Limited editions

My last post was about 1 year and 4 months from now. 

I wished I never stopped writing on here, but alas, life does gets in the way sometimes.

It is hard to summarize over a years in one post, so I'm going to limit the 2 most important events:

1) I got a full time job as a Biology teacher (yes, I'm actually using my degree!)

2) I bought a house

This post is more related to point #2.

As we were moving out of the old place and loading things in the cars to bring them here, somebody decided to "lift" some boxes from the lawn.....I kid you not!

One of the boxes being fulls of crochet thread and cotton than I use to crochet and create things for my shop.
Sad I know, also because it took me years to accumulate that much and select specific colors....
I'm not sure that I will be ever able to replace everything if anything.

That said, I'm trying to see the good in every situation and the way I see it is that the crocheted little things that I was able before the loss, are now limited editions as I don't have the tools, materials, nor time to make more.

With this in mind, I created a Limited Editions section in my shop with those discontinued pieces at very discounted prices. I hope you will take advantage of the possibility to buy something unique as I cannot reproduce any of these pieces anymore.

Do you have any Limited Editions that you'd like to share?

MilkAndHoneyNaturals GIVEAWAY

Summer is definitely arrived in the Pan Handle of Florida and with the school almost over, me and the kid LOVE to spend time outside. 

But with the summer, the annoying mosquitoes and various bugs also arrived and they seemed to have fun feasting on me and my children (my daughter especially), even after applications of store bought repellants :( 

 

Citronella Cream Solid Lotion Repellent by MilkAndHoneyNaturals 

I'm not going to have the little buggers spoiling our fun tho, I just went bug repellant shopping and with the help of another blogger, Miss Val's Creations, I fell right on MilkAndHoneyNaturals on Etsy and her solid bar repellants. 

I loved the idea of the solid bar instead of the store-bought spray that with young kids is gonna end up into their eyes, clothes and what not, but never everywhere on the skin, leaving few "vulnerable" spots. 

We now have the wonderful habit to relax sitting on the chairs in our garage, letting the bar melt a little in our hands while we talk about our day and then lather our self us and smell the lovely citronella :) 

No more little bugs bothering us, bring on the fun!!!!! 

Wanna have fun too?? I hope so because you might be the lucky person to win one of those bars!!! 

{The giveaway}

Winner will receive 1 Citronella Cream Solid Lotion Repellent Valued at $6 from MilkAndHoneyNaturals 

{The rules}

Use the rafflecopter form below. The first 2 entries are mandatory: You must leave me an email to reach you in case you win AND visit MilkAndHoneyNaturals to tell me which item from her shop is your favorite .

Open WORLDWIDE

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway will last 2 weeks and will end May, 31th. Winner will be picked through Rafflecopter and contacted on June 1st. Winner will have 72 hours to answer the email and claim the prize.

Good Luck!!!

 

Random bits

A couple of things that I wanted to share with you, but weren't enough to make a blog post about it, so I thought to combine them here.

First I'd like to invite you all to an auction on Facebook: lots of items for awesome prices, included a couple of items from my shop. Plus, the bidders are entered for a giveaway from Whimsical Wishes that so graciously put the auctions together.
I own a wonderful pair of hoops earrings from Stormy and love them!!

Then I want to thank burunduchok for including me in this Strawberry Treasury on Etsy

karnivalofkrafts: The winner

Thank you very much to all that entered to Kim's giveaway for the Crocheted Spa Set!

And the winner is.......

Stephanie said... #16

My favorite item, http://www.etsy.com/listing/92323258/green-spa-set-spa-bath-set-crochet-spa

Congrats Stephanie!!! Please get in touch with Kim in the next 72 hours to claim your prize :)

karnivalofkrafts: The giveaway

First: let me thank all of you for the warm welcome you gave to Kim, the owner of karnivalofkrafts, after I poster her feature HERE

I noticed every facebook post, pinterest pin and tweet and it's the best, most amazing feeling ever!!!!

