One Lovely Blog-Blog Award

Earlier this week LindaB awarded me this lovely blog award. This is my 3rd blog award and I love it. I love the design of it and really appreciate that she and so many others of you find my blog interesting and/or lovely. As part of the award I'm supposed to share this award with 15 other bloggers that I truly enjoy reading and love the looks of their blog or their helpfulness. So here goes. I hope you check out my list and enjoy their blogs as much as I do:
Handmade Goodness
Country Windows
My Mother's Garden
Heart of a Cowgirl
Four Dog Day
Clay it Again
kMT Graphic Design
The Muddy Moose
The Redhead's Homestead
Thursday Sweet Treat
Thyme for Herbs
Black Feather Farm
Contrariwise Ramblings
Garden Gate Designs
Fabulous Handmade Finds
I hope you enjoy these blogs as much as I do. If so, let them know by commenting. And let them know you found them through me. Thanks.

Great giveaway by Madbird

I found out about this great shop and giveaway today. The shop is Madbird on Etsy. She has some great handmade knitted and crocheted organizers and more. You should check out her shop. And while your at it click on the title or here and check out her blog and giveaway. I'm sure you won't be disappointed. And let her know I sent you. Enjoy.
And while you're at Etsy, check out my shop KayzKreationz for some unique stained glass, mosaic and fused glass items for your home or garden. They all make great gifts, too. You can also check out my Artfire shop, KayzKreationz, also for more unusual items.

Advertising Opportunity

I've been trying Project Wonderful for a while now. I get some views, not lots, and haven't gotten a sale yet. So, recently KMT Graphic Design had a post about how to sell advertising yourself on your blog. After reading it, I decided to try it. With her help, I got my boxes set up at the footer of my blog, (although I'm still working on them) and got my paypal button set up with an announcement on the left sidebar here to offer a small mini for your Etsy or Artfire shop. To start off, I'm offering these spaces for only $2.50 for a whole month. If they seem successful, then I will offer sidebar spaces for a little more. I'm hoping to help other Etsy and Artfire shops an added way to advertise their businesses and help drive business not only to their shops, but also to mine. KMT also has an Ad Directory on her blog about which other blogs offer this opportunity. So if you're looking for an inexpensive way to advertise your shops, try this for a month and see if it helps. Whenever someone purchases this advertising, I will also tweet about their shop off and on for that month. Here's hoping this will increase business for all of us. Scroll down to the left to purchase your one month's advertising spot for only $2.50 to start off.

Recycling, Ficklefaerie and doing your part for the environment.

I recently entered a blog giveaway for some great looking reusable produce bags and won! I've won several giveaways lately, but this giveaway was really great because it was something I could do to help the environment. I like to recycle as much as I can. I compost, and do other things to try to help the environment. So when I saw this giveaway and then checked out their shop, I was really hoping I'd win. Check out Ficklefaerie on Etsy and you'll be amazed at all the great things they offer to help the environment. So I decided I'd like to know more about why they decided to make these things and how they got started, and asked for an interview. I hope you enjoy getting to know them a little better as much as I did.
1. When and why did you start crafting?
I have been crafting for as long as I can remember. I used to make little dressers for little toads, from my mom and dads cigarette packages. Back in the 60's you had to learn to make do with what you had on hand. There was no such thing as going to craft stores and getting ready made supplies. When I was 10 I got my first sewing machine and the rest is history....
2. What do you enjoy most about your crafting?
I enjoy creating something. I really don't like to repair and alter I enjoy taking a piece of fabric and watching it grow into something. I could never dream of sitting in front of the TV and just watching TV..I always have to be creating while I watch TV.
3. How did you find out about Etsy and why did you start selling there?
I found Etsy 2 and half years ago looking on line for a site to sell on other than ebay. I started selling Bath and body products. It was something my daughter was into and she was spending so much money online buying B&B products I started researching and experimenting. I found Etsy great for my first year but then there were so many B&B sellers popping up it became increasingly hard to get daily sales. Thats when my love of sewing and the enviroment took over...
4. What is the hardest thing to do for your shop or you dislike the most about selling online?
The thing I dislike the most is the constant worrying about whether the mail is going through fast enough. I live way up north and it seems that stuff moves quickly one week and another week it seems to be put on the back of a turtle. I dislike that everyone feels they should have their product in their hands the week after they order. Most large etailers tell you to allow 4-6 weeks but on Etsy it just doesn't seem to be the norm. SO I guess I hate the pressure of having to rush my products out. I am a perfectionist and like to take my time making sure my products are perfect.
5. Do you rely on Etsy to help pay bills or is it mainly for fun & extra spending money?
Etsy is done for fun and some extra spending money. I think in order to make enough money to be an income, you would have to produce larger quantities and higher priced items.
6. Have you tried or do you sell in offline shops? Do you enjoy that more or less than Etsy & why?
I have never sold in off line shops. I have certainly been asked and even bugged at the local farmers market but tsy keeps me busy.
7. Where else can you be found online?
I am on blujay.com and icraft.com and artfire.com but have had 1 sale on each of them. Etsy seems to be the best venue to get steady sales on.

