Friday Features - Labor Day Parade

I hope you're all geared up for Labor Day Weekend! I know I am! My parents get here Sunday and my small town doubles in size with all the festivities on Monday. One event I always enjoy is the Labor Day Parade. So I went searching on Etsy to find items that remind me of our annual parade.

As a kid I remember wanting to go for all the candy!

Candy Sweet Shoppe lollipop party pdf printable

by  GlitterInkDesigns 

As I got older, the parade became about playing in the marching band.

And yes, I carried the bass drum!

 

 Children's Nursery Art Print (Bird Playing the Bass Drum in Blue)

 by barkingbirdart

There are always lots of horses at the end of the parade. And when I was just out of high school, Jesse and I rode double in the parade one year :)

 

Mustang Quarterhorse Artwork - Crystal - 8 x 10 print of my original watercolor

 by tapestry316

And there are always lots of fire trucks...from my own town as well as the neighboring towns.

 

Vintage1950s Marx Tin Fire Truck

 by Thebeezkneezvintage

 I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Happy Birthday Jesse :)

Today is my boyfriend's 36th birthday...Happy Birthday Jesse :)

You've heard me mention before how much I love my customers and their requests and the timing couldn't have been more perfect on this one! I got a request for a wood card with a monster truck on it. And if you remember from this Wordless Wednesday, Jesse just bought another huge truck recently!

This is the original card for the customer's brother.

And here is Jesse's card.

The wording is corny, but hey, I'm kinda corny :)

It was fun to get to make him a special card and I love the little cut out heart :)

 No big plans for a celebration, but I'm sure we'll get to celebrate this weekend!

Wordless Wednesday - Goofy Dog

Yup, my goofy dog sleeps UNDER the couch :)

But he sure is cute doing it :)

Fall Show Prep

My first fall craft show is just 2.5 weeks away! How the heck did that happen! From September to November, I am signed up for 4 shows and it's time to start getting ready NOW!

As I make more and more new items, I also have to come up with new ideas for displays. Last year I took some of my Wood Wine Bottle Stoppers with me to shows, but they looked like the image above...a mess! So this year I wanted something to help them stand out and be seen easier.

This is what I cam up with. I took a coaster holder (that they were in originally) and cut holes in the bottom with my laser.

Now they look more organized, but I'm still not sure they stand out much. I'm thinking of painting the coaster holder so the stoppers stand out more and then putting a little sign on the front of the box that says what they are and their price (so I don't have to price each one individually!).

 What do you think? Good display or keep working on it?

A Quiet and Productive Weekend

Ahhhh...quiet and productive, the best kind of weekend :)

After running errands Friday morning, I didn't leave the house again all weekend...and that was just fine with me! I got a lot accomplished and enjoyed the quite time at home :) It rained all day Saturday which was very welcome after months with no rain.

I got caught up on glass orders including these flutes above. There were a special request which I'll be adding to my shop soon. I thought the dress design was a fun idea and perfect for the bridesmaids!

I also got a fun order from a local customer I met at a show early last year. She designs jewelry and wanted more of my pendants. She also ordered some smaller wood discs for matching connectors. I'll have to see if she'll email me some photos of her beautiful work. She calls these "Edi Drops" and I think that's so fun!

(Sorry for the terrible photo, I took it more for future reference for myself and didn't think about putting it on the blog until now!)

Friday and Saturday night we had movie night on the couch and ordered pizza for Saturday. It doesn't get much better than that :)

Treasury Thanks

Welcome to another edition of my Treasury Thanks! Each week I like to thank my treasury curators from the past week by featuring their treasuries as well as an item from their shop. Please help me in thanking them by clicking on their treasuries and checking out their shops :)

MsGosh featured my Friends Word Album in her Sunday Best Bargains Treasury! MsGosh is a buyer only account with awesome taste! Check out her favorites and you'll see what I mean :)

Kate of kskalozubova featured my Custom Wall Word in her Just Words! August #7 Treasury! I just love Kate's Spring Emotion Earrings!

Margaret of SplendidLittleStars featured my Custom Destination Album in her I Love Summer! Treasury! Margaret is currently on vacation, but she sells awesome hand died creations like the shirt pictured above.

