New Shop!

I decided to dive in and get myself a shop at HandmadeFuzion! Right now I only have 4 cards there, so hopefully today I can get some photos of more cards. I've seen some familiar faces around the site! I need to sit down and figure out how everything works yet, but there seems to be a time issue on my part!

This past week my younger sister decided to live with us for awhile, so we are job hunting! It has been a joy having her here, that I can tell you! None of my family lives around me, so it's all new to me.

Combine that with my kids in school, so we have activities, homework, and other things like it, and it's crazy here! I am barely keeping up on the amount of food that we need in this house!

Here is one of the cards that I have on my new site:

Ooh's and Ahh's Please!

I got my order from 2 Peas today! (I actually got a card in my mailbox yesterday saying that I needed to get to the PO because I had a package that was too big for my mailbox. So I went. The mailman still had it with him on his route! I just knew what it was and I'm telling you, it was bugging me!) Take a look at what I got for $50! It all looks so fun, but there is seriously not an inch on my scrap table to put them on. Must clean table...

...maybe tomorrow. ;)

Also, I seriously need my readers help! I'm trying hard not to whine here. I'm getting a complex. And I really want to hear answers, so I can improve. Do my cards stink? Are they the wrong colors? Do people look at them and think...let's get on to the next shop, hurry! Is there something that turns you off when you look at them? Are my prices just wrong?

I take the time to list every day (and relist since I haven't sold anything in awhile, there are lots and lots of them expiring.) I do all the advertising I can. I read all I can about getting a sale.

The thing is, I've applied to the new site Handmade Fuzion, and was accepted. I'm getting lots and lots of hearts lately, although my views are really low. So it can hardly be that my items are just plain bad. It's just hard to see other card shops doing really well. Maybe there is just too many to pick from.

Selling on Etsy, and the friends that I have made really got me through last years winter (I mean, I didn't even get cabin fever! And that is amazing!) It has been a really positive experience for me so far. It's just that I'm obsessing I guess.

I want...

I went on a pretty major shopping spree yesterday! It all started with an email from 2 Peas in a Bucket saying that every $50 order would receive free shipping. So, I checked out what they had, which was my first mistake! Suddonly I really needed some new stamps, and those rub-ons! They were too fun to pass up! I did limit myself, as soon as I hit $51 and some odd sense, I paid for my order.

But. While I was on there I noticed some really fun journaling stamps. They were $15 per pack, and I thought that was a little much. So I went to the other E site (Yes, once in awhile I have to check out ebay) and looked to see if anyone was selling those exact ones. Sure enough...and I won those too! For much cheaper than $15!

Once I get rolling, it's hard to stop me. ;)

Now today I am heading for the mall. Hubby says he's very afraid!

Here is my latest card that I am going to post to my Etsy site this morning. A super sweet baby girl card.

Computer Frustrations

Ach! I have no idea what I am doing with computers! I have tried and tried to get a photo with a link on the sidebar to no avail (sorry Katelyn!) I really want to change the look of this blog, and get the header looking nice, but this is it folks! At the moment, I am maxed out on my computer skills! Go easy on me...I am getting old- don't laugh too hard!

I'm a little worried that I will have the "computer butt" look this winter again, but it might be the only way I will learn how in the world to change things!

Anyway, I learned tonight that my long neglected Squidoo Lens is being featured, so I made some changes to that. (The last time I did was in February...I told you it was negected!) So the photos are now up to date, and so is the information. Come check it out! I do have a place to leave your Etsy link there if you would like!

And here is my latest card:

Summer...School

I'm sitting here between loads of laundry, waiting to get a treasury! I am hoping to get one for the Etsy Greetings Team...I'll let you know if I get one. (I had to quit typing to get the list...here it is!)

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=21023

School starting is right around the corner already! I'm still trying not to think about that fact! Although, I did have to get school supplies the other day, and am hoping to get some shopping in this week for new shoes and jeans. Doing all that doesn't help with the "not thinking about school!" It's possible in the next week or so that I might be ready for the structure again though!

The only card that I have left that was photographed is the one below! I need to get to work again. I actually have 2 cards ready to have their day in the sun, but I like to have a bunch to photograph at one time.

Speaking of cards, as I was looking for some for my treasury, I noticed that most of them were priced a lot higher than mine are. I also see a post in the forums about underpricing products, and now I have some doubts! My sales are in a slump lately, so it would seem odd to raise the prices of my cards! Something to ponder...again!

Super fast...

Just a quick one this morning. The other 2 cards that I made with that wonderful green paper are going to make their appearance! I will be listing them soon.

New Avi & the Couch Situation

I decided to change my avatar on Etsy. I made a card the other day with the same little bird that was in my old avatar, so I updated! Take a look at the card that I used:

I have a question for you all- would you sacrifice comfort for style? We were looking at some couches the other day. I'm kindof thinking leather, so that's where we started. The thing is, I love the look of the big nail heads on the front of the couch. Then there was this other set that I sat in and actually said, "Oohhhh." It was so comfy! There isn't a nail head in sight.

