Yes, Virginia, I’m Having a Black Friday Sale

I Like Purple People Eating Fridays Myself

This isn’t the blog post that is scheduled to appear tomorrow… as this particular post stood a 95% chance of never coming into existence.

Black Friday madness is a disease that retail associates encounter with dread each year. Knowing what bloodthirsty monsters lurk outside my door – the rabid and frothing crowds of shoppers, with sleepless glazed eyes and desperate frenzy reacting with high levels of caffeine – makes me grateful to be alive and well in my home.

The sales are tolerable, I suppose, but not handsome enough to tempt me (to risk life and limb).

The children and I just kissed Joe good-bye, as he departs to serve his company in preparation for “The Event”.. i.e. working overnight as the head of security for our local Walmart.

Zombies looking for bargain brains on Black Friday - photo from Belch.com

I didn’t intend to have a sale for Black Friday… just to be rebellious.
Although I do have a holiday sale going on through December 31st, both in my Etsy shop and my website… I haven’t been actively promoting it.

But as the clock winds down, marking the end of Thanksgiving (…oh, by the way, I made chicken fried rice and a pumpkin pie for Joe and the kids), the excitement builds and everyone has “Sales” on the brain.
I’ve decided to host a minor one of my own, just to say “Thanks!” to everyone who has purchased from me this year. Every dollar counts around here… unlike Walmart, who will never miss me.

Everything will be marked 10% off with free shipping in my Etsy shop… and 20% off with free shipping on my website. I accept PayPal, personal checks, and money orders on TaraFlyArt.com, and (unlike Etsy) I’m under no obligation to pay any “final sales” fees… so you can see where my loyalties lie.

Green Kimono Cat 8x10 Print now on sale!

My Purple People Eating Friday sale will begin at midnight tonight, and will run through midnight on Monday, Nov. 29th (EST).

Other exciting news for fans of Zazzle merchandise….

Zazzle is hosting a major Black Friday sales event, which applies to all the cool products in My Zazzle Shop – posters, greeting cards, shirts, mugs…! So here is a glimpse at what is going on:

Every two hours, a different product will go on sale! Four special sales have already begun:

• 50% OFF All Mugs, using the code: BLITZDEAL144 (Ends at 2:00AM PDT)
• $10.00 OFF Avery Binders, using the code: BLITZDEAL184 (Ends at 4:00AM PDT)
• 75% OFF Harry Potter T-Shirts (from the official HP shop), using the code: BLITZDEAL119 (Ends at 6:00AM PDT)
• 70% OFF Greeting & Note Cards & Postcards, using the code: BLITZDEAL191 (Ends at 8:00AM PDT)

These four sales are going on right now, until those designated times.

This guy loves his navy blue Mr Bennet Cat T-shirt...

Okay, the other sales which begin tomorrow (and last 2 hours each) are as follows:

• 8:01-10:00AM – 50% OFF Christmas Ornaments … (this links to other sellers; I haven’t created any yet)
• 10:01AM-12:00PM – $20 OFF iPhone and iPad cases … (ditto)
• 12:01PM-2:00PM – 75% OFF Business Cards … (and, ditto again. No business cards in my shop)
• 2:01PM-4:00PM – 65% OFF Posters and Prints
• 4:01PM-6:00PM – $8.80 OFF $.44 U.S. Postage Stamp Sheets (psst, “Gazing on Pemberley” stamps look nice)
• 6:01PM-8:00PM – 50% OFF all T-shirts

For the final 2 slots, 8-10PM and 10:00PM until midnight, Zazzle is hosting something called “Friday’s Favorite Deal Repeat” … and I’m not quite certain what that means yet. Perhaps they’ll repeat whichever deals earned the most sales earlier?
When I find out more, I will post an update on my Facebook fan page (which automatically updates my Twitter status as well).

Red Kimono Cat on a sheet of US postage stamps

U.S. Residents: Please note that Zazzle also has a Free Ground/Economy Shipping offer in place for purchases over $50.00 (before taxes). The offers ends on November 30th.

Whew! That was a lot to absorb, wasn’t it? If you’re totally confused, I wouldn’t blame you… I subscribe to Zazzle’s newsletters (which is a good idea, really, if you like shopping with them) and I had to re-read it a couple of times to clarify things. Hehe
My brain apparently shut down from sugar overload after digesting the pumpkin pie topped with Cool Whip and a glass of freshly brewed iced tea.

But anyways… Cyber shopping on Black Friday is much safer, more convenient, and definitely the easiest way to get your sales-addiction fix without trading your pajamas for a heavy winter coat and braving the masses for hours of joy standing in line.

