Made by You Mondays: Photo Editing

So, I thought I'd do something different this time, for Made by You Mondays. Since photo editing is one of my favorite pastimes (ok, not everyone is a fan of photo editing or graphic design, I know, but I love it!) & I've been playing around with making shop banners & ads, I thought I'd post a few for you to see:

This is the first banner that I made. It's a desert shot, that makes a pretty good background. I've kept it as my ArtFire studio banner (ArtFire is based in my 'hometown' Tucson, AZ)  

samsstuff Etsy shop banner I like that it has sort of a retro, Edwardian, Steam punkish kind of feel, good for an Indie shop with one of a kind & vintage items. I like to call it an on line emporium.

Three different versions of the smiley photo used as a banner . I like the green  print best, the blue is a  little plain & the pink is harder to read. The bright colors go well with the smiley's & the green has a bit of an edge, like something from an old film, but not too schlocky, like the pink...

This is the banner I created for my new shop, shellseye. I like green print & the child like writing. It's simple & eye catching & since the shop is photography & fun little embroideries, the graphic with the vintage frames is perfect. I also like the pixelated look, like it's being transmitted through an old TV...

One of my first attempts at an ad. It's ok, but it doesn't catch the eye, well enough  & needs something a little more descriptive, to identify the shop...

My latest attempt at an ad.  It catches the eye & tells you a little about the shop, without cluttering up the ad, too much.

I'm having a lot of fun, maybe I've found a new calling :)
Thanks for letting me share!

Want to know how I did these? I'm not sure that I could retrace all the steps, but I will say, you don't need expensive software or cameras. I use free, readily available programs, sometimes alone, sometimes in layered combinations. Here's a few to try: Picnik (go, go now! I love Picnik. Not like, love), Picasa & Irfanview. Each one has something that the others don't. There are others out there & of course, there's always PhotoShop...


*All the images are my property, feel free to let people know what I've been working on (if you want), but please contact me for any other usage. SAM

Stop by & see what other projects people are working on, here on Skip to My Lou:

 

What Makes a Shop Memorable?

Hand embroidered on vintage Western fabric, vintage lace & paper, hand stamped Chinese coin. made for Phat Quarter embroidery swap on Flickr
WB version of Lobo

ComedyXTragedy=Love shellseye Etsy
Hand embroidered on vintage fabric, wool felt, paper, found frames

Recently I was recognized by someone who used to shop at a little comic book store I once worked in. This probably doesn't seem too unusual until I tell you that its been about 15 or 16 years since I worked in this store, the store itself has been closed for probably 14 years & this isn't the first time someone has remembered me or that store, years later.

So, what was so special about this particular store, that people remember it & its employees so many years later? It was a family owned business that catered to niche markets, comic readers & rare book enthusiasts. In the decades that the store was around it became not only a source of used & rare books but grew into one of the largest used comic stores in the nation & was known worldwide. On the book side, the owner would not only search out books that his customers were looking for, catering to their needs, but also had a partial trade system for used paperbacks (rarely valuable) where the customer could bring in used paperbacks & trade them either for store credit or cash, receiving more in credit than in cash. On the comic book side, he created a system of “comic files” where the customer could reserve a list of specific, ongoing titles & pick them up all at once. Customers remember the unique inventory, the innovative systems & the individualized customer service that the employees could provide.

The business ultimately closed, due to other issues, but there are still many things we can learn from its unique business model: lessons about finding & catering to your market, lessons about customer service & lessons in problem solving through innovation.

There are many used book stores out there, most unique in some way, but all cater to the same customers. Innovative systems, personalized customer service & an unusual inventory, not easily found are what made this store memorable.

The used paperback system encouraged a continuous flow of inventory, with little or no cash output. Customers had a continuous source of books to read, with potentially little or no cash output for them. They would often end up browsing the stacks, to end up with more books than they brought in. These could be purchased for cash. For avid readers, this was a great system that kept them coming back for more. They could have purchased their books elsewhere, ending up with less, but they chose our store.

For comic readers & collectors, comic files gave them a reason to come in on a regular basis, browsing both new & used shelves for more to purchase. Not only did he take great care to offer his customers personalized service, but he hired knowledgeable employees, who could take care of the in store customers.

The inventory was diverse & unique, with not only new & used books & comics, but other collectibles, like art, vinyl & games, many of were rare, some generated curiosity, even a very valuable item or two. The owner would personally search out specific items for regular customers. Often, in his searches he would find & acquire things of general interest to his customer base. Often these things would come in the door, unsolicited, sellers knowing that this was a market for their wares. The owner sold what he loved & his customer base was filled with people who loved those same things, so he knew the market well.

