#maybe etsy isn't worth it

[artistfingers]

I'm looking at ur store cus i wanna buy some dp stickers, and the holographic danny isnt available in my region? Is that intentional? /nm /gen

The other stickers are available, its just the holo one

(My region is the southern US)

It should absolutely be available - looks like I'm having an Etsy issue, because it's showing me that on my own page too, and I'd wager anybody else too. I'm not sure how long this has been going on. I'm sorry to anybody who may have been disappointed to come across this recently 😔 but I've contacted support and should have some info back from them in 24-48 hours. Thank you for bringing this to my attention!

[thehanalia]

I am confident, what about you?

Hey there, lovelies! Today's entry is all about confidence—something I've been thinking a lot about lately. So grab a cup of tea, cozy up, and let's dive into the inner workings of my mind.

You know, confidence isn't something that just magically appears overnight. It's more like a journey—a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows, twists and turns, and moments of pure exhilaration mixed with a healthy dose of self-doubt.

But here's the thing—I've come to realize that confidence isn't about having it all figured out or never feeling afraid. It's about embracing the uncertainty, stepping outside of your comfort zone, and taking that leap of faith, even when your knees are shaking and your heart is racing.

Lately, I've been challenging myself to do things that scare me a little (okay, maybe a lot). Whether it's speaking up in a meeting, rocking a bold new hairstyle, or pursuing a passion project that's been sitting on the back burner for far too long, I've been pushing myself to embrace the discomfort and lean into the unknown.

And you know what? It's been pretty damn liberating! Sure, there have been moments of self-doubt and anxiety along the way, but there have also been moments of pure wonder—moments where I've surprised myself with what I'm capable of, moments where I've felt truly alive and unstoppable.

So here's to embracing the messy, beautiful journey of building confidence—one shaky step at a time. Here's to owning our worth, celebrating our victories (no matter how small), and showing up as our most authentic selves, flaws and all.

Until next time, babes. Keep shining bright, and remember—you've got this.

PS.

My etsy shop has been suspended, I really wanted you guys to access my digital planners and now, I have decided to make my own shop. Keep in the lookout.

Another update; My lovely friend, Hana (If you have been following for a while, yes its her). She has created a Youtube channel for all those girlies that want to look like better versions of themselves. Give her love :kiss -> Hana's Youtube

Stay safe and stay hot...

With Love, Sophia

[sovonight]

hi sovo ;u; I hope it's okay if I ask you a shop question! So um, I'm lower on money than I've ever been and I'm too burnt out to do commissions for ppl due to personal stuff, but I feel like... if I made one charm or one sticker for a particularly huge fandom/movie that's out right now, and if I put it up as preorder and sold at least 20 keychains then I'd be able to pay my bills this month. but I've never sold physical merch before and I'm a little nervous to try it haha :'D

Would you recommend I try making an Etsy since it seems to have a large enough audience, or do you think I should try making my own website/shop? I'm definitely not ready to consistently sell things as a steady job yet, I thought I'd try literally just one single keychain or one sticker sheet (I already learned how to make those, thankfully) in order to pay my rent this month bc I've only got about a hundred dollars to my name sdflkfssdf;; and if it goes well then maybe I can try it again.

I'm also not quite sure how to price things? if I made a 3.5 inch acrylic charm with the little star shaped keychains like from Vograce, do people normally price those at $15 when they sell them? should I also account for shipping? I've also umm never shipped merch before and I'm so worried about somehow messing it up sldfjsf like I don't know what kind of envelopes I have to get or if I should even use my own address bc I'm so nervous about my personal info being out there, but I don't know if it's worth paying for a PO box if I'm so low on money already. if you have any tips on anything whatsoever, I would appreciate any feedback if you're not busy. But if you don't want to answer please don't worry about it ;u; anyway thank you so much for reading this I really appreciate you! ❤

no prob! here are my thoughts:

pros/cons of etsy:

apparently if you're new to selling on etsy, there's a probationary period where etsy withholds your profits for 3 months. i don't know anything about it personally since it started in 2020, but it seems that funds are only released when your shipped orders are scanned at the post office. i think i also remember hearing about other cases where payments aren't released at all for 3 months--and etsy customer service has a reputation of being difficult to get a hold of if you have a problem as a seller, so if etsy made a mistake with your shop, it may take even more months to resolve. since you have preorders in mind, i would hold off on etsy unless you can pay out of pocket.