And best of all, you can’t catch rabies over the internet!

The snarling, foaming monsters are far, far away from you… trapped behind the glass or plasma walls of their computer monitors.
And you needn’t worry, because I don’t bite.

Unless you are that last slice of pie…

 

My Name is Peter, and I’m an Ailurophobic

Mr. Darcy and Lizzy Bennett - Walk in the Garden

Once again, I felt the heaviness of Valentine’s Day fast approaching, as I sought to create at least one piece of appropriate artwork. This year, February marks the beginning of cold and flu season in our house, and so I juggled two cranky, coughing babies in my lap while I drew and colored this portrait of Lizzy and Darcy one-handed in Photoshop. With a mouse. Months ago, my Wacom stylus disappeared courtesy of Mia… and all her usual hiding places have turned up empty. Joe looked at purchasing a replacement pen, and apparently they are expensive; so expensive that he’d rather purchase an entire tablet w/ stylus on eBay this time. The only way to keep Mia’s paws off in the future, would be to fasten a 50 lb. weight to it.

Anyway… so when most retailers (and savvy crafters) have their Valentine selection ready before Christmas, I’m squeaking under the wire again,
which is not an auspicious way to begin my New Year. Ironically, after listing my newest piece on Etsy, twittering and frittering about it, and finally uploading photos on my Facebook fanpage – I headed over to my personal profile, whilst performing imaginary self-flagellation, and came across a simple yet profound statement from Jessica Doyle, a fellow artist.
She wrote: “There is no need to *keep up* …just do your own thing. Seriously.” She is amazing, by the way, not only with colored pens and inks
but also with her insight. Everyone should follow her advice, and her blog!

It caused me to stop and question what the heck I was doing, beating myself senseless over an imaginary deadline… so Valentine’s Day is the 14th, and people jump online in the weeks preceeding to search for love/crush/affection/obsession-related merchandise that “speaks” to them, or speaks for them.
Oddly enough, I DO celebrate Valentine’s Day… one of the few holidays that I will mark with a card for whomever is Significant at the time. LOL
But if I were to be honest with myself, aside from themed greeting cards, I’d rather create artwork that people will collect and display all year… that they won’t be in such a rush to pack away at the end of the month. I don’t want my paintings to cause off-season embarrassment, like the Easter grass in the carpet that refuses to GO AWAY after vacuuming over it 150 times.

Lydia once asked why the Easter bunny didn’t visit our house, after discovering Mom’s stash of candy for last-minute basket stuffing… I informed her that Peter
Cottontail was afraid of our cats, who always attempted to eat him whenever he appeared. He quit coming to our house awhile ago, but I didn’t want to disappoint her on Easter morning, so I created my own baskets in hopes that she wouldn’t notice his absence.

I don’t have the urge to dress my house in themes, or the patience to undress it afterwards… like baby jumpers that only last for 2-3 months, you might as well leave the kid in diapers and forego clothes altogether until he stops growing! Well, at least until yearly hem and seam alterations will suffice. If only there were a holiday that incorporated all the major iconic elements: trees, turkeys, hearts, flags, crosses, candles, pumpkins, eggs, what am I missing?? Celebrated on the fourth of each month, it’s called Fourth of ChristvaleastHanuween-giving… and you can leave the decorations up all year!!

There is a clinical diagnosis for practically every phobia ailing mankind – from Allodoxaphobia (a fear of opinions) and Arachibutyrophobia (the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth) to Aulophobia (a fear of flutes) or Cathisophobia (the fear of sitting). People can be afraid to hear good news (Euphobia), or suffer from a hatred of poetry (Mertophobia)… and many even have the rational fear of lawsuits (Liticaphobia), hehe – however, I can’t find a reference to a general holiday phobia; I must be the only one who suffers from it!

Strangely enough, I once worked (briefly, lol) as a greeting card merchandiser. People celebrate everything! They actually buy cards for Groundhog’s Day. No feasting, though, that I can recall. With so many holidays on the calendar, I could drive myself insane and hide under the bed. I could simply work at my own pace, and quote my infamous motto with each missed deadline – “At least it’s ready for next year!” Or I could wisely take Jessica’s advice to heart: Don’t try to keep up. “Just do your own thing!”

This year, when you’re buying gifts online… try to think outside the holiday! Do you want to give a special present that receives an obligatory presentation
for two weeks and then gets wrapped in tinsel and stuffed into the attic? I think everyone would like to see their gifts being treasured and admired throughout
the year.
Happy 4th of ChristvaleastHanuweek-giving, everyone! Oh well, it was worth a shot.