TheAspenStand

Add Your Personal Touch

2012-02-04T07:07:00.000-07:00

      Avery custom labels can be printed by Zazzle or you can leave the text off of a special background to do the printing at home. The labels below in groups of three are shipping, address and return address size.
     A great deal is that you can order just 10+ sheets of different designs and sizes and still receive a volume discount. The table is listed below for you to see the options. These labels are customizable so you can select a style font, color and size you prefer. The shipping labels also make great property tags, name tags and bookplates.
     Visit TheAspenStand to see a variety of designs on shipping, address and return address labels. See more labels designed as bookplates, name tags, property tags, canning tags and more in the Zazzle Marketplace.

Label Volume Discounts

Quantity	Discount
10 - 24 sheets	10% off
25 - 49 sheets	20% off
50 - 74 sheets	30% off
75 - 99 sheets	40% off
100 - 249 sheets	50% off
250+ sheets	50% off

You don't have to buy multiples of the same Avery label to receive a quantity discount. You'll receive a quantity discount on any order of 10 or more Avery label items!

Blank Is A Good Thing

2012-01-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

     Things happen often enough where a blank greeting or note card can save you from having to run out to buy one. So it's great to have some generic designed cards that don't have any text on them to serve any need, right?
     Blank and ready for your personalization, these horizontal format blue, purple and green greeting cards are adorned with an elegant rough edged spinning design. The card can serve for any occasion when you click Customize it! to add text in a font style, size and color you like on the front and inside. Add text to the inside or leave it blank for a special handwritten note on the inside. The greeting cards match the custom designed A7 sized envelopes with the same design below.
   When checking out the cards, be sure to look at the Volume Discount box in the lower left corner of that card page where you can earn a discount starting at 10+ cards. And you can order a variety of designs that still earn you numbers toward that discount. It's a great deal.
Check the multitude of customizable photography and digital art cards where you can add or remove text when you click HERE to visit at TheAspenStand on Zazzle card section.

Click any of the images below to see your personalizing options on that product page.

Custom Business Cards Now 50% Off

2012-01-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

What does your business card say about you? Classic, unique, creative? Looking to make a change? The classic business card design template offerings on TheAspenStand at Zazzle are easy to personalize. These classic business card sized designs below are just a sample of many unique digital art and photography designed cards you'll find there. The first group of cards below shows a vertical design front. Four of these cards then have all the business data in a horizontal format on the back. Yes, double sided printing all for the same price as single sided printing at Zazzle and a volume discount with just 2 plus boxes of 100 cards. And those two plus boxes don't even have to be of the same business card design.

Easily Customize Your Card

Customizing a specific card to your business is so simple. Once you pick a specific card design to serve your needs, on that product page fill in the template fields with your information, remove any text and / or click the orange Customize it! button to select a font style, size and color you prefer. In customize you can also make other changes like background colors. Click on any of the business card images below to see your options to your customizing options on that particular design.

50% Off Sale Details

Hurry in on the savings and get 50% off of the business card net sale price. It will be deducted when one or more qualifying business cards are purchased and the coupon code BIZCARD4LESS is applied at checkout. The net sale price is the price of the product (excluding shipping and taxes). Offer is valid through January 31, 2012 11:59 pm PT. This offer does not apply to past purchases and may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or volume discount offers. If a volume discount applies to your order, you will receive either the discount set forth in this offer or the standard volume discount, whichever is greater. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only.

Click HERE to visit TheAspenStand at Zazzle for many other unique digital art and photography designed business cards in classic, chubby and skinny sizes.

A "Doggone" Great Photo Model

2011-10-31T06:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay, so it's a four legged model but he's still great. I have been contemplating ideas for photographing my dogs to use on Christmas cards for so long. I finally stopped procrastinating after I received a special request for dogs on Christmas cards.
I tested the props on both our dogs but as I suspected the chocolate Labrador Retriever was the most willing. Not to say our border collie/heeler mix wasn't a good choice, he just wouldn't sit still. Yet I found it comical that when the Lab was doing his best modeling, the border collie wouldn't move more than about two feet away as he watched intently to what was happening.
As I praised both dogs for being so good and calm the lab just closed his eyes lying there half asleep as I swapped out props. Rewards were totally appropriate at the end of the shoot since both boys were so well behaved.
Below are the cards resulting from several of the shots I took that day. Check out more dog photograph Christmas cards at TheAspenStand on Zazzle.

Chocolate Lab In Light Bulb Headband Photograph by Exit178

Chocolate Lab With Antlers And Treat Dreams Photog by Exit178

Sleeping Chocolate Lab With Antlers Photograph by Exit178

Jumpstart the Holiday Season

2011-08-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

Get a jump on all things holiday. Recent Christmas product sales highlighted the fact that smart people are getting a jump start to the upcoming season. Relieve last minute stress and start thinking about your holiday needs. Some thoughts might include an invitation, skinny gift tag (comes in pack of 20) and greeting card with matching stamp to get you thinking.

Check out the volume discount. You don't have to buy multiples of the same card to receive a quantity discount. You'll receive a quantity discount on any order of 10 or more cards!

Click on the image and it will take you to that item in the store.

Tree Ornament & Snowflakes by Exit178
View a different custom printed invite from zazzle.com

Christmas Light Clumps by Exit178
See other Gift card Business Cards

Snowy Rural Scene Christmas Card by Exit178
card designed online at zazzle

It Really Is This Easy

2011-08-03T07:56:00.061-07:00

Personalizing a gift or card for someone special is easier than you might think. Let me show you how you can personalize a greeting card from my Zazzle store TheAspenStand. You'll actually find this particular greeting card in the store with the title "Our Condolences" but I'll show you how easy it is to change it as you see the result at the end of this post.

Pick A Size & Fill In Fields

When you go to the page for this card, you'll see a " 1 Personalize it" and "2 Choose your size"on the left. If you click number "2" you can choose whether you want to personalize and purchase a greeting card at 5" x 7" or a note card at 5.6" X 4". The diagram above shows you what it looks like.

This is a template design so under "Personalize it" you can simply fill in the template fields as shown to the right with text you want or remove the text completely especially on the inside where you can leave room for a handwritten note. The arrows, as well as the text above the field, identify that the first field is for the card front and the second field is for the inside.

Change Other Options

You may decide that you would prefer a different font style, color and size than what is shown so you can also click the orange "Customize it! button you see to the left of the "2." When you click this you'll see the options in the image below. First, be sure to click the text field you want to change. You'll see a blue frame around the text field and a dotted line around the text on the card that you are about to change. When you see the blue frame around the text you will see what you can change in the circle shown below. Click the script "f" inside the circled area to see a list of font styles to select from, click the "+ or -" signs to increase or decrease the font size and click the arrow next to the block of color (white in this case) to select a different color.

The card below is what the card front would look like if you just changed the text in the field and left the font style, size and color.

I'd love to hear your comments about this post. If you have any questions, you can click the contact link on the product page to send a private message. Thank you.

Magical Beauty of Phalaenopsis Orchid by Exit178

Is It Insanity Or Is It Working

2011-07-29T06:27:00.058-07:00

Albert Einsten is attributed with saying insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. So as not to fit into the insanity category in relation to my marketing techniques, I’ve been attempting to improve my blog posts. I use these posts in addition to my presence on Twitter to help promote my photography and digital artwork.

Customizable Products

I use my photography and digital art in designing custom products like this greeting card with a digitally altered photograph of wind chimes that can be personalized at my online Zazzle store TheAspenStand. The Wind Chimes design is also available on a postcard and a poster in several versions all of which you can personalize on the individual product page. Click the greeting card image to the right to see your customizing options on this card.

Stock Photography

I also upload some of my photography for purchase at numerous online stock photography sites like this vertical format image of unripend grapes available from my portfolio on iStockphoto. You can see the other stock photography sites that host my portfolio listed in the upper left panel of this page.

Garnered Attention

The blog still doesn’t seem to attract much attention except for the short post about our Grand Canyon Colorado River rafting trip that included only one photograph. The other post that I see listed in numerous paper.li issues like my paper TheAspenStand Daily is titled Size Matters. That post has appeared in numerous papers probably because I promote it via scheduled tweets and I think the title is also a draw. That post was written after reading about how the blog post title should be one of many components used in attracting readers.

Keyword Enlightenment

So I’ve been working on the post titles and adding subtitles to break up the chunks of information but recently reread 6 Easy Ways To Get More Traffic To Your Blog. Now I’m putting additional focus on placing keywords / tags in the first paragraph and throughout the post instead of just the little box at the end of the draft post.

So the more I read, learn and put into practice I can only hope my efforts are actually working. Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts about this post or how you have attracted readers.

Customize Your Doodle

2011-07-02T16:30:00.010-07:00

So you have all your music loaded on an iPod, computer or cell phone and all you want to do is listen to tunes without the ear buds. Well this little Doodle speaker by OrigAudio™ is a great choice and would also make a great gift. It's been featured on ABC's hit television show "Shark Tank," and written up at Trendy Gadgets , marketwire and TechBlog . According to TechBlog, "...sound quality is great considering the size and power output." The bottom line at TechBlog was, "We highly recommend this gadget!"

The Specs

This gem has a 3.5 mm headphone jack that is compatible with any standard audio device and includes a USB cable to power it via your computer or power it with 2 AAA batteries that you provide. It also boasts a kickstand for easy propping. It's compact at 4.5" long, 2.5" high and 7/8" deep and portable at only 9.6 ounces.

It's Unique

What makes the Doodle by OrigAudio™ so special is that when partnering with Zazzle, you can get custom vibrantly printed fabric face covers designed by thousands of talented artists. You can choose from designs where you are able to customize with text or additional designs or grab one that is just what you want. Check them out and personalize one for yourself or that special someone. They'll make great gifts for the music and tech lovers in your life. Below are only a few of the designs but you can see thousands when you click HERE to visit Zazzle.

Click any image below to see your customizing options on that product page.

And be sure to check out all the merchandise at TheAspenStand. And I'd love to hear your comments.

Get 35% OFF Custom Cards

2011-06-21T07:45:00.024-07:00

Thirty five percent of the card net sale price will be deducted when one or more qualifying cards are purchased and the coupon code OCCASIONCARD is applied at checkout. The net sale price is the price of the product (excluding shipping and taxes). Offer is valid through August 31, 2011 11:59pm PT. This offer does not apply to past purchases and may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or volume discount offers. If a volume discount applies to your order, you will receive either the discount set forth in this offer or the standard volume discount, whichever is greater. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only.
Blank and ready for your personalization, these horizontal format blue, purple and green greeting cards are adorned with an elegant rough edged spinning design. The card can serve for any occasion when you click Customize it! to add text in a font style, size and color you like on the front and inside or leave it blank for a special handwritten note on the inside. The greeting cards match the custom designed A7 sized envelopes with the same design below.

Click any of the images below to see your personalizing options on that product page.

