Two New Shops

I've been busy opening up two new shops!

First, I decided to part with some of my massive collection of jewelry supplies, so I opened a supply shop: All Things Beadiful. I got my first sales within the first few days of listing inventory. I'm so pleased that my lovely unused beads will be finding new homes!

Secondly, I opened an Artfire shop. Artfire is having a special for the remainder of the year, so although I joined back in June, I've only now loaded up the shop with inventory. I'm hoping for some good results. I've included both finished jewelry and supplies in my Artfire shop.

SPECIAL OFFER: Mention "two new shops blogpost" in the Message/Notes to seller in either of these two shops and receive 10% off your order. I'll refund the savings through PayPal. This special offer is valid from now through October 15, 2009.

Jewelry Sale - Buy One Get One Half Off!

I'm having a sale in my Etsy shop this weekend: Buy one item, get a 2nd item of equal or lesser value 50% off. All the details are in my shop announcement on my shop homepage.

Many JET shops are taking part in the Weekend Deals on Etsy. Check out the JetTeam shop for a complete list of participants. Or, search Handmade for "jetsale" to see almost 3000 jewelry and accessory items, all on sale!

Happy Shopping!

Wire Wrapped Pendants

I'm having a great time with wire-wrapping. It started with a tutorial I purchased on Etsy. I learned some great techniques from the tutorial and I'm having a blast finding new ways to create with them. Only problem...sore fingers! Boy, working the wire can hurt. But it's worth it. I am so thrilled to take plain old sterling wire and turn it into something I love!

New Line of Rings

I've added a new line of rings to my shop, just in time for the Spring Fling Sale. Get FREE Worldwide Shipping on everything in the Spring Fling section of Beadiful Designs through March 22.

Spring Fling!!!

It's that time of year! The Jewelry on Etsy Team (JET) will be holding a Spring Fling Promotion! The promotion begins at 8 am (Eastern) Friday morning, March 20th until 12 midnight (Eastern) Sunday, March 22nd.

Many of my JET team members will be participating; each boasting their own unique sales and specials. Information about each sellers sales or promotions can be found in their shop announcement and on the first page of our daily promotions thread in the Promotions section of the Etsy forums.

Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the daily JET Spring Fling Promo thread in the Promotions section of the Etsy forums to participate in super fun giveaways for a chance to win tons of prizes! You can win FREE jewelry and other fashion accessories! For a chance to win, we will simply ask participants to take a look at one of our shops and show us a link to an item they like and tell us what they like about the item.

My sale for the Spring Fling will be FREE Worldwide Shipping on every item in my Spring Fling Section! My everyday prices on Beadiful Designs jewelry are already a great value, so with FREE Shipping, why not treat yourself or someone you love to quality, handcrafted jewelry?

My New Obsession - Project Wonderful

1) square ad 2) rectangle ad

So, my home and life re-organization hasn't been going as well as it could because I've discovered a new obsession...Project Wonderful. I'm woefully inept at graphic design, but I managed to put together two ads to experiment with. I posted these ads on about 20 sites. It's fun to watch the number of clicks they receive add up, but so far no sales have resulted.

It's easy to get obsessed with the bidding process for ads. I'm now trying to only check my ad status once a day, because the fluctuations in which ads are active at any given time are unmanageable.

I love the information Project Wonderful supplies for the ads. The one I'm watching most carefully is the Cost Per Click. Right now when I list something on Etsy, I can guarantee about 5 views. So I'm "buying" 5 views for $.20, or $.04 per view. (I realize that I get a lot more for my $.20 than just 5 views, but when comparing exposure, that's the figure I'm looking at.) So far, the sites that have gained me the most views are the ones that get the most traffic (no surprise there) and the price of those ads has so far put them far above $.04 per click. As I experiment with different ads, sites, and bids, I'm sure I'll see changes. And ultimately, the statistic that will be most meaningful to me is which method results in the most sales.

There has been a lot written on the Etsy forums over the past few months about how renewing/listing aren't getting the same views they used to. I definitely have noticed this myself. I used to list something and within a few minutes dozens of views were tallied. Now, things can go days with only one handful of views. I wanted to try Project Wonderful to see if by placing ads I could gain the exposure that no longer is inherent in listing on Etsy. So far, I have to say that I still get more views through renewing/listing than I do with these ads. I'm sure that a large part of that has been the sites I'm advertising on, as well as the look of my ads, so I'll probably keep experimenting to find the perfect mix of exposure.

