Gypsy Moon Designs on Big Cartel

I'm giving my stand alone website another try. Big Cartel is a shopping cart and easy to use. It's kind of addicting changing the background colors!


Hot Pink Chandelier earrings

This summer I gave out 1000 business cards with my .com address. Right now my .com is directed towards my Etsy shop. Local customers tell me all the time that they go to my Etsy shop. So glad to hear that! I love my Missoulian customers.

My dilemma is that most of my necklaces are one of a kind. With mostly earrings in my Big Cartel shop it doesn't seem well rounded. But, I am not a big risk taker when it comes to my business reputation. I would be so embarrassed to double sell an item.

Stunning silver filigree earrings

The smart thing to do is redirect my .com to my stand alone site. Smart for many reasons... but, if my cards are bringing shoppers they will not see my one of a kind pieces.

My Big Cartel shop is not so busy that the risk of double listing is big though. What to do?

So, readers, I am interested in hearing if you double list your one of a kind pieces? Should I take the risk and do it in order to re direct my .com? While I am asking, do you like the shops color background verses my blog color background?

Merci

Sunday drive in western Montana

Summer markets have ended and I have my weekends back! Don't get me wrong, I love market season. I also love spending time with my honey. So, the last few weeks we have been taking these beautiful Sunday drives to places I have never explored.




We keep hoping to see a bear or mountain lion. Not yet!

As a kid my parents would take us on Sunday drives. We always found our way to the apple orchid. Oh the memories of that place. You could take a little tour and drink fresh apple juice. They also sold the best unpopped popcorn I have ever had.
It never failed that Dad would take a road never taken and Mom would ask "Are we lost?" and he would say "Nah, we aren't lost the teepee is." That would crack up us kids every-time. It also taught me that I am never lost, I'm right here.



I didn't hold the camera very still, but I wanted to show off some lovely fall scenes. The first few are Huson, Montana and the Clark Fork River.




I have a dream of living in an old yellow house. I couldn't believe it when we saw this house. Isn't the gate incredible! It is a compound, perfect for a couple of creative types like me and my man! There is a main house and a second smaller house along with other smaller buildings. Hey, it's for sale too!



We then made our way through some back roads to the Flathead Indian Reservation. That is where these other two photos were taken. On the rez I thought I saw a bear! We backed up and it was a dead tree trunk with wild turkeys hanging around it. At least I did see something.

SeaWeb's campaign against Red Coral misleading

As a seller, on the e-commerce site Etsy, I am shocked and angered that Etsy posted a blog article repeating SeaWeb's campaign against coral. I was going to keep my mouth shut about Etsy's part in this ; not wanting to bite the hand that feeds me. My Etsy shop is my livelihood!

But, Etsy, I feed you too! I pay listing fees, I pay commissions, I bring new sellers to you. This is what I get in return?

The spokesperson for this issue is not a seller on Etsy but was given a platform there. The spokeswoman is a big time jewelry designer and Etsy linked her FaceBook and Twitter pages to the article which in return lead you to her business. This was free advertising for a non handmade, manufactured company.

What the hell is going on over there in the Etsy offices?



SeaWeb, is an international, nonprofit, communications organization dedicated to creating a culture of ocean conservation. Remember the boycott campaign against Swordfish? That was a SeaWeb campaign. I did some internet searching and from what I gather the North Atlantic Swordfish was feeling stressed but not in danger of extinction. The campaign against eating Swordfish never made a distinction between North Atlantic, South Atlantic and Pacific Swordfish.

My intend is to blog about coral. So if you are interested in reading more about the swordfish boycott here are some links: The truth about Swordfish, Activist Cash, and fishingnj.org



As a jewelry designer I feel SeaWeb is at it again, misleading the public with their "Too Precious to Wear" campaign against Coral. Deep water red and pink coral populations are dwindling. We need to clean up our planet, our air and oceans.

The international Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has listed 2000 species of coral to be regulated and monitored. It is illegal to bring CITES-listed coral, or coral artifacts such as jewelery, into any of the 158 countries which have signed the convention, without a CITES permit. This includes the US, the UK, other countries in the European Community, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.



SeaWeb has a youtube video about their Coral boycott. In it you see a bead shop with strands of coral. They also show necklaces that have a similar flare to my photos of my necklaces. Obviously artisan created handmade jewelry.



When I walk into my local bead shop to buy coral I am purchase Bamboo Coral. It is a legal coral and not on the endangered CITES list.

Endangered red and pink coral grows very slowly in deep sea waters. Bamboo coral is fast growing and in shallow waters. Bamboo coral is dyed red to achieve the "look" of deep sea red coral.



Coral is a living being. As a consumer you choose to either wear furs, feather, coral...or not. But, if you love coral please know what artisans are currently using is legal and not endangered.

So, again we have SeaWeb leaving out pertinent information, hurting the small business person, be they a fisherman or a jewelry designer.

And Etsy...why are you putting your sellers up against the wall, having to defend ourselves????