously I didn’t invent the idea of putting screen in a frame as a way to hold jewelry, but I did take the time to make sure a few things were in place

1) Quality,

There couldn’t be any stray pieces of screen that could poke anyone

The frame had to be solid enough that basic handling wouldn’t require forceps and a vacuum
chamber

It had to be sealed to protect the finish evenly

It had to look authentically distressed (I never tried to fool anyone saying the distressing was natural, but who would you want to hand something up that looked like I took a power sander to it. In my makeup design class I took in college, they said, “you know you have the makeup on correctly when no one can tell you are wearing any”

So while there were other earring frames and jewelry displays out there. I wanted to really capitalize on the distressed look, not too county, not too modern, and in the right color palates so that any customer could find one that is a good fit for their home.

A little over a year ago my shop sold out. I hadn’t made anything new, and I decided to take a break. The break lasted a lot longer than I anticipated, but I just want feeling creative, that combined with my day job becoming more demanding time wise, and more fulfilling financially, 2 things that led me even more away from Etsy.

In February this year I decided to see how Etsy was doing, and check my market. By that I mean search using words that I think people would find me under and see what else pops up. Believe it of not, this is a great way to see your competition, and see what tag words are working. If you aren’t getting the traffic or sales you need, check and see how visible you actually are.

I was SHOCKED to see distressed earring frames that looked very similar to this that I used to make. So similar in face that I checked my old photos to see if it was one I had sold in the past. It wasn’t. in my absence however someone has stepped right in and stole my thunder. Honestly good for them, I was very upset, but at the same time they had don’t nothing more than capitalize on the fact that I wasn’t doing it anymore


That is when the phrase from the first paragraph came to mind. Even their description was eerily similar to the one I used to use.

I haven’t listed anything new yet, but as you can see I have re immersed myself in this blog, and into the Etsy community. I have been working, but after a year off I realized how many materials I used to just have at my disposal that I now needed to go out and buy.

“Mockery is the greatest form of flattery”,
in other words, “You copied me, that motivated me, and so I am coming back. (well that is the plan anyway.) My inventory is growing and soon it will be available. Something new is that I will now be signing every piece so that you will know that it is an authentic J.Crabbit, and that you are getting the quality listed above.

Self-Portrait Sunday 3/27/11

Last week I was doing something cool at least and reading on my roof. For this latest edition of self portrait sunday, it is a silly one fun with the webcam settings, enjoy!!

Also I would love to get some feedback on what I write about that you like, and what you dont like. It seems certain topics are more popular than others, but I would love to hear from the readers, what your favorite parts are so that I can focus on them more, even after the 31 day blog challenge is over.

Moment of Silence

Although though I had a blog planned for today, This morning my wife got a call that her grandfather had died, so this will serve as a moment of silence in his honor.

Be back tomorrow.

Poem Friday - The Man Cold

I do not feel the way I should
There’s something off today
And I would name it if I could
For it won’t go away

It started with a scratchy throat
And runny nose but then
My head was floating like a boat
I cannot see my pen

My body aches, my eyes are sore
I think I’m gonna sneeze
I cannot sleep because I snore
Quick diagnose me please

It couldn’t be the chicken pox
There’s no spots to be seen
I have the symptoms on the box
But oh what can that mean?

It will kill me if I let it
As the tissues I unfold
And That’s when I finally get it
That I’ve got a real MAN COLD.

Patchwork Leather Furniture

As part of a simplification process we are trying to go through, we are decluttering the house. Clutter isn’t necessarily junk, or even bad stuff, but the stuff that just fills up a room but has no purpose. As a side note, decorations have the purpose of making a room look nice so don’t go thinking I live in empty rooms to keep it simple.

When we got married we went out and bought a nice futon. That may seem like an oxymoron, but it was a nice wooden frame, and the mattress had real springs and all that jazz.

When we moved last July into a much smaller place, we just tossed it in the living room, after all that is where a piece of furniture like that belongs.

While the futon did have the purpose of a place to sit, we thought there must be a way to have seating in the living room, but have it take up less space.(The futon took up 1/3 of the room all by itself. And so the furniture hunt began.

Given that we have 2 young boys, and Duncan, we figured that leather was a good route. It is easy to clean, and comes in all shapes and sizes.

One of my favorite quotes came from Conan O’Brien when talking to his audience. He was going to give them all a gift and then said “I don’t make Oprah scratch” basically meaning the gift wouldn’t be a new car or anything.

