Brookelorren

Your shop name *	Brookelorren
Zazzle to me is a... *	Part time job - with part time pay
What is the best advice you have received from a fellow shopkeeper about your shops or designs you would like to pass on to another shopkeeper? *
These are a couple of things that I have learned from others over the last couple of years that help. 1) Put your designs on everything. You never know what somebody is looking for. Sometimes it doesn't make sense to put some designs on certain products, but if I can fit the design on something and it doesn't seem illogical, I'll make it. Just because I wouldn't want an apron that says "math rules" on it, doesn't mean that someone else wouldn't. 2) Make your own quick create templates. I was making all of my products by hand for a long time, because the Zazzle Quick Create templates weren't really what I needed. Making my own templates takes a lot of time, but it's worth the investment. I now have several sets of templates to use depending on what I'm making. I don't use them 100% of the time, but many of my standard kinds of designs work well with them, so I'll use them in most cases.
What PODs do u currently use or have shops on? *	Zazzle
What did you do with your free time before zazzle or other POD's....and what do you do with it now? *
Before Zazzle, I was writing for Associated Content (now Yahoo! Voices) and Squidoo. Now, Yahoo! changed policies so that they don't fit my needs most of the time now; I still work with Squidoo and also Hubpages. As for my free time now, it's almost always work related. I homeschool, go to the gym, take the kids to gymnastics... but I almost always find some reason to create a web site about it or get inspiration for some Zazzle design, or take photos to use in my work. I even incorporate work on my vacations. I used to not understand why my grandpa worked all the time, but now I get it, because he must have liked what he did a lot. I really like what I do too.
What programs do you use to make your designs *	Photoshop (any version) Illustrator
Tell us more about what you like and do not like about each software you use, what makes it special. *
Right now I'm using Adobe Photoshop and sometimes Illustrator CS4. Photoshop is where I spend most of my time. It does almost everything that I want it to. There are a lot of tutorials for it available on the Internet. I'm more of a computer person learning art than an artist, so it helps to have tutorials available for when I want to learn something. Originally I was using it to do simple things like create colors for backgrounds, but I've been branching out lately and it can do most of what I want it to. My most popular design was created using Illustrator. I was using it to make word art, but I'm starting to learn some of it's other uses too. It's been harder for me to learn. I would recommend both to others, but it does take a time investment to learn either.
Will you make custom orders? *	Yes - no prepay required
Elaborate on your answer above regarding custom orders... *	I've never made a custom order before, but I wouldn't have a problem doing a simple customization for somebody. I don't think that I would create an entire design from scratch for somebody, but I'm willing to change a background color, change the text, or make simple edits like that. The hard part is getting in touch with me, since I generally only check my email if I know that somebody is sending me something. Probably the best way to get in touch with me is to message me on Facebook.
List your shop URL's *	http://www.zazzle.com/brookelorren http://www.zazzle.com/bibleshop http://www.zazzle.com/great_arts http://www.zazzle.com/polyglot_zazzle Those are the ones that I will admit to publicly ;-).

