This one featuring my own darling child. Yes! Flagrant use of a minor! Complete with red bow!

Oh…it’s also got one of CJ’s all-time best quotes….From Tripoint. Thanks MM for reminding us!

http://www.cafepress.com/Closed_Circle.461199566

I have to admit, I’m having a ball doing this. I’m afraid our store is going to be stuffed in no short order. I was going to collect our buttons, but maybe I’ll do ornaments of each design….Do a tree on the wall and hang them… wonder where I’d find an old limb we could cut in half and attach to the wall….hmmm….

Ask and ye shall…. http://www.cafepress.com/Closed_Circle.460960543

People make more on the sale of a single mini button on cafe press than I made on the sale of a single copy of GroundTies. By several times.

How weird is that?

Not much more to say. I’m still going to be working on products for the next few days, but we’ve got a few up there now. The sidebar menu is really long…I wish it had drop downs for the nested pages, or that levels of navigation could be squelched, but at least it gives you a chance.

If you search for one of our names in the search box, it’ll give you all the images associated with our names.

Back to work. Have fun browsing the shelves!

And thanks, Katoji, for the early morning reassurance call. Big hugs!

We’ve got lotsa stuff up there, even if it’s just a few designs. You’ll see a lot of Thyerri and Temorii, cuz National Dance Day is coming up soon and I have a nice little button and bumper sticker.

We have decided to go ahead and put the items in the  big CP storefront shop. The prices we’re comfortable with in our store are actually lower than the CP store. We’ll still generally make a bit more on a sale if things are bought right from our store, cuz we only get 10% of anything bought through the big store, but one thing we want to do is get exposure.  If it gets people coming to Closed Circle…that’s our main goal. Afterall..we want to write, not make more goodies for the CP annex!

Besides, all this is, as Abbey says, found money (though the amount of time it’s taking, I’m not sure I’d call it “found” but “gainfully-earned!” ) Thanks to the Shejidani folk, we have some fun Tshirts that will be available in all sorts of styles (My favorite so far is the polo shirt with the palm tree…go looking. :D)

Anyway, I’m going back to PSP for some more fiddling with covers to make them into buttons and tshirts…not as easy as you’d think! So…what  about we say, tomorrow morning, (Sunday) 8am (at least it’ll be 8am somewhere in the world!)

Mind you, this is not something we’re looking to make bunches of money on! No karma involved! Just a fun option that’s available these internet-run days and something to do with all the artwork we’re creating for the books. Just come in and have fun poking buttons.

And if you have an idea for a tshirt or button, feel free to suggest it! or if we don’t offer some item in a design you’d like to have, just let us know and we’ll get it up there.

See you tomorrow!

Cuz I’m up to my armpits in aardvarks (i.e. cafe press stuff)

I’ve been messing with cafe press images and it looks to me like they go really dark…at least on the ceramics, like mugs and tiles. I’m wondering if those who’ve used their service can verify that.

Also…their angle on the mugs is kind of annoying. If I’m drinking from a mug, I want to see the picture as I hold the mug in my hand, but if you design the image for that, the picture is off toward the back.  Also, in THEIR store, you roll over the image of the mug and the actual picture displays. Not so in the individual stores… and you can’t get at that code to change it. Grrrrrr….

Right now, trying to figure it there’s a way to put html code in the description so we don’t have to put all our stock out on their shelves in order to bring people into our store…

Ah, greed…

Remember the compression gloves I said I ordered? This is where I ordered them from:

//www.activeforever.com/

You will note, they say very specifically that these are non-returnable. Therefore, I took extra care to measure my hand according to their diagram: take the circumference measurement at the knuckles and apply the chart. I was somewhat surprised when my 8.5 in circumference put me at the far end of the scale, but I ordered accordingly, ordering a Large, since I was at the far end of the large scale, even tho they say to generally order a size smaller. I’ve got some craft compression gloves which I got on the small side and they tend to cut off circulation, so I thought I’d play it conservatively.

Since they were nonreturnable.

Well, my gloves came last night and…guess what? According to the sizing chart on the packaging, I should have ordered a small. Okay…they haven’t been opened. No hygenic compromise of the product.