etsy can drive traffic towards your listing for you (if you choose the right keywords--it's more difficult to be discovered just randomly if you don't).

they have high fees (for a $15 charm they'd take $1.88 in fees, which is 12.5%).

people may be cautious to buy from a shop that has no reviews yet, but many customers are protected by etsy's purchase protection and can be refunded at no cost to you if their order gets lost in the mail (provided that you ship with a tracking number and meet other criteria).

etsy will strongly recommend that you offer free shipping; ignore them. i don't think i've ever bought fanmerch with free shipping in my life, and their advice isn't geared towards sellers like us.

preorders don't work very well with etsy's system--iirc you're not supposed to do them (even though people still do, of course) but the main reason i remember is that the max processing time etsy lets you set per product (as in, the time between the customer purchasing the listing and you shipping it out) is 6 weeks. that means that the time you allow for customers to place their preorders, the time it takes for you to order and receive the merch, and the time it takes for you to ship out orders, all need to add up a max of 6 weeks, which was personally a difficult timeline for me to meet when making keychains. ofc, it's possible to extend the processing time, but going over the processing time may make it possible for customers to leave reviews/open cases early before you're even ready to ship out their orders, which could affect the reputation of your shop.

pros/cons of not etsy:

if you're not going with etsy, i've heard people recommend bigcartel, since it doesn't require a subscription like shopify or other places do. bigcartel's free plan is limited, but it should work for what you're looking for. another alternative might be ko-fi--i've heard that ko-fi shops aren't ideal for shipping out a large amount of orders, but since you're targeting just 20 i think it should be manageable.

ofc, you'll have to drive all your traffic yourself, so consider if you have enough of a following in your target fandom, or how you should go about getting your post noticed by your target fandom.

unlike etsy, shipping isn't auto-calculated, so i'd probably set a flat rate (in the US i'd expect $5). flat rates might make calculating your taxes just a little bit more complicated; in california at least, you have to pay taxes on the difference between the shipping you charge your customers and the shipping you actually pay to the post office, so iirc you either refund the extra shipping to the customer or hand it all over in taxes.

pricing:

yes, the standard price for ~3" acrylic keychains is $15, though i've also seen people go up to $16 or $17, especially on etsy where the fees are high.

shipping should be a separate cost, either auto-calculated for you (if you're on etsy/shopify) or a flat rate that you set based on shipping rates for your country, so in the end a customer might pay $15 + $5 = $20 in total.

unless most of your prospective customers are international, i'd recommend against shipping internationally to avoid dealing with customs forms, especially since you already have a lot of info to take in.

you can ship everything in a regular bubble mailer, though if you're just shipping stickers not keychains, a flat envelope should work fine. when shipping packages, you'll need to know the weight of each package, but you can just go by an estimate. a 3" acrylic keychain weighs about 1 oz (it weighs less than that, but they don't accept decimals) so i just multiply based on how many keychains are in an order. for usps at least, shipping is the same rate up until 10 oz iirc, so you don't need to weigh it super accurately. you could also always just go into the post office and have them weigh and label everything for you.

po box:

if regular PO box rates in your area are too high, you can also consider using a virtual po box; they go for about $10 per month at their most basic plans. if you're not expecting to get any mail redirected back to you, you should be able to just buy a month's subscription when you're ready to ship things out.

words of caution:

you probably already know this, but large fandoms can often be oversaturated by merch, so just choosing a large fandom might not be enough to guarantee a sale--you might have to stand out by, say, choosing a character who's in demand but doesn't have much fanmerch, having a funny meme concept, or having such a unique/attractive style that people can't help but want your fanmerch in particular. if you haven't already, i'd recommend looking around the market and seeing what's out there and decide why a buyer should choose your merch over anyone else's. though honestly, depending on your fandom, it could also not be this serious and not warrant much research--it all depends!

even if the preorder process works out and you get the funds to place the order, the manufacturer could always mess up on your order, which could lead to delays in your fulfillment and at worst, more expenses if you need to pay to get them remade. if it's easier to get sticker sheets made (like if you make them yourself/locally instead of ordering from overseas) they might be a safer choice of merch to make. ofc, i don't generally see sticker sheets up for preorder so you'd probably have to order them out of pocket and hope they sell, and you'll probably have to sell more of them than you would of keychains to get the same amount of profit. i don't know the whole situation, so i can't say anything definite about the risks/rewards between choosing to sell keychains and choosing to sell stickers.

