December Mid-Month Sponsor Love

I'm celebrating the middle of the month with a shout out to all of my lovely blog sponsors!

Edi of memoriesforlifesb

 It's not too late to pick up a Christmas ornament for yourself or for a gift this year such as Edi's tree shaped ornament.

Jamie of ForLoveofCupcakes

 Jamie's daughter recently turned 3. Jamie put together a great post about how to throw an M&M themed birthday party.

Linda of PruittCreations

 Are you still looking for a little kid gift? Pick up one or two of Linda's adorable kid aprons like this teal accented apron.

Angela of AngleAh

 Angela's zipper rings, like this green and pink ring, are too much fun.

Valerie of additionsstyle

 Valerie has some of the most simple yet striking jewelry I've ever seen, like this hardware bracelet.

Deb of storybeader

 I'm excited that Deb just started adding 6 month calendars to her Etsy shop. I love seeing her personal calendar and know that there is so much potential for the listed calendars.

Tiffany of Ribbon Lane Supplies

 When I headed over to Tiffany's shop to put together this post, this red and turquoise (chevron!) ribbon was right at the top so of course I had to share it.

Paige of Little Nostalgia

 Paige recently shared some great tips and ideas about how to decorate for the holidays without putting up a tree.

Kristen of Milo and Molly

Are you still looking for a few guy gifts? Check out Kristen's holiday gift guide: for him.

I hope that you found some useful resources today!

Are you thinking about becoming a sponsor for 2014? Get more information about 2014 sponsorship right here.

New article:
Top Qualities and Characteristics of Successful Freelance Writers

What's Up for December

It doesn't even seem real to be writing that subject. Moving on...

Hello, December! What's going on this month?

• Finishing up my 2013 holiday shows. Many of you already know that I've been up to quite a lot of things this fall, including the most holiday craft fairs that I've ever vended in a month and a half period. For the most part, it's been great. I'm excited to have a solid list of shows that I would vend again next year, a few ideas for new shows, and a wealth of ideas for revamping my booth and product lines. I'm also really excited to finish up the 2013 stint and have time to regroup and prepare for the new year.
• Getting ready for Christmas. Most years I have the Christmas letter written, the Christmas cards and stamps ordered, and the majority of my Christmas shopping done by the first week of December. I'm sure that it's not much of a surprise that all I've done thus far this year is buy a couple small Christmas presents. I'm glad that I'll still be able to give these tasks as well as other fun Christmas happenings (like decorating the house) the time and attention that they deserve these next few weeks.
• Regrouping and setting new goals. To say that I'm at a loss about my overall goals for 2014 is harsh, but for a handful of reasons, I'm struggling to put together a plan for 2014 as easily as I did for 2012 and 2013. The short of it is that I don't want to wake up in five years and realize that I've neglected personal projects and the chance to grow my passive income the way I would really like to in lieu of short-term pursuits that may be lucrative but are ultimately unsustainable long-term and are generally not as fulfilling. I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to find time for the projects that I want to pursue without giving up so much of what I've built these past two and a half years, but I'm getting there.

Blog sponsorship

I'm restructuring my blog sponsorship for 2014. It is now $12 to have a blog ad for the entire duration of 2014. That price remains the same no matter when you decide to join. The great news is that if you join up now, you get the ad and the social media and blog promos that it includes for the entire year. In other good news, if you decide to join up later, this price is still very reasonable, and you'll be sure to get your money's worth out of it. Whether you currently have an ad and would like to renew for 2014 or you're interested in joining up, contact me at randomcreative28 at gmail dot com.

Thanks for sticking with me during a truly crazy October and November! Here's to a great December.

What are you up to this month?

November Top Commenters and December News

I hope that December is getting off to a good start for everyone! We have had a lot of warm weather this way lately, which makes it that much harder to believe that Christmas is only a few weeks away, but I'm not complaining.

TOP COMMENTERS:

If you're new to this blog, you can check out my Top Commenters widget on the right side of my blog.  It's under my blog roll.  I will feature an item or give a shout out to everyone on that list in this monthly post.  I really appreciate those of you who take the time to leave me feedback!

Thanks to Ann of Ann's Snap Edit Scrap, Sandee of Comedy Plus, and Jamie of Crafter on a Budget for stopping by and commenting regularly!  I also have to give a shout out to Sharla who is enjoying a lovely vacation with her husband right now and has her Etsy shop on vacation as well. Here are some lovely items from the ladies on my list who have Etsy shops.

1) Christmas Ornament for the Newlyweds - Carved Tree First Christmas Ornament by memoriesforlifesb
2) Original red and green sewn paper snowman collage - I Love Snow by storybeader
3) Knit Coin Purse Zipper Pouch Wallet - Green / White Geometric Triangles by NFallonDesignStudio
4) Ruffle Shorts. Red Gingham and Swiss Dots. Size Medium. Picnic by PeriDotbyDuni
5) Simple Pearl Earrnings by littlewhitechapel
6) Emerald Green Silk Velvet Scrunchie by SplendidLittleStars

Blog Sponsors and November Advertising:
I have an awesome round up of blog sponsors!  These lovely ladies all have Etsy shops and/or blogs.  Check them out on the left hand side of my blog under "Private Sponsors."

