"Dear Diary..."

"no whining" book sale

although it's very difficult for me to part with books, I realize that's it's once again time to sort through, deal with the excess, clean out, and make room for new.

cope, adjust, and move on.

(that's what I tell my students, when they begin to whine.)

so, with no whining, I have listed 20+ books in my Amazon storefront, and have priced them to sell, as they say.

every book, whether paperback or hard cover, is just $5.

(plus shipping.)

all of them are in like new condition, and are also listed here, on the blog, in the right-hand column.

please give them a good home.

later,

Patty

do you love auctions?

I especially love silent auctions, and I am participating in one right now.

the Fairfield Art Center in Sturgeon Bay, WI will be having their annual holiday fundraising gala on November 20th, from 6:30 to 9:00 pm.

besides fabulous food and wine and music (provided by my friend, Brenda!),

the evening will also feature a silent auction, with artwork donated by many Door County (and other) artists.

I created and donated a collage with the quote from my banner, "Art is not..." but I forgot to take a picture of it before I dropped it off last week!

crap.

but those of you in this area can see it (and start bidding!) NOW.

the show of auction items, in the main gallery, opened last Friday, and you may enter a bid on anything that strikes your artistic fancy anytime between now and the end of the auction on November 20th.

so even if you cannot attend the gala, you have a chance to see all the wonderful donations, and put in your bid.

gallery hours are Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 am to 5 pm, and Saturdays, 10 am to 4 pm.

hope you have a chance to stop by.

later,

Patty

etsy sale continues

because our last art show was virtually rained-out, I've started putting some of my artwork, the smaller pieces, in my etsy shop.
SALE PRICES.
everything must go, so that I can purchase some canvases, and make new pieces.
I'm quite excited by the new ideas that are swirling around in my head, and can't wait to get started on them!
that always happens when I've been to a show, and get an opportunity to talk to other artists, look at different art, get inspired.
I just haven't been doing any shows.
maybe this coming year we'll apply to a few more...
will try to get the rest of the work listed tonight & tomorrow, as it will be a hectic week at the art museum.
two shows come down, and two shows go up.
better take my vitamins.
later,
Patty

card sale continues

I had a wonderful response to my greeting card sale on Etsy.
guess it proves just how much people love a sale, a bargain, a good deal.
have put some more in the shop, some valentines and misc. others.
the sale will continue until I run out of stock, so please check it out, if interested.
and thanks to all the wonderful customers who have already made purchases, Spike will be able to have his hernia operation on Monday.
no, I'm not kidding.
I really needed the money for an operation for my cat!
he will be neutered, and have his hernia taken care of, and I will be so relieved when it's over.
I suffer terribly from NMS - Nervous Mommy Syndrome - and it really freaks me out whenever one of the critters needs medical attention.
luckily, we have the sweetest vet in the world, Dr. Neil at Green Bay Animal Hospital.
he's been with us through a lot of joy, and sorrow, and I can't find enough kind words to adequately describe and thank this dear man, and his wonderful staff.

one of the projects that he is involved in is Cats Anonymous, a grass-roots kind of organization that has successfully sterilized over 1500 cats and kittens, and returned a majority to their colonies, and adopted over 100 to loving homes in the Green Bay area.
to find out ways you can help, go here.
here's a photo of Spike, shortly after we found him:
I'll get some new photos posted next week, after his surgery.
wish us luck!
later,
Patty

etsy update

finished putting my card inventory on my Etsy shop - hope you all check it out, and take advantage of the sale.
think of it as a little valentine from me to you.
this cold is really getting me down, I'm so stuffed up I've become a "mouth breather," if you know what I mean.
so I'm going to take a break, get some hot tea, and watch the snow for awhile.
although I'm terribly sick of winter, it IS pretty out there.
later,
Patty

inventory clearance sale

in my continuing attempt to streamline my life, concentrate on some new priorities, re-evaluate "operating procedures" around here, save some money (and hopefully, make some money), I have decided to take my greeting cards OFF my wholesale site, and move the designs to my Zazzle shop.
but before I move them all, I need to sell the inventory I have in stock.
so I am listing them on my Etsy shop, at the rock-bottom-close-out-she-must-be-crazy-low price of $1.50 each, while supplies last.
in other words, until they're gone.
(normally, they retail for $4 each, or I sell them at shows at 3 for $10.)
as I sell out of a particular card, I will move the design to Zazzle.
I will still have card orders printed for my wholesale customers, but I just won't have the listing on wholesalecrafts.com.
had hoped to have them all listed by today, but I've had a terrible cold all weekend, and now today my extremely-slow-but-tolerable-dial-up internet connection is working even slower than usual.
perhaps it's the cold weather.
or should I say "arctic blast" - that's what I keep hearing on the news, and if I hear it one more time, I may throw something in the direction of the television and scream loudly.
it's very depressing.
had planned to go to town for a few things today, but the car has a two-foot snowdrift behind it, and it's much too cold to be out there for any length of time, even with the snowblower.
so, I will stay home, make myself a cup of tea, and try again later to download stuff on Etsy.
I'm about halfway done, but if there are particular cards that you regular customers know that you would like, just e-mail me.
irregular customers, give me another day, and I'll have them all listed.
gee, I think the cold medicine is kicking in...
stay warm.
later,
Patty

