July Top Droppers and Commenters and August News

As I'm not teaching right now, I didn't think that I would be so excited about summer, but school schedule or not, summer is still the best.  It's hard to believe that we only have a month of it left.  We're going to do our best to enjoy it as much as we can.

TOP DROPPERS:

Here are the top 10 for July.  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.  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 Sandee of Comedy Plus and Awww...Mondays and for stopping by and commenting regularly!  Here are some lovely items from the ladies on my list who have Etsy shops.

1) Purple Swirl Polymer Clay and Swarovski Crystal Sterling Silver Earrings by BeadedTail
2) Mother's Day Photo Album Scrapbook - MOTHER by memoriesforlifesb

3) Wedding Wrist Corsage. Fabric Pom Pom. Fairytale Bride. Pink. Prom. Tulle and Lace. Shabby Chic by PeriDotbyDuni
4) Original ACEO OOAK Set of Three - Sunset Triptych - Watercolor Paintings by tapestry316
5) Handmade Blank Journal - Purple Petals by storybeader
6) Personalized Journal Follow Your Dreams Custom LINED Journal Choose Cover Color by ArtfulRising
7) Original ACEO Boy Portrait Male Leaf by clockworkghOst
8) Post-it Note Clipboard with pad, mini, 2-sided, purple floral, blue floral by MisterPenQuin
9) Fine Art Print Watercolor Reproduction - Sketchbook Series - Haunted By the Left Unsaid. by NFallonDesignStudio

SALE...or not?
I'm still in the process of clearing out my Christmas in July sale items and haven't made up my mind what kind of sale I want to run next.   If there is something that you want to see, let me know!  Otherwise I may give it a rest for a few months and then gear up again for the holidays.

Blog Sponsors and July 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?  It's only $3 per month or $10 for 4 months to advertise with me.  Check out all of the details about it right here.

Bring it on August!

• The HubPages Apprenticeship program is continuing to go well.  I'm getting in a better groove with my revamped writing style for the program and reached my goal of writing 24 HubPages articles for July.  I usually average 10-15 articles per month there so this was a stretch.  We'll see if I can meet it again this month. I had second article chosen for Hub of the Day this month, Button Craft Project Ideas: How to Make Easy Crafts with Buttons, on July 30 so that was a great way to end the month.
• It was every bit as amazing as I thought it would be having Jake on a M-F schedule and getting to revamp my own schedule to match that this past month.  We did so many fun social things in July.  August will be a little less busy, which is fine.  We still have some great plans in the works.  I'll be posting more about that as it develops.
• I'm not planning to do any more shows until October and am not planning any big promotions on Etsy until then so I'm putting some of my shop agenda on the back burner for a couple months.  I will still be creating and listing at least one new item on Etsy every week, but I'm not setting much of a schedule otherwise.  I am still trying to stay ahead with card making, but there's no reason to stress out or burn out on making other show items at this point
• I've picked up a couple new writing clients and another new writing opportunity this past month.  Those of you who do freelance work know how nice it is to have regular work every week, which cuts down on some of the constant work searching that you have to do.

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

Newest articles:

Cold Orzo Pasta Salad Recipe With Tomatoes and Feta
Collage Ideas
Easy Rice Dishes Recipes
How to Make Your Own Rubber Stamps

June Top Droppers and Commenters and July News

We're already several days into July!  I'm so glad to be through with June and to have gotten a nice start to July.

TOP DROPPERS:

Here are the top 10 for May.  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.  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 and for stopping by and commenting regularly!  Here are some lovely items from the ladies on my list who have Etsy shops.

1) Shabby Chic Laundry Bag. Lingerie Bag. Sweet Rose Medallion.  Polka dots. Pink by PeriDotbyDuni
2) Engraved Wooden Wedding Invitation - Real Wood Invitation - Double Heart Design Joined Heart Design by memoriesforlifesb
3) Flowers with Fern Green Swarovski Crystals Beaded Sterling Silver Earrings by BeadedTail
4) Mr. Random Dude is hiding on the Beach - ACEO OOAK Original mixed media painting by tapestry316
5) Handwrapped Florentine marbled paper beads by storybeader
6) Unicorn Warrior - Fridge Magnet of Steampunk Art - Brass Armor by aquariann
7) SILK SCARF, hand dyed, Under the Sea, blues by SplendidLittleStars
8) Handmade Journal -- You Are Meant to be Whole, Tell Your Story -- Custom, Personalized Sketchbook by ArtfulRising
9) Long Pearl Necklace - cluster, beaded, crystal, gunmetal, antique silver, thin, vintage inspired, 1920s, flapper by OhNostalgiaDesigns

CHRISTMAS IN JULY:
I'm running a Christmas in July sale all month.  Check out all of the sale items right here.  I have all Christmas items marked down as well as lots of red and green items.  Everything in the sale section is 15% off with free shipping.  Prices are already adjusted accordingly.  I debuted two Christmas charm bracelet bell designs for my 2011 Christmas shows and added them on Etsy for the sale.

Blog Sponsors and June 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."  Don't forget to visit my newest sponsor, Valerie of additionsstyle.  I love her shop!

Would you like to join them?  It's only $3 per month or $10 for 4 months to advertise with me.  Check out all of the details about it right here.

Bring it on July!

