#I have plans to sell for cheaper on etsy later

[meoneru]

I'm selling prints of my work over on INPRNT for the timebeing! Shipping seems to average ~8 USD so buying multiple is better, but please check the other options ( stickers+ ) for cheaper products.

[diecastcarlove]

Master List of Diecast Collector's Resources

NOTE: This is a living document and will be updated from time-to-time. If you have suggestions for additions or corrections to this document please contact diecastcarlove@gmail.com.

This is a list of resources that I have found helpful. There are links to specific vendors and products I enjoy. I make no warranty or guarantee of service on thier behalf, but I can say that in my opinion, they offer good value for the money. There are also links to organizations and to influencers in the diecast space that I think you may enjoy. If you have suggestions for this list be sure to let me know by emailing: diecastcarlove@proton.me.

STORAGE DISPLAY OPTIONS

One thing that will quickly become apparent to any new diecast car collector is the fact that you will eventually run out of space. You will need to decide how many and which of your cars you will display and how many and which you will store. I try to keep as many cars out as possible because I just like looking at them. My suggestions here are simply based on my own personal taste and preference; your mileage may vary…

I use these ORGANIZERS for transporting and sorting parts of my collection when I am traveling to a meet or a swap. They fold down when you don't need them and they are very sturdy.

The Plano Molding - 5324-30 5324 Portable Organizer is something many collectors use. It has dual purpose. It can be used as a storage box since it will comfortably hold most 1:64 diecast cars.

It can also be used as a wall display - which is how I use it. I pry off the cover to the case, exposing the individual compartments. I then mount the box to the wall (it has cutouts specifically designed for this purpose) using some simple wood screws, twisted into anchors. I then load up the case on the wall and it makes a perfect display that holds 24 cars in single formation.

Another popular way to display your carded cars (i.e., diecast cars still in their blister packs and ready for hanging) is to use a pegboard. I like the TRITON PEGBOARD because it's relatively affordable, sturdy and easy to mount.

If you do decide to use the Triton product I mention here, you'll need some MOUNTING HARDWARE and spacer kit and Triton sell that too.

You will also need PEGBOARD SHELVING HOOKS if you plan to display your carded cars on pegboards.

If you need to hang your cars on the wall but don't want to mess with pegboards and especially if you like to travel with your collection, you might want to try the JOYMOMO Hanging Storage Organizer for Hot Wheels. The only downside to this approach is you cannot see the whole car and there is going to be wear and tear on the cars if you are constantly putting them in and out of the organizer. It does work and it is affordable.

Some people like to display their cars in acrylic cases. I reserve that honor for special collector cars. I use the boxes from DIECASTSTORAGE - https://diecaststorage.com/.They are not cheap but they are cheaper than many alternatives and they are well-designed and well-built. I have purchased nearly 100 of these and never had any issues.

Since it's hard to clean diecast cars, you want to protect them from the oil and dirt that builds up on your skin. I wear simple BLACK LATEX GLOVES when I handle diecast cars and I save myself lots of trouble later.

I use this PLAYTAPE to line my display shelves and to make roads in my dioramas. It gives the feel of a highway or paved road which of course makes a perfect match for cars.

Another way to display your diecast cars is using a 1:64 scale diorama. You can find these at many of the diecast resellers or even on Amazon. This is one place where you can trust Amazon to facilitate a good deal. You can also find dioramas on Ebay and Etsy. Many of the nicer dioramas come from Asia and you may have to do business with companies located in the Asia Pacific to get what you want. I have been able to buy dioramas from several Asian countries and other than long wait times for shipping, I've had no problems. (Also see below for pop-up dioramas.)

One of my favorite dioramas is a parking structure. I use the Colcolo 1/64 Scenery Diorama Parking Lot Vehicle Garage as my main parking structure. It's easy to assemble, photographs well and just looks like a place to naturally display toy cars.

If you want to make your dioramas look more realistic, or want them to tell a story, or just want them to show the scale of the cars inside, consider adding miniature people to the scene. Wherever you buy dioramas, you can find miniature people and other 1:64 accessories to make your diorama look more lifelike.

I use the miniatures from AMERICAN DIORAMA in many of my setups and have always enjoyed their quality.

2. HOT WHEELS IS JUST A STARTING POINT (List of companies producing diecast 1:64 cars.)

Hot Wheels is the largest player in the diecast car market. They are owned by Mattel which also owns Matchbox. But there are many other companies making diecast cars. Below you will find a list of most of the companies active today.

Each of these companies makes cars that are typically more expensive than Hot Wheels. They also tend to make cars targeted at older audiences. While Hot Wheels are safe for children - aged three and up, cars from companies like MiniGT and Autoart are aimed at collectors 14 years old and up.

Autoart: A high-end diecast car manufacturer known for its realistic details and high quality.

Bburago: An Italian diecast car manufacturer that produces a wide variety of cars, from luxury models to race cars.

Minichamps: A German diecast car manufacturer known for its high-quality models of racing cars.

Maisto: An Italian diecast car manufacturer that produces a wide variety of cars, from classic models to modern sports cars.

Tomica: A Japanese diecast car brand known for its affordable and well-made models.

Johnny Lightning: An American diecast car brand known for its unique designs and limited-edition releases.

Greenlight Collectibles: An American diecast car brand known for its high-quality models of police cars, fire trucks, and other emergency vehicles.

Auto World: An American diecast car brand known for its high-quality models of vintage cars.

Kaido House: A lifestyle brand created and headed by Jun Imai. The brand's tagline is "Car Culture For All Scales." Imai creates one-off custom diecast cars and sells them on the Kaido House website, as well as apparel and a line of detailed 1/64 diecast cars designed by Imai and produced by MiniGT.

3. WHERE TO BUY DIECAST CARS & ACCESSORIES

SPOILER - you may need to put on a good pair of shoes…

Buying diecast cars may be a little different experience than you are used to. While you can get them at places like Amazon (where we end up getting everything these days) it's not usually the best approach. You will get the best deals by "hunting" through retailers and resellers in your area.

You can buy Hot Wheels or similar cars at most Target stores, Walmart, Hobby Lobby, larger Kroger-owned supermarkets, O'Reilly Auto Parts, and even most Dollar Stores. Occasionally you can find them at Big Lots, Tractor Supply or at various thrift stores like Goodwill. You can often find used collections at local swap meets, garage sales and estate sales.

If you're collecting mainline Hot Wheels, it doesn't pay to buy them online. They will almost always be more expensive that way and you will rarely have control over the set you are buying. You will see ads on Walmart or Amazon that say "Similar car to one shown." What that means is you may buy the car twice that way.

The best bets I've found for online purchasing are listed below. I am not an affiliate of any of these stores nor do any of them advertise on my site. I have no business relationship with any of these companies. I am merely providing the names of these companies as a service to my audience. I have purchased (regularly) from all these companies and as of the date of this writing, I am happy with the goods and services I received.

Good source for all sorts of diecast cars including Hot Wheels and some other brands that offer cars of all types. https://www.jcardiecast.com

Good source for hard-to-find cars of all types. You may pay a premium since sellers have to recoup listing fees and cover shipping and handling costs, but you will have a great chance at finding just about anything you are looking for whether it's new or pre-owned. You can even find some bargains if you are patient and stick with it. https://www.ebay.com

Good source for up-market cars. No Hot Wheels. Mostly $12 to $40 range when it comes to 1:64 scale. Primarily JDM (Stands for Japanese Domestic Market, i.e., Honda, Datsun, Mazda, etc. Also sells some exotics like Lamborghini, etc.) https://www.modelcarshouston.com

Good source for up-market cars that you cannot find at either of the first two companies on this list. https://shopdiecasttalk.com

Sometimes your best bet is to buy direct from the manufacturer. This may give you a chance at cars not sold via retail and it usually means exclusive access to cars on a near monthly basis that will be impossible to get otherwise. Hot Wheels/Matchbox are manufactured by Mattel and you should consider joining the Mattel Redline Club ($9.99 per year) in order to gain exclusive access. Note that Mattel is notoriously slow to ship. You may wait a month or two for your order but you will get it. https://creations.mattel.com

TarmacWorks also has a club. It's called the Tarmac Works Owners Club and like the offering from Mattel, it gives you special deals, exclusive access and other perks that make it a worthwhile investment if you like the Tarmac Works cars. I do like them. They are up-market and much higher quality than Hot Wheels but also more expensive. https://www.tarmacworks.com

Since I collect many brands of 1:64 scale cars (beyond Hot Wheels) I sometimes also visit very niche builders like Kaido House. If you like Japanese cars (JDM) then Kaido House is worth a long look. They typically partner with MiniGT to offer exclusive cars that are very highly collectible. Their in-house releases (VERY expensive) are so popular that they sell out in minutes and then end up on the secondary market at 2x-4x markups. Take a look at what they have to offer here - https://www.kaidohouse.com

If you need wheels for customizing or dioramas, my first choice is https://www.shop164.com. The company sells the best quality dioramas if you like the pop-up style.

There may be other brands and other retailers that are equally good at what they do. I am merely sharing a list of those I personally do business with.

4. DIECAST GLOSSARY

Hot Wheels: A brand of die-cast toy cars introduced by Mattel in 1968. Hot Wheels cars are known for their small size, detailed designs, and a wide variety of models.

Redline: Refers to the original Hot Wheels cars produced between 1968 and 1977. These cars featured a red line on their tires and are highly sought after by collectors.

Treasure Hunt (TH): A series of Hot Wheels cars introduced in 1995, which includes special, limited-edition models with unique paint schemes and features. They are often harder to find and highly prized by collectors.

Super Treasure Hunt (STH): A rarer version of Treasure Hunt cars, usually featuring premium details, rubber tires, and a Spectraflame paint finish. They are highly sought after by collectors.

Mainline: The standard, non-limited edition Hot Wheels cars released in each year's lineup. These are the most common and widely available Hot Wheels cars.

Casting: The specific model or design of a Hot Wheels or other brand collectible model car. Each casting can have multiple variations and color schemes.

Diorama: A miniature scene that features diecast cars.

Variant: A variation of a particular casting, often with different colors, wheels, or tampos. Variants can be regular or rare.

Error: A manufacturing mistake or defect on a diecast car, such as misaligned wheels, paint smudges, or missing parts. Some collectors seek out error cars.

Custom: A diecast car that has been modified or customized by a collector or artist. Customizations can include paintwork, wheel swaps, and additional details.

Hauler: A larger diecast vehicle designed to transport smaller diecast cars. These often have opening features and are popular among collectors.

Real Riders: Hot Wheels cars with rubber tires, which provide a more realistic appearance. They are often found on premium models. Spectraflame: A type of metallic paint finish used on some Hot Wheels cars, giving them a shiny and vibrant appearance.

Protector Pack: A plastic case designed to protect and display individual diecast cars. These are commonly used by collectors to prevent damage.

Blister Pack: The packaging used for diecast cars, consisting of a plastic bubble (blister) over a cardboard backing. Collectors often refer to the condition of the blister pack when assessing a car's value.

Mint on Card (MOC): A term used when a diecast car is still in its original blister pack and is considered in perfect, unopened condition.

Loose: Refers to a diecast car that has been removed from its packaging and is not in mint condition. Loose cars are often played with or used in customizations.

Limited Edition: Diecast cars produced in limited quantities, often for special events, conventions, or promotional purposes. They are typically more valuable and sought after by collectors.

Promotional model: A diecast car that is given away as a promotional item.

Chase Car: A rare variation of a diecast car that is randomly inserted into cases. Collectors often chase after these elusive models.

Red Line Club (RLC): An official Hot Wheels collectors' club that offers exclusive cars and merchandise to its members.

Scalper: A collector who buys diecast cars in bulk with the intent to resell them at a higher price, often to the detriment of other collectors.