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Anderson Designs

Your shop name *	Anderson Designs
Zazzle to me is a... *	Full time job - with part time pay
What is the best advice you have received from a fellow shopkeeper about your shops or designs you would like to pass on to another shopkeeper? *	Although I have learned so very much in the relatively short time that I have been a shopkeeper on Zazzle, one of the best pieces of advice that I've seen is to try to keep your shop as organized as possible. You may organize by design or by type of product or, as I have done, by a combination of both of these things. Having clearly labeled categories is a great benefit to both the customer and to yourself. Also change the category images to something more attractive than the gray file folder image that is the default. You want for your shop to look as inviting as possible.
What PODs do u currently use or have shops on? *	Zazzle MySoti
What did you do with your free time before zazzle or other POD's....and what do you do with it now? *	Free time? What is that? When I used to have free time I enjoyed gardening, photography, reading and genealogy. Lately I've been working about 10 hours a day on Zazzle. I still enjoy reading if I find the time and I also do some photography in conjunction with my Zazzle work. I seldom find the time for genealogy anymore though.
What programs do you use to make your designs *	PSP (any version) Illustrator
Tell us more about what you like and do not like about each software you use, what makes it special. *
I began using Adobe Illustrator CS5 in order to create artwork for stock agency submission. I learned how to use the software and have enjoyed illustration very much. It can be similar to drawing but there are also differences. The thing that I like most about Illustrator is the ease of editing an image. Changing a shape or color is a breeze and I also enjoy being able to work with multiple layers and also with clipping masks and transparency. I've been using PaintShop Pro since before Corel bought them out. I think it is a very versatile program for photo editing and much less expensive than Photoshop. Lately I've been having some fun with reflection effects like kaleidoscope and patterns.
Will you make custom orders? *	Yes - sometimes free, sometimes fee required upfront
Elaborate on your answer above regarding custom orders... *	So far on Zazzle I have only done custom orders for free for people that I know, but I am open to doing custom orders for others if the opportunity were to present itself. I would do the work for free if I felt that the design would be useful for me to include in my store for public consumption, but if it were a specialty design of some sort without mass appeal, then I would probably want to charge a design fee.
List your shop URL's *	http://www.zazzle.com/anderson_designs http://http://www.zazzle.com/andersondesignsaward

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Design with Dave

Your shop name *	Design with Dave
Zazzle to me is a... *	Hobby that I wish would become a part time job
What is the best advice you have received from a fellow shopkeeper about your shops or designs you would like to pass on to another shopkeeper? *
I have never received direct advice...but I have deduced from the forums the following: 1./ There is no discernible pattern to "what sells": I have posted what I consider subjectively great designs and, conversely, others I have not been too pleased with...and guess what sells!! 2./ My own personal preference is to ALWAYS allow customisation: whether something "looks right" or not is in the eye of the beholder i.e the customer/potential customer not me as the designer. 3./ More products=More Sales: manipulate sizes, background colours, positioning etc on all products to get something that looks correct- by making the image exceptionally large compared to other products using the design you can sometimes create a unique design. 4./ Partially repeating 1./ above - DO NOT get too concerned with when sales fluctuate, or designs do not appear to be selling- I've had designs that have not sold ever for a year plus suddenly make a sale "out of the blue".
What PODs do u currently use or have shops on? *	Zazzle
What did you do with your free time before zazzle or other POD's....and what do you do with it now? *	I have always been a keen amateur photographer and IT hobbyist (and part of my career). I now try to use the 2 interests to construct designs from the photography. I have always tried to be different in my photography: if all the tourists head one way I'll head the other! If everyone is stood up shotting a scene I'll be the oddball flat on my back pointing camera straight up- I don't care what people think- though I've had a few odd looks in my time!!!
What programs do you use to make your designs *	Photoshop elements Other photo-editing software
Tell us more about what you like and do not like about each software you use, what makes it special. *
Photoshop Elements v9. I like the fact that the product allows for simplicity of use in the interface presented to the user but also has more advanced features "under the hood" when they are required. The ability to add on free plug-ins from the net is extremely useful.My only piece of advice to a newcomer to the product would be NOT to use the "Auto" features: learn how to adjust the individual settings and manipulate each separately- the white/black balance, for example, is hopelessly wrong in Auto setting usually. There is little to dislike except for a couple of bugs that have been around in previous incarnations of the product: getting stuck with the "hand" pointer, sudden crashes when auto saving has not saved work done. A minor niggle I have is that the options do not allow for pointing to a particular folder or, better still, remembering the last used folder used- why?
Will you make custom orders? *	Yes - sometimes free, sometimes fee required upfront
Elaborate on your answer above regarding custom orders... *	Since I started using zazzle I have always felt it would be interesting to have some feedback from customers (not the reviews system which seems poorly designed and not well liked:) ); "custom" orders would provide me with an element of feedback. I have had the email contact option on since I started on zazzle....yet I have never had a request for a custom order :( (crying.........)
List your shop URL's *	http://www.zazzle.com/davem1966

