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Joni
little_joni
15 July 2009 @ 05:12 pm
Photo Story  
First up, new chapter of "House of Pullip". :D


Chapter 376: Friends


Ivy: I’m so glad to see you guys.
Sabrina: Yeah, sure. So glad you just accidentally run into us instead of seeking us out right away.
Ronan: Sabrina…
Ivy: I just got here! I haven’t even unpacked yet.


Ronan: I am happy to see you, Miss Ivy.
Ivy: Thank you.
Sabrina: Hey, I never said I wasn’t happy! I am glad to see you.
Ivy: I admit, I did see Laszlo first…
Sabrina: Hmphf, I knew it.


Sabrina: But I understand. How is the purple head anyway?
Ivy: *shrugs* I don’t know. He didn’t seem all that happy to see me.
Sabrina: *frowns* Maybe I should have a few words with him…
Ivy: No!
Ronan: Sabrina, I don’t think that’s wise.


Sabrina: Forget wisdom, he could at least be happy to see you…if nothing else.
Ronan: Speaking as a man, he may just have been surprised. Most males are not great with tact.
*Sabrina snorts*
Ivy: It’s okay, really. I didn’t expect anything and he wasn’t supposed to wait. If he got married and had a kid by now, I’d be happy for him.


Sabrina: But he didn’t…
Ivy: I know, but I think I just need to take it slow. It’s really okay, I can be patient. And if it doesn’t work out, then I guess it wasn’t meant to be. We’ll both survive.
Sabrina: You really have grown up. I mean that as a compliment, by the way.
Ivy: *smiles and blushes* Thank you.

Elsewhere…

*Taryn enters “The Sweet Shoppe”*
Kiki: Taryn! You didn’t have to come in today!
Taryn: Sure I did, this is my job.
Kiki: I mean you could have taken more time off to spend with Felix and Madeline.


Taryn: I appreciate that, I really do. But Felix is home for good so I’ll be seeing him plenty from now on. Still…that one day off was wonderful, thank you so much.
Kiki: Anytime, you know that. You look so much better…
Taryn: I feel better…at peace.


Kiki: I’m so glad.
Taryn: Now…it’s your time. You and Sebastian…
Kiki: I know, I can’t believe it!
Taryn: It’s going to be special.


Kiki: And soon…
Taryn: Are you okay? Nervous? Scared? Worried?
Kiki: I’m not worried, just a little nervous…but nothing out of the ordinary. It’s just happening really fast. I’m glad, I don’t want to wait anymore…but it’s seems a little…unreal.


Taryn: If it makes you feel any better, I know what you mean.
Kiki: You and Felix got married fast.
Taryn: *nods* But it turned out just fine, and it will be for you, too…I know it. Now, let’s look over those lists and make sure we’ve got everything ordered.
Kiki: *smiles* Sounds good.

To be continued...

Sorry this chapter doesn't offer much in the way of new information, but I hope you enjoyed seeing Sabrina and Ronan again. Plus, as the second part of this chapter indicates, Kiki and Sebastian's wedding/bonding ceremony will be very soon so it's something to look forward to.


Second, I'm going to be taking a little break from the photo story for a while. For one thing, I'm going to be teaching a short series of private swimming lessons for my friend's son and will be short on extra time. For another thing, I need a little extra time to plan ahead for the story. I know what's going to happen, but I haven't really taken the time to organize it out...so I need to work on that. My time should free up again starting the last week in July, so it won't be a long break...but I think I really need it.

Third, the good thing about teaching the swimming lessons is I am going to get paid to do it and it should be enough for me to order the PukiFee I've been saving up for. :D I wanted Zoe before but now I think I want Ante instead. If I like Ante when she comes, and PukiFee in general, then I will possibly think about getting Zoe later. But...I'm not going to get ahead of myself, I don't have the money yet and I'm nervous about teaching swimming since I haven't done if for years and years (I used to be a certified swimming instructor and taught public and private lessons for a few years while in high school and college). I want to make sure my friend gets her money's worth for her son. I did teach my own kids, informally, but because I'm their mom they weren't prone to listen to me much. :P Hopefully, trying to teach a kid who isn't mine will allow me more success. Anyway, I hope it goes well.

