It's Monday evening...oops night.

Hello-

This is random thoughts day. I posted on my other blog, Tricia's baskets and more with a new twist: a newsletter. I had no idea that my National Sales Leader Marilyn was giving me a newsletter to send to my customers. Thanks, Marilyn.


I sold 4 retired Longaberger products on Ebay, and mailed out the last of them today. The postal clerk as so insightful. I did not have any tape, so I brought the box to the PO anyway, and purchased the tape there. There was a lady customer who was telling me all the insights on how to make mailing packages easier. She was telling me to buy the tape at the dollar store, and that first class mail was no cheaper in some cases than priority mail. I was getting a little annoyed with the advice, as well as the clerk, who corrected her twice. But you know what? God must have read my thoughts, and sent this woman in my path, because I WAS wondering how I can make mailing packages a little bit easier on myself. Did I needed to hear that tape was cheaper at the dollar store, and God noticed that I had bought tape at the post office once before? Of course He did, that is why He is God, and I am daughter. It is the same way when my own earthly father gives me advise, and I somehow find myself rolling my eyes (not in his direction so he can see me do it). It is not because he likes to hear himself talk, it is for my protection. So to that end, the next time I run out of tape, I will take God's advice and buy it at the dollar store, and unless first class is cheaper, I will continue to mail packages priority, especially small packages. You can never look at a person who you think is getting into your business, because your business is God’s business, and He is just looking out for you.



Scrapbooking:



I am starting to learn more and more about the business end of things. Do you realize that there is more to just making your items, and selling them. I think I mentioned that in another post, I cannot remember. For my learned lesson, I will take on pricing. I remember it all too well in my first year of earning my marketing degree. If you do not practice it enough, you will soon forget, and how many times in your life will you have to deal with the art of pricing a product? Not me. I assumed that I would be well on my way of being a a-lister actress or a Prima Ballerina by now. That’s what happens when the Fathers (both earthly and Heavenly) knock you down a few pegs. Anyway, I wanted to know if I could get the custom ordering part of my business up and running, so I posted a listing on my Etsy shop (www.etsy.com/shop/plogan721) and thought that was that. The listing is simple enough, the photos are of my past work, and it shows 6 layouts (they only allow you to show 6 photos) of how simple but yet sort of eclectic mix of what I can do. The description shows the process I will take the purchaser as they acquire their own personal album. I did point out to the viewing community that sample pages shown will not be their finished product, for it will be uniquely theirs. I also listed do’s and don’ts such as no original documents such as birth certificates and immigration papers, and that if they wanted them included, they must furnish a copy of the document. No flash drives, because they can get erased in the mail, and other things. Anyway, the starting price is $150, and I will adjust from there. I also started looking at other people’s sites, and finding out what their price points are, and so far, I found one person is charging $350 for her custom albums. That is $17.50 a page, and if the customer picked out their own papers and stuff to put in the album, she will negotiate from there. Some on Etsy are charging the same price as I am, so I know I doing the right thing on that note.



Alternative art is a trend that cannot be taken too lightly. For me, it was not at all. Until last Monday, I thought that the trend was too messy, left a lot of room for error, and so forth. I cannot say that I am changing to becoming an alternative person, but I am very proud of the envelopes that I altered last week. When I find them, I will let you know. In the meantime, I did some tags, and a card.

Just a note card-destressed

Well, that is it for now. I love learning new things, in all areas of my life, and I believe that is what God wants us to do, to learning and to teach others. You will never know whose life you have touched along the way on your journey to be more like Jesus every day.
God Bless you all and I will talk to you soon.



Tricia