Day One of My Home/Life Organization

One thing I love about the Flylady system is that they believe in starting where you are at. One Flylady mantra is "you are not behind". If you find getting your home and life organized to be so overwhelming that you don't know where to begin, they even have a day-by-day list of babysteps to get you started.

I've chosen to start with my Morning and Bedtime routines. As I started to think about the way I'd like to begin and end each day, I was sorely tempted to make veeeeery long lists. I resisted this impulse and kept each list to 8 items. This is how I will begin to conquer my household chaos.

My Morning Routine
* make bed
* shower/dress
* spot clean master bathroom
* start load of laundry
* empty dishwasher
* eat breakfast (yes, I do need a reminder to do this!)
* check calendar
* make today's to do list

My Bedtime Routine
* pick up family room
* pick up kitchen
- clear/clean sink
- start dishwasher
- wipe table and counters
* check calendar for tomorrow
* get ready for bed (This obviously happens already...so it's like a freebie!)
* pray


For the next couple of days (or however long is needed) I'll just focus on accomplishing these two routines. I almost skipped my first item this morning..."make bed". Lucy was sleeping on my bed and she looked sooo cute, curled up on her side with her paw covering her nose. I was tempted to let her keep sleeping, but instead I kicked her off the bed (not literally) and made it. Look at her sweet face!

Now I'm off to finish my Morning Routine. (Hey, I still have another 45 minutes of morning left.)

Getting My Home (and life) Organized!

Ok, I'll admit it. My home is frequently a disorganized nightmare. With 4 active boys, 2 dogs, 2 rats, and a hubby, it's hard to keep up. To be honest, I usually don't work very hard at keeping up. I'm something of a procrastinator and usually crisis clean my home. You know how it is... someone is coming over so you have to clean the house. I'm getting pretty tired of that cycle.

I do love a clean, organized home and I know how to get my home looking good. I've just never been very successful at keeping it that way. Well, I'm about to embark on an adventure that will change all that. Many months ago (on the advice of a friend) I checked out the book Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley from the library. Marla has developed a system for gaining control of your home and when I read the book I was hooked. Marla writes with humor and it almost seemed like she'd been to my home! (She developed her system to get rid of CHAOS - Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome. Oh yeah, she's been to my home.) I immediately made a few changes in the way I do things and I signed up to get Flylady daily email reminders...but I never put the entire plan into action. Every day I see those emails come in and every day I erase them, unopened. Not anymore. I'm committing to putting the Flylady system to work for me and my family.

I highly recommend reading the book, but if you don't have the patience to wait until you can get it, you can find out about the Flylady system online too. I'll be starting the Flylady system in full on Wednesday. Look out clutter, here I come!

Rainy Day Fun - Pillowcase Decorating

Today is a rainy and all around yucky day in the Chicagoland area. It's the perfect kind of day to fight with your brothers! Or, at least that's what my boys always seem to think. Fighting gives me a headache, so I'd rather they found something else to do on rainy days like today.

Decorating a pillowcase is a nice, quiet way to spend an hour or two. This is a great activity for sleepovers, playdates, and rainy days too. There are a lot of ways to decorate a pillowcase, but my goal was to find a way to do this in the cheapest and cleanest way possible. Fabric paint looked fun...but far too messy. Fabric pens looked clean...but too expensive! Then I happened upon Crayola Fabric Markers. Yes! They only cost $3.99 for a package of 10 markers at Michaels. With a 40% off coupon, I had enough money left over to buy some stencils too.

Yep, quiet and clean...that's my kind of kids activity. I held a pillowcase decorating craft class at the elementary school during lunch today with 10 kids. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. I love watching kids create. They'll finish up their pillowcases on Friday. The Crayola fabric markers do need to be heat set, so read the directions on the package before using the pillowcase. Also, the markers will bleed through the pillowcase fabric, so be sure to put some cardboard inside the pillowcase to protect the back side. If you're not into decorating pillowcases, this activity could easily be done with t-shirts, tote bags, room banners, etc.

Happy creating!

Another Wire-Working Experiment

I experimented some more with wire yesterday. I came up with an idea for a "peas in a pod" design using birthstone colors. The picture shows the pendant with my children's birthstones. It was fun making this. I still have lot's of practicing to do, and sterling silver is too expensive...so I finally ordered a ton of copper wire today. Can't wait to get it and try out some new ideas!

Wire Experiment

I spent some time experimenting with wire today. My goal was a pendant that represented a path. This was the first time I used this criss-cross wire technique. I started at the top of the pendant, and you can tell how uneven my wrapping was at first. I improved by the bottom of the pendant, but still far from perfect. I'll keep working on this until I have it right. For now, this one is mine to wear and test drive the design. I didn't originally plan for there to be anyone on the path, but I found I underestimated the amount of wire I needed to finish the wrapping, so I had to start a new section of wire. It left a slight opening between the two lengths, so I improvised by adding the crystal. I think I like it. Next time perhaps I'll choose a crystal that has more contrast.

