because it is that time once again . . . .
Ems is turning 3!!! Where has the time gone?!?!? Three? Really? There is probably 2 or 3 of you that read my blog remember when she was born!
NUTS!
Yes, my homey wants a “pink party.” Every time we ask her what kind of party, she replies, “A pink party.” And she has since last March. So, this is going to be a crazy week. But it is spring break – so I don’t have to “leave” the house – aaannndddddd I have finished 2 paintings today!
Aaaannnndddd 1 of those was my LAST PAINTING! AAHHAAHHAAHH!
I have several more on my gift/freebie list to finish before I’m going to start accepting orders. But my goal {dear Lord, let me hit it out of the park!} is to finish a chunk of those this week – while I clean my house and get ready for this party – with 4 kids at my house! I mean, seriously, I do have super powers.
I thought I had taken sneaky peekies of both paintings, but I didn’t get a good one of the true last order. Here is a gift peeky . . . .
The sealer is drying on both- until it is dry, I will not take it off my list below!
Speaking of that list, I have a ton of emails to answer. Pretty much every single one is from Kelly’s post. I’ve not answered any of them because I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to go about opening up my ordering. Honestly, I have no problems having another gigantic list of those who are interested in art. And just marking off the names as I finish with the canvas or if you decline the order because the wait time was too long. But if you guys remember, it was a year and a half ago, I closed ordering because I had 145 orders!!!! Mind you many of those did not pan out, but many did! As with this last order, she had a long wait. And I do mean a long. L–O–N–G wait. And she has yet to see her art – she might think it wasn’t worth it!!!!!!!!
{I will die}
Opinions would be good on this post as to what you guys think. I had big plans for other things – but I’m not feeling it right now and I think I need to keep doing what I’m doing – creating custom art work for nurseries & children’s bedrooms one canvas at a time. I will blog shortly on all those details.
All and any ideas welcome.
And I’ll start on those emails tonight.
For those who have waited – I cannot thank you enough. I feel blessed beyond measure and have no idea where I would be without you.
{Probably not painting.}
Thank you.
About Kim
Hi Kim! Congrats on finishing your last “official” order! I am so excited to get on your new list! My only request is that you consider doing the giclee (or whatever that was called) prints of Fa La La and Boo since so many people wanted those. That way you can paint one set and then have a ton made up.
My other suggestion for when you start taking orders is to announce on your blog what day and time you will begin accepting orders and then let people have at it….first come, first serve. BUT…it would really help everyone if they knew exactly when to get on your blog to place their orders. I would be so sad to randomly get on your blog only to find out you opened up the ordering earlier that day and you already have a waiting list of 200 people!!
Thanks for making such GORGEOUS works of art for all of us to enjoy! You are beyond talented!
First, congrats on finishing! I’ve been watching that list go down for quite a while now! I know you must be relieved! The only suggestion I could come up with to help you is to maybe hire an apprentice? Maybe someone that could do a lot of the prep work for the canvases and maybe do some of the fill in once you’ve outlined the letters? I saw Kelly’s post on her blog. Looking at Harper’s vs. Hollis’ piece, you can tell how much you’ve progressed and how detailed your paintings are now. Also, where did you get those adorable invitations???? So cute!!!!
First of all, the tags on Em’s invitations are adorable… second, what is a pink party? Third- I can’t wait for the reveal of that sneak peek because it looks fab!
Fourth- I’m in agreement about announcing the “reopening” because I would hate to get so far down the list. I can’t wait to submit my order.
Congratulations for getting through all the orders! I’m one of the “2 or 3″ that’s been reading since before Emsley’s arrival…Callum was born just after her. I personally think you should place a limit of 2 or 3 orders per week and you can accept them however you want…random drawing, first come first serve, etc. I feel like this is about how many you are able to get done in a week’s time give or take and it will feel less overwhelming for you knowing you only have 2 or 3 orders on your list at a time. That way, you don’t get a list of 200 with the 200th person creating a false hope for themselves that they may get it earlier than they actually will, then wondering if they should’ve gone a different direction. This never happened to me, but am just imagining what it might be like for some people. I would be really stressed out if I were you trying to get through 200 orders which is why I would limit orders per week. Open up the ordering, accept 2 or 3 orders, finish those, then open up ordering again, and so on so forth. That way, people know up front about their chances and can make the decision to stick out their chances or find another option. I don’t know what else you could do. I guess the positive is that you have LOTS of people that desire your work!
