Favorite Friday

About a week ago I found this shop through the forums. And instantly fell in love. This seller is classy; that shows in her items, photos, and overall shop set up. I love her banner too, she told me this morning that she makes all her own grafics! Her shop is called Nest In Bloom Check it out...and get one of those beautiful scarves for the cold weather that is coming!

Please Connect!

My internet service was on the blink all morning...boy was I lost! Help...what do I do without the internet?!!

I actually managed to get a ton of cleaning done with no interruptions! Imagine that! Actually, I better not say "no interruptions," I did come by the computer and whisper, "please work" then restarted it to see if the company had the connections back!

I mean seriously, there is some major work that got forgotten this morning, and now I have a ton of catching up to do! Flickr, Twitter, Etsy, LinkReferal, TwitterMoms...this blog! How will I ever catch up? It's just like everyday, except I am usually scrambling to get house work done because I was online too much!

I wanted to let you know that I have been having a wonderful week at Etsy! Things are moving on out...and that is an awesome thing! There are more cards in the works, and tomorrow I plan on doing the photo thing.

Hope you are all having a great week! See you tomorrow with another favorite!

Splendid...

My newest item is my most favorite-of-all-time item! I loved creating it, and when I was finished, I fell in love with it! The papers that I used are so easy to work with, the ideas just flowed! And...they photograph well! ;)

New Brag Book

I am very excited about this new item that I made! (And, I finally made a new photo box, so I could finally take pictures again!) This is a mini album that is pre finished so that, if you would buy it, all you would have to do is add some of your family's beautiful photos! It's a brag book!

It has 10 pages of fun embellishments, brads, chipboard sayings, and great color combinations. Check it out for yourself...let me know what you think!

Favorite Friday

Amy Bugs Original Style...this is my favorite for today! I love the fabric that she uses for her fun little dresses and shirts. She makes really cute bags too. Take a look at her shop today...as she says, "No shoes? No shirt? Let me help you with that!"

Happy Day to Me!

Well, here it is...today is my big day! I didn't quite make my goal of 100 sales in a year, but close! The total number of cards that I have sold so far has reached 149. The total amount of hearts that I have is all the way up to 474!

And, now I will let you all know who the winner is for my drawing for 3 choice cards from my shop! First, a big THANK YOU to all those who have entered!

And the winner is...irenedesign!! I will be contacting you soon!

I also want to sincerely thank all my customers who have bought from me in the last year. I have enjoyed this frist year, and as long as I am having fun...I will be selling! Thanks so much! Here's to year number two!

Gifts

We are having a gift exchange this year with my family at Thanksgiving since we are all going to be together. That means I really have to start shopping! Today, I am taking a look at some fun things on Etsy to give as gifts.

I found this fun pillow for girls from Sobrightdesigns:

Check out these fun crayons from Mykangaroo!

These little cupcakes look really fun to play with from Child'splaycrochet:

And this cute little pouch...I love it! It's made by Simbiosisbyjulia:

Then I am going to add this little promo for myself! ;) Actually it's from my shop, but my mom is the one who made it. I have these cute sweaters for my girls, and so I can tell you that they are durable...they have had them for over a year now, played with, and they still look fantastic! My girls love them too!

Good morning!

It's a beautiful new morning! I have to tackle a large pile of laundry this morning...well, all day!

I am trying my hardest to take some photos of some really great projects that I just finished. That is the worst part of the process. My photo box that I made broke, so I have to either make another one, or try something else.

It's a pretty exciting week for me! I can't believe it has been a whole year since I set up twiddlestix. I have learned a lot in the past year, one thing in particular, it's not easy to sell your product! Also, I can't believe how bad my pictures were when I first started! Wow. I have gotten involved in a lot of other Internet activities all because of my Etsy shop. My life today is much different than it was last year at this time.

Enjoy your day!

Etsy Seller

I met an Etsy seller today! Technically, she hasn't put anything in her shop yet, but she plans on doing that soon. I can't tell you how fun that is to actually meet someone like that! Especially since I live in a small town. I went to the craft fair that I thought about doing, (and actually decided against because of other circomstances) and came across her booth. She sells the cutest baby items, and I eneded up buying some of the burp cloths she had for sale! I am looking forward to seeing her shop opening, and I will show off her fun items when it does!Only 5 more days until the big give-away!! All you have to do is mention that you would like to be entered to win 3 cards of your choice from my shop. Take a look at my shop to see if you would like to be entered! Thanks!

Also, take a look at my latest Christmas cards that I will be listing!

Friday Favorite

This weeks favorite is Wall Candy. I fell in love with her adorable prints as soon as I saw them! The first time I saw her shop was in the forums and she had a monkey print for her avatar, and that drew me in. And she's a fellow Iowan...bonus points! ;) Take a look at her wonderful shop!

Compare

So back to the HandmadeFuzion site... There is no doubt that there is a lot more views, faster, there at that site. I listed similar things there and on Etsy the other day (at the same time) and Handmade has gotten me 32 views, while Etsy's card only has 14. And maybe this isn't a fair comparison since I have been on Etsy for a year, here is an interesting point: I have 11 listings at Homemade, and those 11 items have 642 total views. With my 75 over at Etsy, I have 4475. Do the math...Handmade has an average of 58 views per item, and Etsy has over 59 views per item! I should take the the cards that I've listed in the same amount of time at both places.

