What to do?...What to do?

Lately I have been trying to revamp my website and try to limit my obsession with creating things that simply don't sustain or bring in as much attention as I really want (or hoped for). So, if school has taught me one thing it is to do extensive research and give the masses something fresh and new and PERSONALIZED.

There is this renewed sense of "mine", not the Linda Jean selfishness "mine" but more along the lines of "identifying what is mine from yours". I love that we are going back to having your initials on your shirts and your names on your undies (anything besides the days of the week...especially when you seem to be operating out of sequence...wearing Monday on Thursday!). Since I am in the business of dogs, cats, and their owners, we are huge on identifying ourselves and our passions. With that being said...I am cooking up my next designs and looking to clear out some shelves (BIG TIME!) to make room for a more streamlined Twisted Cow with a whole new look and feel to it.

I can only hope that I can take the next few months to clean house, inventory, and design so that when I do my next show...I am ready and able to present fresh and new or a new spin on some oldies but goodies.

The launch of the new products will begin the first week of March  ummm...no try October 2010. That gives me time to design, take pictures, and post to the site for everyone to view. The funny thing is that I have been doing some of this stuff for a while, but trying to design it to fit on a dog or cat can be a bit challenging because they have no idea what careful really means. Okay, I will take that partially back...they have no idea what being careful with jewelry like items means.

Pets can be gentle. I know this because I have a Chow (Chester) who can be quite the a-hole when he wants to be, but he can be very gentle with people and small children. But jewelry is another thing. So when you design piece for pets, the factors include:

1. Should this piece be freestanding. Meaning should it resemble a simple human necklace? This poses a problem for the crazy moving pet. You know the one...it can also be known as puppy or kitten. These elusive creatures have no sense of safety or stillness...they can be quiet and oh-so-cute when they are sleeping, but when you wake the little beast...wwwwwoooohhhhooooo! I just love them at that stage, but I also just llllluuuuvvv them as adults when they have matured and they fit into their breed behaviors. I just love the Chow-Chow for that reason.

2. Should this piece be attached to a collar. That would allow them to be a bit rougher without causing too much premature damage to the piece itself.

3. Can the design be used for other things too? Can it be worn for Christmas as well as Easter? I am not a fan of the holiday stuff, but I see myself offering some holiday specific designs in the near future.  I am hoping to find more elegant and fun holiday prints. 

4. The all important Price Point. Can I justify the price for the piece and can my client justify spending that much money on a piece? I have a lot of ideas in my head and on paper, but will it sell? Some of the things that I have dreamed up are going to be awfully expensive because they will require a butt-ton of time and the best materials to make it worth while and have an extended life of usage. This is one of the main reasons why I just have a sample made and not a bunch on hand because of the cost and the custom nature of my high end products. My best example is the Swarovski Crystallized(tm) items. I could make a bunch to have on hand for sale, but since they are made from scratch and not mass produced nor just "glued" to raw webbing, this could be an expensive endeavor that my not be sold to the right neck size.

There is so much that has to be factored in before making a design a reality. Those were just a few things that go through my head.

I love what I do and I would not want any other part-time job with full time dreams!