From Worry Dolls to LV Hair Cubes?!? Today's Hoarder Ephiphany #7

From Worry Dolls to LV Hair Cubes!?!  Today's Hoarder Ephiphany #7
started 7jan2013, added more on 11Jan2013

When circumstances meet opportunity and mix into a lucky break!  or has my decluttered surroundings of 169+ less items made it is it easier for me to pay attention, stay more grounded and more consciously conscious with a clearer mind?

 Note to self:  Put pic of worry dolls here after pics are taken this weekend

Circumstance 1:  This morning I found a mysterious box in my hoard.  A Joan Walsh Anguld box and in it were the worry dolls my Grandmother had given me when I was five? or seven? or somewhere in between that time.  It held the first set she gave me and the second set she gave me later.  Both were souvenirs from her trips to Central America.

As I poked at them and looked at them, I could remember her giving them to me and showing me how to use them.  It was bedtime and she turned the box over and opened it.  Each doll was in the lid and we took turns picking up a doll and telling it one of our worries and carefully placed it back into the box.

She told me they were special dolls and were trained to sleep through anything, even the worst of the worst worries!  And while I slept all my worries would go out in my dreams and I'd wake up worry free!  I still have the baskets somewhere!  The old worry dolls used to be linked together with a male and female, but I cut them apart back then. (I googled searched them, but can not find ones like the first set my Grandmother gave me, mr. oz will take pics of them over the weekend for me)  Do you remember when worry dolls were a sensation? the "in" thing? latest rage?  fad?  Times up, can't think of the word and must hit "publish" button now!

My Grandmother had a set too.  I remember at her house one set draped over little door knobs on a cabinet.

Circumstance 2:  I was updating the LV posting because of all things, I forgot the whole point to the story of Ms. K starting her LV collection in all my mish mash of writing to get there and/or "let out who know what else other demons and plain ol' blagh!"

Anyways, between rereading, updating and finding the worry dolls I got another epiphany!!!

I was reading about my LV hair cubes and remembered how annoyed, scared and worried I was that my hair was falling out in droves, but once I bought the LV hair baubles I mysteriously stopped worrying over my hair!  Was it because it was just like a worry doll? or did it give me a goal to work towards? or both?

At the time, I knew it was ridiculous to be more worried about my hair falling out than my detrimental declining bedridden health, but what can I say?  I'm not rational or logical and buying the LV baubles took my mind off my hair and after that I focused and took action on my bedridden health, instead of sitting around in misery and self pity about my hair!

I've transferred my worry dolls for some LV!  How funny and odd is that? more like how expensive is that?  What a transference doozey!  What do you call that?  When one upcycles to a better prodct but in this case a designer luxury item?  An upgrade?

Maybe I'll make my own set of worry dolls because the ones I found seem so old that it gave me an allergic reaction.

Saying good bye:  Interestingly enough, the LV hair cubes were easy to let go because I had overcome most of my hair challenges and my health is more functionally pleasant now.  I remember at the time I was auctioning for them, the suspense was excruciating because I had to have them, but I got lucky and got them without spending an arm and a leg!

Although at the time it seemed wasteful and lame to be spending "that kind of money" on something so frivolous when it could have been better spent on my health.  Nor was my hair long enough to use them for years to come, but unconsciously I didn't know they symbolized much more than a hair goal for me!

What I Learned:

1.   Since I was a kid, I've learned to transfer my worries into things, so I don't have to think about them anymore!  It seems I do the same things with other things, like my 80s Frivolous mug or some other items I'm so attached to, but can't figure out.  So maybe it's not just memories or dreams in these items, but worries too?  Hmm.... I wonder what else I put into things?

So maybe the 80s Frivolous mug and Empire State building light weren't really frivolous buys because they took away my worries of moving into my first apartment and going to college?  Note to self:  Read that post again later.

2.  I think I'll start a worry box of rocks! Will that work just as well?  I already have a lot of them and they are less expensive than LV! Well, at least now that I'm conscious of this behavior I can do something healthier and less expensive with it.

Thank you readers from China, US, Germany, UK, Trinidad and Tobago for joining me in my HoarderRehab:  The Destiny of Things adventures!

How do you free yourself from worries?

Theme Songs, O-mikuji and Milagros: Hoarder Inspiration or Desperation, story #8

Theme Songs, O-mikuji and Milagros:  Hoarder Inspiration or Desperation, story #8
started 9Jan2013 at 2pm

Notice the Japanese o-mikuji wish, dream or prayer  called "home."  Wishes and dreams carried by the wind by placing it on a tree.  I believe the wind of the universe takes my wishes and dreams where they need to go and returns them as dreams come true.

O-mikuji is like the Japanese version of a fortune cookie fortune or actually it's more like the milagro, or little miracle because one makes a small offering, but instead of placing it on a Saint in a church, you give an offering and tie it to a tree branch.  Traditionally a pine tree.

Note to self:  Decide what to do with extensive milagro collection and personal o-mikuji.

I can see clearer now some hoard is gone, I can see some obstacles in my way.  Gone are some dark clouds that had me blind, it's gonna be a bright bright sun shiny day!  I think I can make it now some pain is gone, some of the bad feelings have disappeared.  I feel the rainbow I've been looking for... it's gonna be a bright, bright sun shiny day

Look at all a round there nothing but less boxes, Look straight ahead, less and less boxes!