Views do not compute into sales however. I have been slow over at Etsy, and have never made a sale on Handmade. (I confess, I have seen something on Handmade that I thought was cute, and ran right over to Etsy to see if that seller was there too. I think if I were to buy that item, I would buy it from that seller on the Etsy site!)

On the other hand, none of my items have been favorited on Handmade, and neither have any of my items. Then there is the issue of not many items being uploaded to Handmade. Imagine my shock after listing something there in the early morning, to come back at night and find that same item still scrolling across the top of the page! There is only the newest 24 items listed scrolling all the time!

This whole thing keeps me in limbo...do I keep going? About 6 months ago I started a Big Cartel shop, and that has such pathetic views (mostly because of me, that is something you have to promote your self and I am lacking in that department!) so I am going to close that down. Keep things a little more streamlined, and focus on making some decent sales!

I am excited about the Christmas season! I am hoping to jump into a bunch of card sales. I've decided to list my Christmas cards for less than my normal $2.50 price.

It's Fall

The weather is definitely turning colder! My lawn is littered with leaves...and will be for quite a awhile! I live on a farm with over 200 trees, so there is no way I can get those all picked up. I also live in a very windy place, so a lot of leaves actually get blown to the next county!

I always feel sad when summer leaves, but there is something beautiful about Fall too, so I try not to complain. As most of you know, I love to take photos, so I will be having fun with that too. (It's a wet and rainy day, so none today anyway!)

Fall is never a time to take a "color tour" for us either. It's a busy time of year for the farmers. The combining has to get done, manure hauled, and fields disked. So as much as I would love to head out East to see the beautiful color there, I am planted here in Iowa, so I must find the beauty here. And there is much to be found!
Take the time to enjoy the cooler weather and the beautiful foliage this Fall!

Christmas Cards

I have some Christmas cards listed in my shop! These cards really turned out well. They don't have to be used for Christmas either.

Don't forget the free shipping at the moment, and of course the give away!

Favorite Friday

This week I chose Retromama as my favorite to feature. I hearted her quite awhile back because I admired the fabric that she used for her creations, and the creations themselves! Just recently I saw a picture of hers on Flickr and remembered how much I like her shop. Right now I am in love with her Pear pillows! Her banner is fabulous too.

Give Away!

Ok, so there is exactly 2 weeks before I celebrate my Etsy-versary, and I wanted to give something away! Anyone who comments on my blog in the next 14 days will be entered in for their choice of 3 free cards from my shop! Any card you want! All you have to do is comment...and say that you would like to be entered, and you're in!

I will contact you in 2 weeks: October 23, and then you can go through my shop and let me know which cards you would like to have. I will, of course, ship them free of charge!

The link to my shop is right on this blog page. Thanks for participating!

Fun Treasuries

I am in 2 at the moment! The first one is made by Backwoodsophisticate. Take a look at her shop! The treasury is called "Aint Orange Grand"

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=13209

The second is made by ZhivanaDesigns and called "blue, red, black."

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=28201

Fun Baby Gifts

My sister in law had a baby a week ago and now I get the fun job of buying a gift for her...from Etsy, of course! I hiave been browsing, and now I have so mnay fun things to pick from! Take a look at this diaper bag from Simplestitches101:

And then of course, this super cute bib from Beanpicklesprout:

I found this cute blanket from BeaconHillGoods:

This baby wipe case from lucabelle0522:

And this set from Allisajocobs:

It's so hard to choose! Anyone have other great baby gifts I should see to confuse my thought process any more?!

Favorite Friday

My next favorite shop is Beanpicklesprout. I just love all her items, and have shopped there for a lot of baby gifts. Her shop name is just plain fun, and the reason she decided on it is great too- take a look at her profile! She also has a blog...check it out!

I've been tagged!

I have been tagged by Backwoodsophisticate! Take a look at her great blog: My Crafty Life

Here are the details:

1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog - some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here are my 7 random facts:

1. I hate to shiver. The whole cold thing...not my thing.
2. When I was a kid I broke my thumb playing soccer.
3. I've moved 6 times in my life, and lived in 2 different states...a couple of times. MI to IA to MI to IA. ;) (And this is where I am staying!)
4. My favorite thing in nature is the sky. I am always taking photos of the clouds, sunsets, sunrises. If you'd ask my hubby, he'd say I take way too many photos of it!
5. I have 8 siblings
6. I use to love any spinning rides. Since I have had kids, can't take them. I can hardly go on a swing without feeling dizzy!
7. I'd rather shop for swimsuits than jeans. And no, it's not because I look good in swimsuits, it's just that I cannot seem to find a pair of jeans that really fit me well.
   
   Here are the 7 people that I am tagging:

Myspringpeaandme

clearpink

crazytimecandles

jenrose

dulcescreations

bagsbymelanie

itybity

Big Announcement!

This month I will be celebrating my Etsy-versary! The actual date is October 23. So I am ready to celebrate and hopefully you will help me in my celebration! From now until October 23, I am offering free shipping on all cards!

I really want to make my goal of having 100 sales before I get to the 23rd too. I figured it out this morning and I have sold 137 of my cards in the last year!

So come in, shop around, and know that all the cards you want are going to be shipped to you for free!