Thursday, December 31, 2015

New Years Eve - 2016

Happy New Years Eve,

We just returned home from visiting my 93 (soon to be 94) year old mother whom we love deeply. We are so thankful that we had the opportunity to spend a couple of hours with her, and share a bit of New Years cheer, even if it was 4:00 in the afternoon... champagne is good at virtually any time of the day with the one's that you love.

So here we are, just hours away from the New Year, where did 2015 go?   It seems like just yesterday that I was giving my notice to JP Morgan, but yet it was almost 2 years ago now.  Like everyone, we've had our ups and downs over the past year, but on balance we wouldn't trade it for the world. 

We'd just like to take a moment and pause, in a world that seems somewhat out of control and broken in many respects to thank each and every one of you that has supported us over the past year.  Sales aside, your friendships and words of support and encouragement are worth far more than the almighty dollar could ever provide.

For those of you that I have managed to offend over the past year or two, or five, or eight.... please accept my sincerest apologies.  I wish that I could find a way to simply click the reset button, but sadly there aren't a great deal of those types of reset buttons in real life, so all I can do is say I'm sorry and I'll try to do better.

So what does 2016 hold?  I have absolutely no idea, I wish I did.  There are however a few things that I've learned, and intend to fully incorporate into 2016, the 1st of which is...

Words matter.  Especially when attempting to communicate through email or conversations.  I'm notorious for wearing my shirt on my sleeve, both good and bad.  If I enjoy your company, I'll be the first to say I love you.  Alternatively, and I'll admit it, I'm not very good at communicating when times are tough... call this improved communication effort,  my 2016 New Years resolution. 

So, lets talk a little about custom orders,  I'm not quite sure how it will all work from a practical standpoint, but here's what I'm thinking this 12/31/15.  Every stick that I make requires "X" number of hours to make.  Friday Night Sales are fun, and everyone loves a sale, myself included.  That said however, it still took me "X" number of hours to make the given stick.  I'm thinking my focus this New Year may be more on the custom side, as me guessing what you want has proven to be "iffy" at best. The list has in the past gotten rather long, but I think I'm at a point (or am hopeful that I can be at that point) where I can actually manage a custom list with a reasonable turn around time.  In the meantime, here's wishing you a safe and Happy New Year,

We Love you,

Doug & Erin

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

New Years Day / Friday Night Sale

It's getting to be that time again, things are slow so we're going to kick off the New Year right!
 
The next Friday Night Sale will be held on New Years day, January 1, 2016 beginning at 1:00 PM CST (US), 8:00 PM (CEST). We will de-activate all inventory Friday morning for price adjustment with an overall discount of approximately 20% - 25%. 
 
Good Luck! (Please check your own individual time zone to make sure the start time aligns with 1:00 PM Central Standard Time in the United States.)

 
PS... I've still got quite a few open spots on the board if anyone is interested.

Update:
Shajolley, you've got the 1st spot!
Terrimc36, you've got the 2nd spot!
Herrbstststurrrm, you've got the 3rd spot!
Eugene, you have the 4th spot!
Undineohm, you have the 5th and final spot(s)!

The custom list is now closed, however I will try to announce open spots on a more frequent basis. 

Monday, December 28, 2015

Custom Time

Good Afternoon,

I've got all kinds of space on the board if anyone is interested in a custom.

As a reminder, here are the rules of the "Custom Time" game.

  • Existing design only, no "create it from scratch" designs.  Ebony is available, however it cannot be engraved.  An example of what will work would be a full body paua with banded borders.  In this example, the paua is being engraved, not the ebony, and the banded borders I cut by hand.
  • The only information needed is a link to the sold or active stick, along with allowable changes which are wood type, gemstone / metal/metal flake inlays and length.  If it requires more information than what's listed above, it's considered a "create it from scratch" design.  However, combining various elements of existing designs is fine.
  • In order to save on shipping charges, I'll accept a maximum of 2 orders per customer, and the first 5 to reply thru ETSY conversations will get the customs.  
Update:
Shajolley, you've got the 1st spot!
Terrimc36, you've got the 2nd spot!
Herrbstststurrrm, you've got the 3rd spot!