Everyone sing it or hum along if you are shy or just think of the words in your head as we sing it to, Johnny Nash's song, I Can See Clearly Now!  Live this time!  and everyone clap, whistle and yeah-yeah themselves afterwards too!   or try it third grade style and clap silently in slow, regular or fast motion in a big or tiny circles depending on your evaluation or feelings and pat yourself on the back as many times as you want!

That was fun and encouraging, thank you!  How did it help you?

This morning I was in the music art room cleaning and organizing and get this!!!!! I can almost walk in it most of it without side stepping! Hmm... how to put it?  Over half the area now is walkable like a normal person.  There is less snagging on stuff, less fear of boxes slowly falling over or falling as I walk by and it looks emptier!  Front forward movement is now possible with less side stepping!  That sounds so funny, but it's true!

I did a tally and there are 168 + less things , not counting orders when someone ordered a bunch in one order.  Plus I'm still giving away stuff, if friends will take it!  haha!  Now they see me and walk the other way!  A friend bearing gifts isn't always a good friend, but a dehoarding one!  Didn't count those itmes and some of the sales are of tiny things, but I suppose it all evens out in the end.

I also noticed that I can start adding non breakables to the tansu that stores the all the glass, since I can't stack that to the ceiling!

Hoarder Inspiration:

1.  That's some progress, it feels like instant visual progress, even though I know it's been around 8-9 months!!!! Silent round of applause and pats on the back! My clutter as visual noise has been diminished!

2.  Having a theme song seems to be helping!  Even to sing or hum while I work!  In tribute and thanks for the show, Ally McBeal and theme songs, I found one!  Biscuits theme song of Barry White!  Some clips I found of the show, if you are a fan! and I couldn't find the the famous dancing baby scene.  Ah, the 90s!

3.  Other little focus reminders, gimmicks, realia, theme quotes, o-mikuji, milagros or coping mechanisms around the house are steadfast reminders of goals, wishes and dreams that help me stay focused.  They are like using the two questions:  Is this bringing me closer or further from my goal?  Will I remember this 6 months from now?

Note to self:  Find "house" milagros

Hoarder Desperation: 

1.  This process and journey is taking much more time than I thought, want or can justify and I'm not a patient person when it comes to my hoard!  But I've learned my lesson time and again of what will happen if I just purge and throw it all out to donation.  So in my desperation of this time consuming journey, I am learning patience and am more grateful for the lesson this time around!

Thank you for joining me, US, China, UK, France, Russian, Ukraine, Chile and Trinidad and Tobago, it did me wonders to share the good news!  Destiny as infinity to you and yours!

What's your theme song, quote today or focus reminder today?



Note to self:  this writing is backwards, this is a good example of it, which is better than the usual jumping all over the place maze type trying to tell my story.

Google and Google Buyers: As a Techless Hoarder Etsy Newbie, Post #4

Google and Google Buyers:  As a Techless Hoarder Etsy Newbie, Post #4

I guess this is my post for Techless Tuesday!  However, I'm not sure how helpful writing this is to me or anyone else out there.

I still can't navigate my way through facebook and although I do spend some weekly time there, I wonder how much I really need it.

These posts are discouraging me as a techless hoarder etsy newbie (THeN) and the only reason why I'm writing them is because when I first started out I couldn't find any information, except for the DO's and DONT's on the etsy site, but that maybe due to my techlessness?

I started a post on "shipping" as a THeN, but I think I'll delete it!  The USPS site is like an endless maze to me! and writing this is more daunting than trying to figure it out!

1.  Shop Name and Google:  Getting your shop name on the first page and at the top of google.  I don't know how important this is, but I thought I'd give it a go a while back. 

How do you get to your shop?  Do you google in "etsy" or your shop name to get to your shop?  The shop name VintageToGoetsy used to be somewhere after page 10 on google, but I got it to the top by googling my shop name, instead of typing in etsy to get to my shop.  I say, Be your own bot!

It was easier to get the shop, HoarderRehab to the top as one word, rather than two, to compete with other Hoarder Rehab places.  I think it's because I didn't have to compete with all the other shops with similar shop names because there are very few, unlike Vintage To Go, which is numerous.

The Destiny of Things shop didn't take long to get to the top because I don't think many people google the word, "Destiny"

I'm doing my own botting again differently now that they are at the top or at least on page 1 of google, but this time with spaces between the words.   I can't even find my shop!  not even under images...hmmm, I'm not even sure how important it is anymore.  What do you think?

If I ever find  my shop name as I sift through the pages, how long will it take to get to page 1 at the top, what's the best way to get it done and how important is it?

If I ever choose shop names again... knock on wood... hope this is the last time repeating my hoard patterns and move on to something different, but anyway....  I will choose shorter names with easy initials as an acronym to remember it.  I got lucky with VintageToGoetsy, as VTGe.  HoarderRehab with HR and The Destiny of Things, as t-dot or "destiny" for short.

And I won't use a popular word either, like "vintage" and maybe something more visual with my location in it.

2.  Google your own items:  Try googling your own items for key words and see where it ends up.  I also usually use google, "images" to find items more quickly.  Also if you find your items on google images, you can also see who has them on their pinterest or flickr, if that's important to you.

3.  Google and Buyers:  It appears that 20% of my customers are from Google and sign up for etsy just to buy the one item.  So far out of 58 sales, 12 most likely came from google.