So…I emailed:

Hi, there:

I have a real problem. I ordered these gloves based on the very specific instructions on your website. By those instructions, I was unquestionably a large. The gloves arrived today and by the measuring scale imprinted on the packaging, I should have a small! I know you say this item is nonreturnable, but this package has not even been opened, thanks to the scale on the outside of the package, and because of completely inaccurate information on your website, I ordered the wrong thing.

I think, (a) I s/b able to exchange it for the correct size and (b) I should NOT be responsible for return shipping, and (c) you should put the scale used on the packaging as a downloadable pdf on your website so that people will order the correct size.

Thanking you in advance for doing the right thing.

(Could I have been a bit more polite? Probably, but it was after midnight and I was tired.)

__________

Their initial response:

I will contact the appropriate parties and follow up accordingly. My apologies for the circumstance.

To which I said thank you!

___________

Then, I got this:

Jane,

I have no indication that if measured properly, there would be complications with sizing. We indicate that the circumference of the knuckle should be measured. As such, we can arrange for an exchange, but we will not cover the shipping costs back as according to our website and product, the sizing is the same. Please advise if you would like to proceed, and I will follow up per your wishes.

___________

Huh? So…I take this picture, and send it, along with the sizing chart from their website with the following:

With all due respect, that’s what I’m saying. The website is dead wrong.  This is the package:

Those circumference numbers in the sizing chart are nothing but double the corresponding inches on the width chart that comes with the gloves. This does not take into account the sides of the hands. It’s assuming the hand is absolutely flat, like a piece of paper! The circumference of my hand is 8.5 inches, but its width is only three. I maintain, the fault lies with your website, not my ordering decision.

Yes, I would like to exchange for the proper size but I should not be held responsible for the return shipping!

Sincerely,

Jane

________

Now…are you ready for her response?

The below photo is a simple guide if one puts their hand on top of the indicated finger lines, it will estimate your size. On the website, we do indicate that the circumference includes only the knuckles, not the entire circumference of hand. The sizing guide on our website reiterates which points need to be measured. The website has accurate sizing, and we will not authorize return shipping in relation to the exchange. We will authorize the return, per your reply, but you will be responsible for shipping the product back to us.

_______

“The circumference includes only the knuckles, not the entire circumference of the hand?” What’s that even mean? Do they even know what the word “circumference” means? And do you see anything that says “only the knuckles?” And if it were only the knuckles, can you imagine the size of the hand that is 8.5 in wide at the knuckles?

Am I missing something? Anyway, I made one final attempt…not that return shipping would break me, but it’s truly become the principle of the thing. I sent:

Please just give me a return authorization. I’ll handle the return shipping, but don’t try to avoid the facts.  It says right on the chart I took off your site (see below) AND I QUOTE: The circumference of your hand at the knuckles. Do you even know what the word circumference means? It’s the distance around the hand at the knuckles.

You own statement, that the circumference includes only the knuckles means NOTHING! I insert yet another image taken from your website, an image put up in conjunction with the chart:

That is showing the measurement taken around the hand! Those numbers on the sizing chart only correspond to the sizing chart on the package (and that only remotely) if you double the inches of the package diagram. If you take the chart numbers and apply them to the chart on the packaging, 4.5 to 5.5, which your chart lists as xtra small w/b a large!

Your web designer screwed up and I suggest you get someone to go in and reword that graphic.

To which she has now replied with an RMA.

Unbelievable….

And I’ve never had an easier two hours in a dentist’s chair!

Looking for a dentist these days, it’s hard to tell if you’re going to a doctor’s office or a spa. Aroma therapy, soothing water features….the scent of fresh-baked cookies…I mean…sheesh. They seem to be vying with one another for the best way to take the fear out of going to the dentist.

Personally, I think much of that fear is culturally induced. We’re trained by the very ads the dentists use to believe there’s something to be scared of. The only thing that scares me in a dentist is incompetence, and I’m suspicious of anyone that needs all those bells and whistles to entice patients to come to them.

I’ve had a fair amount of work pending…fillings getting old, mostly, that I really wanted to replace with composite. I’ve a real sensitivity to metals and have frequently suspected the mercury in my fillings as adding to some of my ghosty aches and pains. Not to mention that amalgam fillings just pack into the tooth whereas the composite actually adheres to the tooth, making it stronger. I figured, if I could avoid one crown from a tooth breaking, it would pay for what I wanted to do.

