Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Ponderings: What's Wrong With ArtFire Subscriptions?

 

Sometimes I think that the man who started Artfire has lost his mind, but I don't have anything against John A. Jacobs. I just continue to be confused. A long time ago I was impressed by his story of how his mother's struggles as a handmades or jewelry seller inspired him. He decided to launch a venue that would support and make it easy for other cottage industry sellers to succeed. He specifically attacked the challenges that hand-makers had of paying the fees that many selling venues charge.

He said he recognized a growing dissatisfaction with his customers selling their products on the Internet. Some sites charge too much and are too restrictive, he said, and are unresponsive to their customers, sellers and buyers.

I know that goals and purposes change, but...

Over the years I've checked on Artfire and what I have consistently found went from good to worse. You probably have read my similar rants about AF as I discovered each unfavorable change or feature. I've never sold at AF, but I did join in the earlier years when free shops were offered. That has been no more for a long time. The always free shops went from always free to a trial period. That went kaput!

I ran by AF today and couldn't believe my eyes! Maybe it's just me, some type of twisted prejudice maybe? You tell me. I run by from time-to-time just because there are so few handmades-dedicated selling venues that exist anymore and because AF was one of the originals. They have outlived all the many others that have shockingly fallen by the wayside.

Unbelievably, a standard shop with a cap of 250 listings, is $4.95 a month. Not bad, right? But there's a fee of $0.23 per listing. Palatable? The listings are only active for 2 months before you have to pay again. If you are still with the Artfire creator's thinking up to now, think about this. There is an FVF of 12.75%. Like I said, you tell me. Is it me, or is there something wrong with this picture?

Well, ArtFire is still functioning, you say. Yes. Most smart businesspersons don't continue to invest time and money in non-lucrative ventures. I don't know what the turnover in shops is but some sellers are still finding the site useful. Af, however, is not the same as it used to be with regards to happy socializing and devoted promotion of the site by sellers.  Af was fondly talked about on all the crafting forums and social platforms. Listings even used to appear in Google Shopping. I stopped hearing about AF a long time ago. As far as the cost to invest in a shop? It's worse than Etsy and not nearly as much traffic and probably very little promotion, if any. Still, I wish all of the sellers there much success and satisfaction!

Printaphoria - Artsy Craftery Design Studio




Printaphoria-Creative-Living-ACDS-post-signature-400px

Monday, January 25, 2021

Pink Purple Hearts Hand-Painted Printable Paper

Hearts In The Window Single Printable Paper
I like that this Hearts printable paper design came out looking like neon lights. It looks dark and mysterious and at the same time exciting.

The detail image shows an up close look at the mottled painting. This is a digitally-enhanced design of my original painting that I named Hearts In The Window. This version I call Glow of Love. 

To read more details about this printable paper

visit my shop at Payhip:

PRINTAPHORIA

To buy this printable paper immediately click below:

Buy Now

To add this printable paper to your cart to buy more products click below.

You will be taken to my Payhip shop. 

Click the ADD TO CART BUTTON.

You will see your cart icon appear at the top right.

Mouse over Printaphoria under the listing title to visit shop main page to add more products to your cart.

Add To Cart

 

Thanks For Visiting Printaphoria

Graphics To Beautify, Organize & Simplify Your Life

 

Printaphoria graphics are always personal and

commercial for anything that you use in your craft projects.

The files and the printed images from the files

cannot be sold or given away. 

Please direct anyone interested in my graphics

to my Printaphoria shop or email

artsycrafterydesignstudio at outlook.com

 


 



Printaphoria-Creative-Living-ACDS-post-signature-400px

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Snipbit: What Is Behance?

I did not realize that Behance is a place for creatives to create online portfolios to showcase their work. I was reading this overview at ArtisanTalent where you can learn about the pros and cons of using this Adobe Creative Cloud site.



Printaphoria-Creative-Living-ACDS-post-signature-400px

Sunday, January 10, 2021

How To Use Inkscape

Free Inkscape Vector Graphics Program
Before I bought Serif's Affinity Designer, I was learning how to use the free Inkscape program through Nick Saporito's Youtube tuts

Nick is a very good teacher in that his diction is clear and his directions precise. It is easy to follow his instructions. 

The reason that I did not continue is because I already had Affinity Photo and I like it so much that I bought Designer.

If you want an accelerated program to learn Inkscape I recommend Nick. He also offers freebies often and his advanced course are very affordable.



Printaphoria-Creative-Living-ACDS-post-signature-400px

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Junk Journal Ideas & How To Make Them

How many times have I wondered what is the purpose of a junk journal other than a creation to look at? What are some junk journal ideas?
 
How To Use A Junk Journal
Compass & Ink Handmade Journal Blog Post
Since you've wondered too, here is a good overview, by Megan at Compass & Ink, of how they can actually be used and a link to how to make them too. 

 
Compass & Ink Handmade Journal Post
Using Handmade Junk Journals By Megan
I like the suggestion of using one as a gratitude or spiritual journal. I add that one can also be used as a dream journal in which to record significant dreams. 
 
Have a Happy, Creative Day!
Sandi
 

 


Printaphoria-Creative-Living-ACDS-post-signature-400px