My Redbubble Coffee Mug Collection

 

"Gone Fishin'" mug by Christine Graves on Redbubble

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I've been working on a little something I haven't really told anyone about...yet. I've been creating a line of coffee mugs, as well as notebooks and journals, stickers and magnets, and several other things. And I'm doing it all through my Redbubble shop.

When I first started using Redbubble, I had no idea what I was doing. I thought it would be a way to get some of my AI art seen and maybe sell a couple of T-shirts with my images on them. I started out just throwing out images and slapping them on whatever products Redbubble had to offer. And ironically, I didn't sell a damn thing. 

I got a little frustrated and walked away from the shop for a while. But when I went back, I had a different outlook. I removed a few of my uploads and tweaked a few others. I figured out how to edit my images to fit on the products better and add custom colors to enhance the product as a whole. 

Also, when I first opened the shop, I was putting my images on just about everything. Redbubble has a lot of stuff you can add your images to, such as T-shirts and hats, wall hangings, bedspreads, shower curtains, and even throw pillows. I was pretty overwhelmed.

However, I've gone back and changed a few things. I've completely removed the T-shirts. I know how weird that sounds, but I've decided to focus on just a few products. One of those being coffee mugs. I'm a coffee junkie. I drink coffee morning, noon, and night. It's my beverage of choice, all the time. 

Though I have several mugs already done, I've been working on a series of mug collections. Not on purpose, it just kind of happened. I was working on creating an image for something else entirely and was trying to create an illustration of a 19th-century gothic woman. I got some really cool images, but four of them stood out. There was just something about them that sparked a whole new idea. 

"The Nobility Collection" by Christine Graves via Leonardo AI

I absolutely fell in love with these images. Then, something told me to put these images on Redbubble. As I did, I knew I was onto something. I played around with The Contessa first. I edited the products and the image, and was over the moon happy with the final results. From there, I had to finish out the whole collection. The only downside is I can't showcase them as a collection on Redbubble, but I'll figure something out. 

I've also started promoting my products on Pinterest. I've got quite a few of my items listed, but still working on how I want them all presented. I have one board just for my coffee mugs and another for my notebooks and journals. They're not all in order yet, but I am working on it. 

I know I'm never going to get rich with all this, but I'm having so much fun. And no, I still haven't sold anything, but at least I'm giving myself a better chance of doing so. I'm getting better at shameless self-promotion, but it's still a struggle. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to work on my next collection, The Fisherman's Collection. The image at the top of the page is just one of four mugs in this collection. I'm also working on a Hunter's Collection, and Hunting Dog Collection, and a Waterfowl Collection. 

Until next time,
Miss Chris!!!

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Christine Graves has been writing online for nearly 30 years. She has written everything from fiction and poetry to reviews and ad campaigns. She runs four other blogs. Graves Publications, Library of the Mystic Realms, Promptly Creative, and Collected Keepsakes. She also writes for a platform called Medium.com  where she runs several publications. 

Happy New Year to You and Yours

 

Happy 2025 to you, one and all. I hope this year brings you all happiness and prosperity in whatever it is you do. I'll be honest. I'm so glad 2024 is over. It wasn't a horrible year, but I did get to a point where I felt like "Oh, this is what we're doing now? Okay." 

I have a lot of ideas for 2025. I've spent most of my Christmas vacation working on making some stuff to put in my online shop. I've been making handmade gift tags and greeting cards. I also make a lot of embellishments for people who make junk journals. I'm hoping to get that up off the ground and bring in a little extra money.

2024 was a trying year for me. I got divorced from my husband of 10 years (hubby #2). We're still friends, we just suck at being married. I was in a minor accident and had no choice but to get a new car. I needed it, don't get me wrong. My previous vehicle was on its last leg anyway. I just wasn't ready to put myself into that much debt.

I did have some high moments as well. I was celebrated by the company I work for as I hit the "10-year employee" milestone. Might not sound like much, but it was a major pat on the back for me. I got to rekindle a relationship with my youngest granddaughter. She's been through a lot in her short 9 years of life. Please keep her in your prayers. And I got to meet my online bestie, face to face. She's even more amazing than I ever dreamed.