Well after deciding to go with leather, I realized, I don’t make Oprah scratch, which apparently you need to to buy leather furniture, So as always when I am looking for something good at less than the standard price I asked my friend Craig if he had anything.

We are an artsy family with a knack for things a little out of the ordinary, but when Craig showed me a matching patchwork leather chair and sofa, I was in awe. At first thinking it was tacky, then realizing in the right setting, it was really cool, AND all real leather.

Not 2 days later I was jamming the new set into my Hyundai Tucson, it fit, kinda…. But I did get it home, and it now sits in our living room, simple, and clutter free!













What became of the futon you ask, well it now lives in the office, and serves as seating in that room which is a larger room and makes more sense. We have rearranged it a few times to make it more practical, but let me say, I am a big fan of our new furniture.

I was not a fan of food blogs

When I read a blog, and there is a post with recipes and pictures, I used to just think that it wasn’t for me. Why not? Well I almost never cook. I work full time and we are blessed to be able to have my wife stay home with the kids.

This means usually a bagel for breakfast, whatever I packed for lunch, and whatever my wife has prepared for dinner. So you see I don’t need food ideas because I don’t make food…or so I thought.

This past weekend, my wife caught a cold. It really knocked her out. So a few nights ago, she asked me if I would mind making dinner. Usually this isn't a problem, I know how to make pancakes, scrambled eggs, and grilled cheese, and most times one of these will suffice as a dinner until she is back on her feet.

Here is the catch. We are participating in a 30 day vegan clense. That means the three meals in my repertoire are off the table…LITERALLY.

So I asked her what I could make. She got out all the ingredients and printed the recipe, so that when I got home all I had to do was measure them appropriately and follow the instructions.

Wow that sounded easier than it was, chop the olives and combine with the spice mixture while the pasta is boiling and the onions are sautéing… “umm I am already boiling the pasta, and wait I think I need another pan” I get that settled, .. then think, “wait, what spice mixture?
”
“Honey what is a spice mixture”

She had already explained to me that I just needed a teaspoon of oregano and something else (I don’t remember) but they were both on the table ready to go. I had forgotten this part in my initial overwhelmedness.

Once everything has been chopped mixed and is on the stove, I feel at home again, The sauté pan is the same one I make pancakes in, “I can do this”

So I finish and mix all the ingredients, then I hear a resounding “WHAT?!?!?” from my wife in the other room when I say “ Oh I didn’t realize this was a soup” For the record, it was a pasta dish, I had to reduce the stock more.

So there is a point,… she ate it, and loved it, and I thought it would make a cool blog post, then suddenly I realized it would be like one of the ones that I usually don’t like, but after seeing all the effort it takes to prep, cook, photograph, and serve a meal, I have a new found respect for those who are able to pull it all off.

We are like superheroes or something!!

"SUPER" Abstract photography

As you may have heard recently we had a “supermoon” The author of
one blog I read actually made an event out of it with her family…FUN!

The moon was very close to the earth and so it was bright and looked bigger than usual. That is unless you cant see the horizon from your house. There were stories the next day about how amazing it looked coming over the Eastern Promanade in Portland, but back to my house we go.

My 4 year old, Liam, is always ready to help out in any way possible so as the moon peaked through the branches approaching the treeline, it was no surprise that he wanted to help me to carry the tripod and camera out into the driveway.

I really should have been more prepared, the tripod legs kept slipping and it was too dark out to see the settings on the camera, by the time I got the first shot off the moon had lost all its orange, and looked pretty regular. I tried to snap a few pics, but they were blurry, that’s when I realized that the shutter speed was really slow in the dark. So I thought, what if I intentionally moved the camera as much as possible rather than trying to hold it still.

Liam and I had a great time making Fireworks out of the moon.

gtomorrow

something insightful I swear...

Self-Portrait Sunday 3/20

It was so sunny and nice this morning, I decided to get some reading done on the roof outside our kitchen window.

Functional but Ugly

So I recently posted that I had purchased my own domain, well today i loaded this blog onto it. The trouble is that I am still formatting it, and very bad at it. I took a lot of your advice on the banner from the picture to the font. now to make it fit on the page, and not look so canned (if anyone is a graphic designer looking to make a buck I would be willing to talk)

so here it is . Tomorrow is self portrait Sunday, and next week, I have some great topics planned.

Answer to yesterdays hidden message

It says guinness is good down the left hand side. I thought that was pretty clever, plus it IS a true story.