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Weekend Customs

Good Saturday Morning,

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  I have 3 open spots on the board if anyone would like to place a custom order.  The first 3 requests through ETSY conversations will get the custom orders.

As a reminder, here are the rules of the "Custom Time" game.

  • Existing design only, no "create it from scratch" designs.  Ebony is available, however it cannot be engraved.  An example of what will work would be a full body paua with banded borders.  In this example, the paua is being engraved, not the ebony, and the banded borders I cut by hand.
  • The only information needed is a link to the sold or active stick, along with allowable changes which are wood type, gemstone / metal/metal flake inlays and length.  If it requires more information than what's listed above, it's considered a "create it from scratch" design.
  • Just one order, and the first 3 to reply thru an ETSY conversation gets the custom.  
Update:

KibiC, you've got the 1st spot!

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Santa

Until the day comes when either Scott or Sean bless us with a grandbaby, this is the best we can do.  Our little Ivy, she's so sweet!

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Customs on the 1st day of Winter

Good Tuesday Morning,

I have 3 open spots on the board if anyone would like to place a custom order.  The first 3 requests through ETSY conversations will get the custom orders.

As a reminder, here are the rules of the "Custom Time" game.

  • Existing design only, no "create it from scratch" designs.  Ebony is available, however it cannot be engraved.  An example of what will work would be a full body paua with banded borders.  In this example, the paua is being engraved, not the ebony, and the banded borders I cut by hand.
  • The only information needed is a link to the sold or active stick, along with allowable changes which are wood type, gemstone / metal/metal flake inlays and length.  If it requires more information than what's listed above, it's considered a "create it from scratch" design.
  • Just one order, and the first 3 to reply thru an ETSY conversation gets the custom.  
Update:

Mariaasa, you've got the 1st spot!
Shawnah, you've got the 2nd spot!

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Custom Time

Good Saturday Morning,

I have 3 open spots on the board if anyone would like to place a custom order.  The first 3 requests through ETSY conversations will get the custom orders.

As a reminder, here are the rules of the "Custom Time" game.

  • Existing design only, no "create it from scratch" designs.  Ebony is available, however it cannot be engraved.  An example of what will work would be a full body paua with banded borders.  In this example, the paua is being engraved, not the ebony, and the banded borders I cut by hand.
  • The only information needed is a link to the sold or active stick, along with allowable changes which are wood type, gemstone / metal/metal flake inlays and length.  If it requires more information than what's listed above, it's considered a "create it from scratch" design.
  • Just one order, and the first 3 to reply thru an ETSY conversation gets the custom.  
Update:

Nora, you've got the 1st spot!
KibiC, you've got the 2nd spot!
Kattabalou, you've got the 3rd spot!

This custom time game is now closed.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Custom Time

Good Morning,

I hope everyone is doing well this chilly Wednesday morning.  I have 3 open spots on the board if anyone would like to place a custom order.  The first 3 requests through ETSY conversations will get the custom orders.

As a reminder, here are the rules of the "Custom Time" game.

  • Existing design only, no "create it from scratch" designs.  Ebony is available, however it cannot be engraved.  An example of what will work would be a full body paua with banded borders.  In this example, the paua is being engraved, not the ebony, and the banded borders I cut by hand.
  • The only information needed is a link to the sold or active stick, along with allowable changes which are wood type, gemstone / metal/metal flake inlays and length.  If it requires more information than what's listed above, it's considered a "create it from scratch" design.
  • Just one order, and the first 3 to reply thru an ETSY conversation gets the custom.  
Update:

Marcee, you've got the 1st spot!
Angelaxyz - you've got number 2!
Mariaasa, You've got the 3rd spot.!

The custom list is now closed.

