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