Diary of an Etsy Vintage Seller

Dear Diary, What's in a Tag?

2010-05-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

One of the most time consuming things about listing items is sometimes the Tagging....
It's also sometimes one of the most important and one of the most controversial.

What are tags meant to do? They are the keywords that are filed through when someone uses the search box on etsy. According to etsy this is the most used way to find an item that is eventually purchased, so you can see why these are so important.

I "searched" etsy blog and forums for posts related to tagging and found more information than I wanted. After sifting through them these were the points I found most relevant.

Your first tag isn't really a tag it is the category. The other 13 are considered true tags
Tags should only describe the item, they should not be uses for the item, verbs, etc.
Only use synonyms that are truly synonyms ie. don't use tote bag to describe a clutch, although purse could be used for either.
The who, what, when and even where are most relevant. Kitchen could be used for pot holders.
Do not use words that are in your title, titles are searched for keywords too.

So you are stuck? I wondered how I could find out what tags are most used by people searching so I tried Google's keyword finder, part of their adwords program. I used business card case and found that an even more relevant keyword for that with more than twice the searches was business card holder.

If you have the time to use it it's a great tool. So Links?
Etsy's Guideline to Tagging
Tag-o-Rama (lots of actual tagword examples to choose from)

Both were very helpful. I've been falling down on the blogging lately, I'll try to be more regular about it! Good Selling! Jamie.

Thanks to paperquick, click on the picture above to see the other "tags" in her shop!

Dear Diary, Not Enough Time!

2010-05-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, Today is a rushed day. (Time Ticking image VenusFlytrapJewels) I need to ship, I need to take some photos and I need to list some items. So Numbers will have to wait....

I do want to give a big "great job" to etsy though about the new treasury programs! They are great, before everyone just sat around waiting for them to open and then when they did, rushed to create them and then everyone would gripe about what was chosen for FP. Well now it has an entirely different fun atmosphere. You can make one anytime, you can use it for all sorts of different purposes and the contests they are having are great. Here is a link to one of the forum posts for the rules of creating and submitting treasuries for the Homepage. I was featured in this great little treasury that was nominated.

Also it is an honor for one of my items to be on PaperCakesFinds Blog. If you have never visited, go, her blog is visually so pretty, her selections, background, everything just flows so wonderfully! My item was chosen by using the tag Pretty! So tags are important, check back tomorrow for a post on tagging and guidelines!

Dear Diary, Goals Reached!

2010-05-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

I hope all of you had a great Mother's Day weekend. I know I did! I had 12 items sell ! Yay! Great multi item buyers, but more about business tomorrow, I'm just bursting with some personal news that I know some of you may find boring, but it was the highlight of my weekend definitely, maybe my year so far even!

A lot of you know my kids play competitive junior tennis. In Texas there are three levels and a points system is used to "qualify" the kids from one level to another. Not only do you have to earn the right number of points but it has to be in a certain combination so that you reach that points level in a combination of 4 tournaments in a year time frame. Well Sunday on Mother's Day my youngest got runner up in the Corpus Christi Champ Tournament, but more important than that she reached her points by winning the semi finals and is now in the top level of junior tennis in Texas. She is a beautiful, smart and vibrant kid and I'm so proud of her.

Dear Diary, Little Did I Know!

2010-05-06T08:23:00.000-07:00

Well it isn't reflected here but DawnCorrespondence's comment on Tuesday's post set off a storm of comments in the uwib forum. The consensus on relisting?

Jewelry sellers and other sellers of stock items feel it is essential to their business. They can quickly relist topsellers.
Some sellers use it to bring relevantly themed items to the top of search results when those themes are trending (I'll have to try that!)
Sellers agree that ooak items are not appropriate for relisting if it has been done multiple times with no results.
Some sellers take dead stock ooak items and remake them into other things that may sell.

Hope I got it right! Thanks for everyone for the comments, uwib rocks!

Dear Diary....the Streak Broken..

2010-05-04T17:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, today my no sales streak for over a week ended! Yay! I had two sales. I was getting pretty jumpy since I don't usually go that long without a sale, so I feel better. And, it frees me up a little, with no sales comes no cash and no new inventory! I'm not a fan of relisting just to get views, so if an item hasn't expired I don't usually relist. Anyway how do I know if I want to relist an item or not? I mean if it has been on the "shelf" so to speak for 3 months with no movement, well is it a good item? is the price too high? is the picture bad?

How do you move your aging inventory? This last time I relisted items I lowered the prices of them by 50%. I felt they were all fab items like the earrings pictured. I sold one of the half a dozen or so I reduced. I asked her how she found the item and she said through google, she was looking for a sterling silver picture frame and the bangle bracelet showed up in the search results, imagine that! So she wasn't looking for it, she didn't find the price a reason to buy, I don't know.....

At any rate, at the end of this listing period these items won't be renewed. I liquidate my unsold items in lots, sometimes through craigslist, sometimes on ebay, sometimes if they are sweet and small things I'll give them away as gifts with purchases. But it is a problem all of us face, what to do with dead inventory? If you have a creative solution for either handmade or vintage items, leave it in the comments, I'd love to hear! Until tomorrow, Jamie.

Dear Diary, In Praise of Online Friends.....

2010-04-30T11:22:00.000-07:00

One of the things business gurus encourage you to do online is to network. One way of networking is to join a group. There are lots of groups you can join both within and outside of Etsy. Some are better than others, some have different vibes, but I think they all have their place. A while back I joined a group that I found via twitter. It's called Unique Women in Business. They provide a great support structure for fledgling entrepreneurs. It is a forum that you can ask for opinions and advice. The wide base of members are almost always able to provide you with some kind of first hand answers.They also provide a platform to promote one another's work. You do have to make one purchase a month from another member but with the wide range of businesses and products you can almost always find something you would need to buy anyway.

So explore your options, talk with other entreprenuers in your niche, see what groups they belong too. Explore your options, the forums are a great place to learn about groups and the etsy teams.

On a sidebar, I'd like to thank these lovely ladies for all the kind words they have passed my way since January. Some people don't really get the concept of online friends, but I can tell anyone who asks that the relationships are real. Thanks UWIB!

Dear Diary.....

2010-04-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

Trying something new.....The listings I've done the last several weeks have been heavily fashion oriented. I have some paper ephemeral that has just been sitting about waiting to be listed so I changed tracks today and listed some of those pieces...

These are photogravure prints from an 1894 volume by Selmar Hess, Great Men and Women. I love the detail on the horses.....Wonderful pieces.. Also I've been so busy lately I seem to have lost some steam, I need to regroup, refocus, Think! My etsy shop has several different prints, I've also listed some vintage map pages for crafting or other uses, We'll see what happens!

Dear Diary....

2010-04-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

Okay so today my usual bright and sunny disposition is not so bright. I am a believer in facing whatever comes your way with positive thoughts feelings and actions. I look for the best in each day and try to build on it. Sometimes all of us though just get in a funk, and today I'm in one. Wrecked car, lots of personal stuff to do and despite a plus of 800 views from Friday of last week until Monday I've had no sales. I even skipped posting yesterday, I was so busy with hubby computer probs, Avis rental car claims, etc.

I can't even think of anything fun or helpful to write about so that is why I'm writing about my funk!

One thing that my business group posted about yesterday was the Graphics Fairy. I'd never seen this site but it's pretty cool. So I guess I do have something to write about....Free Images, and some really great vintage ones....

Anyway you always hear if the same old thing isn't working to try something new, I'm off to think of something new. I usually don't go more than a day or two with no sales so this is discouraging. Until Tomorrow, Jamie.

Dear Diary, What Kind of Weekend Was This?

2010-04-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

Well guys, my weekend was good and bad, on a personal note, Friday night we were on our way to Dallas in the rain when a speeding car sideswiped us. As we were going down the freeway on two wheels all I could say was "HOLD ON!" Once again we were super lucky, minimal damage to our car (the other was totalled) kids were fine, dog fine, us fine. Other driver? no insurance, something fishy going on with the car, Avis shows it was never rented.... Drivers info address, phone number etc looks to be bogus...

Sales, only the 2 I got Friday. Up 500 views in my shop from Friday with multiple new Hearts. So I'm wondering how your weekend was?

On a very interesting note I got a tweet from Oktak that there is a new etsy hack app that you can use to remove your expired listings... for someone who has a couple of years worth of those that is exciting! I'm installing it later today but Oktak assures me it works, I'll let you know my results, here is the link. http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/75240

So until tomorrow gotta go, (have car issues to work out!) Leave me a comment on how your weekend was sales or otherwise, I'd love to hear! Jamie

Dear Diary, Does My Shop Have the LOOK?

2010-04-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

For those of you who sell vintage Etsy just put on their blog this week part 1 of their Guide to Selling Vintage. I browsed some of the shops mentioned and read the entry but one thing common to all the guides is PHOTOS. One of the most asked questions in any forum I've ever stumbled on has been never ending how do I take a good photo. It also calls to my mind some of the shops that have such wonderful images it becomes part of their shops branding or style. This is one of my favorite etsy shops, DearGolden.

Their photos are simple, always against the same background, always on the same dress form and highlight the merchandise. This has become their visual identity. Another seller, (whose name I will not reveal) relies on two pieces of copy paper and the great outdoors for her light. Even others rely on light boxes. Obviously using copy paper and light boxes your items have to be small but the same theory applies, the same look every time.

I went in search of my look when I started listing more clothing. I had to have a dress form so I was no longer photographing lumps of clothing flat on the tile floor. I got one off of ebay. Not the best of quality but the price was right. Ebay is an excellent source for light boxes, dress and jewelry forms. I then set out around the house to find a good background. I still don't know if I've found one but I settled on my stucco wall on the balcony for now. Here is my latest photographic endeavor. Doesn't really compare to my "golden" standard but maybe I'll get there someday. It is a lot better than flat on the tile floor though! Complete weekend stats on Monday, but started off right with two sales late last night. Good Sales to everyone and until Monday, Jamie.

Dear Diary....Day 4 Odds and Ends plus Google Analytics

2010-04-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

Stats
Sales 2 for a whopping $8.74 Net $8.43 (total sales less etsy fee for sale)
New Listings, 0
Views +323 (how'd I do that?) see below...
New Shop Hearts 3

Yesterday I talked about Project Wonderful. Ironically I got what I'm sure was a form e-mail (but it was addressed to me personally so it made it seem better) from PW Customer Service asking for my feedback. Not sure how I'll respond yet but I will at some point, anyone with anything to say to them let me know!

Okay now to the meat of today's entry... I wanted to know how I got the bump in views with no new items so I went to google analytics to see where those views came from. Google Analytics is a kind of Back of the House for people with websites. You can see a post in the Storque about GA for those of you who don't know what it is.

Yesterday I had 96 visits from 90 different people. They looked on average at 3.83 pages per visit. Here's the surprise, only 25 of those visits came from people already on etsy's website. The rest of them, 71 others, came directly to my shop from google, a PW ad, twitter or other sources. Based on that I'd say outside marketing is extremely important to the views and eventually sales in your shop. Tags and the title of your items become very important too with google being the 2nd biggest source of views for me.

Do you know any useful little tidbits about google analytics? Do you use it? Let me know, as always, until tomorrow, Jamie.

Day 3, Project Wonderful

2010-04-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

Okay daily stats really quick, No Sales Yesterday. 1 new listing, 198 new views, 1 new shop heart, multiple item hearts.

Yesterday I talked about passive and active marketing. I focused on active marketing like twitter and facebook. From the comments I got it looks like everyone really likes this social media and it really adds pleasure to their day as well as lets everyone know what they do. Tracy with PolishedTwo uses it as her only real marketing tool with great success.

Passive marketing is placing ads. There are two ways to do this, directly with the host site and through a broker. Project Wonderful is just that, an advertising space broker. You can submit your site earn money by getting ads placed on it and you can also bid on ad space to place your own ads. The ads come in different sizes, although I get the feeling the square is the most popular. You can see an ad just to the upper left of this blog. What do I like about having ads on my blog?

it can add variety to your blogpage
it can bring more people to your blog (they have to look at the blog to decide to advertise there)
it earns you a few cents

Now that I've earned a few cents I usually feel like I need to spread those pennies around by placing ads of my own. My ad is pretty simple and they are really easy to set up. You search for available ad space by using key words. I search by using the term vintage and by using the term etsy. You can then visit the blogs, see stats on them like views and make decisions on bids. Most space is available for .40 cents or less, but blogs with huge traffic can be several dollars. Here's the question, do they bring any more views to your shop?

I placed 21 bids over the last week, ranging from a penny to 40 cents. I have won with all of them at different times. It resulted in 13, I said 13 clicks......my total expenditure over the last week was about $3.50. So while I love the concept of Project Wonderful and I will continue to use it, (gotta do something with the pennies I earn on this blog) I don't expect much in terms of sales results. Maybe I'm using it wrong. If you have different ideas about Project Wonderful let me know in the comments, or what is your favorite way or place to put an ad.....
Until tomorrow, Jamie.