[houseoffourcats]

What Do You Need to Know Right Now? Pick a Pile & Find Out!

26 July 2023

CW: Illustrated nudity

Like this reading? Please check out my Etsy page for affordable personalized readings! Also, please leave feedback if you feel so moved. Thanks for your support!

Pile One

IX of Coins (Reversed) - IV of Coins - III of Cups

An interesting thing about this reading is that both of the two people in the first two cards, those of the Coins suit, can also be seen in the third. At the same time, the Coins cards, which suggest material instability or insecurity, contrast with the happiness of the III of Cups.

Times are economically difficult right now. You might find yourself looking around at where you stand financially and wondering what happened, why you're still living paycheck to paycheck despite everything you've done so far (inflation and stagnant wages may have something to do with it...). You might also be doing your best to save, and as a result have a little left over after your necessities... but not so much that you feel like you can risk spending it. If you aren't in a financially precarious position right now, you know people who are, even if they're not being open about it.

The III of Cups is here as a reminder that money isn't the only source of happiness, or even security. You have people around who can and will support you through hardship, or people who you can help distract from their troubles with a good time. Even if you're a little hard-hit right now, you should still let yourself go out with friends for a drink or a movie now and then. Buying a coffee every so often isn't why you're struggling so much, and isn't a moral failing on your part. On the other hand, if you're doing well for yourself right now, offer to pick up the tab now and then. Getting to live life to the fullest extent possible with your loved ones is worth it either way.

Pile Two

Ace of Swords (Reversed) - VI of Wands (Reversed) - The World

Despite a discouraging first couple of cards in this one, it ends on a positive note with The World. With this being a Major Arcana card, it's possibly the most important, and the source of the real message here. One interesting bit of symbolism is the various forms of plant life. All three cards show leaves or branches reaching up to the top of - and even outside of - the frame. With two of the cards reversed, this seems to suggest that you've reached your absolute lowest point. In the final card, though, the upward angle of the frond points up and outward, signifying a new, and better, direction.

You had an idea that really didn't work out. As this is a swords card, this is likely a belief, a framework for understanding things, or a plan. It made sense at the time it occurred to you, and you had a lot of reasons - good or otherwise - to think you were in the right. Even when the evidence started to show you otherwise, though, you clung on rigidly to your point of view and stayed the course. On the lower-stakes side of things, this could be something like writing or presenting in an academic setting based on unreliable sources. It could also have been closer to the other end of things, like getting caught up in a cult or extremist political movement. Whatever it was, you ended up in a situation where you lost face and self-confidence, as well as all the time and energy that went into this failure. It was humiliating, and now you're left up picking up the pieces on your own.

Whatever has brought you this low, though, will eventually bring you full-circle to something good - if not something exactly like what you wanted to accomplish with your idea, then something better. Once you've really taken a look at what happened that landed you in your current situation, you'll be not only willing to own your past failure, but to openly make it a central part of your future success. Maybe, for instance, you'll end up writing a book about the experience that helps others avoid the same mistake. You might also decide to dedicate your time and energy to an organization or effort that runs counter to your earlier beliefs and actions. None of this will necessarily make the present suck any less, but hopefully it will be of some motivation to start working toward making your situation come full circle.

Pile Three

VIII of Wands (Reversed) - Justice - IV of Wands

In this spread, two Wands cards surround the figure of Justice. Ribbons are a consistent visual theme here, expressing the spirit of each card with or without words. The two first cards show the action of the story, with Justice seeming to deflect the rushing wands of the VIII with her scale and sword. Her ribbon's message (translated as "Justice renders to everyone his due") is contrasted with that of the VIII of Wands's ("Fortune favors the bold"), suggesting that your luck may run out if you're boldly doing the wrong thing. The streamers of the final card indicate that the result of this will be celebration, or at least something worthy of it.