Cool Rolling Art Business Card Designs

2011-06-18T08:00:00.016-07:00

Curly, purple and easy to personalize, These classic business cards are designed with a broken purple spiral digital art design. This design can serve for any occupation when you fill in the template fields with your information, remove any text and/or click Customize it! to select a font style, size and color you prefer. Click HERE to visit TheAspenStand at Zazzle for many other unique digital art and photography designed business cards in classic, chubby and skinny sizes.

Click on any of the images below to see your options on that product page.

And Get 35% Off Business Cards

35% of the business card pack net sale price will be deducted when one or more qualifying business card packs are purchased and the coupon code PROFESSIONAL is applied at checkout. The net sale price is the price of the product (excluding shipping and taxes). Offer is valid through August 31, 2011 11:59pm PT. This offer does not apply to past purchases and may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or volume discount offers. If a volume discount applies to your order, you will receive either the discount set forth in this offer or the standard volume discount, whichever is greater. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only.

Expires 8/31/2011.

Imaginary Friends Make Great Pals

2011-06-15T07:21:00.003-07:00

So how many imaginary friends do you have? Do you find yourself talking to no one and thinking you should name it? What does it look like?

While listening to a lot of babble in the background one day and thinking about a humorous conversation from a recent dinner, I slipped into a childhood memory. So I have to say the Imaginary Friends category in TheAspenStand at Zazzle was inspired during that stroll down memory lane.

No, these weren't my friends but those of someone close to me. I often wondered what they looked like and started to create them in my head knowing they had to be cartoons. Once I sketched them out I could see they could easily become anyone's imaginary friends.

The characters on the apron and magnet are what I created from that fun flashback. These two good friends are now sharing or individually on more than 20 products. All the products are customizable so you can change the text to a message you prefer. You might even add a name to personalize these little buddies. Click on either image to see your options on that product page or click this Imaginary Friends link to view the entire category. They are meant to be fun so go for it and giggle a little while you're at it.

I would love to hear your comments so feel free to leave one on the blog. If you have any questions about the products, contact me via the "Contact" link on an actual product page or the "Send Message" in the left column of other pages at TheAspenStand on Zazzle. Thanks.
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Volume Doesn't Have To Mean Purchasing Hundreds

2011-05-25T08:09:00.000-07:00

     I'm here to let you in on what I think is an overlooked fact when purchasing items from Zazzle. You see, there is a Volume Discount on many items and some discounts begin with as little as 2 (2 boxes of 100 business cards is $3.47 off per box) orders of the same type product purchase. So for example I'm going to show you multiple customizable stationery designs. I've selected several of my border style designs to help explain this. On these designs you can either fill in a template field on the product page with information you want to appear on it. On other designs you can click the orange Customize it! button to add text or to select a different font style, size and color than I did.
   So with stationery, you can order 25 sheets and get 30% off (per sheet). I've included the Stationery Volume Discounts table at the end of this post. The especially nice point here is that you can order different stationery designs (even from my store and another shop keepers store) and still get the discount. So for example if you wanted to order 10 sheets of the Purple Swirl Border stationery below and personalize it for a teacher's gift you could also personalize 15 sheets of the Pink & Peach Swirl Border design for yourself or some else as a gift to get the 30% volume discount for ordering 25 sheets.
     Click on any of the images below to see your personalizing options on that product page. You can also click HERE to see other Stationery designs at TheAspenStand on Zazzle.

Now when I say border, it can also include partial borders like the Yellow Flower & Filigree and Fractal Flower & Leaf Borders designs below.

I would love to hear your comments and if you have any questions, feel free to contact me via the "Contact" link on an actual product page or the "Send Message" in the left column of other pages. Thank you.

Stationery Volume Discounts

Quantity	Discount
25-49	30% off
50-99	45% off
100-249	55% off
250+	60% off

Colorful Torch Lily

2011-05-18T07:46:00.082-07:00

     My “Torch Lilies” aren’t blooming yet but the greenery looks healthy so I’m looking forward to a nice crop of flowers soon. I even saw a new growth in an area where one plant had been pulled up by our puppy 2 years ago.   That year he decided if I could dig holes and put things in the ground it must have been okay for him to dig holes to pull them out. It was a short lived puppy thing.
     If you haven’t seen them, the “Red Hot Poker” flower is a true eye catcher. I remember first seeing them in downtown Flagstaff, AZ and wondering what they were. The plant is a southern African perennial classified as Kniphofia also known as Tritoma. The flowers I’ve seen are a red, orange and yellow; however, I’ve read there are also cream colored blooms. The bloom is in the shape of a rocket and the flower head can reach 5 feet. The entire flower consists of spikes of drooping tubular flowers.
     The plant which grows in full sun is considered heat and drought tolerant but watering is recommended during the driest periods of summer. They are considered to do well in mid-summer's heat. To promote continuous blooms all the way to fall, it is recommended that you remove (known as deadheading) spent flower blooms. In this case, it is recommended you remove the entire spike.
     After taking a close up back lighted photograph of this beauty, I added it to numerous products such as the invitation above and the iPad Speck® fitted hard case and business card below. If you’d like to see more products, click HERE to visit TheAspenStand at Zazzle to check out the Torch Lily product category.
   I welcome comments on the post or my products. Thanks.

Click any of the images above to see your options on the product page.

Three Day 15% Off Spring Sale

2011-05-16T10:52:00.001-07:00

Flowers come to mind with a fresh Spring sale but there is plenty more to check out when you click HERE to see what's at TheAspenStand on Zazzle.

Fifteen percent of the Zazzle product net sale price will be deducted when one or more qualifying products are purchased and the coupon code SPRINGSAVING is applied at checkout. For most products, the net sale price is the price of the product (excluding shipping and taxes). For Zazzle Custom Stamps, the net sale price is the difference between the price of the Zazzle Custom Stamps (excluding shipping and taxes) and the face value of the postage. Offer is valid until May 19, 2011 at 11:59pm PT. This promotional offer may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or volume discount offers. If a volume discount applies to your order, you will receive either the discount set forth in this offer or the standard volume discount, whichever is greater. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only. Zazzle, the Zazzle logo, Zazzle Custom Stamps, and Zazzle Profile Cards are registered trademarks or trademarks of Zazzle Inc. in the United States and other countries.

Click the image to see your options on that product page.

Four Hour 50% Off Mouse Pad Sale

2011-05-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

Get a huge jump on holiday gift purchase with a 50% Off sale. 50% percent of the mousepad net sale price will be deducted when one or more qualifying items are purchased and the coupon code FFHSMOUSEPAD is applied at checkout on or before May 13, 2011 4:01pm PT. 20% of the mousepad net sale price will be deducted when one or more qualifying items are purchased and the coupon code FFHSMOUSEPAD is applied at checkout on or before May 15, 2011 11:59pm PT. No discount will be applied after May 15, 2011. The net sale price is the price of the product (excluding shipping and taxes). This offer does not apply to past purchases and may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or volume discount offers. If a volume discount applies to your order, you will receive either the discount set forth in this offer or the standard volume discount, whichever is greater. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only. Zazzle, the Zazzle logo, Zazzle Custom Stamps, and Zazzle Profile Cards are registered trademarks or trademarks of Zazzle Inc. in the United States and other countries.

Click on the image to see your customizing options on the product page.

Two Words That Make Me Very Happy To Repeat

2011-05-11T05:44:00.012-07:00

Tattered Heart Border by Exit178

If I’m not with the pets all day, I can guarantee that I say “thank you” to most people with whom I interact. A cashier at the store, the postal worker or someone I’ve spoken to on the phone most definitely get my thanks. And I’ve written store managers to thank them for having dedicated and efficient employees, of course after thanking the employee during service that went above and beyond.

Service With Frosting

Several occasions come to mind that made me decide this was going to be my next blog post. The story that tops them all was service at a local store. A couple of days after superior service at this location, I received a handwritten personal thank you note for doing business with that particular company. The wonderful service alone would have gotten my recommendation for others to visit that store but the thank you was frosting on an already sweet experience.

The Twitter Phenomenon

The other story I wanted to share is the number of friendly folks on Twitter. I don't personally know about 90 percent of the people I follow on Twitter yet it's like a conference call in text. Sure, I know a lot of the Tweeters through forums and common interests but that doesn't mean people are going to be congenial yet there's a lot of sharing and thank you tweets going around on a daily basis.

Distractions Be Gone

Life is so busy and people are so distracted by all the daily routines that sometimes courtesy gets lost in the activities of the day. After my husband held the door for a couple, who seemed totally distracted I turned back and said “you’re welcome” when they just walked off. I don’t mind giving anyone a bit of a nudge so to speak.

Some Form Is Better Than None

When interacting online, I make sure to say thank you and even an email which may seem quite impersonal can be better than nothing. So don’t hesitate to remind me if I forget and I hope you too are as willing and happy to thank those who earn it.

Salmon Glare by Exit178

Keep Some On Hand

I’m quite aware most people don’t use postal mail when they can email, text or call nowadays but it’s always nice to have either blank or custom cards that you can use for a simple “Thank You Note.” You can check out the selection of thank you cards, greeting card and the smaller note sized, HERE in my Zazzle store TheAspenStand. Other cards in the store can be customized or are templates that can be made into Thank You cards.

I would love to hear your comments or stories where a “thank you” effected you.

Lazy And Disrespectful Come To Mind

2011-05-04T05:17:00.002-07:00

Sharing Our Surroundings

Summer morning on Garland Prairie, Northern Arizona

At a young age I learned sharing as I’m sure so many of you also did. I love sharing the environment in which I live and by which I’m surrounded. I also respect the environment of places I visit so that it can continue to be shared.
This little rant is a bit off my normal postings but I feel it is important. Writing this is important for me to get this unhappiness with some people off my chest and important to remind all who share the environment to leave it as you would want to find it.

Take It If It Doesn't Belong

You see I have this “obsessive compulsive” habit of picking up trash when I’m out and about. I’d like to believe that others inadvertently drop trash or it blows off from a holding place. I’d really like to think that but know I’d be living in a dream world because of the manner in which I find some of this trash.

What Are The Clues?

While I’m hiking forest trails and prairies, I always assume a ripped plastic bag tethered to a piece of brush was a blow away. I assume the bag got away from someone so I pull out one of the bags I carry on my hikes and start sharing. I pick up objects that don't belong. And eventually I come to the pile that says, “We were lazy and disrespectful people who drank/ate here, left all the trash to ruin the natural beauty and don't care if anyone picks it up.” No joke, that is just what runs through my mind with each of the piles I find and it absolutely ticks me off.

Recyclables Top The List

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle by Exit178

I generally return home with more recyclables than not…aluminum cans, glass bottles, plastic water bottles, plastic bags and cardboard/paper. So why is it that I can pick it up, carry it home, separate it and take it to a recycling location and others can’t simply take it out of the natural environment they share with us and put it in a trash bin?