Linda of lindab142 featured my Personalized Wine Bottle Stopper in her Red Hot Blogging Business Artisans Treasury! Linda's Wire Wrapped Ring would go great in this treasury as well!

Beyza of AnatoliaDreams featured my Double Heart Guest Book in her Fall Fashion Treasury! Beyza makes THE cutest baby shoes! Just look at these adorable Cars Baby Booties!

Yanxia of misluo featured my Woodland Baby Shower Guest Book in her The silence of Autumn Treasury! Yanxia's Simple Circle Rustic Earrings would be perfect for Autumn, or any time of year!

Beth of BSoriginals featured my Friends Word Album in her clever Crack the Code Treasury! And speaking of clever, check out this Camping Potholder from Beth's shop! Too cute!

Judy of JNOriginals featured my Woodland Baby Shower Guest Book in her Brown Bounty Treasury! Judy's Coffee Cup Cozy would fit perfectly in this treasury!

  Thank you again to each curator! You made my week :)

Sunshine Blogger Award

I was recently awarded the Sunshine Blogger Award by Sarah of A Cat-Like Curiosity!

I recently started reading Sarah's blog after finding her in one of my Etsy teams and love her writing style and sense of humor!

Along with the award are 10 questions I get to answer. Here they are :)

Ten Questions and Answers:

1. What would you most like to change about yourself?

This sounds superficial, but I would love for the weight I gained at the beginning of the year to magically disappear!

2. What is your theme song?

Iris by the GooGooDolls

3. One part of your life, a memory, action, etc. that you wish you could surgically remove from your brain?

Cliche, but nothing. I feel that every experience, good or bad, I have learned from and I wouldn't want to change that.

4. What generation do you wish you had been a part of?

I was definitely meant to be a flower child :)

5. What was your favorite childhood toy?

A stuffed dog named Snowball that my grandparents gave me...still have it!

6. What is your favorite housecleaning chore? 

Favorite? As in the one I hate the least? Laundry...toss it in and forget about it!

7. Do you Twitter? 

Nope

8. Any goals?

I set goals for myself each month and I also set daily goals that I prepare on to do lists each morning.

9. Do you really drink margaritas all the time?

Nope, not a tequila girl. But give me a glass of sweet wine any day :)

10. What is the ugliest car you've ever driven and were embarrassed to be seen in?

One of my first cars was a 1986 Ford Aerostar Minivan...Two-tone Brown to boot! But it was also the best vehicle I ever owned :)

I am also supposed to bestow this award on other bloggers whose blogs I enjoy reading. But I hate for people to feel obligated, so I'm gifting this to each of you :) If you read my blog and I read yours, you know you rock and you know you bring me sunshine :) I'd love for you to participate and link back so I can read your answers!

Friday Features - World Traveler

One of the things I find coolest about Etsy is the international scope it offers! I never imagined I'd ship a package to Abu Dabi or Norway! This past week alone I shipped to three new-to-me locations: Malaysia, Brazil and the Philippines! I just think it's so cool to have my products all over the world! It's just too bad I can't go every where they go :)

I'd love to have a world map where I can pin all the locations I've mailed to. I hope to ship to all 50 states! Alaska is the only one I can think of that I haven't shipped to, but I'd have to check for sure. And how cool to be able to mark all the international locations as well! I just wish I would have paid more attention in geography class!

Today's features are inspired by my desire for a map or globe to display.

I LOVE that this one has the names of each country!

Large Printed World Map with country names bright and colourful

by Vinylimpression

You know I can't pass up pink :)

24"x40" Canvas World Travel Map - Custom Color - Personalized - Ready To Hang - Flag Pins Included

by  PinThereDoneThat

This one would be good for a smaller space

Vintage illuminate Globe Lamp By Hammond Danmark.

by bygrassdoll

Hmmm...toss up between pink and teal!

World Map 6 Panel Canvas Giclee - Teal and White

by  ModernCanvas

 

Baby Shower Guest Book

I've been making Wedding Guest Books for a while now and love coming up with new cover designs and I love taking requests for special pages on the inside. My mind hadn't even considered to offer other styles of guest books!

