Back to School Sale

Back to school sale starts August 1st! August 1st-August 7:All Earrings Buy one get one half off. Free shipping US and Canada the entire month of August. Shopping everywhere else is offered at half of normal shipping cost. Spend $10 and receive a free gift with purchase. Watch for weekly specials and updates.

I am planning to run a sale of some variety on something all month long in my Etsy Shop. I am also planning to throw in a few surprises and contests/giveaways. So keep checking back for further details!

:o)

Another week...

Here we are Thursday already and another week of summer almost gone! It seems like my days just bet busier and I have less and less free time, some days I hardly slow down and feel like I am stuck on auto-pilot! I took my handmade jewelry out to the flea market on Sunday but found a different buying market than what I am used to, took my best friend Jess along for the trip so I would have some help and not be out there alone all day. What a early morning, I picked her up at ten to 5 in the morning and we were there by 5:20 or so, and got a good spot, watched everyone else set up and it soon looked like a small city, watched the sun come up, got a tiny bit of color to the skin, got some exercise walked around and looked at what all the sellers had, and done by noon and off to DQ for some lunch and then the half hour ride back. Unloaded the truck and it all sat in the living room until last night, now its been relocatoed to my bedroom/office/workspace where I can deal with it later. Now that that is over I can begin listing many of the new designs and items that my mother and I have made over the past month or so. So keep an eye on my Etsy shop for new things. I am also planning to pick thru my horde of beads and other art and craft supplies so that they can be listed as well, there is just so much stuff, and some of it that we don't even need or will have a use for. Hopefully I will get that done before the next TnS. Other than that not much new, Mom is still recuperating and hopefully will be off the vac pump in 2-3 weeks. Dog shows coming up at Lake Elmo, kind of excited for that even though I don't have a dog entered still will be fun to go. And the best part will be my vacation over Labor Day Week, when I hope to have some "me time" and be able to relax and go do what I want, maybe get away for a couple days with friends or something like that. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

List of Trade Friendly Etsy Shops

As promised here is the list of trade friendly Etsy Shops that have replied to me, thanks everyone for taking the time to do so. I will try my best to keep this list updated periodically, and once figured out would like to find a way to put it in my sidebar(I am still learning how all this blog business works on here, so bear with me). Please if you haven't, take a moment if you can to visit the following shops even if you aren't interested in trading, we have some very talented people in our midst.

Please contact individual shop owners regarding trade details.


Trade Friendly Etsy Shops
funnyface12345.etsy.com
nativebaby.etsy.com
ixtlicouture.etsy.com
alteredbeauty.etsy.com
gloriasjewelrybox.etsy.com
butterflydesign1.etsy.com
candlewhiz.etsy.com
jewelrywhiz.etsy.com
BooBooMonsters.etsy.com
TYEJ.etsy.com
angiehandmade.etsy.com
GeckoJewelry.etsy.com
muffintopdesigns.etsy.com
thoughtfulexpression.etsy.com
peculiarparchment.etsy.com
Raevyn77.etsy.com
love2embellish.etsy.com
gratefulgoods.etsy.com
gratefulsupplies.etsy.com
Mopsical.etsy.com
craftychris.etsy.com
redbracelet.etsy.com
smutopia.etsy.com
JanineMarieJewelry.etsy.com
SuperCuteJewelry.etsy.com
JMBridalJewelry.etsy.com
Indiethrift.etsy.com
dinolover77.etsy.com
EuniceNeedlecraft.etsy.com
delights.etsy.com
TheGirlyTutu.etsy.com
JollyJennifer.etsy.com
MartiArtstudio.etsy.com
theglasswillow.etsy.com
hazelhoney.etsy.com
LittlePreciousThings.etsy.com
Sharnemainiaknits.etsy.com
FuzzyWuzzysoaps.etsy.com
PnsNNedls.etsy.com
RanaMuck.etsy.com
luvmymonkeys@etsy.com
beckynot@etsy.com
RubysUniqueBoutique.etsy.com
jewelryinfusions.etsy.com
jewelryinfusions2.etsy.com
marinebiochic07.etsy.com
charmingmittens.etsy.com
pennyspug.etsy.com
MamaJBoutique.etsy.com
iiinventory.etsy.com
overloadednoggin.etsy.com
LDCraftSupplies.etsy.com
Genevive.etsy.com
yjja123.etsy.com
AmeGem.etsy.com
funkyluke.etsy.com
MelissasMagicSpot.etsy.com


If there are any errors, please feel free to let me know so that it can be corrected. While I strived for perfection, I am only human! If you are not included on this list and would like to be please let me know...

