manderly|rose on etsy

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Photos and First Postings to Etsy

Big day! This afternoon I finished a light box of sorts that I've been working on, so that I could take better photos of the things I'm posting on Etsy.

Cleo, ever the helpful kitty, immediatly jumped in the lightbox. What followed was a variety of poses, her cleaning herself all all the wrong places, and basic intrusion on my photography time. I would toss her out, she'd jump back in, and so the afternoon went! .

At one point, the kitty, the sun, the moon, and the stars were all aligned and I got this amzing picture of her. She was actually looking to see if Max was watching, as she has more fun if she's taunting him. He was, sitting in the hallway, with that look on his face that says "bite me".! .

Anyhow, the lightbox was a huge help, and the photos eventually got finished. I tried both white and black backgrounds, and white finally won. I'll give instructions and photos of it in a future post. I love my new lightbox! .

I used natural light from the windows in the room, plus the overhead. The washcloth shots have interesting shadows, as it was getting later in the afternoon. I left them that way, what the heck, a little more interesting to look at.

Once the photos were uploaded and futzed with, I started my postings. What a process. I've got it down now though. I successfully posted some key tags, wash cloths, and dish cloths. I also have a document with all my info so I can just copy/paste. Plus it has reminders, like prices, shipping prices, tags, etc.

If you've not used a hand-knit wash cloth in the shower or for washing your face, you're missing out. That's all I use now. Basically, I have a stack of wash cloths that are kind of like those poor misfit toys from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. While not shaped in perfect squares and really not right for gifting or selling, they do me quite nicely. Anyhow, you should treat yourself. Your skin will thank you!

I'll be adding more things in the coming week. Thanks to everyone who has shown interest and support. Happy Sunday!

~P

Friday, September 26, 2008

A little bit about me...

I decided to start a blog to keep in touch with folks interested in manderly rose. It's a little shop on Etsy that sells some fun and unique things.

I have spent the past few months fine tuning what I might sell, designing the perfect solutions, and in some cases, giving friends some of my prototypes to test in the form of birthday and graduation gifts :-) This weekend I'll be posting my first items. I'm rather excited!

I love things that are handcrafted. There is something to be said for craftsmanship and the time and devotion to the craft that goes into it. I've come to believe that my finding Etsy was inevitable. A customer at the yarn shop I work at told me to check it out one afternoon. She was right, sooooo cool!

I live with two kitties, Max and Cleo. You will no doubt hear about them from time to time, as they keep me entertained, and they are wonderful company when I'm creating. Both like to sneak into the work space and get as close as possible. Both show no fear of rotary cutters or sewing machines, and love to lay on keyboards. They play fiercely, as you can see from the picture (Max is the one being pinned down).


I love to make things. I love fabric. The world of scrap booking intrigues me (the paper looks like fabric!). Knitting...something my grama taught me eons ago, and a dear friend re-introduced me to a few years back. Yarn is as cool as fabric! Sewing. I learned when I was 5 (thanks mom!) and have done it ever since. Clothes, accessories, home dec, I don't discriminate :-) More on the things I love in later posts.


You might be asking, "What's with the name manderlyrose?" I've been asked that a lot the past few weeks. When I was teenager, I read the book Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. I loved that book. First of all, I was about 3/4 of the way through it before I realized that "Mrs de Winter" had no first name. Cool. Second, the name of the estate in the book was Manderly. I thought that was a wonderful name. Now you are asking, what about Rose? It's my favorite flower. White roses to be specific. Perfect white roses, with a little dew on them, perfection. Rose is a lovely name too, and the two have rolled around in my head for years looking for a home.

Oh ya, my name is Penny. My friend's kids nicknamed me Money. It stuck. I answer to either. Welcome to my creative world! http://www.manderlyrose.etsy.com/

~P