So, how can me and Kim thank you properly??? But with a giveaway of course!

Prizes Details:
1 lucky winner will receive Crocheted Yellow Spa set from karnivalofkrafts


How to enter:
Please leave a separate comment for every entry for increase your chance of winning!!

1) You MUST go through karnivalofkrafts shop and comment back here with a link of your favorite item with your name and contact information.
2) Follow this blog and gain ONE extra entry.
3) Blog about this giveaway and receive ONE extra entry! Just come back here and leave a separate comment with your blog link.
4) Tweet this giveaway for ONE extra entry. It's very easy, just push the "tweet" button on the top of this post.
5) Like karnivalofkrafts on facebook to gain ONE extra entry.
6) Purchase anything between now and March, 19th and claim 10 EXTRA ENTRIES.

This giveaway will last for 2 weeks and will end March, 19th.

Winner will be announced on March, 20th, at which time I will contact the winner to get shipping information for delivery.
If the winner does not contact me within three days, I will appoint another winner through another random number drawing.

Good luck!

Featuring karnivalofkrafts

How long it's been since I posted a random feature? Or a giveaway? OMGosh, too long I'd say.
So let me fix that today and introduce you to Kim and her wonderful creations at karnivalofkrafts on etsy.....tada!!

Macrame Bookmark with Butterfly Charm, $2.75 by karnivalofkrafts

I love her many skills that bleed through the many things available in her shop like baby items, spa and kitchen crocheted goodies and paper goods just no name a few.

And I'm sure you can find something to love and use in her Clearance or the Destash sections.

Crochet Fingerless Gloves in Coffee Brown, $23 by karnivalofkrafts

Now, few words from the artist:

"Hi and Welcome!

My name is Kim.

All my life, I have enjoyed making beautiful things in a variety of crafts. I sew, knit, macrame, scrapbook, and my passion is crochet. Lately, I have discovered a passion for creating paper crafts like tags and cards. With such a variety of creating, I think you can see how my shop got its name.

Please feel free to stay and browse a while and I hope you will find something you just can't live without!"


Crocheted Round Coasters in Purple and White, $7 by karnivalofkrafts

I know what you all are thinking, You want to know more about karnivalofkrafts and I showed you enough to leave you drooling on your keyboards while staring at the monitors.

Not to worry, stay tuned for an amazing giveaway from by karnivalofkrafts

Trading Earrings Part 2

This morning I dressed in black, see?

What a better occasion to show off those beauty made from FarrOutDesigns?

Classy and elegant lace design, yet lightweight and sturdy enough for a mom-on-the-go like me!

What? You wanna know about the necklace? Courtesy of Alisuns, remember I talked about her HERE ?

Trading buddies: SecondhandNel/NelHutch

Look at this beauty!!

Some of you know that for my son special diet, I do lots of baking myself and usually when I bake, I stock for all week. Sometimes the cake my son loves so much, will get dry tho, but this gorgeous Cake Saver......really saves the cake :)

Can you believe is vintage? Found browsing NelHutch

Nelly was very nice to trade with me for a pair of open toe slippers

I hope you'll visit her shop and find something to love too :)

Do you like my new look???

Have you noticed the new clean and neat look of my blog lately?
All thanks to Bebe Chat Designs!
She redesigned my blog, gave me helpful hint and suggestion and....voila'!
What do you think?
She also gave a make over to my etsy shop! Look for your self!

New banner, new avatar and graphics!

But that's not all!!!!
The blog redesign came about few days ago, when with her help I was able to set up my very own website:

Still under construction but.....it's there!

And wouldn't have been possible without her, Bebe Chat Designs.
So to top it off, she matched my blog to it :)

THANK YOU!

Meeting a new shop: BebeChat

Chrysanthemum Flower Earrings in Pale Mint Green - Mint, $8 by BebeChat

A dear friend of mine recently opened a brand new shop on etsy called BebeChat
I love love LOVE the fresh and modern colors of her hair accessories, headbands, jewelry and brooches with that delicate touch of vintage flair.