no takers

well, I tried to auction off a matted, framed print I have.
don't know whether to laugh or cry!
no one bid on it.
I choose to laugh, and hopefully, learn.
maybe no one wanted to leave a bid here, I should have had them e-mail bids...
maybe the starting price of $35 was too high...
maybe it's the state of the union...
(ooh, let's not go there right now.)
oh, well, guess I will hang it back up above my computer.
it's still for sale, if anyone is interested, just e-mail me.
it's 11" by 19", matted and framed in a black metal frame, under plexiglass, signed on the back, and the only print I made of this piece.
would that be an "extremely limited edition?" (just kidding)
back to work.
oh, one more thing for your consideration - I am debating the advantages and disadvantages of maintaining both a webstie and a blog.
my website, I'm afraid, gets little attention from me these days, is in desperate need of updating, but I still feel as if I should have one.
perhaps a streamlined version.
blogging is big (and, let's be clear about this, a whole lot of fun!), but I'm unsure how much "customer" traffic it actually generates.
the bottom line is that I have to be concerned about the bottom line, which sucks, but that's real life.
any thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated, including any other marketing ideas, things that work, things that don't, whatever you care to share.
later,
Patty

CLEARANCE SALE!

now that my holiday orders have all been shipped, I'm having an "end-of-the-year-card-clearance-sale-like-no-other-sale-I-have-ever-had."
from now until December 31st, ALL the greeting cards that I have in stock will be $1.50 EACH, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST, as they say...
that's less than wholesale!!

to take advantage of this one-time sale:

1. click here to view all 55 card designs
(there are two pages - make sure you click the link at the bottom of the first page to go to the second...)

2. send me an e-mail with your card order (do NOT use the shopping cart feature, it will charge you $4 per card!!)

3. I will e-mail back, letting you know how many of your cards are available, and the total cost of your order.

4. after I receive your payment (PayPal preferred - use papor@doorpi.net as the recipient) I will mail out your order.
if you are mailing a check, send it to:
papor products
8626 County Road D
Forestville, WI 54213

remember, this is on a first come, first served basis, until all the old stock is sold.
it's time to clean out the old, and get ready for 2008!

(please feel free to forward this sale information to absolutely everyone you know and/or love...)

I dropped off my donation to the Fairfield Contemporary Art Museum yesterday, and got a sneak peak at some of the other art that is in the silent auction - some very cool stuff.
here's more information, for those of you in the area:

Thursday, November 15
Fifth Annual Fundraising Event: "The Holiday Gala" 6-9p.m. Fairfield guests will enjoy an evening of gourmet hors d'oeuvres provided by Scaturo's, Inn at Cedar Crossing and Cafe Launch; select wines from Stone's Throw Winery; a silent auction for a variety of art and gift items; and a special performance by accomplished soprano Bethany Their as they mingle with friends and colleagues amid seasonal decor.

Tickets for the Holiday Gala, priced $50 per person, are available in advance at the Fairfield. They may also by purchased at the door the night of the event. The ticket price includes all hors d'oeuvres, Stone's Throw Wines, coffee, and sweet treats.

hope they do well with the auction (hope my piece sells for big bucks for them!) - it is such a great place, and we're lucky to have it here, so close to home.

much to do today, started work on another large canvas for The Gift Itself, and have a couple of smaller ones that I want to take to The Flying Pig tomorrow or Saturday.
later,
Patty

"the check is in..."

one of my new checkbook covers!

have thought about doing these for a long time, so here goes.
they are collaged and stitched on paper, then lined with fabric, and protected by the heavy vinyl cover.
and I'm having so much fun making them!
hope they will be good sellers for Christmas.
put them in my etsy shop this morning, and on the wholesalecrafts.com page, so we'll see if we get any orders.

have so much going on right now, have to remember to keep checking my calendar for looming deadlines.
working on updating class descriptions, the information on the website (oh, it's in such need of changes!), and the never-ending struggle to get my studio cleaned out and reorganized.
back to work, and happy Monday to all!
later,
Patty

red hat mousepads

the "Spring" cleaning of my studio continues, although it certainly doesn't feel like Spring in this part of the world right now.
I found a box of mousepads I had made a couple of years ago for a local Red Hat convention (oh, my, was that a hoot!), and I'd like to sell what I have left.
I'm selling them for $10 each, and that will INCLUDE the shipping (priority flat rate $4.05), so I guess I should say I'm selling them for $5.95 each.
if you're interested, just e-mail me.
papor@doorpi.net
these would be perfect for Mother's Day, if your mother is a Red Hat Lady.
or if she's thinking about it.
they sure do have fun when they get together!
speaking of fun, I think I'm going to have some today.
plan to take some new work to The Flying Pig in Algoma, and maybe I'll treat myself to lunch somewhere.
later,
Patty