It’s Good For The Heart

If I am disturbing you by what I say then stop reading because you can’t feel as strongly about this as I do. Come on people, sharing makes one feel good and in this case cleaning up after yourself leaves the environment as you would like to find it. Picking up one’s trash isn’t a whole lot to expect!
What's your role in keeping your surroundings natural? I’d love to hear your comments.

Wondering If Those Squiggly Designs Really Work

2011-04-27T06:03:00.050-07:00

I was introduced to the “little squiggly black designs in a square format” called a QR code some time ago when it was explained that the value of the code was to help market my Zazzle store and products.

At the time, I didn’t own a smart phone to check how it worked and people I asked who had smart phones didn’t have or use the app to read the code so I didn’t think much more about it. I did find a QR code generator, input the URL for my store TheAspenStand at Zazzle and got a code which I saved.

Lately, I’ve seen QR codes more frequently. I saw it in the May 2011 Arizona Highways issue “A Special State Parks Guide.” I still don’t have a smart phone but I’m assuming that QR code sends readers to the website for Arizona Highways website as it explains next to the code.

I read this information on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia which verifies what I’d heard. “A QR code (short for Quick Response) is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera phones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data.”

Although a year old, I found this article "What BusinessCard? Just Scan My QR Code" from March 2010 interesting because it showed me a whole new way as to how the QR code could be used. “What are QR codes?” was the most current data I found and reinforced that they are a bit more popular than when I was first introduced to them.

So I uploaded the code that I’d saved to Twitpix and asked the friendly Zazzle shop keepers at The ZUG forum who owned a smart phone with the app to let me know if it worked. A couple of members verified that the code I had saved worked as described so I decided to start adding it to some products. This back side of this customizable greeting card is the first product to display my store QR code. When you click the image to see it on the product page, look at the back side of the greeting card and "Voila" I’ve launched the “little squiggly black designs in a square format” called a QR code.

Blue Collar, Red Heart Cat Love by Exit178

It would be nice if someday I was told that my store/product was found by reading a QR code from somewhere. Check out the related articles below for more information.

I always appreciate feedback, so leave a comment or simply provide some thoughts.

Is It Morning Already?

2011-04-25T04:34:00.008-07:00

"I hate morning's. Just sayin'"

I Think I'm Doing This Right

2011-04-20T06:17:00.004-07:00

So am I doing this right? I ask myself how to improve my store's presence as I read about other Zazzle shop keepers (SK) doing so well with their store(s). Maybe this is just a rhetorical question and I’m writing this to make myself feel better…hmmm. I know this sounds strange but I need to know what I’m doing right so I can do more of it and depart from whatever I’m doing wrong that is wasting my time.

I’m absolutely ecstatic to add my photography and digital artwork to products but I’d really like to see my passion be seen and enjoyed by more people.

So am I wasting my time? My store TheAspenStand at Zazzle will be open two years in June and as of this writing, I’m bouncing around 2300 products. I have consistently reached my goal of adding 100 new products per month since I set the goal sometime in 2009. I probably average 20-30 products per design but only if the design does justice to the product. I add designs with a critical eye and put great effort in descriptions, keywords and category selection.

My store is an eclectic collection of my photography and artwork so I don’t have a niche and know trying to come up with one would be a waste of time unless it hits me in the face.

I’m active in TheZUG forum where I’ve learned so much from the congenial group of sharing Zazzle SKs that I probably wouldn’t have had as much success if not for spending time there.

I’m @Exit178 on Twitter where I’m quite interactive. I have hourly scheduled posts most days to my Zazzle products, quotes that mean sometime to me and interesting reads. I RT a lot of people’s tweets and I am quite interactive with people I follow and who follow me. I have a picture and bio on my ID with links to my Zazzle store and blog which I've read is vital.

On my Facebook page TheAspenStand, I don’t try to overwhelm with what I’m selling but try to be interactive with other page owners when something is of interest do me. I don’t just like, share or comment for the sake of doing it.

I have this blog TheAspenStand, where I try to write at least once a week about photography, stock photography or my Zazzle store.

I have two blogs on posterous, TheAspenStand and TAS Shadow. TheAspenStand highlights products from my Zazzle store and on (TheAspenStand) TAS Shadow, I promote fabulous products and designs from other Zazzle shopkeepers.

Tumblr, TheAspenStand, is still kind of an anomaly for me but I try to put up my photography there whether it’s a Zazzle product or just a photograph I like.

I recently started puttering around with the TheAspenStand at WordPress because it was produced when there was a scare that Blogger was closing Zazzle shopkeeper blogs for no reason. It had been sitting dormant since October which I know is doing me no good.

I'm doing a couple of other options that I didn't mention but I figure you get the picture as to the major tools I use. So if I’m on track with all this where can I do more or can I do less? I think writing this out has been as helpful as talking out loud to myself. Off to figure out what more I can do.

I always appreciate feedback, so leave a comment or simply provide some thoughts.

Foto Friday $5 Coupon

2011-04-14T06:15:00.001-07:00

Okay so after you've checked out all the interesting stuff at TheAspenStand on Zazzle. You found this wonderful tee shirt for someone special (or for you), you customize it, order it and love it when it arrives.

Softer Side of Orange by Exit178

Now here's a real easy way to earn $5 on your next purchase. It's called Foto Friday and it's at Zazzle. Click HERE to take a peak at how fun and easy it looks then check out the instructions below on how you can earn $5.

Here are the instructions directly from the Zazzle Blog.

     "Want to join in? It’s easy and fun! For every photo you send us we’ll give you $5 to use on your next Zazzle order. So get started taking those pictures and join in on the Foto Friday fun!
Rules:
     You must be in the photo holding, wearing, hugging, or otherwise enjoying your Zazzle product. If the product is available in the public Zazzle Marketplace, include the product link
Be creative and have fun!
     You can tweet your photos to @zazzle or do it the old fashioned way by emailing them to community@zazzle.com ".

What Meaning Do You See In It?

2011-04-13T07:54:00.002-07:00

Missing Puzzle Piece by Exit178

I've taken and uploaded so many photos on stock photography sites that once in a while I come across one I'd totally forgotten. I was reacquainted with this image when a friend ordered it as a print. I really wanted to do something with it after I saw it mounted and framed. I had an idea in mind when I shot it for stock photography but had not used it on any of TheAspenStand at Zazzle products.
I immediately went to work placing the photo on products and adding my personal touches. So many ideas came to mind: individual, standout, independent, lost, holdout. With those thoughts in mind, I added my ideas on different products to kindle ideas for buyers. That allows each buyer to simply fill in template fields to personalize/change the text. On other products, I left it blank and the option to go into "Customize it!" where you can add your own thoughts if they desire.

Missing Puzzle Piece by Exit178

     The mouse pad above displays one of my ideas, while on the square sticker there's a completely different thought process to identify personal property such as books and binders. You will see the apron and reusable tote bag where I've cut out the border puzzle pieces to leave an uneven edged design. While you are checking out those items on their respective product pages, be sure to see how the design looks on a different style and color tote and apron.
     You can click HERE to see the "Missing Puzzle Piece" category currently containing 24 products and see what ideas they fuel for you.
     The best part about the majority of TheAspenStand products is that you can personalize them for a special gift for someone else or for you.
   Be sure to look at the bottom of each product page to see if a "Volume Discount" might work for you.
     I appreciate any feedback on my posts so please leave a comment if you found this post informative or to simply provide some feedback on it. And if you would like to receive promotional emails please send an email requesting so to TheAspenStand@hotmail.com

Four Uses One Product

2011-04-06T06:04:00.022-07:00

"Save the Date" Lighted Heart by Exit178

I've seen postcards used in some innovative ways so this post offers you some of the ideas as to how I've used designs on postcards and shows how you can get a Volume Discount. The ideas in this post don't alleviate you from using these as a simple postcard too.

The first design is a lighted heart digital artwork "Save the Date" which can be used for wedding, wedding shower, baby shower, anniversary party or more. The back is a customizable template with the same diminished opacity design where you can fill in and remove text for your needs.

If you mail it as a post card you save on postage but you can always place it in an envelope for mailing. There is also a matching "Save the Date" stamp you can see HERE. You can see this design with a red and white background when you click HERE .


Missing Puzzle Piece by Exit178

The second design is a digital photograph of a blue streaked segment of a black background section of a jigsaw puzzle with a missing piece.

It's another idea possibly for a social group meeting or a business open house announcement just as examples. The front is a template but you can go into customize and add additional text on the back or leave it for a handwritten note.

Pink Water Lily by Exit178

The third postcard was designed as a recipe card template which sports a colorful digital photograph of a water lily framed in colors plucked from the image. The template fields are available on the front and back which can be changed or text removed to fit your needs.

You don't have to buy multiples of the same postcard to receive a quantity discount. You'll receive a quantity discount on any order of 8 or more postcards!

Below you can see the schedule of discounts when you order in bulk. As you see by the chart, you'll receive a quantity discount on any order of 8 or more postcards! And you don't have to buy all the same postcard or all from one store.

Postcard Volume Discounts

Quantity	Discount
8 - 24 postcards	$0.12 off
25 - 49 postcards	$0.20 off
50 - 99 postcards	$0.25 off
100 - 249 postcards	$0.30 off
250+ postcards	$0.35 off

I hope this has been helpful and I appreciate any feedback on my posts so please leave a comment if you found this post advantageous or to simply provide some thoughts on it. And if you want to receive promotional emails please send an email to TheAspenStand@hotmail.com

Terra Cotta Sun On Rocks & Sand Greeting Card

2011-04-03T20:10:00.002-07:00

Still working on completion of more products with this design but you can check out what is currently in the Terra Cotta Sun category to see products like this greeting card below.

Terra Cotta Sun With Rocks And Sand by Exit178

A Delight For the Technically Averse

2011-03-30T05:14:00.003-07:00


Terra Cotta Edged Flower Bouquet by Exit178

It's been quite a while since I took actual pen to paper but there are still a lot of people who do it quite often. I had those folks in mind when I designed this Terra Cotta Edge Flower Bouquet writing set. Here you'll see stationery, matching A2 envelope and the links to a sticker to seal and stamp to mail it.
This design began as a colorful flower bouquet of red and orange roses and yellow daisies. I enjoy trying out new techniques to alter my photographs and was quite pleased with this one so I designed numerous products. Products as the one's I previously mentioned would collectively or singularly make a great gift.
If you plan now you might consider presenting some of these to a special teacher at the end of the school year. You could coordinate it with several parents so it's a very reasonable cost. A nice practice at Zazzle is that you can purchase different sheets and still earn a Stationery Volume Discount beginning at 25 sheets.

Terra Cotta Edged Flower Bouquet by Exit178

You'll find two stationery designs here. The stationery sheet in the upper right has a diminished opacity use of the design and the sheet on the left has the design as a corner detail. Both designs allow for personalizing by adding text in place of what is currently on the template. Although both have name text at the top and address information at the bottom, both can be easily changed or totally removed for an entirely blank sheet. In my Zazzle store TheAspenStand you will find another sheet design where the bouquet is on the bottom right corner and allows for the same personalizing.


