It's been years since the foliage has been this beautiful! Coming home tonight was really pretty. I live up on a hillside in the foothills of the Taconic Mountain Range / Woodlawn Mountain. The hillside was vibrant with reds and oranges. Heck, I was tucked in my shop all week working like a crazy girl... guess I need to drive around a little and play tourist with the "leaf peekers"!
Just posted this lampshade on my Lampshadelady Etsy Shop, Bird Needlepoint Lampshade
I've been back home in Vermont a couple weeks and trying to get my inventory back in shape. This has been a tricky week with our dear ETSY proclaiming big changes to their policies... It been pretty hard on many of us that really put our hearts into our product and make many ONE of a KIND items, aka OOAK. I have done well on Etsy, really loved my time there, but it does mean committing a significant amount of time and energy into making a great shop and keeping it FULL and fresh. And just figuring it all out--- photos, seo, titles, tags... there's more than meets the eye. I do feel like the artisans feel like they own a piece of the company but were somewhat jolted at the stake... Etsy has just announce in their Town Hall Video Event that they are now allowing designers to outsource some of their work--- what will this bring? how do we standout amongst the other "factory made" lampshades in Thailand...? or wherever. There are tricks that companies use to make their products come up in different searches... constantly and mostly infuriatingly often and hence---- they get seen more often. Not to mention the curated pages are by a "young sensibility" ie. trendy young/ hip styles while the rest of us land and languish on perhaps page 20.... sorta sucks. humm. we've all been fuming in the forums. All in all with that said....Etsy is a wonderful resource for small, creative businesses.
Fresh inventory---just listed:
Vintage Manglecloth Hex Bell Shades
One interesting thing I noticed last night... someone posted in the forums... something like... do you feel like you've been a jilted lover by etsy.... my feelings have evolved from really furious at first, then resolved to continue my high quality and then mad, mad again when I checked my category, lampshades--- we mostly know each other, some as friends, some as students, some as acquaintances, luckily it's not the biggest category-- but last night I looked on and there was a big ass company from Europe- must have been right after ETSY's Town Hall Pow - Wow- they were ready to pounce. And a little further investigation and then there was another new company with a very similar situation.
Yesterday afternoon I loaded up 6 or 7 new lampshades I was pretty happy with- trying to catch up from being away for almost a month with my family. After I load on new inventory I usually check it out later to see how it looks and see if I need to change anything... easy to make mistakes or whatever. So I checked under "recent" listed items and saw several NEW companies loading on their NEW very commercial lampshades... just barely after the ink had dried with the new word from Etsy's CEO Chad Dickerson. yikes. I think Etsy has NO idea what they are in for... which makes many of us sad, mad as hell, feels like a sellout... --- I know my customers what quality, great and creative work. Let's see how EtSy will help us rise above the dull factory crummy quality. Here's what I wrote in a forum last night in my continuing furry:
oooh, dear etsy, dear etsy, first i was really pissed, then this morning i was coming back around.... then I listed up some great stuff this afternoon and was feeling pretty proud.... and tonight I checked to see what new stuff was in my category... we mostly know each other.... and now already there are some big, new slick boys already arrived. big factory is already at your door. one "new designer" has 400 listings and one sale....they've been busy since yesterday loading on their new crafts...??? red ones, blue ones, polka dots ones... oh etsy, do you have any idea what you have invited to the party???
Another Vintage Needlepoint that was added this week: Vintage Needlepoint Cut Corner Rectangle Bell
Okay, enough for now. I'm sticking around ETSY as I have just figured it all out, sort of, but others vendors are flocking to other craft sites by the hundreds.
Did I say how great the foliage is!!!! BEST in YEARS! Come to Southern Vermont the next couple of weeks and you won't be disappointed. It's a short time but wow the colors are vibrant. We have had pretty crummy leaf color the past 4-5 years and even "the locals" are excited. Today was overcast and the colors were even more beautiful.
just listed this week: Pretty Vintage White on White Embroidery Hex Bell Lampshade- 7" top x 12" bottom x 8 high. I've got a pair of them at time of listing.
To wrap it up in a very Vermonty way- A pair of Rare Vintage Grandma Moses Fabric in Square Lampshades
We shall see what happens with Etsy. As I was grabbing my links I just happen to read that even someone on Ebay thinks Etsy's move was pretty bad... I guess, I will just try an keep on doing work that rises above without being TRENDY and 30something.... yikes. guess I'm starting to feel like the old bag. ha, ha. It's been a long week in the craft world--- I can only imagine how many Advil the staff has gone through... I wouldn't wish to be in their shoes. In the meantime, I'm working on my "back links" to improve my seo.... how's that for this techno turd!
Vintage Ticking Hex Bell Lampshades 5" top x 8" bottom x 6" high, easy clip on.
Happy Leaf Peeking! Have fun eating Cider Doughnuts, apple picking, craft shopping, antique show going, Cider sipping.
thanks for putting up with my disjointed blog post,
xxx0x000x,
judy lake
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