My business is funny business

 

I promised to show you the finished design after cleaning it up in Photoshop.  If I was better with type I'd just ask AI for the art and plug in type myself. I've done it a bit, but I lack confidence that I will pick the right font. Not that most people can tell the difference.

I did load two designs for the "Jokes on You" non-existent joke and trick store.

I like the larger teeth. But it doesn't have the chattering teeth gag look I was going for.  I think both designs look good on t-shirts but there is no real reason for anyone to buy one since the store is fictional. But they are unique.

I was on a roll after fixing the joke store logo and decided to play with a combination coffee shop and crematorium called "Final Roast."

I really like the tag line, "How about a little cremation with your coffee?" Dark humor. I'd wear this t-shirt. Though it is a bit close to home. I get regular junk mail from the Neptune Society trying to sell me cremation services.  Nothing like opening up a letter to find an offer to sell you cremation before you are dead.  Apparently I am their target market. I'm willing to bet AARP sold my name to them.

I was on a roll this morning and cranked out 13 new designs. Ideogram, my Art AI service seems to be edging towards monetizing its services. You can now only get 20 free ideas during a 12 hour period. It was 25. And they are hard selling the paid subscriptions that give you unlimited, priority access and the option of loading your own images. 

Eventually I may go that route, but only if my designs start flying off the virtual shelves. I'm fast approaching having 800 designs on teepublic.com and I have actually sold a hand full of shirts. But not near enough to justify subscribing to Ideogram.

My ebay sales are up, though. I'm getting a bit more discerning at Goodwill when it comes to what stuff I pick up for resale. But I have been surprised by the success on some stuff. Part of the trick is finding things that not everyone one is listing on ebay. It's kind of a catch 22 though. If no one is selling an item it may be because no one wants it or they are just scarce. The challenge is pricing. If no one is selling it, it is hard to know how much to charge. Case in point this thing:

I couldn't find anything like it. It didn't have any markings on it and I couldn't even figure out what it was made of. I picked it up for almost nothing at Goodwill. I finally listed it as a mystery item that could be a rook from a medieval chess set. I slapped a vulgar price tag on it and I'll be damned if it didn't get snapped up in about a week.

This could mean someone liked the mystery aspect or they knew what it was and what it was worth.  Regardless I flipped it for a major profit and it restored my faith in my experiment.

I also flipped a Starbuck's "Your are here" coffee cup from England for a nice penny. So there is money in them thar hills. But it is a crap shoot and a mixed blessing.