Terra Cotta Edged Flower Bouquet by Exit178

As I mentioned in the lead there are A2 sized envelopes using the same design. The one at right uses the entire design inside and outside. The outside design is at a diminished capacity so as not to interfere with text. The one below has the same inside design but only has the bouquet in the corner.

Click HERE to view in store.

On this design, you can customize it by selecting a different envelope color (background color). When you visit the Terra Cotta Edged Flower Bouquet category in the store, you will also see that envelope with the bouquet in the lower right corner. To round out a very nice gift package, click HERE see the Terra Cotta Edged Flower Bouquet postage stamp that complements the envelope. The 1 1/2" round sticker which can be used to seal the envelope and an entire gift package can be found when you click HERE.
Click HERE and you can find a multitude of other products with the Terra Cotta Edged Flower Bouquet design including greeting cards and aprons.

Ever Vigilant

2011-03-25T07:49:00.003-07:00

Don't you eyeball my red basket bed. I got dibs!

You Don't Have to be a Zealot to do your Part

2011-03-23T08:21:00.003-07:00

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle by Exit178

Have you heard of a Mobius Loop? If you check products to place in your recycle bin or take to a recycling center, you've seen it. You've probably seen it hundreds of times but just didn't know what it is called.
The Mobius Loop as seen on this sticker means items with this symbol can be recycled if there are local facilities or services available. You'll generally also see a number which helps you determine it's location in recycling bins.

Pink Crinkled Shreds by Exit178

     I've been reusing since a kid. Not that it was much talked about then but when you know items cost money that you don't have you definitely reuse what you can. Sheet paper with writing on one side was always used for lists and drawing with crayons when the other side was empty.
     Now living in an environment where we haul water to our cistern "water conservation" is a normal practice along with composting. Some people don't think of these things when surrounded by ample water where they've never had the water stop running from the faucet. I'm sure there are a lot of other things we could do and probably will but for now we really try to make our contribution.
      My Zazzle product designs shown here are just a simple eco-friendly reminder.   The two designs above use a photograph of crinkled, shredded paper strips which make great packing material and can be reused often as one gift if passed on to someone who reuses the paper.

Christmas Recyclables by Exit178

Since holidays, birthdays and other such events produce a lot of paper waste, I decided to make a Christmas ornament and some stickers as festive reminders to recycle items like the wrapping paper waste and find a Christmas tree recycle facility. Many communities have recycling services to put old Christmas trees to use as a wildlife sanctuary, on a sand dune to protect the beach, chipped for mulch or as excellent refuge and feeding area for fish.
If you are interested in spreading the eco-friendly word, you can check out stickers, stamps, magnets, bumper stickers and even Christmas ornaments and stickers like the ornament to the right. Click HERE under "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" in my store TheAspenStand.

Two Smart Money Saving Ideas

2011-03-16T06:35:00.007-07:00


Click the image to see in store options.

Promotion and Coupon Deals

     Yes, I said "last year" because it's getting close to that time when I need to do it again. It was a smart way to save money on all the birthday and anniversary cards I would need for the upcoming year.   I made a list of all the cards I would need and I waited for a Zazzle promotion to order the greeting and note cards I needed for the entire year. I even ordered Christmas cards.
     Ordering from Zazzle has an added incentive because you can select from thousands of designs that you can personalize such as this Mother's Day card where you can change the text on the outside and leave the inside blank for a hand written note or customize it for a any occasion inside and out. Customize also allows you to order in either the 5" x 7" greeting card size or the 4" x 5.6" note size.
     You can take advantage of a promotion like I did by having me send you Zazzle sale and promotional emails. Send me an email at TheAspenStand@hotmail.com asking for promotional emails and I'll forward you the link to the promotional information I receive. You decide on which ones to take advantage of and make the most of those promotions.

Click the image to see in store options.

Volume Discounts

There is also another way to save on cards if you don't want to receive the promotional emails from me. You can order greeting and note cards all at one time to receive a "Volume Discount" at Zazzle.

You don't have to buy multiples of the same card to receive a quantity discount so you can peruse all the Zazzle stores to find what you are looking for and get the discount once you've added them all to your shopping cart.

Zazzle has thousands of talented artists and designers like Deb Schmidt whose stores include Beachwalker's Time on the Beach and Woodswalker where you'll find designs like this beach scene card on the left.

Below you can see the schedule of discounts when you order in bulk. As you see by the chart, you'll receive a quantity discount on any order of 10 or more cards! And as I mentioned earlier, you don't have to buy them all from one store.
I appreciate any feedback on my posts so please leave a comment if you found this post advantageous or to simply provide some feedback on it. And if you want to receive the promotional emails please send an email to TheAspenStand@hotmail.com

Card Volume Discounts

Quantity	Discount
10 - 19 cards	$0.50 off
20 - 49 cards	$1.20 off
50 - 99 cards	$1.30 off
100 - 499 cards	$1.40 off
500 - 1999 cards	$1.60 off
2000+ cards	$1.70 off

Keep Em Close With A Custom Fob!

2011-03-12T06:00:00.006-07:00

Click HERE to view in store.

     How do you use your key chain? Want to carry cherished memories everywhere you go, promote your business or send a message? How about a bulk order for a great party favor, wedding favor or more. Zazzle offers you this practical and fun gift already designed, customizable or you can start from scratch.
     You can choose from five styles and sizes. The round 2.25" diameter style (left) has scratch and UV-resistant Mylar covering, fits well in your pocket or purse and has a tight-fitting clasp that keeps keys together. It can also be purchased in bulk: 10-49 key chains 17% off; 50-99 key chains 29% off; 100+ 36% off.
     The premium square keychain (below right) is offered in 1.38" and 2". The round premiums are 1.44" and 2.125". The premiums have full-color, full-bleed printing, UV resistant and waterproof and silver colored metal charm and ring.

Click HERE to view in store.

Upload your favorite photos and artwork (like the square premium key chain below) and keep your keys together with your own unique design, or use your business logo to make a personalized token of appreciation for customers, clients, and friends. Add your one-of-a-kind image or special message to a Mylar-covered keychain or one of the premium styles.

Visit the Zazzle Marketplace to see thousands of designs that you can personalize or make your own.

Click HERE to view in store.
by Wasootch

There is a 10% off promotion on key chains at Zazzle through April 1, 2011 so this is a great time to check them out. Get 10% of the keychain net sale price will be deducted when one or more qualifying keychain items are purchased. The coupon code KEYCHAINDEAL must be entered during checkout to receive the offer. The net sale price is the price of the product (excluding shipping and taxes).

This offer is valid through April 1, 2011 at 11:59pm PT. This offer does not apply to past purchases and may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or volume discount offers. If a volume discount applies to your order, you will receive either the discount set forth in this offer or the standard volume discount, whichever is greater. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only.

Even An Old Dog Can Wear Cool Kicks

2011-03-09T08:48:00.000-07:00

As time grew closer to when I knew my custom designed and personalized classic PRO-Keds Royal Hi sneakers would soon arrive, all I could think of was the chorus of the song "Anticipation" by Carly Simon.

~ "Anticipation, anticipation. Is makin' me late. Is keepin' me waitin'." ~

This old dog is going to get some strange looks when I wear them and a big ole smile into town but it will be even more fun when I say I designed and personalized them.

Softer Side of Orange by Exit178

   The shoe to the left is what I originally designed and has been in my store for a while. I was ready to personalize them for myself.
     I was aware it would take an approximate month for production plus shipping when I ordered these Softer Side of Orange custom shoes. I didn't really think about them too much until I received the email advising me that the shoes were in the shipping queue and I was able to track the FedEx package.
      Now that they have arrived and been scrutinized, I can totally recommend the custom orders. The wait was definitely worth it. The picture above shows these vibrant yellow and orange "kicks" on my feet at home. The picture below is as it is seen in my Zazzle store TheAspenStand with those same vibrant colors. There were no unexpected surprises. They are what was described and as designed! They even came in a white cinch bag labeled "PRO-KED Custom" which is a nice little touch if you give the shoes as a gift.
     What's exceptionally nice about ordering Keds is that you can personalize the trim on the shoes. You can see what they looked like above left and how I personalized them below. I chose orange laces with black upper and lower midsole, black eyelets, toe cap and toe bumper. I kept the orange upper and tongue binding. My stitching is white and the lining yellow. So if you order a pair you get to pick trim choices that appeal to you.
   How do they fit you ask? The sizing chart was extremely accurate. I ordered a size 5 which is equivalent to a 6.5 sized woman's shoe and they fit perfectly. The whole experience of personalizing was fun and I'm ecstatic they are all that I expected.

Softer Side of Orange by Exit178

My only regret is that I have to wait on wearing them around the neighborhood until the ground dries up so I don't dirty them with red lava rock mud. In the meantime, I'm wearing them around inside of the house just like a kid at Christmas.
If you have any questions on how to customize these, please feel free to write me via my storefront. To do that click HERE and you will see "Send A Message" in the left column of TheAspenStand front page above "Store Stats."

I would love to hear your thoughts or know what you think about this particular shoe design so please feel free to leave a comment here on the blog.

No Toss Gift Tag for the Graduate

2011-03-02T07:23:00.017-07:00

Click HERE to see it in the store.

Graduation is fast approaching and you may be thinking about some gift ideas. Does the fact that you can personalize a gift for the special graduate sound good to you? If so let me show you a couple of ideas on some ceramic ornaments. These designs are customizable templates that allow you to do a lot to personalize them.

Click HERE to see it in the store.

Since your graduate is probably going to get other gifts, you can use this ornament as the gift tag and it remains as a memento long after the wrapping paper, box and normal gift tag get tossed.

The design on the upper left is the front of a graduation ceramic star ornament where you can easily upload and add the photograph of the "star" graduate to the memento.

To the upper right, you see the back of the star shaped ornament that is also easily customizable when you use the template fields to fill in the information that is pertinent to your grad.

Zazzle offers a variety of ceramic ornament shapes including heart, oval, tee-shirt and round. The premium line of ornaments include a round and square metal ornament.

In keeping with the graduation memorabilia idea, I've also used a similar design on the round ceramic ornament you see here.

Click HERE to see it in the store.

On both ornaments, you upload and place your favorite photograph of the special graduate in the "Personalize it!" segment of the product page. Then you can continue to the other template fields and fill in the pertinent information about the grad.

Click HERE to see it in the store.

In this image to the right, you can see the different use of the fractal heart design. On this design, the name is separated from the class information. The class details are encircled by a heart segment of the fractal design.

On both of these designs, I've left you the option to click "Customize it!" and select completely different fonts than I've chosen or move text around if you feel comfortable in the editing mode.

If you have any questions on how to make this work for you, please feel free to write me via my storefront. To do that click HERE and you will see "Send A Message" in the left column of TheAspenStand front page above "Store Stats."

I would love to hear your thoughts and know what you think about these designs so please feel free to leave a comment.

