Sleeping Dogs Studio

…comes a place known as “OVERWHELM”.  I can’t honestly recommend Overwhelm unless you have no choice but to visit…but at least in this case, we are working on two things we really enjoy! 

Lots of store orders going out right now, and a new store in Madison, Wisconsin to add to our growing family – we’re thrilled to have “Little Luxuries” joining us, and I’ll hope to profile them along with more photos a little later next week.

In the meanwhile, our son is trekking through the college search scene with rather sure footing so far.  Applications are in to his top six choices, although there’s always the chance that another will join the mix at any time!  And we are completing campus visits to each…

I have a little insight into the college admissions process as many, many (did I say many?) years ago, I worked in admission for first a small, private college; and then for a large, public university.  But SO much has changed (and I’m not just talking tuition, although that is definitely a difference)!

On the positive side, someone had the absolutely BRILLIANT idea to provide a common application that many colleges now accept.  It allows you to fill out one application, set of recommendations, and an essay, and send it to multiple schools.  That streamlined the process, for sure…

On the other hand, our son is going through the experience of being recruited for soccer; of being interviewed by alumni volunteers as part of the admissions process; and of writing essays and resumes for scholarship applications.  It requires much more work than I can remember going through for my own college choice – but I’m confident his hard work will pay off.

Then next year, I’ll just have to figure out how to get along in a house that is so suddenly quiet, and how to avoid gaining 20 lbs. from “sampling” the goodies for what I’m sure will be dozens of care packages being sent out! 

…attached below is a link to great blog post from the CEO of “Artful Home”, a catalog that represents an amazing variety of handmade home decor items for sale.  (See what I mean at www.artfulhome.com)

She talks about the stigma of the word “Craft” vs. the word “Art”, and I have to say that I too have felt the “sting” on occasion of “Is what you do really ART?” 

I think Lisa Bayne makes a great points about this issue in her post…and points out that CRAFT is not a 4-letter word, particularly not during the first ever American Craft Week next month.

So I’m just going to go on feeling good…both about our work, and the fact that people want it! 

Read more below…

Artful Home Blog Post

…(well-deserving of it’s own blog entry, one I will work on for next week!) 

“Thanks to Kris Kaplan for the terrific reminder that when things seem impossible, possibilities open up. Here’s to all the entrepreneurs who ignored naysayers, refuse to accept “can’t” as an option, and are determined to turn a rough economy into I’ll-show-you success.”

Best Motivation Video Ever

One of the questions I get a lot from both experienced artists and those just beginning to get into the craft market is how we learned to price our items appropriately.

We did do extensive research on this issue prior to launching our wholesale and consignment business.  As a result, I’ve thought about providing an e-course that would explain how we arrived at our prices, and answering a variety of other questions that might be helpful to someone wanting to sell their art or craft items.

I am thinking of a two-week course.  Essentially, every five days, I would post a new topic, then the following day would be open for the course to sink in, for you to ask questions of me, of each other, etc., before moving on to a new topic.

I would envision a calendar that looks something like this:

Day One:  Ways to calculate the price of your work appropriately (i.e: MATERIALS:  do you include all materials, even the big ones like computers and cameras, and if so, how do you work that in?)

Day Two:  If you want computer software to help you make these calculations what are your options?  What are the best for YOUR situation and why? (It isn’t a one size fits all process, as I found out!)

Day Three: Price variations – when to employ them/avoid them (i.e., should your work vary in price depending upon geographic region? Or by whom it is sold – you at an artfair vs. Etsy vs. a store?)

Day Four: Wholesale vs. Consignment – which arrangement is right for which situation (What are the standard percentages associated with each?  Are they negotiable?)

Day Five: Final thoughts – some of the most important issues to keep in mind (i.e., should your artwork prices change in a declining or improving economy? Thinking in terms of dollars vs. # of sales…and the issue of “perceived value”.

My question is whether this is something any of you and/or your artist friends out there would find helpful?  Do you already feel comfortable with this topic?  Or would it be nice to have another perspective?  Would it be something you would be willing to pay a reasonable fee to take – say $50 for two weeks worth of info; comments from me and your fellow participants, etc.?

I appreciate your feedback – you readers are my “go to source” for this kind of information, and I appreciate it! 

…I LOVE DOGS!  (Click below to see more…)

Dog and Dolphin

I have continued to try and get photos of the mass of hummingbirds at our feeders to show you that I’m not making it up.  Turns out, however, that now that we’re (just barely!) into September, the hummingbird season is coming to an end.

Our local paper talked recently about how many long-time feeders of the species marked this year as an extra-special one.  Some were putting out two gallons of feed every morning to keep up with the demand.  They estimated that they had 50 hummingbirds at a time at their six feeders…

This is NOT my feeder, but a close facsimile!

 Wow!  That kind of makes my ten at a time sound like the minor leagues!

It appears that for whatever reason – perhaps the dry, hot weather? – there have been more hummingbirds in general this summer…just as there have been more butterflies.

Which for some country dwellers has led to an astronomical amount of sugar used – a couple in a neighboring county have consumed over 150 pounds of sugar this year in their hummingbird nectar preparations.

I'm trying this next year...

 Maybe I should be grateful to have just ten…I’m not sure I could afford more!