•  The HubPages Apprenticeship Program is going well.  It has forced me to overhaul the way that I write articles there for the next 5 months, which will hopefully be for the best.  My article National Holidays in July: The Food Holidays which I wrote during the first month was picked for the site's Hub of the Day on July 1.
• Somehow I got everything together and am hosting an Etsy Milwaukee open house in 2 weeks.  I'm still in shock that this is happening and that I have a handful of enthusiastic ladies on board.  If all goes well, there will be more of these in the future.  If you live in the Milwaukee area and would like an invite, leave me a comment.
• Jake started his residency program July 1 and will more or less be working a M-F schedule.  I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing this is after the craziness of this past year.  I've revamped my own work schedule to coordinate with his.  I'm striving to increase the amount of time that I spend writing each week and take more time off on the weekends.  For the first time in months, we have a lot of social activities planned, and I want to fully enjoy them.
• I have five holiday shows scheduled with two more applications pending.  I'm doing my best to keep devoting a little time each week to non-jewelry projects so I don't have to spend every possible second during October and November creating show inventory.  

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

May Top Droppers and Commenters and June News

We're already several days into June!  I'll jump right into things this month.

TOP DROPPERS:

Here are the top 10 for May.  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.  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 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.

1) Root Beer - Brown Ceramic and Faceted Glass Beaded Antique Brass Earrings by BeadedTail
2) Horse artwork - Blaze - 5 x7 inch print of my original watercolor painting by tapestry316
3) Knit Coin Purse Zipper Pouch Wallet - brown and blue stripes by NFallonDesignStudio
4) Personalized Dog Bone Name Sign by memoriesforlifesb
5) Nostalgic Ruffle Zipped Pouch. Make Up Bag. Coin Purse. Pink Roses. Gingham.  Lace.  OOAK by PeriDotByDuni
6) SILK SCARF flowers, hand dyed, Summer Blossoms by SplendidLittleStars
7) Two Peas in a Pod Large Toy Plush Pretend Food for Babies, Toddlers, Children by MagnoliaSurprise
8) Handwrapped paper pumpkin beads by storybeader

Sale Items:
I still have a handful of items in my sale section that are 2 years older and more.  I would really like to clear them out so I have more room for my brand new items.  If you're looking for a good deal on a gift or a little indulgence for yourself, check it out.  These deals will be gone next month when Christmas in July starts so take advantage of them while you can.

Blog Sponsors and June 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?  It's only $3 per month or $10 for 4 months to advertise with me.  Check out all of the details about it right here.

Bring it on June!

• Some of you may remember that last month I had sent in some new earring designs to Bead Trends magazine and was still waiting to hear back.  They did accept one of them!  It will be featured in October.
• This past month I got accepted into the HubPages Apprenticeship program.  This was a much needed boost as I'm still fighting to build up views after my big dive traffic after Easter.  I started this month.  The program is 6 months long and among other things, will hopefully give me a lot of good tips for writing even better articles.
• I currently have five acceptances for fall shows.  This year will be a continual effort to get ready for the holidays.
• I got it into my head that it would be fun to put together a summer and/or open house with some other local artists in the Milwaukee area.  The initial response has been great.
• I'm starting to get ready for Christmas in July on Etsy.  I've had a few ideas for it for quite a while now and now need to get them together during the next few weeks.

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

Where I Linked Up Today: 

February Top Droppers and Commenters and March News

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for March.  A new month 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.  This is a still a slow shopping season, but that doesn't mean that things have stopped around here.

TOP DROPPERS:
As always, Entrecard has had a few rocky days this month, but overall things have been pretty solid there.  Here are the top 10 for February.  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 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 for stopping by and commenting regularly!  Here are some lovely items from the ladies on my list who have Etsy shops.  Unfortunately, I couldn't include Margaret of Splendid Little Stars this month because she's on vacation, but she did make the list.  We miss you Margaret and hope that you're having a great trip!

 1) Advice Book or Well Wishes Book for the Bride and Groom - SET OF 10 by memoriesforlifesb
2) Tennis Bracelet Blue Crystal - Summer Sky by BeadedTail
3) Handmade Watercolor Doodle Book - Cherry Blossoms by storybeader
4) Hungry Horse leaving nose prints on my window - OOAK ACEO - Original watercolor painting by tapestry316
5) Sam the Song Sparrow - Wood and Fabric Bird Figurine by ABirdInTheHandArt
6) Knit Purse with Shoulder Strap in Black and White Polka Dots by NFallonDesignStudio
7) Purple Fairy Art - Fridge Magnet - Orange Butterfly Wings - Tribal Tattoo by aquariann
8) Snowman with Bird Mug Rug by QuiltinCats

Sale Items and New Greeting Card Section:
My "out with the old" sale is still going strong.

All of the pieces in this section are from lines that I've discontinued or they're over two years old and need some good homes.  Get them while you can!

When I ended my Valentine's Day promotion, I moved my greeting cards into their own section where I then  added my new St. Patrick's Day cards.

I am primarily listing seasonal cards on Etsy right now, but I'm planning to add some general cards over the next few months, too, such as birthday and wedding cards.  If there's anything that you'd like to see, let me know.


Blog Sponsors and March 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?  It's only $3 per month or $10 for 4 months to advertise with me now.  Check out all of the details about it right here.

Bring It On March!

•  When one of the Bead Trends editors accepted my two pieces for early 2012 issues, she mentioned that they're looking for a lot of earring designs for the second half of 2012.  I'm working on some brand new designs to submit.
• I've started applying to spring and fall 2012 shows.  If you haven't started scouting shows yet, it's not too early.  I've already sent our three applications, have two more in the works, and have one in mind that I will fill out as soon as it becomes available in early April.
• In anticipation of these future shows, I am continuing my push to make Christmas cards and fall sets (i.e. Halloween, Thanksgiving), all year.  While jewelry sales are a little slow, it's a good time of year to focus on this.

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