THUNT (Treasure Hunt): A code or marking on the packaging of Hot Wheels cars indicating that it is part of the Treasure Hunt series.

TH$ (Treasure Hunt Dollar Sign): Another marking on the packaging indicating a Treasure Hunt car, often accompanied by the Treasure Hunt logo.

TH Regular (T-Hunt Regular): A standard Treasure Hunt car, distinguished by its unique paint job and packaging.

TH Super (T-Hunt Super): A rarer version of a Treasure Hunt car, with premium features like rubber tires and Spectraflame paint.

Convention Car: Hot Wheels cars produced exclusively for collector conventions, such as the Hot Wheels Collectors Nationals or Hot Wheels Convention.

Mail-In Car: A Hot Wheels car that can be obtained by mailing in proofs of purchase from other Hot Wheels products or by participating in promotions.

Card Variation: Differences in the design or details of the blister card packaging, which can make certain versions more collectible.

Hard to Find (HTF): A term used to describe diecast cars that are rare and difficult to locate, often used in online trading and selling listings.

JDM (Japanese Domestic Market): Diecast cars that feature designs inspired by Japanese car culture, including iconic Japanese cars and tuning culture.

Tampo: Short for "tampos," which are the detailed graphics and decals applied to Hot Wheels and other diecast cars, including logos, numbers, and designs.

5. MISC. RESOURCES

Best Hot Wheels Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/242922141626200 Annual Hot Wheels Convention - http://www.hwcollectorsconvention.com

MiniGT Wiki https://minigt.fandom.com/wiki/MINI_GT

HotWheels Wiki https://hotwheels.fandom.com/wiki/Hot_Wheels

Matchbox Wiki https://matchbox.fandom.com/wiki/Matchbox_Cars_Wiki

Hot Wheels Price Guide https://hwpriceguide.com/article/ultimate-guide-to-collecting-hot-wheels/

Beginner's Guide To Diecast Collecting https://diecastcarlove.blog/post/726372253136191488/quick-beginners-guide-to-collecting-diecast-cars Insurance (This isn't an endorsement because I have never used their services, but Collectibles Insurance Services is well-known in the Hot Wheels collector's community) https://collectinsure.com

6. CONCLUSION

The goal of this document is to provide help for anyone who is trying to get the most out of the diecast car hobby. I have received incredible enjoyment from my participation in the hobby and hope you do too. If you have a question, comment or concern, please reach out to me via email at: diecastcarlove@gmail.com.

[torque-witch]

Death’s Head Divination & co is moving! We need your help 🥲

I want to start off by saying that we would not be able to move without your continued support over the last year, throughout a pandemic, and we could not be more grateful for that! But unfortunately 600 sq feet of space is not enough for me to run a business (practically & well) out of, without cramping my husband and pets.

I’m going to break down everything financially as well as I can so that everything is transparent as possible for why I am asking for help! I want to clarify that while this is not an emergency, it is going to tank my savings account even before we are able to purchase furniture. We are moving into a small house, and there are so many things we need that apartments don’t necessarily require. I want to be clear while this is a privilege, it still costs a lot of money upfront to move. More space costs more money and since we are planning to live there for a few years before we can purchase a house, it’s just about the same amount of money that we would be spending to fill a new house anyway. I’m not expecting y’all to pay for my shit, but we both (my husband and I) rely on savings for emergencies because this is America. Without that accessible anymore, it is just added stress.

Lastly, I am working DoorDash currently to supplement my income because Etsy covers bills, but nothing else. I am disabled and cannot return to the regular workforce, nor can I guarantee that my health will always be stable. That’s why having emergency $ has been so incredibly helpful since the beginning of the pandemic and now I need to spend it so that we can move on to better things, literally.

Moving Costs - Most Important

$950 - House Deposit : paid 7/8

$1420 - Last two months rent at current apartment. The lease requires a 60-day notice for lease-breaking, but our lease ends at the end of September anyway so it’s not avoidable.

$985 - 1st month’s rent up front

$100 - Water deposit : paid 7/8

$56 - Rental Insurance Deposit : paid 7/8

~$100 - UHaul rental

$141 - Electricity deposit : paid 7/16

$110 Pet Carpet Cleaner - paid 7/16

New Things We Will Need to Buy

**These are not emergency buys, but ASAP or over time.

$180 - Bed Frame. We currently don’t have one at all, just a mattress over an old box spring.

$160 - TV stand. We are currently using cube storage and the cat peed all over the bottom so the particle board is weakened and expanded 🙃

$300+ - 1 or 2 AC units for this heat wave and/or if the central air doesn’t cool enough. We don’t currently own any.

$1200+ - Washer/Dryer set since this is the first time we will have hookups. We use an off-site laundromat currently.

$300 - Two bookshelves. For books, but also to store my shop supplies safely.

$200+ - Printer for the business so I can offer cheaper shipping and/or new products, better branding.

$170 - New desk for work

$200 - Hutch. We also sell glassware and it is currently all stuffed in the cube storage under the TV.

$400 - Kitchen island/eating area

$150 - Weedwacker. The house comes with a tiny yard that is currently overtaken by incredibly giant weeds.

$300 ish - Secondary seating to match the couch.

$$$ - Misc things like bedding, rugs, curtains, chairs, storage & cleaning supplies. Ladder??

**Yes, where possible we will thrift furniture/other misc needs

I’m sure there are tons of things I am forgetting overall, but this is the gist of our expected expenses over the next few months.

What I’m Offering

All Hel Mary’s will be 15% off though 7/31/21 or later if we still need more help. This includes finished and pre-made listings. New arrivals may not be discounted until a week or so after sitting in the shop.

*Not every piece I have available to paint or purchase finished is listed in the shop! If you are looking for something specific, I still have a lot in storage and other finished pieces in local stores that have not sold. I am planning on taking back at least 4 pieces that aren’t selling locally to add back into the shop.

*Klarna payments (4 - 1/4 payments every two weeks) are available through Etsy for orders over $50. I cannot offer scheduled payments through me directly.

Please expect your budget for hand-made work to be between $80-$250. All statues are thrifted first and then redecorated.

*Shipping times for made-to-order are usually 2-3 weeks but can be up to 4. This is so that I can manage other avenues of my income like vintage and DoorDash plus moving.

**I also offer custom statues and have examples of Freyja, Inanna, Hekate, Artemis, Persephone & Aphrodite

Other Sales

All current stock of vintage decor, witchy decor, altar decor, tea accessories & misc will be 25% through 7/31/21 or later. New arrivals may not be discounted until at least 1 week of sitting in the shop.

*Shipping on Etsy can be difficult, so if you have multiple items in your cart and the shipping looks high, message me first on Etsy and I can re-evaluate or make you a custom listing.

*All items ship priority because of weight & fragile nature.

*Klarna payments are also available for any orders over $50.

*I do take requests to find specific items but cannot guarantee I will have the time right now to do so. Message me on Etsy if you are looking for something specific and your budget, and I will do my best to schedule time for you.

**Important**

Any new arrivals will not be discounted until they have been sitting for at least a week. I regularly offer new arrivals on Instagram first come first serve, but sometimes post here as well for more traffic.

While I do normally offer other hand-painted items, they will be discontinued for a few months in order to handle the moving situation and setting up my office space. I do not currently offer Tarot readings anymore because of the immense amount of energy required.

What if I don’t want to buy anything?

That’s totally okay! You can support us in other ways, some of which are not financial.

Venmo - torquevvitch

CashApp- $TorqueWitch

Paypal - dukesofnapa@gmail.com (Friends & Family only please)

Reblog! Share!

Follow my Instagram ➡️ dhdivination At 3k followers I will host a giveaway! (After the move)

*I won’t be listing my Amazon or Etsy wishlists because I’m not sure house measurements for everything we need. $$ is preferred, but you can message me about specific things you may be interested in buying for us.

Leave a review on Etsy if you’ve purchase before!

Follow my Facebook Page ➡️ DHDivination

Where to Find Me or My Items

Instagram - dhdivination

Facebook - dhdivination

Etsy - Deaths Head Divination (Prefer messages here for products!)

WayWardWitchAuctions on Instagram - Auctions of new arrivals or discounts on art & products every Friday through Sunday plus other vendors!

Black Forge Coffee House - McKees Rocks & Allentown, PGH PA

The Broom Closet - Castle Shannon, PGH PA

Electric Cat - Hel Mary Earrings (We do statue collabs as well!)

Thank you again so much for giving us the opportunity to actually live in a house! Your support over the years on Tumblr and in the shop has meant everything, and gave me the confidence to quit my job and do this full time! I wouldn’t be here without you. If you have any questions, suggestions or otherwise, please feel free to reach out 🖤

[oursustainablefuture]

What A Year As A Small Business Owner Taught Me About Sustainability, Upcycling, Thrifting, and Running a Brand

Written By Campbell Fauber for Our Sustainable Future 

In Summer 2019, I launched the first collection of my sustainable clothing brand, Dauntless Denim,  curious to see how people would respond. While I did not focus on creating an array of clothes, I decided to focus on thrifting and upcycling denim jackets, which was something I had never tried before. In short, thrifting and upcycling are two specific ways we, as consumers, can keep our planet cleaner. This process was exciting but challenging, and I definitely learned a lot. Here are some important things I learned along the way. 

1. If You Can Upcycle, Do It! 

Upcycling is a way consumers can reuse something they own by transforming it into something new and unique. In my own life, I began thinking of ways I could practice sustainability, which involved trying on a more personal level to keep myself from getting rid of clothes I didn’t wear anymore. I decided to upcycle thrifted denim jackets that I found at a local secondhand shop. I gave the jackets a new life by sewing on colorful fabrics that were bold and eye-catching. Upcycling is a great way to make something new out of what you already own and encourages creativity and self-expression. Upcycling is also environmentally-friendly because it helps reduce what goes into a landfill, such as clothes. With all of this in mind, I encourage you to find a piece of old clothing in your closet (or even something laying around your house) and consider upcycling it or, rather, transforming it into something completely new and reimagined. 

2. When In Doubt, Thrift. 

Before I started Dauntless Denim, I had gone to Goodwill a few times to look for some old clothes I could wear again. However, it wasn’t until I officially started my business that I had truly learned how great thrifting was for the environment. I found a local secondhand shop near my house and decided to stop in and see what it was like inside. There were organized racks of clothes of all kinds (e.g. sizes, colors, brands). It was incredible to see so many items ranging from men’s to women’s to kids that were for sale. Immediately, I headed to the denim section and soon discovered a rack of old denim jackets that I could use for my first denim jacket launch. I picked out a few pieces, which were way cheaper than the original price (a perk of thrifting!), and left the store feeling happy and accomplished. All in all, I encourage you to thrift whenever possible. Not only does thrifting help reduce clothing waste, it also helps support your community and establishes your new sense of style. You can also (often) find high-quality clothes for extremely low prices, which is a win-win! Lastly, thrifting is a better option than shopping at fast fashion brands. Consider thrifting at your local secondhand shop for some fresh clothing finds. 

3. You Can’t Be 100% Sustainable, But You Can Try And Do Your Part

Another thing I learned about owning a sustainable small business is that not everything you do is going to be 100% sustainable. Like many other companies and brands, there is never going to be a way to be fully eco-friendly, whether it be in supply chain or production practices. In other words, there is still going to be waste of some kind and the environment will still be impacted in some way, shape, or form. However, what helped me in the early stages of planning my business was that if I can try and do my part for the environment (in my case, it was upcycling denim jackets in order to keep them out of landfills), I could feel lile I am doing what I can to help keep the environment a little bit cleaner. I also realized that even if I do my part in trying to help the planet, I am not capable of impacting the environment in such a large way that the climate change crisis is magically solved. Knowing this, though, I still feel like I need to do my part, even in a small way, to keep my community cleaner and more educated about sustainable practices, including upcycling and thrifting.

