Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I just wanted to stop by and say Happy Holidays to all! We were going to do our own tradition but as life would have it my husband's job changed his schedule so he had to work. So this past Monday I had to figure out what I had and what I needed to do the old fashioned traditional Thanksgiving feast. I needed a turkey and most of the fixins so to the store I went. Thankfully I had earned a free turkey so I picked it up with the other missing fixins for our family meal. It was only going to be three of us dd#1 was going out for the day so it was not like I needed to feed an army by any means. Last night I realized that I forgot something I needed to cook with for this morning so I needed to get up early and head to the store again. To my surprise I was not alone. The grocery store was packed with other last minute shoppers for turkey day cooking needs. I came home and got busy. Unfortunately in the end the homemade mashed were replace by instant because they came out like glue! *yuck* The turkey took a little longer than expected and the my dh was less than amused because he wanted to get out early to get to work as soon as possible to get a jump start at work. All in all it worked out in the end and we had a wonderful dinner and enjoyed a few of the leftovers already. DD#1 even came home and made herself a plate and went to town so I know it all tasted good at least.

My wish for all of you is that your day was blessed and you enjoyed time with those you love. I hope you have fond memories from the day and were able to be thankful for everyone that is and has been in your life.

I'm having a handmade holiday, come and join me!

For the upcoming holiday season I will be not only creating but purchasing items from my fellow Artfire sellers. Come and join me you will find so many handcrafted, vintage and all around awesome items that only your mind could imagine. Artisans have worked hard to bring you items that everyone on your list will enjoy. I can't think of a better way to stimulate the economy or to give things from the heart than to purchase items from artists that put their heart into their work.

Handmade Jewelry

As most of you know that stop by here or those that know me I create Handcrafted Jewelry. I must say I am far from being alone in this world. Please stop by:

http://handmadejewelry.artfire.com/modules.php?name=categories&op=targeted&query=handmadejewelry

You will be dazzled with the work my fellow artisans create with their hearts and their hands. With the upcoming holiday season you could find beautiful gifts for friends and family. You can even find some bling for yourself while you browse around.

I hope to see you there!

Artfire info

All members of ArtFire can list unlimited items for the Holidays. No cost, no fees, no kidding.

Back to school

Well today is back to school day for my girls. Up early and out for a new year they went. My oldest is now a freshman. She has been nervous and now sees that it is still school. She was glad to see many of her friends that she has not seen all summer. My youngest was also glad to see old friends and get her 8th grade started. She will be going on a camping trip that the school does for the 8th grader's every year. It is an awesome time to bring them together for their last year of middle school.

Summer found us

Well summer decided to show up and we have been a bit on the warm side of things. Thankfully we have been able to keep cool. I don't do well in the heat, I melt and fall apart. It is not pretty. I am looking forward to the cooler days ahead and being able to have my windows back when we remove the window air conditioners. They just make it feel so closed in. I love having my windows open and enjoying the fresh air. It will be here soon and then I will be mad cause it will be getting cold and I can't have the open windows again.

I have been needing to focus on getting more of my things up on my Artfire site. Finally started again last night. I need to re-work a few items and get others photographed or written up. I unfortunately can not do the craft show circuit any more. It wears me out so much that it is not worth it in the end. I have also been trying to find my style or voice with my jewelry. I have been feeling like I need a direction. Many of the items I currently have for sale were put together for the craft show circuit. I made them so I could get started and now I feel like they are not selling because I have made items that are just so generic or blah. I just have so many things I love and directions I could go and not sure what truly says me. The other hard part for me is our finances just make it hard too. I have always had to watch what I spend. I end up getting what speaks to me at the moment and that may not turn out to be a stellar or items I should actually getting to make into items that will bring in a profit. I have so many things I want to learn so that I can expand my abilities and what I can create. My hopes it that I can get some money flowing somehow to move things on but I have not figured out what I can do exactly at this point. My essential tremor makes it so I can not get a real job because I can not guarantee that I will be able to show up everyday and that creates a cash flow issue. Argh! It is just so frustrating some days. I want this to work for me but it is so difficult to make it work out in the end.

I hope everyone is having a good day and a pleasant summer. Catch ya next time...

So you say July is part of summer you would not know it here.

Well it has not been the summer that all of us are use to. It has not be really hot or oververtly sunny or humid as I am use to. Not that I like it hot and humid, I have a tendency to melt. This year July has been a mess. Three of us were sick for the better part of two weeks and when the kids went on their summer vacation over a family friends home no one was up to the regular fun that they have together cause they are all still getting use to the things teens deal with in their young lives. Everyone is now home and back to normal but it just stinks all around this year. My DH does not have sick time so that has messed other things up too. Argh! Well life moves on and we all will soon forget all of this mess.