Day 2, Dear Diary......

2010-04-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

What happened yesterday? Listed 5 items, Sold 1, Gained 1 Shop Heart.
Financially? Made 9.99, Spent 1.34 (listing fees, plus .34 for the sale) for a net profit of $8.65; Less cost of goods, and well it is a little less than $8.65 hmmmmmm.

On the bright side I did sell an item and gain a heart so here's to repeating a sale today and more sales in the future.

Yesterday, I mentioned promotional efforts. I divide promotions/marketing into two types. Passive and Active. Today I wanted to talk a little bit about active. I think those are things like Twitter, Facebook, Plurk and whatever other social media you use. It is active because it requires your time to interface with the platform and users. You just have to be careful how much time you spend. It can get addicting, but it does work. Last week I sold an item to @MerCuriosJewels. She saw it on twitter from her phone and bought it from her phone. Hey, marketing in action. Her Etsy shop is pretty great too, check it out http://www.etsy.com/shop/mercurios

Tracy with an awesome etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/polishedtwo who recently hit 5000 sales (GASP) uses facebook a lot for her marketing. So I guess it is kind of what you are comfortable with.

What's your favorite form of active marketing and why? Submit what works for you by commenting. I'd love to hear and I'm sure others would too!
Until tomorrow, Jamie.

STATS - A Starting Point......

2010-04-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, Where to start my Diary? Well since my aim is to grow my shop how about my current stats.

My shop started selling vintage in February of 2009, before that I sold handmade so here it is since vintage...

Sales since 2/2009 346

Sales Per Month 23

Shop Hearts 447

Items for sale 178

Shop Views 23,305
Avg Views/Item 131

These are fairly simple stats, I didn't dig down into item hearts, or any of the google analytics data, but the numbers I chose are what we would have called topline stats a few years ago and I think they should be a good measure of my overall success in getting more sales.

These simple topline stats are easily available in your shop and by using http://www.craftcult.com/ . If you are new to the etsy game you will be sure to want to check it out.

On the agenda for today?

Shipping - I have two weekend sales to ship
Listing - I have several items to photograph and list (affecting views and sales hopefully)
I always, answer e-mails, tweet, check on other promotional efforts (more to come there!)

So Until Tomorrow! J.

Under Construction.....

2010-04-16T13:09:00.000-07:00

Now that my garage is finished I'm shifting focus. I have been really concentrating a lot on my vintage shop retrochique. Not spending a lot of time working but thinking what can I do to really develop it? So while my workroom for Destination Handmade is really not inhabitable (still a little left to do there) I am going to work every day on my vintage shop. I decided to make this an open forum, I'm going to try anything and everything to boost it and maybe come up with some best practices. And when I say open forum, I mean it, I leave the comments open for critique, suggestions, questions etc.

In preparation for my start next week my blog is a little under construction.....so you may see some things coming and going here.....until Monday, when the Diary of an Etsy Vintage Seller starts!

testing, testing, testing.......

2010-04-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

Well it is that time of year, my kids just finished the TAKS, and the Practice TAKS.....UGH.
For those of you not from Texas it is the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. This is a yearly process the kids go through, learning the skills to take the test, practicing the test and then actually taking the test. It is divided up by grade and subject and takes entirely toooo much time and focus in the school. Well, I mean, that is how the teachers get paid so what do you think happens?

When I was in school here in Texas we didn't even have our own test, I remember taking the CATS (California Achievement Test) test a couple of times, but it was nothing we actually prepared for. It tested us over what we should have already learned.

I remember in high school taking some kind of army sponsored aptitude test. The high point of the test was when the administrator of the test, a coach/vocational teacher called us all jackasses for misbehaving and well being jackasses during the test.

My evaluation came back that I should be an engineer. Since my name is ambiguous the army was sending personal recruiting letters to Mr. Jamie Loftis for the next two years.

Well I think that the teachers should teach, those who want to learn will learn, those who want to be jackasses will be well, jackasses. Teaching our kids how to pass a test, well, I think that is being, well, you know.......

Renovated!

2010-04-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

OKAY! Drumroll needed here, I have posted above the garage before and after pics, so just a few words on Wordless Wednesday......

Fresh Start.....

2010-04-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

Since the fire life has been a little unsettled. Well the garage is finished now, new carpet in our house, electrical done.... we thought maybe it was time for a little vacation. So the two younger kids, my husband and I went to Playa Escondida in Sayulita, Mexico. It was a tech free vacation, no phones, no cell service, very spotty internet, and no television. The surroundings were beautiful, the food delicious, alcohol plentiful and the sea breeze intoxicating. The kids (including my husband) played in the surf while I relaxed and unwound. I had my first ever hot stone massage and it was well worth it.......

I also splurged and read a book. I used to read a lot, now I'm a movie fanatic, takes less time but has somewhat the same payoff. But in tech free Playa Escondida there were numerous books left by others and no televisions so I read Stephanie Meyer's New Moon. I reviewed the movie Twilight and became a fan. The book New Moon did not disappoint. Still a total feminine, romantic fantasy...... Where else can you get someone who is gorgeous, loves your flawed self, saves you at every turn, is wealthy, etc etc.....It is what every girl dreams of unconditional acceptance and protection. And so I'm back at home now, All that is left is to clean up my poor neglected work room, I will admit though I went on amazon and ordered the third Twilight installment tonight, Eclipse. I'll let you know.....

Monday Movie Review - Shutter Island

2010-03-01T10:03:00.000-08:00

As I'm sitting here puzzling over my insurance claim I have decided to take a break and write a Monday Movie Review.

We saw Shutter Island over the weekend and had the pleasure of it being one of those movies that isn't quite what it appears at first glance. I was expecting a scary thriller, but what I got was more of a psychological mystery, and well there were a couple of scary bits. Set in the 1950's the location is very interesting, clothing and sets very fun to look at. I can't tell too much or I may give away the plot line, but on the surface it is about the disappearance of a patient/prisoner in a high security prison for the mentally disturbed. Like The Others, and Sixth Sense there is quite a little twist (not ghostly though) about who is whom that doesn't come out until very near the end, and well if you miss the last line of the movie, you miss what made it satisfying to me. It is one of those movies though that not everyone will get, you do have to think and well a lot of people I heard go "now what happened?" (including my husband).

Anyway if you like mystery suspense type movies or are a particular fan of Leonardo de Caprio, go see it, I highly recommend it, but don't miss the last line!

Tile pendant of Sigmund Freud from Kristen Stein's etsy shop, Click the Photo to go to her shop.

Where Did All the Manners Go?

2010-02-27T08:57:00.000-08:00

Just a bone to pick.....Went to Kroger this morning, like I usually do on Saturday morning, pick up a paper, maybe a couple of breakfasty type things. I really don't feel the need to get dressed up for this event. I'm usually in my pajamas, glasses on (I am optically challenged). This morning I only needed a newspaper and after checking at the convenience store (where the clerk would have happily allowed me to purchase Thursday's 2 day old paper) I went into Kroger and to the Starbucks stand. You can quickly purchase a paper there without standing in any lines and the paper stand is right next to it. I grabbed my paper and went to the register to pay the barrista. A gentleman old enough to behave better said the following "HEY, I haven't paid yet".

Well, there was no line, I had only a paper and he had multiple skinny, no foam, extra shot whatevers... I really didn't have a problem waiting for him to check out, I had a problem with the way he did it. I know his momma raised him better! Maybe he was just in a hurry, so today I will make sure that I take extra time to be polite, and point out to the kids the opportunities to do so too. Above are a couple of etsy items that fit my politeness theme I think, Click on the pictures to go to HarvestMoonByHands etsy shop and BeanForests shop (coincidentally great prices on these items too). Have a great Day!

Obsessed with Envelopes

2010-02-20T19:37:00.001-08:00

I've always admired people who craft with paper. It's so precise, dealing with color and shape...Well and there is something magical about an envelope, the mystery of what may or may not be inside, like a gift waiting to be opened. I've become a bit obsessed with them, and there are so many great envelope crafters on etsy. Above are two of my faves, bottom DawnCorrespondence, and top Adnagam. Click on the pics to go to their shops.

I went off in search of my own way to create envelopes. I googled etc. and came up with a great little origami pattern for envelopes. I tried some different sizes and papers, upcycled children's primer pages etc. Here are my results to the left. Want to make some yourself? Here is the link, Origami, I had to play with it before I got the hang of it but, it was pretty fun and now I have something to use for order thank yous! Have fun, have a great week, Jamie.

Boredom Sets In

2010-02-19T10:25:00.000-08:00

okay, I'm at my hubby's office filling in for the receptionist (she has Friday's off and well today there are meetings so no receptionist is a no-no) and well for lack of anything constructive to busy my hands with I'm pretty bored. So I thought I would post a few of my favorite links that have the word pretty in them.

http://www.oneprettything.com/ contests, DIY, links to posts for etsy sellers, very informative!

http://www.freeprettythingsforyou.com/ Currently has a tapeswell giveaway for followers, cool stuff!

http://www.allprettylittlethings.blogspot.com/ Great fashion inspiration and nice looks at accessories

http://www.prettylilthings.etsy.com/ Sweet etsy shop with some very nice things! Her ship in a bottle is pictured above.

Well signing out for now, Have a great weekend!

Going to the Post Office? Fight Breast Cancer

2010-02-05T07:44:00.000-08:00

I got a forwarded e-mail today with a really heartwarming breast cancer survivor story about an elementary principal, some of you may have seen it. I tried to use the blogger function to import it here, but it didn't work : ( Anyway at the end of it there was an informative bit about a new .55 cent stamp the extra 11 cents go towards the fight against breast cancer. It is called the Fund the Cure stamp and was designed by Elizabeth Kessler. The goal is to raise 35 million by selling books of these stamps.

I know that a lot of us go the post office frequently and use a lot of postage. The extra 11 cents per stamp isn't a lot and I know most of us have been touched by cancer, if not specifically breast cancer, in some way. Both my grandmother and my great aunt that I blogged about died of cancer. So take a little extra time and buy some stamps, spread the word too. Thanks.

Will Spring Spring Already?

2010-01-30T19:35:00.000-08:00

All this unseasonably cool weather for Houston has really got me down, I love warm weather and once I get cold I just can't seem to get warm again. So I'm trying to think warm thoughts and picture spring. Here are a few selections of fresh spring merchandise for a little retail therapy......
So much for spring time dreams, off to go cozy up in my multiple layers of pj's, blankets and comforters......

Merchandise pictured top to bottom
Love in BLoom by Beegrl88
Welcome Spring by KristenSteinFineArt
Bobbies by DirtRoadSouth
Light Green Window Star by HarvestMoonByHand

Amazing Lace, a Vintage Find

2010-01-26T09:08:00.000-08:00

Like a lot of vintage collectors/sellers sometimes your best finds are accidental. Occasionally I browse Craigs List, more often than not there isn't anything there but this past weekend I answered an ad for a lady trying to sell some vintage tea towels and potholders. She agreed to meet me and when she showed up I was a little disappointed. The tea towels and some of the pot holders although lovely, were stained. She had them in a hospital bag, you know the plastic kind you are given when you check in for your belongings. Seeing the look on my face she said that there was an additional bag of half finished doilies that I could have with it. She looked like she could use the money and I really didn't want to disappoint her, so I agreed to buy the lot.

I threw the bag in the back and didn't think another thing about it until later that night. I sorted the tea towels and got to the bottom of the bag, the half finished doilies were actually a collection of hand tatted lace trims, some over a yard long. There was a bakelite spindle, and vintage instructions on making it. I was amazed. Such beautiful work, and the grandaughter hadn't even known what it was. The lady who had made these trims had obviously loved doing it and had been very skilled. Somehow our paths had crossed so that her hard work could now be appreciated! You can see several listings of her work in my vintage shop Retrochique.

January (November) Book Giveaway Winner!

2010-01-19T08:56:00.000-08:00

We all know I've had a bit of time management issues lately! Well, the book giveaway is done, and the Winner is Donnielle of Design Knit Fun! She gets her choice of the books in my Amazon Carrousel! Thanks for everyone who entered, and tweeted.

That brings me to a big thank you. Friends come in many different kinds, especially now with communication being so easy, worldwide and constant. My life is more back to normal now, so I wanted to thank everyone who reached out during the holidays to me. My "in person" friends and also my internet and UWIB friends. The offers were so kind, to contact my customers for me etc. and the encouragement was great. I hope I can be there for you all as well when needed. Again, Thanks!

YAY! It's 2010........