4. Cultivating Your Own Ideas & A Brand Takes A Lot of Brainstorming

Something else that I had to take into consideration when I pondered whether or not I wanted to start my own business was what my brand was going to be centered around and what types of ideas I had that would help distinguish me from other brands. I began brainstorming what I envisioned my brand to look like. What was I passionate about? What was feasible and within my skill set? What did I want to potentially sell? All of these questions were top of mind when I first started to wonder what I was going to do with my business. Then, I began trying to think of ways I could create a unique brand that was unlike others I had seen before. That’s when I decided to take the route of sustainability and upcpcycling, which was honestly something that I had been thinking on and off about earlier. Upcycling was also something that had crossed my mind a few times, but I had never really sat down and thought about how I would implement it into my business model. The moral of the story is to not be afraid of starting your own business! The entire process is exciting and motivating. However, it is important to keep in mind that it does take a lot of time and effort to create a brand that is equally unique and feasible. Make sure you are passionate about what you’re doing and don’t be afraid to think outside the box and get outside your comfort zone a little bit. 

5. Social Media Marketing Taught Me More Than Just Marketing!

For me, creating a sustainable brand, and a business in general, meant that I had to spend a lot of time brainstorming and researching the different ways I could effectively create products and also engage with consumers and my community. For example, I had to practically teach myself how to do social media marketing and use Etsy as a platform to sell my products. While this was indeed time consuming, I learned a lot about myself throughout the process. First, I learned that I have to always stay on top of trends in order to sell products (mainly denim jackets and later on, masks) that would catch the eye of the consumer and be relevant enough to do well among similar products. Secondly, I learned that when using platforms such as Instagram to show off my designs, I have to be deliberate in terms of what I post, when I do it, and what I choose to write about in my captions. The more time I spent on social media, the more I learned the ins and outs of digital marketing and the ways I could target consumers. Thirdly, I learned that I have to be patient during this process. Many times since I started my brand, I got too frustrated with myself when something didn’t go right. I immediately wanted to give up and I began questioning what I was doing and if being a business owner was even the right path for me. However, once I took a step back and learned to not put so much pressure on myself for things that didn’t necessarily go right the first time, I could approach each and every situation with more understanding and more clarity. As a result, this helped me market my products better on social media and reach a larger audience that really felt connected to my brand and what I was selling. Looking back on my experiences, I wouldn’t trade being a small business owner for the world.

Interested in learning more about Campbell’s brand? Follow her Instagram @dauntlessdenim to stay updated on her newest releases & her Etsy @shopdauntlessdenim. Also, check out her most recent mask releases as well as the one-of-a-kind upcycled jackets and skirts that are still available for purchase on her Etsy Shop. 

[fitz1813]

Polymer clay tips from someone who's been experimenting with it for the past three years:

I started with a sculpey brand set so I had a lot of colors to work with, then replaced the ones I needed

Buy colors you use often, like white, in bulk

If you use jump rings for charms or jewelry, get pliers and wire cutters, it's not worth destroying your scissors and fingernails

Use baby wipes to clean your hands and surface

Invest in some tools, but most things you can substitute. I use a sewing needle to cut and make details, a baby knife to cut big chunks, and aluminum foil and not-for-teeth toothbrush to texture.

I did get nail art tools that have little balls on the ends and can double as rolling pins

When making larger objects, fill it with aluminum foil

Turn scrap clay into beads

Don't put polymer clay in airtight containers, it'll become sticky and gross. It's plastic based, not real mud clay

Polymer clay is still squishy right out of the oven. The colder it is immediately after being taken out, the stronger it'll be

Liquid clay is amazing and even if the tiny bottle is expensive, it lasts for a long time

If you coat it in mod podge before it goes in the oven, it gets nice and shiny afterwards, and is a sort of glaze/glue

It doesn't matter how much you think you suck, most people don't know what polymer clay is and will hail you as a supreme deity regardless of skill

Use fimo brand clay to make canes, sculpey is too soft since it's good for kids and beginners and people with weak fingers (I am the latter)

Premo brand clay has good colors and isn't too soft or too hard

Fimo may be hard to squish, but work it between your fingers a bit gradually and it'll get softer

You can buy canes online, they're super cheap

Superglue fixes everything but don't bake it

You can mix clay with glitter, chalk pastels, and some makeup. I haven't tried nail polish but I have a feeling it won't work

Piping tips are a bitch to clean but clean them anyway, you'll thank yourself later

Mix the premo color pearl with any other color and it'll turn sparkly too

It helps to have a sketch beforehand of what you're making, labelled with colors so you know where to start

Start with light colors first, then gradually get darker

If you need to switch back to light after using dark, wipe your hands on those baby wipes

Red, certain greens, and glittery colors are ones you should wipe your hands and surfaces thoroughly after using. No not black so much unless you're switching to a super light color

Mix media!! Paint it, glue it to something else, etc. Art is beautiful in its variety!!

Liquid glue does not disappear when it's finished baking, it comes out white

Try new colors!! They won't bite

When eye pins are too long, cut them down to size and make other smaller ones with the ends you cut off

Don't put your creations on the edge of a shelf... I am speaking from brokenhearted experience

Bead organizing boxes are an excellent way to store your creations

If you suddenly are struck with inspiration, text/email the idea to yourself, write it down, or put it in a notes app

Reference photos are not just for drawing and painting artists

Follow YouTube tutorials and watch their collections and trades because not everything they make comes with a tutorial and you can discover other artists this way

If there isn't a tutorial, picture how the pieces fit together. Three dimensional art is easier for me to puzzle together, so imagine how it comes together. It'll get easier with time as you watch more tutorials, and soon you won't have to

Imitation is the sincerest compliment, or however the saying goes. I copied everything I made when I started out, then gradually had my own ideas. It comes with time

If you copy or heavily draw inspiration from someone else and put pictures of your creation out on the internet, make sure to give credit where it is due

Crochet thread makes for excellent tassels if you make jewelry

Practice practice practice

Take breaks when you need to, especially for your eyes

If you make slabs, lots of people use pasta makers to roll them out flat, but rolling pins are cheaper

Make what you love

If you don't love it, give it away. Most people don't have standards for what they don't know

Don't be discouraged by the talented artists out there. It takes time and money to get that good, and that isn't readily available to many people. Talent is also in short supply

I don't sell on Etsy because I don't want to get sued, but it's a vague future plan. If you want to motivate yourself that way, go for it if you think you're ready. There are plenty of sellers out there who make fabulous creations, and some who are simply average, so don't let a lack of skill deter you

Clay isn't for everyone. I have small hands, which definitely helps, and some people (or fools) just aren't drawn to three dimensional art. If you don't love it, it's okay to move on to something else.

Fancy clay can be bought only online, so I haven't done it, but it looks pretty cool in the pictures

Have a designated area for clay, and keep it generally clean most of the time so wipedowns at the beginning aren't too bad

Your designated area for clay should be one solid, light color so you can see any dirt specks, hairs, etc. that might appear in the middle of your work

Gold foil is pretty cool and can be baked with clay

Read the baking instructions on clay packages

It's ok to mix brands, bake somewhere in the middle if the baking heat is different

Acrylic paint goes well on everything, including polymer clay

Paper clips are bakeable too

Small thin things don't have to be baked for as long

It's okay if you forget about your clay. Once I left mine in the oven for forty minutes and it was fine

Suede brown in sculpey is a pretty lit color

Ecru clay in premo is good for mixing, mix it with white for vanilla cakes

Art is beautiful heck yeahhh

[joaniam]

Holy cow I absolutely adore your knitting!!! Just today I got exhausted after just 17 rows working with size 2 needles so to see that blanket that took six months was absolutely jaw dropping. It looks absolutely stunning and kudos to all your hard work!! It’s also super cool to see you spin your own yarn!! That’s been a fantasy of mine for a while but I don’t even know where to start. Do you just buy unprocessed wool and go ham?? Hopefully I can per a sheep in the process

Thank you, anon! Remind me later to photograph the shawl I only just finished recently! (I still haven't dyed it yet tho. Maybe I can put that to a vote! lol)

My mom taught me how to knit when I was in like second grade and then when I was 16 I started again and then here we are. It takes practice!

I’ve been fantasizing about spinning since I first saw Sleeping Beauty, I think. I finally grew up and bought my own spinning wheel and I love it. (Sadly, I think the company that made mine went out of business recently otherwise I’d link them here. They’re Blue Bonnet spinning and if anyone knows where they went please tell me!)

As for spinning your own yarn yourself, I would suggest getting a drop spindle at first. Drop spindles are pretty dang different than spinning wheels, but they are, and this is important, much cheaper than a wheel. Cheap spindles tend to be around $20, while cheep spinning wheels are like... $240. Start with that, and if you can stand futzing with yarn fibers, then maybe think about a wheel.

In the meantime,  you still have your own yarn, so win win!

And yes, I do buy undyed wool, though I wouldn’t say it’s “unprocessed”. Before I started dying, I went to Etsy and bought hand dyed stuff.

I get it from Paradise Fibers, for the most part, though Knit Picks has some pretty cheap wool that I’m planning on making another blanket out of.

The wool has been cleaned, and carded, and put into 4oz or so bundles.

If you want REALLY unprocessed fiber, the Woolery will soon start selling entire fleeces, because it’s spring.

[welldresseddadblog]

Today’s post about buying a tweed jacket is by Garmsman Shaun. You can follow him on Instagram as @these_rough_notes

Tweed jacket – How to buy vintage and secondhand

If you are reading this Blog regularly you will know about Tweed, its versatility, its longevity, its warmth, its ability to transcend fashion in the world of Menswear.

You’ll probably understand the fact it’s a good idea to have some, especially now the winter months are fast approaching. I’m not going to go over its History or the Makers Process, Nick covers that with aplomb elsewhere. A number of traditional men’s retailers still sell Tweed, or more specifically Harris Tweed Jackets. But they are expensive, which is completely understandable. The fabric is handmade, they are made to last a lifetime and a lot of effort and care has been put into their construction. Some modern  Fashion brands such as Margaret Howell, Beams Plus and famously Ralph Lauren produce jackets in Tweed. You are looking at paying between £250 and £900 off the shelf.

But there is another way, and that’s second hand. It’s not for everyone, I understand that some people just don’t feel comfortable wearing someone else’s clothes. But bear with me, if you want a Tweed Jacket, in my opinion, looking at secondhand is the best option. If you choose wisely, with care and follow some simple advice you can buy one that will be with you for years, have all the benefits of Tweed, but without the cost.

Where?

Charity Shops do occasionally throw up a bargain, depending on your luck and location. But the two places where you have the greatest choice are eBay and Etsy. An eBay search alone throws up nearly 11,000 items under Mens Tweed Jackets, Etsy about 2,000. These vast numbers shouldn’t intimidate, they should encourage. There’s bound to be something out there that’s perfect, but you need to put in the work. eBay may have more absolute bargains, but there are many Vintage dealers on Etsy that have great stock.

Styles?

Tweed Jackets generally fall into two main categories, a Traditional, boxy style that tends to date from the 50s or 60s, or a slimmer two button style that will date from the 70s. The earlier style will tend to have smaller lapels and one rear vent. The later 70s style will usually have a larger lapel, a more pinched waist, and will sometimes have two vents at the back. As far as pockets go, the only variations would be a ticket pocket and that some 70s jackets will have patch pockets which are rarely seen on the sixties Jackets. It really depends on your preference.

Size?

