Memories for Life Scrapbooks

Welcome to Wordless Wednesday :)

2012-02-01T00:01:00.001-06:00

Team Work

2012-01-31T00:01:00.001-06:00

As the old saying goes...Two Heads Are Better Than One :) This can be even more true when it comes to crafty endeavors. Working as a team, you can get more ideas flowing and have access to tools and materials that you wouldn't have on your own.

I recently had the pleasure of teaming up with Erika of ArtfulRising to create some beautiful Art Journals! She contacted me about engraving some wood covers for her to put her awesome art journal pages in.

We worked out the sizes and styles and got to work. I was amazed when Erika showed me the finished product! She transformed by covers into works of art!

And I love that she came up with the idea to put both of our shop names on the back of the journals. It is engraved for all to see that this masterpiece was the result of Team Work :)

Disney Albums meet Custom Albums

2012-01-30T00:01:00.001-06:00

I've been making my Custom Name Albums for quite a few years now. And they've gone through several changes in that time to include more options, more sizes, more variety. And with the laser, it's easier to add more font options as well!

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I made two Disney Albums in a special Disney font and they have done well at craft shows. I recently got asked to make a Custom Disney Album. What a great idea!

Olivia, Caeli and Adam all have special Custom Disney Albums for their surprise trip in February!

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I've decided to add this latest idea to my shop as well. I think they're a great way to remember a Disney trip and even more special now that they can be customized.

I'm starting with Mickey and Friends and Princess themes, but can customized upon request.

And the best part about these new books...they include autograph pages as well! Just have your favorite characters sign on a small piece of paper and add it to the book along with your photos when you return home!

Treasury Thanks

2012-01-29T00:01:00.001-06:00

This week brought me 4 gorgeous treasuries to add to my list!!! Two of these were from my wonderful team mates and two were from people I've never met! It's always special when someone new adds one of your items to their treasury :)

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Judy of JNOriginals featured my Custom Sorority Album in her Pink and Blue Just for You Treasury! How did Judy know that these are my favorite colors :) These pretty Fingerless Gloves would go great in this treasury too!

Erika of ArtfulRising featured my LOVE Chipboard Album in her Love in All The Right Places Treasury! Her Handstamped Love Heart would go along great here too!

juliesgoodscents featured my Flower Bud Guest Book in her Wonderful Wood Treasury! Her sandalwood shea butter soap would go along great with all these wood creations!

moonsun also featured my LOVE Chipboard Album in her Lady in Red Treasury! Her Chunky Loop Scarf would be great along with these red items!

Thank you for featuring my items this week! I'm loving all the Valentine themed treasuries this time of year :)

Wanna Trade?

2012-01-28T04:13:00.006-06:00

I don't normally do trades on Etsy. I've done a few in the past, but I don't do them often. However, when I saw some awesome towels that Nancy of NFallonDesignStudio had made as part of her BBArtisans Challenge, I knew I wanted some! Nancy had mentioned that they weren't really her color and she wasn't sure what she was going to do with them. I offered to take them off her hands and asked if she would like something out of my shop in return. She loved my Owl Magnets and added one of her Knit Heart Pin Brooches to the mix!

Check out all the goodies I got!

I think Nancy must have made these with me in mind :) They're my favorite colors!!! And the patterns are so great!

And a brooch in hot pink to top things off! This will look awesome with my winter coat for now and then on my denim jacket this spring and fall!

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Thank you Nancy for the awesome trade! I'm loving my towels and already have my brooch on my coat :)

Friday Features - Four Fantastic Years

2012-01-27T00:05:00.001-06:00

I just realized that I let my 4 year Etsy-versary pass without even noticing! I can't believe it's really been 4 years since I found such an amazing site that has allowed me to grow my business, sell year-round and sell all over the world! Etsy really has been great for me and for my business! I've met so many wonderful people through Etsy and couldn't imagine my life without them!

Happy Etsy-versary to Me!!!

In honor of my celebration...here are some fun finds featuring the number 4!

Little Lambs Happy 4th Birthday 1950s Vintage Digital Download

by poshtottydesignz

Vintage Typewriter Key Necklace. Black Number 4 Pendant with Fancy Filigree Sterling Silver Setting

by PreciousPastimes

Number 4 Cookies

by DeliciousDozen

4 Ball Belt Buckle - Limited Edition - Recycled License Plates

by vintageinretrospect

Thank you to all my readers, all my customers and all my Etsy friends for making the last four years ROCK! Here's to another great four years :)

Wedding Bells

2012-01-26T00:01:00.001-06:00

Ever since attending the bridal fair a couple weeks ago, I've had wedding projects on my mind! I have a huge list of ideas I want to make for wedding decor and I got a few done this week! Rustic, shabby wedding themes seem to be very popular, so these items should fit in well!

First up is a Mr. & Mrs. Wedding Banner. I'm selling these both as premade banners as well as custom banners. Make them as long as you like! (And for any occasion!)

Next I made these Engraved Table Numbers. These can be customized as well with any font or graphics the couple would like. Seating charts at wedding receptions seem to be more and more popular lately.

I'll also be adding 4 more Wood Guest Book/Photo Albums as well. Here is one of my new designs.

And for those not into the rustic, shabby chic theme...how about some color! This Double Name Guest Book/Photo Album would be the hit of any wedding (or other party)! The inside pages can be formatted so many different ways!

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I still have a list a mile long of wedding items I'd like to get made and listed! And I'd also like to take a few new photos with more than just a white background. I love the look of wedding items at actual weddings. Do you think I could show up at a wedding and start snapping product photos...LOL :)

Almost Wordless Wednesday - The Eye of the Beholder

2012-01-25T00:01:00.001-06:00

This is a "bad spot" in the floor where I work. They see a place that needs patched...What do you see :)

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

In Loving Memory

2012-01-24T00:01:00.001-06:00

Over the last few months, I have been asked to make a few difficult, but rewarding items. They were difficult in that each one dealt with the loss of a loved one, but they were rewarding in knowing that I was helping these people preserve the memories of their loved ones forever! I feel honored that each of these individuals trusted me to create them something beautiful and special for them to have to remember their loved ones :)

A couple weeks ago I blogged about my Keepsake Boxes and mentioned that the recipient of those boxes wanted some memorial boxes made of his father for him and his sister to have. I got them completed and wanted to share them with you! They happened to have a photo of their father in front of a blanket that said "The Lord is my Light". They both thought this was perfect for the box.

Then they added a special poem on the inside of the box. It was a long quote, so I turned the box on its side to engrave it the long way across the lid of the box. It turned out beautifully.

Another item I engraved as a Christmas gift were some photo pendants. The front had their loved one's photo and In Memory on the back. A very touching gift that can be worn and kept forever!

I made quite a few Engraved Photo Ornaments for memorial keepsakes at Christmas as well. This kitty ornament was one of them. The holidays can be difficult when you've lost a loved one, but these ornaments help keep them in your memories.

The most difficult project I was asked to complete was an album for a baby that had passed away. A friend of the family was asked to create the album, but wasn't able to do so because of the close connection she had to the baby. This was definitely the most challenging task I had been put up to, but also the most rewarding! I knew that if I didn't create this album, the family would never have a scrapbook of their baby girl. I felt great honor in knowing that I helped them preserve their memories of their sweet little girl!

Have you made any special projects lately?

January Challenge - Blogging Business Artisans

2012-01-23T00:01:00.001-06:00

Last October I helped create a wonderful new team on Etsy! It is by for my most favorite team! We are all so active and supportive, it's my favorite place on Etsy :)

One of our requirements is to participate in 6 monthly challenges for the year. January's challenge is brought to us by Deb of storybeader. She gave us the theme of New Techniques: "To start off the Challenges for the new Blogging Business Artisans (BBA) team, I want to make this affirmation: we are all super busy and creative Etsy members. We are always finding new projects we want to try but stress about where to find the time. This challenge is set aside that time to work on and complete a new technique that you admire. It can be within your field of expertise, but doesn't have to be."

I've been wanting to try a new style of engraved wood album for quite a while now and this was the kick in the pants I needed to get started on them!

Most of my wood items are made of red alder wood. But these are made of maple and they are color lacquered on both sides giving them a fun twist to my other albums. I also wanted to use photo sleeves instead of photo corners on cardstock. This meant designing all new files and making the covers fit the photo sleeves.

I bought both light pink and light blue thinking these would be perfect for baby books! I'm dying to buy other colors to try new styles now!!! Find these in my shop!

Treasury Thanks

2012-01-22T00:03:00.001-06:00

Welcome to another week of Treasury Thanks! This week I have two lovely treasuries that I was featured in along with one that I created as well!

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Sheryl of SherHastingsDesigns featured my Pink Flower Earring Cards in her Love, Romance, Flowers, & Hearts Treasury! Sheryl has a great shop filled with digital scrapbook goodies and PDF patterns. This kit would be perfect for scrapbooking photos from Valentine's Day!

Karen of MysticWynd featured my Baby Boy Photo Album in her Got the Blues... Treasury! This necklace of Karen's would be great to wear on Valentine's Day...or any other day!

After attending a Bridal Fair last weekend to see if I'd like to be a vendor next year, I had weddings on the brain :) So I curated this lovely Bridal Guide Treasury!