Now, here is a fact that you have to know first- when we got married we bought a couch and love seat for very cheap at a furniture store auction. The store was going out of business, and was selling all their inventory. Here is the deal: We still have that set! And we have been married for 15 years! It is a good set because it has taken quite a bit of abuse over the years. It's just plain u-g-l-y. ;) So, as you can probably figure out, we will be having the new set for years and years...! Ach! What would you do?

Fun new cards!

I am super excited about the new cards that I made the other day! Like I said yesterday, I found this really cool paper in my stash, and just couldn't believe that I hadn't used it yet. I've been in a little rut lately for ideas, but with this paper, I climbed right out! The ideas kept flowing.

So now I had a dilemma...do I post them all in a row on Etsy, or do I space them out between other cards? I have decided to put them all on. I have done a "series" of cards before, so I am going to try it again.

I'll show you 2 today, and 2 tomorrow. Take a look...tell me what you think!

It's the green paper that really drew me. I love green, and with the accents of black, orange, and blue, I think they turned out awesome! The first card has the months of the year stamped on the front. If you are buying this for someone, you can circle the month that they were born in!

Ah Computers...

I think I should take a class or something! I really want to have to know-how to do things on the computer. For those of you who have read my blog before, you might have noticed that I changed the template to a 3 column one. This is not one of the options that Blogger gives, so I had to actually change the HTML! What a proud moment that was! Now I am attempting to add some shop ads on the left hand side. That is proving to be a challenge at the moment.

We did some mattress shopping last night. We went to one place, looked at about 4 mattresses, and bought one. Just like that! Who knew that within a week of "starting to look" we would have a mattress in our home?! Actually, it isn't coming until Monday, but it was in stock and ready to be delivered! So what kind did we get? We went with the foam kind. Yes, it was more spendy, but my DH was convinced that it would be best...we will see how we like it!

Other than that, I had a wonderful birthday. My hubby and I went out for supper after mattress shopping, and the food was excellent. It was nice to get away with just him for a night!

And for the newest card...take a look!

Also, I worked on some new cards yesterday, and I came up with some great ones I think! I found this too cool paper in my stash and went to town with it. I will be showing those tomorrow!

I finally made it!

I have exactly 70 items in my shop today! My goal was to get to 75, and obviously, I have not made that yet, but I'm getting there!

The newest for today is a birthday card. The paper that I used has great greens and blues. I matched it to a textured card stock and stamped that for a fun background. I also inked all the edges. I hate to say...'this is a guys card' so maybe I will say, this will work for a guy! Every time I do label a card "guy" then I have women telling me that they wouldn't mind getting this card too! So it's hard for me to label cards that way, at the same time, it's nice to have a selection of cards for men.

On that note...it's my birthday today! Gotta say that logging in to my Etsy was pretty fun- right at the top of the screen it says, "happy birthday twiddlestix!" My hubby is taking me out for supper tonight and then we are going mattress shopping. Pretty exiting, huh?! We have had the same mattress since we got married, and since hubby wakes up with a sore back every day, we decided that now is the time. We will see what we come up with. I'm a little worried...how will we know which one to pick? And how will we know if we will like it?!

It's amazing!

I finally took some photos! Yay! I listed 2 new cards today. One is for an Anniversary, and the other is a card that says 'missing u' on it. I actually made 2 of the anniversary one (almost identical anyway) and sent it to my sister and her hubby.

The missing u one I had sent to MocoMarket and after just a month or so there, it didn't sell. We will see how it goes on Etsy. I love the paper and I think the card is pretty neat!

Take a look at the clouds that I photographed the other day! It was a strange looking sky and perfectly calm out. As I was taking photos, the wind started whipping. Then came the downpour!

Heart to Sale Ratio

There was just a thread on Etsy talking about a shop's heart to sale ratio. I thought it was interesting so I tried it! What you have to do is take your number of hearts and divide that by number of sales. Turns out that I do not have that great of a ratio. Mine is 5.6. So for every 5.6 hearts, I get one sale.

Funny thing is, yesterday I got that .6 heart...(hehe) and yesterday I got another sale! Couldn't believe my eyes. When summer is over, I will be working on getting this ratio a little lower.

Here is my latest card for the shop: bright and fun

Vacation Time again!

I really shouldn't be here typing at the moment. I mean, where are my priorities?! I have to pack for a vacation but yet here I sit. ;) This is the kind of vacation that requires a lot of work. We are going to be staying in a sleeper cabin for the next week (leaving on Monday!) and so that means getting bedding, towels, pillows, food, and the clothing ready to go. No small feat, that is for sure.

I guess I will just use the excuse that I have to wait for the laundry to get done. And I will type fast.

Did you all have a great holiday (US people anyway?) We had a wonderful time, spending the day first of all at a parade, then with friends with tons of food of course. We saw fireworks on the 3rd.