One of the objections that people have about buying online is sizing. Often items are described merely as Large, Medium and Small. Even the slightly more helpful 40″, 42″ etc isn’t ideal when buying. Okay, you can use your local tailor but, because of the choice, it’s best to get it as right as you can before buying. All the bigger Vintage Clothing Suppliers will give accurate dimensions. The need to know is Pit To Pit size, Overall Length, and Sleeve Length. Because of the variations in sizing over the decades, if you can’t get these sizes from the seller, then don’t bother, just look elsewhere. As a basic rule, generally, a vintage size will be a bit bigger than modern sizes, however in my experience sleeve lengths are a common adjustment on Vintage Jackets, as people bought these items as a lifetime purchase you may find that they will have been adjusted at some point in their past. If you’re tall and lanky, you don’t want the jacket from a short and stout gent, even if your chest measures the same, there could be many inches difference in arm length. Labels for sizing are rare and will tend to have been removed or worn away. If in doubt, or if sizing isn’t listed, then ask, a decent seller, and most are, will do it for you.

Condition?

There are a surprising amount of nearly new or unused jackets out there. And one brand stands out in this respect. Dunn &Co. went to the receivers over 20 years ago now. They were if you don’t remember, a very traditional menswear shop that just couldn’t keep up with the times. However this meant that they had a lot of unused stock left over that was bought up, predominantly by Ciro Citterio that had plans to relaunch the brand, but then they too went bust. So all this stock has filtered its way through various sellers and now often pops up on eBay and Etsy, its excellent value, always  UK-made and nearly always Harris Tweed. The main wear and tear points tend to be lining, buttons missing and Moth damage. All these things are fixable, but its whether you want to, there are plenty of jackets out there that won’t need any repairs or will have had repairs done already that are usually invisible. Bear in mind most of these jackets would have been the owners main after work wear and will have been worn a lot, but also taken care of. Smell, that musty odour that makes it seem as if it has been stored in a Horse Box, can be a problem. Again most of the larger or more experienced suppliers will have had had the item dry cleaned or aired and will say if there is a residual smell. Nick covers how to sort this elsewhere on the blog as you’ll probably know. A picture of the maker’s mark or Harris Tweed label can be a good indicator or condition.

Brands?

I’ve already mentioned Dunn &Co, price-wise £30 is about average for a decent quality one that’s had little use or is in great condition, 70s Style ones will be a bit cheaper. Another brand I would always look out for is London Institution Daks Simpson, They are beautifully made, use high-quality fabric and are available in a range of styles and fabric They can be more expensive, to the £50 -£100 price range but still represent excellent value. But really Tweed jackets will mainly have either no label bar the Harris Tweed Label or the label of the shop it has been sold through that can range from obscure German retailers to a local town emporium that has been dressing the great and the good as far as anyone can remember. The key thing is if it has the Harris Tweed Label, then you know at least the material will be long-lasting.

Fabric?

We all know that Harris Tweed is the daddy of them all, famous throughout the world for its origin and quality. And it would generally be my go-to fabric for a tweed jacket. I sort of know before buying that it’s going to be a fairly heavyweight, warm and slightly rough to the touch. But lighter weight materials, using Pure New Wool are also well worth a look. Tweed isn’t always the easiest fabric to photograph, because of the mix of colours and shades it can look completely different in sunlight than dull light. So if the seller hasn’t taken a close up picture of the cloth then ask for one. It’ll give you a far better idea of the makeup of the cloth. Bladen does a beautiful material called Supersax which is a very closely woven fine fabric that’s very warm and is the first choice of gentlemen farmers. There are lots of Tweed jackets listed that wouldn’t look out of place on a 1970s US Sports Broadcaster or News Anchor, unless you are going to a fancy dress party, perhaps best avoided. Buttons are almost universally those leather football types, some like them, I usually replace with a decent Horn Button as it I think it improves the overall look.

It is possible to discern the age of a Harris Tweed between before or after 1994. The Harris Tweed authority was established in 1994 and the text on the labels changed to reflect this. Apart from this there has been a huge number of labels in use over the years, seemingly without much control.

Summary

So, you’ve decided, seen the one that ticks all the boxes and you are sitting waiting for it to be delivered. You try it on, and it’s nearly right, because you’ve done your homework, but it’s not quite there, not quite perfect. But that’s fine, Do not panic. Think about any minor adjustments, and hopefully, it will just be minor if you’ve followed the sizing advice, then contact your local friendly tailor and tell them exactly what you want to be done. Then just enjoy it, it’ll be with you a long time, hopefully!

Tweed jacket - How to buy vintage and secondhand. Tweed jacket tend to be expensive, but also last a long time. Learn how to find a suitable secondhand or vintage one and attain tweed happiness. #tweed #harristweed #vintage #secondhand #thrift Today's post about buying a tweed jacket is by Garmsman Shaun. You can follow him on Instagram as…

[douchebagbrainwaves]

HOW TO LEARN

But it is not so bad, the kids adopt an attitude of waiting for college. The reason so many people think of property as having a good style. In Apple's case the garage story is a bit of a debate inside our partnership about the airbed concept. The other students are the biggest advantage of going to an elite college; you learn more from them than the professors. In startups one person may have to morph themselves into something totally different, but they are not the root cause of variation in every other respect you've succeeded. One is that a good chunk of the country's wealth is managed by enlightened investors. I'm not claiming it's a particularly good time either.

A big company is probably getting a bad deal, because his performance is dragged down by the more exalted ones. Success for a startup to do? If one likes you, you become a member of this new group. The quote I began with was that, to save money, he'd designed the Apple II while working at HP, and there is no correlation between their ages and how well they're doing. Some angel groups charge you money to pitch your idea to them. Maybe what you'd end up with wouldn't even be a spreadsheet. You really only get one chance, because they have no intention of funding you, just to be able to stay on as CEO, they'll have to cede some power, because the paper would grow to the size of a program. As with most nature/nurture questions, the answer is yes, apparently. Most people have characteristic ways of doodling. Startups are marginal. This is why so many startups selling new drugs or computer software, and the people involved.

No one does that kind of thing for fun. Few others could have done it. If the founders have impressive resumes and the idea is much older than Henry Ford. Northern Italy in 800, and report back to us. If you want to say, at the end of month six, the system is starting to have a silicon valley, I suspect they unconsciously frame it as how to make money is to make a living, and it's hard to see how little launches matter. You can have wealth without having money. One of the most interesting things we've discovered from working on Y Combinator is that founders are more motivated by the fear of loss. It would crush its competitors. After Facebook stopped being for Harvard students. There is a large random factor in the mathematical sense; see equation above in readability. These problems aren't intrinsically difficult, just unfamiliar. Or to put it would be possible to recognize it statistically.

I'm sure it will come as a surprise to a lot of time trying to build stuff. A month later, at the end, but gives the angel more protection against being squashed by VCs in future rounds, and the odds that anyone will pay in your lifetime for what you want to improve your chances, you should think far more about who you can recruit as a cofounder than the state of the economy doesn't matter much either way. Of course VCs were jerks. Of course the habits of mind than others? In an essay I wrote for high school students, I said, I think, is worry about the suspension; just make that sucker as big and tough-looking as you can compete with delegation by working on larger vertical slices, you can at least move in that direction. Why is it counterintuitive for founders? Now everyone can, and then see what they do. The initial idea is just a convenient way of trading one form of wealth for another. It can be worth participating in a corrupt contest, however, if it's true, seems to be built into our visual perception. If you buy a custom-made car, something will always be breaking. For example, nearly all humans find human faces engaging. The most likely source of examples is math.

There was not much point in making more than you on marketing, as long as they could which turned out to be a problem. So most people pre-emptively lower their expectations. Plain materials have a charm like small scale. A recession will if anything make it cheaper still. They were intensely competitive and were always trying to outdo one another, like mathematicians or physicists today—maybe like anyone who has ever done anything really well. So when I ran into the Yahoo exec I knew from working there in the background. For most successful startups we've funded have. As far as I can tell, succinctness power. It would be unthinkably humiliating to fail now. I'd say that startups will spread, but very slowly, because their spread will be driven not by government policies which won't work or by market need which doesn't exist but, to the user of a stove. The puffed-up companies that went public during the Bubble didn't do it just because they were pulled into it by unscrupulous investment bankers. And except in domains with big penalties for making mistakes, it's often better not to aim for perfection initially.

Some say Europeans are less energetic, but I don't believe it when they tell you this is a natural fit between smallness and solving hard problems. We can, however, if it's followed by another that isn't corrupt. They're most productive when everyone gets to do what they want to do seem impressive, as if the company gets into trouble. So if you're going to build, plus the unscalable thing s you're going to sell cheap stock to eminent angels, do it early, when it's natural for the company just to break even. As long as you've made something that a few users are ecstatic about, you're on the right track. So a company making a mass-produced versions will be, if so few do. And people with that attitude are the ones who do it well, those who do it best tend to be more entrepreneurial, and less afraid of risk. They'd nearly all prefer the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Technology seems to increase the variation in productivity at faster than linear rates. How do you get bought? That's why oil paintings look so different from watercolors.

All parents tend to be an accident. Whereas if you solve a technical problem that a lot of startups, because they are likely to blow up. I'm not hard to find. Why? It probably takes five years, on average, before a startup founder can make angel investments. Though appeal to people is a meaningful test, because although, like any everyday concept, human is fuzzy around the edges, there are about 800 incubators in the US now, only about 50 are likely to make money, and have your clients pay your development expenses. The initial idea is that, if they don't like what they're supposed to, they'll be able to reproduce this. And if you're worried about threats to the survival of your company, but it won't be the last to notice. If you plan to automate later. I am not sure I buy that ABNB reminds me of Etsy in that it facilitates real commerce in a marketplace model directly between two people. So companies have evolved to prey upon the weaknesses of large organizations the way enterprise software companies have.

It's the way we do. Top actors make a lot more independent than others, or would everyone be this way if they were talking to a friend what you just wrote. You just can't fry eggs or cut hair fast enough. Don't assume when this happens that you've failed. This probably makes them less productive, because they have less reputation to protect. So companies have evolved to prey upon the weaknesses of large organizations the way enterprise software companies have. In fact, the sound of the homing beacon. Steve Wozniak wanted to build microcomputers, and his employer, HP. The angel deal takes two weeks to close, so you can say it in the plainest words and you'll be perceived as having a good style. Silicon Valley in Japan, because one audience is the set of all possible humans.

Thanks to Jessica Livingston, Sam Altman, Geoff Ralston, and Bill Yerazunis for their feedback on these thoughts.

[sproutybjd-blog]

Silicone Molds

Firstly, let me start by saying that I have an apology post in the works for Cubeco, the maker of the silicone molds I purchased last month. In a previous post, I responded to an anonymous confession about the price of my silicone molds. I had originally gotten them off of Taobao for around $10 USD for the cost of the base mold. After importing, they cost me around $55 in taxes, fees, packaging, etc. each. I had to price them around $75 to make up for that, and people weren’t happy with that price. The anonymous confession said that there were better, cheaper molds on Taobao for less than five dollars, and a reblog had a link to Cubeco molds. So I decided to purchase some Cubeco molds in order to lower the price of the molds for sale in my store, since it was a common complaint that they were too expensive. The cost of molds: Imagine I buy $100 in molds. The shipping cost will be $45, the cost to my Agent will be $35, since I am a business. I also have to file to have them imported, since they have to go through customs and must be declared. Then I have to pay the taxes, which I could never figure out if they were for the price I paid or the price I was selling for, so I always just did the price I was selling for. $35 in import duties and taxes, since I am a business. The cost of packaging $20 for that many molds, and a 15% failure rate (resin sticking to the molds during testing before they are sent out to people) and the price is significantly higher. In order to make a profit, business sources suggest that you buy an item for 1/4th to 1/2 the cost you plan to sell it for, everything included as far as packaging and fees. The cost to import a single mold that might have cost only $5 on Taobao could end up costing me around $30 to import it legally into the United States and after all Shopify/Etsy listing fees and State and Federal taxes, packaging, failure and return rates, etc. So in order to make any profit at all, I have to sell the mold for almost double that... Which I can’t, because no one will buy them for that price. So after all of the importing, etc, the profit margin is quite low. It is still slightly more profitable than making them myself, since I’m not an expert mold maker.