Please help me thank my curators and give my treasury some love by clicking on items you like :)

USPS Rate Increase

2012-01-21T00:04:00.001-06:00

January 22nd marks the date for another rate increase for the United States Postal Service. Some of the most talked about increases are First Class Mail, First Class Mail International and Flat Rate Priority Packages.

First Class Mail will raise from $1.71 to $1.95 for the first 3 oz. and then 17 cents for each additional ounce.
First Class Mail International will start at $3.00 and then will vary by zone for each additional ounce.
Flat Rate Priority Packages are as follows

*Small: From $5.20 to $5.35

*Medium: $10.95 to $11.35

*Large: $14.95 to $15.45

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These are some of the most noticable that I've seen, but you can get the complete list with separate XLS or CSV files for each category HERE.

Friday Features - From My Favorites

2012-01-20T00:01:00.001-06:00

I love adding fun items to my favorites on Etsy. I love looking at so many different types of art Today's features are all from my favorites list...enjoy!

Modern 10K White Gold 1.25 Carat Princess Cut Alexandrite Designer Ring

by artmasters

Branches Papercut, original hand-cut 30x20 paper art

by papercutsbyjoe

Purple Flowers with Pink Pearls and Swarovski Crystals Beaded Sterling Silver Earrings

by BeadedTail

Etsy Addict Button

by allegrae

What have you been eye-balling lately? Share your links in the comments!

GIVEAWAY!!! Last Day To Enter!

2012-01-18T04:57:00.007-06:00

Rose of randomcreative is hosting this month's giveaway over at the Business Blogging Artisans Blog! And what an awesome giveaway it is!!!

Rose created a new line for 2012 of herringbone beadwoven necklaces and wrap bracelets! She also has great charms to go along with her pieces too!

Stop by and enter the giveaway and stop by Rose's shop to see her entire new line!

I apologize for the late notice on this giveaway! It ends today at 11 am!!! Enter right away!

Wordless Wednesday - Grandpa (being a good sport)

2012-01-18T00:06:00.001-06:00

Bridal Fair

2012-01-17T00:04:00.001-06:00

Over the weekend, I attended a Bridal Fair. No, I'm not getting married...LOL :) I went to scout out the show and see if I felt my items would fit in well. My "marketing manager" aka Mom had mentioned that I should check some out and see if I could get a space for next year.

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I was pleasantly surprised to walk in the door and see a very long line of people waiting to get into the show...and this was 45 minutes after the show had started! The place was packed...a great start!

The show was very well laid out also. I knew as a new vendor that I could possibly get one of the booths with less traffic. But I really didn't see a bad booth in the place! There was a nice flow to the whole show and even the booths in the back had prime space because they were by the fashion show part of the event.

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Here is an example of one of the booths. I was afraid that my craft show set up wouldn't be compatible with a higher end show, but they provide all of the things I was afraid I'd need. The curtained backing and the table with skirt are all provided. And the spaces are very comparable in size to a craft show booth at 10'x10'.

One thing I noticed is that most booths had people standing in the aisle ways handing out postcards/business cards as people walked by. That way, even if they didn't get a chance to stop, they still had the vendor's info. So I may have to recruit some help to run my booth. And being a people person is a must. The vendors were talking to you as you walked by and drew you into their booths.

One thing that I really liked is that no one had anything even close to what I do. There was only one booth that offered personalized services and they mostly did screen printing like coozies and mint wrappers. I didn't see any champagne flutes, guest books, table numbers, etc. And no one offered personalized services like I do.

The only downfall is the price tag that comes along with this awesome show. The cost of a booth is more than 10 times what I normally pay for a craft show booth!!! So I will definitely have to be prepared and have all of my ducks in a row if I plan to attend next year! I have so many more wedding ideas I want to get done!

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Have you done any fancy shows like this? I'd love to hear your experiences!!!

Let's Get Personal

2012-01-16T00:04:00.001-06:00

Every year I talk about my Etsy Shop and Blog goals, but I don't ever really talk about my personal goals. I guess many years I really don't have personal goals...my business is my personal time :) But this year I have a few more goals that I'd like to accomplish. And as I've said before, I feel that telling people your goals makes them set in stone and helps me to accomplish them! So here they are...

Start Jogging Again! I know this sounds like an idle new year's resolution, but I am serious about getting healthier. For about 3 or 4 years, I jogged on a regular basis (3-5 days per week). When I went back to work after my layoff (2 years ago!) I had a hard time exercising again. I've tried a couple of times, but never could be myself back into a routine. I'm starting to see the effects of this and I'm not liking the results! It's time to make a change in my life! I started last week and I jogged 3 times on my treadmill. My goal is to get myself ready for Spring when I can jog 3-4 miles outside and enjoy the beautiful outdoors :)
Enroll in Online Bill Pay. I've had a couple incidents will bills not getting mailed correctly. Once the mailman delivered my outgoing mail (bills!) to the neighbor. And the other day I was in a hurry paying bills and ripped off the top part of our mortgage statement instead of the bottom. I didn't pay attention to the address in the envelope window and mailed the payment...back to myself! *headdesk* After telling my mom about my "blonde moment" she asked why I don't pay bills online. I can accept credit card payments with my smart phone, but I still write checks, she asked. Okay...good point :) So my goal is to get all of our bills online and get a good system down for getting them paid and in the checkbook balance!
Keep Track of ALL Sales in 2012! Okay, this is sort of a business goal, but it is for a personal reason :) In the past, I haven't been good about keeping records of all of my local sales. If I delivered an item to work and they handed me cash, often times I didn't have change, so I didn't worry about sales tax. (shhhh...don't tell the IRS!) Those sales can add up, and I don't have record of them. After finishing my taxes for 2011, I realized that I may be able to really make this business work as my full-time job! So in 2012, I want to know exactly what my business is capable of. I want every cent recorded and I want to know that if I'm going to quit my job, that I can really do this. So as I said, a business and a personal goal here.

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It feels good to get these down in writing and out in the world!

Treasury Thanks

2012-01-15T00:05:00.001-06:00

It's time again to thank the wonderful individuals who have added me to their lovely treasuries this week :) This might just be my favorite post to do each week! I love finding myself in treasuries...and I love returning the favor by featuring these curators here :)

~So help me in thanking them by stopping by the treasuries they curated as well as their shops!~

Karen of MysticWynd featured my Keepsake Box in her Skinamarinky Dinky Dink, Skinamarinky Doo treasury! I've noticed that a lot of people have been adding my wedding items to their favorites, and I think they should be adding this Beautiful Bracelet from Karen's shop as well! Wedding season is just around the corner!

And Linda of lindab142 featured my Personalized Wine Bottle Stopper in her Valentne's Day Gift Ideas treasury! I think Linda added this Beautiful Turquoise Necklace to her shop just for me! I love that it is simple and bold all at the same time!

Thank you ladies for featuring me this week :)

Meet the Kids

2012-01-14T08:18:00.006-06:00

In my Me...By the Numbers post earlier this week, I mentioned that we have 5 kitties. Many people were surprised by this since I usually only post pictures of Harley. So I went on a mission this week to get photos of each of our furry kids :) These are all outdoor cats, but they're more spoiled than most house cats! Most of them live in the heated garage all winter and we let Momma Kitty ins the house a lot in the winter. Jesse even buys them wet food and Temptations treats often!

Momma Kitty (originally named Bonnie) is our oldest kitty. She was originally a wild barn kitty that we tamed down. We found her and her brother Clyde (Bonnie & Clyde) back in 2006 and she's been a part of the family ever since :)

We got Chevy from a clothing store...LOL. We were doing some shopping and there was a box of free farm kitties at the door. We couldn't resist taking Chevy and one of his brothers. He's one of the cuddliest kitties we've ever had :)

We adopted Tiger from some friends that were moving out of town. He is such a beautiful cat and has the most gorgeous green eyes! His coat is so soft and he gets along great with our other cats :)

Junior and Keystone are our two youngest kitties. We rescued them from the barn when we found that their mommy wasn't taking care of them (not Momma Kitty, another cat). We nursed them back to health and they've become Jesse's buddies hanging out in the garage with him a lot :)

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I'm proud to say that all of our kitties were adopted/saved/tamed and none of them came from a pet shop or mill. And all of them have been fixed. We've had several cats in the 8.5 years we've lived in the country, but these 5 are part of the family :)

Friday Features - Ring My Bell

2012-01-13T00:02:00.001-06:00

Yesterday's post had me inspired to check out the handmade bells Etsy has to offer. I love how each one is so unique and that they are all made from recycled/upcycled materials! I think one of these would look great hanging in our front trees (or around my neck!) :)

Longhorn Bell - kinetic wind chime sculpture

by IronStoneStudios

Bell Wind Chime Bear Paw Steel 10 3/4 inch tall 4 1/4 inch wide with Bear Paw on Bell Bear Wind Catcher and Golf Ball Striker

by ComeOnIn

IBC Root Beer Bottle Upcycled Bell Wind Chimes

by GreenGlassDesigns

Knife Bell Necklace, Flatware Jewelry, Vintage Flatware, Antique Silverware, Spoon Jewelry

by TheBeadLadies

Belle's Bell

2012-01-12T00:03:00.001-06:00

Have I mentioned how much I love custom requests! (oh, I did!) This is just one more reason why I love them :)

I was recently asked by the owner of the winery where I sell some of my items locally to engrave a special item for her parents. Their dog recently passed away and her name was Belle. She found a really neat handmade bell on the internet and wanted me to engrave the hanging wood pendant that came with the bell.