2010-01-05T08:59:00.000-08:00

I have pretty much been missing in action and have super neglected my blog (Thanksgiving background anyone?), and since right before Christmas my shops. For those of you who follow my blog you may know that my son was mugged in October, a dear mentor and relative of mine passed away in November and on top of that not mentioned here we had a family pet die then too. The stress was just a lot to deal with when to top it off we had a fire in our home. It was in the garage and thankfully didn't spread to the house or injure any of us. The neighbors saw it, alerted us and helped tremendously. But we were displaced for a time, smoke and soot damage is throughout our home and we are unable to be there. I have been unable to do any etsy or blog housekeeping since I only have my phone. But, today for the first time I'm able to sit in my studio/office and reconnect, and it feels great.

So now on to 2010, as promised I will give away that book, Winner will be notified tomorrow via e-mail and announced here. Anyone who is reading this and has/had an outstanding order, I'm trying to reconcile DestinationHandmade today and tomorrow. My studio was pretty much a no go until today so I'm not even sure where I stand, but rest assured no one will be shorted either a refund or merchandise.

So Here's to 2010 and a great year, thank you to everyone who helped make 2009 a great year in many ways for me and blessings for the future, Jamie.

The Power of Positive Thinking

2009-11-12T08:12:00.000-08:00

My son Will has wisdom beyond his years. He works very had at tennis, he practices 15 hours a week, participates in tournaments and loves watching it on television. He has a passion for it. At his age you see a lot of players who become very emotional on court, they get angry with themselves when their arms and legs don't do exactly what they picture in their minds. Rackets are thrown, they yell at themselves. Often a match is won or lost on whether they can keep their mind right.

Will almost always manages to keep his cool. He attributes it to a quote he read in Norman Vincent Peale's The Power of Positive Thinking "a peaceful mind is power". While he hasn't read the whole book (he is 13!) he often picks it up and just reads a little bit for a shot of mental energy.

My Amazon Carrousel to the right has that book in it, it makes a great holiday gift for anyone no matter how old or young. Other sources for positive thoughts I like on the web.

http://www.positivityblog.com/

http://www.revrun.com/ Rev Run delivers great daily words of wisdom, my kids like his esp!

http://www.dailygood.org/ great inspirational quotes and stories that illustrate them.

Enter my book giveaway (more info here) by commenting with your own fave quote, or posting this link in facebook or twitter and coming back here to comment and let me know. No limit to the number of entries. Have a great week, Jamie.

Suzanne's Crazy for Collars!

2009-11-10T08:59:00.000-08:00

I recently purchased a new collar for Cruz our Chihuahua from Suzanne's shop Crazy for Collars. My daughter chose the fabric but I think the blue looks great against his shiny black coat. She has some beautiful Christmas designs, take a peek for your little (or big) buddy!

Janiece's Flower Shop

2009-11-08T08:35:00.000-08:00

I grew up in a small town. Living in a place like that there are certain people who punctuate your life, the doctor and preacher are there at birth, death, and some events in between. There's others too that aren't so obvious though, like the florist. The florist was there for all your celebrations and sorrows, behind the scenes, helping. Birth, sickness, homecoming, prom, wedding, childbirth (again), and death. She eased your way with color and texture and sweet smells of pretty flowers that are there for and instant and then gone, or pressed in a book maybe.

My great aunt helped raise me and she was the town florist. I remember being little and sitting on the tall stools in her shop helping make picks from the crinkly and brightly colored cellophane. She was a business woman, strong, proper, concerned, loving and she had a great laugh. She was my grandmother's twin sister and they were the youngest of eleven siblings.

Yesterday she passed away, the last of the siblings living. With her goes the feeling I always had that I could go back to a place that was frozen in an earlier time. I will miss that.

Her oldest son survives her, she goes on to be with her husband, her youngest son, and all ten of her older siblings. I will miss her greatly but I wish her a wonderful reunion with them and all the others that await her too. Love you Aunt Niecey.

Janiece Hendrixson Springer 11/12/1921 - 11/7/2009

Book Review, Blogging for Bliss

2009-11-04T07:08:00.000-08:00

I promised a month of book themed posts to support my giveaway, so here is the first! I have this book and love it, Tara Frey, the author has compiled a list of blogs from other crafter/creative types, that are inspiring as well as a list of tips that will help you get started. Some of the instructions are simple that a beginning blogger would find helpful, but other ideas are more sophisticated and can give you new ideas even if you have been at it for a while. She starts at as simple a point as choosing your blog's name, the platform you want to use to blog, etc. I found it really inspiring and well worth the read. Maybe you can win it!

General Entry Guidelines? Click Here

Earn extra entries by commenting with your own blog's link! Thanks and have a great day, Jamie.

November Book Giveaway

2009-11-02T09:36:00.000-08:00

I wanted to do something different and fun with my blog going into the holiday season. I thought about giving away some of my merchandise, but in the end that just is giving away my merchandise, maybe it doesn't appeal to everyone. I read around different blogs and got some ideas and decided on a book giveaway. I'm really going to theme the whole month around it.

I have added an Amazon Carrousel to the sidebar of my blog. In it are books that appeal to lots of different people and they are all books that I have some sort of connection with. Blogging for Bliss, The Power of Positive Thinking, The Road, The Vegetarian Lion, Friday Night Knitting Club, and Crazy Quilting the Complete Guide. One person will win their choice of any of these books. Three other entrants will win my best selling business card cozy from my shop DestinationHandmade.

How to Enter?
There are many ways you can enter and more will be posted throughout the month.
1. Follow my blog (simple!)
2. Tweet the contest, please include @retrochique in your tweet so I can find it.

Let me know by commenting that you followed/and or tweeted.

Stay tuned during the month for more ways to enter, reviews on all the books and book related gift guides!
Have a great day! Jamie.

Invasion of the Cave Girls!

2009-11-01T06:45:00.001-08:00

My daughter and her best friend came up with a cute idea for Halloween, they wanted to be CaveGirls. Her mom and I split the costuming duties. Hannah's mom, Shay, is a very organic, hands on person so she made the clubs from paper mache with them and found bones at the Dollar Store. I did the "leopard skin" costumes. I got fleece from Hobby Lobby and drew the pattern from a camisole , adding panels to the sides and giving it some flair. Chloe went to Hannah's house to get ready and Shay did their hair with the bones in the top. I thought they turned out so cute!

Personalized Ipod or Phone Cozies!

2009-10-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

Well most of you know I love to do embroidery and felt applique. I had a customer request personlized ipod cozies for her family last week and I finished the first one today. I thought it turned out so cute! Pictured is the finished item for the mom, I am making a little girl's and boys too, I haven't done the boy's but the girls is partly done. Her embroidery and the lining is pictured.. These are big enough for ipods, iphones, blackberrys, even some cameras. This design could be easily adapted for a glasses case too. Interested in one for a gift or yourself? Click here. Thanks, and have a great day, Jamie.

Entertaining, Wine Gift Tags

2009-10-28T07:27:00.000-07:00

I think during the holidays more than any other time we open our homes to entertain others. As the guest my grandmother always told me never to arrive empty handed and while handmade cakes, pies and cookies are wonderful most of us don't have the time for that. A bottle of wine is a lot of people's go to hostess gift. But what about those floppy fabric gift bags though, I mean do you really think you are disguising what it is? I came up with a solution I like better, the wine gift tag.

I took about 9 inches of an elasticized trim I had that was in fall colors. I sewed the ends together and added a handmade gift tag that coordinated with the trim. Add a personal message and you are ready to go! I'm not adding these to my etsy shop but if you would like a custom listing of them for the holidays email me, retrochique@ymail.com .

Sneak Preview I will be having a book giveaway next month to celebrate the holidays, Check back or follow my blog to make sure you don't miss it! Thanks, Jamie.

The Awesomeness of Craigslist

2009-10-20T08:40:00.001-07:00

Craigslist has gotten somewhat of a bum rap with all the scamming, adult services and the infamous craigslist killer getting lots of publicity. You don't often hear great stories from there, but, I have one....

Sunday I was browsing the FREE STUFF. You would be amazed at what people give away for free. For some reason there are always 3 or 4 toilets in there, Hmmmm. But an ad caught my eye, Ebay Sellers, Boxes, no longer selling. So I called. Left a message. I got a call back from a very nice woman who said she was had opened an accounting business and it was going so well she was getting out of ebay and she wanted to get rid of her shipping supplies. We arranged for her to leave them on her porch yesterday and I picked them up. Wow! I would have paid a lot for these and now I have great boxes and mailers for the holiday season!

Thanks to Next Step Financial Services for a real blessing in boxes and mailers! (I don't even know her name.)

So I guess the moral of the story is be careful on craigslist but it can be useful!

Holiday Napkin Rings

2009-10-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I posted a picture on Facebook of some felt embroidered leaves I made. I loved them but was at a loss as to what to do with them. A friend of mine from high school that I talk to on Facebook, Ronnie Applewhite, suggested I somehow make them into napkin rings. Well I finally got the time to try it out, here is my result.

I also thought it looked good as a wine glass wrap. The how to? Super Simple. I make the leaves from three layers of embroidered felt, you could machine stitch them or even use silk floral leaves. I then attached them to a piece of bias that that I had inserted floral wire into. I twisted buttons onto each end of the floral wire so that they couldn't poke anyone or get stuck on anything. I sewed them onto the bias tape but they could be glued just as easily. So there you go Ronnie, Napkin Rings!

What do you think? Let me know via comments. Have a great week! Jamie.

A Couples Retreat, at the Movies!

2009-10-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

My husband and I went to the movies without the kids yesterdayl, a small feat for us, usually they go to a movie that coincides with ours. This was nice just the two of us for once! We are huge Jon Favreau fans and love Vince Vaughn so we decided to go to Couples Retreat.

The rest of the cast was great too, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, too many great people to list all! The buildup for this movie was huge so we went in hoping for a great show, but not expecting too much. The first thing we noticed were the huge numbers of couples there! Not only was the movie about a couples retreat, it was one!

But back to the movie, it lived up to the hype, it was funny, touching and like all good movies was rooted in the reality of everyday life. There was a little bit of something for everyone, and while it was an adult show, it had no gore, nudity, or bad language. So for a great time with your significan other, go to the "Couples Retreat"!

Don Draper, the Anti Metrosexual

2009-10-07T10:28:00.000-07:00

I'm a picky television watcher but a serial one, once I get hooked on a series I'm devoted. Sex and the City, Sopranos, Entourage, they are all shows that my husband and I have been hooked on . I recently checked out Mad Men. I watched all the edisodes that On Demand had and I must say as a lover of vintage I was impressed. They styling both of the sets and wardrobe is fabulous. It may not all be authentic, but it is so stylized, it is perfect.

Recently Don Draper the main character was named by AskMen.com as the #1 influential man in America today. Any of you who watch the show may be shocked. He drinks constantly in the office, at home, in the car (yet almost never seems drunk). He smokes almost as constantly. He cheats on his wife. None of the attributes you would want influencing your man. Yet being the age I am and growing up in a very traditional southern area of the United States he is exactly what the men around me then were expected to be. He is chivalrous to women, he is hard working, ambitious, knows when to keep his mouth shut. He wants his word to be law in his house, even going as far as dictating "how things happen" to his father and brother in law. At the same time though he shows a tender deference to his wife and you know he is totally devoted to her even though he is a serial adulterer. He tries to do activities with his kids, he tries a lot of stuff. He seems manly, in control, doesn't wear makeup, doesn't talk about the way he feels, doesn't cry and in general comes off as pretty admirable. He is the antithesis of the metrosexual, comittment fearing, lotion using, weinie of a guy that has been around lately.

Anyway, take a peek at the show if you can, it isn't for the kids, so don't make that mistake. It is worth it for the wardrobe and decor alone! If you don't already watch it and think you might try an episode or so this wiki link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Draper will give you a little of the back story.

Thanks for reading and for vintage goods like the Mad Man-esque tie above, check out my vintage shop http://www.retrochique.etsy.com/ .

The Things You Gotta do to Have the Flu

2009-10-06T15:32:00.000-07:00

I have just been through a week of sickness with my husband and daughter.

Husband comes home sick last week "ohhhhh, arrrg I don't feel good" rolls around bed making moaning noises, coughs on everyone, in general is a miserable human being, I was so sorry for him, but with time and care he is now back at work (thank goodness).

Sunday night daughter starts with the moaning, face hurts, fever.... ugh.

Our General Practice Doctor retired last year to do pro bono work at the county clinic, I applauded her for it. She is a fabulous doctor and we loved her. That doesn't help me find a new one though. After many calls to area doctors I gave up. No one, especially during flu season would see a new patient. I wasn't even sure it was the flu. Chloe acted like it was a sinus infection, something she has had in the past but her fever worried me. So it was off to the Take Care Clinic at our local Walgreens. We were on the waiting list for TWO Days! Eventually when we got in the doctor told me she did think it was the flu. One of the strains this year presents as a sinus infection. She did the swab and Yes, it was the FLU. She managed to get us the Tamaflu and wow it is fantastic! Dear Daughter is much better and asking when she can take her flu medicine again!

