Taking the Leap~! Opened my Etsy Store for Digital Products--- XiaoMeibyMilish

At very last! Last Sunday, I finalized the set up of my Etsy Shop, I have been wanting to share and sell my sketches--- digitally. Since the quarantine started, I have been reflecting on how I can maximize my potential. Thought I'm not new in joining, posting and sharing my works online (Spoonflower, Society6, Zazzle, Red Bubble, VIDA and etc.), I've also posted in other various websites. But I thing Etsy is one of the platform out there that is selling effectively, when it come to digital products, and I was thinking to firstly focus on this product as it has potential in the market. 

I started with postings some of my previous hand sketched works just for preview, though I'm continually working on some new products to post in the next few weeks. Hoping someone would notice and would appreciate my works.

Etsy Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/XiaoMeibyMilish

Hoping to continue posting an update here in my blog. Just need to schedule everything. 

Love, 

M

Getting it out of myself--- frustration

It has been long since I have been staying at home due to this pandemic. It started 2nd of week of March until now. At first, it did not bother me so much that I will be staying at home and doing all the work at home. 

I like being at home, I consider myself as an introvert and likes being inside the comfort of home just reading and working. But due to having 2 work responsibilities, 1- managing our family business and 2- teaching at a university, somethings are getting out of hand. 

One, that having a responsibility of managing our family business. Recent changes in the society and down turn of the world economy does affect our business. I needed to think ahead and prepare everything at hand to protect our business, our employees and our family. Balancing everything frustrates me, as to it is not what I learned and prepared myself to. As of the moment, I don't have the right skill set on how to really manage a business. I took Interior Design during college and worked 4 years in a small Interior Design and Furniture company. Though I did learn many helpful things about business in my short stint work in a small company. I still don't know the right fundamentals and proper management skills in business. 

Magnetic Bookmark

Just recently I stumbled upon a Instagram account that sells this super cute Magnetic Bookmarks. The artist and online store is @craftedvan, the store idea is making their own version of known characters like Harry Potter and his friends, Up, , and even Sailor Moon and the Sailor Warriors (actually this is the set that I want to purchase).

Unfortunately, the problem is their online store is based on Canada. Though they have an Etsy store for international clients. But calculating it and knowing the price of the item and also adding the shipping cost from Canada to Philippines, it would be too expensive just for a Magnetic Bookmark. 

That is why I decided to make one for myself, I also search the internet if there are other online crafters in the Philippines, who makes and sells this kind of bookmark. After looking into it, I found that there aren't any seller magnetic bookmark here. So I decided to make one, being a crafter myself.

This is my first collection sketch. 

Inspirational Business eMentor

I stumbled upon a website that blogs about online business tips and guides, at that time my online business had just started. I was searching for tips and guides for my online business to be more productive and to be able to give my customers good service and product. So  I naturally subscribed to his blog to get up-to-date tips on online business.

Stamp Carving Bonanza

Been doing stamp carving out or rubber materials since December last year. I started this hobby to help me relax myself from my regular work and freelance works. Stamp carving had helped me soothe my stress away and had help me to concentrate on doing one thing at a time since by nature I'm more of a multi-tasker. My intricate designs were inspired by Ms. Cynthia Arres, a Filipino Illustrator, I was looking for a tutorial using Xacto knife, when I stumbled her very useful and practical step by step guide in her blog.

 Since then I have already made maybe more than 20 stamps from easy to complicated design. Hoping to practice more to be able to carve lettering and intricate works more defined.

Here are some of my recent works and some commissioned works

 

Mini Workshop: 1 on 1

Last week, my best friend told me that her mom is interested in learning how to carve a rubber stamp; because I gave my friend a personalized rubber stamp (made from simple eraser) as a gift last christmas. She (my best friend's mom) was thinking that it would be a good hobby to do, so I accepted and said that I would be very delighted to be able to share my knowledge on rubber stamping. 

So we arranged to have our mini 1 on 1 workshop at their house yesterday, at first I was a bit awkward because it is the first that I would teach other people about my knowledge and thoughts on stamp carving. Truthfully, I'm still not an expert on this hobby because up until now I'm just using Xacto cutter and box cutter as my tools and not the usual Speedball Linoleum cutter, because for me it is still expensive and I still need to save some money to buy it; also here in the Philippines, Speedball products are still not readily available in the market. But hopefully in the future I may be able to buy one and be able to make a rubber stamp design out of it (fingers crossed....x x).