I was a little nervous because it was an unusual shape and I wasn't sure what type of wood it was or how the engraving would turn out. But the more items I engrave, the more confident I become in my work :) And this turned out great!

I love that the bell is handmade...and now it is personalized too :) She said this will hang in her parent's back yard where Belle loved to run and play :) How perfect!

Wordless Wednesday - New BIG Mailbox!

2012-01-11T00:01:00.001-06:00

Glass Blocks

2012-01-10T00:01:00.001-06:00

The thing I love most about taking custom orders is hearing all the fun ideas that my customers come up with! Over Christmas I had a friend ask for a special request. She wanted glass blocks with her nieces' names etched on them. But she didn't want any ordinary blocks...She wanted them painted pink, tied with a black ribbon and lit up! What fun!

I wasn't sure how the paint would stick to the glass or how many lights to put in them...this was all new to me. But I think they turned out awesome! The ribbons finish them off nicely too :) I haven't decided whether I'll add these to my Etsy Shop yet or not. I know shipping will be rather pricey since they are quite a heavy item. But they sure are cute :)

Me...By the Numbers

2012-01-09T00:04:00.001-06:00

Back in November, I did an ABCs of Me post. I got such a great response from this post that I thought a By the Numbers post would be just as fun! Get to know me a little better...by my numbers :)

1...# of ER visits. (I tried to cut my finger off with an xacto knife...all better now.)
2...# of times I've been out of the country (Mexico with a school group and The Bahamas with my parents...both were amazing!)
3...# of dogs Jesse and I have owned (Sidney, Bo and Harley)
4...I have a 4 year degree in Business Management
5...# of cats we currently have (Momma Kitty, Chevy, Tiger, Junior and Keystone)
6...64 is my favorite # (cheated a little here...LOL!)
7...A # I always play on roulette. (My birthday is April 7th...so I always do a 4/7 split :)
8...# of years we have owned our home.
9...# of years I have been employed at my current job.
10...# of years I've been out of high school. (Wow! Has it been 10 years already!)

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If any of my readers decide to do a By the Numbers post as well, please leave me a link...I'd love to read yours too :)

Treasury Thanks

2012-01-08T09:05:00.004-06:00

2012 is starting out great! I've already been included in 5 treasuries for the first week of the new year! I want to also start the year off right by thanking the curators of these wonderful treasuries! Come take a look...

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Kathy of tapestry316 featured my Disney Scrapbook in her Celebrate a Happy New Handmade Year treasury! Kathy is an amazing artist and draws and paints beautiful animal themed pieces like this Painting.

Nancy of nfall2rt featured my Personalized Wine Glasses in her Three Cheers to a Successful 2012 treasury! Nancy has a beautiful knit shop and recently added these Cute Little Hearts!

Rose of randomcreative featured my Custom Engraved Picture Frame in her Sweet and Whimsical for Valentine's Day treasury! Rose does beautiful bead wrapping work and recently added these awesome Herringbone Pieces to her shop!

Audrey of InvestedinVintage featured my Butterfly Guest Book/Photo Album in her A Wedding: "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood..." treasury! Audrey's has a great vintage shop! I love this Teal Coat from her shop!

Sharla of BeadedTail featured my Disney Scrapbook in her Hearts, Frogs and a Cat OH MY! treasury! These Awesome Earrings from Sharla's shop caught my eye the minute she listed them!!!

Friday Features - Keep Your Goals in Check

2012-01-06T00:04:00.001-06:00

I love writing yearly goals for my blog and shop. And I love sharing them with all of you! Sometimes we all need a reminder to stay on task and keep reaching for our goals. So today's Friday Features are all about ways to keep your goals in the front of your mind all year :)

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Post a reminder on your wall

Obstacles Are What You See When You Take Your Eyes Off Your Goal

by saltboxsigns

Wear a reminder around your neck

Hand Stamped Jewelry - Sterling Silver - A Goal is a Dream with a Deadline by JaidynStarrDesigns

Or around your wrist

New Years Quote - Choosing a goal and sticking to it changes everything - Scott Reed quote on a silver cuff - L6

by RusticCuff

And you know I'm a fan of writing things down! So Goal Tracker is perfect!

Goal Log / Resolution Chart Pocket Notebook, 36 Months by michellesmith

How do you plan to keep track of your goals in 2012?

Keepsake Boxes

2012-01-05T00:01:00.001-06:00

I recently made three more Keepsake Boxes all with different styles and photo compositions. I love that these can be used for so many things and that the ideas for the styles are endless!

The first box didn't have a photo, but had a simple and sweet message on the top of the box. Then, on the inside, a special quote/poem for the recipient. How sweet :)

The second box had a photo that had heads already partially cut off. Photos like this can be hard to work with when engraving. I added the oval border to keep the heads from "floating" on the box. I really like how it turned out!

I used the same idea for the third box and like how the border just draws everything together. I added this photo (as well as the previous one) to my listing to show that you can have any number of people in the photo being used. This photo has 5 people and looks just as great as the box that just has one person.

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The recipient of the last two boxes loved them so much that he ordered two more :) He said his sister cried when she received her box and had the idea to make memorial boxes of their dad with a quote on the inside of the lid. I ♥ this idea :)

I'll be sure to show those when I get them done!

Wordless Wednesday - Macro

2012-01-04T00:01:00.001-06:00

Bring on 2012

2012-01-03T00:01:00.001-06:00

2011 was an amazing year for Memories for Life! Adding my laser engraved items really helped to grow my business! I created lots of new items and made my scrapbook-making more efficient. I'm ready to take on 2012!

Here are this year's goals!

Blog Goals:

*Blog 4-5 Times Per Week

I was happy with my blogging goal for last year and want to continue to blog about the same amount this year.

*Blog Followers: 325 Followers

I originally thought 300 was a good goal, but wanted to challenge myself. 350 was my next thought, but I was afraid this may be a stretch, so 325 it is :)

Shop Goals:

*Etsy Sales: 366 Sales in 2012

This is definitely a stretch compared to my goals last year! But I want to make an average of 1 sale a day. I had 309 sales last year and I plan to add lots of new ideas to my shop, so I feel a sale a day is within reach for me. Wish me luck here!

*Shop Hearts: 750

Last year I far exceeded my goal, so again, I'm adding a bit of a stretch goal. This is about 11-12 new shop heats per month. The last part of 2011 was awesome for new shop hearts, so I hope all of 2012 is the same way!!!

Other Goals:

*Think about a new name for my shop. I would like to keep the "Memories for Life" part in there though.

*Redo my shop and blog banners to reflect my new name.

*Look into efficient advertising (focus on wedding items at first)

*Local advertising.

I found that once I got the word out about my products, people went nuts for them. Finding the most effective method will be the hardest part

*Work with local organizations on fundraising ideas.

I will sell the items to them at wholesale for them to make a profit for fundraising activities. (And this may be my best way for local advertising!)

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What are your goals for 2012? I'd love to hear about them in the comments!

A Look at 2011

2012-01-02T00:02:00.001-06:00

Each year I set goals for my blog and Etsy Shop and share them with all of you. I feel that putting my goals out there for everyone to read gives them more power and helps keep me on track.

Today I'll share how 2011 went and tomorrow I'll share for new goals for 2012!

Blog Goals:

*Blog 3-5 times per week: SUCCESS!

I had 275 posts in 2011 which averages out to over 5 posts per week!

*Get my followers up to 150: SUCCESS!

I am at 249 Followers!!!

I contribute this to visiting a lot of new blogs this year, having a giveaway in April and contributing regularly in the Etsy Blog Team forums.

Shop Goals:

*150 Etsy Sales: SUCCESS!

I actually had 309 Sales in 2011!!! I far exceeded my goals and expectations for 2011!!! By getting my laser engraver and expanding my inventory, I really opened my audience and the sales show it!

*450 Shop Hearts: SUCCESS!

I currently have 614 shop hearts! And I again contribute this to adding so many new items and attracting new buyers.

Other goals:

*Add new products: SUCCESS!

My Wood Guest Books, Personalized Bottle Stoppers and Photo Ornaments were great hits!

*Add another consignment shop: SUCCESS!

I started selling at another local winery and have had better success at this one than I did at the first one!

*Add a new show venue: SUCCESS!

My booth partner and I added another show that occurs in both the spring and fall. They were our best shows of the year!

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As you can see, 2011 was an amazing year! I never would have imagined that my new laser engraver would grow my business in such a way! I hope 2012 is just as great!

Stop back tomorrow to see my goals for 2012. And I'd love to hear how your year went and your new goals for 2012 in the comments!

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T00:01:00.001-06:00

Wishing all my bloggy friends a Happy New Year!

I know posts have been pretty scarce this last week, but I'll be back on track this coming week :) I've been enjoying lots of family time!!!

Friday Features - Bling in the New Year

2011-12-30T09:52:00.004-06:00

I can't believe we're already at the end of 2011! As always, the year flew by! But I'm ready for the New Year's celebration! My parents will be here and we'll be celebrating at my brother's house. Family and New Year's...What more could I ask for :)

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When I think of New Year's celebrations, I always think of bling and sparkle! Look at these fun New Year's finds all decked out!