Well the flu is nothing to mess around with so try to be better prepared than I was! Make sure you have a doctor or clinic you can go to and even if you don't think it is the flu, go to the doctor, drink lots of vitamin C fortified drinks and other fluids, keep happy and healthy this Fall ! A few tips I got while there, I'm sure you have heard most of them.

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat or bathe ).

3.*Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.

5.*Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6.* Drink as much of warm liquids as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

Tips Compliments of Dr. Vinay Goyal

Twitter and Branding, Casual Cottage

2009-10-02T07:08:00.000-07:00

First of all Thanks ! to all of you at Creative Bloggers and your lovely posts regarding my blog last week. For those of you new to blogging it is a great group that really helps you out in the "blogosphere".

Next I'd like to talk a little bit about twitter and promoting your craft business. I just visited Marilyn's blog Cottage Reflections . Her current post is about her revamped website, Casual Cottage. The new graphics are super cute, but the first thing I noticed is that her twitter avatar matches the graphics on her website. She also is promising a revamp to her blog, so I bet that will match too! What does that have to do with twitter? Well she is being consistent in her marketing, I immediately made the connection between her, her website, her tweets and blog, it is a nice clean, consistent presence that is not confusing. Every time you see her avatar you are being reinforced with an image that will lead to familiarity, comfortability and hopefully more clicks and sales. So while it is essential on tools like twitter to give back to your audience, really we are all there to create our own brand, something that Marilyn is well on her way to doing and something yours truly needs to work on!

Monday Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Review on Tuesday

2009-09-29T07:32:00.000-07:00

My 11 year old daughter has been beside herself waiting for this movie to come out. Evidently it was heavily pushed in elementary school a couple of years ago and she had fond memories of the book. We couldn't go see it the first weekend so we went this past weekend. My 14 year old was too cool to go, so my husband suggested that they go to a scary movie together while I took my daughter and her friend to Meatballs in 3D no less.

We got our corny glasses and went into the theatre. I let them pick their own seats while I sat on the aisle near the top. Of course they sat front row. They loooooved it. I on the other hand thought it was typical Disney. Mom dies, dad has trouble communicating, "the man" is the villain. etc. I found the use of color a little over the top. First scenes are dull tones, food portion of the movie's candy colored. Almost nonexistent use of blue except for the heroes eyes. I also have to confess that food and I have a love hate relationship and I left feeling a little nauseous, the 3D effect not helping matters!

My son and husband used questionable judgement and went to see Sorority Row. In a surprise move my son got up and left the movie 2/3 way through and met us in meatballs, saying and I quote "Mom that movie was full of Ho's" (is that the right spelling?).

that was our weekend at the movies!

2009-09-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

Today is the first in a series of features on etsy shops open less than 6 months. I had a great response to this so I have quite a few to feature!

Excess Baggage Solutions http://www.seville83.etsy.com/ is my first feature.

Why do you craft? I craft because I never quite feel right not doing anything. I always have to be using my mind and my hands, so I do a lot of multi tasking, like today I was finishing up season 5 of House while restructuring a bag for a friend. It gives me something productive to do with my time and let’s me enjoy my friend’s reactions when I can show a new piece I’ve created.

What is your shop theme? Right now it’s a bit jumbled. The initial theme of everything was quilted bags and other quilted items. I’ve got some photography in there right now, but I’m thinking about starting another account for the sale of the photography and it’s related items.

Why did you decide to open a shop on etsy? This summer when I decided “yes, I can run my own little business type adventure” I was sitting on my friend’s front porch turning some straps when his sister came home and asked what I was up to and after I explained and mentioned that I was going to try eBay because it was the only thing I knew, she mentioned Etsy. I checked it out the next day and set up my shop right then and there.

What has been the most challenging thing in setting up your shop? I think after realizing that in order to keep everything 100% legit I had to file all these things with the state first and so on it was realizing that I have to work really hard to get myself out there and noticed and have people want to pay attention to me.

What has been the most rewarding experience you’ve had on etsy? My first 2 sales were a trade, my 3rd was a donation for a review. I was sitting in class a few days ago bored out of my mind and decided for giggles that I would check out my store front to see if any views had changed or anything (like I said, I was really bored). Well I was looking and numbers and saw that it said “sales: 5” and I’m sitting there going “I have 3 sales, what’s wrong with this number. Somebody bought something… OMG SOMEBODY BOUGHT SOMETHING!!!!” This was the first sale that I had that somebody just wanted my stuff and bought it and it made all the crap I’ve had to dig through to get to that point totally worth it.

Finishing the Sale, Etsy Tips

2009-09-24T07:50:00.000-07:00

So you have a shop now and have made a couple of sales but things aren't going as smoothly as you thought?

Well you aren't alone! In some of the groups I'm in we are seeing an increase in the amount of time it takes for the buyer to pay. A lot of times it is because new buyers are unfamiliar with how to complete a sale in etsy. I recently came across a seller http://www.amorevivo.etsy.com/ .

She sells wedding florals and sees a lot of first time etsy buyers. She includes in her listings the text

"If you're NEW to Etsy, here is a helpful link to guide you through the checkout process: Very Easy to Buy!!http://www.etsy.com/help_guide_checkout.php "

This link takes them to the super explanatory link that takes them step by step through payment. I loved this and thought it was a great solution to both welcome new buyers and guide them through the process and in return, get your cash! I just had to share, thanks AmoreVivo!

Also, when you ship internationally you are required to fill out a form 2976 or 2976 A . On those forms is an identification number. Keep your receipts! These have recorded on them the scanned id number and even though it doesn't work every time, if you need to track that package many times you are able to get a status by putting that number into the tracking number blank on the usps website. In addition if you need to investigate a missing package you can go to the post office and with that number send an information request. I know from experience that shipping internationally can sometimes be frustrating so every little bit of information helps! Well, all you etsy sellers have a great day and if you have a tip of your own, post it here in comments, I love new ideas!

Helpful Websites for Etsy Shopkeepers

2009-09-21T06:09:00.000-07:00

There are soooo many websites out there that claim to be informative, helpful, etc, but which ones actually have good information? You hear through the grapevine about different sites here or there so I've listed a few, maybe you can find one that is helpful for you!

Etsy Price/Profit Calculator - http://www.rolbe.com/etsy.htm

Heartomatic View/Heart Synopsis - http://www.craftcult.com You can also browse Front Page Treasuries there!

Craftopolis Treasure Hunt - http://www.craftopolis.com/ search current treasuries to see where you might be featured. Also has a treasury clock to see when new treasuries can be created.

Poster Sketch for Treasuries - http://www.etsy.com/poster_sketch.php create a treasury here have it ready when they open!

Etsy Wiki - http://etsywiki.com/index.php?title=Main_Page Tons of information from who are the top sellers to how to open an account

Etsy Hacks - http://www.etsyhacks.com/ home of the popular "copy listing" function

Lets-Ets - http://letsets.com/ valuable tool to help you upload your items to google base so they
show up in google shopping search results, more helpful than you might think!

Google Analytics Setup - http://www.etsy.com/storque/etsy-news/tech-update-etsy-web-analytics-now-available-3141/ - read this post to find out how to set up google analytics for your
shop.

Okay if you are a new seller this is probably more information than you want, but each of these links provides valuable tools for both fun and in depth ways to help get your shop out there, so click a few links have a little fun and sell a little more! (okay, maybe sell a lot more we hope!)

Everything Old is New Again, or New is Old Again?

2009-09-20T05:47:00.000-07:00

Felt and Fabric are my mediums, Paint and Glue, ehhh, not so much. I've found some great artists/creative people lately though. Whether it is re-making an old bed to match new decor or taking new things and making them look old it is all great re-theming of items to match your purpose.

For example take a look at this refinished bed......

Robin in her blog Sweet Little Memories documents the transformation of this old bed and the room it goes in. She repainted it to go with new decor.

In the opposite vein Rosida of Handmade by Decoupage Art took new items from Ikea and remade them into shabby chic style items.

So as you can see whether it is something old becoming new, or new becoming old it is all beautiful and beautifully matched to it's purpose! Take a visit to their blogs for more projects and some great pics of items in shops in Greece!

Out of Character, Rant and a Call to Be Careful!

2009-09-18T13:28:00.000-07:00

Usually I stay away from political, sensitive subjects, I'm never really tooooo opinionated about anything in my blog but the movies!

This week though my son had a rude awakening. He is 19 and if you have read some of my other entries got his first apartment off campus this year. Like a lot of students, he is somewhat nocturnal, getting a lot of work done in the evening and at night. He was leaving his studio space at school Monday night when he saw three people hanging out near the building. They were not students. About that time a girl student came out of the building and started to walk home as well. He decided to walk with her and that together they should be okay.

It is only a block to his apartment, near there the girl split off from him to go to her own apartment. He went into his parking lot and the three guys that he had lost track of during the short walk came up to him with a gun and asked for whatever he had. He immediately gave them his backpack and wallet and they left.

We were so thankful he was not harmed. Warn your kids, loved ones etc to be careful, in this economy people are doing desperate things.

I asked that the guys who got him be led down a different path. That same effort put into a positive goal eventually would lead to positive results. Raise your children in a positive environment, give them daily doses of uplifting words and actions. Make them the change and yourself the instrument that makes it happen, no government can do it for you.

What Woman Doesn't Love Shoes?

2009-09-06T06:44:00.000-07:00

I had an especially successful day of vintage shopping this week. I found lots of different things, but, my most prized "find" this week were some 1960's pumps. I'm sure they were from the same original owner, since they are the same size and similar styles and she had great taste!

Classic pump style but they have huge amounts of 1960's personality, find them now in my etsy shop retrochique.

While I'll never know much about this lady and her life I read a blog post this week about another lady and her family and their quest for shoes and the wonderful friendships and connections it has created for them! Read about Shelley and her family and their quest for shoes here, it's an old fashioned story about the always special process of getting your back to school shoes!

A Total Romantic Indulgence - Movie Review

2009-09-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

I didn't feel great yesterday so I decided to take a Mom is tired and stressed break yesterday morning. I can't just do nothing though so I watched a netflix movie that neither my kids nor husband would watch, Twilight.

Okay I understand why my manly man husband didn't want to watch the vampire flick and also my 13 year old son, who told us it was a girly movie. My daughter is sporty too and not really taken to the whole fantasy thing either. But, I Loved It!

Totally self indulgent from the girls point of view this movie is about a girl and the guy who finds her special and will do just about anything to protect/love her. The whole vampire back story is just dark, appealing window dressing. And face it there is so much gothic, romantic aura about vampires it is natural. There isn't any sex or naked body parts, ever. The couple of kisses are so tortured, and full of want though the tension is huge! So Ladies, grab you a pint of your favorite Ben and Jerry's if you haven't seen this one and curl up for a totally romantic and entertaining evening.

Movie Madness.....with a Cake!

2009-08-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

All you guys know I'm crazy about movies. So Here is a Two For One, Kind of......

Rachel Getting Married - Wanted to see it because I love Anne Hathaway and I heard she was really good in it. Well she was but am I happy I netflixed it instead of going to the show. It is a very gritty, realistic portrait of what happens to a young woman who has spent a lot of her young life messed up on drugs and is looking for forgiveness/validation in the wrong way. It really sort of makes you feel hungover by the time it is finished.

So if you are an Anne Hathaway fan, see it, or if you like the rehab topic, see it, otherwise, pass it by.......

Now for the 2nd half.

Ever want to host one of those really cool themed parties like for a birthday or oscar party? Well at Piece of Cake Decorating you can get all sorts of great ideas. Her cakes are amazing. Click on the picture above to be taken to her blog post about the movie cake. You can purchase the reel, film and clap board as well as get directions for it and see the things needed. A hunt around her website and you will see a darling slumber party cake and tons of other cute things!

Organizing Your Etsy Day

2009-08-28T11:33:00.000-07:00

Like most crafters/designers the part I love is the creating. I can piddle the day away shopping for fabrics, notions, sketching, sewing, cutting, etc. I also love vintage so a day running to resale and thrift shops is a real treat. The thrill of making a sale is fantastic too. What is not so great and what a lot of us don't like is listing, photographing and shipping. But they are necessary to having a good business so here is how I organize my etsy day, maybe it will help you organize yours!

1. Listing - First off I list, if it isn't listed it can't sell!

Check for expired listings first, an easy way to bump your store into recent listings.
Check sold items for things to Re-list, another easy way to bring your shop into the top of the searches.
List anything new you have (I don't include taking photos with listing, I'll get to that later).

Easy ways to make listing go faster - Install Mozilla Firefox (an alternate browser) and go to http://www.etsyhacks.com/greasemonkey/copy_listing/ . Install this script and it will add Copy Listing to your etsy shop when you are using Firefox. It shortens the amount of time it takes to list items similar to ones already listed in your etsy shop.