Now that the cost of the molds (which people say is too high and think I am trying to rip them off/con people into overpaying for the molds) is out of the way, let’s get started with the rest.

On March 6th, 2017 I purchased a large order from this Taobao shop: [Link] [Item] And I purchased around $200 in molds of various sizes. Here is a photo of some of the items I received. The items arrived April 12th, 2017. So far I have not many of them, mostly just the “Single Mold” that I purchased from another seller on Taobao, who allows reselling. The only molds I have sold from Cubeco have been the 12mm molds, because the previous single mold that I had did not include a 12mm. As of April 23rd, 2017, I have sold 5 Cubeco molds.

[Link] Around April 21st, I received a notification on Instagram that I was tagged by @cubeco000 there [Link], on a picture that says “I made this mold @sproutydoll” and I liked the image. At the time, I thought that this person was the original maker of the mold and was showing that they had made the mold. It wasn’t until April 22nd that I began receiving notifications that cubeco000 was tagging people and commenting that I had plagiarized them.  I sent cubeco000 a message to see what was going on, and realized that they had sent me a message earlier in the day and I had not seen it, since it was marked as spam on Instagram. We spoke back and forth, but since cubeco000 doesn’t speak much English and I don’t speak any Chinese, I think there was a misunderstanding. I offered to credit them and remove the listings from my website and direct people to their Taobao if they wished to buy. Cubeco000 doesn’t have an English listing or a way for non-Chinese to buy the molds,  but they said that they did not want me to sell the molds, so I was fine with sending people to Taobao instead. Cubeco000 did not respond to any of these messages besides accusing me of copying them, plagiarizing them, and stealing from them. They read the messages (IG marks read messages with a little symbol) and then went to make more comments on my Instagram images about how I was a cheater, a liar, a copycat, and plagiarizing them, and tagging my customers and other BJD people along the way.

In the PMs, cubeco000 doesn’t say much, but I think there is a misunderstanding. I am working with a friend to have cubeco000 write out what they would like, and what they feel is the issue in Chinese and have it translated so I can respond to it. For now, I will do a breakdown of the issues that were brought up in our DM. [Link to full conversation]

- I had not read the initial message from Cubeco000, since it was filtered as spam. When I sent them the first message on my end, it showed their message immediately after. I ask for proof, since the IG account is very new and had not posted many photographs or anything like that. Later on, cubeco000 provided sufficient proof [Link] with a mold master photograph, which I assume is made with a CNC lathe, something I had considered doing as well and find really fascinating (In the USA, the CNC shops near me all charge 500 an hour to design and use the machines, so it’s not something I can do yet!). - Cubeco000 also provided a photo of their Weibo, though I have no idea how to use Weibo. Apparently it is a Chinese blogging site. - “I am very sad about Nicolle, you made her think you did it” I am sure they are talking about Andreja from Nicolle’s Dreams [Link], and the mold I made her in June, 2016. [Link] which was a mold I had made from my own eyes, and is very different from Cubeco’s molds.  I have always made my own eyes for selling to customers, with the exception of the 3d printing company I had tested out from China. I ended up not very happy with the eyes, since they weren’t made to the specifications that I had sent them, and ended up getting rid of them. Here are some of the first ones I made, round and flat and hard to use. [Link] and the mold for them was a two-part [Link] and the eyes I used for most of the other time[Link] and [Link] for the mold, before I tried to use the 3d molds from the beginning of this year. You can see how I usually make the eye bases by a lathe style attachment to my dremel, then using a tool to carve them perfectly round, then drill out the centers and fill it with clear resin until it’s the right height to make the eyes. Here is a link to the 3D printed ones that were too oddly sized [Link] and discontinued shortly after I got them. Here is a link to some new eyes, made the same way with the lathe as the originals, but these are as small as 4mm. [Link] -Cubeco000 sends an image of an article I did for Musume, [Link] that was done before October, 2016, six months before I had ever gotten molds from them. They highlighted where I had said I make my own molds (which, for production of eyes, I still do). I show them the photo of my own handmade molds, which are ugly and tend to be hard to work with and customers don’t really want that when they are buying molds. I went to fetch the link to my listing, which I had set up to say they were manufactured by an outside source before, but when I changed suppliers I didn’t add it to the new listing. -Cubeco000 asks about my 3d design, which again, I ended up not using because they were ugly. I proved that I produce my own bases with the tiny 4mm, 6mm and 8mm ones I had made last month. -Cubeco000 no longer responds to my PMs, but they are still submitting comments on my photos that say that I am a thief, a copycat, stealing from them, etc. Some others join in to complain about the price. It is upsetting to me that I am trying to resolve this and they would rather make a scene. I really don’t know what they want at this point. To be clear, their listing never said that they didn’t want resellers or foreign agents to buy. Shops like Tata’s Paradise on Taobao and Sunny’s World on Taobao are very clear that they don’t want resellers and won’t sell to agents, and they cancel orders that are large in order to prevent agents from buying to resell. If they would have said this in their listing, I would not have bothered to buy from them and kept my original supplier, who was more expensive but fine with resellers and agents. I have also never claimed to make these molds. The listing image is clear that it is made by Cubeco [Link] (I have removed the listing since cubeco000 requested that, so this is just a link to the image) and I have never tried to hide the fact that it was made by someone else and bought through Taobao and an agent. Here is a tumblr post about it [Link] and another [Link], the last one goes into detail about the cost of molds as well. I probably should have provided links, but in the past when I have been more open about my production and supply side of things, people have messaged me telling me not to list them, since it makes it easier for people to copy me or cut out the middleman, so I have been trying to be more business-oriented and not share all the details of things. Even when I made clothes before, I would openly share my patterns and got warned that it would be a good way to lose most of my sales or have shops copy me.

I honestly don’t know what they want from me at this point. The money I have spent on the molds is gone, and Taobao doesn’t offer refunds, and my agent doesn’t either. So far, every time I try to get molds for customers to buy, it becomes a nightmare for me. Any time I try to outsource the production of anything, it becomes a bigger hassle than making it myself. At this point, I am just going to issue an apology and offer a refund to anyone who wants them and will send back the cubeco molds. I’m just flat out of the money I spent on the molds, and the ones from the supplier before this one, since I had to sell those at a loss to even sell them at all. It will be some time before I can have new 3D printed molds made, which I have been working on for some time, but the print quality from places like Shapeways isn’t high enough for the fine details. I have been saving towards a 3D printer, which I’ve talked about on my Instagram and Facebook before, for when I am ready to print my own doll in 3D. I was looking at the Form2, which is around $3k+, so I am thinking I will just wait until then to offer eyes, molds, etc. It has taken a lot for me to run the shop for the past six months. I work full time for a school, and I go to university as well. Running my shop on top of that has been daunting, and it’s been a struggle all around. I can’t seem to devote enough time to the shop for it to flourish like it needs to. I am honestly on the verge of just stopping Sproutydoll, and when I am finished with my own doll design, I will start up again. It might be under a new name, I have come up with a few designs for a “Prisma Doll” with a diamond and holographic theme, but now I worry that people will think I am changing names to avoid drama, because I am a con, or something else shady.  I am very tired of reading bad anonymous comments about my shop, about my work and about me. Everyone seems to think that I am a big player in the BJD world, that I am being shady and spiteful, and that my quality is terrible and I am overcharging. As a one-person operation, these comments really hurt me. I may just be too sensitive to be involved in this kind of hobby, since I tend to be a very quiet person anyway, and try to stay away from social media as best I can. I really do love making things and having other people appreciate the things I make. I don’t even mind when people have issues and want to get them resolved, but when people say hurtful things through an anonymous filter, it gets me down. When people call me a liar, a cheater, a copycat or a con artist, it upsets me. I love to see people’s photos of their dolls with my products, but recently there’s been a lot of drama and negative comments and it makes it impossible to enjoy the work I do. As it is, I get home from work at 4PM and will usually work on my shop stuff until around 8, then get ready for bed since I have to get up around 5 in the morning for work. All my free time goes towards making things, and as encouraging as it is to see when people share their experiences with my shop and the things I make, it’s hard to remember them when I’m dealing with the drama and the anonymous things that I have been dealing with lately. Even now, I have reworked the overall design of my doll several times (Hence her nearly six-month delay) because I worry what people will say that it’s too similar to this doll, or the joints kind of look like that doll, and that I am a copycat. Some days it’s hard for me to work on the eyes at all, since I still feel the comments that it’s too expensive, amateurish, and that this brand or that brand are a better deal.  I look at other brands and marvel at how nice they look, and feel that I can’t ever match the quality, no matter how many hours I spend on an eye. I do suffer from perfectionism, so I am always trying to find the line between acceptable and overdone. It always feels like the things I do are not good enough, and that the things others do are perfect, and if I could just spend a few more hours trying to figure it out, mine would be perfect, too. This post is getting long, so I will end it here. I am working on an apology to Cubeco since I realize I did not make sure that credit was easy to find.

[plogan721]

How to Start a Blog

It is the New Year, and there are people who want to start something new and different.  Writing is usually one of those hobbies that people want to start doing, but, for the most part, they are clueless on how to start or where to start.  10 years ago, I was in that same place most people are in when the itch to start writing kicks in.  I loved writing, but I was not sure if I had the skills to be a writer.  In the past, I was that person who had tons of spelling and grammar mistakes, and I did not care when I started my blogs. One of my problems was that I was always an impatient writer. This lead to being a careless writer. Another problem was I never did any research.  I wanted the paper to be done and done quickly.  If I did any research, I copied the text word for word without putting my spin into what I was reading and still meaning the same thing.

Photos from Pixabay

Side Note:  I want to take this moment to talk about the art of writing in general.  I find writing a lost art and a lost skill. We, as humans, may not like to write with pen and paper anymore, but in order to write an effective paper, both in pen and paper or digitally, you need to know how to write basic sentences.  Social media has made us lazy and I must admit at the time it includes me. We depend on the computer to correct our mistakes and this includes, spell checkers, grammar checkers, instead of watching what we say, and how we write it.

You should know the difference, for example, between words that sound the same but have two totally different meanings.  You should know where to insert a comma, and the difference between a noun, a pronoun, an adjective, and a preposition, and how to use it.  In social media, you SHOULD ALWAYS punctate a sentence with a period (.), an exclamation point (!), or a question mark (?), no matter what Twitter says.  A person should not try to figure out what you are trying to say to them in a Facebook post or Tweet.  Learn how to spell.  I am saying this because it does not matter if you want to be viewed as a professional writer to your friends on social media, or when you write for a blog or a business, the rules do not change.  Blogs may be more relaxed, but that’s about it.  Okay, rant over. Back to my story.

When I first started writing the papers that my teachers wanted, I did it on a typewriter or wrote it as older people would call, “long-hand”.  By the time I graduated from high school, the home computer started becoming a thing in the household.  Now we have smartphones, tablets, and all sorts of devices that make starting a blog easy and fun to start.  The key to writing is to have content that interesting, informative, and relatable.

Are blogs still a thing?

I was asked on Quora.com if starting a blog in 2020 was a silly idea, and it is not.  In fact in an age where Instagram, YouTube, Tiktok, and Snapchat are the marketing norm, writing a blog is still relevant today, as it was over 10 years ago when I first started.  Another fact is that some bloggers use their blogs as an addition to the vlogs that they put out.  Blogs today are more of a marketing tool to sell their products than to give out information about their products. For instance, If you have a brand to promote with products to sell on your website, you need content that promotes the very thing you want to sell.