Friday, December 11, 2015

Fridays - Our favorite day of the week

Good Morning All,

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the holiday season, Santa's not far away.

I want to apologize for the abrupt cloaking of the blog for the past week, we had a few unanticipated distractions, but it's all good.  As you can see, you haven't missed anything.

So, this is our favorite day of the week, we have our Friday night get together with friends, I get to raise my head above ground level for a few hours.  Before the get together this evening however, I get to raise my a head a little higher, as in 2 stories higher.  There's an elderly gentleman (89 years old) who is a member of our Church, and I work with the "Helping Hands" committee.  He's a sweet old guy who just needs some help, and today myself and one of our Pastors are going to go clean his gutters.  For those of you that haven't had the distinct privilege of cleaning gutters, it's a nasty job, especially on a 2 story house.  We live in a 1 story house, and I paid someone to clean ours, so what's wrong with this picture :)  Afterwards it's off to visit my 93 year old mother who lives in skilled nursing, and then we go drink a few beers with our friends.  Suffice it to say, we're not going to be kicking out many sticks today, and hopefully neither I nor our Pastor will fall off the ladder, as that probably wouldn't be a good thing.

Let's talk about customs.  I've had a number of conversations this past week, and have taken quite a few custom orders, and I'm backed up a little bit.  For the time being, I'm not accepting new customs until I've tackled the internal list we've been keeping.  I should have the list cleared sometime next week.  For those of you that I've spoken to, thank you for your kind and encouraging words, and I meant what I said as it relates to your custom orders.

I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable weekend, I'll be back next week with an update on future custom orders. 

Doug

Friday, December 4, 2015

Custom Time

I have 2 open spots on the board if anyone would like to place a custom order.  The first 2 requests through ETSY conversations will get the custom orders.

As a reminder, here are the rules of the "Custom Time" game.

  • Existing design only, no "create it from scratch" designs.  Ebony is not available.
  • The only information needed is a link to the sold or active stick, along with allowable changes which are wood type, gemstone / metal/metal flake inlays and length.  If it requires more information than what's listed above, it's considered a "create it from scratch" design.
  • Just one order, and the first 2 to reply thru an ETSY conversation gets the custom.  
...and 24 hours later, we have the 1st spot taken. I have more openings if anyone is interested.

Shawnah, you've got the 1st spot
SarahM, you've got the 2nd spot.

the list is now closed.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

December 3rd Customs

Good Morning,

Hope everyone is doing well, Erin just reminded me that today is my birthday, so Happy Birthday to me.  We seem to be in a bit of a slump lately with slow sales and few custom orders.  While I'm certainly not a market analyst, I suspect it's due to Black Friday / Cyber Monday along with all of the other big box retailers trying to move their stuff.  Well, just like them, we need to move our stuff also, as we've got bills to pay just like everyone else.  So, I'm going to tweak the custom guidelines a bit.  Until further notice, I'm removing the 30 day time limit on customs, if I just finished a custom for you and you want another one, send me a note. 

Also, as it relates to current inventory, we'll be clearance pricing everything tomorrow around 1:00 PM. Similar in nature to a FNS without removing any inventory in the morning for price adjustments.

I have 3 open spots on the board if anyone would like to place a custom order.  The first 3 requests through ETSY conversations will get the custom orders.

As a reminder, here are the rules of the "Custom Time" game.

  • Existing design only, no "create it from scratch" designs.  Ebony is not available.
  • The only information needed is a link to the sold or active stick, along with allowable changes which are wood type, gemstone / metal/metal flake inlays and length.  If it requires more information than what's listed above, it's considered a "create it from scratch" design.
  • Just one order, and the first 3 to reply thru an ETSY conversation gets the custom.  

Update:

pepperonisam19, you've got the 1st spot!
Lauren, you've got the 2nd spot!
Shawnah, you've got the 3rd spot!

...and only because it's slow, Mariaasa, you've got the 4th spot!

The list is now closed.