For all the Hippies out there-Hippie Art and JustGiveMePeace

Welcome to the hippie parade...We believe in peace and love. Everything in between is just a road trip....

So starts the announcement in this Hippie Art shop. I met JustGiveMePeace in a thread killer. She loves art, drawing and great old music. So I asked her for an interview and she graciously accepted. Hope you enjoy her answers to my questions and for her art, check out her shop: JustGiveMePeace on Etsy.

1. When and why did you start crafting?

LOL! That’s easy. Our Mama allowed us to color on the walls. I think she was the original hippie…she had us casting sand mummies at the beach by the time I was three, collecting wood from old houses to paint on by the time I was five. I still color on the walls!

2. What do you enjoy most about your crafting?

For the most part I paint, color, draw. It’s a peace drug…It’s starts with one thought and once I begin, I’m lost in it.

3. How did you find out about Etsy and why did you start selling there?

Funny, but I learned of Etsy about three years ago when a fellow blogger introduced me to all the cool items she was collecting. I bookmarked it as a really awesome place to visit and suddenly last August, pop! I decided to join.

4. What is the hardest thing to do for your shop or you dislike the most about selling online?

I’m a little spoiled. We began selling on the other E and my only contribution was to draw. My skinny little sister, Paigey, did all the listings, the techno stuff, and well, all I had to do was color. I’m sort of on my own with Etsy and it’s been a learning experience, but over all, there really isn’t anything I don’t like about it. I’ve met some incredible people and it’s like being at a 24 hour, 7 day a week art show. I live in a house with no clocks, so it’s a perfect lifestyle for me…

5. Do you rely on Etsy to help pay bills or is it mainly for fun & extra spending money?

Funny, but when I needed help with the bills, it helped, when I was just hearting some wonderful hippie stuff for myself, it paid for those. It sort of just fits my needs. And goes with the flow…

6. Have you tried or do you sell in offline shops? Do you enjoy that more or less than Etsy & why?

We transitioned from the auction site and even a check out on our web to Etsy only. It’s slowly working…and so far, I’ve found it to be the easiest and far friendliest on line avenue.

7. Where else can you be found online?

www.justgivemepeace.com and www.justgivemepeace.blogspot and twitter, of course www.twitter.com/justgivemepeace