This is what made the business & its employees memorable. These are the tools we can use in making our own businesses memorable, stand out in the crowd. First, offer personalized customer service, make your customers feel like you are there for them. Know your customer base & cater to them. Find or make what they are looking for, but make it in your own, unique style. Sell what you love & you will know your market. Second, create a unique inventory, give your customers a reason to purchase from you & not someone else. This is another expression of knowing your customer & catering to them. Make something unique or make something in a unique way, offer a unique service, find a niche. What would you buy & who would you buy it from? Why them & not someone else? Offer exemplary customer service, go out of your way for your customer. One last thing & maybe the most difficult, innovate, think outside the box. Find ways to keep your customer coming back, maybe a coupon with purchase, mix & match items, maybe suggest items that would go with the one that was purchased, offer a subscription or mailing list, find a special vintage piece for a regular customer...

This is what made our store memorable, why customers remember it & us. Find what works for you & your shop & your customers will remember you for it :) SAM

Here There Be Dragons shellseye Etsy
Hand embroidered on felt, hand stamped

New Beginnings or Stop Discussing the Game & Play It!

Memories: A photogram calendar shellseye Etsy

When I was in college, I hung out with a group of science fiction & fantasy fans called, if I can remember the full group name correctly "The U of A Science Fiction & Fantasy Film Club." We did a lot of discussing of a variety of things: films, books, writers, characters, costumes, science & games. Now, most of these discussions were long, involved, animated & quite detailed, discussed from every possible angle, pros & cons, good & bad, each detail gone over with a fine tooth comb. Films & books were picked apart & put back together again, any inconsistency noted & inspected for believability. We were able to screen films many of them borrowed from the University library or rented, through catalogs, for a fairly small fee. We went to conventions, some of us in costume, some not, spending time roaming the halls , looking for other like minded groups to join, other discussions to take part in & maybe a game or two to take part in or just a party to join. We'd discuss strategy or if we were bored, even shook up a game or two with random & chaotic acts, to make it more interesting.
So, you may be wondering, what does all this have to do with business or crafting or well, anything? I'm glad you asked! We loved playing games. No, not video games or board games or ...We played RPGs. Yes, role playing games, science fiction & fantasy related games.  Games of strategy & interaction, heavily anticipated & often talked about before any playing actually occurred. It's one of these discussions that is the subject of this post. I remember it well & the reason I remember it so well was that it was discussed over & over again, on a daily basis for several weeks, endless variations of the game, kind of a 'well, if you do this, I'll do that, then he'll be forced to... ' It was repeated so often, that I could leave & come back the next day to what seemed like exactly the same discussion, virtually word for word. The discussion became predictable & when the game was actually played there was no excitement, nothing was new, it had already been played out, verbally & there was no reason to actually play the game. I warned them that this would happen, but did they listen? No. They said the game wasn't ready or they weren't ready or something. They didn't want to tell me the end result & yes, I really did tell them 'I told you so.'
This can happen in life & business, we get so wrapped up in endless 'if/then' (thought I'd add a bit of geekery into the mix ;) loops that we become paralyzed with possible consequences & we're afraid to play the game, we forget that there's a randomness, in life, that changes everything adds possibilities & makes the game worth playing. We need spend less time going through the possibilities & move to the action stage, before the complacency sets in & we become locked in inaction. Don't get me wrong, there's definitely a place for planning & structure, chaos isn't desirable either, especially not in business. At some point, though we need to move to the action stage, away from the fear of what if. There's the possibility of not succeeding, but we learn from those moments, they make us better & we can't think them away, no matter how hard we try.  If we get stuck in the planning stage, if we never try, then we can never succeed & we also never have the fun of trying :)
So I'll say now what I said then: "Stop discussing the game & play it!" In the end, it'll be far more worthwhile & you'll be surprised  by the results, no matter what they are... SAM

Show Us Your Business Wednesday X 3

King Ludwig's Castle, GE *

I've missed a few Wednesdays, due to my day job, carpal tunnel symptoms & headaches (I know excuses, excuses) so this is a three for one deal. Hurray!

July 21, 2010 ~ Where do you network? 

Where do I network? Well pretty much everywhere & anywhere. That's kind of a non answer, in some ways, but true. I try to avoid hanging out in just craft groups because, while there are some buyers there & you can learn a lot from others in the same business (techniques, what's worked for them, what hasn't) in the long run, most buyers are going to be elsewhere & inspiration can be anywhere. I like exploring what else is going on in the world & bringing that to my work, in that way, I end up doing something different, maybe even leading, rather than following trends. It's a little more difficult that way, I have to try growing a trend, but it's more satisfying. I like creating & telling a story with the things that I make. I can't do that if I'm making what's already a trend & as they say, if it's already a tend it's also already halfway 'out.'

July 28, 2010 ~ How do you stay organized?

It's all in my head...I know, scary, but what I mean by that is that it's always like a giant puzzle & I rearrange & organize as I put the puzzle together.

August 4, 2010 ~ What are your goals?