I was reading an article on etsy on how to tag and title and I wish I had written the title down or can find where I bookmarked it on the computer, but I didn't.  I've spent hours looking for it to write this article, but gave up.

I did take notes and this is what I wrote from one of the comments:

"It can take 2 weeks for Google to see, register a change in title and description and then may take up to two more weeks to crawl again."

That's all I wrote.  I didn't even log a date or who commented on it or anything.

Etsy gives 140 characters per title, so I've been trying what I call "double titles" to see if I get higher on google for key words.  And then I repeat the title in the description

I do get a lot of traffic from "Google Product Listing Ads" and "google".  I would like to try etsy's "search ads" out of curiosity and just to see what happens, but for now I'd rather spend the $8 on donation or washi tape!  Besides, I don't do well when things sell too fast.

4.  Google as an etsy Traffic Source:   on my etsy stats, on some days half of my traffic comes from google, including google from other countries, but the average daily seems to be 20-30%.

5.  Why target a google buyers?  It seems that the google buyers I get are looking for one specific thing as a replacement and buy it.  They are very appreciative and are usually the ones that give me their story behind their purchase!  I can live with that so well!

If you want to see the double titling with descriptions, see either shop, VintageToGoetsy , HoarderRehab
or The Destiny of Things.

VintageToGoetsy and HoarderRehab still might have some old titles and tagging in the sold area.  I'm not sure how much it all matters, since they all sold eventually.

When I feel rushed to change listing titles and tags from Christmas to New Years and then from New Years to Valentines, I just remind myself, it only takes one view to sell one listing!

I also started a calendar of when to list holiday or specific items, for example, Halloween items could be listed way ahead of time, like the end of July or early August, , since a listing is good for four months.  I don't see "Halloween" used as a keyword after Halloween.  However, I noticed people are still using Christmas and Day of the Dead as a search or keywords, so I guess it depends. 

Luckily I like to experiment just to see what happens, so this has been fun and interesting to me!  Thank you etsy and google!


What I Learned:
 
1.  Uh, I'm not a technical writer, but I tried my best in the time I allotted myself.

2.  I find these posts as a THeN discouraging to write because it just reminds me and feels like I'm in  THeN cycle of Catch22!  I can't find things through searches because I'm a THeN or is it because some sites are just harder to navigate in?  or there's some disguised guide or little trick for me to learn.  It may search for hours on end and mr. oz finds it in 5 min.  I can't believe it and even set a 5 min. timer now!  and if they keep "updating" programs or whatever you call them, how will I ever catch up?

For instance, I find all kinds of informative articles, things to buy, inspirational and eye candy blogs but when I go back to try to find them again using the same search word and the same search engine, I can't find them!  And if I'm drifting around the web and find something, I will most likely never find it again!  I'll have a 50/50 chance if I bookmark it in my hoard of hoards bookmarking world.

Okay... and my bookmarking--Yikes!  that's a whole other new world of hoard that's more out of control than my tangible hoard!  I've tried all kinds of ways to organize my bookmarks, labeled folders and labeled folders within more labeled folders and my latest?  labeling folders by date!

3.  And when something gets updated, like when I opened my new shop, The Destiny of Things and they changed the format and I didn't notice my paypal was disabled for weeks because I was too busy navigating around and learning new vocabulary, like circling is now following, etc.

Right when I get used to something and how to do use their format and barely kinda maybe master it, it gets updated!  Sometimes for a THeN like me, it's like starting all over again!  Makes me kinda wonder if it's done on purpose to slow me down or want to give up or something!  And they always say the new version is better, but that's not always true at all!  Anyways, ending that rant and moving on..and to another rant!

The updating program thing reminds me of teaching, it's one of the thousand reasons why I left it.  They started switching teaching paradigms so quickly, it was a waste and they said, it was because, "research says..."  can research really move that quickly?

I remember when Math took a new path and it was called, "Discovery Math", it came with more new teacher vocabulary, one of my favorites being instead of "review" it was now "revisit" at least that gave me a quiet chuckle every time I used it or heard it being used!

That came with new books, all new manipulatives (I'm talking hoards worth, pounds and pounds for 35 students per classroom), which were really cool and fun, but the old math way was ditched after only 6-8 months and it was more old school.  Long story short,  students were supposed to "discover" how multiplication worked and not memorize the facts, but "discover" their own methods of remembering them!

Hmm.... I only have less than a year with my students and about less than an hour for math daily, so for each one to "discover" how multiplication works as in "an easier faster way to add" seems like an easy to concept to demonstrate or show, instead of "discover".  Oh well, that's not how the school system works!  As you can imagine, "discovery" math wasn't very successful in it's allotted time frame.

Yep, you guessed right, it was thrown out with the bath water and the new math systems was "state" based objectives by grade and then that was soon dumped for a math curriculum that had both "state" and "national" standards. 

By the time, I left, teachers were mandated to post "state" and "national" standards with their acroyned notations! on all kinds of things from bulletin boards to worksheets, even art work.   But by then they had already taken out most of the fun of teaching and learning, but it was just another stab in the back for teachers, like another hole in the head with all blood draining from my heart.

I think it was three new different math systems in two years.  Before, they said we could only afford a new books every eight years.  Someone made a lot of money from all the materials, books and teacher training!

Note to self:  Write about the days when teaching was fun and more student/teach orientated, like go with the flow teaching.  If you class was interesting in dinosaurs or astronomy, I could teach it through all the subjects as long as there was student interest and then snowball that interest into some other theme.  