2. Shipping - Nothing makes your customers happier than to get their order quickly!

I ship next, I detest shipping because it usually involves lots of busywork. But I usually do it next so I can get my items to the post office or carrier before the mail goes out. Tips to make your shipping go faster

Put all your shipping supplies in one central area, somewhere you can take your laptop or somewhere near a computer. Put envelopes, mailers, labels, whatever you need near there.
Use paypal shipping. Prints labels, can provide tracking at no charge, gives your buyer a notification that their item shipped.
Try carrier pickup, while it doesn't work for everyone, it can be very convenient not to have to go to the post office.

3. Now for the FUN Creating!

Have an area (it can be as simple as a cupboard) set aside for your supplies. Gather what you need and go somewhere you can be at your best for whatever inspires you.
If you are on the go a lot (mommy taxi) have something portable you can work on in a bag ready to leave when you do.
Be aware of inspiration in your daily life! Some of my best ideas come from something right in front of me!

4. Picture Taking and Preparation for the next etsy day

I save my picture taking for the end of the day, I take my pics indoors so light is not an issue if it is for you take your pictures at the time of day that works for you. But try to have a back up method in case it is rainy etc. You can get clamp on lights at Home Depot and either use those or even get a light box very reasonably.

Prepare for the next day, I mentally make notes of what I need to do next, custom orders that need to be done, new item inspiration, etc.

So there it is! The point is to make yourself as productive as you can with the little time you have. While my process may not work for everyone, maybe it can make you think a little about what can. Thanks!

Inglourious Basterds - Shakespeare?

2009-08-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Okay my husband and I like Quentin Tarantino. We saw Reservoir Dogs way before all our friends even heard about it and Pulp Fiction ranks one of my all time faves, so when my husband walked out of Inglourious Basterds Saturday and asked me what the movie was about I had to think a minute.

I mean his expectation was a movie about the Brad Pitt character and based on the title and the movie trailers I think most people would have the same expectation. In reality it is about Shoshanna, the single survivor of a family that Landa, a high ranking Nazi, killed and her opportunity to take revenge on the Nazis.

Brad Pitt's character, Aldo Raine, is in effect a one dimensional caricature of a quality/action that is necessary to move the plot along. I've heard that some critics panned his performance, but I think he was quite effective at portraying the backwoodsman who psychotically and sarcastically is able to see that Nazi=death and enjoys carrying it out. He didn't need to be anything more for the film.

Taranatino's success in his movies many times involves layering characters in time around the main story line and magnifying character traits in them. It was quite intricate in Pulp Fiction. Inglourious Basterds boils it down to a science. Each side character really embodies a trait. The young actor is greed for flesh and fame, the black man is love, Hugo Stiglitz is hate. Okay maybe I'm being toooo literal, but you see what I mean. In this distilling of the characters you get the quirkiness that Tarantino is known for. So, Tarantino like Shakespeare? Well when you get right down to it Lady Macbeth is just guilt isn't she? College Professors spend whole semesters trying to make you realize that one!

Now I'm getting wordy but I really liked the movie. Gory, yes, for the weak of stomach, this one is pretty bad. And Tarantino does go some places that most wouldn't with some racial comments and his usual irreverence. So this movie is not for everyone. Use your own judgement, but don't go if you are looking for a movie that features a story revolving around Brad Pitt's character, you won't find it!

Back to School for Families of all Types

2009-08-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

Looking around the blogosphere you can read about families of all types. Recently I became introduced to Carol Shwanda, she blogs about her blended family. Her blog is an interesting read about their travels and everyday activities, including recipes an more. Her latest entry is about back to school.

I'm dealing with back to school like every other parent right now too. Here is my current project for my daughter, a 6th grader. She wanted a tote bag instead of a backpack and chose the fabric herself. She also drew the pattern for the felt letters she wanted appliqued onto the bag.

So, I had better get back to work since I need to get it done by Monday! Have a great week everyone!

Home Again....One Less

2009-08-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

I've been gone all week, school starts the 24th so it was time to take my oldest son back to college and move him into his own apartment. He spent his freshman year in the dorm and was excited about moving into his own space. You always want things to be perfect for your kids and my oldest has not chosen the easiest path. He refers to himself as an artist and works at it every day.

The part of town he chose to live is near the school and he has 3 other close friends he is rooming with. They leased this apartment sight unseen off of the internet and it met all their criteria, mostly number of bedrooms, location and price. My husband walked in and was left with mouth wide open. The walls needed another coat of paint, the floors in the bedrooms were just rough wood, the front balcony needs some serious dry rot abatement on one end, and the whole place sort of slants to the rear. To be fair this is a 1930's 3 story apartment building and it is charming in it's own way, just not my husband's way!

We spent the next two days moving things in from storage, buying out Target, putting together furniture and on the whole very stressed out. My son was ready for us to leave, my husband was wondering what had gotten into my son's head and why he was choosing to live there and I had a serious backache! Well it's funny how little reminders come from the most unexpected places. The morning we were going to leave we were at breakfast. We were going to get a few last minute things and meet my son later at his apartment. My husband was still a little disturbed by my son's choice of living spaces. I got Rev Run's Daily Word on my blackberry and it said, "Criticizing is easy, Art is hard".

So, with renewed respect for my son's path we finished our job and left him to create happily in his new space. I'm happy for him and glad to be back home, minus one child, who is happy in his new one.

This is one of my son's pictures from several years ago, he won a competition with is and it is still one of my favorites.....

Amazing World of Beads and Gems

2009-08-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

Most of you who read my blog know that I deal with felt and fabric and love vintage. Metal, gems and jewelry making are not my areas of expertise but I sincerely appreciate those talents. I'm blogging in this post about an amazing proprietess of a site full of information! She is Sylvia of Silver Rose Beads. Her site is huge, she is a wholesaler of gems and beads.

Her blog, http://www.silverrosebeads.blogspot.com/ links to her shops, and a wealth of other information. I really believe in the power of color, properties of metals and gems and the way they can affect your life. Sylvia has a section on metaphysical properties that I found really interesting.

TURQUOISE – BRINGS A DEEP SENSE OF PEACEFULNESS TO THE WEARER, A GLOBAL FEELING THAT EVERYTHING IS RIGHT WITH THE UNIVERSE. A SOOTHING SENSE THAT LIFE IS UNFOLDING IN A DIVINE AND PERFECT PLAN.....

Click on the picture to read the rest of the turquoise description and those of other gemstones too.

And for all you jewelry makers she has a huge assortment of beads, stones and other jewelrymaking products and inspiration!

Halloween and Fall Things......

2009-08-09T05:52:00.000-07:00

As evidenced by the etsy front page yesterday all things Halloween are soon to be in everyone's mind (including my own). So I took a stroll through the UWIB etsy shops and decided to showcase a few of the items here. It is amazing the variety of things I found. Elena's knit items are amazing and she has just the right one for October.

Click on the pic to visit this listing and her etsy shop.

The sexy witch gets all the attention at Halloween, this little necklace from Susy at earthexpressions lets us all show our inner sexy witch!

And you can always rely on PolishedTwo for accessories that fit any occasion. Classic and simple pumpkins.......

And leave it to heartsnlaserbeams to have these classic felted fall leaves.........

So while it may be hot most places our minds are thinking "Fall" and that crisp weather that accompanies "Halloween".!

Kandace of Kandio Designs

2009-08-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

Today I'm blogging about a fellow etsy seller, Kandace of http://www.kandiodesigns.etsy.com/ . She is soooo much more than an etsy seller though! I feel like I don't do much after reading her profile. Take a visit to her blog, http://www.kandiodesigns.blogspot.com/ and you will find out about the wonderful variety of talents she has. Fine art, jewelry making and interior decorating are all areas that she works in. Here are a few of her jewelry designs.

You can see why Kandio-o is such an appropriate name with the brightly colored candy looking drops she uses in her jewelry! I hope you enjoyed seeing her designs and projects as much as I did, have a great day!

Late Movie Reviews!

2009-08-06T09:56:00.000-07:00

Okay I know it isn't Monday, but I've been super busy. We did find time as always to go to the movies though and continuing with the romantic comedy theme we say "The Ugly Truth" and we saw a kind of comedy, "Funny People".

First "The Ugly Truth". This was a cute show, very predictable but well done. Katherine Heigl has quite a following and she has a scene that really updates the famous "When Harry Met Sally" "I'll have what she's having" situation. Very funny stuff. Gerard Butler is cute in a kind of tight t-shirt but messier Simon Cowell sort of way. Cheryl Hines and John Michael Higgins area super funny too. Bottom Line - Harmless show to see with your husband that will make you both laugh.

Funny People, I either love or hate Adam Sandler movies but this one just kinda left me lukewarm. Don't get me wrong, some of it is very funny and touching. But when they try to deal with the messy parts of life it gets tedious and painful. The ending is predictable and unsatisfying. I loved Seth Rogen and some of the other more minor characters. Eric Bana in particular plays a schizo husband very out of character from his past roles. Soooo I'm of the opinion that unless you are a fan of this gang, apatow, sandler, rogen, wait until DVD. Oh, and by the way it is extra long, 2 1/2 hours.

Vintage Finds This Week

2009-07-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

Posted last week on twitter that I was going vintage shopping and well, you know it got put off, but I did get to go yesterday and found some wonderful housewares! Here are a few of them.

Wonderful Russian Nesting Porcupine! I saw one of these on www.apartmenttherapy.com .

A mint set of glass bowls with such sweet pears on them and octagonal bases. I also got this set of 4 Irish Coffee Mugs below, such great items and as with vintage they have so much more character than many of the new things you find in the stores today. I love Vintage! I posted these and many other new items in my etsy vintage shop, www.retrochique.etsy.com .

Monday Movie Review - Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

2009-07-27T05:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my 19 year old son I finally got to see Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. I had it here at home from Netflix, but my husband was procrastinating. My oldest is here at home for the summer and when he saw it he said "Oh, I'd like to see that I heard it was good". And so my husband relented, seeing an opportunity to sit with my son for more than 10 minutes!

Being a person who spent most of the 80's along with my friends obsessing about different bands, I love the premise that moves the story along; finding the afterhours secret gig of a band that the two lead characters really love. The story only encompasses the span of one all nighter and follows them from club to club, place to place while they try to find the band. Michael Cera, the boyfriend/father from Juno is the male lead who is struggling to get over a popular girlfriend who has thrown him to the side. (For those of you who watch entourage the girlfriend is played by Alexis Dziena the new flame for E. ) Kat Dennings is the female lead, a romantically insecure but spunky and fiercely loyal friend. They spend the evening finding themselves, resisting temptation to take the easy path and eventually finding each other.

I personally loooooved this movie, but my husband found it a little young I guess you'd say. My son really liked it. So, I'd say see it. It is funny and sweet, well worth the DVD rental!

When We Played Little League........

2009-07-23T05:22:00.000-07:00

......or any other sport when we were kids it was different.

There were no year round sports, you played whatever was in season.

There were no select teams. (you tried out and got on a team according to your ability to play, not pay).

"Intense" parents limited their participation to the stands.

It cost $30 or so to register for a team and maybe you had to buy a shirt or uniform. Not hundreds of dollars for home, away, and practice uniforms, plus travel bags, etc

Pressure was limited to that which your teammates might put on you.

Coaches were unpaid volunteers.

Some of you know my kids play competitive tennis. When they were about 8 years old we had them choose a sport to concentrate on and play since their friends were all starting to play on year round select teams in soccer and baseball. Both the time commitment and money made it impossible to play more than one sport. While tennis has been a blessing for them (I would never change that) and helped tremendously with their self confidence and taught them important lessons on perserverence, staying positive and self control; it is a comment on how sports has evolved that kids can't just go Play casually anymore. Or maybe it is just a comment on a mom reminiscing, after all my kids don't know any other environment than what they have grown up in !

Have a Wonderful Day!

Do you have a comment on kids sports? Leave it here, Thanks!

Old Bag Vintage Featured Etsy Shop

2009-07-22T11:51:00.000-07:00

http://www.oldbagvintage.etsy.com/

Last week a fellow etsy seller featured an item of mine in a mosaic she posted on her blog http://www.oldbagvintage.blogspot.com/ . Well, that item sold as did a lot of others. It was such a blessing and blast of positive energy I wanted to return the favor by giving her shop some exposure. Here she is in her own words...

"I love yard sales, consignment shops and thrift stores. There's nothing like being able to handle the items and examine them carefully. And if you can get a great deal - that's the icing on the cake! "

She has some wonderful pieces and seems to be on the track of building a great store, but as anyone who deals in these treasures it starts with a true love of vintage and how it contributes to our lives. Again in her own words!

"There are so many benefits to buying vintage items. They're great for the environment, unique and have a history. I've always loved collecting vintage bags and clutches."

Hence the name, Old Bag Vintage. Visit her shop for some great jewelry and other unique vintage items. www.oldbagvintage.etsy.com .

Bruno at the Show and Ghost Town at Home

2009-07-20T04:50:00.000-07:00

Okay not a very satisfying weekend to say the least, deep breath.