I read this spread to mean that doing things well rather than doing things quickly is the way to go. The reversed VIII of Wands suggests that whatever it is, it isn't as urgent as you think. Acting quickly will likely cause harmful miscommunication between people, and in any case will lead to a sub-optimal outcome. Justice calls upon you to hold yourself to the highest standard, because your actions will affect the outcome of something important. Find out what's true before acting on what you hear from other people. Weigh your options, and the interests of everyone involved, before you make any final decisions. Act with integrity, taking no shortcuts that would leave you with regrets about how you've handled the situation.

If you do all these things, the outcome will satisfy people and promote stability. If this in the context of work, for instance, your efforts will both help accomplish a project goal that helps your organization and build a stronger team between you and your coworkers. In a relationship setting, meanwhile, this could mean successfully resolving a longstanding issue between you and your partner or friend where both of you had valid complaints. Even in a context where you're acting alone, taking your time to both do things right and do the right thing will accomplish something that's really worth celebrating.

—

I hope you enjoyed this reading! If you did, please check out my Etsy page to get your own personalized reading. In any case, I’d appreciate feedback if you have the time and energy for it. Thanks for your support!

For now, here’s Wes after a brief excursion outside, looking expectantly at me for his dinner:

[danggirlronpa]

Merch Monday Wednesday!! Because I finished my certificate course yesterday andnow I have time to be a person who exists again!

[Ko-fi to Support This Project]

Because I've been lower on funds this last month or two, I haven't been able to purchase nearly as much merch lately. (I physically could not stop myself from buying Some of it. I'm mentally ill. Making poor financial decisions about my hyperfixation is my bread and butter.) So this is a collection of merch from probably the start of November! We'll go from the earliest to the most recent.

THIS IS THE STICKER I THOUGHT I LOST. You can buy this here! I actually ended up ordering another one and then having to cancel it when I found the original (it was buried under my bills somehow), and the artist was very sweet! The sticker itself is just fine, especially for how cheap it was, and I love the art on it. The artist has lots of other fun stuff, including a similar Ishimondo sticker, so check out the rest of their shop too!

This is from @drexecutionzine's fundraiser sale! I wanted to get both it and the matching Komaru one, but this was the start of my Financial Woes, so I couldn't swing it. I ended up getting the more blatant Toko's Got Her Crushes print. This one shipped near immediately after I bought it, which assuaged a lot of worries about their shipping in general. I'm so glad they managed to make enough to ship out the zines!! No defects, gorgeous art, Death Trauma - we've got it all!

These prints by @cactuskhee were fully an indulgence buy, because I've both of these in other forms - the left piece in a much smaller bonus art that was for patreon supporters, and the right one as the cover of the DR Bunny Zine - but I loved the left one so left that I wanted a physical version, and I wanted some physical version of the Bunny Zine, even if I couldn't buy the whole thing physically! (It's a fantastic zine with designs uniquely catered to each character; you can find purchase updates here!) Khee's store, komahina.com, is closed for the year, but should reopen again in January - patrons get a notification when it opens and a password to get in a day early, so consider supporting them!

This is a VERY CUTE Irumatsu keychain from @networkink on her Storenvy! It was originally $13, but it's gone down to $6, which was much more affordable for me - and I'm so glad I got it, because it's sooo cute! The back of the art is bumped out against the back, which may be a negative for people who expect their keychains to see a lot of wear and tear, but for me it isn't an issue at all. She's also got a got other ships planned and some really cute general Yuri totes and pins in her store - check her out!

This is one that I was VERY excited about, because I had input into it!! @ariespetal asked on Twitter what pieces people would want to see at prints, and this is one I mentioned in the replies, because it's one of my favorite Tenmiko arts maybe ever. I'm so so excited that she made it available, and bought it the moment it went up. (RIP wallet.) And it was absolutely worth it - it's a very good price considering its size, and it's even more beautiful physically than seeing it digitally! I'd love to get ahold of her Angie print, too, once I have more money. Check out her etsy!

[bluepoodle7]

#Etsy #HandmadeZodickPlush #CustomPlush#Creatures2#Creatures2NorndollPlush #HandmadePlush #Illbleed #Zodick #MindscapeEntertainmentCreatures2NornPlush #Plushies

This is a Etsy Poland handmade Zodick plush and it is pretty good for the first ever plush of the character.