 Figure out a way to bury the hatchet on how miserable teaching turned into!

I guess it's why I just make up words to fit my mood and present moment without thinking.  I'm updating too! What a little chuckle, after shedding a tear!

***I just need to remember it takes one view, one buyer to meet up with one listing!

4.  I'm so old fashioned, I mean.. old school!  I like my rolodex, file systems, journals, books and notebooks full of saved articles from magazines and internet.  I find them much easier and faster to use than a computer.  I can usually find them before my puter even starts up completely!

As a matter of fact, if I could find my journals in my hoard, chuckle-chuckle, I would have an easier time finding what I've saved in them rather than the bookmarks on my puter.

I suppose thats another arguement in my favor to get a printer NOW, instead of later as a reward.

Maybe it's not about making my life easier with a printer, but my time to make my life more simple by getting it more manageable with less things, so I can use what I have and love.

Oopsy, back to the original subject of this posting.... Will I forever be a techless newbie? 

NEW 5-10 year goal:  My goal is to one day use my computer for an hour a day!

How do you picture yourself in 10 years?  5 Years?

Thank you etsy and google for a new learning experience!  Thank you US, Germany, UK, NL, Poland and Trinidad and Tobago for your visit today!

Post Note:  sorry, these are so messy, but I was trying to be helpful to other THeN and since I'm giving myself a time limit now I don't spend enough time proofreading.  And I don't have time to look for pics.  Oh well, I just keep reminding myself what I used to tell my students, "your thoughts and ideas are more important than grammar and spelling.  Do you think your thoughts and ideas can be understand with this draft?

HoarderRehab Meltdown: Hoarder Inspiration or Desperation, Story #7

HoarderRehab Meltdown:  Hoarder Inspiration or Desperation, Story #7

Total Meltdown over here!  I was holding it all together pretty well when a straw broke the camel's back, the dam broke and flooded.  Which takes me to Bruce Lee's water quotes, actually the interview I heard once, but I can't find it!  (I didn't find the interview, but I found the quotes below:  (short version and long version)

“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose
themselves.




Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”
― Bruce Lee

 I crashed and flooded all over ebay and etsy falling into in every knook and cranny.  So imagine what that might look like, something in between the two pics shown above and that is what I became.....

I shopped my little heart out

until I was more like...

I ate pizza.  I wrestled and battled with myself.  Made lists upon lists to get visuals on amounts.  Set limits from 10 items to 12 items, dollar amount limits, percentage from sales amounts, etc and on and on.

I bought more than I thought and less than I wanted and all in all, I'm exhausted, tired and relieved of a ton of stress and even some sadness!  Yes, good or bad, there is a specific dollar amount that is set within me that can I can follow and become more like water.

Why and how did my stress and sadness release end up being buying stuff?  I have no idea, clue or guidance, but at least I know what it is and I'm just going to accept it and move on.  Maybe even find a little comfort with some humor!

MY HOARDER REHAB MENU of DISASTER

Holiday Family Angst= minimum $100

Blogland drama=0-$1, although at the time it seemed like at least a $20-$50 combustion

Caffeine withdrawl= $0, but can't be a good influence towards frugality, grounding or other alternatives

Insomnia= $0, adds little resistance towards falling back to old habits and unknown helplessness towards practicing other healthier alternatives.

Letting go of things too quickly=  $50-$100, now a percentage of 10% of certain item will go to a charity

death in the family= straw that broke the camel's back

 Okay, so I went a thousand steps backwards, even with the blessings of a proper "Mother May I".   

It happens.
did I? or did I not?

Hoarder Inspiration or Desperation

1.  A lot more inspiration than desperation.  It may look like desperation with a thousand steps backwards and it might feel a tad like it with some guilt mixed in, but I feel better than I thought at this time during these circumstances knowing I had break-through of some sorts, from acknowledgement to resignation to acceptance.

2.  "It doesn't not matter how slowly I go as long as I do not stop"---Confucius

3.  “The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.” --- Bruce Lee

4.  New goal inspired by Bruce Lee: "to be style without style"  in Japanese it would be like "shibue" A long forgotten favorite word of mine.

5.  At the time, when I wrote "blessings of the proper Mother May I"  I had no idea why I wrote it or what it meant, but now that I've had time to think about it, it means:  giving myself permission with the knowledge and acceptance that the world will not end if this is a bad decision.

How are you doing today?

Thank you for joining me another ride of the up and down roller coaster of my HoarderRehab journey!  Thank you those from Germany, US, UK, Canada, Greece, Portugal, Brazil, China, Serbia, Singapore,  Bulgaria, France, Poland, Trinidad and Tobago for the quiet comfort of your company these past days.

As a Techless Hoarder Newbie on etsy: How I List an Item on Etsy, Post #2

As a Techless Hoarder Newbie on etsy:  How I List and Item on Etsy, Post #2

When I first started etsy there were so many things to remember when I listed an item, I sometimes would forgot to add the dimension or condition or look at it thoroughly!  (Sometimes the less I look at it, the less I consider keeping it)  I learned from the "Red Plate Special" to be more careful of my inspections, but luckily in some cases it wasn't necessary.

Most of the time, I didn't look at them just to get them listed before I changed my mind.  In the very beginning mr. oz so kindly did everything for me and just asked me to price them.  Sometimes I couldn't even do that because I was miserable, confused and fearful about "the real possibility" of letting go of my hoard and putting my stuff out in public!!!