Marian Cates Designs Gift Shop

Your shop name *	Marian Cates Designs Gift Shop
Zazzle to me is a... *	Part time job - with part time pay
What is the best advice you have received from a fellow shopkeeper about your shops or designs you would like to pass on to another shopkeeper? *
Fellow online shopkeepers advised me to create invitations that customers can personalize for their parties. After some research, I saw that, for kids' birthday party invitations, it's essential to specify, or even feature, the age of the child. Kids' birthday party invitations that especially appeal to me are colorful, whimsical and fun. Adult party invitations that I particularly like tend to be elegant, modern and trendy. Following the advice I'd been given, I started creating a variety of customizable invitations. When I sold fifty graduation party invitations, I was thrilled. From then on, I've focused on creating a wide variety of party invitations for my online shops. I'm so grateful for the advice of other shopkeepers who have so generously shared their tips with me.
What PODs do u currently use or have shops on? *	Zazzle Imagekind Other
What did you do with your free time before zazzle or other POD's....and what do you do with it now? *
I love to read. I listen to audiobooks while I'm working on the administrative tasks involved in shopkeeping. I love audiobooks and would love to be an audiobook narrator. I bought a digital recorder so that I can make an audition tape for Audible.com, but I've been too busy with my shops to find the time to do it. I have a background in theater, so narrating appeals to me a lot. I'm finishing up work on a musical for young people that's been produced in various stages of its development. I wrote the music, lyrics and script and am now working on creating the full sheet music and a CD of all the songs in the show. Then I can send it out into the world to be produced by more theater companies. I publish online, under the pen name of Marian Designs, on HubPages.com. I've written on a variety of topics, including online shopkeeping. And, last but not least, I'm working on a couple of novels that I hope to finish in t he next year or so.
What programs do you use to make your designs *	Photoshop (any version) Photoshop elements
Tell us more about what you like and do not like about each software you use, what makes it special. *
I got Photoshop for working with my photos. Most of my photography has been film photography. When I scan my photos into my computer, lots of little imperfections show up. I wasn't always as careful with my photos as I am today. So I clean up these photos in Photoshop, which is a terrific program for this purpose. I have turned out to be the historian in my family and have a large collection of family photos going back to my great-grandmother's time. I haven't yet worked with them in Photoshop, but I plan to. When I started shopkeeping, I taught myself to create digital paintings and designs for my online shops using Photoshop. I don't consider Photoshop to be the ideal software for this purpose. But since it's a program that I already have and know how to use, I'll probably continue to use it for all my shops' art and design needs.
Will you make custom orders? *	Yes - no prepay required
Elaborate on your answer above regarding custom orders... *	I've gotten requests to put one of my paintings onto a particular product. I did that at no extra charge. A customer asked me to create a design with a different background color, and I customized that for him at no extra charge. I don't presently do custom orders that are involved or very time-consuming, because I'm selling exclusively through online POD shops and galleries and there's no mechanism for being paid a commission up front.
List your shop URL's *	http://www.zazzle.com/mariancatesdesigns http://www.zazzle.com/digitalmwc http://www.zazzle.com/laughoutloud_tees http://www.zazzle.com/victorian_girl http://www.zazzle.com/ocicatstudio http://www.zazzle.com/bonsaishop http://www.zazzle.com/mariandesignsshops

