Published!

I have completed the new site, well as complete as I need it for now, there are paintings not photographed, there is some jewelry not listed because I can't find the photos. I'm sure there are things I missed but I have listings, policies, a welcome story/about, a contact page, enough basics that I published it this morning. 😎

Of course, nothing is perfect so I will continue to work on it, especially the backside SEO stuff and extra settings, etc. but I am happy to have it published and available again. I have updated the .com to redirect to the new square site, I'll need to add a link on the side of here and go update some other things as well. 😏

The biggest pile of "updating" will be my Pinterest because I didn't delete all the art pins like I considered previously; I will now need to go update the links on each pin. 

Migrating a business is a lot of work. 😅

Well . . .sh$t

While I will admit I have not exactly put in a "full-time" effort to relaunch I have been working on it slowly. Total double meaning there because I have only spent a couple hours a day working on it which means at this rate it will take me a month 😅 and also it is slow tedious work. 

I thought a square free site was a good idea. I already have a square account that is already connected to my bank, square is a processor so no checkout hiccups, and I already had an "item library". Now, what I underestimated is how much I hate learning new sites/software, I will figure it out, I will click every possible thing just to see what it does. (it's a gen X thing)  I also completely overestimated the usefulness of having an existing item library because I failed to realize I created that when I got my square reader thru etsy. . . so all those are old etsy listings.😏 Like real old, bad photos, crappy descriptions that include lots of etsy links, like circa 2018 which may not sound old but in the lifecycle of an ecommerce listing that may as well be 1999. 

In light of this crapfest I am forced to reconsider reconsidering etsy, since I will essentially be re-editing the same set of listings anyway, I may as well just renew the etsy stuff where there is a sales history, great reviews and I don't have to deal with sales tax. 😐 

Today is the day

Well, it is March 23rd the day goimagine is to go dark, my mosiac should die by the end of today and I still really don't have plan. 😒 

I have looked into several newer marketplaces and honestly none of them have impressed me, from bad layouts, poor grammar, outdated stuff making it look like no one is actually managing the site. I find myself. . .disappointed. 

I am working on a square "Free" site, but I haven't published it yet. 

Currently setting my domain to redirect here for a while, not a good long-term option because . . .no shop/checkout, but not a bad short-term plan it will avoid the dreaded 404 page not found. 😏 

edited hours later to add . . .

Hours of fidgeting with banner and logo sizing trying to get both mobile and desktop to look decent is making my head hurt and I haven't even gotten to products yet. 😣😫 It may be a while before I have a shoppable site again. 😞

Decision time. . .time's almost up

Well time is running out on goimagine, but I still have not decided what I'm doing with my "business". 😒  I do not relish the idea of a stand-alone website I had one years ago and it was a total P.I.T.A. Although, I know a ton of stuff has changed since then, not all of those changes are any kind of improvement, while I think I can get away without the private payment gateway fees of old, sales tax has become a bigger complication, especially since the move I am not currently license to collect sales tax for any state. 😅 

Part of what makes marketplaces so appealing is the details they take care of like sales tax and security certs and fraud prevention and protections.  I still have my etsy although, it is currently down to 1 listing because I was letting them all expire.  I do have a shop on Micheal's MakerPlace that still has some jewelry listed.  I can resurrect either of those, the problem is neither of them was every that successful but at least I wouldn't have to file sales tax.  The question then becomes which one should the .com point to and sadly I'm leaning towards the etsy just because it has the longer sales history and reviews. 😏

I am currently considering a stand-alone through Square simply because I already have a square account and they offer a "free" website plan. 

Good bye. . .sadness

I am shocked, saddened, crying and feeling like I've been punched in the gut. Goimagine has announced that it is closing. 😧😢

I am a "Founding Maker" I signed up early in 2020 when the site was still in beta. I have remained the entire time; I have my domain directed to my Mosiac site which I am/was very happy with. 

I hate Etsy and distrust Micheals, goimagine was my favorite platform, now I don't know what I'm going to do. I had deactivated most of my makerplace listings over a year ago and I've let all my etsy listings expire because I had no plans of going back there. 

Honestly, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, many things are closing now, this economy sucks, everyone is broke, tons of people are losing jobs.  I have also been concerned for a while because plenty of people nagged and begged for a "free" plan on the notion that it would get more new sellers to sign up but I noticed after they announced the free plan that existing sellers were downgrading to the free plan instead of paying their memberships, even though the site was funded by paid memberships. 😒 

I am sad but also angry and disappointed.  I need time to process my grief and I have less than 30 days to decided wtf I'm doing or if I even bother to continue. It is possible that RainbowMaille will just become another victim of this shitty economy. 

Weekly update. . .Happy Thanksgiving

Ok, so the plan was to "take a break" but honestly not posting last week felt really weird, like I was forgetting something even though it was intentional. 😏 Not sure if it's the OCD or just habit but I felt like posting an update so here it is. 😉  

I did get my noodles made for Thanksgiving 👍

and not just one batch but 5 batches as a matter of fact 😎

my shoulder ached for 2 days 😒

I plan to cook the first turkey today.

In other news, slightly business related, I really do not like the shoving AI into everything, every browser, every search and now even blogger apparently. I have not used any of it, I don't let chatgpt write my product descriptions, I don't let it edit my photos, I don't use it to make social media posts, and I certainly do not plan to use it to write my blog. 😠😐

I do not need a G button to stick random references in my writing, because I am writing, ya' know a human with a mind and thoughts to express, no pop culture references needed. 

Weekly update. . . Holiday break

Well, it is November the holidays are approaching, and I think I'm taking a break from business, social media, etc.  I'm not closing or anything crazy, the shops will remain open, and any orders will get processed and shipped, but I'm not planning on advertising or posting (much). 

I am feeling pretty frustrated and burnt-out and have other things to worry about. This has literally been the worst year of sales for RainbowMaille in its' decade of existence. I'm pretty sure I said that last year but with the move this spring and months of being closed on top of zero in-person events. . .yikes. 😒 Aside from the existential "what's the point?" spiral there are other things in life like my health and my husband. 

I know I don't usually do many details on either. 😅 However, I did mention last week that I had a "minor medical procedure" that was the removal of a Nexplanon implant no big deal really that's a tiny incision that healed well, I'm fine. Ok, as fine as a woman menopausing can be. 😣 Are hot flashes supposed to come with gut-wrenching nausea? How about dizziness and vision changes? Is this frozen shoulder thing normal? Why do I gain weight when I don't eat?  If you are a man, be glad you will never understand the hell that is a woman's hormones. 

Circling back to the point of the post I'm taking an extended break for my health, for my mental health, and oh yeah, we are likely moving again soon. 

So that art photography project is never getting finished, which is fine my cat killed part of the succulents I was using as photo prop so the continuity I was going for in the photos was going to be impossible anyway.  

In the meantime, I have noodles to make so. . . .

Happy Thanksgiving

Merry Christmas

I'll see y'all after New Year 😇