However since they were in the donation pile or by the fireplace as kindle I priced many at $5.  Even with these blind listings, it was a challenge for me to sell them and get used to the idea that someone might buy them and I'd have to ship them off somewhere.  Then once they were published I had to deal with it.  And when the first item sold..... that's another story.

I've read articles on etsy that basically say price high, especially when pricing your craft.  It said it's better to sell less at a higher price than many at a low price, but I suppose I should save it for another time.

I've never taken a business class or at least one I can remember.  I have tried reading "The Art of War" several times and can't get passed any page every time!  I have picked up from movies that one should know "your" customers.  I do this by studying their profiles and looking at their favorites.  I try to put myself in "their" shoes and try to find some common grounds.

Over the months my listings have evolved into something discernible and pattern like and I thought I'd list it here to see if it helps another bewildered, yet excited newbie as I am and also to document my progress.  I have met many other techless etsy newbies and even techful ones, but the newbies who do share with me seem to have the same concerns and questions as I do.


This is my check list for listing an item on etsy:

1)  Two way titles:  I use two way titles because most of my buyers appear to be from google.  I seem to get many buyers who are replacing something or appear to have joined etsy that day just to buy from one of my shops. I have kept informal stats, but they are lost somewhere in my written journals.

I've tried short titles, enticing titles(heart and soul titles, funny titles) and titles with words that might be used as key words.  I like watching keywords in stats because there's always "some" word(s) that someone typed into google or etsy that surprises and delights me to no end!  I'll start collecting these words to share with you!

2)  Have you ever wondered why on ebay some sellers repeat the title in the description many times?   I'm not sure, but I think it's because they are trying to get google buyers too.

I read an etsy article about tagging when I first began in June 2012.  It was one of their older blog articles and have looked for it several times since, but haven't been able to find it again( The newbie blog articles seem to be way in the back of the Seller's Handbook, so it's best to go to the seller's handbook, go to the last page and work from there.  I also read the long comments, they seem to be the most helpful to me)  Someone in the comment wrote something like this and it's stuck in my mind:

The google bot can take up to two weeks to scan a listing and mainly the first, I think it was 160 words.  Etsy gives 140 words per title, so maybe that's the "key" amount.  I don't really know, but I do know that some people have found my listings through "key" words I've used towards the bottom of a listing that were not in tags or title.

I repeat my title in my description as an experiment to see if it strengthens any google searches until I can refind that etsy article!  Now I save or bookmark any etsy articles that help, inspire or motivate me because techless me has a hard time navigating on their blog site.

Here's a neat trick my brother taught me years ago to help repeat the title in description area more quickly.  In the title box make sure the bar is flashing.  Use ctrl a  (I call it "Control All", it should highlight the entire area), ctrl c, (should copy the highlighted area) Next place the blinking bar in the description area and  use ctrl v, (it should paste the title there for you)  I think it's faster than using the edit menu, but if you need a reminder the symbols are also in the edit menu for you.

3.  describe the items with ideas on how to use the item daily, special occasions, as a gift.  Add a slogan.

This part can kill me to no end!  I have items sit in draft for long periods of time because after I describe it and all it's varied handy dandy uses, etc. I want to keep it!

4.  condition and dimensions, h x l x w, just like the post office box and sometimes add how deep it is, include with condition, see pic on zoom for your own satisfaction and comfort level

5.  Discount for items bought in multiples.

6.  other links to similar specific item(s) in either shops.

This part is sometimes difficult to decide, like is the buyer looking at vintage jewelry or jewelry from India.  I hope etsy adds a new feature that lets me add an item in more than one section, so I don't have make that decision!  Oh and talking about an etsy dream list, I'd also like more than 10 sections!

7.  one link to a section and/or another shop

I do this because it seems many new shoppers and I included (as a buyer and then seller) didn't even notice the "section" area for years!  And it seems shoppers are looking for one specific thing and it seems more serious buyers actually click on the listing to read beyond the title and price.  So I add the links because as a newbie I'd be more inclined to use them.

8.   Add Side Kick Story, Hoarder History or Untold Destiny

This part can derail me, but I think it's important for my therapy and some people seem to like the stories!

9.  small print of things to know:  US and international shipping info, insurance, read policies, thank you 

10.  I've learned that tagging is as important as the title.

Etsy gives 20 letters per tag and 13 tags total.  I used to cram as many words as the 20 letters allowed.  Then I went down to 2-3 words per tag and now one word per tag.  I've even gotten views with commonly miss spelled words, slang and acronyms, like Bollywood, DOD, swag, chanclas, mcm or words with multiple ways of spelling, like collectible and collectable, handmade and hand made, etc.

ONE WORD tags have worked best for me for several reasons.  Once I got down to using one word tags, I got a lot more views.  (except for mid century modern and sometimes, home decor) I was surprised to find how many shoppers search on etsy using only "one" keyword.  I study my "key words" in stats religiously to see how people are finding my stuff and sometimes change titles and tags accordingly.  Also look at the trending words sometimes to see what colors are being used.  Robin egg blue was a long tag for turquoise, but it was popular.  I find it quite interesting and amazing, sometimes miraculous how people "end up" at any of my shops!

For example, someone visited one shop using the keywords, anti wedding.  I thought that was very interesting and am tagging some of my listings as "anti, Valentine" to see if what happens.