I just wish it had a tiny devil tail like in the game and this plush looks like a vintage UFO catcher plush you would see in Japan if the creator was still alive and his game got that Xbox port.

Similar to this style of plush.

This plush reminded me of a old PC game beanbag plush from the game Creatures 2 called a Norndoll that a few copies had included with it.

It had droopy ears and looked stitch like before that movie was a thing while having sewn eyes with a tail.

I sold it a long time ago and it didn't have a tush tag so I randomly found it on google images and it was a surprise to me.

The Norn plush I used to have was the purple one which is still rare but was a common color and was the same size as the small giggle monster plush with one eye.

The plush was lightly stuffed and couldn't stand up by itself kind of like a understuffed beanie baby similar to the plush I got from K&K games or K&K sales that felt similar to this plush.

A blog about obscurity stuff, plushies and food. on Tumblr

This is my guess on what this Zodick plush feels like and if it was $50 I might buy it.

This plush looks good but I would rather wait for it to be on sale or Etsy has a coupon code to bring down the price a little.

Maybe check if I can get a plush as big as the John Doe one that looks more Zodick like with his tail attached and mouth open then it would be worth the price.

The Etsy shop isn't on the internet anymore and this plush is gone with it.

I wish this Etsy seller could have added a tail to this plush and it would have sold well if it was $50.

The Polish Etsy shop isn't on the internet anymore and this Zodick plush is gone with it.

I wish this Etsy seller could have added a tail to this Zodick plush and it would have sold well if it was $50.

Found these cool charms and stickers on etsy.

Eriko Christy charm used to be $14.50 before tax and shipping but might change is price.

Stickers used to be $5.34 before tax and shipping but might change in price.

Illbleed Eriko Christy 3.5 Acrylic Charm - Etsy

4x6 Illbleed Cuties Sticker Sheet - Etsy

Images not mine but links are there.

Zodick - Etsy

File:BetaNorn51s.jpg - Creatures Wiki

CREATURES 2 PROMO PLUSH NORN! | #511102470 (worthpoint.com)

Zodick the Hellhog » Pack 3D models (p3dm.ru)

1990s Sonic UFO Catcher prizes | Sonic and Sega Retro Forums (sonicretro.org)

[memorydatas]

realizing that at least the back half of 2022 has been fun at laest for me. ive opened a shop my own little booth and that's something ive wanted to do for a long time and finally getting to do it is wonderful selling my own art... perhaps it is a bit commercialist but the more weird art i make the more weird art ill add and maybe even sell.

ive helped a bit with a passion project that its lovely to see the results of even though my interest in the subject matter is dwindling. getting to see people love and support something i helped with is really really really cool

and last of all after 9 years of knowing each other and 2 years of dating i got to see my wonderful girlfriend in real life with my own two eyes hug her with my own two hands kiss her with my own two lips and isn't that worth everything ever. the power of love 2 connect and grow no matter da distance. hi angie if youre reading this i love you and i miss you!!!

my goal for 2023 is manifesting the ability tto meet everyone ever. thats a joke but it'd be fun. i want to keep working on my shop get my etsy set up make some dumb niche stuff and sell it because its the stuff that i wanted to have that i never could just cuz i didn't know how.

i also will get good at melee if i can find a beautiful gamecube controller in the wilderness that i can tame as my own . gamecube controllers are fragile shy creatures they get scared easily

[pedropascalunofficial]

To my anon.

Wires got crossed. Both of you have trauma and went to your worst places in the moment. It isn't you, it isn't them, it just happened. Whatever you're feeling, let it go and focus on the future, making them feel shitty wasn't your intention. Both of you are going to be feeling shitty this evening. When I feel shit I like to do a random act of kindness and dedicate it to someone. This can be a donation to charity. Paying for someone else's coffee by leaving a gift card in the store for the staff to use on someone when you've left. It could be something free, like picking up litter at the park or write a letter to someone to remind them that you think of them. Anything that makes the world a little better for ppl can have a ripple effect. It doesn't absolve sins but does help to rebalance the world a tiny bit.

We live busy lives and don't have time to appreciate other ppl's sides to things at every opportunity. Maybe it's worth looking into pins that explain the things you can't in moments like that.