I am so excited that you getting close to finishing your current orders! Congrats on that! My first child is due in August and I had almost lost hope that I would be able to get a canvas from you. I know it is still a long shot, but at least there is hope now!!!
I had the same suggestion of hiring an apprentice to paint the basics, backgrounds, etc. and then help putting the sealant on, packaging, mailing, etc. All the little things that I am sure take up a bunch of time, but if you had someone do them for you think how much time you would have to just paint. Even someone to answer simple emails, etc. On the days where you think you are going to be able to get a lot done but other things come up, you know you have someone there to mail art, answer emails, etc. so when you have time to go back to work, you are just painting instead of spending time doing all of that.
When you open ordering what about doing it month by month. Figure out how many you can do a month, accept that many and then re open it the next month. If you get overwhelmed one month with other stuff going on in your life, then you are just behind a month, close ordering for one month and get caught up. That way people would have a better idea of when they are getting their canvas.
I like the previous ideas… esp Lisa’s about hiring some part time help to do the minor details so you can enjoy the painting! If I lived near you, I’d SO SIGN UP FOR THAT JOB!!!
I had been watching your blog for months (way before I got preggo!!).
I have a 10 1/2 month old, Lucy, and right before we found out the sex of our baby, you closed your orders. I think I may have cried that day… but seriously
You are so talented, and you obviously have LOTS of people who love your work
Pray about it, and decide what’s best for you & your family! Don’t ad unnecessary stress… enjoy this wonderful hobby! You are really great at it
I would love to order three paintings once you begin to take orders. I was thrilled to see your post concerning taking orders again soon. I have watched your site for a while, hope I haven’t missed a waiting list opportunity. If you do have a waiting list, please add me to it.
Blessings,
Lisa
Well, I guess I am one of the “2 or 3″ that have been here for a while. Yours was one of the very first blogs I started reading (back when you had a “family” blog and a “business” blog.) I love your work and it is amazing to see what all you have created in that time! The “J” I just happened to snag in a clearance sell is one of my very favorite things!
The only thing I could suggest is to just open up for 10-or-so paintings at a time, first-come, first served, and then once you are finished with those 10, open it back up again. That way you won’t get too overwhelmed….because goodness knows girl, you have enough going on in your life (you know, like husbands falling asleep at work…haha) without stressing over looming orders.
Kim – i have a suggestion along the same lines above but a little different. I agree with hiring someone but i have a hard time seeing you let anyone touch your paintings, being a perfectionist that you are (and that’s what makes them awesome!). I would suggest hiring someone maybe a few days a week (or whatever you think) to do your emails, ordering invoicing and simple blog work and maybe even taking your pictures….the little stuff that’s still important to do but takes a lot of time that takes away from the painting (and the kids!).
I agree, I don’t think someone should be doing your work. I think hiring someone to answer emails, mailing out, and doing invoices is a great idea. Being an artist myself, If someone was doing even little details that painting would not be ALL ME. People purchase mine and Kim’s work because that is our original artwork and I don’t think anyone else should be touching them. However with that said, you could hire someone to help you with the small things that still take up a lot of time. Maybe someone to blog for you, however I love your personality so I don’t know how they would be able to catch the personal side of you if it wasn’t you. This is a hard decision because it is such a personal job–you know I know that
p.s. I think taking 10 or so orders a month or at a time is a great idea. Then every maybe last thursday of the month at say 8p.m. open a list and first come first serve who sign up get that month of ten. I think it sounds fair, and reasonable?! I know what it is like to be overloaded and it is honestly the worse feeling in the world knowing you have owed someone that painting for over a year. Been there, there right now, dreading it.
Just think about it, after all this is YOUR site, YOUR paintings and YOUR list–do what YOU want, how and when YOU want too!
Hi! I’m not sure if I’m on your wait list or not. I submitted and order (after you closed) and sent an email months back but never heard back from you. Honestly, I would just like to know because I had my heart set on a painting from you but with my baby coming in a couple months I may have to look into other options. Just please let us know what you plan on doing. Congratulations on finishing your current orders. You have a beautiful talent.
I LOVE your work! My only suggestion is similar to what others have said. Take on a limited amount of work. You likely know, on average, what you can really commit to each week. I could more easily what 4 months for a painting if I knew ahead of time. For example, in January I ordered a blog makeover and the next “spot” open was March 30. I have known March 30 was my day, and that was okay with me. I guess that for others, they might not have wanted to wait, thus moved on.
You know we need those Boo’s and Fa la la’s…and some new designs? I think people might be willing to pay more if they knew something was “limited.” Just thinking out loud!
Mary