I’ve been whittling away at that book pile.

This week has felt like a jumble of books and boxes.  I’m not used to all of this business at one time!  But there’s good news.  The book pile is…

…nearly gone!  I just have to weigh this last batch, print the postage, and plop them down on the front steps for my poor, persecuted letter carrier to take.  I tell you, she was none too happy with me yesterday.  The kids and I even helped carry the boxes to her truck, but still – not a smile out of her.

Oh well.  At least this is the last batch, right?

Well, sort of.  These boxes are all from the weekend’s orders.  I still have to pack up Monday-Thursday orders… At least those are not going to be so heavy.

I’m sorry, Ms. Mailman. Please forgive me!

On another note…

Aidan’s sweater is coming along.  I finished the first sleeve last night – just one more sleeve and a hood left to go! I rewarded myself in the form of a little break from stockinette, and cast on for these Trenza Mitts.  I think I can finish them in time for my mother-in-law’s birthday in nine days.   I think they’ll go nicely with this neckwarmer I made her a few years ago.  Oh, it’s going to be nice to work with cables for a change!

P.S. Like that neckwarmer? In case you missed it, I wrote up a tutorial + video blog about it last week.

The kids have today and tomorrow off.  I’m hoping to get out from under books & boxes and do something fun with them soon.  Wish me luck!

Sometimes when I announce a sale over at Polka Dot Creations, the response can be sorta lukewarm.  It gets discouraging.  That’s why, when I decided to run a sale this past weekend, I figured I needed to make the discount something to write home about.

75% did the trick.

Holy cow, is this a lot of stuff that people bought, or what??

And that’s just what was ordered on Saturday and Sunday!

I’ve regained a few shelves in the basement, which has allowed me to clean up and reorganize – I’m so happy about that!  It’s going to be a challenge, though, getting all of these books on their way in a timely manner.

Phase One: Priority Mail was packed up yesterday and sent out this morning.  I think it will take at least two more batches before I am completely finished though.

[Dear Postal Carrier, Please don't hate me this week.  Sincerely, me]

If you missed this weekend’s craziness, you can still get everything on sale for 50% off, which is less than it was, but totally nothing to sneeze at.  It is a space-making extravaganza over in my basement this week!

P.S. Even if you’re not into polymer clay, there are a whole lot of magazine back-issues available that speak to other interests. It’s worth a peek!

P.P.S. Thank you all sooooo much for your business! I’ll try not to take too long getting your packages on their way!

First up, two FREE Android apps!

I’ve mentioned the Polka Dot Cottage app here before, but I thought I would bring it up again, because I have since made it available on the Android Market.  That makes it much easier for you to download, and get updates.  In fact, if you downloaded the original version directly from me a few months ago, it might be a good idea to uninstall it and then get a shiny new copy via Android.  Everything will work better that way, I promise.

Now, brand new as of last night, is the Polka Dot Creations app!  This one is for the polymer clay junkies out there who wait for new books & videos with bated breath.  This app alerts you of new items available for preorder, new items in stock, monthly bestseller lists, and Polypubs posts.  Each notification includes a link back to the website, so you can make a purchase, if you like.

As of this morning, there are mobile ads showing on this app.  I’m working on getting them turned off, so if you do find them annoying, don’t worry.  They’ll be gone soon.

You can download Polka Dot Creations in the Android Market, too.

(BTW, I built both of these apps with the aid of feed.nu, if any of you are looking to app-ify your own blogs.)

Next up? Kindle patterns, and new pricing on PDF patterns!

My fellow nerd of a husband has become somewhat of an expert in the field of creating eBooks, and so when I started to offer PDF patterns and tutorials here in the download shop, he suggested turning them into true eBooks and publishing them for the Amazon Kindle.  He kindly and generously formatted the first one for me, and it is now ready to share!

The Spring Wrap Skirt pattern is available at Amazon and is still available in the Download Shop as well, if you prefer PDF.

Even better, I have temporarily reduced the price on both versions significantly from $5 to $1.49.  Yep, you heard me.

Did you know you don’t need an actual Kindle to read Kindle books?  Amazon has free software available that allows you to read Kindle books on your PC, tablet, phone, iPad, or whatever floats your boat.