If you haven't yet, please look into visualisation therapy for your ptsd. It worked for me and I wouldnt be here without it. Trauma is a bitch but you can fight it a little bit at a time.

Hope this helps💜

[thesaltyace]

This is a reminder to do the things that meet your needs and make you happy. Even if you think it's excessive, frivolous, or "not worth it".

I promise it's worth it.

My day-to-day life is so much nicer now that I've started doing things that work with my needs and make me happy.

Years ago I got color changing LED candles at Costco. They're nothing fancy, they just take AA batteries and change color on their own, no smart integration whatsoever. But I turn them on at night and they make my brain happy. Still going strong 5 years later.

Last year I got an ergonomic keyboard for my desk where I use both my work and personal computer. My wrists, elbows, and shoulders no longer ache at the end of a long workday.

Also last year I got a little pack of bee stickers from an Etsy shop. I've only used two of them so far (one on my phone and one on my laptop) but it makes me happy to see them AND helps me identify which devices are mine at a glance. Since spouse insists on buying the same electronics as me so that they match. 😅

I got a pair of Croc sandals to wear around the house a few years ago and I LOVE THEM. My feet are happier because they're not walking on hard floors and making my plantar fasciitis flare up, and they're also not picking up dust/crumbs/etc. which would trigger sensory icks.

A couple of years ago I replaced an ancient vacuum my mother-in-law gave us 15 years ago with a newer stick vacuum. I hated using the old one so I just... didn't. The new one? I pick it up any time I see something that needs to be cleaned and have a regular weekend vacuum schedule because it's just so easy and pleasant to use. So now my house is cleaner and my allergies have improved.

I bought a $10 pair of Command clips to hold our dish gloves from the side of the cabinet by the sink. All of the sudden, doing dishes isn't annoying as fuck because my gloves are always clean and dry. Plus it's visually satisfying.

Just.... find what isn't working in your life, and make an improvement, no matter how small. Or maybe something is working fine, but a change (again, no matter how small) would make things a bit nicer for you. It's worth doing, I promise. And as you make small adjustments over time, you'll find that your quality of life improves a lot.

[sofiadragon]

I think this will lose them money. Maybe not the first time, but over time. I hate those robotic voices. There is a huge quality difference for emotional scenes when a real person is narrating. I have gotten some audio books only because I know and enjoy the voice actor/narrator. I especially love books with more than one voice actor, though those are rare, because it's a whole radio drama now. I've bought things from etsy not because I really needed the item but because you can't easily/legally support podfic with money but I could buy a pretty magnet or custom painted door sign from the same person.

Computer generated voices (it isn't really AI, it's just a language processor reading the words) don't get realistically excited or happy or sad during emotional scenes without a lot of tweaking from an actual human. Not for $20 a month worth of quality. The company might save pennies now but they won't get a loyal audience, the people buying their books will go elsewhere.

[lucerocosplay]

Pattern Review: 1950's Merry Widow Corset-Corselet by Historical Atelier

Remember last July when I was knee deep in bunny suit fever? Well when researching for interlining layers I found this cute pattern by Historial Atelier on etsy and just knew I needed to make it. The fabric pieces had been cut and sitting in a ziplock for over a year, but with the way it came out I would say it was worth the wait!

To address the obvious elephant in the room, my display form does not fit the garment. She is lacking in the bust and hip department severely. So major fabric buckles and wrinkles I ask that you take with a large grain of salt. I haven't had the time to pad out my form or the means to buy one pre-fab close to my size.

Construction:

The merry widow uses a combination of stretch and non-stretch mesh panels. As per recommendation I went a basic power mesh for the stretch panels and a corset mesh for the non-stretch. I also added an overlay of the cutest flocked heart mesh over the corset mesh. Everything was sewn with french seams and then channels created using corset boning casing in black. The cups were made with bra foam and stretch black satin, the interior seams zig-zag stitched and again covered with boning casing for a clean finish. Underbust wire was salvadged from an old bra that fit great but died in the great laundry war of 2018. The waist tape was just 1" wide red grosgrain ribbon but petersham would have be more suitable for something like this. And I used steel spring boning from my favorite supplier Bias Bespoke.