Gold and Silver Food/Drink/ Cupcake picks or toppers for New Year's Eve, Set of 10

by KiwiTiniCreations

New Years 2012 Hot Pink Statement Cocktail Ring in Silver Speckled Polymer Clay for the Girlie Girl Fashionista Who Loves Sparkles

by CreaShines

Printable New Years Eve Pop, Fizz, Sparkle Collection

by wantsandwishesdesign

Rhinestone Ball Necklace Sterling Silver 18 inches long Sparkly New Years Times Square New York

by ELEVEN13

Sparkle Stars New Year's Eve Masquerade Ball Mask Costume Antique Silver Glow in Dark Black

by wispofsnipe

Have a Happy New Year's Eve!

A Handmade Christmas

2011-12-28T15:57:00.005-06:00

This year for Christmas, I wanted to make as many of the gifts as I could. I had special ideas for all the girls on Jesse's side of the family and I love how each one turned out! I just wish I would have remembered to take photos of the recipients with their gifts! But luckily I did remember to take pictures before I gave them :)

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Jesse's mom recently purchased a home! She had the fun idea to name her new place "The Hen House"...I love it! So I made her a sign that is perfect for her new home :)

I cut it out of wood with my laser and made the wing a separate piece. I painted the wing orange (to match her kitchen!) and engraved the words on the wing. I then glued it together and added a hanger on the back. She loved it!

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For Jesse's sister-in-law, I made a large 8x10 picture frame with all their names on it. I put their last name on the top and all of their first names along the bottom. This frame matches their other home decor perfectly, so she loved it :)

For Jesse's other sister-in-law I made a super cute Double Name Album! Of course I had a lot of fun making this one since it's in my favorite colors :)

I did a mix of fun/summer/party pages as well as couple/love pages. It turned out great and of course, she loved it :)

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Did you make any handmade gifts this year? Tell me all about them!

On Santa's Nice List

2011-12-28T08:56:00.005-06:00

I must have been on Santa's nice list this year, because my Secret Santa brought me some great gifts!!!

The Blogging Business Artisans Team celebrated Christmas with a secret santa gift exchange and we had so much fun! I want to send a special thanks to my Santa today, Athena, and tell her how happy I am with my gifts!!! Check out these goodies!

Bath Soap...in my FAVORITE scent...Vanilla!

Beautiful earrings in my FAVORITE color...Pink!

Athena purchased these beauties from another team mate, MysticWynd, and I just ♥ them!

Wanna see what everyone else got? And what I gave? Check out all the posts HERE!

Thanks again Athena :)

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T10:13:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas from my family to yours :)

Jesse, Edi, Dad, Mom, Sister-in-Law Lisa, and my Brother Jim Jesse and I

and Harley too :)

Friday Features - Tropical Christmas

2011-12-23T07:55:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday and welcome to this week's Friday Features! This week's features were inspired by a recent Custom Album I made...Mexico! And it has a Christmas theme :) Sure wish I were headed to Mexico for Christmas! Luckily Etsy has just the thing to fix me up :)

No snow and lots of palm trees

by tapestry316

Handmade Large Christmas Stocking, "Flamingo Santas"

by tweetbytheseadesigns

Handpainted Palm Tree Christmas Ornaments with Blue Skies

by beachchik

Tropical Christmas Necklace

by SugarLaneShoppe

Have a Wonderful Holiday Everyone!

Christmas Break!!!

2011-12-22T00:07:00.001-06:00

I'm officially off work until 2012!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited to have 13 days off to spend shopping, eating out and most of all, spending time with my family :)

My parents will be here almost the whole time I'm off work as well :) Then I'll have a couple of days to get life back in order to start the New Year!

I just ♥ this time of year :)

Wordless Wednesday - I ♥ My "Mailman Box"

2011-12-21T00:06:00.001-06:00

More Cuties

2011-12-20T00:02:00.001-06:00

I've been having more fun engraving Custom Photo Ornaments! Every photo I get just makes me go "Awwwww" :) I love editing these and making them come to life! Check out my latest group of cuties :)

Just look at those eyes!!!

I ♥ this one of Mommy & Daddy holding their new bundle of joy!!!

I'm going to miss Christmas season most because I won't be making as many ornaments. I have several ideas in the works for after the first of the year to hopefully keep these selling. Thank you for all the ideas I have received so far! Keep them coming :) What would you like to see on these ornaments, or what else do you think they could be used for?

Disney Adventures

2011-12-19T00:05:00.001-06:00

I was able to get a couple of pre-made albums listed in my shop over the weekend! I still have a whole list of things I'd like to get listed, but I'll do them a little here and there and may wait on some until after the first of the year.

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This weekend it was all about DISNEY! I made this 6.5"x12" Disney Word Album in both a Mickey and Friends theme as well as a Disney Princess theme.

I know I would have loved to have one of these when I went to Disney World when I was 16! I may just have to go back and make one now :)

12 Years...And Counting!

2011-12-18T00:02:00.001-06:00

I can't believe that Jesse and I had our first date 12 Years Ago today!

We met while he was working afternoons for the company we both work for now. I worked at TCBY/TacoMaker and he would come in on his supper breaks. He asked one of his friends about me and that friend just so happened to be dating one of my friends. We set up a double date and the rest is history :)

Happy "Anniversary" Jesse :)

Treasury Thanks :)

2011-12-17T00:08:00.001-06:00

Craftcult was down last week, so I wasn't able to get a treasury post done to thank my curators, so today I'll be thanking everyone from the last two weeks :)

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Janet of HoneyFromTheBee featured my Bride and Groom Champagne Flutes in her Fifi Goes Shopping Treasury. I just love this Colorful Bracelet from Janet's shop!

Nicole of KnitNicoleKnit featured my Owl Earring Cards in her You Say Black, I Say White Treasury. I love the black in purple color combo in this Cowl of hers!

Judy of JNOriginals featured my Personalized Wine Bottle Stopper in her The Garlands are Strung Treasury! I'm in love with her Fuchsia Scarf!!!

Sarah of MagnoliaSurprise featured my Wine Set Coasters in her Foodies--BBA Style Treasury! And speaking of coasters....she makes the cutest coasters ever...Toast :)

Sylvia of SMVdesigns featured my Family Scrapbook in her Still Looking...Last Moment Finds Treasury! I just love these gorgeous earrings in her shop!

And Karen of MysticWynd featured my Custom Engraved Picture Frame in her You Can Feel the Warmth Treasury! I love the green and purple in these earrings in her shop :)

Friday Features - Wrap It Up

2011-12-16T00:06:00.001-06:00

Wrapping presents isn't one of my favorite things to do during the holidays. I'm terrible with paper, so I usually stick with bags. I've been asked a few times this holiday season to gift wrap items and send them directly to the recipient. And since 90% of my sales are gift items, it's about time I start learning to wrap presents nicely...LOL :) So I went searching on Etsy for some cute and easy wrapping ideas...enjoy!

I ship my Engraved Photo Ornaments in little boxes, so I love this idea for dressing them up :) And I have everything on hand to make these!!!

Gift Wrapping Set 3 Gift Bags, Paper Flowers, Gift Tags Holiday Gift Wrap FREE SHIPPING

by MDCardsandGifts

Most of my readers know how much I love wine :) As much as I like receiving it for a gift, I like to give it as well :) I like that this bag is cute, simple and can be reused. Maybe they'll give a bottle back to me in it :)

Wine Bottle Gift Bag

by HolidayCHEERfuls

As I mentioned, I love bags for wrapping! I love the size of this one and that it can be reused over and over again :)

Medium Fabric Gift Bag with Handles - Christmas Stockings on Green Sleigh Ride by Robert Kaufman

by GoosesBagsandGifts

These would also be great for my ornaments, wine bottle stoppers and pendants!

5 Burlap Favor Bags - with Ribbon Closure - Christmas

by CottageCandies

Open Season

2011-12-15T00:05:00.001-06:00

Here in SW Iowa, hunting season is in full-force. First and second deer seasons have come and gone and there will be a doe season later in the year. While some hunt just for sport, many people in this area hunt for the meat. With beef prices so high lately, venison is a good substitute.

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I was recently asked to engrave some hunting photos and I love how they turned out. And since guys are always so hard to buy for...these make great gifts!

I know some of my readers aren't big fans of hunting, but in such a rural area, it is actually necessary to keep the animals from becoming over-populated. People hit deer with their cars everyday...I totalled my car this way! So I hope no one takes offense to these photos :)

Wordless Wednesday - A Rainbow on my Wall

2011-12-14T00:05:00.001-06:00

More Great Engraved Ornaments

2011-12-13T03:26:00.008-06:00

Last week I showed you some super cute Engraved Baby Ornaments. If you missed that post, or just want an "Awwww" moment...check it out here :)

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Along with adorable babies, I've been engraving other fun ornaments as well. One of my favorites was this double sided ornament with photos of a couple's trip to Greece. Here is the Parthenon and the Colosseum.

Just look at the detail in these photos!!!

I also did 4 company logo ornaments.