How does one properly "advertise" their Etsy store without being obnoxious? I have forum posting on two forums which I update when I add new things, plus I talk about it on Flickr when I list new things and I talk about it here. I'm just wondering how to get out there a tiny bit more. Helpful idea anyone? :P I am hoping to find some time to make at least two more outfits for Lati yellow sometime soon.
 
15 comments | Leave a comment
 
( 15 comments — Post a new comment )
Misa: Nanette[info]ningyouundoujou on July 15th, 2009 10:46 pm (UTC)
That was a cute chapter. ^^

I'm sure you'll do fine with the swimming lessons. Best wishes! <3
Joni[info]little_joni on July 16th, 2009 04:23 pm (UTC)
I'm glad you liked it and when the story resumes more will be going on that I hope people will enjoy. :D

I also think the lessons will be okay, it's just been a long time since I've done it.
herroyaldemoness[info]herroyaldemones on July 15th, 2009 11:52 pm (UTC)
It's nice to see Ronan and Sabrina again. And it's nice to see Ivy acting like a grown-up. And are we going to be seeing a wedding between Sebastian and Kiki or is it going to be another, "PS, we got married" sort of thing?

It's funny, my mom and I were just talking about swimming lessons the other day! I took them from about ages...6-8? Something like that. As I told my mom, I'm not a great swimmer, but if a boat capsized, I could keep myself afloat :) I'm sure you'll do fine doing lessons. I'm sure it's one of those things where you might be a bit rusty at first, but after a little time you'll fall right back into it.
Joni[info]little_joni on July 16th, 2009 04:32 pm (UTC)
I'm going to show something with Kiki and Sebastian, I'm just not sure exactly how yet. I don't have any wedding clothes for either of them and I'm not likely to sink money into that one effort...so I'm still trying to plan exactly how I'm going to do this. I think Sebastian can just wear what he always wears and I have an idea for Kiki. It will be a small affair and not incredibly detailed.

The more I think about the lessons the more I remember the techniques I used to do. I'm just also remembering as much as I liked doing private one-on-one lessons, it is easier to teach a whole class. Filling the time is slightly more challenging, but there is also more of an opportunity to help one kid make huge strides. We'll see how it goes, first lesson tomorrow!
Marryth[info]marryth on July 16th, 2009 12:44 am (UTC)
I'm with Allison, it is nice to see Ronan and Sabrina again. :D And I'm glad Kiki and Sebastian are going to do the bonding dealie!

Good luck with the lessons! I'm sure you'll do fine, especially once you get going. :) Like riding a bike? :P

I'm in the maybe-PukiFee boat, too. Lati Yellows are darling, but a lot of why I rehomed mine was the posability - the lack thereof drove me a bit batty. I have faith in Fairyland. :D
Joni[info]little_joni on July 16th, 2009 04:36 pm (UTC)
I'm glad you liked the chapter...I just wish it had more happening in it. Oh well. :P

Yeah, I think the lessons will be okay. We'll see tomorrow when I teach the first one.

What gets me about Lati is they are so, so cute. I know their posing isn't as good but that doesn't bother me too much. I love Fairyland, that I know already. I have a Puki and I've seen LittleFees and MiniFees at the meets I've gone to. So I agree, I have faith that I will love a PukiFee since it's in the size I love and I already have plenty of clothes that will fit perfectly. The posing should be a fun bonus. :D
♥ Lisa ♥[info]ambitiouslove on July 16th, 2009 12:54 am (UTC)
Aw, sounds like fun :D Time off is always good too... time to think of new plot ideas and such ;)

As for advertising, maybe in forum signatures have a link and post a topic where ever you can? Honestly, I'd like to hear the answer, too, though, since I might try out Etsy someday too
Joni[info]little_joni on July 16th, 2009 04:42 pm (UTC)
I hope I can use my time off well, but I will still be posting doll photos and such. I know my plots and everything, I just need to organize it better. :P

Ah, I had not thought of doing a forum signature with a link to my store. That's a good idea, thank you. I shouldn't complain, I do get some steady business even if it is a bit slow, I would just like a tiny bit more. When I sell things it helps motivate me to make more stuff. Since things are slow now I'm finding I have less motivation. I really like Etsy actually, it's very easy and it keeps everything organized for me. I would recommend it if you are looking for a new way to run your store, and it's not expensive either.
lovehaze♡[info]lovehaze on July 16th, 2009 07:37 am (UTC)
Good luck with the lessons! I'm sure you'll do fine. You wouldn't have been hired if they didn't think you were capable :P.