Pattern Thoughts:

Overall I really liked the cut and fit of the garment. There is no included allowance so it is up to the maker to decide construction seam of choice and in turn needed allowance. In that way I really appreciated the consideration for the sewist. Throughout the course of construction I had no real issue with pieces fitting or ease in the cups to bodice panels not lining up. However, I thought the written directions having you insert and close the boning channels prior to sewing in the cups and installing the underwire was more difficult than it needed to be so I did this step in reverse. The channels were sewn and one end closed when the but was assembled, then inserted bones and closed ends prior to finishing the raw edge in picot elastic. The waist tape was also a little stressful since having to fit the tape to my waistline and hand baste over the seams caused some bubbling. So finding the right tension without pulling on the stretch panels took a lot of time. Though I am not sure if that is entirely on the garment or due to ribbon choice, petersham would have laid more flush to the garment and I suspect would have made this step easier. The hemming process of adding picot elastic from stretch to non-stretch panels and back again was also a bit of a headache. You do need to pull slightly on the stretch panels to have them grip and remain taught over your form but not enough to wear it puckers. Finding this balance in tension and then matching it on both sides was difficult for me, but it turn out ok in the end. However, after turning it into itself and stitching one more time then cause the stretch panels to want to flip. So, after everything was done I did need to do a little herringbone hand stitching about 1" on either side of the boning channels of the stretch panels to stop this from happening. I am still not exactly sure why that was happening, if it's a consequence of what I thought was ideal tension or if I overstretch while top stitching. Maybe some secret 3rd thing ^^; The one big caveat I have with this pattern is unfortunately sizing. While this was a perfect fit for me, the actual size window is extremely narrow. If you don't fall within it the stretch panels can only accommodate so much. Heaven forbid you were a size 12+ then you are likely to need to re-draft the entire garment. However this critique isn't so much on the pattern drafter but on the circumstances around making such a pattern. The pattern seems to directly reference a Warners Cinch Bra from the 1950's so yes, sizing was very different and what they are able to replicate off of that base is a single sized pattern. And while yes, the average sewist can likely adjust torso length and minor width adjustments, this still leaves a lot of folks with a pattern they can't really use without a great deal of drafting amendments. In which case you would save money but simply drafting it from scratch yourself. Really, the sizing is my only issue with this pattern, and the drafter themself takes great care in mentioning it upfront and being very honest about it's limitations. Her recommended fabrics, construction notes, and sources I found to be easy to follow and very clear. If you fall within the provided pattern sizing and are looking to make a more approachable foundational garment or for fun lingerie piece I would absolutely recommend this pattern. I give this pattern a solid ★★★★☆

[aro-tarot]

I'm about to edit the pinned post, but I just restocked my An Unofficial Merlin Tarot. The restock came in really quickly.

Now, I did up the price by $5. Since I can only afford to do small quantity, the price of making them is the majority of what I charge. With how much it was with shipping this time, it's just a tad bit more comfortable for when the shipping calculation isn't right on there.

(For full transparency, with shipping and tax, each deck this time was around $35 to have printed and set to me, and Etsy takes out a little more than $5. I didn't make the deck to make money. I just did it to share it with everyone that was interested since this was originally just a deck for my brother and me. Making the bags was how I viewed the price I set being worth it even though I know indie decks cost more. That's just how my brain took my deck with my artwork as something to share with other fans.)

Other thing is I added another option. I just had someone with my last sale want both bags, and so I have added that as an additional option for an extra $5. The bags don't take all that much fabric, and they take me maybe half an hour to make at most. Also, you're already getting the deck, and I'm happy about that, so extra bag is just $5. lol.

[roselinbooks-archive]

Looking around Etsy for potential cosplay pieces and grimacing at the price tags ;w; maybe selling books in person isn't so worth it after all lol

[theid0loftimeandspace]

