Up and running...or walking at an easy pace.

So I did it. I listed a couple of things on Etsy.com in my new shop merlottricot. It isn't three things like I announced in a previous post - yet - and it didn't happen by Friday. Hey, that's what happens when you don't manage your time perfectly (or at all) and then realize that there is more to a thing than meets the eye.

I have re-acquainted myself with gimp, the free image manipulation program (a poor man's, um, thrifty entrepreneur's version of photoshop). I had thought I could just use the program as I had in the past, but if you don't use it in three years you get a little rusty. I liked playing around with the program and hope to become a bit more sophisticated in the way that I use it. Here is why I needed to use it:

A bit utilitarian, yes - it's a banner for the shop and it tells you the shop name using colours and images associated with the words in the name. Sometimes it feels good to be blatantly obvious about things. The photo is from something that I knit for my sister a while ago. A surface of stitches, a bit like a landscape, at least I think so.

But I also created this while skimming the user's manual for the program:

In the spirit of full disclosure, I must tell you that I am a bit tipsy in that photo, which I took when playing around with Photo Booth after a dinner that took place in December. It was a festive time. I digress - I didn't get called "the queen of non sequitur" without reason back in university.

Also, figuring out how to deal with shipping took more time than I care to admit. Why is it so a) complicated b) expensive c) not 100% reliable? These are things that I worried (too much) about. I decided to use regular post and if anyone needs an expedited shipment with a tracking number they can contact me to request it.

Well, all this to say that it will all mean nothing if nobody actually buys anything. Excuse me, I must go research online marketing techniques now...

Yours truly,

Merlot