For example, if you are a crafter and you sell paintings your life in the Columbus, Ohio area, You would create an e-commerce website with portraits of downtown, the Eastside, and Southside of the city.  You decide to create a portrait of a family enjoying the Ohio State Fair.  Once you have the concept of the painting, who the family is and represent, and what they are doing.  Next, you create a story about this family and why they are important on your blog website.  Perhaps, you may not want to do that, but write a post on how to bring life to your portraits or how to bring light and shadows to portraits for intermediates or the beginnings on how to paint for beginners. 

Tip: Whatever you decide to do on your blog, make it interesting, informative, and relatable to your website or brand.

So how do you start a blog?

I was looking to see how you start a blog in 2020.  Yes, I know how, but you have to remember that I started writing my blog 10 years ago, and well times have changed slightly. A person I found called Blog starter suggested you start a blog in these 6 simple steps:

1.    Pick a blog name.  to me, pick a name that is easy for a reader to remember and is not already taken.  For instance, I wanted to name my business and blog, P Lynn Designs.  Lynn is my legalized or government middle name. Of course, the “P” stands for Patricia.  The problem with it is there was already a blog with that spelling, and I did not want people and companies I deal with to get confused with that spelling.  I chose to use P. Lynne Designs because I always wanted to change the spelling of my middle name since the 10th grade (my parents had a fit about it), and a period (.) to further distance my blog and business from the other P Lynn Designs. Little did I know how much the website servers hate it.  Etsy still calls my shop, Plynne Designs.

2.   Get your blog online. Yes, it is important to find a self-hosting site.  I use SiteGround, and I could not have been any happy with the site.  Right now, all three blogs are still on Blogger, which is not a self-hosted site.  It is owned by Google, which means Google has a say so to the things you can and cannot do on your blog.  WordPress is the type of blog that most bloggers use.  Yes, there are sites like Wix, and it is a good blogging website, but you want something that can stand the test of time. I am very confident in Siteground. 

Also, register your blog with a domain name.  I use GoDaddy, but any hosting site that allows you to create a website or blog will allow you to create and register a domain name.  Godaddy is cheaper for the first year.  Renewals, however, are $17.00, at least that is what I paid yesterday.

Photo by Becca Clark for Pixabay

3.   Customize your blog.  Once you have created a blog name, registered the blog and domain name, you will want to pick a theme.  You can use the default theme, which is usually named after the year it was created (Twenty Nineteen is the theme that is currently activated on my new My Ambiance Life site), but if I were you, I would pick a theme that resonated with your blog.  Twenty Nineteen is not that theme, so I will have to change it.  Also, choose a theme that has a “parent-child relationship (main and sub-main pages).  We could get into plug-ins later, but there are thousands of plug-ins to suit the style you want to go into for your blog.  One tip:  do not fall in love with too many plug-ins.  The reason is a server is a great big computer, and if you fill your blog with too many plug-ins, it will take longer for the blog to load.  If your blog takes to long, you could push away some readers who only want to get to your post, read it, make a comment, and move on.

4.  Write and publish your first post.  Once you have customized your blog, it is time to write your first post.  It is important that reach your audience and provide the answers that they seek, even if your post is for mere entertainment.  Here is what I do in order to write a post from start to publish:

With that being said, when I first write a blog post, I plan it out. This takes about 15–20 minutes. Next, anything that I am not familiar with, even if I am well versed in the topic, I research the parts I am not familiar with. after the research, I write a rough draft, which takes about an hour or two. Then I proofread and edit the post. this takes about 30 minutes. Lastly, I will add photos, affiliate links, and other things that may draw a reader’s attention.

I tell readers that the way to start a blog post is to start with a concept.  Choose a topic.  I always use motorcycles as a starting point but this time I am not.  Let’s take Disney as a subject.  I know, there are Disney movies, property, theme parks, food in the theme parks, and shows.  Yes, you have to be able to break this Whenever you write a blog, it does not matter if it is 500 words or 5000 words, always plan out your topic and do your research, especially on a topic you are not familiar with. So, I would have to say that depending on what I have to do that day, it will take me about 24 hours from concept to publishing the post. This is an estimated time. Some posts may take a little longer, while others may be shorter than 24-hours. Once you have written and edited your post you want to

5.  Promote your blog.  After all, if you do not tell anyone that you have written a new blog post, how are you going to get clicks throughs and traffic.  I will admit that I have a hard time doing, and I have a degree in marketing.  Silly, huh?

There are many ways to promote your post.  Currently, I am in at least 5 groups whose sole purpose is to allow you to promote your blog posts and 3 groups that allow you to promote my YouTube channel.  I am also on 3 Twitter groups that allow blog post promotion, and I use Tailwind to promote my posts through Pinterest and Instagram.  About YouTube, while you are uploading your video to your channel, fill out your description of what the video is about.  You can place a call to action link in the description area.  This is where you can place a link to your blog and everything that links your social media to both the blog and video channel.

There are also websites that allow the promotion of blogs as well.  One such website I am on is Bloglovin.  The way Bloglovin works is you submit your blog to the site.  There is a code you put on your blog that allows Bloglovin to grab your post every time you post it on your blog.  That is all there is.  For those in fear of coding, it is super simple to plug it into the backend of your blog site or ask any teen to do it for you.  They would love to be paid a couple of dollars for the chance to sharpen their skills.  There is always a catch and, in this case, follow other bloggers and like their posts.

One word about marketing.  It is getting harder and harder to promote because of states like California, who a few weeks ago passed a law that if a person does not want to receive any communication from a third-party company, you, as the company they are communicating with have to honor that request, and you need to display it on your blog or website.  This is something that requires some more discussion on the matter, and since I live in the State of Ohio, the only way it affects me is if I am doing business with a customer who lives in California.  What you need to do is be strategic about marketing, and research what is allowed in your state or country because if you are not careful, marketing can cost you additional thousands of dollars over what you have estimated the cost to be in your yearly budget.

6.   Make money blogging.

This is a tricky subject as well.  I cannot tell you the full details on how, except what I am trying to do, which is through affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and products. 

Tip: Find what works for you and your blog.  Do not try everything, because everything may not work for you and your type of business. 

This ties into promoting your blog:  Promote companies that are in line with your business and brand.  If you are a crafter, find craft companies that you use on s regular basis.  I love my Cricut Electronic Cutting Machine.  I have been using one since 2005 when the first one started selling.  I am now using the Cricut Maker exclusively, which not only cuts paper, but Balsa Wood, Acetate, and fabric to name a few materials.  I have every single type of blade this machine can use, and I have invested money for this machine.  I also have the older Cricut Explore (1st edition), but it is on standby, in case something goes wrong with the maker.  It almost did 5 weeks ago when Microsoft updated the operating system, and I found out the computer kicked out my Bluetooth for all Cricut machines because, hey, it was not made by Microsoft (the little turds), so, I couldn't work neither machine.   “This is the very reason why I do not like automatic updates, Microsoft, stop this nonsense.”

Yes, I sometimes promote the heck out of Cricut machines, including the EasyPress, which I need time to learn. But if you want to earn some money, you need to put in the work to allow your blog to earn that extra cash.  By the way, Cricut does not pay me to say these nice things about their products by giving them to me, I buy them with my own money.  There is that aspect too, which I will dive into through the year.

Well, another long blog post is done and ready to publish.  Remember these 6 principles to having a profitable blog, and I just touched the surface on this subject.  There is plenty of content to cover with blogging for beginners.  Blogging is not for everyone, and there is a 7th principle that I have not touched on, and that is what if you have to quit.  I have done that on a couple of blogs that I no longer write, and I will touch on that topic later.

Until then, be well, and do not give up.

from Blogger http://bit.ly/38J3EGj via IFTTT

[johnmuffus]

eCommerce Bootcamp Review

eCommerce Bootcamp Review (Justin Cener Course)

eCommerce Bootcamp aims to be a holistic approach to online business, with classes and tutorials on different topics, and entire “bootcamps” or mini courses on more complicated subjects.

It’s priced at $997, which is pretty standard (albeit on the higher side) for eCommerce courses today. However, it’s still quite expensive, so it’s normal for you to worry about making a good choice and not just throwing away your money.

So, is it really worth what it says? Let’s find out.

Who’s the author?

Justin Cener was Alex Becker’s companion for Wolf Mug ads campaign that fell upon YouTube years ago. They spent over $1 million on it, so chances are you either saw their advertisement or didn’t use YouTube at all during that time.

Now, if I recall correctly, the campaign was so huge, that it birthed the “If you give me 60 seconds” intro that other YouTubers adopted into their own videos. If you remember that, then you’ve been reached by these two guys.

So, the guy definitely knows how to go viral and reach millions. However, does that knowledge translate into a good course for you? Well, let’s go through its contents and find out for ourselves.

Reviewing No Bullshit Road to Remote Work

The course breaks into different modules, and they can be quite confusing for some people. All the content comes in videos, so reading-haters will be blessed. However, things can get somewhat “strange”.

There’s a video explaining PoD (print on demand) on Shopify that feels like a visual remake of something from Tai Lopez. There’s also a video of Justin teaching you with a whiteboard behind him, standing outside, wearing a tank top.

It’s a bit all over the place.

Finally, some topics are treated differently than others. You have both topics and bootcamps. Topics tend to be simple modules explaining a single concept like choosing a niche or building your store. On the other hand, bootcamps are more like mini-courses on more complex subjects like dropshipping or marketing on different platforms.

There are 4 simple topics in total and the rest is bootcamps. To keep things simple, I’ll just sum up the first 3 topics since they’re fairly straightforward.

First, you have a module about choosing a niche. Justin teaches how to find and select the best niche for you, why that’s important, and what you want from your niche. He also talks about why it’s advantageous to feel invested and passionate about your niche.

Next, there’s a video about setting up your Shopify, and he uses it to explain why Shopify is better than other platforms. Due to its popularity, you probably already know why.

He goes into your standard Shopify setup tutorial, with a few affiliate links from him thrown in, nothing really special. It’s your typical setup guide, and it’s nothing you can’t find on a cheaper course like eCom Elites or from Shopify’s own customer support.

The last topic we’ll summarize is the one about print on demand. It tells you to sign up for the GearLaunch app. While it’s a pretty good app, I’d recommend you sign up to PillowProfits, but there are many others. Don’t follow anyone’s advice in particular and just experiment until you find the one that works for you.

Email marketing

This is a bit more complex, so I’ll dedicate a header here before explaining the rest.

Justin recommends you use MailChimp, and it’s a good enough platform for eCommerce. However, DO NOT use it to promote any affiliate links. They ban users who send affiliate promotions, and an acquaintance of mine had to discover it the hard way.

If that worries you, let me recommend you another standard like GetResponse.

MailChimp is free for your first 2,000 emails. After that, you have to pay if you want it to be worth your time. Look up other platforms and their plans since paying for an autoresponder is inevitable if you want your business to succeed.

Don’t sweat it too much, though. The emails should cover for these costs if you do things right.

Regarding the content itself, it’s just a basic tutorial about how to setup and use MailChimp. It really isn’t something you can’t just find for free on YouTube.

Bootcamp: Dropshipping

Now we get to the first bootcamp: dropshipping with Facebook Ads and Shopify. The topics are your standard dropshipping content: finding a niche, why Shopify is good, sourcing your offers, fulfilling orders, marketing, and scaling.

The product research section is quite good. It teaches you the factors you want to consider when looking through the niches: scalability, perceived value, demand, possible margins, marketing difficulty, etc.

There’s also a section discussing arbitrage VS dropshipping. Basically, arbitrage is where you get your profits from pricing difference between an item’s cost and sale price. He discusses wholesalers as the sources: eBay, AliExpress, Etsy, Amazon, and Walmart.