There will be more Kindle patterns available from me soon — once I figure out how to do the formatting myself, and don’t have to rely on Neil to do it for me!

I don’t know about you, but I find all of this rather exciting – the combining of old-fashioned skills and ideas, with young technologies that make them more accessible than ever.  It’s very cool, in my book.

Any questions about any of this, please post them here.  I know not everyone is as comfortable with technology as I am, and perhaps I overlooked explaining something fully enough.  Don’t be shy about asking me to clarify!

Also, in that vein, I’ve been processing payments ahead of time this week, and doing as much as possible to be ready when the mags arrive.  Being a one-person packing and shipping machine isn’t easy, and I want it to go as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Because of this, I’ve had my nose in the computer a lot this week already, sending out invoices, processing payments, answering questions, etc.  So, you’d think when I found myself with a surprisingly empty email box yesterday afternoon, I’d have taken the opportunity to close the laptop and do something in the real world for a while.  You’d think that, but you’d be wrong.

Somehow I found myself tackling a project that I’ve had on my mind for some time: goodreads @ Polka Dot Creations

For those not in the know, goodreads is a social network for book lovers.

I’ve been a member for years, and I think it’s just great.

Goodreads appeals to my organization-loving side by providing a way to catalog, sort, and otherwise virtually shelve all of the books that I have read / am reading / want to read in the future.

And now, if you are a goodreads member, you can add books to your virtual shelves directly from Polka Dot Creations. How cool is that?

Next to each book in the shop that has an ISBN number, you will find an “add book” button, which also provides information about how many people have read the book and what the average rating is.  Here is a closer look:

Press the button, and a new window will open, wherein you’ll be given an opportunity to add the book to your goodreads shelves, specify whether or not you’ve already read it, and give it a review or rating if you wish.

The other aspect of goodreads that really appeals to me is the reader reviews of each book.  These, too, are now available on Polka Dot Creations. (woo hoo!)

Simply scroll down past the description of the book, and you will see excerpts from up to three reviews of the title.  You can use the provided links to read the full reviews or to read any other reviews that are not displayed.

Here’s a closer look at that:

I think this feature has the potential to really add some value to the Polka Dot Creations shopping experience, and I hope you will use it freely.

Additionally, you can now add Polka Dot Creations to your goodreads shopping links. Check it out.

So there you have it.

One thing I have noticed, though: there are not nearly as many reviews of polymer clay books as I had expected!  This Christi Friesen book I used as an example was one of the very few that had a decent number of reviews to show.

We can fix that, though.  If you’re not a member of goodreads yet, go take a look and sign up for a free account.  Feel free to add me as a friend, too.

Once you’re there, start adding some of your favorite books to your shelves, and start telling the world what you think of them!  Filling up your shelves for the first time doesn’t have to be hard, either.  You can

• import a list of ISBNs (if there is interest here, I can whip up a little tool that will email you a list of the ISBNs on all of the books you have purchased from me – just let me know!)
• if you have an android phone or tablet, the goodreads app includes a barcode reader.  You could plop yourself down with a pile of books and just scan the barcodes for a few minutes.  Easy.
• you can go through a friend’s book list, and add any titles you have in common with each other.  Here’s a link to my polymer bookshelf, if you want to get started that way.

I hope you enjoy the new additions to the website!  And please, add some reviews at goodreads so that everyone may benefit.  If the magazines I need to ship don’t show up today, I plan to spend some time reviewing my own favorite clay books for the cause.

P.S. I created a “Best Polymer Clay Books” list where you can vote for your favorite polymer books of all time.  You can choose from the ones I’ve already selected, or you can add your own titles.  Let’s see what we come up with together!

I wasn’t planning on blogging today, but I thought you might like to hear about what I found in my mailbox this afternoon…  The nice folks at Kalmbach Books were kind enough to slip me an advance copy of Julie Picarello’s highly-anticipated Patterns in Polymer!  May I say, this book – along with my totally-unrelated half-price Frappuccino – does not disappoint?

You may remember that I took a class with Julie in Philadelphia a few years ago (you can see what I made here and here).  I loved that class – it rekindled my waning polymer clay thrill and converted me once-and-for-all to the “sanding and buffing is good” camp.  This book?  A great substitute for actually being there.  It’s like the notes I never took.