Here's a little story:  I bought a roundish lidded basket with a long strap.  I had intended to use it as a summer purse or a portable sewing basket, but when I went to pay for it, the guy at the register said, "I was wondering who was going to buy that!" and continued with, "my teacher used to bring his tarantula to class in one just like that. Do you have a tarantula?" After that the basket just held keys and what not at the entry way and I never felt comfortable reaching in it again. I know silly.

When I listed the basket, I used "tarantula basket" in the title and got many hits off google and some from etsy, I'm not sure how etsy titles coincide with tags.  Surprisingly key words, like tarantula basket, tarantula home showed up, even venus fly trap.  I like checking my key words because I am so in awe as to how people find my shops!  Sometimes I wish I knew who they were just so I could thank them!

***I find it best to remember that it only takes one buyer with one view to order one listing.  

On some slow days with only 25 or less views, I've still make a sale.  Most of my buyers don't even favorite the item or any items nor are they in any circles.  I think I average one sale a day and that's about all my hoarding little heart can take at this time!  If something "heavy duty" gets ordered, I sometimes take 10% of it and buy something, but I'm thinking now I'll donate it and see how that helps me!

I have also found that views seem to correspond with items listed, so if I have 50 items listed I can expect approx. 50 views.  Once I hit 100+ listing, I get at least 100 views a day.  Adding one new listing a day seems to be enough to bring in new views.  I thought it might just be a random happening, but the pattern seems to hold true.  I've kept better track of views with the newer shop, The Destiny of Things, and even when I started with four items I got four views and so on.  I just added nine new items to Destiny, so I should get around 60 hits a day now.

I hope this post makes sense in my new allotted time schedule because as a techless hoarder newbie on etsy getting this far was not a piece of cake for me and I'm still wandering around and experimenting through trial and error!  So if anyone wants to join me in any type techless hoarder newbie convo on etsy, please do!

I have more to say about tagging, googling, circling, following and feedback or anything on or off topic, so let me know if you are interested!  I'll write it up pronto!

I have found experimenting is slow, but works well.  The Treasury page is very inspirational and informative for titles and tags to try and experiment.  Discovering alternatives that work for me is exciting and keeps me going!  What about you?

Thank you US, UK, Canada, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago for meeting here with me today for another round of HoarderRehab!

Destiny As Infinity: Today's HoarderRehab Epiphany #6, mish mash of thoughts

 Destiny As Infinity: HoarderRehab Epiphany #6, mish mash of thoughts leading to a somewhere destination!

Warning!  Bear with me or don't because I have no idea what I'm trying to say yet!  Am I trying to find a new direction for myself?  What am I trying to accomplish with this post?

If you've ever watched Ally McBeal, she spends her life making other people's lives better in her own little quirky ways and Biscuit, her boss has some odd coping mechanisms that help him through the day, like smiling when he doesn't want to, humming a "theme" song, etc.  I'll have to rewatch it again because it's been so long ago and I really enjoyed watching a bunch of misfits being themselves at work and being successful at it.  I know it's only a show, but still....

Rain Drops Keep Falling on My Head wasssss my theme song.  It's already changed to "I Can See Clearly Now" by Johnny Nash who wrote it and performed it!  So I guess I got the "theme" song from the Biscuit.  When my them song is , "I Feel Good" by James Brown---I know I'll have ended my hoarding ways!

pic from Enough! by Nicole Nenninger, informative blog that has unknowingly helped me!  Thanks Nicole!

"Destiny as Infinity" is my theme quote!

Destiny as infinity is my original quote, in the sense I made it up myself.  It may only be new to me and is most likely quoted by someone else out there, but it started to form in my mind when it seemed that people were actually reading my descriptions in my listings and taking my suggestions to heart and acting on them!

It became my theme quote around November 12, 2012, when I wrote the profile for the etsy shop, The Destiny of Things.  When I wrote the profile for that shop, I was listening to Stargate Universe, "To Discover The Destiny of All Things", which still brings tears to my eyes when I listen to it.  I loved that show and didn't want it to end!

Side Note:  HoarderRehab's shop's  quote, "It's all here, except for the one thing that isn't here," is from the TV show, Life.  Another one of my favorite shows.  There's a ton of quotes that I love from the show, but the one I chose for HR etsy shop had always stuck in my head.

There are two parts to the quote, Destiny as infinity.  One being the untold destiny of my things when they sell and the second is my hope they become heirloom objects and get handed down through time until they become relics and end up in futures, like the objects seen in the quarters of characters, like Captain Archer in Enterprise, Mariner in Waterworld or more likely stays within families for infinite amount of generations.

Like a story told around the fireplace or campfire based on this one heirloom told and kept with the item for so many generations the story has gotten more and more grand as the factual little bits and pieces get lost like playing the game "telephone" and are filled in with joyous "at the moment" imagination!  Yes, that's it!  The Legendary Destiny of Things!  That's what I hope each person gets with one of my Hoarder HiStory items!

As I wrote profile for "The Destiny of Things, I stop when I gets stuck or give the writing piece a nap and often go browsing or drifting on etsy, while I was doing that I found this quote on a poster:  "Graditude is Knowing What You Have is Enough" and I wrote in the profile that that is what I want!

Techless me spent too much time trying to find the one I saved in fav and I can't find it on any etsy or google searches, but this one albeit, a little long, works just as well, poster from BubbyandBeanArt.  Thank you Bubby and Bean and your rescue dog, Leary!

