Up Coming Wedding

Lately I have been very busy putting together my upcoming wedding. I am getting married to my wonderful fiance' on June 2nd 2012. We have a very tight budget and I think the stress of staying within it is making me crazy.

We are having our wedding at a hotel which takes up the majority of our budget. We could have rented a hall and spent less but we had a couple reasons in mind. First of all we have been to several weddings that have been hosted at hotels and enjoyed the fact that we could go back to our room after the wedding instead of having to drive home. Not having to drive home will allow some of our guest to relax a little more and would keep them from endangering themselves and other if they plan on drinking at our event.


The other main reason is that my family lives all over the place. They would have to find a hotel anyways, this way they can stay at the hotel for a great price and not have to worry about renting a car or other transportation.

To cut costs we are also having the ceremony and reception in the same place. This means, no need for a limo. It also cuts the cost of travel for our guest. A win win for sure!

Stay tuned for some more money saving ideas on planning a wedding as well as some other creative idea we are using that are upcoming trends in wedding planning.

Name Your Own Price Sale Ends Tomorrow

The title says it all! My Name Your Own Price Sale ends tomorrow!

http://aniemancrochet.etsy.com

See this blog post for more details:

http://aniemancrochet.blogspot.com/2009/01/inventory-reduction-sale-name-your-own.html

Changes on ANiemanPhotography

Over the past two days I have made a lot of changes to ANiemanPhotography.

Among these changes are:
* Mega bytes added to all digital image listings
* Prices changes on all images
* Links to my policy page for further info and pricing.

I had to make these changes prior to adding anymore images to the shop. I have tons of images to add from both myself and my father.

Please stay tune for my new additions!

A "Real" Artist not a "Cheap" Artist

I've been think about the pricing in my photography shop and wondering if I am selling myself short. Someone told me that I was in my crochet shop and that I should not settle for less that what the quality of my items demand. I don't want to be thought of as a "cheap" shop. I put a lot of hard work and effort into my items. So a little while ago I raised some of my prices so that my shop would not look "cheap."

I think of it this way. I want my shop (ANiemanCrochet) to look like a Sleek Contemporary Crochet Shop, as my tag line states. Look at it a month ago it did not resemble anything like what my tag line suggests. Over the past month I have put a lot of effort into cleaning up shop and I think it is coming together nicely.

The economy is difficult right now but I do not want to cheat myself. I could have a profitable, successful business if I make the right moves. Making cheap items and pricing them cheap is one thing. Making quality items and pricing them accordingly is another. I have a great deal of pride in my products.

In the beginning I was afraid of overpricing but after two years on Etsy I think I have seen what people list at and what people are willing to pay for things. My lack of business, I can safely say is not due to my pricing. It has everything to do with my marketing. This is a huge revelation and I am glad I have finally come to it.


This leads me to my other shop. Looking around at the other photographers on Etsy, I would have to say that my images are cheap. I believe that I am a great artist, although still learning a lot about photography and my skills. I am cheating myself of what my art is really worth. So therefore I no longer will be selling my at a such a cheap rate. My prices will increase by the end of this month.

So why and I announcing this? Why not just do it and hope no one notices? This is why:
I want people who do notice to understand why I am doing so. I also dislike companies that keep things from consumers. I also want people who do pay attention to my blog or shop to be able to have a last chance to purchase my art at the lower pricing. It is only fair to give you a chance to buy my art at a lower price and hopefully you will come back when they are at higher prices because you think that my art and customer service is worth it.

Thank you for your time!
Have a Great Day!
ali