Hidden St Partick's Day Message

There is a message hidden in the post today:

Growing up we didn’t really celebrate St Patrick’s Day,
usually there was corned beef or maybe a banner
in the kitchen hung with tape, but that type of thing was
not uncommon in my house and could just as easily been a birthday.
No one in my immediate lineage was from Ireland so that made it
easy to not really care or realize that I was missing
something.

So then I got married. My wife is from a very
Irish family, and St Patrick’s day was definitely
something to celebrate.

Going to her grandmothers house for the delicious food and
obviously some drinks as well quickly became
one of my favorite annual traditions. Happy Saint Patrick’s day
DRINK UP!

A look at things to come

I have been takiing a lot of photos lately, as well as writing a lot of blogs, I am not going to link all the posts to the topics like I should, but: I have written about needing a new look, branding, professionalism, my new website, and the like. So as a part of all that I think I have my new banner figured out.. what do you think?

LUNCH WALK 3/16

As promised, here are the lunch walk pictures, I almost didnt go as it is raining and 38 degrees here, but I promised, so here it is.

Today I went to Deering Oaks, and had the whole place to myself.

Why your Treasury isn't on the Front Page

After yesterdays marathon post, my wife had suggested writing a part 1 and part 2 for the posts that I knew were going to be lengthy. WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT?? Well I promise that today’s will be shorter, but in the future, I think the “parts” blog is some advice we can all use in general. Thank you to all of you who stuck with me and read through it anyway.

Today I will cover why your treasury isn’t on the Front page.

There are a few reasons actually. Since the treasuries are no longer timed and limited, obviously there are a lot more of them. Simple reason number one that yours isn’t on the FP is that no one saw it.

The second reason is the harder one, but the truth is that it just isn’t good enough. Now before you get offended and close your browser, keep in mind that I don’t like to say things without offering alternate solutions. So here it is:

Getting found:

As of the time I wrote this, there were over 23.000 pages of treasuries. I don’t know how much time you spend online in a day, but there is no way I am looking at all of those.. even if I wanted to. So you want yours not only to stick out from the crowd figuratively but literally as well, if it isn’t toward the front, the odds of people seeing it are less likely.

Take time selecting your items. You can make a treasury of all things you love every time, but honestly that’s what your favorites are for, What you WANT is thinks that you love that other people will too. The same should go for your name. the name of your treasury should be relevant. I hate seeing one called “I love coffee” and being a bunch of bicycle memorabilia. Or a clever name like “you cant spell ironic without the iron” and making it all lingerie… wait, that actually isn’t a bad idea, disregard that one.

Use color or don’t use color. But seriously stop doing both. Clashing exists in more than just my 6th grade wardrobe. Keep this in mind, Etsy is a business, their front page is the face of that business, you don’t want the face of your business to look like an awkward 6th grader.

THEME. Even if not in the name give your treasury a theme. Make up something, or find one item to build it around. The treasuries that I see that are totally random confuse me and I often move on.Consider that on the page we only see 4 items initially, those have to be compelling enough to draw me in.

This brings up the final point of arrangement. This makes of breaks a treasury. You can have the same items look absolutely amazing, or like a total train wreck depending on the placement of the items. Take a good look, and take the time to rearrange if needed. Setting it up the right way can be the difference between being on the Front Page, and being on page 17,985.

Ultimately though with them unlocked, use the treasury to have fun., this post is about why yours isn’t on the front page, that doesn’t mean that you are doing it wrong. If you are having fun with it and making the featured artists proud, you are doing just fine. If your goal is the recognition of the elite FP status, well then think about this post when you’re creating and reference it later if needed (shameless plug for page views)

GAHHHH still a bit long. I will post another lunch walk to make up for it 

Lunch Walk

Snapped this while walking today on my lunch break

Why You Wont Get Rich on Etsy

Getting rich is different I suppose, depending on the person and your goals. To me getting rich is making all the money that you need. So when I say "you will not get rich in Etsy", I am saying that your shop will not sustain your needs and you will need an additional source of income.

I also realize (and thought about) a lot of people will say “well I don’t want to get rich” or “I just do it for fun, I don’t need to sell a lot” and while I respect those who go into it with that attitude, all it takes is 5 minutes on a team discussion board to see how many people are looking for advice on how to sell more, how to get a sale, or just complaining that they aren’t selling anything.

So why is it that you wont get rich on Etsy.