Would you like to join them? I'm running a special right now:
$10 for one 150x150 ad for the entire 2013 year
You won't see this again until late 2013! Take advantage of it while you can. Check out all of the details about advertising with me right here.

Holiday Sale

My holiday sale is still running strong with 15% off lots of red and green items, 25% off Christmas items, and free shipping on all sale items. If you don't order a sale item, you can still get free shipping with the code FREESHIP. I will not be able to ship December 8-15 this year so if you need an early Christmas gift and/or would like a custom order in the near future, please contact me ASAP. Thanks!

Bring It On December!

• My holiday HubPages traffic has been growing steadily since mid-October and I had my highest earnings to date for November. I also ranked in this Top 100 List for November, which was very exciting. I pushed hard to stay motivated through the final couple months of the Apprenticeship program and am not going to keep up that pace this month, but I'll still be publishing once a week or so.
• My client workload continues to grow. I've picked up a couple new semi-regular clients, which has allowed me to work through several works without searching for any random articles. This won't be a record earnings month with the holidays and a couple other things going on, but I'm got a solid freelance earning base going now.
• I wrapped up my 2012 shows this past weekend (more on that soon) and am looking forward to stepping back a little once the online holiday sales slow down so I can regroup and plan for next year's craft fair scene as well as my online shop focus.
• Jake and I have some out of town time planned as well as lots of get togethers with family and friends for the holidays.
• I'm on track with my Christmas shopping and home decor projects and am looking forward to spending the final days before (as well as right after) Christmas relaxing a little.
  

What's going on with your business and/or blog for December?

Saturday Link List: the December recipe edition

Happy December!

I'll have my top commenters and monthly news post up on Tuesday, December 4.

Welcome to my Saturday Link List!  There is no theme here, but I went a little heavy on the seasonal recipes this time with lots of soup and pumpkin dishes.  Enjoy!

Dressing Recipe: Corn Bread Southern Style Dressing with Gluten-Free Options from Kelley Ward

Balsamic Brussels Sprouts Grilled Cheese from How Sweet It Is

 Crusted Dumplings with Cheese and Scallions from Sharyns Slant

Slow Cooker Beef & Sweet Potato Stew from Sweet Treats and More

Chicken Tortilla Soup from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Roasted Tomato and White Bean Soup from Once Upon a Cutting Board

Slow Cooker Italian Chicken from Sing for Your Supper

 The Best Pumpkin Pie Cake Recipe from Natasha LH

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins from Cyndi Calhoun

Chewy Blondies With Chocolate Chips & Salted Caramel from vespawoolf

What recipes/foods have you been enjoying lately?

Create your own link list and grab a button for your post or simply spread the word on your blog.

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Did I feature your work here?  Grab a button for your blog or web site!

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Did you use one of the resources, tutorials, or recipes from my link list?  Leave me a link in the comments or send me an e-mail (randomcreative28@gmail.com) with your photos and stories.  I would love to post them here.

Stay tuned next week for the December resources edition!

December Top Droppers and Commenters and January News

A couple things to follow up on yesterday's post:
I explained what Match Day is at least three or four times on this blog throughout the last year.  I almost included another explanation with some of the pictures in yesterday's post but I decided that simply wasn't necessary.  Apparently I was wrong.  If you missed all of the posts, take some initiative and look it up yourself.

It's not a compliment when you're 28 years old and people tell you that you look 16, especially in public and/or in professional settings.  Whether or not you have made that specific comment to me, it's not helpful or any kind of compliment to tell me that I look that much younger than I really am.  Whether or not I look young, people need to mind their business and think about how it feels to hear comments like that over and over again.  Maybe it will feel better when I'm 40 or 50 and hear comments about how I look young (if they are said in an appropriate manner, which very rarely happens), but I'm not even 30 yet.  So it really isn't relevant right now.

Moving on...It's a new month, which means that it's time to thank my Top Droppers and Commenters once again and let you know what's going on with my shop next month.  I was so busy right through Christmas that I'm just now starting to slow down, get into a more normal work routine, and fully focus on what's ahead for 2012.  Thanks to everyone who made this retail season so busy for me!  It was really crazy but well worth it.


TOP DROPPERS:
Thankfully Entrecard kept its act together this past month.  December was a much more successful dropping month all the way around than November.  Here are the top 10 for December.  Thanks so much to those of you who also take the time to leave me comments!

 

 

TOP COMMENTERS:
If you're new to this blog, you can check out my Top Commenters widget on the right side of my blog.  Just scroll down to see where you rank. It's right under my blog roll.  I will feature an item or give a shout out to everyone on that list or who has commented regularly (even if not within the last week) in this monthly post.  I really appreciate those of you who take the time to leave me feedback!

Thanks to Grace of Dragon's Alley and Anne of Small Town Mommy for stopping by and commenting regularly!  Here are some lovely items from the ladies on my list who have Etsy shops.