"Knowing What I Have is Enough" and "I am Enough" are my new coping mechanism quotes!  And I know quotes work for me because when I was trying to become a financially free "ex" teacher my quote was "I am worthy of abudance" with the infinity sign.  I wrote it on post it notes and had them everywhere, including dollar and coin pockets. I had a five year plan, but made it in three and was 3x more successful than my written goals.

As I look back, I was so unstoppable and focused during that time.  I was unbelievably productive and achieved more things than I thought not possible of me, like teach my class how to run itself, while everyone got a turn to be a teacher for a day until many of them became proficient, also it was a time I used my "find a deal" skills and hoarded real estate on a teacher salary, and I applied and practiced my ability to manage a class of 8-10 year olds to a lesser amount of adults as an inner city landlord.  Now that I look back, it was also the beginning of my failing health.

What I Learned:

1.  It's like my bedridden illness wiped away my memory and it's coming back now, in bits and pieces, like a puzzle to put together.

I'm going to use the strategies from certain periods of my life that worked especially well for me, as better coping mechanisms for this adventure!  Like "theme" songs and quotes and basically the two questions below, but I've added the third one, "my heros"

a)  Does this bring closer or further away from my goals?

b)  Will I remember this in 6 months?  Will I still fee like ____________  when I think of this in six months?

c)   Think about my heros

Note to self:  study them in more deeply

2.  I tend to buy things, not only because I love them, but because of their resale value down the line.  I think I've had this mentality for some time!  And it's being particularly reinforced at this time due to how well and quickly things are leaving my shops! What can I do about changing that mentality?

3.  After looking over my list, uh hum!  Of course, it's much bigger than I thought (as usual!) and it seems, instead of buying a lot of these things, I might be able to find FREE PRINTABLES on line.  So maybe it might be worth getting the printer now, instead of later.  (It's a goal as one of my rewards.)

There are so many times that I have bought stuff, not necessarily for the stuff, but for the packaging or the packaging idea!  For instance just the other day, when I was stress shopping for washi tape, I wanted this pink assortment, but when I thought about it and was mindfully trying to figure out a way on how to use it, I started to wonder if I wanted it "just" for the box!  So basically if you click on the link and go to pic #3, you will see that I just liked how "it" looked due to it's packaging!  I found the free printable of the box and now I'm free of it!  So weird how my mind works.   I'm hoping that if I'm more consistent with my new HR diet, I'll become less and less  impulsive!

Note to self:  Write about how my diet may be related to my hoard and stress!

4.  While making the wish list and bought list, I can see a pattern emerging now!  One of my favorite part of etsy is the packaging, although not as much lately!  And I want to send little trinkets that I would want to get in the packages I ship out.  It's very hard to find one item for less than 50 cents each!  I want to send at least five things in a "thank you" package to customers all for 50 cents or less.  I can do it!

I seem to want and send fortune teller type items.  Maybe that's because I have such an "unexpected" destination myself with this adventure, it seems anything good can happen!  I want to send those out too!  Not just figuratively, but literally!

Note to self:  Write another post about how rewards are the best motivator for me, as opposed to other things I've tried.

pic from the blog, "The Mindfulness Bell"- talks about having enough and offers a way to a more mindful Christmas giving season.  "Care is a priceless gift"

I was going to show pics of all the things bought and "soon to be" bought from my run off holiday angst and other stress, but I'm running out of my "scheduled" blog time, so here's a list with some links on them:

This should be interesting because I think it's just a handful!  Another chuckle with myself!

1.  tea fortune cup from Anthropolgie:  I loved this the minute I saw it, but I couldn't find it at the store and it was too busy crazy at the time to ask, so I didn't.  In hindsight and after writing this post, I think I can skip this item now.

2.  Fortune cookie book---I might still get this!  -sigh-
3.  Monokuro stationary

4.  Biarritz cup and saucers:  to add to my last remaining square collection!  What the?

5.  MT Kamoi Masking Tape Book and various other craft books

6. Fortune Cookie fortunes: for packaging, found some on ebay but can't find them again
7.  Fortune Teller Fish:  for packaging

8.  Loteria Mexicana for packaging because prayer/religious cards are too expensive right now, hence the scheduled trip to the swap meet

9.  Scapula cloth:  for art projects and mending patches for my clothes.  Hard to find and not cheap!

10.  more washi tape!  graffiti style:  I can not figure this one out!

11.  Braille Kit:  I've always wanted to learn Braille, but it seems much harder than sign language

12.  Small heart doily:  small for cards in white.  Why are these so expensive every time I look for them?  Although, these do look like I can cut them up

13.  Various fabrics:  for who knows what!  I especially like Yuwa Megu, this blue on white, I missed it! a bunch of wafunoiro fabrics  and more!  I'm looking for a star fabric from the 70s of tiny dark stars on beige and also cloth from the 80s era called and color of cheddar to finish a quilt I started from 1997.

14. Mechanical chirping birds:  for an art project. They were motion sensitive back in the early 2000?, my students used to bring them to school--- haven't seen them since!  They sold for 2 bucks back then.  Anyone else ever see them?  Techless me can't even find a pic of them!  I can find the Breezy Takara birds on ebay, but they are expensive and getting more expensive by the day.

