Pour Mimi aussi, la vie est dure...

Installée dans son nid de fausse fourrure, sur sa "montagne"... Pour échapper à la désormais gigantesque "petite" Nana.

http://lebarduvent.blogspot.com

Merry-Go-Round - Customer Service

Jump on our merry go round and join a group of artists/crafts-women from around the world as they link hands and tell you a little bit about their lives in craft.

Do look up the answers from the rest of this band of crafters (links to your left).

If they haven't all posted yet, remember we all live in different time zones and check again later...

This month:

Customer Service

Customer service is about law, of course, but, to me, it is also about the choice you make when selling handmade, about what someone buying handmade from the the maker has a right to expect.

If you enjoy it that people appreciate your handmade work, you have to keep up the personal side of the relationship. It's not a question of what the law says. It's a question of what you get into whan you decide you are an independent artist / designer / crafter...

The most enjoyable, satisfactory sales I have made online were custom-made. It feels so great having someone trust you with their special wish. It makes me feel "important" in a way no serious job does.

To be quite blunt, in my experience, custom is absolutely not profitable (because profit lies in series). But it still is what I have enjoyed most as a crafter.

The other important aspect of cutomer services is returns.

That is never pleasant, but it is crucial to trust-building.

I am lucky that I have only had a couple in the past few years, and, if I remember well, only one was about an online sale, surprisingly enough. But what strikes me is how incredibly grateful customers for whom I have mended a piece have been. In most cases there was a flaw and of course I was bound by law to mend their purchases (or give a refund, never their choice in my experience), but that didn't seem to be how they took it. They seemed surprised and pleased.

I have also been very lucky so far, I know from the forums on various sites, that I have never had to deal with someone patently dishonest.

Obviously, they are around, as are the dishonest sellers, but I still believe they are a small minority and the vast majority are lovely people who do us the great honour of appreciating our efforts and giving us good money for them, and so they deserve our best efforts throughout.

Breaking Dawn Giveaway at Bacon Time— don't miss out!

Mindie of Bacon Time is organizing this great giveaway with 66 different shops participating, including my Etsy shop, of course : )

Here!

Nouvelles / News

Pour commencer, sachez que les boutiques DaWanda et Etsy fermeront le 15 décembre, jusqu'à une date qui demeure à déterminer et qui sera fonction de mon changement d'approche et de statut.

Depuis quelque temps, il est clair que le statut d'entreprise ne me convient absolument pas, ni financièrement, ni moralement. Je vais donc prendre le temps nécessaire pour revoir ma situation et adopter le statut légal qui convient.

En attendant, les coordonnées présentes sur mes cartes de visites restent valides et je reste disponible pour le service après-vente nécessaire..

Par ailleurs, Le Bar du Vent sera présent au Marché de Noël organisé par Chai, rue du Mirail à Bordeaux, à partir du 17 décembre. : )

In order to think over and operate a change of legal status, aiming at adopting one better fitted to how I like to craft and how much time I can afford to allow for it, I will close my Etsy and DaWanda shops on December 15, until further notice...

Merry-Go-Round - Fairs and Shows

Jump on our merry go round and join a group of artists/crafts-women from around the world as they link hands and tell you a little bit about their lives in craft.

Do look up the answers from the rest of this band of crafters (links to your left).

If they haven't all posted yet, remember we all live in different time zones and check again later...

This month:

Fairs and shows— do you do them? If you don't, why not?

Well, this is a topic that I find very interesting, because I haven't been able to take part in any so far— due to having a rather engrossing and time-consuming full-time "day-job".

All I know, so far, is that everyone says it's the best way to reach your custom, because most people aren't into virtual reality when it comes to shopping for jewellery and other trinkets. But it involves a lot of work and organizing, as well as time...

Very curious to read what other merry goers have to say about their experience!

Merry-Go-Round - Tutorial

Jump on our merry go round and join a group of artists/crafts-women from around the world as they link hands and tell you a little bit about their lives in craft.

Do look up the answers from the rest of this band of crafters (links to your left).

If they haven't all posted yet, remember we all live in different time zones and check again later...

This month:

A simple tutorial

A few photos to show you how, with just a piece of wire and a piece of salvaged thread or fabric, you can create a colourful butterfly or dragonfly, using the technique of macrame knotting.

Here are a few pieces of salvaged ribbon or thread among which I take my pick.
And here is the kind of brass wire (controlled closely as you can see) you can find in any hardware store. I also use copper. Silver or aluminium would do just as well.
I cut a pice (22 cm / 8.5 in. in this case).
I bend it like this:
then I make a plain knot at what will be the tail end of my butterfly and start the macrame as you can see. One way:
the other way:
until I have enough to create the abdomen.

Then I loosen one of the knots to create the small pair of wings:
Then I knot one more tight knot:
And then another loose knot, for the larger pair of wings, followed by a couple of tight knots for the head:
A little whirl at both ends of the wire, for the antennae:

Pretty psychedelic, isn't it? I think it would do a nice brooch...

With a longer piece of blue cord and copper wire, I created this necklace with what looks more like a dragonfly:

There are as many variations as the kinds of thread or ribbon you can use...