Oh, give me a hooommmme....

No, I'm not looking for a place where the buffalo roam, or where the deer and the antelope plaaaay. Just a li'l plaintive cry for a web host that's more user-friendly, so I don't have to play hide-and-seek with icons when formatting pictures, or feel like a player waiting on the bench 'cos the administrator sends me off in the last few minutes.

Waiting makes me fidgety (Pic borrowed from learntocoachbasketball.com)

*sigh*

Well, until I have time for more web skills training or budget for a new pitch, I'll just have to stick with this one.

Be that as it may, I've just updated my homepage, with a spiffy new introduction and pictures and everything!

If you've not visited for a while, I'd changed my web address some time ago, so please update your bookmark if you haven't already. My site also has a new design. I think it looks clean, fresssh and is all matchy matchy with my blog, Folksy shop, Etsy shop, etc etc. It tells you where to find me, which I s'pose you already know because you're here, but, hey! A bit more information can't hurt anybuddy.

SO....

Just in case you didn't know this, you can check out my stock online at Etsy and Folksy now. The lovely Kate at Ivy Heart in Shipston-on-Stour usually has a range of Darn Stuff for sale and I've still got my retail cabinet at the Herbert Gallery shop for a little while longer.

If you don't see anything you like currently, you can also check out my work on Facebook. It's the most reliable shopfront I have so far for displaying all my characters from way back. I've linked all my Sock 'N' Soul pages up, so you should be able to find me whether you're a Blogger, Tweeter, Flickrer, or however you like to surf the cyberwaves. Spammers find me too, but take heed!!! *waggle finger* My sites have firewalls to keep you out, filters to only let nice people in and hitmen to throw cookies and other weapons of mass bewilderment at plebs like you!!!!! *uh....folds arms with great confidence*

Just so you know...

The brand in me

Since I started blogging in 2009, one of the trickiest decisions has been whether to keep this blog strictly professional or to get personal with it. There's usually a very fine line. These days, it's all about the personality, the brand, the personality in the brand, the brand in the personality... so we're all branding ourselves now...

Branding

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Branding may refer to:

• Livestock branding, the marking of animals to indicate ownership
• Human branding, as body modification or punishment

Like cows? Well, in that case, I can certainly name a few airlines that must be very good at branding. I've often felt rather squished-in-a-pen (rather like a battery hen) when travelling by cattl...I mean, economy class. Anyway, so we're all branded now, and it's a great thing, because it makes us fit neatly into a categorical box, and we can be labelled and shipped off to our ready buyers!

HOORAY.

Quit makin' all that noise, nondescript marketing person!

(from http://syntopix.blogspot.com)

The reason for my absence on this blog is almost always because I'm mulling over whether some events should be discussed here, or kept to myself. If in doubt, I just stay quiet. But it does start to feel like every post I put up reads: 'Look, I've made a doll!'...'Look at this commission I did last month...week...yesterday...'... 'Another doll!'...or 'Doll in new packaging!'...

Whoo. Hoo.

You got the idea ages ago, right?

Two years later, the approach is looking as worn out as an old sock. There's no shame in admitting that, surely? Even the best brands face a decline at some point and have to revamp their image, though branding textbooks say you should never do that. Well, who said you have to learn everything from textbooks anyway? It's time to darn something new, stuff the old...uh stuff, knock some socks off and soulja forward!

Socks are branded too, this one was a 7-12, but as a Longhorn, he's good for all ages.

Until S&J decided to add their personality to his brand. So no more like cattle on concrete, he's exclusive to them! *beam*

Is that a good dollage of sock for today, folks?

This post is about something that's been pressing on my mind for a while, since I am Sock 'N' Soul HQ, here's all my Darn Stuff comin' hot off the press! hehe

If I'm happy with it, I guess that's all that matters right now. But thanks for sticking around with me all this while! (((HUG)))