What is Art Fire Doing?

I don't know what's up with Art Fire recently.  First, they chose the holiday season to initiate a big roll out, along with it's associated bugs and glitches.  Now, they're adding new fees to what they are already collecting from their sellers.

I've been on Art Fire as Wyvern Designs for quite a while and have what they now call a "legacy" account.  When I signed up, the deal was that I would pay this monthly fee for as long as my shop was active on Art Fire.  It seemed like a good idea, but ever since the roll out sales have tanked.  They brought a program called Google Boost where you pay Art Fire a set amount and they use it to promote your shop on Google Shopping and while I did get a few sales during the holidays that were purported to come from Google Boost, my feelings are that Google Boost is a Google Bust and I will not be giving Art Fire any more money for that program.

I have looked at other venues and found a new one called Aftcra where I'm in the process of moving all my fiber crafts, knits, crochet items and felted items.  I'm there under the name Tiny Weasel Fiber Arts.  No sales yet but my shop is relatively new.  I've been looking at creating my own web store but the prices are not something I want to take on right now without some assurance of a return. 

here's a few example of the items list in my Aftcra shop.
Coiled Hand Dyed Basket

Needle Felted Amulet Bag

Sea Turtle Wool Felted Pincushion

All Keyed Up

I've been on a key fob jag lately.  It started with a few dragon claw key fobs.

I posted them on Face Book and sold them quickly, even before I got a chance to list them in my Art Fire shop, Wyvern Designs.

I went on to make several more of these key fobs.  Several in silver, one in purple,

one in green, 

and one that's a bit macabre.   

I've been playing with polymer clay and alcohol inks, lately, so I decided to use up some blank pendants I made some time ago.  It was so much fun dripping the inks onto the blanks then manipulating it by tilting the pendant or using canned air to blow and blend the inks.  After they dried, I starting seeing shapes in the swirls and smears, or maybe it was only my demented mind but I saw them none the less.  This is my first attempt.  I loved the look but realized that the clay was split along the side and would be useless as a key fob.

The next two came out better.  This one is called Mushrooms On The Forest Floor.

And this one is called Wild Flower.

I have several more in the works and I seem to be addicted to finding shapes in the inks.  I just hope that I don't get lost in the images in my key fobs.  You might never hear from me again!