Thanks Again :o)

Trading

Happy Monday to all, it has been about a week since I have posted last. Last week I decided to try a new venture, I wanted to learn more about trading on Etsy, and posted in forums looking to make a list of trade friendly shops on Etsy, because I know if I was curious, I imagined others would be as well. I had completed a trade with another etsy shop real close to that time, and I thought what a neat idea, from so many standpoints: you get a sale(the trade), feedback-which is what can make or break many a online business, you get something you need or want without spending $ in this tough economic time, you get the opportunity to chat with great other sellers, amongst a host of other benefits. So I posted that, and to my surprise received convos and replys to my posting. At the same time I also stumbled into a thread on the forums that was for a Trade n Stay event hosted by the Etsy Tradeaholics Team. So I also put a posting on there, to which I got many nice replies and found myself welcomed in to a community of other trade friendly shops. I felt so welcomed by this group of people, and had so much fun trading with other shops, I only wish I had known about it sooner. I felt for awhile now like I hadn't found my niche on Etsy yet, and now I feel as though I have.
If you have never traded before, or are considering trading, I encourage you to do so, and to check out the following links some are articles about trading, and two are links for Etsy Tradeaholics which have some helpful info.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade
http://www.livescience.com/history/080218-hs-trade.html
http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/141653/trading/history_of_trade.html
http://tradeaholics.ning.com/
http://etsytradeaholics.blogspot.com

As always have a great day!
~Catherine :o)

P.S. List of fabulous trade friendly shops to follow this post!

Happy Monday(or not?!)

Monday, where did the weekend go? Better yet where did summer weather in MN go? I must say it has been nice to have windows open and AC off, I don't mind at all.
I started working on a project last night with pale purple pearls and swarovski crystals, I have yet to finish it as I realized I don't have enough of what I need to finish, bummer! Oh well, I guess that means its time to shop for something to complete it. Maybe after work :o) I need to work on listings again too, as well as various projects regarding, my blog, Facebook Fan Page and all that fun sort of stuff, hope I can fine the time tonight. I was very productive yesterday in getting other stuff done around home, so I hope that I can stay focused on that. I was supposed to be at Hamel Flea Market on Sunday morning, but that did not work as planned as my helper had something come up. So hopefully next Sunday. In the end it actually worked out better for me and my schedule anyways. Back to my regular programmed workday. Counting the minutes until I can leave the confines of this office and enjoy the nice day!

Why I like making things...

Someone asked me yesterday why I liked making things, which led me to think why do I like making things. Not just beading and jewlery, but actually creating something. I thought this would be a good topic worth writing about here, but I know that I can't possibly cover it all in a single posting.

My mother has always been a creative person and has made and tried her hand at making many different things. Some years back now she got me into beading, ar first it was just making some things for myself, that made me feel good about myself. I at the time was at a crossroads where my life had undergone some dramatic changes and I needed an outlet of sorts if you will... What happened instead was I developed a love for beads and beading, I found I could lose myself completely in a project or design. I felt like I had found therapy and peace in beading, and eventually this led to contentment in other areas and aspects of my life. There was just
something about the process from start to finish that I found soul soothing. I felt anxiety, stress, and worry just melt away. Of course what also developed was a passion for beads! And of course bead shopping! And I don't know many women who don't love shopping(a few guys too!).
What happened over time was that I (as well as my mother) had made so much more than we could ever wear, that we started selling it to family and friends, online and at shows/fairs
Now this little venture has grown, and I have grown as a person with it, it has in turn become a part of me. I have found my creative side, which has opened doors for me... Inlocked opportunities, taught me some lessons, and in a few ways has helped to make me who I am.

To be continued... I love this subject!!!

Til Next Time

~Catherine :o)

Where did the weekend go

Where did the weekend go? Here it is Monday again already. and I don't feel as if I accomplished a thing! Yesterday I had the best intentions of creating new things and had so many good ideas, but the washing machine and floor drain had other plans for me and my day, and of course the mess to go with it! The good news is the plumber will be here today and svc+ for the washer on Weds, so not so bad. Life of homeownership=unplanned work!
So maybe tonite I can finally sit down with the new items I bought at the bead show last month and finally make these ideas I have in my mind real!
Thanks for reading