Throughout the entire year, I've learned a lot about myself. I'm 56. I didn't think there was any more I could learn about myself. Turns out I'm a lot stronger than I gave myself credit for being. Last New Year's, I was figuring out how to support myself and a granddaughter (my oldest granddaughter lives with me). I was dealing with a failed marriage, juggling my finances, and a lot of low self-esteem issues. Here it is a year later and I've learned that I can do this on my own, I just need to remember who I am.

I'm not making any New Year's resolutions. The last time I made a resolution, it was that I'd never make another New Year's resolution, and to date, it's the only one I've ever succeeded at. I won't say "I'm going to do this", but will wait a bit so I can say, "I did that". I have a plan, I just have to make sure I've got the gumption. (Yes, I still use words like that, I'm old).

I pray you all find love and prosperity in the coming year. Thank you to those who have stopped by and read any of my posts. You make me smile. I hope I'm doing the same for you. One of the things I'm hoping to do is get my newsletter up and running again so you can be notified of new posts. Wish me luck. For some reason, I really suck at newsletters. LOL

So, if you've read this far, Happy New Year. Just knowing you were here means my year is already a success. 

Blessings to you and yours,
Miss Chris

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Christine Graves has been writing online for nearly 30 years. She has written everything from fiction and poetry to reviews and ad campaigns. She runs two blogs, Graves Publications and Collected Keepsakes, and currently writes for a platform called Medium.com  where she runs several publications. 

Christine is an avid collector of vintage anything and an arts-and-crafts kinda gal. She is a sucker for a garage/yard sale, secondhand stores, and auctions. Because of this, she's opened her first real online shop called Prairied Treasures and another that showcases her AI artwork called Pathways through the Past. 

Be sure to sign up for the Graves Publications newsletter to stay up with all the latest news. 

Opening a New Online Store Through Redbubble

 

One of my favorite forms of creativity is in creating computer-generated artwork. I have a couple of different places where I create AI art and I've created a lot of images over the past two years. I use most of them for stories or articles I write on Medium.com, here, and on my other blogs. 

The problem is that I've created way more than I'll ever use and I'm wasn't sure what to do with the rest. Now, I have an idea. I've opened my own Redbubble store and added some of my artwork. I can add my images to all kinds of products such as T-shirts and coffee mugs.

Okay, so here's the thing. I enjoy the whole creative aspect of having an online store, I just suck at the whole getting-it-uploaded-and-ready-for-sale part. Redbubble has taken care of that. All I have to do is upload my artwork, choose which products I want my image on and hit the button. They do the rest for me. 

The downside is that I don't much off any sales. I get 20%. It's not a lot, but it's still something. If I actually sell something, I'll be blown away. Honestly, I'm having more fun just adding my images and seeing what they look like on real items. And all those images I've made in the past? Yeah, those are still sitting on a flash drive somewhere. I've been creating new images for my shop.

I've been looking over some of the products others post in their shops and am blown away. There are some very talented people out there. I thought I was doing pretty good, but some of the stuff they're creating shows just what an amateur I really am. 

However, rather than getting frustrated, I'm learning how to edit my images on those products so they stand out a bit more. I'm learning how to customize my own work to make it a little more sellable. I'm learning how to create images that stand out from the rest. I still have a long way to go, but I'm learning.

So, if you're in the neighborhood, stop on by my little shop, Pathways Through the Past. You can see some of my artwork and see what it looks like on everything from stickers to comforters. I'm always adding new artwork and creating new products. If you don't see anything you like today, come back and look again in a couple of days. 

Until next time,
Miss Chris

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Christine Graves has been writing online for nearly 30 years. She has written everything from fiction and poetry to reviews and ad campaigns. She runs two blogs, Graves Publications and Collected Keepsakes. She currently writes for a platform called Medium.com and runs several publications through them. 

Christine is also an avid collector of vintage anything and an arts-and-crafts kinda gal. She is a sucker for a garage/yard sale, secondhand stores, and auctions. Because of this, she's opened her first real online shop called Prairied Treasures. 

Starting My Online Store Through Bonanza

Well, I did it. I've officially opened my own online store. I'm not going to lie, I'm not sure what I'm doing. I do, however, think I've chosen the right place to get started. I've opened my shop on a platform called Bonanza.com.

I first found Bonanza about 8 years ago, but didn't really set up a shop until 2020. Even though I had set up a shop, I never did anything with it. In truth, I chickened out. I had myself convinced I couldn't do it, so I didn't. I want to prove myself wrong.