Bruno. I saw Borat, I thought it was at times crude and inappropriate. However I did think it was an original concept, very funny in parts and worth seeing if you were not easily offended. Sasha Baron Cohen has gone over the line with Bruno though. It is both rude and crude and I have no idea how it escaped an X rating. It features full male member nudity, and even an animated penis. In addition there is an S&M feature, a swingers party, and lots of gay sex references and enactments. That is just the stuff that refers to sex. There are other controversial references to terrorism, gay conversion, interracial families and the list goes on.

In as much as Cohen's purpose was to push people's buttons he succeeds and parts of it were indeed funny. But if I want to see a movie with nudity and sex I know where to go get one and it isn't at my local AMC theatre.

Ghost Town features Greg Kinnear, Ricky Gervais, and Tea Leoni all of whom on their own I usually like. The premise is Ricky's character has a death experience and comes back to life able to see and hear ghosts. The spirits all have unfinished business and they ask him to complete these tasks and enable them to go on to their own afterlife. The story is predictable from there with Greg Kinnears character wanting to keep his wife Tea Leoni from remarrying. It could be super funny but for some reason it isn't.. The characters just don't gel. If it is the only DVD left get it, if not pass it up.

On another note I want to thank everyone UWIB and elsewhere that has given me a boost this last week. It has been a fantastic month. Special thanks to oldbagvintage www.oldbagvintage.blogspot.com www.oldbagvintage.etsy.com and SuzanneinTX http://spt2.blogspot.com/ www.crazyforcollars.etsy.com for mentions in their blogs. I can't help but think that this helped me!

When I Went to College.....

2009-07-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

When I went to college…….

If I needed to talk to my dad during the drive back to school I had to stop at a gas station and use a quarter in the pay phone.

If I got lost I stopped and asked for directions or asked the navigator in the passenger seat to look at the paper map.

Class registration meant standing in long lines in an auditorium, not waiting up until midnight to be first at online registration.

Eating at McDonalds meant actually having to have cash, not a piece of plastic.

Listening my favorite song in the car meant shoving a piece of plastic and magnetic tape into the hole in the dash and hoping that it didn’t get eaten.

Getting new “friends” didn’t involve facebook or twitter.

Turning in a term paper meant typing it on a typewriter and going to class and physically turning it in, not uploading from my laptop to a website.

Do you have a college difference? Leave it as a comment! Thanks.

Appreciating Home - Tale of Two Kids Weekends

2009-07-13T05:36:00.000-07:00

As many of you know my two younger kids, Will who is 13, and Chloe who is 11, play competitive tennis. Will is spending time in the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch Academy Program this summer. They live in the dorms there with other boys and get to practice their skills all day in an environment that is geared toward moving up competitively. Will went for the minimum amount of time 3 weeks. They get to travel with the group to tournaments and this weekend they traveled back home to Houston to compete. Will was responsible for getting his things and himself ready to leave the ranch by 1:30 Friday for the 3 hour drive to Houston.

Thursday Night 9:00 - Call from Will he is getting ready for the trip, doing wash.

Friday Afternoon 12:30, 1 hour till departure - Call from Will. "Mom can I wash towels with whites"

Mom - "Why are you washing now, it takes an hour to do a load of wash and dry it"

Will - "I have exactly an hour mom and I need socks and underwear"

Mom - "Okay Hurry and get the rest of your bag ready but don't wash the towel you won't need one at a hotel"

Will - "oh, Okay"

Friday Afternoon 1:05 Call from Will "Why are washers so slow"

Friday Afternoon 1:20 Hysterical call from Will ""Mommmmmmm I lostttt my tennis racquets!"

Mom tells him to get a hold of himself calm down and look for them, she will call the counselor and get him to help.

Friday Afternoon 1:40 call from Will "We're on our way"

Mom - "Did you get your racquets?"

Will - sheepishly "yeah, but mom I forgot my toothpaste, contact solution, and toothbrush, can we get some there?"

After all this I get a final call early Saturday morning, we are about to leave with my daughter, who is playing in the tournament too. We were going to meet Will and his group there and watch his match.

Will - "Mom, I got up late and didn't have time to put on compression shorts (for those of you unenlightened in 13 year old tennis lingo compression shorts = underwear!) Do you have any extra at home?"

My husband's take on the situation was that this was to show Will how much we do for him and how he has to learn responsibility and appreciation, I don't know if he did or not but I hope he remembers his underwear next time.

The champ tournament was a success and Chloe won the consolation draw, a great boost for her.

One Scrappy Chic!

2009-07-10T06:14:00.000-07:00

Good Morning, One of the things I find really fun is to look at the shops that have hearted mine and the things they make. You can cyber stroll etsy for hours, but if I limit myself to one of those shops I have a natural stopping point! Anyway it has led to some great discoveries for me and I like to share them, perhaps it can bring someone inspiration or give you a new favorite shop too!

This week I chose OneScrappyChic.etsy.com. This shop is run by Bettina and her story is familiar to us all I think!

" I opened OneScrappyChic on Etsy to bring in a little extra money for my family. I am a mother to a beautiful 2 year old little girl! She really was the inspiration behind OneScrappyChic, which started out as a pregnancy/baby album idea and eventually evolved into much, much more."

Her paper goods are wonderfully colorful, whimsical and combine sewn embellishments as well as unusual materials like paper bags. Here is her comment on her goods.

"I like to make all types of paper crafts such as scrapbooks, notecards, etc., but I LOVE to make EXPLODING albums! I love the idea of someone finding all the hidden pockets and pages and the album popping open at the turn of nearly every page. "

So I hope you have enjoyed my stroll though http://www.onescrappchic.etsy.com/ . She is also having a giveaway on her blog http://www.onescrappychic-etsy.blogspot.com/ . I know I'll pay a visit! Lastly here is a pic of her own favorite item, an exploding album.

Two Extremes Public Enemies and the Proposal

2009-07-06T05:40:00.001-07:00

Good Morning everyone, time for Monday Movie Reviews. With my kids gone this week we saw two in the theatre, an unusual occurence. My husband and I chose one together, (guess which) and I chose one.

I love Johnny Depp and have ever since 21 Jump Street so it wasn't hard to like Public Enemies. It was a spare, classic gangster drama complete with J. Edgar Hoover, G- Men and Johnny Dillinger. Johnny Depp has a restrained, nuanced performance. He was understandable and likeable even as a most wanted criminal. Marion Cotillard was fierce and defiant as his girl Billie. You almost feel sorry for Christian Bale's character Purvis the FBI man in charge of getting Dillinger. So I recommend it for adults, if you are looking for a compromise to see with your guy...

The Proposal on the other hand was super funny! I wasn't expecting a whole lot, you know it seems like the funniest bits of movies are usually in the trailers, but not this one. It was funny, sincere and sweet. My husband, who thought it was a Chick Flick, really liked it too. Sandra Bullock was funny but some of the funniest stuff comes from Ryan Reynolds too.....Betty White and the rest of the cast complete it and the locations are gorgeous. I recommend it wholeheartedly for adults.

Have a great week!

Editing your Photo with Irfanview

2009-07-01T06:13:00.001-07:00

As promised here is the piece on doing a few simple edits with irfanview. I chose a simple picture for the sake of the piece that had all straight lines. Irfanview uses commands that are familiar, after starting the program use the file open commands to open your picture out of my pictures files. First we will crop it.

1. If you move your cursor onto the picture you will see that it turns into crosshairs. Holding your left mouse button nails that crosshair down and dragging the mouse will create a selection in the picture. I imagine how I might want to crop this picture and choose a left top corner starting point, dragging my mouse to create the square. In the picture above I have started the process. In the picture below I have finished drawing the square.

2. In this picture you will notice that I have drawn my square, the lines barely show. In the top blue bar it also shows my pixels. I got them to be almost equal (555 by 544) since I wanted approximately a square. I then hit the control and Y keys, this cuts away the unwanted area outside the square. Below is my cropped picture.

Now we will give it a white background to float on.

1. Go to the edit drop down and choose show paint dialog. It will bring on the box shown in the right of the pic below. The commands are very similar to the pc paint program we all let our kids use.

2. Next we are going to choose our background color. In the paint dialog box on the right click on the one of the two small rectangles in the bottom. This will bring up the color selection box you see on the left of the picture. For each rectangle you will have to choose a color and hit okay. I chose white for both.

3. Now we will outline the picture. This keeps the fill color we will put in the background from "creeping" into the picture. It is important that there are no holes in our outline of the picture. In the paint dialog click on the box that has the diagonal line in it on the left above the circle. This will give you a crosshair like the cropping procedure. You can choose how wide the line is byusing the up and down arrows making the width px higher for a wider line, or lower for a more narrow line. I used a 14 px line. I find a wider one easier to use and see. Nail down the line start point with your left mouse button at one corner and drag it to the point you want your line to end. Release the mouse and you will have a line like this.

4. Do this for all 4 sides of the item.

5. Now click on the paint can that is tipping over. Touch it to the area outside of the square you drew and click your mouse. Now your background is the color you want! There may be a few areas of clutter that need to be cleaned up so just click on the eraser symbol and hold down the left mouse button while moving your mouse, this will erase anything with the new background color. Extra hint, if there is anything that accidentally got "erased" with your new color, you can restore it by using the erase tool and the right mouse button. When you drag your mouse then the original pixels of the picture are restored!

The last thing we will do is change the resolution for uploading. Close the paint dialog and hit control and r at the same time. This brings up the resolution box. On the right there is a drop down that includes defaults, or on the right you may put in your own choices. If the resolution you choose makes it appear all wonky (technical term) just hit edit undo and try again. You may also change the resolution of the original picture before you start editing the picture if that is easier for you. Edit undo will always take you one step back if you mess up.

I hope that this helps anyone who is getting started trying to make better pictures. There are lots of resources and programs out there for you to use and a lot of them are free. It just takes time to practice using them. These are just first steps, there are lots of things that you can do with this software. Best of luck, and please comment with any tips or resources you may have! Jamie.

Picture Manipulation - Irfanview

2009-06-30T08:02:00.000-07:00

One of the things I read about in posts and threads most often is photos. Etsy Sellers are forever looking for ways to improve their photos and it is always noted as one of it not the most important factor in having a successful store.

I'm not the best of photographers and I can't tout my store as having great photos but I can let you know about a free download that I use on every photo I put on etsy that does some amazing things.

It is irfanview. My son who does digital art showed it to me. The download and program info is available here http://www.irfanview.com/ . I use it to crop photos, change their resolution and block out backgrounds. Here is an example of a before and after shot.

Over the next few days I will post instructions on how to get from first picture to the second. It is a simple 3 step process that anyone can do. Leave a comment if you are interested or have a specific questions. thanks!

Monday Movie Review....not so much...

2009-06-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!

it's been a busy weekend, my kids went to camp, so I had to pack for them. My oldest and his girlfriend are here so I'm busy with them too. I haven't caught up on movies either on DVD or at the theatre so I thought I'd post some pictures of our vacation in Palm Beach. Have a wonderful day!

Monday Movie Review, 2 Comedies

2009-06-22T05:23:00.000-07:00

Good Morning all! After a week in sunny Florida I'm back and ready to post. We did go to the movies too so I'll start this week with my usual Monday Movie Review. It was vacation time so we chose comedies. My kids saw Land of the Lost and my husband and I saw The Hangover.

The kids really liked Land of the Lost. I didn't go but both my 13 year old boy and 10 year old girl said it was funny. The scenes they commented on to us had that usual brand of Will Farrell silly humor that appeals to kids of all ages. My 13 year old though, who loves comedies didn't come out asking to buy the DVD when it comes out, so, I will generalize that while a good pick for the tweens it wasn't a smash hit........

Okay, The Hangover. First of all do not even think of a tween going unless you are a super liberal parent. I can't remember seeing an erect penis in a regular movie since Boogie Nights, but there is one here! Second it is hilarious (the movie that is) ! If you are easily offended don't go but the premise of the movie is plausible and there is both slapstick and more sophisticated humor. Rollergirl from Boogienights (Heather Graham) also makes an appearance ironically, and I enjoyed that she isn't a typical Hollywood woman and has continued to appear a natural beauty. Ed Helms from the Office gives a great performance as the walked on boyfriend while some guy I never heard of named Zak Galifianakis is super funny with his delivery of strange and zany dialog. Bradley Cooper and Justin Bartha up the cutie quotient and the movie has a satifying ending. So, in general go see it ! It is really funny......

Kathi's Kreations - Great Etsy Shop with an Eco-Centric Focus!

2009-06-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

Today I'm going to share with you a new etsy shop I found that I love. Kathi's Kreations, http://www.kathip22.etsy.com/ . She has a fresh approach to eco friendly products and upcycling. You know those cool reusable sandwich/treat bags? Kathi's shop has a great selection of them.

When I cut fabrics for a project I always feel a little guilty when throwing away the selvedge, the border where they print the fabric manufacturer, the screen colors and stretch the fabric before printing. Well Kathi has a lot of wonderful creations made from upcycled selvedge!