Fabric and Felt Layered Flower Hairpins - Daisies, $10 by BebeChat

Handmade with love using the finest supplies and the trendiest fabric, with a lots of care for details.

Grapefruit -Hibiscus Polymer Clay Flower Hairpins in Pink and Orange, $10 by BebeChat

She also sells PDF patterns. Right now this is available for sale and of course I had to snatch one!

Wrapped Up - Handbag Purse Printable PDF Sewing Pattern, $8 by BebeChat

Stay tuned to see how my bag will come out!

Let show my friend some love! Visit her shop, BebeChat or drop by her facebook page and let's show her our encouragements for this new adventure of hers!

Pssst....she even has a brand new blog where I was recently featured....check it out!

Newsletter #16

Happy 2011!!

 

Hi there to all, this is Lu. Here it is newsletter #16.

Another year is behind us and I hope 2011 will be full of wonderful things for all!

I have many many things to tell you!!



What happened?



After 10 months of hiatus I decided to re-open my Etsy shop and re-lauch it in another direction: I'm proud to announce that some of my patterns are available for sale and I will be adding more in the next months.

Free patterns and tutorials will be available every week on my ArtFire blog. Check it out and watch out for video support coming soon!



Take a pick of my 50% off sale and take advantage of hot prices! The money will go to support a dieing Arfire artisan. You can read about the details on my blog.



Least, but not last, if you are an Etsy seller and you'd like to promote your shop and your blog, me and Cori from Blue Eyed Blessings are hosting a blog hop every Wednesday.

Come and join us!

---

What's coming up?



Crocheted Little Things had a wonderful season on Artfire! I "almost" reached my goal on 100 sales, I'm currently seat at 99. Wanna know a secret??? My 100th sale will have a free gift along with their purchase....would will be the lucky recipient? One way to know!!



Stay tuned for Valentine's specials coming up next month!

 

Wednesday ETSY Blog Hop

Are you trying to get your Etsy Blog and/or Store off the ground?

Looking for more followers for your Etsy related blog?

Looking for more people to “favorite” your Etsy store?

Are you looking for new hip and original Etsy stores?

If you said yes, to any of the above questions, you’re in the right spot!

Blue Eyed Blessings and Crocheted Little Things are excited to announce the start of an all new Blog Hop featuring YOUR ETSY BLOGS & STORES!

How will this work? Easy!

1) Enter your blog and/or Etsy Store into the appropriate Linky below!

Etsy Blog: Follow Blue Eyed Blessings and Crocheted Little Things via Google Friend Connect [GFC]
Leave us a comment so we know you stopped by, and we can return the favor!

Etsy Site: Make Blue Eyed Blessings and Crocheted Little Things one of your Etsy Favorites!

2) Follow and/or Favorite the 2 blogs above you in the Linky! Give their Etsy Blogs & Etsy Site’s some love too!

3) Each week we’ll spotlight one Etsy Blog & Etsy Site picked at random via Random.org to be included in the next week’s Wednesday Etsy Blog Hop Linky!

4) Grab our Button and Linky Codes to share with all your Bloggy and Etsy Friends!

*Please remember that our blogs are Family Friendly and any thumbnails or links that we feel are inapproriate will be removed*

<center><a href="http://blueeyedblessings.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cori_shelley/linkybuttondone.jpg" /></a></center>

Add Your ETSY Blogs Here!
Add Your ETSY Sites Here!

News from the handmade community.

Can you hear it? Can you smell it? The holiday shopping reason is fast approaching and you should start prepping for it.
That's what I'm doing, while looking around and valuating my opportunities.
I found some news and updates from selling venues that I'm going to share with you, so you can get ready too.