If you’ve seen and admired Julie’s work, you will be thrilled to know that she held nothing back in the instructions.  Pick a piece at random from her Flickr photostream, and chances are this book will help you figure out how to make your own version.

These are a few of my favorite projects, but really, they’re all nice.

If you’ve never taken a Julie Picarello class (or if you have and could use a refresher/reference) I encourage you to pick up a copy of this one.  You won’t want to miss Julie’s perspectives on color and texture.

You can pre-order from me at Polka Dot Creations, if you haven’t already – the book is due to be published at the beginning of June.

Or, if you just cannot wait until then, leave a comment on this post and tell me (or show me!) the most recent thing you made in polymer clay.  One lucky winner will get my copy (sorry, Frappuccino not included).

Want extra chances to win?  Mention this post on Facebook or Twitter, and let me know in your comment that you’ve done so.

I’ll choose a winner on Friday.  Good luck!

[edited: Comments are closed, we have a winner!  Congratulations, Missy!  Please check your email and let me know where to mail your prize.]

In the meantime, here are some links to keep you busy:

• Preorder a copy at Polka Dot Creations (don’t worry – if you win this one, I’ll cancel your preorder for you)
• See what I have made using Julie’s techniques as a springboard
• Read all of my posts about Julie
• Visit Julie’s website

How would you like to help me improve Polka Dot Creations?  I want to make it easier for people to find the books, magazines, and DVDs that would most appeal to them.  Right now, there are several ways to browse:

• by media (book, magazine, dvd, etc.)
• by what’s new or coming soon
• by what’s on sale, on closeout, or an overstock
• by author, publisher, or series
• by what “shelf” the item is on (polymer clay, precious metal clay, dolls and miniatures, etc.)

The “shelf” system comes closest to what I want to accomplish, but it’s a bit too general, and each item can only belong to a single shelf.

What I want is for a jewelry artist to be able to say, “show me all of the books you have on millefiori jewelry.”   Right now, she can look in the Book Section, she can look on the Polymer Clay Shelf, or she can search for the term “millefiori,” but she can’t get a list of items that involve all three things.

So I think a tagging system is in order, most likely to replace the current shelf system or at the very least supplement it.  I’ve got some ideas, but I’d like to hear yours.

What techniques do you think a book should be tagged with?  (millefiori, mokume gane?)

What areas of study do we need to think about? (jewelry-making, sculpting?)

Every item should be tagged with at least one technique and one discipline, but are there other things that I need to consider?  What kinds of tags support what you do with clay?

By way of example:

Media: Book Main material: Polymer Clay Areas of study: Jewelry Techniques: Mica shift

I’m looking forward to hearing your ideas.

And to thank you for participating in this discussion, one random comment will win a $25 gift certificate to Polka Dot Creations.  I’ll choose a winner on Wednesday evening.

Thanks, everybody!

I feel a little unwell at the moment, and am shutting down my computer for the night.  Why do you need to know this?  Maybe you don’t.  But maybe you are waiting for me to process your Polka Dot Creations order.  Or maybe you’ve emailed me a question that I have not yet responded to.  Or, perhaps you are eager for the next installment of the Beginner Button Class.

Last week I was very very busy getting the new From Polymer to Art and the new Clay Classics out the door.  Then I was preparing for Aidan’s birthday party.  Then I was having the party.  Last night, halfway into his celebration, Aidan started to feel unwell, and spent much of the ensuing night up with the stomach bug.  (Happy Birthday, poor kid.)

Today, I relaxed. And tonight just as I have started to work on my email, I have begun feeling unwell, too.  I’m hoping I just threw back my can of soda and leftover pizza in an unladylike manner and that this feeling will pass in a few.  But just in case it doesn’t, and I’m down for the count, well, I wanted to let you all know why I am MIA and why my commitments are falling behind.

Fingers crossed it’s just gas… (ugh, great topic, I know.  If it turns out to be a false alarm, I am totally deleting this post tomorrow!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I usually spend Black Friday hanging around in my pj’s with the rest of the family, maybe geeking out on the computer, maybe reading a book, maybe knitting something, probably enjoying a little leftover apple pie… I rarely give much thought to shopping.  Even as a store-owner myself!