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Supercards

Your shop name *	Supercards
Zazzle to me is a... *	Part time job I would like to make a full time job
What is the best advice you have received from a fellow shopkeeper about your shops or designs you would like to pass on to another shopkeeper? *	The best advice I have received was to use the title and descriptions to really sell the product to the customer. They are your chance to make contact with the customer, and they also can be a powerful way to increase your search results in the search engines. I try to have as much information as I can in the title, describing the subject of the image, and what the product is to be used for. Maybe even who the recipient of the product is. In the description box I try to describe the image as though to someone who cannot see.
What PODs do u currently use or have shops on? *	Zazzle Greeting Card Universe (GCU)
What did you do with your free time before zazzle or other POD's....and what do you do with it now? *	Photography and gardening. I have a Canon 5d markII camera which I love. It was a great investment, and has repaid me for it's cost 1000 times over. I do a lot of photography that is just for me. Experimental stuff that may or may not work, but I enjoy doing it. My garden is my escape from life. It is like another world of peace and tranquility. I grow lots of flowers and herbs. Nowadays I am spending more and more time creating images to use in Zazzle. I really enjoy playing about in Photoshop, and the thrill when someone buys my pictures never diminishes!
What programs do you use to make your designs *	Photoshop (any version)
Tell us more about what you like and do not like about each software you use, what makes it special. *	I use Poser a lot. I tend to buy models from sites such as Renderosity, then import the images into Photoshop for combining and finishing. I have also tried Daz Studio, which is free, but I keep going back to Poser. I have used Bryce on occasion when I have wanted a particular object and background. It is fun to work with. I like Photoshop because it can do so much. I am always picking up new tips and techniques, and that gives me fresh ideas and inspiration. I process a lot of photographs in Lightroom. It is much better than Photoshop for photos as it gives so much more control.
Will you make custom orders? *	Yes - but only for people I know personally
Elaborate on your answer above regarding custom orders... *	I have been let down by customers wanting changes to designs, being very picky about it, and then not buying them. The returns we get from individual items are so small that it is only feasible to do custom designs for guaranteed bulk orders. I may consider a custom design on a bulk order that was prepaid though.
List your shop URL's *	http://www.zazzle.com/eggznbeenz http://www.zazzle.com/bikerheaven http://www.zazzle.com/supercardanniversary http://www.zazzle.com/supercardsbusiness http://www.zazzle.com/supercardschristmas http://www.zazzle.com/supercardssympathy http://www.zazzle.com/superskins

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alma's design

Your shop name *	alma's design
Zazzle to me is a... *	Part time job I would like to make a full time job
What is the best advice you have received from a fellow shopkeeper about your shops or designs you would like to pass on to another shopkeeper? *	"Spend 80% of your time advertising and 20% designing . "Though I love much more designing and I do not keep this so strict . After all I should improve as an artist as well .But sometimes when I feel down because of the slow sales then I start advertising intensively .And when sales are coming then I am inspired to create again .The other useful thing that I learned that I should not be invisible . Creating silently and not speaking about it is a mistake .I am trying my best to be present at the zazzle forums and showing my art and gaining inspiration by the art of others .
What PODs do u currently use or have shops on? *	Zazzle Cafepress Spreadshirt Spoonflower Redbubble Other
What did you do with your free time before zazzle or other POD's....and what do you do with it now? *	I used to design for fun .I love reading and interested in the origin of languages , cooking , sufism , literature , hiking ,yoga , swimming .I keep my camera with me and take photos while we go out . I live in Qatar by the sea . I often take landscape photos and food photos while we are out . I used to do a lots of drawing portraits just for myself . I am interested in the human soul and found it very exciting spiritually to draw faces .
What programs do you use to make your designs *	Other photo-editing software
Tell us more about what you like and do not like about each software you use, what makes it special. *	pixia is free and has been old friend with me I love making digital watercolors with it and I love what I can do with the colors here ... though it seems that they do not improve it .. it iis collapsing often in the middle of creation sumo - I love the brushes the distorting tool to make patterns , manadalas ,,, it sometimes refuses my images .. it does not open some and does not save some and I do not understand why Befunky is very nicely turning my photos into painted images... you must pay 14 bucks per month and the maximum resolution is not very high
Will you make custom orders? *	Yes - sometimes free, sometimes fee required upfront
Elaborate on your answer above regarding custom orders... *	I am ready to make text designs for those who would like to have something special .I can create text in Hungarian , French ,Japanese and of course in English. You can contact me with your special requests .It is free in case that it is not time consuming very special design - just some special words ,sayings with some existing graphics .
List your shop URL's *	http://www.zazzle.com/almawad