To take over the world...No, not really. My goals are simple, I want to tell stories & have people 'read' them & get something out of it. I make practical items, so that they can take those stories with them, maybe add their own stories & make them their own, like the game we played as children, where we'd whisper a story in someone's ear & they'd tell someone else & so on, until there was a kernel of the original, but it had become something else. I'd like to start story waves & see where they went. Hmm, maybe I really do want to take over the world ;)


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Once you get to the site, click on Home at the top of the page, to see the most recent entry.

* The photo is mine. I maintain all rights. Please do not use without express permission. If interested, please contact me for permission to use this image.

My Work Space

So today, for show us your business Wednesday, we're supposed to show you our work space. For me, this is pretty simple: a computer (not this exact model, but same brand & size. I like it. The only thing that I prefer a larger screen for is photo editing, one of my favorite pastimes) & anywhere I can sit to use it. As far as where I make things, you don't want to see that ;) No really, you don't...but it basically involves the same, anywhere I can sit to make things theory. I also like to have something else going, like the TV or music. It help me concentrate. I know, that sounds weird, but it's true! When I was in school, I did my homework the same way. No, I didn't fail every class, I actually received good grades. I know, shocking, isn't it? I hope you enjoyed this short tour of my workspace :) SAM




*The picture is from the Asus web site. Their computers are available in many places & in many styles, colors (mine's red, just in case you wanted to know) & with many different features. Nobody paid me or gave me anything for mention their products.

Short Story #5

I remember Buzzard Lady, much as I'd like to forget: a stick of a woman, with a hard buzzard face & a sharp buzzard like walk. She never seemed to have much to do of any importance, preferring to wander about like the commandant in some WWII film, issuing orders & squelching any sign of creativity or intelligence that might threaten her hold on us or her position within the organization. Flattery was the only thing that Buzzard Woman responded to, whether the flattery of those within her control or the flattery of those she was trying to control. Day in & day out, she would pick at the bones of those who either threatened or ignored her superiority. Only those who gained her trust, through flattery & a kind of false friendship, escaped the carnage. The Weasel Child was one of these. No personality of her own, she would choose that of whomever would help her most towards her goals. She was the perfect friend for the Buzzard Woman...

This is another free writing exercise, that was never finished. It was written many years ago, based on real people & real circumstances. Have you ever been in a situation like this? There are unhealthy or abusive business situations, just as there are unhealthy personal relationships, after all, you're still dealing with other people. The potential for good & bad still exists. The people who are good in personal situations are most likely still good in business circumstances. The people who are bad in business are probably not the easiest people for their friends or family to deal with. I can say, in the case of Buzzard Woman, that she 'divorced' one of her children (& a husband), that she had a room in her home that was for show only, not for family, not for visitors, only for show. It's interesting how parallel her personal & professional lives where. I've met others who seemed to be nice, no matter where they went, their niceness did not prevent them from effectively growing a business. You don't have to be ruthless to succeed, in fact the opposite can be true, customers can sense a cheapness in character & in practice. They will stay away. No one, for instance, wants to watch an employee get yelled at, in public. No one wants to purchase a cheap product, like food that has been left out too long, because it would be a  waste to throw it away. My first job was for a man who would pull product out of the waste bin & put it back out (true story!) or something from an inferior manufacturer, that falls apart right away.
So, what are your thoughts? Your experiences, either as an employee or a customer?  SAM

Photo: "Two Webs" by samsstuff
Property of the author, please do not use without permission

Why I Hate Post It Notes

So, let me explain: I once had a boss who communicated almost entirely in post-it notes. I grew to hate those little yellow slips of paper plastered everywhere. It's not necessarily that they said anything bad, although there where many little criticisms, they just weren't the most effective or personal form of communication & They Where Everywhere. We worked in a tiny little espresso booth that we rolled, each day, from the back to the front of a grocery store in Gig Harbor, WA. Every morning one of us would come in to a cart covered with these little post-its. They never said anything positive, like great job & that's what made them so annoying (that & the sheer number of yellow squares). The owner was generally a very nice person   & I don't think she meant the notes to be annoyances, I just don't think that she realized how these notes might be interpreted, especially in the wee hours of the morning. I guess what I'm saying here is that it is far better, particularly if you have a lot to say, to communicate personally & to make most of your communication positive, if you happen to be the boss. Your message is far more likely to be heard & your employees are far more likely to respond...
This post is my part in post-it Tuesdays. Check out the button on my sidebar to be taken to the host blog, so you can participate too!

Short Story #3 by SAM

2/9
He was right at home, there in his office. Surrounded by paperwork, his briefcase overflowing with his days work, the work of a lifetime awaiting him on the other end of his cell phone, this was his current life. All the books a man could want or need right at his fingertips, just waiting for him to notice, but he was too engulfed in his conversation to see. His imagination had been eclipsed by work. Every waking moment was spent in building an empty business castle waiting for its king, high above the rest of the world. The man failed to notice the other human beings rushing past him, interacting & involved in their own mission, oblivious to the man in his castle built of paper & phone calls, next to the phone booth, inside the bookstore.

A true story with alteration.
Free writing excercise