Another favorite is this kitty :) We didn't have the greatest photo to work with, but I think it turned out nice :)

I'd like to find other fun ways to use/sell these after the holidays. If you have any ideas, I'd LOVE to hear them :)

Sales in Unexpected Places

2011-12-12T00:01:00.001-06:00

Many times if we're not at a craft show or checking our Etsy shops, we're not thinking of making sales. Our brains aren't in "crafty mode" and we're not on top of our game.

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In the past couple of weeks, I've made sales in some unexpected places! So I encourage you to always have a line or two ready and ALWAYS carry business cards!

I was at a local glass supplier recently and bought A LOT of beer mugs. The lady behind the checkout counter asked if I was going to use these at a bar. I told her that I actually etch on them and told her a few things I had done. She said her son would love something like that. I said Would You Like a Business Card! I pulled one out of my purse right there and she called last week to buy two mugs :)

And just this past weekend I had a package delivered from FedEx. Usually they just leave our packages in our cars or at the front door because they know we sleep strange hours. This time the guy knocked on the door really loud. I went to see who it was and thanked him for my package. I was about to shut the door when he said...I was wanting to ask you about placing an order! Over the summer he had asked what type of business I run (since he delivers here quite regularly!). I told him all about my laser and he seemed pretty interested. He placed an order for a custom picture frame with both the wood and the glass engraved...how cool! And I was sure to send a couple of business cards with him in case he wants to spread the word :)

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Have you sold any items in unexpected places before? Do you always carry business cards with you so you're prepared when the occasion arises?

Cat Lovers Giveaway

2011-12-10T08:31:00.005-06:00

Are you a cat lover? Or do you know someone that is? Then this is the GIVEAWAY for you!!!

Deb of StoryBeader is giving away not one, not two, but three awesome kitty items!!!

Necklace

Earrings

Beads to create with

See all the details and enter the giveaway HERE.

Good luck :)

Engraved Photo Ornaments

2011-12-08T00:01:00.001-06:00

I've been having so much fun making my Engraved Photo Ornaments! Photos are my favorite thing to engrave...I love watching them while they laser :) And having such cute subject to work with makes it even more enjoyable :)

Here are some of the recent ornaments I've made...just look at these faces!

I bet you can tell why I love engraving these so much :)

Wordless Wednesday - Nip Kitty

2011-12-07T00:04:00.001-06:00

Marley's Nursery Frame

2011-12-06T00:04:00.001-06:00

On Sunday I attended one of my best friend's baby showers. I'm so excited for her and wanted to make her a super special gift for her baby girl's nursery :) You knew I wouldn't get her a store bought gift, right!

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It took me a while to decide what to make her since it had to be special...and personalized. I'll be making her scrapbooks later, but wanted her to have something for the shower. Here's what I came up with.

She's not in to pink, so I used a light yellow and grey, which matches the nursery colors. And I told her we can paint the frame as well, but I wanted her to choose the color for that. I'm so glad she loved it!!!

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I may have to add something similar to my Etsy Shop...what do you think?

First Wholesale Order

2011-12-05T00:13:00.000-06:00

Last week I told you about two of my big orders I've had lately (coasters and girl scout albums). I also recently had my first true wholesale order!!! I sold 20 Sorority Albums to a gift shop in Indiana.

I sent a sample album (shown above) and we made a few changes making the patterned paper and ribbons lighter and leaving off the stickers in the final albums. The gift shop owner decided since each girl has different taste, that leaving the stickers out would work better. Below is one of the final albums.

I would love to do more wholesale orders and this order made me realize that I need to get all my prices down on paper and have everything ready for the next big order :)

Treasury Time

2011-12-04T08:15:00.003-06:00

Last week I got busy with my Open House and forgot to get my weekly treasuries posted! I really like the format of thanking each treasury curator, but I'll have to get back to that format next week. In the last two weeks, I've been included in 20 treasuries! I think that's a new record for me :)

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A big thanks to each curator!!!

Please help me thank my curators by clicking on the treasuries that you like and giving them some loving :)

Friday Features - A Little Etsy Love

2011-12-02T00:01:00.002-06:00

UPDATE: Please note my mistake! The items featured here are part of the Gift Guide section at a Little Etsy Love. The Giveaway items are separate from the Gift Guide items. Sorry for the confusion! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today's Friday Features are SUPER EXCITING!!! Why...because they are all included in this Gift Guide and AWESOME GIVEAWAY over at A Little Etsy Love!!!

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There are over $600 worth of prizes in every category you can imagine! Something for him, something for her, something for the kids, something for your house...something for everyone!

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One winner will take it all home! Here is just a sampling of the awesome Gift Guide Items and Prizes!!!

Goldie - Kitty Cat Face and Swarovski Pearl Beaded Gold Filled Earrings

by BeadedTail

Handmade Tiger Eye Beaded Necklace - Western inspired

by HoneyFromTheBee

SALE Beaded Bracelet - The Leafy Series - Christmas

by randomcreative

RESERVED for Giveaway--Black Trimmed small Stocking

by PruittCreations

Be sure to check out the ENTIRE GIVEAWAY HERE!!! Good luck :)

Girl Scout Albums

2011-12-01T00:01:00.003-06:00

On Tuesday I told you about my large coaster order...today I'm excited to tell you about my large order for Custom Girl Scout Albums!!!

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I was contacted by a troop leader in New York to make 12 albums for her Daisy Troop. She thought having a flower on the album would be a cute idea as well :) Here they are!

Each album has a personalized first page. They have the Girl Scout Promise, the Girl Scout Law and each girl's name and the years they were with the troop. What a fun idea!!!

They are decorated with fun Girl Scout themed embellishments too! I loved searching all the craft stores for these fun stickers!

I can't wait for the girls to get their books and fill them with photos!

Almost Wordless Wednesday - A Happy Accident

2011-11-30T00:01:00.001-06:00

Sitting at my computer one day, I looked up and this is what I saw...had to take a photo :)

Custom Coaster Order

2011-11-29T00:04:00.001-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I told you about all the custom orders that I had in the works. I'm happy to report that I have my three BIG orders done and they're on their way to their new homes!!!

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So, what does 150 coasters look like anyway? Well...here they are!

And here they are all bagged up.

These coasters are going to a business in Colorado and will be given out at a conference in New York! Each member at the conference will get a coaster with the company's logo on it. And I made sure to include my Etsy Address on the back of each one as well :)

Look for two more posts this week about my Girl Scout Albums and my large Sorority Album order!!!

Open House Review

2011-11-28T00:04:00.002-06:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! I know I'm not ready to be back to work, but Christmas is just around the corner :)

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Over the weekend, I had my final fall show. There were only 4 vendors and we set up at the local winery that I sell on consignment at. It was a pretty slow day, but that didn't stop us from making sale :) I set up my booth about the same as I have been for my fall shows this year.

The one thing I noticed between on Open House as opposed to a Craft Show is that there may not be many people, but they are there just for YOU! There wasn't much competition with only 4 of us and we all had different items.

We each invited a handful of people that we knew were interested in our items and the winery helped advertise as well. Next year we hope to do this again and put an ad in the paper as well.

All in all, I was happy with the day and hope we to do this again :)

Now it's time to get busy on all my custom orders!!!

Friday Features - SALES!!!

2011-11-25T07:06:00.004-06:00

Happy Friday :) I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving yesterday and you're ready for some shopping today! I don't know about you, but I'm not even going near a mall today...I'd rather do my shopping online...and Buy Handmade!

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Several of my Blogging Business Artisan Team Mates are having awesome sales today! Check out some of my favorites and get the link for the entire list below!

Felted bowl, wool, burgundy wine, with felted flower in dark mauve

by JNOriginals

Coupon Code: 2011BLACKFRIDAYSALE

Discount: 10%

Effective Dates: Thursday, 11/23/11 thru Sunday, 11/27/11Coupon Code: 2011CYBERMONDAYSALE

Discount: 10%Effective Date: Monday, 11/23/11

SALE Beaded Bracelet - Button Embellished - Christmas (red, green)

by randomcreative

Free Shipping with the code FREESHIP for the entire Black Friday/Cyber Monday long weekend and Holiday Sale Section

Lilac Crystal Tennis Bracelet with Silver Tone Toggle

by BeadedTail

Sale Section & Shop-Wide Free Shipping with code FREESHIP now through Sunday

Handmade Blank Journal - Purple Petals

by storybeader

Free Shipping November 25-December 25

use code: SHIPFREE

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You can see the entire list and all the others participating HERE.

Happy Shopping :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T12:13:00.004-06:00

Wishing all of my bloggy friends a Happy Thanksgiving!

The other day, my bloggy friend, Erika, was telling us about these cute little feather hats her kids had made at school and didn't want to take them off :) It got me thinking back to my days as a child and I remembered making those same cute hats! I thought I had actual photos, but in my looking came across a newspaper photo of my preschool class in our hats. (Sorry for the bad scan!)

And here is a close up of little ol' me, back in the day :)

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving today! We will be spending the day with Jesse's family. It will be his mom's first Thanksgiving in her new home and I'm happy her whole family will be there to celebrate with her :)

Wordless Wednesday - Shoot For The Moon

2011-11-23T00:01:00.001-06:00

Handmade Goodness

2011-11-22T00:01:00.001-06:00

I recently purchased my first Heartsy deal. I had a $5 credit that I'd been waiting to use and when I saw that this Iowa seller had awesome cozies in her shop...I was sold!