Thanks to my customers (again!) I have another new listing in my shop! It's a Woodland Baby Shower Guest Book! I had this design offered as a photo album and got the request to make it into a guest book.

Now my brain is busy thinking of other designs for baby showers as well as other events guest books can be used for!

Have I mentioned how much I love my customers :)

Wordless Wednesday - Visitor at My Window

Don't worry...he's on the outside :)

Cut That Out!

I've had some fun requests for laser cut items lately! What I love most about my laser is the versatility and ability to take on challenges and requests for new ideas!

I showed a sneak peak of this invitation in a Wordless Wednesday, so I thought I'd show the entire image today. I love that everything is engraved except the bunnies. The cutout adds just the right touch :)

And I've had my Mason Jar Invitation listed for a while now. I had a custom request to replace the dragonfly cutout with a butterfly. Of course I forgot to take a picture of the butterfly...ugh! But it's fun knowing I can put other little critters in the jar too :)

My most recent request was for a photo album. The couple wanted certain parts of their cover cut out and certain parts engraved. I think the cutouts add so much to the overall design and take it one step beyond a simple engraving.

Of course this has my brain thinking of other cutout designs I can do like a lace design on invitations and fun Christmas ornaments! Can I have 25 hours in my day tomorrow :)

2, 4, 6, 8? Listing Sets

Something I see asked a lot in the forums on Etsy, and that I have trouble with from time to time as well, is listing items in sets.

*Will this item sell as a set?

*How many should I list in each set?

*Should I offer multiple sets?

When I first started listing my wine glass sets, I had them listed as sets of four. To me this just seemed like a common glass set number. I sold a few, but my other glass items seemed to do better than the wine glasses.

I recently had a request for a set of two wine glasses. After the custom listing sold, I went ahead and relisted it as an option for my shop. I tend to do this a lot with my shot glass, beer mug and flute sets too. It gives buyers more options. Just since listing the newly made set, I've sold three more sets of the two glass listing!

Sometimes it's just trial and error that leads to the right answer. After I got to thinking about it, a set of two does make more sense for gift-giving. If you're going to put a couples' names or monogram on a glass, they probably don't need their name on more than one glass :) It's always a good idea to revisit our listings and see what changes we can make.

Treasury Thanks

Welcome to another edition of my Treasury Thanks! Each week I like to thank my treasury curators from the past week by featuring their treasuries as well as an item from their shop. Please help me in thanking them by clicking on their treasuries and checking out their shops :) 

Kaili of clockworkghOst featured my Floral Butterfly Wedding Invitation in her BBArtisans Garden Treasury! Kaili takes beautiful photographs and I love her Nature Shot of Awosting Falls!

Sarah Beth of MagnoliaSurprise featured my Personalized Shot Glasses in her Black and White and Red All Over! Treasury! Sarah's Shades of Granite Coasters would fit perfectly in this treasury!

 Trina of trinasclaycreations featured my Tree of Love Guest Book in her Shaded by the Tree Treasury! Trina creates the most unique and beautiful wedding cake toppers. Each one has personal touches special to the bride and groom, like this Fireman and Bride Topper!

Friday Features - Rambler

On Wednesday of this week I finally got out my old Rambler and took her for a drive! She hasn't been out of the garage all year and I had forgotten how fun it is to drive her :) The steering wheel is 4 times the size of cars today, you shift gears on the column (called a 3 on the tree) and I get so many looks from people who appreciate old cars :) My Rambler was my first car when I turned 16. It was my great-grandmother's car and my dad fixed it up and repainted it for me :) I've kept her all these years!

Here is a picture of me with my car on my first day senior year.

I was surprised by the amount of Rambler items on Etsy! It was so fun to look through the old adds and see the cool items made from Rambler parts! Check out what I found...

Rambler Patch Vintage Nash Rambler Badge 10 x 3 inches NOS Sew On

by BlackRockVintage

1963 Rambler Hubcap Wall Clock

 by StarlingInk

Vintage Dinky Toy Nash Rambler 173

by AnniesAtticFinds 

Retro 1964 Rambler Advertisement

by  ecofriendlyfreckles

 (Mine is a '63, but this ad shows the wagon that looks just like mine.)