Save The Date Magnet

2011-02-09T21:31:00.005-07:00

Click image for customizing options.

One of my favorite places to save important dates, notes and trivia is the "refrigerator door." It's obvious we are not the only people who do this because when walking into someone's home one can learn a lot about the residents by what is affixed to the fridge doors.

Click image for customizing options.

So what a great idea to send out magnets as "Save the Date" reminders for the big day. The recipient has a beautiful in your face, get your act together reminder to get prepared for that date.

I was fairly sure June has been the most popular wedding month over the years, thus the title "June Bride" but I've read that the other summer months and October and May are also very popular.

This means we are at the leading edge of the May and June dates for this year but have a good head start for the later summer months and well prepared for next year.

Since "Save The Date" magnets are something that would normally be ordered in bulk the great news is that we have volume discounts. And additionally good to know is that

Click image for customizing options.

you don't have to buy multiples of the same magnet to receive a quantity discount.I have listed the quantities and discounts available.

So with volume discount and the ability to order different magnets, you can purchase a quantity needed from each of the three designs to make your entire total.

Quantity	Discount
10 - 49 magnets	17% off
50 - 99 magnets	29% off
100+ magnets	36% off

"The Mayor" Would Approve

2011-02-02T12:23:00.003-07:00

If you connect with your pets like we do, you’ll understand our desire to support the efforts of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and Humane Society International (HSI) in seeing the success of Spay Day 2011.

The 17^th annual Spay Day is on Tuesday, February 22, 2011 with events in honor of Spay Day taking place throughout February.

I found out about the contest via Print-On-Demand company Zazzle, where I operate TheAspenStand store and where HSUS also sells products. Zazzle has partnered with the HSUS and HSI to create awareness and raise funds for homeless pets around the world.

By entering the contest, I can help spread the “spay and neuter” message and help save an animal’s life. So here is our story to help you understand why you should vote for Lugnut.

We had to choose one of our wonderful pets as the contest entry knowing he/she should attract enough attention that it would most benefit the effort. The selection didn’t take a long thought process for two reasons. First reason we selected Lugnut is that he is a photogenic rescued Maine Coon mix and second reason is we miss “The Mayor” very much because he’s no longer with us. You'll see the wings on the sides of his name on the contest page. We had a great life together and now he can help us promote a great cause.

We only had about a total of 300 characters, for the most part, to tell our story for the contest entry so I added a bit more here.

I volunteered for a bit over one year at the Arizona Humane Society (AHS) Nina Mason Pulliam Campus for Compassion where Lugnut had been for several weeks. He would come to the glass, rub it and talk each time I saw him. After several weeks of hoping he’d be adopted, I decided he was going home with me.

He talked like no other cat we knew and he loved a lap. When we moved to Northern Arizona there was no keeping him inside. Neighbors shared stories of his visits and the most popular was that he was seen peeking through their glass doors. That’s how he earned the nickname “The Mayor.”

    I’ve shared several Lugnut photos on this post but you can see my Spay Day 2011 contest entry when you click HERE and support the HSUS, HSI effort by donating. Yes, I may win something in the contest but my desire is more to spread the “Spay Day 2011” word using the face of our beautiful, adopted, neutered Lugnut.
   The SPAY DAY ONLINE PET PHOTO CONTEST began January 19, 201. All votes must be in by March 3 at 10 p.m. ET.
     Thank you for stopping by to share in our story and if you have the means I hope you will support the spay/neuter effort.

Save With A Bulk Order

2011-02-02T09:25:00.001-07:00

Finding ways to save money in the current economy is on many a mind. The description "bulk order" makes some people think of large quantities but at TheAspenStand you can order as few as 10 greeting/note cards and save. Also, you don't have to buy multiples of the same card to receive a "quantity discount" as it is referred to at Zazzle.

Click HERE to see customizing options in the store.

Planning ahead can be a cost saving deal when you order in bulk from Zazzle. If you know you'll be in need of a large amount of Thank You cards, for example, we can offer you a custom note (4" x 5.6") or greeting (5" x 7") card sized version that allows you to personalize it before printing.

You can also leave the inside blank for a special handwritten note. You'll find Thank You greeting/note card templates where you fill the fields to change text. You'll find blank outside and inside options where you click customize to make all your personal text additions and font selections.

Click HERE to see customizing options in the store.

Card Volume Discounts

Quantity	Discount
10 - 19 cards	$0.30 off
20 - 49 cards	$0.80 off
50 - 99 cards	$0.90 off
100 - 499 cards	$1.00 off
500 - 1999 cards	$1.20 off
2000+ cards	$1.30 off

The Inspiration Question

2011-01-26T14:07:00.003-07:00

     A question I often see posted on forums or in interviews asks from where one's inspiration comes. Sometimes the question refers to a specific picture, illustration or graphic while other times it refers to all that the artist or photographer produces.
     I am sometimes surprised reading answers to that question but I thoroughly understand that inspiration is unique to each of us. So as I was recently looking through my Dreamstime stock photo portfolio I remembered the inspiration behind this very simple design that struck my fancy.
   This photo was the result of a totally different project with a heart shaped puzzle, poster paints and textured paper that was used to keep me from making a mess. When I moved the heart puzzle from the spot on the textured paper the above image is what I saw.

   I like the simplicity of the design, the dry brushed outline and in some spots the hint of the textured paper along the dry brushed red poster paint. Since I liked the outcome of that complete coincidence I photographed it then decided to use the photo multiple times in a design (to the left) which is also in my Dreamstime stock photo portfolio.
     I plan to use both images in some upcoming Zazzle products so be sure to visit my store TheAspenStand to see the results. In the meantime, if you are looking for an eclectic collection of photographs and digital artwork, I would love to have to take a look at any of my stock photo portfolios at the stock photography sites listed in the upper left column of the blog.
      It's always informative and inspiring to receive comments on my photography, artwork and blog posts so let me know what you think.

Brotherly Love

2011-01-19T08:01:00.017-07:00

This little tabby, named Camber, was the best thing that happened to Weaver, the black cat. You see Weaver was found hours old, lying in a construction site in 110 degree heat abandoned by it's mother. We took him in and amazingly were able to nurse him back to health.

As time went on and Weaver wasn't up and about like a normal kitten, our vet said the mother was probably feral and passed on a disease which manifested itself in Weaver as Cerebellar Hyperplasia. The mother probably left the kitten knowing something was wrong. He has problems walking straight and wobbles a bit while sitting but he is a lover none the less and acts like there's nothing wrong. Our other two cats were too independent and didn't play with him so we two-legged friends gave him all the attention we could.

We never thought he'd jump up on furniture so the day he did, at about 2 1/2 years old, we were like parents watching their child take it's first steps. Weaver is now 5 years old and our Maine Coon didn't come home one spring day so after a few months we decided to start looking for another cat.

Camber is, of course, an adoption. PetSmart kennels adoptions for the Coconino Humane Association in Flagstaff and since I'm in there quite often I always look. Camber had been adopted and returned for apparently being afraid of family members. We had no problem socializing him with our two dogs and Weaver took to him like a child with a new "stuffed toy." We are delighted that they play and share sleeping space together. As a matter of fact, the dogs and cats all share the couch.

Weaver's great joy seems to be keeping his brother clean and Camber seems to love every minute of it as you can see in the photo below.

Just another reminder that adopting an animal can bring joy to you, that special animal and maybe other animals in your home.

Click on the photo and you can purchase it for download from my portfolio at 123Rrf.

Click HERE and you can also find this and other cat photography on my Zazzle products at TheAspenStand.

A Personalized Keepsake

2011-01-12T08:46:00.002-07:00

I've been trying to punch my way out of the creativity closet I see myself in. So I was a bit excited when I had a thought after designing this ornament. Do you sometimes wish you could give a memento on a very special occasion that's effect will last well beyond that initial giving?

If you said yes, I have an idea. When I originally placed this computer generated lighted heart fractal design on this ceramic ornament, I was thinking ~Valentines Day~ gift. Who says hearts are only for Valentine's Day? Don't you think Mom, Sis or a friend would love one on Mother's Day, a birthday, anniversary or whenever you might think appropriate.

Attach the ornament to a perishable item such as a bouquet of flowers or box of candy and when those items are gone the ceramic ornament remains as a special remembrance. Attach the ornament to the bouquet of bridesmaids or a maid of honor as a keepsake and thank you for their participation in that special day.


Click on the image above to see your customizing options in the store.

How about a "Thinking of You" or "Missing You" gift. No special date, no special occasion just a thoughtful gift with special words on the back.

On the back, if you'd like, personalize the ornament with a special quote, verse or poem and even add the date of that special occasion.

With it's golden string the recipient can hang this lovely keepsake from a window suction cup, attach it to a lamp chain or somewhere you might suggest when you gift it.

People have told me that my personally made gifts are the most cherished so think about giving such a revered gift that you can personalize for that very special occasion.

I hope these ideas were helpful and please leave a comment here because I'd love to hear your creative thoughts.

Creativity Lapse

2011-01-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

Don't get discouraged if you feel you've lost your creativity. The busy lead-up to the Christmas season has proved to me that a little bit of distraction just might get you back on track.

Was it all the pre-Christmas sales I tried to promote? Was it my unorganized chaos trying to promote, design and maintain a normal life. I don't think I'll ever know, but what I do know is that "I was flat!" I had nothing creative emoting from my sizzling mind!

But, I didn't panic when nothing seemed to creativity click for designs on some of Zazzle's newest products like the premium necklaces and key rings. Nothing creative was sparked even as I was very excited that the new products offered the opportunity to use square designs which don't always look good on other products. Many of my fellow Zazzle® Users Group forum members were publishing wonderful designs on the new offerings. And there I sat with NOTHING!

So I decided to "step away" so to speak. I began to formulate and document my 2011 goals. I viewed other people's products and promoted them on TAS Shadow at Posterous. I reviewed, reorganized and revised tags, titles and descriptions on my published products. All this was progress I had long neglected and I knew just as other times when this creative lapse happened something would spark and I'd be creating again.

In the meantime, a customer purchased labels with one of my first fractal designs. I realized that this design wasn't on any of my iPhone 3G / 3GS, iPhone 4 or iPad Speck® hard cases. Nice, this was my first idea but it still wasn't for the new products. Thus idea #1 below.

Lacy Flower Fractal by Exit178
Browse other iphone cases

As I was searching for that design, I noticed another fractal design that I hadn't used in the particular form I was currently viewing it (I had used it as part of other designs) and I thought it would look wonderful with a little more digital artwork. So off I went to create the additional artwork for the design which was a nice distraction. Nice, this was my second idea but it still wasn't for the new products. Thus idea #2 below.

Golden Yellow Grunge Flower & Vine by Exit178
Browse other iphone cases

As I was looking forward and continued working on my 2011 goals, I realized it was time to freshen up the Valentine's Day products and BAM, CRASH, SMACK in the face I got my third idea. Hearts! This idea would begin my production of designs for the new premium necklaces and key rings. And the nice part of this idea is that I can use design elements that I have used on other products which will work wonderfully alone or combined with some other design elements. Thus one of the many designs below that will come from idea #3.