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River Jude

Your shop name *	River Jude
Zazzle to me is a... *	Part time job - with part time pay
What is the best advice you have received from a fellow shopkeeper about your shops or designs you would like to pass on to another shopkeeper? *
A platinum seller persuaded me to start Zazzling because, she said, it's a great job for a homeschooling mother because it can be fitted around any schedule. She told me to be patient, to keep making good products, and the sales would eventually come. She was right! She also said to never delete a design, even if you've decided it's hideous, because there's no accounting for taste and someone would someday buy it. Again, she was right. The first product I sold was one I personally thought was pretty lame, but it was exactly what the buyer was looking for. Finally, she says to participate in the forums, and submit products to other people's blogs and lenses.
What PODs do u currently use or have shops on? *	Zazzle
What did you do with your free time before zazzle or other POD's....and what do you do with it now? *	I'm an adjunct English professor, freelance writer, and homeschooling mother. I keep chickens and a big garden and I like to cook. It's nice to be able to rotate among all those things, because I can go cross-eyed looking at a computer monitor too long. In the evenings my husband reads aloud to the family (Tolkien, The Hunger Games, whatever) and I listen and Zazzle at the same time.
What programs do you use to make your designs *	Inkscape Other photo-editing software
Tell us more about what you like and do not like about each software you use, what makes it special. *
I was not comfortable spending money on my Zazzle enterprise until I knew whether it would bring in enough to make it worth the cost. So, thus far I've only used freeware--Photoscape, Inkscape, and an online site called lunapic.com that will let me remove backgrounds. Lunapic, Photoscape, and Inkscape are very useful and good programs--I've made bronze Proseller with them--and they have helpful tutorials. All the same, I'm probably going to try Photoshop elements soon because there are so many free brushes out there that can't be used with anything else. I'm researching to see what else it offers, and will probably make my first business-related expense soon.
Will you make custom orders? *	Yes - no prepay required
Elaborate on your answer above regarding custom orders... *	Several times someone has asked me to alter a wedding invitation or design a new one. In some cases buyer then purchased a large number of them, while in other cases the buyer vanished without a trace--but the products were made and posted, and someone else later bought them. So it's all good. What I would not do is make a custom design and hold it back just for one customer.
List your shop URL's *	http://www.zazzle.com/riverjude

SjasisDesignSpace

Your shop name *	SjasisDesignSpace
Zazzle to me is a... *	Hobby that I wish would become a full time job
What is the best advice you have received from a fellow shopkeeper about your shops or designs you would like to pass on to another shopkeeper? *	Several shopkeepers have warned me that photography sales are tough. I can agree with that because, of the sales I have had, many (if not most) are designs that are NOT based on my photography, but rather on graphic design. I've been leaning more and more in that direction. It's too bad because my original reason for getting on Zazzle was to showcase my photography. I guess I will be looking for another venue for my photography at some point, but not until I am able to retire from my current full-time day job, as I just don't have the spare time for everything right now.
What PODs do u currently use or have shops on? *	Zazzle
What did you do with your free time before zazzle or other POD's....and what do you do with it now? *	I work full time (non-Zazzle-related), and did photography and photography-related activities (editing, participation in online photography sites, etc) in my spare time before Zazzle. Since Zazzle, I pretty much don't have anymore spare time. It has become a part-time second job! I still try to make time for my photography and related editing, but Zazzle is addicting and sucks me in whenever I'm on the computer! Plus I find that if I don't do a certain amount of promotion every day, I would get fewer-to-no sales!
What programs do you use to make your designs *	Photoshop elements
Tell us more about what you like and do not like about each software you use, what makes it special. *	I use Photoshop elements, which I am used to, and which serves me fine in editing my photography. But since I've been leaning more toward a graphic design direction, I will need to find another software program to help me out with that, as there aren't the bells and whistles on Photoshop Elements that I need. I often used Picnik.com to make designs, collages and for fun add-ons, but since it closed down in April I haven't yet found an alternative that I feel comfortable enough to use. But I still have a few to try out, so hopefully that will change soon.
Will you make custom orders? *	Yes - but only for people I know personally
Elaborate on your answer above regarding custom orders... *	I haven't really thought about this, as I am still a bit of a newbie on Zazzle (less than a year) so it hasn't really come up yet. If it did, I think I would make custom orders, depending on the circumstances. It could be for people I know personally or for items that are prepaid, or at least requiring a deposit or down-payment depending on the final cost of the item.
List your shop URL's *	http://www.zazzle.com/sjasisdesignspace http://www.zazzle.com/sjasissportsspace http://www.zazzle.com/sjasisweddingspace