Trivets, picture frames, coasters and more are all items she has made from the cast offs. Like typical artists/crafters she has always felt the need to create. Here is what Kathi said on her own behalf.

"I'm 58, been sewing and crafting since I was a child. I love to sew, knit, needlework and I'll try any craft that interests me. I like to craft/make things that are new & trendy. I am always looking for the latest/greatest thing out there! I also want to do more to help our planet so I have become eco friendly in my crafts. "

So, check out her shop, she is one of the many great finds on etsy!

Monday Multiple Movie Review

2009-06-08T05:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, I haven't done this in a while so I have some catching up to do. I thought I would do an abbreviated version of both cinema and dvd's with an emphasis on kid's movies. Here goes....

Up - Number One for two weeks now. Both my 13 and 10 year old loved it, give it a 5
Night at the Museum 2 - Not as great as the first but still very entertaining. Like the old Looney Toons has a few nods to adult humor that your younger ones won't catch so is good for grown ups too... give it a 4
Journey to the Center of the Earth - on DVD My kids loved this show, I however didn't find it as entertaining, let them watch it on their own. Give it a 3.5.
Stepbrothers - on DVD Do not let your tween fool you into thinking this is an appropriate show. It is not, lotsa adult humor some not even funny.....Give it a 2.

So, that is my movie wisdom for the week.....You guys have a great one, I'm posting again tomorrow, and will feature a wonderful etsy shop so check back!

Jackie's Sunflower Pouch

2009-06-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

Hi all, I'd like to introduce you to a great lady with a neat little shop that I have been fortunate enough to do some wonderful things for. Her shop is http://www.jackeyo.etsy.com/ . She sells a great assortment of stickers for your craft use.

I have created a lot of things for her and she always has wonderful inspiration. She chose my zippie silhouette and asked for a happy daisy applique. here is my result.

I hope you stop by her shop and take a look at her wonderful paper items. Thanks Jackie!

Wonderful World of Felt - Felt on the Fly!

2009-06-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

I love crafting with felt and do a lot of applique and embroidery work with it. Up until now I have used only eco-spun recycled felt. Here is my newest creation!

It's a variation on a card holder, the flap is functional and will hold all your goodies inside!

This week I received some yummy wool felt from http://www.feltonthefly.etsy.com/ . Aren't the colors great? I am so excited to work on some new things with it. It arrived in a beautifully wrapped package with some great marketing materials on Janet's things that she makes from felt too! I think I will do some sugar skulls with it. they will be like this one only in the high contrast limes and fuschias. He is a card holder too with a small pocket on the back to put your paper money, cards, etc in. Lots of hand work to keep me busy, just the way I like it!

Monday Movie, not a Review!

2009-05-11T07:46:00.000-07:00

I'm trying out my new FlipVideo Camera and wanted to see if I could upload to my blog. So, with all the talk of furry friends on UWIB last week I decided to test it with a video of our dog, Cruz.

Don't worry, Cruz loves this even though he sounds tortured. He jumps right up on the dash every time he gets to go!

Lemon Blossoms and Leatherheads.......

2009-04-06T08:27:00.000-07:00

It was such a beautiful weekend here in Houston we couldn't bear to spend time in the movies so I didn't get to see either of the movies on my current list of must see, Fast and Furious or Sunshine Cleaning....

Instead late Friday we looked at the netflix arrivals and saw Leatherheads. If you love George Clooney or even if you don't, take a peek, it's probably worth it. It's silly and fun. Renee Zellweger is okay and John Krasinski from the office is cute and redeeming. If you are looking for something to add to the Netflix lineup it is a good one. If you liked Clooney's O Brother while it isn't as good it is in a similar vein and should be satisfying! ON the super satisfying as chocolate scale I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

If you happened to see Fast and Furious PLEASE comment and let me know what you thought!

ON to Lemon Blossoms

My daughter and MIL watch Paula Deen together and got this recipe from there. My daughter so wanted to make it so yesterday I gave in and we bought the ingredients. Paula Deen's recipes are sooooo decadent in terms of butter, sugar, etc I think I gained a pound just reading the recipe, but if you are looking for a snack sized item for a luncheon, shower, food gift etc this one is it. If you like lemon even a little they are delicious and pretty easy.

Lemon Blossoms
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
Prep Time: 12 min Inactive Prep Time: 1 hr 0 min
Cook Time: 12 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 5 dozen
Ingredients

18 1/2-ounce package yellow cake mix

3 1/2-ounce package instant lemon pudding mix

4 large eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

Glaze: 4 cups confectioners' sugar

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1 lemon, zested

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons water

DirectionsPreheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray miniature muffin tins with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour a small amount of batter, filling each muffin tin half way. Bake for 12 minutes. Turn out onto a tea towel
To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix with a spoon until smooth.
With fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips. Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.

One helpful hint. Use the Pam spray on the tins generously! Otherwise they self destruct when you try to remove them. This is also a messy recipe, so be prepared!

Have a great day!

Lakeway Inn Resort and Spa Austin ......

2009-03-31T07:41:00.001-07:00

Family and I went to Austin for Spring Break. Not super far away from us, but with the travel advisory for Mexico seemed like a good choice. We chose the Lakeway Inn Resort and Spa on Lake Travis. Originally built in 1963 but totally redone now it still has a lot of old school charm. Spacious luxe rooms, a little 1960's flavor in the decor and a killer spa. The pool is great, complete with swim up bar and waterslide for the kids. It sits on the side of Lake Travis with wonderful views and deer that would graze beneath our balcony in the evening.

For other entertainment the Hill Country Galleria is close by, there is a marina, golf course and tennis club and of course you can go into Austin, South Congress is my kid's favorite area.

Will on the left is toooo cool for the picture.

Marc in the middle is suffering through mom taking a picture.

Chloe, who is 10, is showing just how dorky most of us are at 10......

Have a great day!

Monday Movie Review - I Love You, Man

2009-03-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

Okaay I was soooo not with the public's opinion last week on Knowing ....

This week I saw I Love You, Man with Paul Ruud and Jason Segal. The film has lots of other great actors, Jaime Pressly, Jon Favreau (Swingers anyone?) Jane Curten, Rashida Jones. Let's face it though it's about the Paul Ruud and Jason Segal characters. It's a kinda familiar situation in that Paul Ruud's character Peter has been so busy with life and being a tiny bit uncomfortable in his own skin that he has gone through life with no male friends. When he decides to take the next step in life and get married he realizes he has no best man.

Hilarity ensues as he goes on "man" dates fixed up by everyone from his mom to his gay brother. He finds a great friend on his own and they help each other realize their own shortcomings on the way "down the aisle".

Great chemistry, funny dialog and situations, a fun movie, I give it 4 out of 5 on the as good as cheesecake scale (or suzy q's or tres leches, or chocolate cupcakes, whatever your sweet of choice is).

Back from Hiatus Monday Movie Review

2009-03-23T04:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know I've been gone from the blog for a while, but had to take a post Oscar break! What did we see over the weekend? no not Duplicity, not Love ya Man, but Knowing...... It was the family choice, what can I say.

I do like Nick Cage though so I went hoping to see a good movie. I expected a supernatural thriller but got something different with the entry of some waxy looking individuals bearing shiny black rocks (still don't know what those were about) and got a not very satisfying ending. It was decent acting from Cage and the others and it sort of gets you thinking about natural disasters but on the whole -

WAIT FOR THE DVD

See you next week with another movie!

Monday Movie Review! Slum Dog Millionaire

2009-02-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, I saw this movie a while back and loved it. It uses a gameshow as a great vehicle to tell this boy's story of growing up in the slums of Mombai. It tells us about his devotion to a girl from the very beginning to finally ending up with her against all odds. It is the ultimate feel good kind of movie, boy meets girl, loses girl, gets girl in the end and in the process as a by product gets rich too!

The acting is great, the setting a bit exotic for an American audience and the vehicle "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" just familiar enough to make your comfortable with the way the story moves along.

I assume it will be re-released with it's win last night, so go see it. It is rated R so and has a couple of disturbing scenes, but, all in all a great show!

How to Make a 125 by 125 Button Ad

2009-02-18T07:26:00.000-08:00

With ads in blogs and project wonderful becoming so popular it’s important to have one of those square clickable ads that you can insert. Project Wonderful makes it easy, you just need the art, they put the link with it. But what if you want to put an ad on your own or a friend’s blog?

I figured that this couldn’t be too hard and instead of paying for it I thought surely I could find out how to do it if I spent enough time.

After googleing several different times and reading several different posts and “free” websites that I came across I did indeed find two posts that when combined made sense of what to do. Since I didn’t know the first thing about it I will explain it from the very basics.

You need an image you like for the ad. I used a product picture that I took. I inserted text for my store name and cropped and resized it to 125 square. I use Irfanview, a free software available on the internet, for this but there are lots of other softwares that do the same thing. There are two parts of the ad process.

1. You need to park this image on the internet somewhere that is always “on” - a host for the image. I used photobucket, you could also use flickr or a similar service. You need to make sure that they give html code for the image when you save it. In photobucket it is the third of the four lines they give you underneath the image in your album.

2. You need to write a string of code that includes this HTML for the photo and the url of the site you want to go to if you click on the picture.

This string of code is what you insert in the HTML add a gadget field on blogger or other blogging sites.
The string will look something like this:

Replace the caps with your information. This is what mine looks like for the retrochique button

LOCATION OF THE IMAGE FILE….is the HTML line from photobucket.

The first time I did it I copied and pasted in word until I thought I had it right and then copied and pasted the code into my blog. I was really happy when it worked!

Please leave a comment if you found this helpful. I will post about how to animate your gif button (make it flash different images) next week.
Thanks!

Monday Movie Review - He's Just NOT That Into You

2009-02-16T07:04:00.000-08:00

Okay, last weekend it was my husband's pick, this weekend in honor of Valentine's I got to pick the movie. I chose He's Just NOT That Into You a movie I had wanted to see. I read a lot of chick lit, but, this movie I had not read the book for so I was very curious. I love the lineup of stars, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johanssen, some of my favorite female stars and Ginnifer Goodwin, someone I don't know much about is in the film also.
On the guys side, whew, Ben Affleck, Justin Long (apple commercials and Accepted; a highly recommended DVD, but that is another review), Bradley Cooper (don't know what he was in but what great eyes) Kevin Connolly (Entourage).

The movie switches back and forth between the different stars and their different situations in their entangled little world. That makes it a little choppy. Some of the dialog is great, if you've seen the trailers you get the gist of it and there is more in the movie, it isn't just the best parts in the commercial. Most of the situations at heart are very serious, facing up to the committment of marriage, facing up to falling for someone, facing up to not being loved back. Not all of the vignettes end in a traditional happily ever after either. For my husband and I who are both over 40 it really contrasts the difference in the dating world today and when we were in college.

Bottom line, as a lover of chick lit, I really liked it. My husband didn't like it as much but the ever curvaceous Scarlett Johanssen (I give her a 10 on the jiggle factor) should help any guys enjoyment of the movie.

Have a great week!

some valentines quotes and cute kittens....

2009-02-12T07:51:00.000-08:00

A few valentine's quotes for a chuckle.....

I just love to do special things for my wife on Valentine's day. Like open the door for her when she puts all the laundry in the washing machine, or plug and unplug the vacuum as she moves from room to room cleaning. Guys, it's these little thoughtful things you can do to have a marriage such as mine.

I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon.

Sales ad at a store: ‘You are my one and only’ Valentine's cards, now on sale: 4 for $5.”

" Love is the thing that enables a woman to sing while she mops up the floor after her husband has walked across it in his barn boots."

Monday Movie Review More Oscar Movies

2009-02-08T20:07:00.000-08:00

Okay so I wanted to see He's just not that into You but instead my husband won out and we saw the Wrestler. Okay I was never that much of a Mickey Rourke or Marisa Tomei fan, but they both gave fantastic performances and she looks pretty awesome (she is naked for 1/2 of the movie). The whole problem is that I go to the movies to a. escape b. be entertained or c. be made to think. This movie really didn't do any of those, it isn't uplifting and certainly isn't anywhere I want to escape to. My husband really liked it, but I think he liked the underdog aspect of it more so than the actually story and the fact that Mickey Rourke has gotten such great feedback from it. So bottom line, unless you are into seeing "performances" pass it up.

We also saw Revolutionary Road. Another not too uplifting film, but it did make you think and featured two other great performances by Leo diCaprio and Kate Winslet. If you are into vintage, awesome stage sets, wardrobe etc. it is worth the price alone. I did make me think about re-inventing ourselves and how we have to do that throughout much of our lives. Kate's character was "stuck" looking for that feeling she had when she was first married instead of building upon and growing into her life. It ends tragically but not unpredictably. Bottom line here, good performances, if you are going to see Oscar films this is should be higher on this list than The Wrestler.

Just my opinion, I'm not a professional movie reviewer! Have a great week!