Reason 1: Inventory

Take a look at your entire shop. Now add up the prices of everything in it. Now add the cost of shipping, If you sold out today, how much money would you actually have? Now that you have that cash what is next. Well you have no inventory left so you will be in the workshop for a while, during which time your shop will not be generating any revenue.

Solution:

Look at your items in the manner above. Ask “if I sold it all today how long would it take to replace” now look at WHAT you are selling. Is there something else or another category that you could create? If you sell antique desks at 3k a pop then perhaps some smaller items to keep people looking, and if you sell buttons, then perhaps use a few larger items to generate revenue, you may even start seeing multiple item sales.

Reason 2: volume sales

Next look at your sales. How many do you have? Take that number and divide it by the number of days that your shop has been open. This will give you how much you make per day. Now regardless of what you are selling, the more you sell the more money you get. So the reason you are not going to get rich here, is that you are not generating volume. Either your product is too similar to others, you are not getting enough marketing (to be covered next) and your customers are not coming back for more.

Solution:

Increase volume. Yes I know if I wrote a book on guaranteed increased sales and getting rich, it would be a best seller, well I don’t have that kind of information, but I do have a few things to try. While people are in your shop is the best time to get them to buy something else too. Entice existing customers not to leave with just one item. Get them to come back for more. I have always envied you soap makers, because your product wears out and I need more. I am not saying make earrings that will break, but maybe next week you list a matching necklace that they will need to have to complete the look. Having matching sets available is another great way to increase volume. How many people do you know? How many of them have ever seen your shop?

Reason 3: your marketing sucks

There is a lot to marketing, there is SEO which is a pretty big deal for an online marketplace (you need to google yourself often)Thats how people are looking for you... what are they finding?, there is your blog, your facebook page, friends and family, co-workers, and these are just places to market, not even about content. There are 2 big components that I want you to look at as again selling you an entire marketing book isn’t what this is about, and honestly if you are still reading this far along in the post, then I already commend your efforts (you’re almost done)

Part 1 of marketing: Promotion

This is the part where most of us fail, and it is getting people to the shop. The biggest mistake you can make is over-promoting. Yes this is even worse than not promoting at all. I see too often in blogs, and in general posts the desperation. This is a great way to drive business away. “Please come in, buy, leave feedback, comment, please, WHY ARENT YOU YET… PLEASE!!!” this is an exaggeration, but you get the point. Make sure that your promotion is actually that! PROMOTING YOU. You want people to look forward to your promotion and recognize your brand.

Part 2 of Marketing: Traffic

There is only so much I cam say here, but you aren’t getting sales and you aren’t getting rich because no one is visiting your store. If you haven’t already setup Google Analytics for your etsy shop. Look at how many visits you get per day. Again, if every visitor bought would you be rich? You need the answer to this to be yes, because that is ultimately how you will get there. There is a reason that the featured seller gets sales, it is because they get traffic.

Solution: start marketing

Get the traffic that you need, have the products they want, and keep your image positive online.

Wrap up:

You aren’t going to get rich because you aren’t going to do all the things above, and if you are doing them all, then you can ignore this post(you don't need it). Making money on Etsy is HARD. Etsy’s goal isn’t to get you rich, it has to be something that you want to do. Ultimately, you are still selling handmade items not luxury real estate. It is comparable to mowing lawns. You make a few bucks here and there because it is a side job. Or you start up a full fledged landscaping company that does the whole neighborhood, they both are mowing lawns, but one has a summer job,. The other is getting rich.

Brutally honest

First I should say that this will not count as my blog for today. If it ends up being all I post, then you should all leave a comment telling me how lame that is.

This week is all about Etsy. Yes most of my followers are from Etsy, and it is something that I dont write about that often, so it wont be too rough dedicating a week.

Here is the catch. It isn't about my Etsy shop. It is about yours. I have been a part of this community for 4 years, I have seen a lot of changes, and read a lot of opinions.

What I am going to tell you this week, may hurt a bit, even sting a little, but it will make you either more successful, or understanding of why you are not.

I do not take a lot of my own advice, and will be the first to admit that I need to work on all these things.

for the list of what is coming this week, take a look at this. I am going to try to stick to it as much as possible.

Please dont take this advice as an insult, and keep in mind, if none of it pertains to things that you are actively doing, then you are all set, and dont need to worry about it. If it does pertain to you, than consider it free feedback... and who doesn't love free right?

The goal will be to make every one better at what they do... without the sugar coating.

Stay tuned!!!!