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RAWR Clothing

Your shop name *	RAWR Clothing
Zazzle to me is a... *	Full time job - with full time pay
What is the best advice you have received from a fellow shopkeeper about your shops or designs you would like to pass on to another shopkeeper? *
The best advice is Don't STEAL! You may have found a cool picture on Pinterest or google image search. You may have even bought an image from a stock photography or graphic site. That does not mean you can use it. If you found it, then generally someone else owns the copyright to it. Just because you don't know who they are doesn't mean they can't find you and sue you for selling their work. Just because you bought it doesn't mean you have the right to resell it. If you check the terms of sale, most stock sites forbid selling of stock images, they can only be used for advertising or non commerically. And if you do use them, they will find you and at best ask you to remove the design and at worst sue you for lots of money. So don't steal, make your own original artwork and if you can't do that, pay someone else to.
What PODs do u currently use or have shops on? *	Zazzle Cafepress Spreadshirt
What did you do with your free time before zazzle or other POD's....and what do you do with it now? *	Play games, hang out with friends and enjoy life. I still do all that now, Zazzle is just a job at the end of the day, never forget that. Life is meant to be fun, not always about work so make sure you enjoy life as well as work. Zazzle can be amazing and takes a lot of hard work, but don't regret it later in life.
What programs do you use to make your designs *	Photoshop (any version) Illustrator
Tell us more about what you like and do not like about each software you use, what makes it special. *	Photoshop and illustrator are the industry standards. Doesn't mean they are perfect though. They have all sorts of problems from similar but different interfaces which get confusing and crashing just seconds before you was about to save your work. But they allow people with the skill and thats a key word here, skill, to do some amazing things and create amazing graphics. Of course they are very expensive to buy so software like GIMP which while akward is free may be suitable for some people but Adobe offer free trials so its well worth giving a try. Have fun everyone!
Will you make custom orders? *	No
Elaborate on your answer above regarding custom orders... *	Custom orders generally take a lot of time and often people want something for nothing. You love art they say, so you should do it for free. But this is a business, you wouldn't go into Starbucks and ask for a free coffee because they must love making coffee would you?
List your shop URL's *	http://www.zazzle.com/rawroutloud http://www.zazzle.com/carbonclothing http://www.zazzle.com/rabbitbunnies http://www.zazzle.com/kyandiicards

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Meowser's

Your shop name *	Meowser's
Zazzle to me is a... *	Hobby that I wish would become a full time job
What is the best advice you have received from a fellow shopkeeper about your shops or designs you would like to pass on to another shopkeeper? *
Make sure that your designs look right on every product you put them on. Some designs just don't work on all products - while quick create is a wonderful option delete anything that it doesn't look good on. Keywords & Descriptions should be targeted towards the audience you are trying to reach. To get sales, promote promote promote - Build an audience with a facebook page, twitter and other social networks. Build a separate website such as a blog to feature your designs. Take advantage of the great job Zazzle does on business cards and pass them out whenever the opportunity presents itself.
What PODs do u currently use or have shops on? *	Zazzle Cafepress Printfection Artsnow Redbubble Other
What did you do with your free time before zazzle or other POD's....and what do you do with it now? *	I spend a lot of time traveling to parks, gardens, zoo's and other places that give me photo opportunities. Prior to my increased interest in photography I was heavily involved in affiliate marketing and promoting products for merchants on the web. At one point I owned and maintained 120 domains.
What programs do you use to make your designs *	PSP (any version)
Tell us more about what you like and do not like about each software you use, what makes it special. *
I've always used PSP because of the price - it is what I've been able to afford. I have every version going back to PSP 4 and am now using PaintShop Pro X4 Ultimate. I would highly recommend PSP for ease in use. The newest version has a integrated learning center. One click photo fixing tools and unique make over tools. The ability to make your own brushes, textures, picture tubes. There are many tutorials found on the web to help a person create anything that their minds can imagine. Most Photoshop plugins also work with PSP. PaintShop Pro X4 Ultimate also comes with The Nik Color Efex Pro™ 3.0: 52 photographic filters with over 250 effects for professional-quality images
Will you make custom orders? *	No
Elaborate on your answer above regarding custom orders... *	I'm primarily focusing on my photography these days to release my creativeness and talents. I have so many different ideas in my head that I prefer to only do my own thing as that is what I find the most enjoyment with. At times I am inspired by things that other people are interested in and as a result end up with sales with my friends & family based on their interests.
List your shop URL's *	http://www.zazzle.com/meowser http://www.zazzle.com/naturography http://www.zazzle.com/catsalley

