I finished the custom order and the lady liked it!
It was a nice surprise to hear from her that she wanted it.
The day I finished it I told P that I didn’t think I was up for any more custom orders as it was just too hard for me to get to grips with what someone really wants and then I end up wanting to under charge them because I’m unsure of myself and feel bad for them that they’ll be getting something that they don’t really want.
Etc…
Then yesterday, when I was upstairs cleaning out my ‘clean’ studio, the one where I make my quilts etc., I got an e-mail from another person wanting a custom order.
I didn’t say no.
And so it starts over…
Actually I’m looking forward to it.
(Remind me of that when I start to moan again)
In the short time it took me to give up taking custom orders and then accept another one I tackled my thirty year stash of craft books .
To be honest I didn’t think I would be up for it and P definitely had doubts.
In fact he laughed at me which was not funny and not very encouraging.
But look.
And I haven’t finished yet.
They haven’t actually made it out of the house yet, but I’m working on it.
Of course the upstairs A/C decided to pack up half way through my sorting, but I soldiered on and now I’m feeling quite pleased with myself.
They’re all going to the ministry up the road although I think that they may have to open a new room to accommodate them.
In other news,
the boy’s cat, Nutmeg,
has diarrhea.
Nope. Don’t talk to me about it.
I’m not really that put out by the sofa covers needing to be washed five hundred and sixty-three times daily.
Nope, not at all.
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What – is not to like about this beautiful pendant? She will be thrilled to have it! And you will get more orders.
🙂
It is so weird! you remind me so much of myself ( I think I told you this once before). Whenever I need a comic break, I read one of your post, and I can laugh at my antics.
I just finished a show and said the same think. No more custom pieces, and no more, ” I will adjust this piece for you and you can pick it up later.” Because I wound up feeling that I have to ship, mail, drive the piece to the person who forgot they bought it, and I have to keep it safe for them, sometimes for weeks.
Keep up the good work.
Cheers!
M.
I agree, sometimes the work you do on a piece other than just making it takes up as much time that you end up making hardly any profit on the piece.
I still think of myself more as a hobbyist–I’ve done a few shows and made some custom pieces for friends but haven’t ventured into website selling. When I retire from my day job I probably will. Sometimes it’s hard to find enough studio time so doing custom orders for strangers would really stress me out right now!
I do find it stressful and really I end up spending more time on them than is worth it in the end. I’m happy that it is more of a hobby for me and that I don’t have to rely on the money because I doubt I would be able to survive considering the time I spend on custom pieces.
Love the piece, it’s just beautiful. As for the cat. Isn’t that part of the glamorous life of a jewelry designer?
Absolutely, as long as she keeps her little problems to herself.