Iprobably could have technically skipped today as I did post twice in one day recently, but keepting with the once a day philosophy I figured that would be cheating. so as you know I do Poem Fridays, I have decided that Sundays will be "Self Portrait Sundays"

I am in desperate need of a haircut, and have been pushing it up all day to keep it out of my face... this is what I end up with. Plus I am making my "I still have to write a blog" Face.

New Floor

See I told you it wouldn't be long before you heard about Duncan again. Well more-so all the hair. Our apartment was completely carpeted when we moved in, but being an old house there were great hardwood floors underneath. so today I did the boys bedroom floor. It is tedious as I have to move the furniture to one side of the room, remove all the carpet, and then move it all again and remove the other side.

One really cool piece is that the floors are not in mint condition, and look like something out of an Anthropologie catalog. I am glad its done, but a little sore.

On a side note , My UCONN Huskies (that's where I went to college) just won the Big East Championship!!!

Website is Active

so no content yet, but I am the proud new owner of jcrabbit.com

A Friday Poem: Now I Sea

Today I walked upon the beach,
And now I give this mighty speech.
And while some of you may not care,
I still will speak of salty air.

My job’s an office high above,
The sea and stones and shells I love.
I sit and work and sip and munch,
and wait so patiently for lunch.

And when the noon bell hour rings,
My heart is happy, thrilled, and sings.
I go to where I love the most,
My secret beach along the coast.

Today theres fog I can not see, but still I walk along,
The lighthouse horn mixed with the ships, belt out a mighty song.
I pick up bricks and stones and shells, and toss them in my bag,
I look out at the lobster men and all the traps they drag.

My feet are wet, my hands are ice, my face is getting cold,
I used to last for hours here.. I must be getting old.
I pack my final treasures up and walk along the rocks,
My toes are raisins fully shriveled in my soaking socks.

I hear the call of Gulls above and sea crashing below,
I look upon my watch to see, that it is time to go.
To work its true I must return, though birds are never far,
It’s only then I realize, ones crapped upon my car.

Color Branding Giveaway

A lot of you know I am a member of the Etsy Blog Team. I read a great article recently on Their Blog about Branding. It covered color, style, font, and layout. It was great information on what to do and obviously what not to do.

I have been thinking a lot about branding, and what changes to make. I know I need a new banner both in my etsy shop,. As well as here, and I thank all of you who weighed in on the distressed logo post.

This weekend I hope to re open J.Crabbit. I don’t have the volume that I wanted to to open up, but I have had so many people asking when It would be that I have chosen the sooner rather than later approach.,
That being said my branding will not be finished, the new banner wont be done, and I seriously need an extreme makeover blog edition.

One way that I have always wanted to brand was in the name of my custom finishes. And that is where you come in!! I need help naming this specific finish. Yes, I know it is technically teal, but with hints of pink and white underneath, I am looking for something more unique.
And so in return for your feedback, I will be giving an 8x11 earring frame in this finish away FREE. Yes I know I wrote all about free before, but there is no catch, just rules. Hopefully this will be a ton of fun, get a lot of feedback, and ultimately create the first custom named color in my shop. We will choose a winner on Tuesday 3/15/2011


To enter the giveaway:
1)Post a comment here with your suggestion for a name
2)It cannot be the same as something someone has already said
a.(well it can but you will not be entered for it)
3)You can enter as many names as you want

How to win.
1)All entries that are approved will be entered into a hat
2)Approved entries are those that I believed were relevant
a.If you say “shark tooth red” it isn’t going to be honestly considered
b.that said it doesn't have to be a color name as it is for the finish itself, not necessarily for the color in it... for example: "rapid snail"
3)My 7 year old will pick a qualified name from the hat (we will make a video of the drawing to be posted here
4)If you are the winner, I will ask for your shipping information and the frame will be mailed to you.
5)The actual frame is not pictured here, this is from my sold items.
So lets get to branding and get this finish named!!

Gas Mileage

This wasn’t on my list to blog about, but when I saw it this morning, I couldn’t help but think “I have got to share this”

Given the winter that a lot of the country has had, I have heard quite often that there are difficulties getting rid of all the snow, or that the snow removal budget is spent, or now even that the melting snow is flooding.

I live in Maine, and snow is a large part of our winter. I don’t know what the budget is, but it is still being cleared

Combine that with the gas prices being so high, and I couldn’t help but think….”Does that thing get good milage?

How Much is that Doggy in the window?