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Kat Kadoodle

Your shop name *	Kat Kadoodle
Zazzle to me is a... *	Full time job - with part time pay
What is the best advice you have received from a fellow shopkeeper about your shops or designs you would like to pass on to another shopkeeper? *
When I first started out I spent a lot of time searching and reading discussions on the Zazzle Forum. I found the forum to be a wonderful community of very supportive fellow zazzlers who were willing to share their experience and expertise with others and I learned quite a bit there. In that spirit, I would pass on two pieces of advice to anyone just starting out. First, always strive to create only quality products for your shop, things that a customer on Zazzle might not be able to create on their own. The wonderful thing about POD sites like Zazzle is that any person can create any product they want on a blank item. It's easy to put text or a upload a photo, and many people use Zazzle just for that. So take it further and go beyond that - create things that someone without your special talent or knowledge might not be able to create on their own. That's where you bring something special to the marketplace and why customers wil l buy your products. Secondly, be patient. Really patient. It takes time to build a good base of products, to have your products get viewed in the marketplace and get the word out there that your shop is open! Don't get discouraged, just keep on designing, creating and promoting yourself - you will get noticed!
What PODs do u currently use or have shops on? *	Zazzle
What did you do with your free time before zazzle or other POD's....and what do you do with it now? *	I used to read a lot. And for a while I was heavily into making my own jewelry. I still have so many pieces (and books) waiting for me to get back to them, but now if I have any free time, I'm usually found at my computer creating a new design or otherwise "zazzling"!
What programs do you use to make your designs *	Illustrator
Tell us more about what you like and do not like about each software you use, what makes it special. *
I pretty much use Adobe Illustrator CS5 version 15.0.0 exclusively and I would highly recommend Illustrator to anyone interested in creating their own designs because of the amazing amount of design tools in contains. If you have no experience at all with it, I think it could be a little daunting to use at first. I know I felt that way when I first started with it since I have more of a fine arts background and am totally self taught when it comes to graphic design. But, I've learned how to use it on my own, viewing many online tutorials and free classes that are available on the internet. If I can do it, anybody can!
Will you make custom orders? *	Yes - no prepay required
Elaborate on your answer above regarding custom orders... *
I'm happy to work on custom orders for people and I do get special requests at least a few times a week. I've found that for the most part the requests really don't take much time for me to do, and are usually just a simple change of color scheme or a small adjustment to accommodate more text. I have worked on a couple of invitation requests that turned into multiple requests and did involve more of my time and effort, but I'm still willing to do that as I really do want my customers to absolutely love their invitations and have them be just perfect. But, that being said, if I was approached by a customer to work on a project that I felt was more involved or labor intensive on my part, I definitely would consider charging for that work above my customary royalty.
List your shop URL's *	http://www.zazzle.com/kat_parrella

