GIVEAWAY: If I Had A Hammer

Hello Sportsfans! One of my favorite bloggers is having a giveaway of one of her gorgeous necklaces. Here are two other beauties from her shop.

And while I'm secretly hoping that I am the winner of her giveaway, you can see the fantastic prize and enter to win on her blog "If I Had A Hammer"

Cheers!

Back in Long Beach after Crazy Traffic....and Other Stuff

After leaving Raleigh at 10am on Sunday with our home address all in the Garmin, we were happy to know that our ETA was 6:30pm. With a good stop to eat and stretch the legs, 7:30 would be decent. But nooooooo......3 hours into the trip the brake lights appeared. In Virginia. OK, it's still early, must be an accident. Pass through 'volume' and we start moving again , only to be crawling through Virginia....through DC....through Maryland....through NJ....across Staten Island.....and the Belt Parkway. After two, 10-minute stops, we rolled in front of our house at 10pm. The saving grace is that Ryan caught a bug and she had a fever so she slept and was quite content to remain in her carseat. I too caught a cold that was compounded by allergies so driving just made my head throb and my body ache. BUT....Duke Reunion was a blast! Met lots of my hubby's old friends and the reunion committee put on a great weekend. I'm scared to see what my 20th will be next year since my 15 was in our gym, under fluorescent lights, with folding chairs and blaring music. Duke Reunion was like going to a super nice wedding reception under a huge outdoor tent.

OK...on to the Other Stuff....

* I took Muppet Soul's advice and read "Stolen Innocence" by Elissa Wall. It is a story of a girl who grew up in the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, which practices polygamy and arranged marriage, was married at 14 years old to her first cousin, and eventually escaped the thumb of Warren Jeffs. WHat a crazy story and way of life. I cannot imagine what it is like to have every aspect of one's life dictated from a prophet that channels the word of God through revelations. No one can make a decision for themselves - each is told what to wear, how to do one's hair, what to read, what to learn, who to marry, to not ask questions but rather submit and 'keep sweet'. As an outsider, I found the book fascinating that people live in this country like this!

* In February I won two giveaways in the same week! Woo hoo! I rarely win anything so I was doing a little happy dance when I found out. I meant to post my appreciative THANKS, but finally took the pictures. SO hip hip hoorays go out to Two Happy Stampers for donating the adorable gift card set and Buster and Boo for donating a pair of earrings. I chose this white bead pair because I thought they would be perfect for summer:

I tried to directly link the shops to where I have the names, but don't know if it worked so here is the way I know....

Buster and Boo: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5486148

Two Happy Stampers: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6427307

Please visit these fantastic shops and show the love to these generous donors!

Color Poll Winner: GREEN

Green was the big winner in my color-poll, so I decided to head to the shops of my followers and pick out some awesome green goods - not only in honor of St. Patrick's Day, but also for Spring! I need it to get to Long Beach soon! I hate trudging to the train in the cold and it seems, always against the wind.

All you green-lovers out there, maybe one of these lovelies will catch your eye and you'll spend a little green in the 'green-season'. :-)

From IfIHadAHammer: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19016718

Justbehappy: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10069189

StuffbyXtine: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21544565

CountryGirl: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16785770

Roses7184: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19902306

RavenX: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19925683

mydeardarling: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22051820

A Treasury!

Last night I checked Etsy (Hello my name is Jennifer and I am an Etsy addict) and had a convo that I was included in a Treasury! Last week, KimsCraftyApple included my "hip to be square" earrings (featured in former post) in her Treasury, but I wasn't 'fast' enough to capture it for a posting. So this time around I'm not delaying. Here is the link to "SShhh You Wake Him You Take Him" by Aurorafedora - PLEASE take a look and leave a comment:


http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=41012


Thanks to Fisheye for forwarding me the Treasury in photo-format!!






AuroraFedora has beautiful cards in her shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5404935. Here are a few of my favorites:

It's 5:30am....And why am I awake?

I'm happy to report that we received a big baby shower gift order and I'm anxious to get started on it! My mom and I do 6-7 craft fairs a year to build the business (although we'd likely need to do upwards of 30 to make a real difference), and many people love our items. We get alot of enjoyment out of making customers happy even though when making the teddy bears, we sometimes want to throw the sewing machine out the window. :-) But it is always worth the effort when we receive compliments and repeat sales.

In October 2008, we opened an Etsy shop in hopes of generating sales from a larger customer base. Alas, our craft fair success has not translated into Etsy success just yet. I have a few thoughts on the reasons:

1) The Touch Factor - One cannot see and feel our products through a website. It is hard to convey a 'soft flannel' or see the actual large size of the panda and teddy bears. I think once seen in person, our customer feels comfortable that they are getting a quality product and then doesn't mind ordering post-fair or putting through a custom request.

2) Workmanship - Our teddy bears is a 23-piece pattern and requires alot of hand-stitching. We make our quilts with a double border, which many others forgo, and we hand-stitch parts of each one. Our burp-cloths have a full flannel back, accent ribbon, and applique that one does not see from the back.

3) Pictures - I need to take better pictures!! The outdoor shots convey color the best with the right sun exposure. I need to take advantage of 'good photography' days and get out there.

I'm hoping our little business can become a little bigger in 2009. Off to make a chenille quilt, teddy, and burp cloth set. I'll post a picture when completed - hopefully with good outdoor light. :-)