My newest creation will probably not be in my shop for another week, but I am going to show it to you anyway. I used the same paper as I have before in other cards, just a new look. The color combination is wonderful! The orange paper with flowers is so fun, and it has been a long time favorite.

Have a great week...I will see you all soon!

July 4...is it really July already?!

Ready to celebrate the 4th?! We are going to see fireworks already tonight. I love fireworks! I absolutly have to see them every year! We live in a small town area so the shows are not as impressive as the big cities, but they still are a lot of fun to see.

My latest card features the same paper that I used for my give away. The papers are great, so why not use it up?! I'm against hording paper anymore remember?! It's still hard though, I want to save it for something special! So that makes this card special I guess! Take a look...my shop is getting somewhat full! I just made my 70th sale the other day, so I am on my way to 100!

I'm excited!

I applied to Trunkt, and as you can probably see from the sideboard, I was accepted! When I first started selling on Etsy I heard about it, but knew that my photos were far from acceptable, and I put it out of my mind. My friend Katelyn wrote about it in her blog, and that's what reminded me. Whenever I see the badge on the sideboard, I still shake my head...really?!

Come check out my newest card today too. I am adding a card that is different than my normal style. The leaves and the flower are stamped. And I didn't even use pattered paper! I keep delaying puting this in my shop because it's so different, I just wonder if people are going to like it. But today I am taking the plunge.

And the winner is...

Michele P.! I must confess I don't know much about Michelle, but she took the time to type a comment, and I pulled her name out of my "hat" so that means she's my winner! ;) Thank you all for entering, I really appreciate it! It's so much fun having a contest like this, I am sure I will be doing it again soon.

I have family visiting for the next couple of days, so I will probably not be posting so much! Here is my newest card that I will be listing for sale today.

I used some really great pattered paper for this one. It's a redish/pinkish paper with brown accents. I stamped the word "wish" and added brown ribbon. Check it out!

Making of a card, and MocoMarket update

Usually I take out the paper that I want to make a card with, then I find coordinating paper if necessary, and proceed to make a card. And usually I start with the pattered paper, cut out the 5.5" by 4" piece, and then use the solid to accent the card. If you look at most of my cards, that is the way it is!

This time was different. I started with the solid, and used the pattered paper as the accent. And do I ever love how it turned out! Stamping the numbers on was fun too, and I thought the look was pretty neat. Take a look, if you like it, you know where to find it!

Make sure you all leave a comment here for me! I have a lovely card to give away, and so far there are only 5 people in the running! Take a look at the post below, and I will post the photo of the card here again, just a little bit of it though. ;)

Also, sadly, I have to say goodbye to MocoMarket where I was selling my cards. Actually, she is saying goodbye to us all. The owner has decided to call it quits and shut the entire shop down. It apparently wasn't running as smooth as a business should. I'm going to miss it, and the opportunity to sell my cards in an actual store. The extra dollars a month was nice, as was the opportunity to get my name out there. I just hope that I have sold enough to people that they might want to get more from em some day.

Here it is!

This is the card that I am giving away! Today is the big day of my Anniversary, so I thought it would be appropriate to post the card today. Take a look...all you have to do is comment here on my blog and in a week I will be taking all the people who took the time and find a winner!

I used the paper that I photographed for an earlier post, and I love how it turned out. The paper is awesome! Of course it helps that I love orange! Since I was down in my scrap room making this card and a wedding card I needed, I got sucked into making more cards. ;) (It's hard to stay in the house these days when it is so nice outside!) The paper was calling my name I guess! Then the clouds went away, and the photos got taken. Of course the editing of the photos took awhile too, but...I will be listing more fun cards in the next few days! Yay!

Have a great day everyone!

;)

Old "new" cards

Wow, this is much harder than I thought it would be- blogging in the summer with the kids around! I'm stealing my computer back for a few!

Did everyone have a great holiday? The weather was beautiful here, and we had a great time visiting with friends, grilling, and biking!

As for my shop...I looked through my pile of "done" cards to see if I had any photographed, but not listed. I was surprised at what I found! Quite a few just sitting around waiting to be listed! I am pretty sure that I have posted this one here before, but it's been awhile, so I am going to show it off again. This one is slightly distressed, which I think really adds to the look. Take a look at my shop today for some new listings! If you still have graduations to go to, I still have some cards for that too.

Just a few things...

I stepped out my door this morning at 6:15 and I was hit with air permeated with the smell of lilacs and my blooming apple trees. So today I took the time to "smell the roses" even though it was the lilacs! The apple blossoms are my all time favorite scent.

Now I am going to put in a little plug...check out this link at Buried Treasury, and rank my Etsy mini! There are tons of shops there that you might not have seen before. It's a neat blog, fun to look at, and comment on. Check it out!

My card for the day is another birthday card. This one has the color combo that a lot of people like: orange and blue. I was having lots of fun making this one, and I love how it turned out! I'll show you just a hint of it! ;)