1. Artfire

I must say, I'm partial: I love this site. Make really easy to put listings up with the 1 page listing process, the importer tool from etsy listing and a bliss to sell with features like the global editor, sale mode, sale labels and coupon options. Just to name a few. The recently rolled out new improvements, like the new front page featuring collection made my members and the a better karma/kudos (feedback) system.
They are running a super mega promotion now. If you go on Artfire right now and open a basic account of already have a pro account, if you opt for the Artfire deal, you'll be able to have a pro account for $5.95/month. Not matter if you joined yesterday or 2 hours ago, if you have a free account and opt with the deal you can have a pro account for $5.95/month. If you currently have a pro account, no matter what rate you got locked in, you can opt for the deal and pay $5.95/month from now on. The new rate will start October, 1st: make sure you opt for the deal before than so you can be in. I urge you to not miss this opportunity, for the tools and features that artfire has, the new rate is a steal! I'm currently pay $7/month and my sales aren't excellent, but I'm still able to make a profit.

2. ShopHandmade

Was a venue that really attired me 2 years or more ago. I really liked there, but in almost 3 years I mad one single sale. Not too bad but still....
They have rolled out a series of changes, now every store has a blog and users have the ability to join and create "Markets" kinda like 1000markets. I still find the listing process a pain in the....neck and the inability to connect with other sellers on there makes me feel kinda of lonely.
Anyway, I revamped and renamed my account and I will add more stuff in the next days, can't hurt. Here you go, giving it another shot, Cupcake Land:

3. 1000markets

On Monday, September 20, 2010, 1000 Markets was acquired by Bonanza (formerly Bonanzle). right now my shop is closed, 1000markets shut it down for inactivity (haven't listed anything there for a while), so I think I will have to wait for approval that it will be reopened and then I will have to make the transition to Bonanza. I do not have any experience with Bonanzle, so I can't tell you if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I do know of sellers making sales there, so it can be all bad, right?

4. Etsy

What can I say? Where should I start? Well, let's see. Something happened around March and my shop there (still opened) simply died, disappeared from google and from customers eyes. I had big hopes, I put into it lots of work, I even made it to the front page one morning. Recently I was informed that I was one of the "victim" of the privacy issue with the treasury: my real name (instead of my username of etsy) was public on a treasury that I made months ago. Yesterday, I had a customer buy something or I must saying, trying to buy something but she couldn't: I ended up sending her a paypal invoice. They changed the feedback system and the rules about canceling transitions: now when a seller cancel a sale (for any reason) an automatic email is generated both to the seller and the buyer, stating that there are just 48 hours to leave feedback. Plenty room for non-payers to screw any shop over. It's a mess in my opinion. I had a dreadful spring and a dry summer: honestly, I don't except much from it for the holidays.

5. Zibbet

This is a venue that I haven't explored yet, but I want to in the near future. Not sure if I'll be ready for the holidays tho.

I guess that concludes my stroller around handmade venue. If you have experience with any other venue or want to share your experience with this venue, I will love to hear from you :)

Apparently.....

.....I made it to the Etsy Front Page the other night with my cupcake pincushion.

It's was like 2 in the morning so I missed it live, but still was very nice and was my very first time.

I didn't get any sales from this exposure, but I did get so many hearts that made my own heart swell.

So I want to thank the creator of this list, Scenic Roots that selected my cupcake for her collection and I also want to point out that I made it to the Front Page thanks to the new Treasury East that Etsy implemented, where anybody, at any time can make a treasury.
It would have be very difficult (if not impossible) for me to ending up up there otherwise.

New kid on the block: Punk Rock Momma

Can you tell that spring is in the air and all I can think of is babies??? How I wish I had a baby right now, I bought my last training pants pack last month, now I'm officially a mom of 2 kids and not a mom of 1 kid and a toddler LOL

So, in this there, here a mommy-kiddos brand new shop: Punk Rock Momma.