Well that all is changing this year.  That’s not to say I won’t still be slurping down apple pie in my pj’s tomorrow, but even if I am, I will also be simultaneously hosting the biggest sale in Polka Dot Creations history.  Oh, yeaaaaaaaaah.

Regular prices in my shop are always somewhere around 20% off list price wherever possible, and this weekend (late Thanksgiving night, into Black Friday and through Cyber Monday evening) you can take an additional 30% off of these prices.  In some cases, the books, magazines and DVDs will end up costing you less than they cost me to begin with!  Yeah. Crazy!

There are a few rules, exceptions, fine print, etc, so check them out here before you shop.

Overwhelmed?  Here are a few handy in-store links that may help you find the perfect gift:

• Bestsellers – see what the hottest items have been over the past six months
• Rare and Out of Print – you won’t find these titles easily anywhere else
• Closeouts – Amazing deals on titles I’ve decided to no longer carry – included here are some general craft books and even a cookbook or two.  This is a great place to check for those of you who aren’t big on the polymer thing.
• New This Year – any title I added to the store in the last year (be aware this list includes preorders which are not included in the sale).

Drop by and have a little fun browsing the selection.  And as always, thank you for your business!

Quite literally.  I spent Monday feeling worse and worse, Monday night being sick, Tuesday being feverish, nauseous, and headachey, and today I seem to be left mostly with the headache and a little dizziness.  I’m not ready for “real food” quite yet, so until then it’s Saltines for breakfast.

Oh! There is so much to catch up on!  It looks like I’ll have to pass on Kids Clothes Week, which is a shame, but necessary if I’m going to make up for lost time.  The most important thing I have to deal with is my Polka Dot Creations email and order processing, so if you’re waiting to hear from me, it should happen today.  I’m somewhat hampered by this headache since using the computer makes it worse, so it may take me a little while.  You’re definitely on my radar, though, and I appreciate your patience!

I was really looking forward to indulging all kinds of creative pursuits at the beginning of this week.  Instead, I dozed in and out while watching hours upon hours of bad daytime television.  Oh well.  At least I can feel the fog lifting now.

PDC customers, I’ll be in touch today sometime!

It’s a beautiful Sunday.  I nearly succumbed to the temptation to have my breakfast out on the patio, but I decided it’s still a tiny bit too cold for that.  Instead I sat in my favorite living room chair, as always, and I opened the window next to it.  Best of both worlds, I think.

So that has been the “pleasure” part of my day, and of my post.  The “business” part of my day is going to involve income tax.  Shoot me now.  The worst part of the whole experience, I think, is in doing the calculations for my home office – I’ll be in much better shape next year, since I’ve started keeping a budget and I will know exactly how much I’ve spent on home maintenance, but this year it’s still a matter of digging up all of the bills and doing the calculations by hand.  It’s all just too boring for words.  Which is why I’m going to stop talking about it now!

I’d much rather think about sitting on the back patio with a glass of lemonade, leisurely flipping through a creative magazine.  This brings me to my next piece of business:  just because I am a last-minute tax-doer doesn’t mean the rest of you are.  Those of you who have already sent in your forms are free to spend a lovely afternoon getting your crafty groove on, and to that end, I’d like to introduce you to the Polka Dot Creations magazine blowout event.

Eighty-one issues of the popular Stampington & Company magazines (Belle Armoire, Belle Armoire Jewelry, Art Doll Quarterly, Altered Couture, Artful Blogging and more) are up for grabs for less than I paid for them.  I don’t normally have sales this drastic, but when you combine a need for space with a need for cash, well, crazy things can happen.  You should definitely take advantage of this before I change my mind!

Check out what’s available here.

Also of note: I still have a couple of the Out of Print issues of PolymerCAFE and Art Doll Quarterly available.  I’ve added them to the website in the Out of Print section.  They won’t last long, so if you’re interested, now is the time to go for it!

And lastly, I should mention that the new Confident Color DVD is in stock!  Or, let me rephrase that: It was in stock for about 12 hours before it sold out, but I’ll have more by Thursday.  I watched it while packing up the preorders, and it’s full of interesting ways to use stripey skinner blends – if you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you’ll know I enjoy a good stripey skinner blend…