Not too much has been going on in the Emporium over the summer...
We had a great holiday in Lido di Jesolo in Italy and visited Venice and the islands of Murano and Burano and another day spent in Verona and Sirmione on Lake Garda. Then had three days in Paris. Fantastic!
Since I've been back, I created an Emporium of Curiosities section on my jewellery website http://www.pirate-treasures.com/ - it's not got masses in it at the moment, but I'm adding my delisted ACEOs from my Folksy shop and more after 1st November when most of my Folksy items will have to be removed due to the new rules.
In case you're not familiar with the new Folksy rules, well you're lucky to have avoided all the nastiness on the Folksy Forums! I've been trying to stay out of it as I haven't decided whether to continue there or not. Basically Folksy want to become a little more upmarket and concentrate on their definition of handmade. However, they have handled it quite badly and many sellers are left very confused, as some of the rules are a bit ambiguous or contradictory advice has been given to different people. I understand Folksy's wish to move away from the hundreds of "bung it on a chain" charm necklaces on sale, but what constitutes "original design" has been interpreted differently and inconsistently. I will go into the jewellery side of the argument in more detail on my other blog later...
As far as the Emporium of Curiosities is concerned, I will no longer be able to list anything (ACEO or greetings card) which has just one stamped image, whether I've inked the background or embossed the image or enhanced it in any way. I will only be able to use stamps if I make a collage or layer or use more than one stamp in order to create an "original design".
One of the (ex-)Folksy sellers has set up a page on her website here dedicated to Supporting Handmade However It's Made (see the badge on the right!), where sellers who have been affected by the new Folksy rules can have a free advert and support each other. If you're on Twitter just search for #shhim or pop by the page to see the links to the ever-growing list of sellers and shops. Some are no longer able to sell on Folksy, but have prepared stock for the busy pre-Christmas selling time and will miss out due to Folksy's bad timing and lack of consideration.
I will be adding more ACEOs to the website over the next week and I'm working on a postcard size collage at the moment. I may be having a stall at a couple of vintage & handmade fairs before Christmas so need to work on some festive themes!
I'd better have lunch first though...