Green Teardrop Heart by Exit178
Design your own custom keychain with zazzle

It may have taken a little less than a week but seems to be the very break I needed. I'm now adding to a list of ideas that will keep me busy for some time. So if you hit a creative brick wall, I suggest you go off and begin working on projects you may have been neglecting, don't panic and you might just find that creativity come back with a vengeance.

It's a Lab's Life!

2011-01-03T15:57:00.003-07:00

     I can here my mother's voice asking, "You can't leave well enough alone can ya?" She's no longer here to say it personally but I'm smiling because I know she would have.
     My niece shared a photograph on Facebook that she had digitally altered of our Chocolate Labrador Retriever. He was laying with the colorful gift he drools over, "tennis balls." He will wear himself ragged chasing tennis balls and although I don't know for sure that is what he's dreaming of when his feet are flapping while he sleeps, I have to think he's chasing tennis balls.
     Of course, "I couldn't leave well enough alone" and made a few alterations to the photo myself. So I removed the background clutter in the photo (my niece and I) to give it a bit of a dreamy touch. Thus we have a "dog tired" happy lab.

Life Is All About the Tennis Balls

Original photo courtesy of "my talented niece" Kathy Zullo

Out Cold!

2011-01-01T12:48:00.000-07:00

All the special mattress companies would have nothing to promote if we all could sleep on chairs as comfortably as these two. Then again, it's the aches and pains we awake with from sleeping in crazy positions.

After Christmas Sales

2010-12-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

Phew, you made it through Christmas 2010 and I'm sure most folks are taking a big sigh of relief. But you know there are sales to take advantage of so let me help you with one that you can sit right at your computer and check out.

Normally, I'd add this sale to the Zazzle Promotions and Coupons page but this, like some other coupons and promotions listed at Zazzle are only valid through December 31, 2010 at 11:59 PM PT. So I decided to break it down and show you a few products that fall into the sale categories. Remember to enter the coupon code ZAZZLEACSALE during checkout to receive the offer. The "net sale price" is the price of the product (excluding shipping and taxes).

You can get 50% off the card, photo card, invitation, postcard, and/or business card pack net sale price when one or more qualifying cards, photo cards, invitations, postcards, and/or business card packs are purchased. So I'll attempt to lure you into TheAspenStand with a look at this postcard so you can send out any New Year greetings especially if you are a business reaching out to touch your clients. And when you click on the image below you'll see the customizing options and a greeting card and postage stamp (not part of the sale) on the same page with the same design . Or click here to get a huge head start on your Christmas cards for next year.

Colorful Fuzzy Splat by Exit178
View more New year Postcards

Get 25% off the iPad and/or iPhone Speck® hard case net sale price when one or more qualifying iPad and/or iPhone cases are purchased. Here is a lovely design to see when you click the image below but you can see other iPhone 4, iPhone 3G / 3GS and iPad Speck® Hard Cases in TheAspenStand when you click HERE. Possibly a Valentine's Day gift?

Lacy Flower Fractal by Exit178
See other iphone 3 cases

And last but not least, you can get 15% off the t-shirt and/or mug net sale price when one or more qualifying t-shirts and/or mugs are purchased. Here's an idea to get you started on your Valentine's Day gifting or you can click HERE and see other mug options.

Love Holiday by Exit178
Make promotional mugs with zazzle.com

This offer does not apply to past purchases and may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or volume discount offers. If a volume discount applies to your order, you will receive either the discount set forth in this offer or the standard volume discount, whichever is greater. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only.

Dreaming of a White Christmas

2010-12-16T11:25:00.000-07:00

We've had a few minor overnight snows but I love to watch it accumulate. Just sharing a peek of the view of falling snow from my home office.

Deciding on a New DSLR Camera Body

2010-12-08T12:08:00.000-07:00

     Over the past six weeks, I've been contemplating the purchase of an additional camera body. I began researching because I want to be thoroughly convinced that I won't later regret the purchase.

     My initial DSLR purchase several years ago of the Sony a100 rather than any other brand was influenced by the "Super SteadyShot" in-camera image stabilization. This feature allows the purchase of telephoto lenses, which are smaller, light weight and less expensive compared to the other brands requiring lenses with a built-in image stabilization system. Except for the Sony 18-70mm kit lens that was horribly soft and I can't sell off, I've had no complaints about the camera itself. So now I'm only considering a new Sony body that will be compatible with my current lenses.

     One fact I know will always come into play on any purchase is that the technology will be outdated in short order. You know how that goes with the ever-changing and improving technology. I'm not one to jump at something that is totally new because there are sure to be bugs; however, (you knew that was coming) I liked what I read about the Sony a33 and a55. These two new models have a fixed translucent mirror (also referred to as a pellicle mirror), thus the SLT (Single Lens Translucent) designator on the new models. On these translucent mirror cameras, the mirror is fixed in place and doesn't swing away. Keeping that in mind I understand this has a slight effect on the percentage of light passing through to the imaging sensor.

      On the a100, I only had the option of focusing through the viewfinder, taking the photo then viewing it on the fixed LCD screen. The a33 & a55 offer photo composition with the view finder and the Tilt/Swivel 3-inch LCD screen (180°) which makes it great for framing an image while shooting from normally difficult high and low angles.

      So yesterday, when I read that the Sony a55 was voted Camera of the Year by the editors of Popular Photography I took a small sigh of relief. I'm still wavering between the two new "SLT" models but I'm also a bit more confident that the approximate $100 difference for a larger sensor, 10fps continuous shooting and other upgrades (not so much the built in GPS) is worth it.

     I don't want to spend extra if I think the more expensive model is giving me something that I really don't need or won't use. In this case the price difference isn't that great so I think (maybe) I'm closer to making a decision.

If Only He Could Talk!

2010-12-03T12:01:00.000-07:00

Some days I just can't help but laugh when I look at one of my house full of cats and dogs. Lounging on the couch, our chocolate Labrador Retriever is totally ignoring the fact that I've been paying attention to him and then he gives me this often seen look.

A Winner In All Respects

2010-11-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

     We all take photographs that are intended for "personal use only." We also know sometimes, "things happen."
      I love playing with photo editing techniques and when I like the results, I generally put them on my Zazzle products. This photograph and resulting colored pencil etching via Photo Shop Elements turned into something I wanted to share.
     So on the afternoon of November 27 when I checked my email I was happy and surprised to see that my use of the altered image on a iPhone 4 Speck® hard case had earned a Today's Best Award (TBA) at Zazzle. Happy because this was my first TBA but also because I could proudly announce that this beautiful dog is a mixed breed border collie/heeler that was adopted.
     All but one of my five animals have been rescued from humane facilities or from abandonment on the streets. This lover was adopted from Second Chance Center for Animals in Flagstaff, AZ. If you are considering bringing a pet into your life, I wholeheartedly recommend visiting a humane facility near you to make your selection.

Happy Black and White Border Collie by Exit178
View more iphone cases

Pet Concept Business Cards

2010-11-18T14:01:00.000-07:00

I spend much of my waking day around my cats and dogs. The dogs go pretty much everywhere I go so when I had this idea for a stock photo shoot I knew how I would use the images. It is a concept for a loved, missing, lost or deceased pet or responsibilities of pet ownership. The purple leash image is one of several color leashes that I photographed.

In April I wrote Pet Concept Images and talked about my initial sales with the green leash and by the end of May I wrote Pet Concepts Photograph For Stock after seeing that same green leash photograph sell for Extended License use in addition to continuing to sell well individually.

Recently, I was very happy to see the purple leash version of my stock images sell from TheAspenStand on Zazzle as one of my business card template designs. You can see the green and purple business card template designs here. Zazzle offers a basic template but I completely customize each of my business cards so the template better fits the design/photograph I place on it. On this card, you'll see I use the photograph for a vertical front and the back containing the detailed information is in a horizontal format. Zazzle offers a choice from ten types of premium card stock; FREE full-bleed, full-color; printing on both sides; savings with bulk orders and three sizes which include the standard, skinny and chubby sized business cards. To see all my business card templates click here.

Purple Leash & Heart Chain by Exit178
Buy business cards from zazzle

Using the Lines

2010-11-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

     In most cases, I don't mind crawling around, getting dirty, wet or cold to get a photo. In this case my love of Quaking Aspens definitely came into play making it a must do photograph. The boulders caught my attention first but I quickly saw the lines I wanted to use in composing the photo.
     I actually had to scramble down more than I thought to get a good angle looking up. I wanted use the hillside and camera together since "vertical lines can be used very effectively by swapping the way you hold your camera into a vertical framing."
     Once I climbed down and started looking up along the hillside I noticed all the trees to the right were leaning left. Since I was shooting looking up, the trees tapered off toward the top plus the I used a wide-angle lens making the whole scene a bit more dramatic. So even though I made an attempt to keep the vertical lines in line it wasn't completely possible with the leaning trees.
   Check out the Digital Photography School article Using Vertical Lines In Photography from which I took the quote above about holding the camera vertically.
   Click the image below to see the poster/print options in my Zazzle store TheAspenStand.

Hillside Quaking Aspen & Unearthed Boulders by Exit178
View other Quaking aspen Posters

Outdoor Photography

2010-11-08T17:16:00.000-07:00

     Carrying a camera whenever I leave home has become second nature. Sometimes it never comes out of the bag and sometimes I'm so happy to have stopped along the way to wherever and enjoy the surroundings.

     Below are two of my photographs recently available as a poster or print at Zazzle. You can also find Prairie Sunset and Chipmunk Peering Over A Rock as greeting/note cards here and post cards here. My photographs are on a variety of products here when you visit TheAspenStand at Zazzle.

   These posters are customizable so you can add text when you click "Customize it! on the product page. Click on the picture or the title link below the image to see the product options in the store.

Prairie Sunset by Exit178
View all the other artwork at zazzle.com

Chipmunk Peering Over A Rock by Exit178
View other Chipmunk Posters

Size Matters

2010-11-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

It does when you order business cards from Zazzle. At Zazzle you can choose from skinny, standard and chubby cards sizes. A store keeper may offer the design in the three different sizes for you to choose. The deal also offers

Choice of ten types of premium card stock.
FREE Full-bleed, full-color printing on both sides.
Saving with bulk orders!

I also completely alter the Zazzle business card template to complement the design used on the card. Here are the three sizes in my pink and orange spiral design.

Pink & Orange Spiral Skinny by Exit178
Sell my art online at Zazzle.

Skinny cards are 3" x 1" – with a free card ejector case!

Quantities as small as 20 cards.

Pink & Orange Spiral Chubby by Exit178
Learn how to sell art online at zazzle

Chubby Profile Card is 3.5" x 2.5"

Pink & Orange Spiral Classic by Exit178
Browse more Spiral Business Cards
Classic sized card above is 3.5" x 2"

And you can get a volume discount with a few as two packs.

