Thursday, August 29

lost at sea....

dear sweet cynthia set sail with all good intentions of arriving with her new owners..


sadly she has not made it.. *gulp*
the reports are not looking good..

could it be that she is lost at sea?

to be honest i am more than a little heartbroken as each item i make is made with great love and care and very often, in fact mostly, a one off..

cynthia was only my second squirrel, the first being darling winifred ...



this experience has made me question my life as a maker to the point of thinking that online selling is just not for me, to have a customer question me and think of me as dishonest was simply horrid and i spent the day in a bit of a weepy state... sensitive soul that i am *note to self - must toughen up*

however my ability to build up stock for craft fair events is pretty poor and i am always charging around the day before desperately trying to gather enough items to vaguely cover a table, this then leads to a day of poor sales, little takings and a despondent me...

what to do, what to do?

with stephen now working from home starting this week i am finding myself with more time that i could use to make things and yet it is now thursday and i have nothing new made..
i am hoping this is just because i am settling in to a new role, a new place on this farm, needed less outside and more inside...

we shall see
there is always next week

tomorrow i am away across the moors to meet a friend, chat about future projects, and gaze upon sheep..
i am hoping to use the long drive across beautiful landscape to clear my head and gather my thoughts on if, when and where i sell my creations..

i shall let you know

x

17 comments:

  1. Oh please don't feel bad, these things happen. Perhaps she's just in quarantine! I got my beautiful be kind, be gentle needle case very quickly but would never have questioned you if it got lost. Your work is truly beautiful, big hugs, Sam

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  2. I do believe you have been commissioned to make a very special keyring, maybe this will help the crafty mo-jo to return!!!!

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    1. yikes totally forgot - you are right this may be the start i need xxx

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  3. Oh Tracey, how could people doubt your honesty, with the absolute proof of your amazing integrity living ever so happily on your lovely farm. The Post Office has a lot to answer for.. Your handmade items all look lovingly made and that takes time and talent... I can't wait to see what your new extra time brings in the form of hopefully filling your shop with more goodies... Hope you have a lovely day with your friend across the moors.... Regards Karan xxxxx

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  4. Bless Cynthia on her journey - may it all work our. AND bless your heart too! Sorry for the stress this had brought - peace to you.

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  5. So sorry to hear that Cynthia has gone missing I was hoping to buy her but was not quick enough. Things do go missing in the post, it's not your fault Tracy, she nay turn up yet, Do you take commissions? I would love to have a squirrel .

    Kind regards, Pat .Owner of the lovely Ethel.

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    1. hello there xx
      really hoping to have more squirrels appearing soon, i am working on a fox at the moment to distract my mind from dear cynthia...
      i think i may try and pop any makes on my blog first in the hope that they sell to my lovely readers rather than disappearing in to etsy land!
      t x

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  6. Oh Tracy, how sad that your honesty is being questioned! I used to sell on ebay years ago and out of the hundreds of pleasant transactions carried out, one similar to yours happened and turned quite nasty with the buyer ... I was going to give up but someone told me not to dwell on the one negative, but concentrate on the hundreds of positives, and it's so true! The person in question could be the dishonest one, not you ... this is often the problem with selling overseas as it is hard to track an item. Please don't give up your work is so lovely, and Cynthia may yet turn up, fresh from her advetntures!

    Love Claire xxx

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  7. Oh Tracy, I am so sorry that you have been doubted. What an awful feeling to have to deal with. Have you thought of getting a certificate of posting from the PO when you send things? I think it is free and it just shows the date and the postcode but at least if people doubt you then you can show it to them. I still can't believe anyone could doubt you though...

    I do so hope that you keep up with your crafting. My lovely Maude brings me no end of pleasure and always makes me smile. She is a real treat. Maybe with a little more time your creative juices will start to flow again and you will regain the pleasure of making.

    Lots of Love
    SmallP & Maude
    xx

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    1. oh my how i love that you adore maude so much, messages like this make me want to share my little creatures... thank you xxxx

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  8. Cynthia...CYNTHIA... Where are you? I hope she turns up.
    Don't give up the crafting, you treasures are lovely and Christmas is coming so sales are bound to pick up.
    EE xx

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    1. that is exactly what i have been calling out ;)

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  9. oh no, this happens all too much, doesn't it. can you just send the items 'signed for' so that they can be tracked, or does this just send the price up too much?
    hugs from austria xx

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    1. eeekkkk.. so so lovely to hear from you - i thought you had vanished in to the black hole of blogs :)

      missed you lovely lady - hope all is fab with you all

      t x

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  10. I just wanted to say, I had ordered something from you several months ago and it did take some time to arrive. But, I expected that it would taking into consideration the distance it would have to travel and never once considered that it wouldn't arrive. My daughter and I not only loved the pin I order but we also loved the way it was packaged...so much so that we framed it. Yes, we framed the packaging. I would definitely purchase items from you again.

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    1. oh my oh my how your message has warmed my heart - thank you. truly xxx

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  11. Oh, I feel so badly for you :( I used to sell handspun yarn on Etsy, and only had one unfortunate event. It was awful, and I became much more careful with my orders afterwards.

    I do know from experience with international orders, that they take a very loooong time to be delivered. Just when I would start to worry, it would appear safe and sound. Cynthia will arrive eventually, and hopefully, your buyer will do you the courtesy of letting you know when she does. Please don't even consider not making any more of your beautiful and unique creations. We would all be poorer for it. Hugs,Carolyn

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thank you so very much for taking the time to stop by and leave me a note..
i always try to visit you in return if time allows as sharing, smiling and inspiring is why i blog x