(with relaxing image)

i just stumbled upon Spanish etsy seller opensourcepants and it's love. from their humorous aromatic pillows to their inspirational shop announcement- l.o.v.e. now if only i knew someone named Franco.

size matters. matters of size.

i'm finally taking the plunge and converting all my items into sizes based on one chart. i've always just used the tag size (if there was one) with measurements that i took. anyway, it's blowing my mind. i did a google search and looked at several different charts to make sure i was using accurate standards. so now, for example, a skirt that was tagged a size 8 is a 16. another that was tagged a 6 is now a 12. the sizes are doubling and it doesn't sound right at all. but i'm using a normal chart, not some bizarro made by a dummy random thing. i know i already said this, but it's mind blowing. and confusing and (as a fatty) kind of discouraging. ugh. rant over. for now.

yes, this is what i am doing on a saturday night.

...

following my own advice is a bitter pill to swallow.

i guess i'll suck it up... if i have to. i listed a foxy shirt yesterday. it's here.

weekend

although i usually get a lot of sewing done on the weekends i don't get enough time to list stuff. so here are some things i've been working on. some are done, some are not. some have been nearly finished for weeks and i finally added the finishing touches.
(i took these pictures at night, so deal.)
for the tykes-



for the ladies-





for the fellas-




okay, thanks, g'nite.

building a better banner. for dummies.

recently there was a thread posted in the etsy forums that linked to a fantastic etsylabs tutorial on banner making. i had just finished making new banners for my shops. i'm no graphic designer or anything remotely close, but i was quite pleased with my outcome. but i do wish i had seen that thread earlier when i was struggling and struggling and too stubborn to ask anyone for help.

the title of this blog post isn't meant to say my way is better. it's to say "hey, here's how they did it, here's how i did it-combine the info..." the for dummies part means i tried to make this as easy as absolutely possible, because when it comes to this stuff i am a dummy.

okay, so here goes!

step 1. choosing an image background.
your picture will need to be of excellent quality and a big enough size (760 pixels wide x 100 pixels tall) so it doesn't get stretched out or blurry. i prefer doing mine at double size (1520 x 200) because i use close-up pictures and want to get as much of it as possible into that tiny rectangle . i am going to use a picture that is too small to show you a very simple trick i like.
here is my original image -

step 2. troubleshooting small images. (optional)
right click over the image and hit "copy image". now open up "paint" on your computer and paste the image into it twice. they will be sitting on top of each other, so it will only look like one is there- don't worry. now go the top of that page and click on "image", then "flip/rotate", then flip it horizontally. now drag that image and line it up next to the other one like so-


step 3. adding text.
i'm just going to select a font in "paint". click on the "A" on your left side toolbar. next, with your mouse, make a rectangle where you want the text. make sure it's big so it will fit all your text. if the box you have just made turns white, you'll need to switch it to transparent, which should be at the bottom of your tool bar.-

now type in your text. while your mouse is still in the text box, right click. this will bring up a drop down menu of fonts. keep it simple yet complimentary to your shop and style and, please don't use comic sans. this is where you can also adjust the font size. here's mine -

you can also change the font color. just go to the top, click on "colors" and edit to choose a color. now click on your paint can in the tool bar and click on each letter. again, keep it simple. you want a high contrast so it can be read easily.

okay, now save that to your computer (as a JPEG) because the rest is going to be done at picnik.com. i love this site. it's free and incredibly easy to use. AND you can edit your flickr pix from right there and resave the new version... but i digress.

step 4. cropping/resizing.
go to picnik.com and upload the image you just saved, then go to "edit". time to crop. remember, i'm doing mine at double the banner size, so i'll be cropping to 1520 x 200. you can crop it to 760 x 100 pixels if you like. here's what i have now-

step 5. tweaking and the fun stuff.
if your color still needs a bit of tweaking, stay in edit and experiment with the exposure and color tools. you may need to brighten it, take some blue or yellow tones out- these tools will help you with that.
when you've fixed any color issues, go to "create". this is the fun part. i'm not even kidding.
you could give it a slightly colored matte background with rounded edges...

you could give it a border in complimentary colors...

here's a vignette with slightly rounded corners...

be sure to experiment because whatever you don't like you can undo. please note that some of these effects will alter the size of the image ever so slightly. so before you click to save your final draft, go back to "edit" and "resize" to make sure you still have the correct size.

step 6. you're pretty much done.
save it (make sure it's a JPEG!) so you can upload it to your shop. or anywhere and everywhere.

***

in hindsight i would have used a different picture so i could fit the bird faces in the banner better. my intent was to share what i knew, not to make a new banner, so it'll do. i have never written a tutorial before and i'm not even going to say how long this took me to do.
picnik is also a great site to tweak your item photos if you've had any trouble with that and you don't understand or have photoshop.
if i have omitted something or you have any questions, let me know. i'm happy to help.

today.

much as summer is my least favorite season, it's a beautiful day.

feel free to fill out the new survey.

ps-
the results are anonymous.

x,
jessica

okay, sorry, i have to.

quick rant. it's not meant to offend anyone, but it's driving me nuts.
please, please, please- if you are listing iron-on transfered stuff, do not call it screen print. it's so incredibly misleading, especially when it comes down to how they hold up in the wash.

wait. while i'm at it- if you exclusively screen print, please do not put applique in your tags and
titles.

okay, now i'm done.

in the works and in the near future.

remember these?


maybe not. i haven't made any owl stuffies in over 6 months. i'll be making a few more and listing them in my shop soon.

remember the devo squid?

i'll be doing some ties. they won't say duty now, but he'll still be wearing the hat.

i've also been appliquéing a few kids vintage clothes. these overalls are in my aorta shop now.

out of my love for all things tacky, i will also be making a pair of earrings out of these. they won't be that exact fabric, but you get the idea. i have some ideas for new designs but my brain works much faster than my hands. i wish the opposite were true. i don't always write things down or sketch them out, so sometimes i forget design ideas that i was initially incredibly excited about. i should drink less coffee.

confessional.

etsy related:
sometimes i neglect my aorta shop because it's SO much easier to take good pictures of jewelry than clothing.
sometimes i list something before it's actually finished.
i'm in the forums more than you know.
i don't like one of my most popular designs.
i occasionally get annoyed with how "cute" all my designs are because, by nature, i have a disgusting and morbid mind.
i secretly compete with another seller.
i loathe a seller i used to adore because of something i read in her blog.

non-etsy related:
i drink juice straight from the carton.
i don't walk my dog every day. sometimes not for several days.
i never ever make my bed.
i only own one bra.
i'll belch anytime, anywhere.
i rarely use an alarm clock and i almost always sleep in.
i don't shave my armpits.
i'll stop what i'm doing just to go look at my hair in a mirror. (this confession is not related to the armpit confession. really.)


sorry, nothing too juicy. i might add more later today.

checking in

i haven't blogged lately because my mind has been on one track. a track that might be too personal for a blog. nothing horrible at all, just um, rather life changing. i don't know if blogging about it for the world to see would be helpful or hurtful. where is the line between being an open book and giving too much information?
okay i just felt a little like carrie from sex and the city. yuck.

i made new banners for both my etsy shops yesterday. about a week ago i struggled and struggled for hours and ended up with the crappiest banners. then i finally tried again and did a pretty good job in hardly any time at all. i might still change them, but they're better than what i had before.




i added a few new things to my aorta shop over the weekend. an octopus skirt and dress, a few other things and these-




and i cleaned my porch so i won't have dead plants in the background of my product pictures anymore. that was driving me nuts.

ps.- those are NOT my shoes in the background of the last picture. i hate those open heal sneaker things.