Much Peace,Sing

The family that plays Disc golf together stays together

Back in February my hubby and I had to attend a business seminar he was putting on in San Diego. A month or so before both our sons called us and said they wouldn't mind going with us for a mini vacation while out there. So we made arrangements for them and our daughter-in-law to go out there with us and have a day or two before and after to do things together. The first day out there Chelsea and I found a HUGE bead store with a great sale going on. So while the guys went to a movie, she and I went shopping. Needless to say we weren't done by the time they came back to get us. (This place advertises 18,0000 square feet of beads, and I believe it.)
The next day I went to the conference with my hubby and the kids were off and running. While out they found a disc golf course. (I had originally taken the boys when they were little to disc golf courses in Florida and Louisiana when we attended other business conferences with my hubby. One of the vendors for our conferences would always sponsor a disc golf game for the wives and kids while the guys played regular golf. We had a blast and were hooked. We even found some courses here in Texas when we returned home and continued to play for several years off and on.) When they told me about the course they found, I took half a day off the next day from the conference and went with them to play disc golf. Although it rained/drizzled on us most of the time we had a blast. So the last day before we caught our plane, we all went out to play disc golf together one last time before returning to our homes and work. It was a blast. We had a great time and it was especially special since we were all together as a family, with our new member, daughter in law, Chelsea. Here's a few pics of us playing disc golf. And if you want to see some of the things Chelsea made with the beads we found, check out her shop, STRINGandSTONES. She does gorgeous work. And check out her Katrina bead earrings. They're made with beads from a necklace that was one of the only pieces of jewelry a friend of hers saved from Katrina.
By the way, my guys made quite a stir in San Diego. We got stopped everywhere we went by people asking all three of them if they were really cowboys. They all wear their hats everywhere and it seems, people in San Diego are not used to seeing cowboys and their hats. LOL

What I'd do with a $100 Home Depot gift card

In reading one of the gardening blogs I follow this evening I found out about a $100 gift card for Home Depot giveaway they were sponsoring. All you had to do was go to Home Depot's garden club site, browse all their great DIY projects and go back and comment about what you'd do with that gift card. Problem was, I found LOTS of things I'd do with that gift card. LOL More than my DH would want to help me with, I'm sure. :) But one of the first I would love to be able to do is: planting a vine on an arbor. My oldest son, Jeremy (who loves computer stuff-check out the link to his blog down and to the right) took a stab at welding and built me an arbor a few years ago complete with my initials. I've never been able to get it painted and placed where I want it. So I would love to be able to get that arbor primed and painted, placed by our company parking spot, in a place of honor and covered with either passion flower vines or Texas evergreen Wisteria which smells absolutely gorgeous when in bloom. This would be great in helping me get that done and show him how much I appreciate his effort in helping me make my garden special. So check out the blog and the giveaway.

Interview with Etsy's Inkwear99

I first met Stacey of Inkwear99 on Etsy through the forums. We were both on a threadkiller thread, trying to win a prize. There are several of those floating around Etsy so check them out. But she had a threadkiler of her own and I ended up winning an adorable tattooed bag for being a certain number poster. It's great. You can check it out at her shop. I have also fallen in love with these tattooed shoes. May have to get them for myself. So I asked her for an interview. I hope you enjoy it.

1. When and why did you start crafting?

We started making silkscreen tshirts and totes last summer when my stepdaughter who is 12 decided she wanted to be a fashion designer. Eric, my husband had done some silkscreening in high school. So we bought the equipment and started making shirts. It also made sense to make the shirts for our tattoo shop as well. It would be much cheaper.

2. What do you enjoy most about your crafting?
I really like making new designs and putting the thoughts in our head onto a shirt or shoe.

3. How did you find out about Etsy and why did you start selling there?

I found out about etsy from Karla at heartsizedcrush.etsy. She makes tattoo inspired jewelry and we have some of her pieces on consignment at the tattoo shop.

4.. What is the hardest thing to do for your shop or you dislike the most about selling online?

I wasn't sure how well we would do, but figured our items may as well be displayed on the internet, and have more people see them. They may as well be displayed other places, rather than just in boxes in our basement.

5. Do you rely on Etsy to help pay bills or is it mainly for fun & extra spending money?

We don't really rely on Etsy for our main source of income. It is mostly just for fun. I am a Comptroller at an auto broker in the day, we own a tattoo shop, do Inkwear at nights and in my "spare" time, I am a mom and a wife.

6. Have you tried or do you sell in offline shops? Do you enjoy that more or less than Etsy & why?

We have some items at a boutique in Colorado Springs. We have about 20 items there. It is a handmade boutique, called Kabbibi Mei. It just opened last month and has been doing ok so far. We have only sold one item, but are still very hopeful.

7.Where else can you be found online?

I can also be found online at: inkwear99.artfire.com, twitter.com/inkwear99 and myspace.com/inkwear99

You can check out some more of her favorites in the web ring box to the right.