Sopapilla Cheesecake As Promised!

2009-02-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

Had this as our desert on Super Bowl Sunday, really yummy....

cream cheese (3 pkgs)
1 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cans crescent roll dough
1 stick butter
sugar cinnamon (1/2 C sugar 1 tsp cinnamon)

Step1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9x13 in. baking dish (although I used two round pie pans....)

Step2 In a large bowl, mix together all 3 packages of cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, & 1 tsp. vanilla.Set aside--this is the filling.

Step3 Roll out 1 can of the crescent roll dough as a sheet into the bottom of your 9x13 in greased baking dish. Press together any gaps so that dough does not come apart at the seams.

Step4 Spread filling out evenly on top of the bottom layer of dough.

Step5 Roll out 2nd can of crescent roll dough as a sheet and carefully lay on top of the filling. Again, press together any gaps at the seams so that the filling does not ooze out.

Step6 Pour 1 stick of melted butter over the top. Spread with pastry brush if you wish.

Step7 Mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon together with fork. Sprinkle this mixture evenly across the top.

Step8Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes

UPDATE - I'm starting to stock my new etsy store , take a peek let me know what you think, http://www.destinationhandmade.etsy.com/ thanks!

monday movie review the Reader, Defiance

2009-02-02T10:20:00.000-08:00

okay, I know when do any of us have time to go to the movies? But it's really a great way to escape the everyday even if only for a couple of hours. My husband and I try to go at least every couple of weeks and we see even more from Netflix so I thought it was a natural feature for the blog!

This week's is The Reader. Oscar nominated for best pic, best actress, best screenplay etc. it has been a critical success, but is it worth a little over two hours of your time?

It is about the relationship of an teenage boy with a 40 something woman in post WW2 Germany. The relationship itself is shocking in that she carries it on with little regard for the boys feelings, and Kate Winslet certainly has no inhibitions about being naked. She leaves suddenly only to resurface in his life years later during a war crimes trial. The bulk of the film revolves around how the two of them deal with their various secrets and how they are detrimental to the two of them.

Is it well done? Yes
Is it that feel good movie to escape with? NO
Is it interesting and does it make you think? Yes

Overall if you are looking for a fun afternoon diversion pass it up........Try Defiance, another WW2 film. Daniel Craig is yummy to look at and it does have the feel good ending.

Thanks!

Crafting with Felt

2009-01-28T09:36:00.000-08:00

Most of you know I do a lot of applique with felt, I just love it, it is like being able to use crayons on your fabric and make pictures. My etsy shop has lots of traditional applique items but there are lots of other things you can do. I recently made a banner that can be customized to anything you want and can be used in many applications.

I used a double layer of felt and embroidered it with my verbiage and the vine using a simple backstitch.

The beauty of it is that it can then be applied to anything! I chose to put it on a zippie, but it could be put on a handmade card, journal cover, scrapbook page, even a tote. They are easily backed with either cardstock for applying to paper or fusible fabric backing for "iron on". My final product is below.

So there it is ready to stuff with gift cards, a handmade valentine, lip gloss, whatever your little one's super teacher would like.

HAVE A GREAT DAY, JAMIE.

Post YOURS!

2009-01-26T08:16:00.000-08:00

If you have a fave feed or website for positive thoughts or want to post an act of kindness please leave a comment, Thanks!

Random Acts of Kindness

2009-01-26T07:43:00.000-08:00

Wikipedia defines random acts of kindness as -

A random act of kindness is a purportedly selfless act performed by a person or persons wishing to either assist or cheer up an individual or in some cases even an animal. There will generally be no reason other than to make people smile, or be happier.

I follow phyllismufson on twitter and in one of her posts, she talked about her #kindness party. I clicked on the link http://personaltreasures.blogspot.com/2009/01/wave-of-appreciation-party.html and was interested generally in her blog, the ideas etc. so I subscribed. I let her know I liked it and voila' she posted a link to one of my items and I got a 50 hit bump in views.

It is such and awesome feeling to be the giver or recipient of positive action in our world, especially in the e-commerce, social marketing circle we travel in. Likewise groups like UWIB (see link below) are super supportive to their members with feedback and promotion. I also subscribe to www.dailygood.org . They have a great feature today on 20 keys to happiness. Even Rev Run's Words of Wisdom www.revrun.com gives short positive quotes on living daily. Just reading and passing them on (my kids get a positive quote on their lunch bags daily) makes you have a better outlook on the day.

So while I couldn't attend the #kindness party I'll certainly look for when another will take place. and keep trying to do random acts of kindness.

Back to School (College)

2009-01-22T07:47:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow my college age son goes back for semester 2 of his college career. He goes to a school far away from home so visits are not frequent. It isn't like the kid who goes an hour or two away from home and can be-bop in for a laundry weekend or something. You really miss them but get used to them being gone. You so want to see them when they get home you want to just hang out with them, but reality is they don't want home to be any different than it was when they lived there. So, you have to force yourself to not be clingy.......

He is happy to be going back and in reality I'm happy he is leaving though I'm sure I'll be teary eyed again on Monday when I realize he is gone and so grown up now. But, we still exercise some control. Michael Jordan has a method we use, he told his son that he had to call home at least once a week. If that 7th day comes and no phone call is received, don't worry about it. Expect Dad and Mom to be at your door on the 8th.

Very effective.

Back in Action and a Winner!

2009-01-17T10:56:00.000-08:00

Hey! It has been way too long since I've been here! After an insane December from which I'm still kinda zonked I'm back to creating and blogging. I'm going to continue my project of revamping my store and marketing and need to pick the winner of the name my store Contest!

The winner is Stacie Brown! You get $20 in my ridiculously low stocked store! No really it should be up to level in a couple of weeks, or you can also use it for custom....Back to work! Have a Great 2009!

Last Chance to Win!

2008-12-08T07:15:00.000-08:00

Due to being out of town I'm extending the deadline to help me name my store! See the post below for the choices and comment with your vote! A winner will be chosen tomorrow for $20 in my etsy store. Have a wonderful day!

Keys, Phones and Tickets, Growing Up!

2008-12-01T07:05:00.000-08:00

My 18 year old came home for Thanksgiving last week. He is a first semester student at Kansas City Art Institute and is adjusting to living away and far (we are in Houston Tx) from home. He had a wonderful time visiting friends, family and in general being a kid again. Saturday came to soon for his dad and I and we put him on the plane wondering at how we made such an amazing guy. About an hour later we were reminded that no matter how amazing he is he is still adjusting to living independantly!

5:30 - Plane leaves Houston for Kansas City

5:35 - Grandma finds his dorm key at her house

5:40 - Send him a text telling him so he will know when he lands, dorms don't officially open until tomorrow there may not be anyone there to let him in.

7:40 - Frantic text from son asking what to do, call him and advise him to call all friends in dorm and see if anyone is there, if not try to find security.

7:45 - Call him back to tell him to stay in hotel, Continental Airlines answers his phone, evidently he left it in the bathroom. Braindead airline employee doesn't think to page him until I ask him to.

7:50 - Son calls has phone now, sounds rattled.....

8:00 - Son calls again, "When did I park here at the airport?" has lost parking ticket to pay with.

9:00 - Son calls for final time, got lost on the way back to school but did find RA to let him in his room

9:05 - Mom pours massive glass of wine........

Parenthood is a wonderful thing that never ends......

My New Name!

2008-11-25T07:46:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who submitted names for my Shop/Brand!

Here is a list of my families favorites!

1. Exit Strategies
2. Accessories2Go
3. Crabby Traveler
4. Destination Handmade

I'm having a contest to pick the name!

To enter leave a comment with your number choice and e-mail if you aren't logged in. UWIB members can also post directly. If you aren't familiar with my shop and want to look first it is www.retrochique.etsy.com. The prize is $20 Free in my shop. Entries will go until December 5th. Winner will be chosen randomly. Thanks for your help!

What's In A Name?

2008-11-14T10:34:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking about it for a while, ever since I started selling more than a couple of things a month from my etsy shop. My name retrochique doesn't go with my shop. Well, it became even more crystal clear the other day when my prospective "store" was turned down by 1000 Markets. It wasn't my product, it was rather the whole package. My banner, my avatar, etc. They didn't mention my name, but, to me it all starts there. I was a merchandise manager and buyer for 18 years, developing and buying merchandise for high profile companies in the themed restaurant and amusement industries so this should all be just common sense to me!

So, I'm going to rethink what I'm doing. Starting with the numbers!

25% of my sales are passport covers

17 % of my sales are crabby items

The rest of my sales are splintered. If I take into account the wholesale I have done passport covers go up to 33% business card cozies go to 15% New styles that have had great positive reponse this month were a business card case and a key-chain wallet.

If I look at it that way, I sell organizing and travel accessories, nothing evocative of the name retrochique!

I've come up with a few names, I'm taking suggestions, maybe I'll consolidate and have a contest?

So far

Practicalities

Exit Strategy

Out Takes

Anyway, if you think of something, please, let me know. Wish my kids luck this weekend, they are playing in major zone tennis tournament!

UWIB Testimonial

2008-11-10T10:29:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know "testimonials" are for things like acne products, but, UWIB, Unique Women in Business is so different it deserves something that testifies to its attributes!

I've been selling online for over 5 years now. First on Ebay and then on etsy starting just a year ago. In all my time selling it has been such an alone experience. You list your items, you take questions, you hope they sell and you deal with sometimes rude buyers. You deal with competitors that spam your buyers, badmouth you and just aren't friendly and then you start all over again when you list another item. Etsy is a little different in that the crafters and buyers are friendlier to one another and you meet people in the forums, but UWIB beats it all. I found them through twitter and signed up being a little skeptical. It seemed like it was kind of like a buying club, but I was going to buy things anyway so what did I have to lose. I have only been impressed with the other members since I have joined.

When you post something in the messages, the members actually read them and they click on your links. They provide feedback and encouragement to the members and sincerely are interested in what is going on. There are opportunities to show your products in chat room parties and the leader of the group is always promoting the members stores and merchandise in every online venue you can imagine. Twitter, myspace and the UWIB blog all are pumping the members items. It is the only thing I have done outside of etsy that I can be 100% sure has increased my sales and not just because other members have bought.

So if you want to become part of a truly amazing group, that is positive and does what they say, this is it, Unique Women in Business http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/Unique-women-in-buisness/

Super Supplier!

2008-11-07T08:27:00.000-08:00

Have a need for some zippers? I have a great supplier that I found on the etsy heart-o-matic http://www.majaba.org/ . Side Order Crafts sells zippers really cheap! They are from .40 to .70 cents and great quality. You may not find every color there, but if you are like me you don't always know what fabric you are going to be sewing on from day to day so I've gotten into the habit of keeping a group on hand in basic colors, that way if I need a khaki, black, navy or beige I'm ready to go. They ship really quickly too, link directly to paypal and seem to be really friendly, so if you are a crafter that ever needs zippers go try http://www.sideordercrafts.com/

Twittering or Not?

2008-11-04T16:19:00.000-08:00

Since I'm sort of new to the online promotion and marketing of my etsy store, I thought I would review some of the things I come across as I journey along that road. It has been an eye opening experience so far. Today I'll post about Twitter.

Twitter is something I came across in an etsy thread. The author was raving that it was the only thing she could actually say she had gotten a sale from. I looked at it and it really seemed harmless. You make a short profile and poof you are twittering. Like magic people will "follow" you. Basically all that means is that when you make an entry on your home page it will appear on theirs. If you elect to "follow" them back, their entries will appear on your page. You end up with a page full of random and not so random comments on everything from merchandise to what to have for dinner. There is an @ function so you can reply to someone specific but it still appears on all your follows pages.

Entries are called updates and are limited to 140 characters. Most etsy sellers that I have run across use it to promote their merchandise posts, treasuries and blogs. Some are manic about it and definitely tire you out. Some are very sincere and don't overuse it. Then there is a group of "marketing gurus" that tirelessly post useless things that most of us as sellers have already thought of. There is your sprinkling of really scary people too.

Bottom Line - Twitter is a fun social networking thing that can get you clicks if that is what you are after. I haven't had any sales from it, but have met some really creative people and had fun online with it. It tends to suck up time. If you have limited time, for sales, put your time elsewhere: If you are looking for a fun diversion that might help defray stress, intro you to new sellers etc it is well worth it.

First Post!

2008-11-04T07:15:00.000-08:00

Well, this is my first post! I am starting to try as many things as I can to promote my etsy shop, or really rather the items I make. I am a SAHM that spent 18 years in corporate America but left when hubby's business ate up so much of his time I couldn't work anymore. I have an 18 year old at Kansas City Art Institute, and a 10 and 12 year old. Now that they are older I have time to craft!

I have joined Twitter, UWIB and am really open to smart things that don't muck up other people's time and mailboxes. If anyone reads this and has other ideas, let me know! Thanks to all the new people I have met and have responded to me in the cyber crafty community!

J.