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Karen of ChocolateDogStudio makes awesome cozies and she even created a custom one just for me!

Karen's cozies come beautifully wrapped...like receiving a Christmas gift early :) And each cozy is individually wrapped in plastic as well.

I love that each one has a custom tag stitched right into the cozy so I can tell everyone where I got my new cozy!

These cozies are excellent quality! Nice heavy fabric, beautiful stitching and they are the perfect size to fit many cups!

Thank you Karen for creating a custom cozy for me that couldn't be more perfect! Get your own cozy from the ChocolateDogStudio today!

GIVEAWAY - Last Day To Enter

2011-11-21T00:01:00.001-06:00

I wanted to remind everyone to head over to the Blogging Business Artisans' Blog to enter my giveaway!!!

Today is the last day to enter to win these beautiful Personalized Wine Glasses!

The contest ends at 11am CST...so hop on over and enter now!

Good Luck :)

Treasury Thanks

2011-11-20T04:30:00.007-06:00

It was been another awesome week with treasuries! It's time to thank the 8 curators who have featured my work. THANK YOU to each and every one of you :)

Sandra of Azulsupplies (in Portugal!) featured my Personalized Wine Bottle Stopper in her Christmas Shopping Treasury!

Sandra has the awesome Ceramic Ornaments in her shop that would be perfect for the holidays!

Jenny of ABirdInTheHandArt featured my Owl Earring Cards in her Black and White and Red All Over Treasury!

Jenny creates so many fun things in her shop...all around bird designs. This Cardinal would be great at a tree ornament...but you could display him all year long!

Linda of PruittCreations featured my Etched Beer Mugs in her Turquoise Newspaper Treasury!

Linda has a shop filled with wonderful fabric designs! This Stocking is just adorable!

BlueKittyMiniatures featured my Baby Girl Calendar Album in her ETK Team Are In The Pink Treasury!

I find miniatures fascinating...and this little Christmas Cake is just amazing!

Linda of lindab142 featured my Engraved Photo Ornament in her Holiday Gifts Under 20 For Her Treasury!

Linda creates beautiful jewelry...and her Santa Earrings would be perfect for all the holiday celebrations I have coming up!

Erika of ArtfulRising also featured my Personalized Bottle Stopper in her Shades of Blue and Pink Calling Me Treasury!

Erika has a new shop full of inspiring items! This Sweet Art Doll doubles as an ornament or a shelf sitter!

Kathy of tapestry316 featured my Family Word Album in her Brighten Up Your Winter Treasury!

Kathy is an awesome artist! Her watercolors are so life like...and this Mustang Quarterhorse Print is one of my favorites :)

Sheryl of SherHastingsDesigns also featured my Family Word Album in her Dear Santa Treasury!

Sheryl has a shop full of digital goodies and just added her first PDF Patterns! Wouldn't it be fun to make your own Stocking this Christmas!

Thank You again to each one of you :) Treasuries just make my day!!!

Friday Features - On My Wishlist

2011-11-18T00:01:00.001-06:00

I love browsing Etsy finding goodies I'd like to make my own :) I've been adding lots of items to my favorites lately in hopes that I'll receive some of them for Christmas gifts!

I've been on an agate and druzy kick lately and found these awesome items!

Feel free to send any of these my way...LOL :)

ON SALE Gold Leafed Magenta Druzy Agate Slab Ring. Adjustable gold plated band.

by cuppacoffee

D04984 Black Onyx Agate Druzy Geode Pendant Bead

by aliceUS

Fire agate pendant, red jade ring, viking weave peandant, crystal healing, chakra, jade

by harmonyinlight

Wire Wrapped Silver Pink Purple Druzy Quartz Gemstone Pendant

by beadbargains

And I couldn't help but add this awesome cuff too :)

Stamped Live Laugh Love Custom Silver Metal Thick Cuff Bracelet

by Serenitystorms

Custom Keepsake Box

2011-11-17T00:01:00.002-06:00

I was recently asked by a coworker to make a memorial box for his brother. He wanted something special to give his dad to keep his brother's ashes in. I thought it was a wonderful idea and I love that I was asked to create this for him!

I showed it to him last week...and he loved it! I can't wait for his dad to receive it at Christmas so I can hear his response as well :)

I think it turned out awesome!

Though this box was used as a memorial box, it has so much potential!

What about:

Keepsake Box
Photo Storage Box
Pet Keepsake Box (collar, id tag, favorite toy, etc.)
Jewelry Box

What other ideas can you come up with?

And I can create these in several sizes to fit any need :)

Wordless Wednesday - Sun Rise

2011-11-16T00:02:00.001-06:00

Introducing the Artful Rising SHOP

2011-11-15T00:01:00.001-06:00

I have always been a fan of Erika's blog Artful Rising! She is so inspiring and motivating! Her blog tells us to "Create. Inspire. Change the World."

And now she has started a shop that is just as awesome as her blog! Her Artful Rising Shop is full of one-of-a-kind Art Dolls and Art Journals. Check out these awesome creations!

Erika thought she was going to quietly open her shop, but it wasn't long before we all noticed :) And she's already made her first sale!!!

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Her shop is full of great gift ideas for the holidays...or for yourself :) Check it out and see what unique item speaks to you!

In the Works

2011-11-14T08:13:00.004-06:00

I have another busy week planned :) I have lots of big custom orders in the works right now that I'm excited to get completed! I love crossing BIG things off my to do list :)

I have 12 Daisies Albums to complete for a girl scout troop in New York. These are all cut and bound...they just need decorated.

I also have an order for 8 set of coasters for a local order. Her brother ordered the wine glasses I showed you a couple of weeks ago!

I also have another large Album Order for a sorority. The Zeta Tau Alpha chapter in Indiana has 20 albums on order! My largest order to date!!!

And I have another large coaster order as well! 150 single coasters are headed to a business in Colorado where they will take a trip to New York to be handed out as gifts at a conference! And the company may want another large order after the first of the year...fingers crossed!

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I'll have more details about some of these orders once I get them done! Wish me luck on a productive week!

What do you have planned for this week?

Treasury Thanks

2011-11-13T04:04:00.005-06:00

This week I would like to thank 3 curators for featuring my work in their treasuries :) It is always an honor to be included in such gorgeous treasuries!

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Eglė of FeltingbyEglut (from Lithuania!) featured my Tweet Birthday Card in her Mood for Wood Treasury!

Eglė makes beautiful felted slippers in many styles and colors. Check these out!

Margaret of SplendidLittleStars featured my XL Custom Name Album in her Surprise Me Treasury!

Margaret creates beautiful hand-dyed items ranging from socks to tshirts to this gorgeous scarf!

Karen of MysticWynd featured my Engraved Photo Ornament in her Down to Earth Treasury!

Karen has a beautiful shop filled with gorgeous jewelry! I own one of her amazing rings! And I might have to add this one to my list as well...

Thanks again to each of you for the feature!!!

Friday Features - 11♥11♥11

2011-11-11T00:01:00.001-06:00

11:11 has always been a special time for me :) I'm not really a superstitious person, but if I happen to see the clock strike 11:11...I always make a wish. I'm not sure where I heard this idea or when, but it's stuck with me :) The old clock in my '63 Rambler Wagon doesn't work, so I have it set to 11:11! So today ought to be a really lucky day with it being 11~11~11, right!

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Well, it's YOUR lucky day because I have some awesome finds for you today...all at $11.00!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/51280238/purple-punch-three-shades-of-purple

by BeadedTail

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76826239/diy-sewing-kit-childrens-swing-dress

by LittleAndalucia

http://www.etsy.com/listing/46477233/washcloths-dishcloths-set-of-3-key-lime

by MagnoliaSurprise

http://www.etsy.com/listing/70459475/purple-and-silver-grape-cluster-charm

by LindaB142

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And...I created an $11 Gift Guide Treasury too...how fun!

Click the image to be taken to the awesome treasury :)

Wordless Wednesday - This Face Makes My ♥ Melt :)

2011-11-09T00:01:00.001-06:00

Baby Oh Baby

2011-11-08T00:01:00.002-06:00

It's funny how my Custom Name Album orders seem to come in themes. Lately it's been Babies! I've sold 4 Baby Name Albums in the past few weeks and they've all had similar colors too. I love pastels for baby albums and these colors together all look great!

Riley•Jo

I love the little flower in this one :)

♥Nana♥

This one is actually a Grandma album, but it's for two new born babies...one girl and one boy. Great idea!

Adriana

Of course I love the pink and purple in this one :)

Chloe

I love this name :)

This is my favorite post from this week...so I'm linking it up at ArtfulRising! Come join the linky party!!!