I got my first Dog on my 0th birthday. My parents picked him up figuring that we could grow up together and have fun. I had an older sister already, but man did I love that dog. I learned how to drum by rolling him over and using his belly as a bongo. My first word was :Hector” which was his name which makes sense if you think about the number of times my parents must have yelled it during my first years.
Hector Died when I was 17. Which is really old for a dog.

I had already picked up another dog and when Hector died Cheri was 6 or 7. When I got married, my wife and I had an apartment ready to move into, but it didn’t allow dogs, so Cheri stayed at my parents house, which is where she had lived with me already.

Once my wife and I got a place were the dog was allowed, we took her back over. My wife is NOT a dog person. She and Cheri never really got along, Cheri didn’t like that I was paying attention to another girl, and my wife didn’t like that Cheri would roll around in the swamp and then use her knit rug as a towel to shake off on. When it was time to put Cheri down due to illness, My wife actually took her to the vet, a bittersweet and ironic moment all in one.

I wrote a blog entitled goldies last day, after the PFR song. You can still find it by clicking the link.

It had been almost 2 years without a dog for the first time in my life, and all seemed ok. You can imagine my surprise when my wife told me that her friend had a litter of Golden Retreiver puppies and she wanted one.

I said that the are big, and the shed, but if she was cool with it, I was game, and so came Duncan. Really it should be Dunkin as we named him after Dunkin Donuts which is directly across the street from our apartment.

His hair is EVERYWHERE,. So yesterday I started brushing him, turns out I can get a lot of the hair off outside, and he LOVES it, he lays there and rolls around letting me brush everywerhe, then goes and rolls around in the snow.

So now you have my dog history, which is good, as I am sure this will not be the last time I talk about Duncan.

Honest Marketing

In Marketing today, there is no question that a consumer wants honesty. Finding the balance between being completely transparent , and still presenting a good image of your company can be a bit tricky

I do think there is such thing as “too honest” I was recently at a local grocery store and was surprised to read the sign indicating where the warm beer was. Because if there is one thing I love, it is a nice room temperature Bud.
I see so many marketing campaigns that sound too good to be true , and usually they are. What they actually said was the truth, but what I heard (which was exactly what they wanted me to hear) was something completely different.

Take a risk free trial. There is no risk, that is great, and I heard the word “free” and “Trial” this is a very popular marketing technique because it is a trial, it isn’t free, and there is RISK, yet they were completely honest. What it actually is saying is you have to buy this, and then use it for a trial period, then if you didn’t like it, you can return it without paying. You will likely still have to pay shipping, and also there is the risk of the effect of the product. Anything new contains potential risk, however the risk free is in direct reference to the financial aspect.


As much as I don’t like deceitful marketing, it is brilliant! Millions of people like me misunderstand it and go ahead purchasing the product or service. I recently got a free copy of my credit report, it only cost $30.00

So in closing, as many of you are small business owners (if you have an Etsy shop it counts as a small business in my book) Keep an eye on how you are marketing yourself and your product. After all if buyers feel hoodwinked, they are far less likely to come back for that coveted return sale.

weekends suck

This week I will be writing 2 additional blogs to use over the weekend as part of the 31 day blog challenge. It is currently 10:32 at night, and I had no idea how hard it would be to take the time to write amongst all the other things going on.

Total cop out

So I knew the weekends would be hard, but I dont have the kind of blog prepared that I wanted to post, so for today, I will simply post why.

The morning started with a dead car battery and a trip to Napa, that made me slightly late for Maine Event dress rehearsal, the show is tomorrow and since I am directing this month being late didn't help.

Then it was off to grandmothers house we go... which was going to be the title today. My mother is in town as you know so we all went to see her mother my Grandmother. Her house is full of old treasures from baskets to antiques to my Grandfathers workshop full of fantastic old tools and wood. (he passed away 7 years ago)

So now I have just got home, and need to learn the rest of a song that I am also performing tomorrow. But I didn't want to break the streak so here it is, my total cop out blog post.

A Friday Poem "Dear Sun"

You keep me warm when I am cold
You make my skin look really old

You melt the snow off of my car
You seem so close but are so far

You are so bright
With all my might
I spend my summers fanning

So high above
Oh how I love
To sit outside while tanning

But yesterday you caused a scare
From what I am told is solar glare
Highway traffic to a halt
And yes dear sun it was your fault

So please keep shining
I am not whining
Im just saying loud...

Perhaps dear sun
Just while I drive
Please hide behind a cloud