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Cute and Strange Creatures

Your shop name *	Cute and Strange Creatures
Zazzle to me is a... *	Hobby that I wish would become a full time job
What is the best advice you have received from a fellow shopkeeper about your shops or designs you would like to pass on to another shopkeeper? *
1. Make designs of products that you would love to use/wear/have yourself. 2. Describe thoroughfully your products in the product descriptions and use the most relevant tags - the tags that you would use to find such products. 3. Read the forums regularly. They can be an awesome source of information and advice. They are also a great tool for promotion because many people are looking to promote certain products and your products can be amongst the promoted - I've actually received a lot of sales this way. 4. Constantly make new designs and release new products with designs that suit the products. 5. Have fun.
What PODs do u currently use or have shops on? *	Zazzle Cafepress Printfection Spreadshirt Greeting Card Universe (GCU) Redbubble
What did you do with your free time before zazzle or other POD's....and what do you do with it now? *	I love drawing, reading, listening to music, looking at my RSS feeds. I like staying in the park with my lovely kids and drawing with them, making paper models and watching my girls play with them. I am a keen gamer. We have Playstation 3, Xbox and Nintendo Wii and currently I love playing Dance Dance Revolution and Final Fantasy 13. Actually, I wish I had a little more time for games now.
What programs do you use to make your designs *	Photoshop (any version) Illustrator
Tell us more about what you like and do not like about each software you use, what makes it special. *	I use the CS3 versions of Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. My program of choice is Adobe Illustrator, because I love to create vector art and Illustrator is a great program once you get used to it. The disadvantages of both programs are the hard to find tools, the somewhat overcrowded menus, but I guess this is due to the abundance of tools and options, which is really one of the big advantages of both programs. My favorite feature of Photoshop are layer styles. About Illustrator, I like everything, the Pathfinder tool is maybe the most magical for me, it's very useful.
Will you make custom orders? *	Yes - sometimes free, sometimes fee required upfront
Elaborate on your answer above regarding custom orders... *	If customization is big, it's design work and it should be prepaid. That way, if the client doesn't buy the products, you are compensated. If it is for applying an already existing design to a new type of product, which has actually happened to me, I would make it free of charge.
List your shop URL's *	http://www.zazzle.com/borianag

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Funcards

Your shop name *	Funcards
Zazzle to me is a... *	Hobby that I wish would become a part time job
What is the best advice you have received from a fellow shopkeeper about your shops or designs you would like to pass on to another shopkeeper? *	Organize your shop by design. I started out with everything organized by product type. After a couple of months I learned on the forum that it's so much better to organize by design. But it seemed so much work to change everything that it took about a year before I finally did it. It was a lot of work but really worth it. It's so much easier for my customers now that they can see in one glance all the products I have with a design they like. And with new products comming out it is also a lot easier.
What PODs do u currently use or have shops on? *	Zazzle Greeting Card Universe (GCU) Imagekind Other
What did you do with your free time before zazzle or other POD's....and what do you do with it now? *	Flash programming. I really love programming in flash, it's such a great program. I love making games, especially educational ones, or mp3 players, video players and so on. But I'm not to good at making the graphics. So I would love to team up with an artist one day who can make the drawings and designs while I do the programming :)
What programs do you use to make your designs *	Photoshop (any version) Other vector software
Tell us more about what you like and do not like about each software you use, what makes it special. *	I like photoshop because it has so many possiblities! Especially for photographs that are not good enough or just not special enough to use on their own. Like maybe if you have a cute picture of an animal but the background is distracting, you can remove the background and use the image on Zazzle and let customers choose their own background color, for instance. I do find it a bit hard to work with sometimes. This is probably because I first had flash which works in an different, much easier way for drawing and fonts. And flash is just an awesome program, really amazing the thing you can do with it!
Will you make custom orders? *	Yes - sometimes free, sometimes fee required upfront
Elaborate on your answer above regarding custom orders... *	I've made some things on Zazzle for friends / family and always for free. I'm just so happy I can make something for them. And since I know all the current discount offers, and with my own seller discount and referral fee, I'm always able to buy it for them at a real bargain! That's one of the things I really like about Zazzle :) And for customer I'm also happy to make small changes or customizations for free. I also do the same with the flashcomponents that I sell.
List your shop URL's *	http://www.zazzle.com/funcards

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