There are also some comments on the pros and cons of using free + shipping as well as the retail models. It closes with brief Oberlo training that also relates closely to AliExpress.

Bootcamp: Print on demand

In case you don’t know, PoD means selling things like shirts, mugs, pillows, hoodies, and anything you can use to print artwork and sell it. You can create your designs, or you can outsource that task to a freelancer.

It’s really efficient in that you can use the same design on many products, and you can save quite a bit of money by finding artists that work for little money. As a nice touch, Justin recommends some designers in this section for people interested in PoD.

I’d recommend you take a look at what sells and get an artist to design something similar. You might spend a few dollars, but people have made thousands out of dozens with this business model.

While the market can be fairly saturated, you just need to find designs people are prone to buying, replicate them, and then market them to the right target audience. I’ve seen people sell artwork I thought was hideous for hundreds of dollars in profits in a really short time, just by knowing what sells and marketing it correctly.

Just keep in mind that PoD can be a great business, but finding the right artwork can be a bit hard. Also, trends go by fairly quickly, so make sure to take note of things like shared artwork and how long certain trends have been running.

For inspiration, Justin recommends Pinterest, Wanelo, Teespring, and of course Reddit and Google.

Regarding the content itself, this is a solid PoD class, and you can leave feeling like you have a fundamental grasp on things that you can expand upon.

Bootcamp: Facebook Ads

This is by far the largest section in the entire course. It has over 40 different videos, and they cover things like how you can target people by using interest groups. He also teaches you how to identify and build different interest groups, testing them, and how to classify them for efficient campaings.

He also explains PPE ads (page post engagement), when it’s OK to use them, and when you should go for another approach.

You also have some advanced tips about copywriting like how to exploit scarcity and the different types of ad copy. There’s also your usual content like retargeting, how to setup your pixel, and scaling using techniques like lookalike audiences.

It’s another useful bootcamp that’s well explained for beginners.

Bootcamp: ClickFunnels

Justin tells us that ClickFunnels is the new way people are doing online business these days. That’s nothing we don’t know already, but it can be a costly platform for people on a budget.

He also offers you access to his own funnel, which seems to have generated him 6 figures in earnings. However, keep in mind that you need to create a ClickFunnels account to use it. It’s $99 each month, but at least there’s a free trial before that.

Bootcamp: Instagram

This bootcamp also goes by the name of Influencer Marketing, and Justin uses it to explain how to find success with Instagram.

Most videos explain the theory behind exploiting the platform, but he also provides strategies that he later puts to the test and into perspective via real-life examples; for this, he uses case studies.

He also teaches you the core concepts for growing your business on Instagram: both with organic and paid traffic, the latter being the simplest and most automatic method. The platform is the same as Facebook’s, in case you didn’t know.

He also explains how influencers can promote your products and brand. It works as a one-payment post, and it lets you scale it if it works. Also regarding influencers, you have some templates for contacting them.

Extra modules

The first bonus is very entertaining collection of different reviews from webinars where he looks at the stores of his students and provides his opinion; these range from t-shirts all the way to CBD products.

It’s definitely a nice addition to see his thought on some sample stores, and it helps you see some things you might be doing wrong.

There’s also a calculator to determine the price of your products, which is a neat help for managing your business. It’s more useful when you actually start getting sales. Don’t be fooled, though; it’s merely an Excel sheet you could program yourself in minutes with a tutorial.

There’s also a bonus approach to PoD via wall art or canvases in case you don’t want to go for the standard t-shirts.

Finally, there’s a library with 600 designs for you to use if you decide to go for PoD. However, remember all students have access to them, so you might want to look for your own anyways or edit them. You could outsource it, but I’d recommend you learn how to use Photoshop yourself.

Remember the Wolf Mug campaign I mentioned? Well, the case study for that is also provided as a bonus in this course. Sure, it’s been years since that, but it’s still a really interesting bonus, and I definitely enjoyed it.

Finally, you have some Facebook Ads and email templates, but again, use them as a guide. They’re probably being used by most people taking this course, but they’re good for inspiration.

Final Verdict

Is It Worth It? Final Verdict

Now, let me get things straight: I really liked this course, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Let me elaborate.

The content is great. Like always, there’s some stuff you can find for free on YouTube, but overall, it’s a very good course. You can definitely start your business and run it after taking it.

However, I can’t recommend it when it’s nearly $1,000. eCom Elites is my favorite course, and it’s just $197 ($297 for the premium plan). It skips some content here, but it more than makes up with its gigantic marketing sections.

You can learn more and save $700-800 that you can invest in a great marketing campaign.

I hope you found this review useful and if you have any questions, please comment down below. I’ll be more than happy to assist you.

Once again, thanks for reading my eCommerce Bootcamp Review and I wish you the best of luck.

The post eCommerce Bootcamp Review appeared first on Only Genuine Reviews.

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[thedailychangejar-blog]

25 Useful Ways to Save Money Everyday-Part 2

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Here are 25 MORE ways to save money every day!

If you haven't already, check out the previous post on 25 Useful Ways to Save Money Everyday Part 1.

1. Dilute your Conditioner

Did you know that you can dilute your conditioner and it will still be just as effective? I did this the other day when we were just about out of conditioner and my oldest daughter (the picky 13-year-old didn’t even notice ;-) ).

2. Use dryer balls instead of dryer sheets

Although if you read the previous post I shared a link to a post on how to make your own dryer sheets-which is also a great way to save money. However, dryer balls are also another option. You can purchase a pack for 6 here for under $10 or if you would prefer to make your own, check out this post by The Seasoned Homemaker. Also adding a little bit of essential oil before popping them into the dryer gives your clothes a great scent boost!

3. Consider giving personal gifts for Holidays

I used to do this all the time when I was younger and seemed to have more free time (free time? What is that?!?) And this was before Pinterest was a thing! I would DIY my Christmas gifts. Even before Pinterest was a thing, I DIYed my Christmas gifts-frugal and meaningful! Click To Tweet One year I made each of my grandmothers a little rocking chair out of clothespins with a cute little stuffed bear in a straw hat. How many years later, they still have them! As I got older I did things that included the kids. Framed handprints in clay for my husband’s first father’s day. Nice framed pictures of the kids with their handprints for grandmas and grandpas. Every time I have MADE my husband something for Christmas, his birthday, or father’s day he has appreciated it 1000 times more than anything I have ever bought him. PLUS it is more frugal! Last year there was a gift that I wanted to get him that I found on Etsy-which was listed for $145! Now I am all for supporting people on Etsy, but I couldn’t afford it at the time. So I improvised, well more like copied the idea and made the gift myself. The total cost? $12! Yup, a savings of $133! Pretty darn frugal if you ask me!

4. Eat seasonal

When you are at the grocery store, make sure you are looking for things that are in season. They tend to be cheaper that way! A pint of strawberries in Wisconsin in the middle of winter can run $5 or more, while during the summer they are at least half that!

5. Tailor your own clothes

Ok, so I admit, I normally hand this task off to my grandmother. First off she is much better at it than I am. Gotta learn to outsource those kinda things right? Secondly, she already has her sewing stuff set up 24/7, while I have to drag mine out of the basement and set it up every time. If I do plan on fixing clothes that are torn, too long, or need to be sewn in some way, I just pile them up until I have a good amount that makes it worthwhile to drag out my sewing machine. But it really is a way to save. There have been many times where my kids just get a small tear in their clothes, or I get a rip in the seam of my pants. Should I just toss them? NEVER! Fix the darn things rather than going out and buying a whole new pair! Or better yet-upcycle the garment into something new! Feel free to check out my board from my personal Pinterest account where I have like 1000 different ideas saved on how to upcycle old clothes! (Don't judge my boards-I am slowly working to reorganize them!)

6. Don’t toss your outdated clothing

If you find that your clothes are outdated, a little stained or ripped, don’t throw them out. Wear them around the house or for pajamas. I have quite a few random pants and shirts that I use for when I paint, dye my hair, or know that I will be working on something potentially messy.

7. Trade for babysitting

So I really hate paying for babysitters. Unless it’s a teenager (who I know well) that is looking to make some extra cash-support the side hustle! I have plenty of friends with kids around the same age as my kids. Trade off nights to watch each other's kids. Or plan sleepovers for the little ones at their friends’ houses :-) I have one friend in particular who is a lifesaver when it comes to watching my kids and even though she hardly ever asks me to watch her kids, she will gladly take mine anytime. You know who you are ;-)

8. Keep the heat turned down

Wisconsin winters can get pretty darn cold! My mother tends to turn up her heat so much I am sweating just sitting in her house. We prefer to save a few bucks and keep the heat turned a little lower. Nothing a few layers of sweaters can’t fix!

9. Do a clothing swap

I heard about this idea a while ago and I have yet to try it. I have an entire room in my basement filled with clothes. Everything from newborn girls to adult women’s to boys and men’s clothes. Instead of donating the things you don’t wear anymore, get together with some other moms (or dads) and swap clothes. This can work really well for kids clothes especially. But if you have some girlfriends that are around the same size as you, or you have clothes that you have grown out of (or maternity clothes) see what you can trade. You never know what you might find!

10. Stockpile great deals!

Find any amazing deals recently you can get a bunch of stuff for really cheap? Like toothpaste for $1 a tube? Stock up on it! This is where couponing can come in really handy! I have found this particularly helpful when it comes to donating items. Homeless or Women's shelters are always in need of personal care type items. But frugal, but give back! Even though you think you may have it bad, there is always someone out there who has it worse. Even though you think you may have it bad, there is always someone out there who has it worse. Click To Tweet

11. Purge things that are taking up space

My husband and I go through spurts of purging things. Which is really liberating actually. We will start in one room and look at all the crap we never use, like that cake pop maker my daughter wanted so badly and only used once. Or the plethora of Monster High Dolls we have accumulated over the years that just sits in the basement. There are two advantages to this. You are decluttering. You can make a few extra bucks by listing these items on local Facebook buy/sell sites.

12. Buy in bulk

One of the things that I absolutely love that stores are doing now is putting how much the cost per unit or ounce is on the labels on the shelves. Saves me from doing any math! When you are buying in bulk you can save quite a bit. As long as you are purchasing things that aren’t going to go bad. Plus it is a good life lesson when I take the kids shopping, we can talk about comparing prices. Just because it might be listed as less expensive doesn't actually mean that it is.

13. Volunteer your time instead of purchasing gifts

Many years ago I worked as a CNA in a nursing home and it would break my heart when the holidays would roll around and some of the residents had no visitors. If you can, instead of purchasing gifts for people, give your time instead. Go volunteer your time at nursing homes, humane societies, daycares, or other organizations that tend to be short on volunteers. Especially during the holidays. For many people, giving your time is priceless and means so much more to them over a physical gift.

14. You don’t have to buy gifts for everyone

When my husband and I first got together we would get gifts for everyone in our families. There were his 6 sisters, about another 6 nieces and nephews, my brother and his girlfriend, my 7 aunts and uncles, a bunch of cousins, their kids, the list went on. It would cost us a fortune just trying to be nice to everyone during the holidays. Not that I don't like being nice and giving to others during the holidays, but let's get real here! Now, our list is very limited-parents, grandparents, and kids. Plus we have 5 kids to buy for, that is enough right there! And again, my parents and grandparents would prefer something more meaningful that the kids and I make over anything we can buy. Save on gas!

15. Use a bike or walk where you can.

I know this can be a lot more difficult with kids, but there are times when it is nice out that we can bike to the store or walk to the playground instead of driving.