I love experimenting, and I look forward to seeing my skills improve with practice.

Yummy Turkey Sausage & Tortellini Soup

Soup makes a great dinner on a cold winter evening. I loooove this recipe because not only is it delicious, it is so easy! Usually when a recipe includes the prep time required it takes me at least twice as long as specified. But this recipe says 10 minutes of prep, and it really does take only 10 minutes.

Turkey Sausage & Tortellini Soup

* 6 oz. cooked smoked turkey sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch slices

* 2 cups packaged shredded cabbage with carrot (coleslaw mix)

* 1 cup loose-pack frozen cut green beans or Italian-style green beans

* 2 14.5 oz cans Italian-style stewed tomatoes

* 1 10.5 oz can condensed French onion soup

* 3 cups water

* 9 oz package refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini

Grated parmesan cheese.

In a 3.5 - 5 quart slow cooker place sausage, coleslaw mix, green beans, undrained tomatoes, soup, and water.

Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.

If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting. Stir in tortellini. Cover and cook for 15 minutes more. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 6.

Nutrition Facts per serving: 257 cal. 7 g total fat (3 g sat. fat), 45 mg cholesterol, 1,134 mg sodium, 36 g carbo, 4g fiber, 13 g protein.

I alter the recipe to feed my large family. I use 16 oz of the turkey sausage and 20 oz of tortellini. I add additional liquid to accommodate this. (I add whatever I have around, chicken broth, an extra can of soup, extra stewed tomatoes, or whatever.) Enjoy!

Picasa 3, How I Love Thee!

I'm sure no one is surprised that quality pictures are critical for online selling. A lot has been written about how to get great pictures of your products. The most critical thing for me has been editing software.

When I first started out I used the software that came with my Olympus camera. Yuk. (I won't post the ugly pictures here, but they are evident way back in my sold section on Etsy.) Then I read about Picasa, and recently upgraded to Picasa 3. I love this software! First, it's free to download from google. Perfect price for me. Second, you don't have to have mad technical skills to get great improvements in your pictures. The software is very intuitive.

Here's a before and after shot. All I used were the cropping and tuning features on Picasa 3 to turn the before into the after. Super quick and super easy!



I'll keep working on lighting and angle to keep improving. Maybe I'll even read the manual on my new camera to figure out if there's a macro feature. But in the meantime, I'm getting pictures that I'm not ashamed to put on Etsy. Thanks to Picasa 3!

Jewelry On Etsy Team - Trunk Show

The Jewelry on Etsy Team will be hosting their first Trunk Show on Thursday, February 5, at 12:00 noon EST in the Etsy Virtual Labs. Come join us in The Gallery. Twenty of the JET members will showcase a wide variety of fine handcrafted jewelry, from beaded creations to metal work. Be the first to answer a trivia question and win one of the many door prizes we'll be giving away! Below is a sampling of just a few of the JET creations that you'll see at the show. Come find out what special Valentine sales our JETs are offering. Hope to see you there.

A Monday Morning Tale - Tripping Over The Dog

Happy Monday morning to me. I got up from my computer and tried to walk across the room and tripped over one of my dogs. Ouch! My right knee took the brunt of the fall. As I clutched my knee in agony and tried not to cry, I heard my two sons that witnessed the fall stifling their laughs. Grrrr. That's not a sound you want to hear when hurt, but how could I be mad. Truly, the scene must have been hilarious. The dog I tripped over, Kayla, wanted to show her concern by dancing around me and trying to lick my face. Thankfully the boys took her to another room to leave me alone until I could get up. I heard my 9 year old say "I wonder if Kayla is okay". Such sweet concern for the dog. I guess they knew better than to ask me just then. The answer was obvious.

So just how does someone trip over their dog? Well, it could be a tiny scrap of a dog that's hard to see, right? Um, not in my case. I tripped over our 85 pound loveable mutt. Here she is:
When I lifted my pant leg I was surprised to see that I actually scraped my knee. Geez, I'm over 40 years old now. I can't even remember the last time I scraped my knee.

Since I can't blame my dog, and I don't want to blame myself for being clumsy (denial is a good thing), I'm blaming this on Monday morning. Monday morning has a bad reputation anyway, so why not.

If you have a Monday morning tale to share, post it in the comments.

And happy Monday to ya.