But I kept putting it off as an unwarranted expense.

Anyway, when I lost my crown at Shejicon, my regular dentist—one of those now offering the latest equipment and free whitening (to new customers, of course)—wouldn’t even look at it until I got in for a complete cleaning and full xrays, cuz I hadn’t been in for…I guess it had been a couple of years…and they couldn’t fit me in for a week! Sheesh! So… we looked for a more local dentist (we’d been going half an hour out past Spokane Valley)  and we found one  only a few miles away, with a review by a customer who comes clear from Seattle to go to this fellow. Sounded promising.

I now understand why someone would do that. He got me right in and cleaned up and put the crown on, without a big to-do. He cleaned my teeth himself (did a great job, thank you) and took actual xrays…no digital machine for him, yet… and he looked at those old fillings, saw some pulling away and darkening around them and recommended I think about replacing them. Hmmm…corroboration. Well…I bit the bullet and went for the whole works…three upper and three lower on one side and one on the upper on the other side. All at the same time.

I got it done today, and I’m here to tell you, if you need a dentist in Spokane, go to this guy!  He had a unique way of administering novocaine that was pretty much painfree and super effective. No fancy computer operated slow-drip machines. He sort of grabbed the cheek and wiggled it while he injected the stuff. It’s worn off now and there’s none of the usual soreness from distended tissue. Also, he nailed the positioning. Usually, they have to administer multiple injections to get me numb. He did one round of the entire mouth and zapped just the areas that needed zapping…but he zapped them good.

The best part was, there was no nardy-fardling around. He got in, got it done, quickly, efficiently, but without the least feeling of rushing, or unnecessary roughness.  As he was doing the final polish, the life was coming back to my mouth. Perfect timing.

And…he’s funny.

I’m here to report: no cookies or water features here. Just Simon Prosser, DDS, a damn fine dentist!

Finally sat down and whipped CafePress into submission. It was harder than it looks, and I’m still not sure what I did is kosher.  The problem is, the way they’ve set up the “customize store” is really clunky. They’ve got several templates, all of which will let you put a logo on the first page, but then your “store” is going to just look like their generic templates, except it’ll have your store name (in this case, Closed Circle Bazaar…you like?) at the top superimposed over their generic image.

Not at all what I wanted. I want each page to reflect the CC site, but none of the templates I found gave me the option of putting my own graphic up instead. There was a nice enough abstract template, but it wasn’t Closed Circle.

Besides, cafe press gives you no way of uploading a header graphic onto their server. You can put a logo into your description box, but that only shows on the front page, as far as I can figure, as it’s set up as a “welcome” message.  But you can mess with the html, so…I uploaded my graphic onto the Closed Circle site and tried just inserting my graphic file in the one place in the script that calls for an image, but it didn’t do anything. I don’t know how the script was finding that other image, but it did.

Even if I had gotten it to accept my graphic, there was no way to control the font or color of the store “name” the script was inserting. I finally just dived in headfirst and zapped all the script, (sounds easier than it was…a lot) uploaded a file with the store name included and at least got it to display in a way I can accept. But I’m just not sure what else that script does. I think it’s all just to accommodate the “generic” capacity of a template…i.e. you name your store something through Cafe Press’ protocols, and the script inserts it over the generic image. But…ya never know. Won’t until I get some stuff on the shelves and test it out.

Something else that’s not easy to do on this site. Have I mentioned, the navigation for Cafe Press … is less than friendly?

Anyway, I have to spend all morning at the dentist tomorrow, but if I have any braincells left, I’ll try and start stocking the shelves.

Hey…itsa start…

I’m baaaaack. Took a couple of days off and did nothing except office work and play some Oblivion. Hands are doing better.

Thanks to you all for your advice! This trigger finger thing is really weird. Not really in the wrist, but in just one tendon sheath. Seems to have eased off along with a lot of the swelling. Hard massage with aspercreme seems to have helped a lot. I’ve also got some compression gloves on order which will hopefully help alleviate the swelling.

Anyway, tomorrow I s/b back on the Cafe Press problem.

thanks again for all the good wishes!!!!

Ja ne!