An Announcement, An Unveiling

Hello Everyone! I hope you have thrived in at least one way during this hot summer. The summer that had kick in it until yesterday?  Now on to Fall or Autumn. All is well here; some extra self-care was required because allergies were worse than in previous years. But there is nothing wrong with more self-care. Not much free time devoted to crafts except for a session on repair work that had been stacking up.

What has been happening and this is the big REVEAL is the development of PLANET NICE ODYSSEY (PNO) on Etsy. YES! Okay this is not official yet as I haven't signed up, but I'm getting there.

What is this new adventure? I haven’t exactly drafted a mission statement but in macro terms I would say it is a presentation of craft materials, goods, and experiences/services by the practitioner of Planet Nice Crafts, me.

The purpose of this blog and PNO is to share my adventures in crafts with some baking, gardening, jigsaw puzzles, reading, and other hobbies of necessity (plumbing, anyone?) tossed in. What will be initially offered at PNO? Goods: knitted and sewn items that were presented right here on this blog.  Materials: home decorating fabric. Experiences/Services: Custom crafted items during which the customer is a PARTICIPANT (picking out a pattern, for example) and also experiences where I am supportive of YOUR chosen hobby (reward for a select, completed project, for example). I am still ideating!

During 2023, I have dipped my toe in the e-commerce landscape. After market research, I have chosen goods that have already existing value so I can be a soft seller instead of a hard seller needing to generate value. No matter the platform, quality photos give the seller an edge and when you are competing against 11,000+ similar collectible items on eBay, the edge is worth it. Plus, the ad is a representation of one’s work so another incentive, a sense of pride.

For the best photo display of select PNO items, I decided to acquire a head mannequin. I bought this one at Jo-Ann and really liked the photos of the head painted. So yes, I got the acrylic paints out and mixed red, green, yellow, and white to create Tuscany, otherwise known as hex# C2A095, or something close. I chose this color because I thought it was the best match to the colors of the items that are to be displayed.

Head Start, literally!

First Coat

It took a couple coats, but success!

Mannequin at Work

So now I am progressing through the photo shoots. This is my homemade lightbox which has been very useful previously for smaller items. Stay tuned…

In other news, reading is progressing with the finish of The Hemingses of Monticello by Annette Gordon-Reed and Thrawn: Treason by Timothy Zahn and the start of Landscape and Memory by Simon Schama. I picked the Simon Schama book because I really have enjoyed all his TV productions and it was his highest rated book on Goodreads. But it is definitely academic and DENSE. I already have learned a lot about the history of Poland, Germany, and the UK with other countries on deck, I just feel like I am in school again. Until next time…