Monday, August 6, 2012

Tiny Squares...

So Handmade Heart is in a bit of a lull right now.  I've unfortunately had some people special order things, and then not pay for them.  Frankly as a small business owner, and relying on payment since this is still my only job right now, when someone doesn't pay it affects me a lot!  So I had to create some policies for purchasing, which makes me feel like a bad guy, but when I'm often paying for materials upfront expecting to be compensated after competition and that doesn't happen that leaves me in a bad place.  So what's done is done, please read these policies if you intend to purchase from or commission me.

Now on to the fun stuff!  Right now I only have one special order I need to complete, and it's cards.  I need to get on that, but I've been searching for some inspiration to get me going.  Since I've had some time with the special order board being empty (I don't like this!) I decided to get a head start on making my Holiday gifts for this year.  I'm going to be making a lot of handmade gifts for people this year with things I already have on hand to help keep Holiday costs for me down this year.  In the past I have allowed some costs to get out of control.

The first gift I've begun is going to be for my older sisters boyfriend.  Another blog that I frequent, Cut to Pieces, is having a quilt along I decided to join in on.  The quilt is going to be Super Mario Brothers themed, and since he's a big gamer it seemed perfect for him.  My family is going to chip in and it's going to be a gift from all of us, but I still have to make it!  Yikes!

Everything sounds cool about that right?  Well in theory it was a good idea, now that I've begun, I'm having second thoughts!  The quilt is pieced together with 1.5" x 1.5" blocks so that it looks like all the pixels of the original game.  The problem with that...I have to cut out all the 1.5" blocks, all 3,888 of them!!!!  Once I get that done things should move rather quickly in making it, it's just A LOT of prep work.  So I've been spending my time with the Olympics on in the background, cutting tiny squares.  At least it's moderately mindless.  =)






I also want to begin work on a wall hanging I want to make for a friend having a baby in November.  I found this pattern online and think it's SUPER cute, and that she will love it.  The problem is it isn't a free pattern though, and it's $29.  Personally I think that's a bit steep for a quilt pattern of the size that it is, but it is the designers choice.  I may or may not end up making this particular quilt, but I'd really love to make one with an animal theme rather than the traditional pink for girl, blue for boy, cutesie type of piece.  Mom's not really a cutesie type of woman, lol.  If anyone knows of any alternatives that may be more cost effective for me, please let me know!





So that's been my life right now, prepping gift quilts, and watching the Olympics, lol.  I lead such an exciting life, lol.  =)  <3 br="br">

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Policies

Due to some unfortunate circumstances with multiple customers it has come to my attention that I need to have some set policies in place for the sale of my items, particularly special order items.

Facebook Pre-Made Sales
  • Items placed on Facebook for sale are only for sale through contact with me on Facebook, or through the business email, handmade_heart@yahoo.com
  • Items are sold in an "as is" condition and cannot be personalized or changed in any way
  • There are no shipping charges for these items
  • Once the sale is confirmed through Facebook or email contact an invoice will be sent via PayPal to the customers email.  Payment is expected by the due date on the invoice, and if not received by that time the item will be placed back for sale to the general public.
  • Items will not be mailed until payment is fully received!
Special Orders
  • A special order is any item specifically requested by the purchaser that is not currently in an "as is" condition for sale anywhere else Handmade Heart does business.  This includes, items in specific colors, sizes, materials, or personalized.
  • Special orders will require a lot of contact with Handmade Heart either through email, or Facebook to verify the specifics of the project.  Handmade Heart will provide photographs of the project throughout its creation as available to update the buyer on the progress.
  • Special orders will be charged shipping costs, regardless of how you contact Handmade Heart.  Shipping costs vary based on the size of the project and you will be quoted an estimate on this cost.
  • When a customer requests information about a special order an estimate of the cost will be given, this is only an estimate and may change based on availability of materials, and shipping costs.
  • Upon completion final photographs will be sent to you to verify the piece is as expected.  At that time a PayPal invoice will be emailed to you for payment.  If payment is not received by the date on the invoice the piece will be forfeited and placed for sale to the general public.
  • Personalized items such as t-shirt quilts, pieces with names or initials, or pieces with specialized items making sale to the general public more difficult or impossible will require payment before the start of the project!!!
  • Items will not be mailed until payment is fully received!
Etsy Sales
  • All sales on Etsy are subject to their terms and conditions, please refer to their website for more information.
  • All items listed on Etsy are firm prices and will not be changed.

Please note that I am more than willing to work with individuals wishing to purchase more than one piece, or payment plans, but these terms MUST be laid out prior to purchase or creation of their project.

ALL sales will be conducted through PayPal, or in person cash sales.  No personal checks will be accepted.  NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!

For those of you who I didn't need to set these policies down in writing for, Thank You!  Unfortunately a few bad apples can ruin things for everyone.  <3 br="br">