Eco friendly wash wipes, $6 by Punk Rock Momma

Punk Rock Momma provides handmade items for everyday use like Eco friendly wipes, Burpies, Wallets. We use quality fabrics to make each and every one of our products and hope that you like our color and design choices.

Burpie, $5 Punk Rock Momma

Let's know this talented mommy a little better!

"Hi, I'm Jessica Lynn and I am the designer of these great handmade items.

I'm a mother of two very obnoxious children and one very sweet baby boy. I am happily married and trying to find something to while away my time with so i thought lets sew again. lol
So here I am.
Everything I sell is handmade by me in a smoke free environment. I take special care in all that I make and hope that you will enjoy having them as much as I enjoy making them.
Everything I make is baby friendly and child friendly.

I do custom orders also, so if you don't see something your interested in but would like one of my items convo. me and I'm sure we can come up with the design your looking for.

Connect with me on twitter or on facebook and you can follow my blog. Hope to see you there!"

Handmade wallet, $8 by Punk Rock Momma

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Randomness Saturdays

And another Saturday is upon us.....HAPPY EASTER to all of you!
Here the latest news, mostly about business this week.

♥ I'm taking a break for my Etsy shop: yes, you read it right. For the last 2 years I woke up in the morning scrambling over the PC with my hot coffee to list something, then crochet something, taking pictures, editing them and eat a sandwich at the PC again while I was listing another item, do all my chore and spend time with the kids in the afternoon so at night I can sit down at the PC and list while tweeting, facebooking, posting on kaboodle, votehandmade and what have you to get views.....all that to get 10 views at day in the best day. No more.
I actually got back to CREATE and to love what I create and loving it more this way.
I'm not going to leave Etsy completely: I will still take orders and list a few things, I'm just no going to sweat over a site that is not giving me nothing else.

♥ But, not all hopes are lost! I'm still very active in my Artfire Studio" new products are added daily and to celebrate Easter with all of you I'm having a FREE SHIPPING SALE and little samples are available like this

♥ I'm also very happy that My very best friend Michele at Sweet Irie decided to come back on Artfire. You can visit her studio here!

♥ The best news of the week was that I was accepted on 1000markets. For those that don't know, 1000markets is a site to sell handmade, but it's not for everyone since is juried. So, I submitted my work and few days ago I got approved! Here a sneak pick for all of you and I'm offering a free gift with purchase for all the people that will go to shop there

♥ I got very spoiled this week with a lots of amazing things coming in the mail: but this is enough for another post!

♥ And now enough business talking and I'm going to share with you a band that lately I'm LOVING so much that was really hard to pick up just ONE song to share with you: The Nickel back. I'm so gonna buy all their CDs, they're simply amazing.
For now I settle down for this song, since it's a theme really dear (and also scary!) for me, hope you enjoy it!

During my journey in the promotion realm.....

....I bumped in some very interesting site to promote my shop and I want to share them with all of you, 'cause someone really wise one time told me: "Sharing is caring" ;)

So, the first site I'm gonna talk about is EtsyCodes and by the name I thing you already guessed that you'll find tons of coupon codes that will allow you to save some money shopping in your favorite etsy shops.

Crocheted Little Things and Sweet Irie are on it for sure, but so are a lot of more shop, organized by category.....you don't wanna miss that!
The site also has a nice message board and if you'd like to connect more with you favorite seller, that's the place for you.

For the other site that I found about, you have to wait for the next post, so stay tuned!

Hey....

....sorry to be gone for some time, I switched to my new computer and I had some technical difficulties with IE8! But do not fear, I downloaded Mozilla Firefox in a heart bit and here I am!!!! God bless whomever invented Mozilla Firefox!!!

This afternoon I'm here to share with my readers that my cupcakes had the honor to be included in etsy Gift Guides....

How I ended up there is still a mystery for me, but to celebrate, I'm offering FREE SHIPPING on all my items! Just put the code "Gift Guides" in the Note to seller during check out and the shipping will be refunded to you!