Quantity	Discount
2 - 4 packs	$3.47 off
5 - 9 packs	$5.96 off
10 - 49 packs	$8.95 off
50+ packs	$12.44 off

You don't have to buy multiples of the same business card to receive a quantity discount. You'll receive a quantity discount on any order of 2 or more business cards!

Stock Photography Sites May Fit Your Holiday Design Needs

2010-10-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

Click here to see this image at Dreamstime.

With the holiday seasons closing fast an easy way to find photography and artwork for your design needs is to check out some of the top stock photography sites.One of several sites where I submit my photograph is Dreamstime®.
     Dreamstime® is a distinguished leader in stock photography and a major supplier of high quality digital images at unbelievable prices. All stock images available are provided by Dreamstime® community's photographers, shot on film or digital and approved by our editors. Structured on categories and subcategories, the database is renewed with thousands of fresh images and titles on a daily basis.
     Dreamstime® provides imagery to an infinite gamut of clients in the creative market from independent customers in the private sector to Fortune 500 companies (including the world's largest advertising agencies, national and international magazines, film and television production companies).
As of December 2007, Dreamstime® numbers 500,000 registered members, more than 26,000 contributing photographers and over 2,000,000 images online. With unique visitors exceeding 4,000,000 monthly, the agency occupies the 3rd place in stock photography audience and image licensing worldwide.
     Starting with September 2006 Dreamstime® is a member of PACA (Picture Archive Council of America), the trade association for stock agencies in United States and in October 2007 Dreamstime® is the first community-based agency to be received as CEPIC (Coordination of European Picture Agencies Press Stock Heritage) member.
     Online since 2000 as a Royalty-Free stock photography website, the Dreamstime® concept has been constantly redesigned, upgraded and adapted to the market's needs, evolving into a powerful and active community-based site. Using the latest technologies on state of the art hardware and powerful servers, Dreamstime® is technologically progressive yet simplistic in navigation, application and submission processes to ensure repeated visitings and returning business. Multiplicity is a Dreamstime® specialty.
The above information comes from the "About Us" page at Dreamstime®.

I Never Mind Reviewing the Basics

2010-10-18T08:34:00.000-07:00


I read a lot on photo forums before shooting to upload on stock photography sites. Click here to see my Dreamstime portfolio or here to see the above image at Dreamstime.

     Seems like I'm always in a rush these days and I don't take time to think about the basics in photography. Some people might say they don't need a review but I enjoy the refresher. So I'm trying to remind myself to slow down and consider the basics before I go for a shoot.
     There are ample links online and I enjoy referring to one book that was recommended when I began shooting photographs to upload on stock photography sites.
     Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson (revised edition) helps me key in on what I'm doing when shooting in manual mode. The book is now up to a "3rd Edition / Revised and Updated" but I'm not plugging the book but leading you to an article Learning about Exposure ~ The Exposure Triangle by Darren Rowse at Digital Photography School which references the book.
     How often do you review?

Debi Payne Designs ~ Guest Artist Spotlight

2010-10-15T06:11:00.000-07:00

     I was introduced to Debi Payne's art via the Zazzle® User Group forum earlier this year and am happy to share her wonderfully creative work here.
     Debi is the artist and creative mind behind all of the Debi Payne Designs. Her designs are known for their vibrant colors and whimsy. She creates designs that make people smile. Perhaps that is because when she is creating her art she is happy and smiling herself.
     She was born and raised in Texas. In 2006 she moved to Las Vegas, NV with her husband Tim where they currently reside.
     She is a self-taught artist that has known from childhood that creating art was her purpose in life.
From 2007 - 2009 Debi's Fine Art was displayed in three different art galleries in Las Vegas; "Art Encounter", "City Lights Gallery" and "Southern Nevada Museum of Fine Art".
     With a life-long desire to design artwork for consumer products, in 2010 Debi made the transition from Fine Art to Illustrative Design Art. Since making the transition to Design Art, Debi has been able to create the art that she is most passionate about.
   Below are just two examples of her beautiful, colorful and fun work.
   As a coffee enthusiast, I definitely want to share one of the many products of her current four coffee designs.

Java Binder by debipayne
View other Java Binders

And here's a greeting card from her Birdhouse collection.

Birdie Neighborhood by debipayne
Make a personalized notecard at zazzle

Lightly Frosted California Poppy Customizable Stationery

2010-10-13T13:19:00.001-07:00

via zazzle.com

Close up photography of Mother Nature's Touch on customizable stationery. This photograph isolates one bending unopened California poppy after an early frost with textured orange writing area. Fill in the template "Customize it" to select a font style, size and color you prefer. Photograph ©Patricia AZ Phillips . See other products with the same photograph at TheAspenStand.

Sweetest Day Sale

2010-10-12T16:54:00.001-07:00

Sweetest Day Sale

Start your exploration at TheAspenStand for cards, tote bags, posters, Keds sneakers and more to take advantage of this sale.

10% of the net sale price will be deducted when the coupon code SWEETESTDEAL is applied at checkout. For most products, the net sale price is the price of the product (excluding shipping and taxes). For Zazzle Custom Stamps, the net sale price is the difference between the price of the Zazzle Custom Stamps (excluding shipping and taxes) and the face value of the postage. Offer is valid from October 12, 2010 through October 16, 2010 at 11:59pm PT. This offer does not apply to past purchases and may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or volume discount offers. If a volume discount applies to your order, you will receive either the discount set forth in this offer or the standard volume discount, whichever is greater. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only.

Love Holiday Stamp

2010-10-12T07:27:00.001-07:00

via zazzle.com

Thought of The Day
This statement allows year-round use of this cute horizontal postage stamp declaring "Love is a year-round holiday." You can customize it by adding a background color and/or border color. Change the postage rate for post card usage. More customizable postage is available at TheAspenStand.

Pink Water Lillies 1.5" Three Ring Binder

2010-10-11T12:38:00.001-07:00

via zazzle.com

Photographs & Filigree
This binder is also for sale in the 1" and 2" sizes. Take advantage of the AVERYCUSTOM1 promotion code at checkout. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only and ends 12/31/10 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
A special binder with close up photographs of a single blooming pink water lily amongst lily pads. The image on the front cover is a horizontal format and a vertical format on the back cover. Both images have filigree border complementing the lily pad color. Along the left side of the front cover image over a lily pad is text you can personalize. You can also personalize the text at the top of the spine. The photographs are double framed by a very thin inner frame and a wide outer textured frame using colors plucked from the lily color palette. You can change the background color. Photographs are ©Patricia AZ Phillips. More customizable binders are available in TheAspenStand and Zazzle Markeplace.

Alert Chocolate Lab On A Forest Trail Mouse Pad

2010-10-10T14:52:00.001-07:00

via zazzle.com

Dog Lover Alert! Lying down and all tuckered out on a forest trail with his tongue dangling, this chocolate Labrador Retriever keeps an eye on the trail. This photograph has undergone a photo editing process and added texture. "Customize It!" to add text where you can select a font style, size and color you like. You can find more chocolate Labrador products in TheAspenStand.

Halloween Magnet

2010-10-09T22:15:00.001-07:00

Gothic Face Jack-O-Lantern by Exit178
See other Halloween Magnets

Decorate your fridge for Halloween with a magnet sporting this Gothic face jack-o-lantern on a pumpkin photograph. The background is a computer generated fiery fractal design. Or maybe some other products with this Halloween design.

Free Shipping Promotion From Zazzle

2010-10-08T08:39:00.001-07:00

Cute Guinea Pig by Exit178
Make your own customizable shoes online at zazzle

From what I understand, it's wedding season in Australia making sense of the promotion. Here's a recently purchased item from an Australian customer so visit TheAspenStand to find customizable products to use with this Zazzle special offer described below.

Free Shipping on $100

To qualify for this free shipping offer, one or more Zazzle products must be purchased with a net sale price equal to or greater than 100.00 dollars and standard shipping must be selected as the shipping option. The coupon code WEDSEASAU100 must be entered during checkout to receive the offer. The free shipping offer is for standard shipping to addresses to Australia only. Offer does not apply to shoes, skateboards, binders, or photo sculptures. Offer is valid from October 7, 2010 through November 30, 2010 at 11:59pm PT. Your order must be placed during that time to qualify for this special offer. This promotional offer may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or discount offers. Offer valid on Zazzle.com.au only.

Procrastinator's Canvas Bag

2010-10-07T09:37:00.001-07:00

via zazzle.com

Know anyone who waits until the last minute and has everyone scrambling to get something done. Maybe you? Well, here's a reusable customizable tote with just the right words. You can select from a variety of colors and styles when you view the product in the store. Visit TheAspenStand to see other products with the same design.

Christmas Lights Cards

2010-10-06T11:49:00.001-07:00

Christmas Lights by Exit178
Learn how to sell art on Zazzle.com

This card sports a photograph of clumps of colorful Christmas lights in opposite corners over a black background on a horizontal format greeting card. It has a "Merry Christmas" greeting in the center of the design. There is template text inside that you can customize with your words. See TheAspenStand and Zazzle Marketplace for card designs.

Photograph and Product Selection

2010-10-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

    In a previous post, What Text is Appropriate, I talked about selecting appropriate text on Zazzle products where the text speaks in conjunction with the image and not for the image.
   Another issue I seriously consider is what Zazzle products are appropriate for a particular photograph. Some photos may look good on a number of the offered products but jamming a photograph on a product that doesn't seem to fit the product shape makes no sense to me. In some cases, I have used some alternative methods.
    I'm not saying some photographs, depending on what it is, don't look good on buttons or round magnets because I have many that do. Take the example below where I cut out the background and this guinea pig cutie and it fits on a lot more products.

Eat Your Veggies! by Exit178
Design affordable button at zazzle

I have other images where I've added a frame or rough edged background to make the photographappealing on a particular product. This is a sunflower photograph where I removed the background put three separate flowers together and added a background that wasn't going to be square on the t-shirt.

Triple Sunflower by Exit178
Make a custom shirt at zazzle.com

It's images like the ones below that fit and look good on products which support that shape. I can't image trying to put these images on a sticker but I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thank You by Exit178
Learn how to sell my artwork online at Zazzle.com.

Thank You by Exit178
Browse more Photo Cards

Solitude in Bryce Canyon by Exit178
Learn how to sell art online at zazzle.com.

Raw File Format

2010-10-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

"The RAW file format is digital photography's equivalent of a negative in film photography" so says the tutorial to which this post is linked. From my limited black and white dark room photography, I think it is far easier and no "fixer" smell either.

I initially began shooting in jpg (jpeg) format with my first digital camera because there wasn't a RAW option. I learned about RAW when I began submitting my photos to stock photography sites. Once I bought my DSLR (still use the same one) I began using RAW. I love the diversity it gives me in processing. Of course, there are pros and cons so you can learn much more from reading the tutorial titled Raw File Format.
Happy Shooting!

