Noticed a big shift in how people treat my handmade books now

Honestly, six months ago I was just using basic cloth covers and getting maybe $30 a book at the local craft fair. Then I switched to using proper leather and doing some simple tooling on the spines. Ngl, last weekend at the same fair, I sold three for over $100 each and people kept calling them 'heirloom quality'. What's the one material or technique change that made the biggest difference in how your work is valued?

Hot take: I thought those new wireless hoistway phone testers were just overpriced junk.

Used one on a job in Phoenix last month and it cut my testing time from 45 minutes down to 10. Anyone else made the switch yet?

Appreciation post: I just finished my 100th dryer vent cleaning job

I always thought those were just a quick add-on service, not a real milestone. But after I cleared out a vent in a house in Springfield that was packed solid with lint, the homeowner showed me her old energy bill. Her dryer had been running for 90 minutes per load! Now I explain the fire risk and energy waste to every single customer. Has anyone else started tracking a specific service like this?

Showerthought: I spent $80 on a fancy gutter guard system that just made a squirrel condo

I saw an ad for these plastic mesh gutter covers that promised no more cleaning, so I put them on my whole house near UNM. Now I have a family of squirrels living in my gutters because they can stuff leaves and nuts under the mesh but I can't get them out. Has anyone found a gutter fix that actually works without turning into a wildlife hotel?

Vent: Everyone says to kill rude customers with kindness, but I found calling out their behavior straight up works better. Solved a huge issue last month by just being blunt lol

Hot take: Letting kids map out short sections keeps family backpacking trips from turning into mutinies.

Question about the long wait for custom flange deliveries

Waiting weeks for parts kills project momentum.