16. Carpool!

This is one we try to do when going out of town for gymnastics meets. Gas can get expensive when you are driving 3 hours one way! Of if you live out of town, see if your work has any type of carpool program. Plus if your not driving, that's more time you can get in reading the latest posts on your favorite blogs ;-) 

17. Start a compost

Even if you live in an apartment, you can start a compost for even the smallest garden with these cute little countertop compost bins. I hate throwing away food scraps just as much as I hate throwing away food. I hope to one day have a nice little hobby farm with pigs that I can feed all my scraps to and create an almost zero waste homestead. Future goals!

18. Find free entertainment

If you look hard enough I am sure there are things in your community that you can find to do, for FREE! Remember from the previous post I talked about checking out the library? Just search around the web or find a Facebook group in your area that keeps track of free events in your area.

19. Don’t impulse buy!

Have you ever heard of shoppers remorse? You get so excited about buying something and then a day or two later you wish you wouldn’t have made the purchase. If you see something that you really want to buy, whether it’s a new TV or the latest “business opportunity” that your friend has been talking to you about, wait on it. Wait at least 72 hours and seriously consider if it is something that you really need. There have been times where I found a software that I knew would just take my business to the next level (great sales copy is meant to sell right?) bought it and then realized I didn’t actually need it or it wasn't as great as I thought it would be after I tried it out. Although I never purchase anything like that unless there is a money back guarantee. That way if it sucks I can get my money back!

20. Pick quality over quantity

If you are going to make any type or larger purchase, make sure you are really looking at the quality of the item. Don't buy something just because it's the latest thing or all your friends are buying it. Make sure you are checking online reviews of things. There have been plenty of times that I have passed up a purchase after doing some due diligence on a purchase. Yeah it may look great on the outside, but after reading reviews you realize that it's only the packaging your paying for.

21. Workout at home

There is a quote that I really love: “If you really want to do something you’ll find a way. If you don’t you’ll find an excuse” by Jim Rohn. I could find a dozen different reasons to keep my gym membership and not workout at home-not enough room, the kids are in my way, the dogs get in my way, I don’t know where to start, blah blah blah. But let’s be real, these are excuses, and ditching the gym membership to save like $65 a month is worth it. Especially if I'm not using it like every day.

22. Create a budget and stick to it

I go a lot more in depth as to how to create a budget in this post. You need to be in control of your money and tell it where to go. Try out something like Personal Capital or Mint to track your spending. They even give you fancy little pie charts!

23. Meal plan

Meal planning can save you a ton! It does take some advanced planning but is well worth it! Check out my post on meal planning here to see how and why you should meal plan to save both time and energy every month.

24. Make a shopping list

Along with making a meal plan, make sure you include a grocery shopping list. It is so easy to go to the store, even more so when you’re hungry, and way overspend. *Tip-don't send an 8-month pregnant lady to the store alone at night when she hasn't eaten, all you will get is ice cream and cookies! If you stick to your list you will be less likely to purchase items you don’t actually need.

25. Don’t use credit or debit cards when shopping

When you go shopping, whether it’s grocery shopping or school shopping, try to use cash instead of using a debit or credit card. When you are using cash you have a limited amount that you can spend so you don’t have to worry about overspending. Just make sure that you are adding up everything you buy as you are shopping so you don’t get to the checkout and realize you are short. Annoying and embarrassing!

What are some creative ways that you save money every month?

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[solnishka1927]

Wax Seals: A How-To & For-Cheap Guide

so you want to use these things:

for whatever reason, because they’re awesome, but you don’t want to spend a ton of money on them. Same. I love wax seals, but they’re pretentious as shit and the materials to make and use them (like diamond rings) are often priced accordingly. Here’s what you need to know to use them without beggaring yourself along the way.

So there are three main ways to apply the wax of a seal to whatever piece of paper you’re using. Obviously all of them use wax, but what kind of wax you use depends on what method you want to apply it with and what you plan to do with your sealed paper (or other material) afterwards.

1. Wicked Wax

these look like skinny candles, but don’t be fooled -- they’re designed to be melted for seals, not used as light sources.

Note: though it seems like a cheap shortcut, I wouldn’t recommend substituting candle wax for sealing wax. It doesn’t hold the impression of a stamp as well, detaches from the paper easily, and will soften if left in a warm environment (like  a sunny windowsill) and make the impression of the stamp delicate and easily ruined. Candle wax would never survive the handling of any kind of postal service.

Wicked waxes are pretty straightforward: you light the wick and let the wax melt and drip onto the piece of paper you want to apply your seal to.

pros of wicked wax:

traditional method

simple -- requires no materials beyond the seal, the paper, and a flame

you get to play with fire

cons of wicked wax:

can be messy; droplets aren’t guaranteed to land in a neat little puddle to make a nice, circular border around the edge of your seal

you always run the risk of injury/destruction of materials when using an open flame

the stick becomes harder to hold as it gets shorter

some nice wicked waxes:

Jewel Wick Sealing Wax - 2.50 USD per stick (shipping not included), and each stick produces 8-10 seals. Mailable, and has 24 color choices

Original Wick Sealing Wax - 2.25 USD per stick (shipping not included), and each stick produces 8-10 seals. Designed for mailing use and is flexible; greatly decreased chance of breaking if bent in the mail. 56 color choices.

2. Use a Melting Spoon

So this is a fancy melting spoon designed specifically for sealing wax. The way to use it is pretty obvious: you put a chunk of sealing wax into the spoon, heat it (not necessarily over an open flame), and when the wax has melted you pour it onto whatever you want to decorate with a seal.

pros of a melting spoon:

another traditional method

offers more control than wicked wax and is less likely to create a disorderly puddle

lessened chance of injury/destruction of materials if you aren’t careful with the heat source

you can still play with fire if you want to

you can use any kind of sealing wax with a melting spoon -- wicked, pebbles (literally just little blobs of wax), glue gun variety (we’ll get to that later) -- so long as you can separate them into pieces small enough to melt in the spoon

cons of a melting spoon:

you now have to get an additional item (the spoon) to make your seal

can still burn yourself if you aren’t careful

some “real” melting spoons

Sealing Wax Melting Spoon - 12.50 USD (shipping not included)

Brass Melting Spoon - 5.90 USD (shipping not included)

but you know what? you honestly don’t need to get an expensive spoon just to melt wax in. Just go to your local store and buy a set of measuring spoons.

yeah, those things. Since you’re going to be using a heat source I’d recommend not getting a plastic set (stainless steel versions should be pretty easy to find) and use the tablespoon. It’s a real pain to clean melted wax out of things, so you’re going to be dedicating this particular spoon to your seals. 

Note: if you plan to use your wax seal in a project that involves food preparation, it would be a good idea to use a type of wax that passes whatever food-safety laws exist in your country. These kinds of waxes do exist (here’s a US-based example approved by the FDA) since artisan winemakers will sometimes put wax seals on their bottles.

If you want to change the color of your wax, either heat the spoon so that the residue of the old color melts and can be scraped out (toothpicks, tongue depressors, and even several layers of tissues over your fingertips work wonderfully for this), or maybe just mix the two colors together! Mixing different colors of wax can give your seals a wonderful brindled look.

3. Low-Temp Glue Gun

this is the method I use.

Wax isn’t very difficult to melt and it can burn and become discolored under high enough heat, so you really do have to use a low-temperature glue gun. If you’ve never heard of them before, don’t worry about them being rare and expensive -- some parts of costume-making involves gluing lace borders and other things like that, so you can find and get them without spending a fortune.

Using a stick of wax in a glue gun is pretty much exactly the same as you’d do with a stick of glue: insert it into the gun, plug in the gun and give it time to heat (5 minutes is generally good), then point the nozzle where you want your wax to go and pull the trigger.

pros of low-temp glue gun

really good if you’re in an environment where you can’t access an open flame or other heat source for the spoon or wicked wax (such as a college dorm, for people like me)

makes very neat little puddles of wax; don’t need to worry about stray droplets no matter how shaky your hands are.

doesn’t involve open flame

cons of low-temp glue gun

like the melting spoon, requires purchase of an additional item

you cannot use the glue gun for anything other than wax once you’ve melted wax in the bore

have to make sure the diameter of the stick fits the gun’s bore

not a traditional method

I’m not going to recommend specific types of glue guns here, because of the difference in acceptable voltages between the US and the EU, but please look on Amazon or at your local craft store -- any website that sells low-temp glue guns specifically for sealing waxes will overprice them, and a general-purpose low-temp glue gun will work just fine.

some nice waxes for glue guns

Original Glue Gun Sealing Wax - 1.70 USD per stick (shipping not included), and each stick makes between 8-10 wax seals, 3.75 inch length x 7/16 inch diameter, 56 color options. This is the type of wax I use, and 9 out of 10 times when I send a letter overseas the seal arrives undamaged.

Faux Glue Gun Sealing Wax - 1 USD per stick (shipping not included), and each stick makes between 8-10 wax seals, 3.75 inch length x 7/16 inch diameter. 12 color options. 

This isn’t actually real wax; it’s a very strong plastic bonding substance that can be substituted for sealing wax, to be used on very smooth paper (or glass or plastic). It’s very flexible and will survive a lot of rough handling in the postal service, which can be a good thing considering how a package sent to me from Spain arrived looking like this

having a really fucking sturdy seal is pretty great.

and now, on to the actual SEALS!

I know this is the part you were looking forward to :)

A seal for sealing wax is pretty simple: it’s just a stamp for making an impression in wax. It’s best for the part of the seal that actually comes into contact with the wax to be made of metal, so that it doesn’t stick (as much) to the wax as other materials (wood, plastic) would do and ruin the impression.

Note: stamps meant for ink generally don’t work with wax; their designs usually aren’t deep enough to really make a clear impression.

a seal can be anything you want it to be: an initial for your name, an animal, a symbol (a heart, a star, an anchor -- even a fandom symbol like the seal of Hogwarts or the noble families from Game of Thrones). If you want to have a custom seal with your own specific design, you either have to commission a seal-maker to create a seal for you, or else make it yourself.

the Etsy shop MoldsWorld has 200+ seals with a wide variety of designs, the majority of which are 6.99 USD and have free shipping. These are the cheapest seals I can find, and they’re decent quality -- you get a metal base with a wooden handle, and the stamp leaves a clear impression.

MoldsWorld also sells sealing waxes, though there’s not much specification of whether or not the waxes are sturdy enough to withstand postal handling -- but if you don’t intend to use your seals on letters and won’t put them through rough handling, these waxes are (usually) cheaper than the ones I’ve listed and will suit your purposes without making as large a dent in your bank account.

as well as seals, you can also have signet rings. These are actual rings that you can wear, and to make a seal you just take it off momentarily to press it into the hot wax. It feels very aristocratic. However, with signet rings you also have to deal with ring sizes, and most of these will need to be custom made and are therefore fairly pricey.

Note: if you’re feeling artistic, you can also add an ink finish onto your seal. They work pretty much like an ink stamp on paper: you press your seal onto the inkpad, then apply it to the wax. If you want to change colors or not include ink at all you can just rinse off the stamp. Remember to give the ink time to dry before touching the seal.

here are some nice inks:

Ultimate Metallic Highlighting Ink - 3 USD per pad, 12 color options

that’s pretty much the sum of my knowledge when it comes to seals and sealing wax. I hope you learned whatever you needed/wanted to learn, and I hope you enjoy using your seal!

The End

well, not entirely. Here are some general pointers that you might find useful:

once you’ve poured your liquid wax onto the paper, wait around 15 seconds to let it harden a little bit. This makes the wax firmer when you press your seal into it, so the edges of the design are clearer.

if you’re having problems with your seal sticking to the wax and ruining the impression, try letting the seal sit in a little bowl of water with an ice cube for a minute or two before using it; the cold will make the hot wax less likely to stick

before using your seal on a letter (or other material) for the first time, practice using it on a scrap piece of paper; this will let you experiment with how much wax to use for what size seal you have, how much pressure to apply, cooling time, etc.

okay, now we’ve reached the end.