The ABCs of Me

2011-11-07T00:01:00.002-06:00

I've seen other bloggers doing this type of post lately and I wanted to join in on the fun! I like getting to know bloggers and crafters on a more personal level and I hope you'll enjoy learning a few new things about me as well :) A - Artistic B - Blogger (obviously) C - Crafty D - Dork (Thanks Deb for telling me I forgot the letter D!) E - Etcher/Engraver F - Factory Worker G - Go-Getter H - Harley's Mommy I - Iowan J - Jesse's Girl K - Kids = 0 L - List Maker M - Multi-Tasker N - Night-Shift Worker O - Outgoing P - Pink Lover Q - Quirky R - Rebel :) S - Scrapbooker T - Thrifty (Some may say Cheap) U - Undergrad (Bachelor's Degree in Business Management) V - Volleyball Stud (in high school) W - World Wide Web Addict X - Xacto Knife Expert (Minus one ER visit!) Y - Youngest Child (I have one older brother) Z - Zoo Lover (and animal lover in general)

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I'd love for you to do an ABC post as well. Link it in the comments if you do!

Treasury Time Again :)

2011-11-06T00:01:00.003-05:00

This week I was honored to be featured in 5 treasuries! Rose of RandomCreative has a great idea on her blog to feature an item from the curator's shop who featured her work. I love this idea and I've decided to do the same today!

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Kathy of Tapestry316 featured my Tweet Birthday Card in her Fall Treasury! Kathy makes such beautiful paintings and I love that they're all sweet animals. Here is one of my favorites :)

Horse artwork - Blaze - 5 x 7 inch print of my original watercolor painting

Judy of JNOriginals featured my Bride and Groom Etched Champagne Flutes in her Midnight Detours Treasury! Judy has lots of warm goodies in her shop that are perfect for this time of year! Here's one of my favorites sets. Crochet Scarflette and Hat in Heathered Plum

Nicole of TheBeadPatch featured my Purple and Brown Family Album in her FALLing Treasury. Nicole has tons of gorgeous beads in her shop! These are my favorite! 25 Blue and Purple Glass Metallic Beads Nancy of nfall2rt featured my Engraved Photo Pendant in her Holiday Gift Ideas Treasury. I love all the fun colors Nancy uses in her work! Knit Clutch- Funky Stripes in Multicolor And Kym of FabricFascination featured my XLarge Destination Album in her Ready~Set~Shop! Treasury. Kym has a lot of gorgeous fabrics in her shop and her Batiks are my favorites! Blueberry Pie Tonga Treat Strips Batik Jelly Roll Thanks again to all of you for featuring my work :)

Friday Features - Fall Leaf Art

2011-11-04T00:01:00.001-05:00

My favorite thing about fall, by far, are the gorgeous colors of the leaves! I can drive around town for hours just looking at all the beautiful colors! And I love how they change everyday!

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I have always loved trees in art and would love to get a huge painting for our living room some day with a tree...or maybe one for each season :) Here are my favorite fall finds...

Fall Leaves Paris, LG original painting

by ChellyHarkness

Fall Leaves Nature Art 5x5 Print of Original Painting

by JPuzWilson

ORIGINAL Modern Palette Knife Oil, Acrylic Painting fall Leaves And Love Birds

by QiQiGallery

Original Abstract Large Modern Impasto Trees Landscape Acrylic Painting AUTUMN LEAVES

by LUIZAVIZOLI

Remembering Our Sidney

2011-11-03T00:01:00.001-05:00

Yesterday marked the 4 year anniversary of our sweet Sidney's passing. I can't believe it's really been 4 years!

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She was the best big sisfur Harley could ask for :) How many Pomeranians get to beat up on a Rottweiler on a daily basis...LOL! No wonder he thinks he's 7 feet tall!

I was so happy I made sure to get a "family picture" before her passing. This photo isn't the best..the wind was blowing and the sun was in our eyes...but it's a wonderful photo because it's of my family :)

These photos show exactly how I will always remember our sweet girl! She always laid with her paws crossed...too cute :)

I like doing these posts on my furbabies that have crossed the bridge. Not to make anyone sad, but to remember. I always want to remember my sweet furbabies that are no longer with us and looking through old photos this week has put a huge smile on my face :)

Almost Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-02T00:01:00.001-05:00

All in a day's work!

39 Wine Glasses and 4 Beer Steins!!!

Wine Glass Giveaway!!!

2011-11-01T00:20:00.003-05:00

I'm so excited (and honored) to be hosting the first giveaway at the Blogging Business Artisans blog!!! And I'm giving away a great item ~ A Set of 2 Personalized Wine Glasses!

Aren't these perfect for right before Christmas! You can give them as a gift...or keep them for yourself :)

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The giveaway starts today and ends November 21st. To enter, and for all the details, visit the Blogging Business Artisans blog.

Good Luck!!!

This is my favorite post from last week, so I'm linking it up at Artful Rising!!! Come join us!

Ready to Start the Week

2011-10-31T00:01:00.001-05:00

I'm not usually a "Monday person", but today I'm ready to start the week! I have so many projects I'm working on that have me so excited :) I had a great, productive weekend and I'm hoping this week is much of the same!

I currently have 38 Custom Name Albums on order...WHOA! They consist of *20 Sorority Albums (my first wholesale order)

*12 Girl Scout Albums

*And 6 separate albums that will be given as Christmas gifts

Over the weekend I got an order for 39 Wine Glasses and 8 Coaster Sets from one person! The wine glasses will go in sets of two along with a bottle of wine as a company gift. I'm etching the company's logo on the glasses for them :) And the owners sister ordered the coasters to give as wedding and Christmas gifts! I'll be sure to blog about this more as I get it completed!

And I got a sample Etched Pint Glass done to send to my mom's employer. They give pint glasses in sets of 4 for service award gifts with their company logo on them. If they like the sample, they'll be ordering 100 Glasses in February!!!

I've also been getting quite a few orders at work as well. I've sold 11 glasses in varying designs and 5 Engraved Wood Photos. I'm also going to make a box for a coworker that he'll give his dad with his brothers picture on it. His brother passed away a few years ago and he wanted something special to keep his ashes. I was so honored when he asked me to make the box for him :) I'll definitely be blogging more about this as well!

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How did your weekend go? Are you ready for the new week?

Treasury Time

2011-10-30T00:01:00.001-05:00

Yay...It's Treasury Time again! I loving getting to do these posts!!! It means there were more treasuries this week :)

As always...all images are clickable, so stop by the treasury, the listings and the curators shops :)

Friday Features - Think Pink

2011-10-28T00:01:00.001-05:00

My Survivor Album that I featured on Monday was quite a hit! It sold on Tuesday...WooHoo! So today I want to show you some other awesome Think Pink finds with proceeds being donated to breast cancer research and other wonderful causes.

Custom Caterpillar Beadwoven Bracelet - Pretty in Pink Bracelet Made Just for You

by BeadedTail

Pink Hope Earrings

by lindab142

Tie Dye T shirt, Charity Pink, short sleeve, hand dyed, cotton, adult

by SplendidLittleStars

THINK PINK Beaded Cuff Bracelet - Skinny Fringed - Black and Pink

by randomcreative

Thanks on Thursday

2011-10-27T00:01:00.001-05:00

In the last couple weeks, I've been featured 3 times! So today I'd like to give thanks to the wonderful blogs that featured me and my work :)

Last Friday I was featured on my team blog Blogging Business Artisans. This is a fun feature we do on all our team members where we answer 7 questions about ourselves and our work. Please check it out HERE and see the other features there as well :)

I was also a guest blogger on our team blog on Monday. I blogged about Preparing for a Craft Show. This will be a two part series with lots of craft show tips!

And yesterday the lovely Amy of LovebugDesigns featured me on her blog. I loved the fun questions she asked :) Thanks Amy!

Have you been featured lately? Leave me a link in the comments so I can check it out :)

Wordless Wednesday - Enjoying My Latest Creation :)

2011-10-26T00:03:00.001-05:00

Survivor-Think Pink

2011-10-25T00:02:00.001-05:00

Gosh, is it already the last part of October! I had hoped to have this album listed at the beginning of October in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But better late than never, right.

This album has lots of fun embellishments perfect for documenting the journey of beating cancer! Think Pink, Fight Like a Girl, Courage, Hope...and many more :)

I've taken this album to a few craft shows and got a custom order from it. A little girl had just gotten her final check up after her cancer scare and loved this album :) She decided on pink and black with survivor and butterfly embellishments. They released butterflies the day she got her clean bill of health...what a cool idea :) And what a special scrapbook for to remember how lucky she is and how much life she has to live :) I really enjoyed making her album!

And these can be made in any theme. Just let me know what colors and what type of embellishments you would like and I can make a special album for you as well :)

RogueRiver Album

2011-10-24T00:01:00.001-05:00

I finished a really fun album over the weekend and got it delivered yesterday! The customer was so excited about the album and loved how it turned out! Here is my latest Double Name/Word Album:

I love the idea they came up with to make the R a full 11.5" tall and the rest of the letters stacked...so fun!

I'll be adding this option to my shop this week. I have one Double Name/Word Album already listed, but I thought I'd add a second one to show more options. I still hope to add a guest book option with these double albums as well. I have one about 1/2 way done, but haven't gotten a chance to finish it. I'll be sure to blog about it when I get it done :)

Treasury Fun

2011-10-22T00:01:00.001-05:00

With having a show last weekend, I forgot to do a treasury post! Over the past two weeks I've been featured in 15 treasuries! That is by far a record for me! Thank you to each and every curator who featured my work...every one of you put a smile on my face! Without further ado...here are the beautiful treasuries!

Each treasury is clickable...so be sure to click on the items and visit the curators' shops as well!

