Redbubble Access to the New Artist Shop Pages

Yesterday I received an email from Redbubble informing me about an exciting upgrade to the Artist Shop pages. The idea for the change is to increase traffic to your shop and hopefully increase sales. What I like most about it is that it’s being rolled out to a small group of artists, and that I was chosen for early access. Any time I get included in a new or upgraded feature on a website that I have a store is wonderful! I’m not sure how people are selected, but it’s a nice feeling - even if it’s random. I have to say most of the items I sell on Redbubble are stickers, along with other  products here and there. To be noticed out of the millions of images that are available is a prize alone. I ordered a T-shirt for my grandson from Redbubble that had a small portrait of his Vizsla puppy. So the updates include a cleaner layout, a better mobile shopping experience, better filtering and product views, and optimized search engines. I don’t think I’ll ever crack the search engine code to get more traffic, so I’ll take all the help I can get. What’s nice is that when a purchase is made, I don’t need to do anything. When I get an order for a custom pet portrait, the works just begins. And this is the busiest time of the year. So thank you Redbubble for including me in your roll out. I appreciate it! 

Skype, WhatsApp, Verizon for International Calls

When we visited Iran back in 1996, we set up Skype on our desktop computer upon our return. It would be a great way to stay in touch with our nieces and nephew. Time has passed and we all now have iPhones where FaceTime is available, but it has limitations - not everyone has iPhones. When it comes to making international calls we have been burned a couple of times. We used to have a land line with Xfinity just for that purpose. Since we moved to northern Virginia, we no longer need nor have a landline. When my husband made a call to France a few months back, it unexpectedly went on for over an hour - to the tune of $600+! I got the charge reduced to $15 - the cost of ATT international monthly plan for being a loyal customer for so many years. Shortly after that, we decided to switch to Verizon so as to get additional monthly plan reductions for having both internet and mobile service together. In the meantime I added the international plan to our phone lines - which only meant that we would be charged a reduced rate when a call was made. Because the phone calls are rare and not usually more than 15 minutes, that arrangement was “ok.” Since then I’ve been exploring other options. And Skype resurfaced again. We downloaded the app and tried using it - successfully. We were advised that WhatsApp was also an option, but that requires the other party having the app too. Since most of our overseas friends use Skype, we just decided to take that route. So I’m hoping I don’t need to think about it anymore. At least now we have a solution and hopefully we won’t have any more unexpected international calling charges. There is really no excuse given all the options. 

How About a Persimmon?

We know a couple who came from Viet Nam. They are the most reliable and dependable people we know. They have done a lot of work not only for us, but for a lot of other people on Capitol Hill. We were first introduced to them when we moved to DC - our family lived just down the street in an 1890’s townhouse/rowhouse. There was always something that needed fixing. They redid the entire place from top to bottom, including “lifting” up the house. For us, a new shed for the patio, interior painting, a complete new bathroom, a new ceramic floor, renovated kitchen, and emergency calls .... the list goes on and on. Since we moved to northern Virginia seven months ago, they have helped us out by hanging all of our artwork and a couple of light fixtures. Last weekend we needed their help removing a huge carpet from underneath the tv stand/bookcase. Every time they come over, they bring a treat or two. Usually it’s a Vietnamese dish or drink. They introduced us to Pizzelle cookies. This time it was a bag full of persimmon. There were so many that I had to share some with my brother, sister in law, and sister. We haven’t yet decided what we will do with ours, but perhaps jelly would be an idea. It’s not so much what it is, but the idea of being so thoughtful is priceless. 

Removing a Persian Carpet Isn’t Easy

When we moved from our Capitol Hill condo to northern Virginia seven months ago, we kept most of the furniture we had, except for a black leather couch. The Persian carpet was quite large - 12x14, but would fit in the new space “okay.” Last month while we were visiting our friends and colleagues in Milwaukee for two weeks, we decided to get a new look for the living/tv room space. We met with our favorite designer - who did our whole Milwaukee house room by room - and got a much smaller and single color 8x10 carpet. So before the new carpet arrives, we needed to get the old carpet out from under the tv stand/bookcase. And this wasn’t something we would be able to do on our own. We thought we could use a car jack to raise the piece just enough to pull out the carpet, but the jack was too high. So we called our very reliable and dependable do everything guy and his wife to help. Before they came I unloaded the bookcases and drawers to lighten it up. It took awhile to figure out the best way to do it, but once we moved it away from the wall and get behind it, we managed to pull it out. So I was able to tie up all the wires and cords behind the bookcase, and then we all moved it closer back against the wall. It’s actually five pieces, and moving it as a unit requires coordination! Then I rearranged all the junk on it to declutter the top and rearranged the items in the shelves. Lesson learned: don’t put heavy bookshelves on top of the carpet. It looks so much cleaner if the carpet is just in front of it. My eufy RoboVac can easily travel under the furniture to clean the floor. So now we have no carpet and the place looks unfinished, but it’s nice to see more of the wood floor. Hopefully the carpet will arrive soon. 