As for advertising-I agree with Lisa. Putting something in your signature (especially an eye catching banner) helps a lot.

I don't know what forums you have threads on, but I noticed that you don't have one on DOA. If you were only going to advertise in one place, that would be it! It's pretty competitive, but you get great exposure. Just start a thread in the marketplace and bump it up every day. Post your pictures in the gallery whenever you can.

I remember it took me a while to get any interest on there. It was pretty disheartening at first, but people do start to notice if you keep at it. For me though, having a banner and becoming more active on the forum changed everything.
Joni[info]little_joni on July 16th, 2009 05:05 pm (UTC)
Heh, well my friend hired me because she heard I used to teach lessons. :P She trusts me so I just hope I can help at least a little with her son's skills. We'll see...

Yep, I think a signature is in order. My problem is I'm not overly active on any forums right now so I'm not sure how much it will be seen. I got burned out on forums after being pretty active. DoA scares me a little to be honest. They have tons of rules that are all different for every section and tons of people who post all the time and I can't keep up (not to mention when everyone is babbling in my favorites threads for pages about crap I don't care about). But I'm getting off topic...

I have stores threads on Dolly Market and Shopadollic. I don't know if PS has a place for store promotion because I haven't posted there for months...I think I'm over PS, I really don't have any interest in being active there again. Since my store offers clothes for the Pullip line and some BJDs the market forums seemed more appropriate. I have been tempted to make a store thread on DoA but I'm actually a little worried that might give my store a tiny bit too much exposure and I won't be able to keep up. :P I'm glad for the business I've already had, it just seems to have slowed down a ton even though I update regularly with new items so I was thinking a bit more exposure would help.

Thanks for your suggestions! When I stock up more items for the BJDs I sew for I think I will probably make a store thread on DoA. :D
lovehaze♡[info]lovehaze on July 17th, 2009 05:54 am (UTC)
I've forgotten how to swim ^^;. It was always hard for me, since I think I have a really low lung capacity. I should probably learn again soon..

Well, you don't really have to keep on top of anything over there. Just a few comments here and there really helps (especially in different sections). Even just bumping your thread up daily will gain you some sort of exposure.

There are a lot of rules, but most of them are common sense. They don't even enforce them that strictly sometimes, so there's nothing to worry about :).

I don't go on Pullipstyle much anymore either. I still try to go every other day though, since I'm a mod for the boyfriend forum :P.

It's really disappointing though. The forum is kind of dead compared to how it was when we were active. The enthusiasm just doesn't seem to be there-most gallery threads have 0-5 responses each ^^;.

Anyway, you can post your link here:

http://www.pullipstyle.com/resource/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=6546



Joni[info]little_joni on July 18th, 2009 05:31 pm (UTC)
Swimming does come natural to some and that's okay. For me, it kind of runs in the family...my grandfather and mother were both competitive swimmers. Funny enough, I don't have great lung capacity either which was one thing that gave me trouble in competition. :P

I'm thinking when I update my store next I might try a store thread at DoA...just to see what happens. I did add a link to my store on my sig at DoA and then I posted a little bit in some of my favorite threads. Well, it's not much but it's a place to start.

Wow...I checked that thread on PS and it's so outdated it's not even funny. Half the posts have crappy looking html snippets that are all messed up. I'm reluctant to post there because it just seems so...sloppy. ^^;
pixiewildflower[info]pixiewildflower on July 16th, 2009 05:57 pm (UTC)
Wonderful chapter. So glad to see more of Sabrina and Ronan. Sabrina has grown a lot too! I understand about needing a break. Good luck with the swimming lessons. As for your Etsy, post about it here, on facebook and where you happen to hang out at. It's perfectly ok to promote your business. You might already be doing this, but in forums, put the etsy address in your sig. If posting an item on flickr or facebook, be sure to post the Etsy address too. Start a deviantArt account and when you post the outfits (there is section for crafty stuff), put your Etsy link with it. Maybe start a blog or two or three devoted to your Etsy items. Or post them on Twitter, lots of people do that.
Joni[info]little_joni on July 17th, 2009 04:07 am (UTC)
Thank you for all of these great suggestions! This definitely gives me a few new ideas. :D
pixiewildflower[info]pixiewildflower on July 17th, 2009 05:01 pm (UTC)
Good and best of luck!