Friday Features - Fall by the Blogging Business Artisans

2011-10-21T00:01:00.001-05:00

I recently helped start a super fun new team on Etsy. We are the Blogging Business Artisans :) Our team is all about support, promotions, blogging and business! Throw in a healthy dose of friendship and we're the perfect team! I'm having so much fun being a part of this wonderful group and I want to show you some great fall items from some of our newest members!

Moody Blue and Mossy Green Lace Agate Earrings By HoneyFromTheBee

Halloween Korker Bow Black and Orange

by ForLoveofCupcakes

Contained Series- Mini (Green)

by nfall2rt

Forest Floor: Olive Green Wood and Brown Glass Beads Earrings REDUCED PRICE

by greenbead

What's in a Name

2011-10-20T08:13:00.001-05:00

Many sellers have been awaiting the time when they could change their shop name on Etsy! Many sellers signed up with a "user name" not realizing that it would also be their "shop name". Now Etsy is allowing sellers to change their shop names!

I for one and super excited about this! I wish I would have known from the start that I could use capital letters in my shop name. I like shops that have capitals because it makes their name easier to read.

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I would also like to change my shop name since I have expanded my shop so much this last year. My original name was Memories for Life Scrapbooks, which was too long for an Etsy user name. So I went with memoriesforlifesb. I used the "sb" to be short for scrapbooks. I don't really think it ever caught on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The only problem is...both names I wanted to use...are TAKEN! Shoot! So I'm looking for suggestions :)

I wanted to change it to either MemoriesForLife or Memories4Life.

Do you have any ideas for me? I want to stick with something similar to what I already have, but drop the "sb" from the end. Any suggestions you have would be awesome!

Wordless Wednesday - Why I Shouldn't Be Allowed to Paint

2011-10-19T00:01:00.001-05:00

Cards for Children

2011-10-18T00:01:00.002-05:00

I love finding ways to donate to charities or give back to the community. And I love it even more when I can do this through my crafting!

Erika of Artful Rising recently posted that she would be donating to Cards for Children for the Ronald McDonald House. She asked her fellow readers to help as well and I knew this was perfect for me!

I used to sell greeting cards at craft shows, but have gotten away from them and have been doing other projects lately. But I still had so many cards that needed a good home...the Cards for Children project was perfect! Here are a few of the cards I sent to Erika to pass along to the Ronald McDonald House.

Thank you Erika for organizing this! What a great project! And I'm so happy I could contribute!

If you too would like to contribute to the Cards for Children or any of Erika's other Project Embrace activites, check out her blog!

I'm also linking this to Erika's Weekly It's a Wrap Linky Party! Come join the fun on her Artful Rising blog!

3rd Fall Craft Show Review

2011-10-17T00:01:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, I had my third fall craft show. This is a show that I've done for many years now. I had to miss last year, but it was sure great to be back! I was at a different location and was unsure if I was going to like that. There are 4 or 5 locations for this craft fair and this location was the furthest away from all the others. But it turned out to be a great show!

One thing that makes this a great show each year is the fact that it has been going on for over 50 years. It is a huge show and people plan all year for it. It can be snowing and icy or 90 degrees out and there is always a great crowd :) It is also a well-organized and well-advertised show as well.

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I like that this is a more local show than the others I've done so far this year. That means I know more people that are shopping and more people stop to talk. That always draws more people into your booth :) And many people didn't realize I had added my laser engraved items and stopped to talk and saw all my new products!

I am always surprised by what sells and what doesn't at different shows. My engraved photos always get a lot of attention, so I made sure to put my sample in the middle of my table and higher than the other items. It got a lot of attention at this show as well! And hopefully lots of orders will follow :)

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This was the first show that I brought my etched glass candle votives to. And I didn't sell a single one! I was really surprised by this because they are an item that got a lot of interest from friends and family and from my blog when I posted them a while back. But I'll be sure to take them to the next show and I hope to get them listed in my Etsy Shop soon.

As with my other shows this fall, I handed out a TON of cards! I only had about 3 cards left at the end of the show! And I think I started with almost 150!!! I got lots of custom orders at the show and I hope by handing out cards that I'll get even more :)

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Another thing I found interesting is that I didn't use my Square credit card reader one time! I didn't even have people ask about using a card. I think this has to do with the fact that this show was in a smaller town than my other two shows this fall. People are used to using cash and didn't think about using cards.

I also got the biggest complement at this show :) I'm not used to having other people make similar items to what I make...usually I'm the only one with Name and Word Albums and Engraved Items. This time there was someone at another location making my Word Albums! But I got told on two different occasions that my albums were much nicer! They were much better quality and they could tell the work and detail that I put into mine :) This made me feel awesome!!!

Search Ads - Week Two Review

2011-10-15T00:33:00.001-05:00

Last week I did a review about Etsy's new Search Ads. You can read about it HERE.

Today I'll give a review about how the second week went.

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This week was even more discouraging than last week. This week I had a total of 36 Views and only 2 Favorites compared to last week's 42 Views and 5 Favorites. Not really worth $10 if you ask me!

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But here is what I did learn...

My most views came from my scrapbooks. Photo Albums and Albums were my highest viewed keywords. And my Custom Birthday Album and Custom Bare Chipboard Album were my two highest viewed listings.

My Engraved Guestbooks and Wood Greeting Cards weren't far behind, so that makes me happy as well.

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This has made me take another look at my tags and titles. The keywords that didn't get any views will be reviewed and revised.

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In the end, I won't be renewing my ads for another week, but might give the ads another try after the first of the year...who knows. I do think there are better ways to spend advertising money. And this got my mind thinking that if I'm willing to spend $10 on search ads...why not spend it on other forms of advertising. So this was a good learning experience, but not one I'll be doing again soon.

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What did you learn from search ads? Will you continue your ads?

Friday Features - Discovery

2011-10-14T00:01:00.001-05:00

On Monday, we celebrated Columbus Day here in the US. Just as Columbus set out on a voyage of discovery, we as artists should do that same with our art :) I love discovering new techniques, discovering new materials to work with and discovering new ideas to try! Today's finds are all dedicated to discovery :)

The JOURNEY Is Everything Fused Glass Quote NIGHT LIGHT by YourImagesInGlass DISCOVER Vintage Dictionary Pendant Charm Bracelet by kraftykash The key to discovery tile pendant by ylfdragon Discovery quote original watercolor painting by DreamofaDream

Latest Custom Albums

2011-10-13T00:01:00.002-05:00

I realized recently that I hadn't shown any of my new custom albums I made lately. I always love working with new themes and color combinations! Each one of these is so fun and unique :) BABBEL - Marine Blue and Black with Lime Green accent ribbons decorated for a wedding :)

CLANCY - Pink and Black Zebra to match a little girl's room :)

GRANDPA - Requested in Grandpa's favorite colors :)

AVERY - Pink and Purple for the girly girl :)

AYDEN - Red, Yellow and Blue for Avery's active brother :)

Wells - A new color combo for me...Purple and Orange decorated with birds :) Which one is your favorite?

This is my favorite post from last week, so I'm linking it up over at Artful Rising! Come join the Linky Party :)

Wordless Wednesday - Make Me Wine :)

2011-10-12T00:01:00.001-05:00

Making Connections

2011-10-11T00:01:00.001-05:00

I recently had the pleasure of working with Joyce and Gary of JGWoodSigns. They contacted me about a consignment deal which turned into a wonderful transaction. JGWoodSigns does a lot of custom work and for their recent show, they wanted more "cash and carry" items. They loved my engraved coasters and thought they would do well with their items.

Here's how we worked the deal...

They told me which coasters they wanted and how many of each. I also sent along custom samples and order forms. I shipped the coasters to them, they had their show and shipped back what didn't sell. We worked a consignment deal, so they paid me for the coasters, minus the consignment fee. Everything went great!

This isn't the type of deal I would do with just anyone. You have to be cautious of such transactions and do your homework. I had never met Joyce or Gary before they contacted me. They live in a different state and I had never done anything like this before without knowing the people first. I did a little research and saw that JGWoodSigns had been on Etsy since 2008, had sold over 400 items and had 100% feedback. This made me feel good about the transaction. And there was a lot of communication between Joyce and I which also helped me get to know her and feel comfortable about everything.

Consignment isn't for everyone, but it is something to consider and can open doors for more opportunities and sales. This transaction was great and I hope to work with Joyce and Gary again soon :)

New Earring Cards

2011-10-10T00:01:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend I started listing new earring cards in my Etsy Shop. These have done really well and people love that I can customize them in so many different ways! I can use different colors, different fonts, etc. Here is my latest group:

Personalize your own free digital slideshow

I decided to list these as files instead of taking 5 pictures of each earring card. I would love to hear thoughts on whether this looks okay. Photos can be so time consuming and white on white is hard to photograph! When I do samples for people, I always give them a digital sample like what is in the listing. Please let me know what you think of the new listings.

Here is an example of a new card in my shop:

Six (more) for Saturday

2011-10-08T05:17:00.003-05:00

This was another great week for treasuries! I was again included in six treasuries this week!!! Thank you so much to all the curators for including one of my items! It always puts a smile on my face to open my Activity Feed in Etsy and find out I was included in a treasury :)

Each treasury is fully-clickable...so click away :)