Yas Bakery and Supermarket Visit

We haven’t been to Yas Bakery and supermarket since September. We went to pick up some cookies and jelly for my sister in law’s birthday. We like to go there to get Persian treats - especially when we are on the way to visit family. My husband likes the vegetable/relish eggplant sauce. Today we wanted to get some small, very fresh, cucumbers. but while we were there a couple of other items got our attention. My husband likes the Sadaf brand, and picked up some pomegranate juice. And his sour cherry jelly supply was running low. Of course, the cookies are always replenished. They are always excellent with tea after dinner. Since last year I’ve been thinking about a Christmas gift for some friends of ours that I’ve had my eye on. They are tea cups with silver holders with a matching sugar bowl. I’m really looking forward to giving this special gift to our friends. They always make a big deal over my husband’s background and show so much interest in his country of origin. And the timing was good today to get a head start on holiday shopping. We discovered Yas several years ago and now live much closer to it since we moved from DC seven months ago. It feels like we know the shopkeepers well. They are always so kind and helpful. 

Toughergun Napawalli RFID Credit Card Wallet

I got a Shell-D hard case RFID credit card holder several years ago. It has seven slots, but no longer is  able to hold all the peripheral cards anymore. I couldn’t even close it, and it wasn’t easy to find what I was looking for based on it’s construction. And cards could easily fall out. So I searched Amazon for some newer options and found the Toughergun Napawalli. It looked like it had all the characteristics I was looking for - slots for twenty cards and easily recognizable to find while using, a slot for a few bills on the side, RFID, and a zipper pouch for whatever. You could fit a phone or keys in it and use it as a clutch purse. So when it arrived today I was pleased with the product and the construction. I was able to easily fit all the credit cards in to the slots. It folds on itself with a snap at the bottom. And it is slim fitting in to my purse. I’ll keep the smaller Shell-D case for when we go walking and I only need to take a few things with me rather than a heavy purse with everything but the kitchen sink in it. It’s amazing how walkers have changed over time. I used to get a new one every year for Christmas. But the check book section and change purse aren’t really needed anymore. Who would have guessed? 

Procreate and Persian Prints

I started painting using my iPad back in 2010. The stylus was my paintbrush, the iPad was the canvas, and Sketchbook Pro was my app. I always loved to paint since kindergarten - first crayons - then pastels, watercolors, pen and ink, charcoal. But I put all of that aside and studied a subject in college that I could find a job - nursing. It was a very rewarding career and it took me in to interesting places - even the Library of Congress. So my art interest was reignited when the iPad came around. The app was self taught, and it worked very well for me for several years. But then the original app was no longer updated when the operating systems were and the new app seemed harder to get a handle on. So after putting it off for awhile, and doing my usual considerable research, I decided to get the latest iPad Pro and Apple Pencil in the spring. But it also meant learning a new app called Procreate. It took awhile, but after many days and weeks of reading and relearning brushes and palettes and processes, I finally became comfortable enough with the app, but still don’t use half of its capabilities. It stated with doodles and getting familiar with the program, and a custom pet portrait of our new “grand pup.” Then I received a custom order for a pet portrait and dove in. It turned out really well - more watercolor than not. So I liked the end result even more that before, and the canvas size of the bigger iPad made it feel even more like painting. Rather than rely on layers, I was actually painting. So I thought I’d try a different subject matter. Using photographs from our trip to Iran from almost ten years ago, I painted several Persian subjects that were fun and whimsical to create. It was a great experience and kept me busy throughout the summer. Now it’s getting closer to the holidays and the custom pet portrait orders are starting to come in. I’m really glad I finally took the plunge and learned the new app without being rushed or under pressure. I still have my old iPad and old app available in case I need them. I can’t believe I used that tiny screen to paint all the portraits I did! Regardless, it’s a great way to continue working on a hobby I have always loved. And I don’t have to deal with all the mess of real paint and watercolor. Plus my studio comes with me wherever I go. 

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