I wish I was useful and had a skillset I could turn into an income. Something where I could afford the need to only work part time elsewhere and have a mostly reliable second income. As time goes on the more I realize there isn't much security in working for someone else. I hate having to rely on someone else for income and my well-being in exchange for the autonomy over my life, schedule, and in some instances up for debate-- body. After the pandemic changing a lot of things in the economy (for the worse) and being laid off twice, employers becoming increasingly flakey and dishonest.... I just don't think selling my soul to a corporation for 25 years to MAYBE earn an adequate retirement savings that's vulnerable to market/bank crashes and inflation is really the best option anymore. As far as I see it if I'm fucked regardless I may as well as crash and burn trying to do something myself. What would I even do. Sell more landfill fodder that wont even break even? Go back to school for a monkey degree and pray it will get me a job this time that I'm going to inevitably hate? You can see that there are good and services people want, but what could the average person reasonably provide without commodifying the fuck out of it and ending up burnt out? There are things I could go to school for that are logical but I know I'm not cut out for them. They may not be relevant and useful by the time I'm done like what happening to graphic design degrees. You hear of people managing to make a decent living off things like knitting stuff and selling on Etsy. A lot of the times they are supported by a second income.

There HAS to be an alternative way to get extra income that isnt gig work like Uber. Call me a spoiled brat, but I don't see a life worth living as working 5 days a week for some asshole to never be able to afford having a normal life of a reasonable quality. I don't care if I get a one week paid vacation or ALLOWED family/sick leave. Or insurance that costs just as much through my employer as it does buying it privately. I will never be selfish enough to bring children into this world so this stuff is mostly pointless to me. I don't want to spend my 'best' years doing this shit. I don't want this for anyone. No one should have to do this anymore. If this is my fate and destiny I will certainly kill myself. This isn't a life worth living. I have seen people like my mother and grandmother, trapped in the corporate workforce, for whatever reason, and how sad and unhealthy they all turn out. My grandma retired, still had to work a few days a week to afford to live, and died less than 2 years later. So many people die right after they retire and still can't afford a full retirement. I'm not playing this game. I want to live now. All I think about is how I'm going to get out of this and somehow support myself. When I have a job its "How I'm going to find something better?", or how much I hate this current job, and I look at my checks and see how it will never be enough despite all that time I sold. It is ALL I've thought about since 2020 losing my one and only stable job since, as hard as it was. My location makes it worse because decent paying work just simply doesn't exist within a reasonable transit for me. I can't hope to afford to relocate. I understand what I have to do, but its the skills I don't have. What I have I don't even know how to use. It is becoming so painful that I will have to do something even if I'm just spinning my tires AGAIN.

Working itself doesn't bother me. I get its a part of life. When the job is a decent one and there is work-life balance, its fine. I've worked two jobs in my life where I actually content to be there, its possible to LIKE your job. The irony is these were the two jobs I ended up being laid off from unfortunately. Working for someone else becomes miserable to the point of suffering when it consumes your every waking moment. Its when the environment is high stress, scheduling is bad, coworkers/management are needlessly assholes, and pay is shit compared to what you are required to put in, and you just resent what you do. It is so hard to find good work now. I'm tired of this rollercoaster of uncertainty. I don't want to do it anymore. I had one job recently I REALLY wanted. I ACTUALLY wanted this job, it made me excited at the thought. I was totally qualified for it even! Everything about it worked. I even got in the first round of interviews. Then I didn't get it. Its like, ok if I have to work for someone else can I at least like the job? No? Ok. I'm just so done with this losing game called life. I want to do something about it but then I'm reminded I cant because I don't have money. I want a beautiful life. LET ME LIVE.

[strawhatsoraya]

Well I still feel bad. I annoyed you so much with my Levi requests and then vanished. That wasn't nice. So sorry. I still love everything you write and I will for sure annoy you in the future with requests, If you still write for Levi. Apart from that, actually, my health isn't the best. I thought it would get better soon, but it looks like I will have to change basically everything about my eating behavior from when I eat over how often I eat til what I eat and it's haarrrrrrd. But anyways, I get you. Everything got so fucking expensive! How to you make extra money? Did you get a second job or something? I hope it works out.

You really don't have to apologize or feel bad! We all have our own stuff going on and lives outside of tumblr. Health issues are especially taxing both physically and mentally. Changing your lifestyle is super hard just try to take it one day at a time. Maybe keeping a food log will help at first until you develop the habits you need.

I considered getting a part time but tbh it's not worth it with taxes and minimum wage rates. Plus I have dogs at home I can't leave them alone especially one of them has bad separation anxiety.

I bake so I've been doing that (which in and of itself is also time consuming) and I've been working on a shop idea for etsy with Kaia but that's still under construction lol