I have a shop set up on Etsy, but to date, I've never made a single sale. Granted, I don't have much over there, but I've had a few digital items listed for almost a year now. Honestly, I haven't done much in the way of networking or marketing. And yes, I know that a crucial element to success. I'm just not sure how to go about promoting my shops other than what I'm doing right now. Post it on one of my blogs that get literally NO traffic.

Anyway, about the shop. I call it Prairied Treasures. This name came to me a long time ago. In the early 2000's, I was thinking of setting up a shop on Ebay and the name just came to me. I live on prairieland and most of what I'd planned to sell were handmade items and vintage pieces I'd collected throughout the years. And just when I was about to go all in, life went sideways and it never happened.

Fast forward ten years and I was finally able to get back to the idea of setting up my own shop. The problem was that things had gotten way more technical since I'd last played with the idea. I had to learn how to do things all over again. 

Of course, my first stop was at Etsy. I set up my shop and began the learning process of how to make it work. I'm still learning, but I've managed to figure out that it costs money to list the items, as well as costing money when you make a sale. It's not a lot of money, but still...

Etsy charges a 20-cent fee for each listing and will automatically renew those listings every 4 months. Depending on your inventory list, that could get a little pricey, especially if you're not selling much. 

Also, Etsy limits what you can sell on their platform. According to their What Can I Sell page, they allow handmade items and vintage items that are at least 20 years old. And though that means you could potentially sell anything made before 2000, you still have to be very careful.

Finally, there is a lot of competition on Etsy. I mean, A LOT!!! It's hard being a little fish in such a huge pond. I make a lot of handmade paper items, as well as make a lot of Junk Journal embellishments. There are hundreds of other shops on Etsy that sell the exact same thing. 

So, why Bonanza? There's NO LISTING FEES. Bonanza does charge a one-time shop set-up fee of $14.99, then charge 25-cents per transaction plus a Final Offer Fee (3.5% minimum-30% maximum depending on choice of advertising package)

They are a little more lenient on what you can and can't sell on their site, but you should still look through their prohibited items list just to make sure. Most items on the list are common sense. No guns, drugs, get-rich-quick schemes...that kind of thing. 

I don't have a lot on my new shop yet, but I am working on it. I've got several Christmas brooches I'm planning on listing, as well as a lot of junk journal embellishments and ephemera kits I'm working on. I think this is going to be the best place to work my magic. 

Now, I just need to figure out how to do some proper marketing and I might have a shot. I guess we'll see. Stay tuned.

Until next time,
Miss Chris

Shameless Self Promotion

 

I spend a lot of time on Twitter. It's where I find a lot of the sites I review for my blogs. I'm finding that the best way to find these sites is by visiting any #WriterLIft or #ShamelessSelfPromotion list. I have a really hard time promoting my own work, but as I watch others, I'm finding just how useful it could be.

I was raised to believe that you didn't boast about your own work. You gave credit to everyone else for the wonderful things they did, but you never brought attention to yourself. Even after I learned more about the online writing community, it's been horribly hard for me to say, "Hey, look at me. I did this and I want you all to see it." I know, not gonna help me in the long run. I get it and I'm working to fix it.

While cruising through Twitter this morning, I came across one of those #ShamelessSelfPromotion lists, started by a gentleman by the name of Danny Garvin, creator of the Paranormal Campfire Stories blog. I dig this guy's blog as it's filled with true stories of paranormal events that have happened to people from all over. I'm currently working on my own story to send to Danny. 

I decided to look through the list to see what kind of things other people were self-promoting. I wasn't surprised to see so many books, that's what it's all about. I did see a couple of websites that I can't wait to visit and a few other things I might look into a little further to either write about or to add to my newsletter. I'm always looking for new sites to add to the newsletter.

As I went along, I found another list created by author J.G. MacLeod. It's still all about #Self-Promotion, but there were a lot of different sites than the first list. I found a couple of sites that I'll be adding to my next newsletter coming out the 15th. I'm kind of excited. LOL

Yes, I added links to my stuff on those lists. It felt weird, but I did it. I posted a link to my newsletter on Danny's list and a link to my book of writing prompts on J.G.'s list. Will I get any hits from it? Maybe. But I'm actually more excited about how many new places I can find to talk about on my blogs. LOL. 

What about you? How do you self-promote? Leave me a comment and let me know. I might even come by and see your site. I'm always on the lookout for new sites. Yours could be next. 

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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay