Calligraphy and Etsy Update

I wrote last week, or maybe the week before, that I'd signed up for an online calligraphy class and purchased a one-week Etsy ad ($7) for my Foam Finger Printable Party Pack. I promised updates, and here they are.

I left off here last night in my calligraphy practice. Before this I practiced tracing basic strokes with a pencil and then the pen. These letters are all tracings using the pointed pen -- the pointed pen being a little metal nib that fits into a pen holder and requires repeated dipping in the ink. I think it's going well but humility is in order since I've not yet tried to form any letters freehand. I also bent (probably ruined) my nib while cleaning it. As Charlie Brown would say, "Drat."

As for the Etsy ad, "Pfffttt," about sums it up. Well, OK...some people added the Foam Fingers to their favorites but my $7 did not directly result in a sale. It turned out OK, though; I sold some for a first birthday party for twins; the twins' mom saw them a couple of weeks ago and got back in touch. (A couple of times they've sold for 1st birthday parties and I sheepishly admit I didn't understand why...it's becuase they say #1 on them.)

My next step with the Foam Fingers (and all the rest of the cupcake toppers) is to make some nice photographs of the toppers, in a cupcake, rather than just showing an image of the printable. I'm curious now, so I plan to do the same $7 run with photographs and see what happens.