American Flag Over High Desert Mouse Pad

2010-10-02T08:56:00.002-07:00

American Flag Over High Desert by Exit178
Browse Flag Mousepads

"Land of the free, home of the brave." A digital photograph of the flag of the United States of America unfurled in the wind over the high desert in Northern Arizona. "The Pledge of Allegiance" is written into the sky above the flag. The customizable text is the verse adopted in 1954 at the encouragement of President Dwight D. Eisenhower when "under God" was added. Click "Customize it" to add your own thoughts in your selected text style, color and size. Click the image to view it in TheAspenStand store at Zazzle.

Black & White Christmas Card

2010-10-01T13:55:00.001-07:00

Black & White Christmas Card by Exit178
Browse Christmas Cards

Instead of red and green, send black and white vertical format Christmas cards with this white Christmas tree ornament photograph over a black background. With a gold arched "Merry Christmas" across the top it's a template inside for you to change or completely remove text (as with the black background color) for your personal handwritten greeting. A matching postage stamp can be seen below the card on that product page. Check out the other Christmas cards at TheAspenStand or the Zazzle Marketplace.

Happy Face Jack-O-Lantern Coffee Mugs

2010-09-30T12:02:00.001-07:00

Happy Face Jack-O-Lantern by Exit178
Design cheap personalized mugs at zazzle

Enjoy Halloween drinks from a mug with a digital artwork happy faced jack-o-lantern on a pumpkin photograph an the words "Trick or Treat". It's a template where you can change or remove the text or "Customize it" to select a different font style, color and size. You can also choose a different background color too, so check out the other mug styles, colors and sizes. See more products with this design at TheAspenStand.

Christmas Tree & Snowflakes T-shirt

2010-09-29T13:29:00.001-07:00

via zazzle.com

Wear this festive holiday t-shirt or gift it. The design, a row of white Christmas tree ornament photographs with digital art snowflakes is customizable and can be moved down on the shirt or add text because it's customizable. Select a style tee you prefer for men, women, kids and babies.

Masquerade Masks

2010-09-29T06:51:00.000-07:00

When photographing objects for stock photography purposes, imagining what they can be used for is important. So the obvious sales of this image around Halloween and Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) make sense. But I love it when I see an image used in ways I hadn't imagined. The image used in a recent poker and poker player related article titled "The Masquerade" isn't my photograph but it took the use of an isolated mask photo in another direction. Dreamstime is just one place to look for your stock images.

Snow Battered Pine Tree

2010-09-28T05:48:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned a few posts past, I'm seeing more sales of winter, particularly snow images from my stock portfolios. This is a recent sale from my Shutterstock gallery.
And you can check the other stock photo site links listed in the left panel too. Click the image below to see it at Shutterstock.

Shades of Green Border Stationery

2010-09-27T11:30:00.001-07:00

Shades of Green Border by Exit178
View more Abstract Stationery

via zazzle.com

Customizable stationery with predominantly green and yellow tones of grass-like stalks along the left border. You can customize or remove one or both of the text lines at the top. Business cards and right bordered stationery with this design are also available. You can find more customizable stationery designs at TheAspenStand or the Zazzle Marketplace.

Green Rays Poster

2010-09-26T19:26:00.001-07:00

Green Rays by Exit178
Browse Rays Posters

via zazzle.com

You can personalize this poster sporting a unique earthy colored abstract fractal design of green rays around blocks of green and mustard in a congenial background blend. The negative space leave ample room for text. Fill in the template block with your own text, remove the text in the block or click "Customize it" to select a font style, size and color you prefer. You can see other abstract posters at TheAspenStand or in the Zazzle Marketplace.

Christmas Trees & Snowflakes Custom Gift Labels

2010-09-25T19:39:00.001-07:00

via zazzle.com

Be ready for the holiday season before it's crunch time. Avery® Print-to-the-Edge Shipping Labels are the newest product at Zazzle and we've made these into Christmas gift labels. The text is customizable or you can remove it completely.

Winter Weather Photographs

2010-09-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

    With the approach of winter, I've noticed a few more snow related photographs receiving more views and a few sales. That makes me happy because I don't at all mind shooting in cold weather especially since it's a long season where I now live.
    The main concern for me is making sure I'm comfortable, meaning warm and dry. There's nothing more miserable than having all intentions of staying outside and doing some serious shooting to have it cut short because of getting so cold or wet the shoot is cut short. Not only do you have to plan for the camera you need to think about what you need to do for yourself.
    This is one of my recent Dreamstime cold weather photo sales.

Is there a Pepper celebration?

2010-09-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

I generally wonder if there is a "day" celebration or recent trend when I see the same stock photo image purchased on a couple of the stock photo sites to which I submit. This was recently purchased at iStockphoto and another of my sites. Is there a day of pepper celebration I'm missing out on? You can see other stock photography sites where I submit images in the left column.

Forest Through The Trees Binder

2010-09-24T07:18:00.001-07:00

via zazzle.com

Standing amongst them! If you enjoy hiking or spending time outdoors you too may have felt surrounded by giants. We have a digital photograph looking into a stand of Quaking aspen tree trunks in early fall on this 2" Avery binder. This design has customizable text so you can personalize it to your particular need and even remove the front cover opaque plaque. You can also select the inside color from black or white and the style of ring. You'll find more customizable photography and digital art binders at TheAspenStand and the Zazzle Marketplace.

What Text is Appropriate?

2010-09-23T06:45:00.000-07:00

     I know you've heard the adage "A picture is worth a thousand words." Maybe, but sometimes I like to plant a seed by adding a bit of text with some images. I tend to do it when I feel there's an appropriate amount of negative space to aesthetically accommodate the text.
     I'd been contemplating what, if any text, would be appropriate on products with one of my snow drift photographs. I didn't find any particular quotes about "snow" or "snow drifts that moved me and nature, as a category, just wasn't working for me either.
     Out of coincidence, I found just what I was looking for with this quote by an anonymous source. It speaks in conjunction with the image and not for the image.
     You'll find the "Snow Drift Over Rocks" photograph on multiple products some with and some without the text in TheAspenStand.
   The binder is simply the photograph and text whereas on the mug, I combined the original and a horizontally flipped image to leave space in the middle of the mug leaving ample space for the text.
     I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Click on the image to see the product and customizing options in the store.

Snow Drifts Over Rocks by Exit178
Browse Snow drifts Binders

Snow Drifts Over Rocks by Exit178
Create custom coffee mugs with zazzle

The Last Minute Tee Shirt

2010-09-22T08:28:00.001-07:00

via zazzle.com

Leaving things for "The Last Minute"? No Way, right!...But when we do, it suddenly makes a plan quite urgent. Gift it to a last minute scrambler in your life. Other products with the same design at TheAspenStand at Zazzle.

Happy Face Jack-O-Lantern T Shirt

2010-09-22T08:04:00.001-07:00

via zazzle.com

You can select from many styles for men, women, children and babies.This particular tee is tailored for women by Bella, a Long Sleeve Tee will quickly become your favorite. So customize this "Trick or Treat" Halloween t-shirt with a digital artwork happy jack-o-lantern face on a t-shirt. Add your own words or maybe a name. Check out his desgin on other products at TheAspenStand.

Maine Coon Cat Close Up Photograph Bumper Sticker

2010-09-21T18:56:00.001-07:00

via zazzle.com

If you love cats, you know this is a valid statement. It is accompanied by a close-up photograph of a cute yellow Maine Coon cat. Click the "Customize it!" button to change text or to simple pick a different font style, color or size. You can see other cat photography on products at TheAspenStand and the Zazzle Marketplace.

Softer Side of Orange Custom Pro-keds Hi-top Sneaker

2010-09-20T10:06:00.001-07:00

via zazzle.com

Silky appearance orange fractal heart design with digital heart shaped objects added for depth on the sides and back. The top of the tongue sports a separate hollow and filled heart design. See other customized Keds at TheAspenStand and Zazzle Marketplace.

San Francisco Peaks In Snow Posters

2010-09-19T07:45:00.001-07:00

via zazzle.com

Shot from a prairie west of the peaks, this poster shares the beauty in snow covered grandeur. The San Francisco Peaks at 12,643 feet in Northern Arizona's Coconino County is not only the dominant feature of the forest area called the Volcanic Highlands, it is also the highest mountain in the state. Three of the summits that ring this dormant volcano's now quiet inner caldera are higher than any other mountain in the state. See other poster versions at TheAspenStand.

Zazzle Product Spotlight

2010-09-19T07:08:00.000-07:00

I decided to make this weeks spotlight ALL Halloween. The first two jack-o-lanern designs were the result of a thread at Zazzle® Users Group which mentioned Halloween Adobe Photo Shop tutorials. The third is a photograph seen along an autumn walk.

Happy Face Jack-O-Lantern by Exit178
More Halloween Cards

Gothic Face Jack-O-Lantern by Exit178
Shop Zazzle for another t shirt . Zazzle

Halloween Scarecrow by Exit178
Full Color postcard printing with zazzle

Snowflake Sprinkled Chocolate Lab Customizable Greeting Card

2010-09-18T16:29:00.001-07:00

via zazzle.com

Customizable greeting cards are great because you can add text. The inside of this snowflake sprinkled lovable Lab is an apology but you can make it for whatever situation, event or need you want. See other chocolate Lab photo products at TheAspenStand or in the Zazzle Marketplace.

Tattered Heart Border Card

2010-09-17T15:06:00.001-07:00

via zazzle.com

Tattered heart border sets off the left edge of this deep burgundy toned customizable Thank You card. Change the text for your specific needs and check out other tattered heart products at TheAspenStand.

Snow Drifts Over Rocks

2010-09-13T07:25:00.001-07:00

via zazzle.com

Snowy texture! We have a close-up photograph of a winter scene with shadowed snow drifts over rocks framed over a blue textured background on this 2" Avery binder. Customize the text and font style. Be sure to check out other winter related products at TheAspenStand.

Zazzle Product Spotlight

2010-09-13T06:28:00.000-07:00

Is it really mid September? I know it's a new week and time to share the products in this weeks "The Spotlight" at TheAspenStand. This week the selected designs are predominately digital artwork. The business card is a newer fractal design and the shipping label is one of my early and favorite fractal designs. The mug has digital artwork added to a photograph for Halloween fun.

Click any of the images and you will see the product in the store with the customizing capabilities.

Customize this profile card sporting a unique Green Ray earthy colored abstract fractal design of green rays around blocks of green and mustard in a congenial background blend.

Green Rays by Exit178
View more Rays Business Cards

Since labels are still a new product at Zazzle I'm spotlighting another one this week with the Lacy Flower Fractal design that is on many products.

Lacy Flower Fractal by Exit178
Browse Flowers Labels

I had fun designing this Gothic face jack-o-lantern on a photograph for numerous products. Here is the coffee mug with the design.

Gothic Face Jack-O-Lantern by Exit178
Make personalized photo mugs on zazzle.com

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