Playing with Inkscape today, learning how to make one object (quick drawn heart) repeat along the path of another object (a circle) and then see what it looks like with different filter effects applied and saved each as clipart so I can use them as “photo frames” in different software. Here is what a few look like stacked up in OpenOffice Draw, exported as a jpg and then cropped in whatever this Windows 10 photo thing is called.

Some come out a little bit fuzzy around the edges after being dragged through several software programs. Maybe I should apply a “clean edge” filter before use?

This next photo used one of the “heart frames” created in Inkscape in a program called GIMP to border a photo of a butterfly snapped at the Southside Community Garden’s 2015 Butterfly Festival in Youngstown, Ohio.

I wanted to see what some of my button designs would look like on T-shirts and other items, so I’ve been playing on CafePress, too.

If you shop CafePress, a word to the wise: the prices you see on CafePress depends on how you get there… if you go directly to a shop via a link or typing in the URL, you will see the shopkeeper’s prices. If you find the same items in CafePress’ Marketplace, you will see Marketplace pricing.

I thought about clicking the box to sync my prices with “Marketplace pricing” so it would not matter how people find my items on CafePress, the prices would be the same. However, CafePress suggests “Low Tier” for new shops, so I compared pricing on a t-shirt and realized that’s a way for shopkeepers to offer a nice discount to blog readers and social media friends, &c. Profit wise, it’s no big deal… 10% either way.

My only wish is to be able to buy one of everything I post up there just for quality control as I’m a bit anal like that… I’m just going by pictures, too.

If you want to visit my shop and see what I have posted so far, the URL is http://www.cafepress.com/YoPeace (there’s a link on the sidebar, too).

I plan to add new designs every week. It’s fun… I included button products with the butterfly today, even though that is a button design I make right here in Youngstown.

I don’t think CafePress uses the same brand of machinery (or button parts) as the back view of the pin does not look like mine… just letting you know that any buttons purchased with my designs ON CafePress are made BY CafePress.

I’m still working on my Square shop, where all buttons will be made by me… with any luck, it will go “live” on Labor Day. Thanks for reading!