(Top Row)

 1.  Holiday - Swarovski Crystal and Pearl 14K Gold Filled Earrings by BeadedTail
2.  Art journal - collage and lined interior "Junque Journal" by storybeader
3.  DISNEY Princess Scrapbook Photo Album - Perfect for 4x6 Pictures by memoriesforlifesb
4.  SILK Cut VELVET POUCH, zipper, hand dyed, luxurious by SplendidLittleStars

(Bottom Row)

5.  Pink and Blue Daisy Korker Bow by ForLoveofCupcakes
6.  The Sewing Room Graphic and Clipart Set - Digital Scrapbooking Kit by SherHastingsDesigns
7.  Crochet Can Cozy, Watermelon by MagnoliaSurprise
8. Crossword Fabric Coasters Special set for you and a friend - Reversible by PruittCreations

SALE:
I moved all of my discontinued items to my sale section and am also starting to mark down a number of older pieces.  I want to clear out as much older inventory as I can to make room for all of the new 2012 inventory.  All discontinued items are 25% off or more and all other sale items are 15% off.  Get them while you can!  Once most of these items are gone, they're gone.

These items will stay marked down through at least February.  I will also be starting a big Valentine's Day promotion in mid January with a number of new items and free shipping on all promotional items.  Check back in a couple weeks for more information about that.

ADVERTISING:
To kick start 2012, I am offering a limited number of $10 ad spots that will run for all of 2012.  Get them while you can!  More information about my private sponsorship is available right here.  Send me an e-mail at randomcreative28 at gmail dot com or leave me a comment on this post with your contact information if you're interested.

Stay tuned during the next couple weeks for lots of pictures of and information about my new wrap bracelet/necklace line and detachable charms!  If you're curious to see what's listed before then, hop over to my shop any time.  I have a few things up and will be adding lots more this month.

December EBW Challenge voting and 2011 EBW Challenges in review

I did not have a specific goal for the number of EBW challenges that I wanted to complete in 2011, but I am really proud of the fact that I completed 9 out of the 11 challenges this year, especially with everything that was going on this year.  Among other things, it really pushed me to develop the high-end price selection for my shop, including a brand new product line and pattern for it.  I'm not sure that I ever would have done this on my own, but as an artist, I think that it's important to have this high-end work as part of my repertoire.  I have put a lot of hard work into these challenges this year.  It's high time for a little review.

Before I get to that, here's my entry for the December EBW Challenge Arabesque Style.  You can read more about this piece right here.  It's part of my brand new line of wrap bracelets/necklaces that I will officially release next month.  It's available for sale here.

Voting for the EBW Challenge takes place on the blog today through December 15.  Please check out all of the entries and vote for your favorite.  If you can't see the clickable mosaic, click here.

Here's a look back at my other entries from this year.  Click on any of the photos to see larger versions of them.

 

As part of the challenge aspect, I also created two brand new PDF patterns.

PROS

• While some get a lot more than others, in general, my challenge items get tons of views and hearts.
• Regardless of the complexity of my pieces, participating in challenges always brings a lot of traffic to my shop.
• Every challenge that I've participated in has helped me to grow as an artist.
• As already mentioned, these challenges push me to create higher-end pieces that I most likely would not make on my own.  They are a wonderful showcase for my shop and for my inventory selection at craft fairs.
• For 2011, I created a new line of right angle weave cuffs from this challenge.  I also created two of the first pieces for my wrap bracelet/necklace line, which was a great sneak peek for my customers.
• While patterns are a lot of work initially, especially on top of creating the challenge piece itself, they are lasting products for my shop.  Having two new patterns is a great asset for my Etsy shop.
• In August, my Strawberry Fields Forever Cuff placed 10th in the popular vote and 2nd in the private team vote, which was a huge ego boost.  I have many of you to thank for that popular vote placement!

CONS

• While my higher-end pieces get a lot of views, they don't sell very quickly.
• I have had a couple sales from these new patterns, but not nearly as many as I hoped that I would.  At least they aren't going anywhere and may take off at any point.

What's the plan for 2012?

• My goal is to participate in at least 6 challenges in 2012.  We start the BBA Challenges in January.  BBA members have to participate in 6 of those per year so I don't want to burn myself out with too many challenges.
• At least 4 out of those 6 EBW challenge pieces have to fit into current shop lines or must fit into my current shop style and average price point.  One of my biggest goals for 2012 is to continue to narrow my shop focus.  I will be growing my new wrap bracelet/necklace line and want most of my other new inventory to fit into existing lines with just a few one of a kind pieces in the mix.  My challenge items have to fit into this equation.
• While my EBW challenge items obviously have to have large portions of beadweaving, my BBA challenge items can be any medium.  I may use some of them for shop pieces, but I will most likely be using many of them for other projects.  While I love jewelry making, I don't want to burn out on it.  Also, I will be expanding my craft fair inventory and craft fair display options in 2012, which will include many opportunities to meet BBA challenge themes.

I appreciate everyone's support with all of the EBW challenges this past year and looking forward to sharing my EBW and BBA challenges this next year!