15.  Tiny sequin stars, inspire me like Janet Bolton art!

Things I've bought:

1.  Avon's Lucky Penny Lip Gloss Compact:  Gumball childhood dreams, basically my childhood dreams art project, that also include a treasure chest of "lost dreams" and a curio cabinet for "childhood broken dreams"

2.  GAme of Funny Conversation Cards:  for shop packaging, but I forgot I don't own a xerox machine! Ha! on me!

3.  Daisy washi tape set in pink, blue and green.  It's been discontinued and every time, I decide to buy it, one of the colors has been sold.  I don't know why, but that set is expensive!  I bought it anyways and got it over with! ha!

Note to self:  Take a pic and do a post on the mystery of hoarding washi tape!  Maybe my writing about it will get down to the bottom of it!

4.  Doily origami paper for angel card projects I used to make.  I would also like to relearn how to make origami boxes to package etsy items.

5.  and some antique to vintage Christmas cards, which I thought I was going to send with my etsy packages, but I'm terrible with time and they arrived after Christmas!  but the ah-ha! moment just came with writing this!  See #4 of what I learned.

6.  I'm just publishing this already because I'm way over my time limit and every time I proof read I just can't stop adding on more!  Please excuse all typos, mistakes, bad grammar and writing!

Thank you for joining me today in another epiphafic adventure in my HoarderRehab!  Thank you visitors from the US, UK, Canada, Italy, Singapore, Malaysia, Ukraine, Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago!

Amethyst Cake Stand: The Destiny of Things, Story XXXV

Amethyst Cake Stand:  The Destiny of Things, Story XXXV

Remember the good old days of Martha By Mail?  I loved all the stuff!  I eventually found this thrifting!  I loved the subtle lilac tint and it's simple design.

Years ago, I was so happy to find this thrifting that I didn't think about where I'd put it or use it.  I just grabbed it and bought it! (and with who knows what else with it!)  I don't know, if it's a Martha by Mail and I don't mind, as long as it's close enough.  I don't mind replicas.  Weren't hers replicas too?

I rarely used this as a cake stand, a few times a year for friends, as I wrote about it in the mechanical musical cake stand that played "Happy Birthday" while rotating!  I used to balance the amethyst cake stand on top of the mechanical cake stand with a chocolate cake on top using the Red Plate Special with sparkler candles!  It was my daring birthday trio!

Alas, all three are gone now...

Saying Good-bye:  This went to someone for their birthday.  It got shipped off today with four other packages.  There's a little sadness about all three being gone now, but it's okay because when the larger things go, it really seems to make a noticeable difference and I remind myself how much closer I am to my HoarderRehab etsy goals.

Although I didn't use it often for cake.  I did use it as a pedestal platform for my vignettes. Here it is with my Aunt's white Buddha.  I also was given her furs, a silver fox shawl and a mink sweater, which I love and was going to make pillows for the couch shown, but alas, I'm allergic to them too!  I'm tempted to include stories about her here, but won't since I'm already off topic.  Some of her story is at the mink sweater, under Hoarder History.

The amethyst stand also would end up being my plant stand and often the plants on the black side table switched places with the white Buddha or kokeshi box.

What I Learned:

1.  When my hoard is more manageable and my ban on thrifting gets lifted, I'll be more mindful of what I purchase, grab it and carry it around with me until I know where and how I'll use it and if not, put it back down for the next person.  It will be a huge challenge for me because I have a terrible time resisting a bargain, but I do know---I don't want to sell or resell stuff I find or buy just because they are the deal of the day and get used or displayed for awhile and then end up boxed in storage.

Reminder to self:  How much of my hoard is from stuff I love that's been a "too hard to pass up" bargain?

I've tried going thrifting with a list, which is helpful, but it's a "bargain" that kills me and turns my shopping dream into a hoarding nightmare!

I know I can do it because the last time I remember going thrifting I did find an Eames lazy boy with foot stool and passed it up for $59 because it wasn't on my list! I can laugh about it now, but I wasn't to pleased with myself at the time.  Although, 70s flower print fabric was on the list and I passed that up too thinking no one was going to buy a girl's shirt for $7 bucks.  I came home and priced similar fabric and went back to the store a week later and both were gone!  It's been about a year and I lived through it!

My ultimate goal is to not "have" to go thrifting or go seasonally, instead of weekly with my list that frees up a whole lot of time for different types fun and more practical endeavors for myself.

2.  Speaking of Martha by Mail, I can only remember buying two things from her because I thought they were so expensive.  I splurged on her soap kit and bead snowflake kit.  I've enjoyed both and hope to make more soaps with organic dyes as one of my projects when the storage room has transformed into art/music room!

My "stress" shopping has taken me on the hunt for one last kit of hers that I've been looking for and can't find.  I used to see them and passed them up!  I have the name of it written down in one of my many journals or calendars, if anyone "out there" has, knows or happens to stumble on the ruby red and silver seed bead kit on wire ornaments that look like leaves, please let me know!  oh-ho-hum...

3. Remind myself of my goals and incorporate them into my 2013 New Year's Resolutions.

***Next post, the quote I've decided to use for my blog theme for now.  Update on my "stress" shopping spree and new questions I've relearned to ask myself to help me from accumulating more stuff!

What is one of your favorite birthday traditions?

Thank you V for ordering the amethyst cake stand for M's birthday.  I hope she loves it as much as I do!  Thank you USA, Finland, Canada, Croatia, Israel, Serbia, Saudi Arabia, China, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Spain for the stop by!