I hope your summer is better.

Oh btw I just went outside and I think summer is trying to make a comeback. It is humid. LOL!

Thanks for the help

I would like to thank those of you that made either purchases or twittered, blogged or helped in any way you could to help my friend. I appreciate your participation and hope I can count on you again in the future if this need should arise again.

Thanks!

Helping hands helping heavy hearts...

As we all know many of our friends, family and our world in general have hit hard times due to the ever looming economy. At times like these we all need to feel that our own lives are safe and secure. What would you do if your situation was not like everyone else? Do you run and hide? Do you ask for help? What would you do? I have been in this place and you do hide until it gets so hard that there is nothing else you can do but ooze anger, fear and frustration at your situation and everyone around you.

We have a situation, many of us artists trying to sell our wares in an economic state of affairs where all disposable income has dried up like the drought last summer in the Southern US. Orders have dried up. Buyers have said that they can't make purchases because their overall sales are down or they are going out of business. Customers are saying how beautiful your work is but don't have the funds to make a purchase right now. They will keep you in mind and take your business card for future reference. The lack of sales make it difficult to stay focused and motivated. This makes it difficult for those of us that depend on this income, and this may be an artists only income. This is the case for myself and many others.


Now I am going to the real important part of my message today. I would like to see how many of you could help me help someone with a heavy heart. I am not asking you to part with your hard earned money for nothing I am asking you to help my friend, a fellow artist and a Mom with babies that creates these beautiful items with her own hands to make a living. Please visit one of her following sites:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=46486

http://www.artfire.com/users/bluenoodle

http://www.bluenoodlejewelry.com/

I would really appreciate all of you to take the time to stop by any or all of her sites to see if you can find something that would brighten your day and help a heavy heart. In a week I would love to come back and let all of you know how many of you helped someone in need, lightened the load and helped an artist continue her beautiful craft.

Thanks for stopping by!

$12.00 a Month for Life at Artfire

Here is another newsflash for everyone! Would you like to have your own website to sell your handmade items? Artfire is offering for a limited time $12.00 for Life for a verified accounts. All current artisans will have the price locked for life and all of the new verified artisans who sign up in the promotional period will have the $12.00 per month price locked in. This is a great promotion. Don't delay go to Register on ArtFire.com today and sign up for your verified account. Hey this is for all of you have have Basic Memberships at Artfire too! Are you on the fence would you like to have more than 10 items a month in your Artfire Fusion Studio? Join now while your memebership is only $12.00 per month! Stop by to visit my shop too! See you there...

Newsflash & Ya know...

Hey gang sorry I have been scarce recently. My benign essental tremor was acting up a bit and kept me from having time to visit. It seems to have calmed down again so here I am!

I have some news to pass on to all of you. Artfire is offering the Free for Life program again. If you have not heard about this here is what you need to do...

Tell your friends about Artfire and ask them to join; share with them what you like about Artfire and invite them to participate. Together all of us can build a community of artisans that care about making a positive impact on the world and who support and create handmade items.There are a few ways to do this, you need to go to the Free for Life page on Artfire and follow the instructions.

I am also trying to get a Free for Life account. So, if you are looking for a place to share your creative vision with the world and would like to have a webpage of your own to sell from for only $12.00 a month with no relisting fees, one button relisting of your items, fast secure tranactions, please click on the following link for more information about Artfire!
Register on ArtFire.com

Are you looking?

Are you or someone you know looking for a site to sell your wares? Go check out here: http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=sevenforlife&afuid=11391

Hey have you tried Artfire yet?

ArtFire Offers Two Membership types:

Verified User :

Basic User (free) :

$12 Monthly No Fees for Sales Sell Unlimited Items Make Your Own Categories Full Community Interaction Up to 10 Pictures Per Product Prefered Placement in Searches Shop Banner Forums Custom Google Analytics Global Shipping Profiles Social Media Promotion Tool Social Media Resource Library Real Time Statistics Instant Flagging Categories Displayed Randomly(No Relisting Needed) Fast, Clear Checkout Process Fast, Accurate Filtered Site Search One Button Relist One Button Vacation Sales Mode Education/Training Green Impact View Prices in Any Currency Google Base (Autofeed Every Item) Kudos Guilds Artisan Councils Artisan Profile with Photo Market Hub Site Participation Rewards (Artifacts) Automated Markdown Manager Rapid Cart

Shop Banner Forums Custom Google Analytics Global Shipping Profiles Social Media Promotion Tool Social Media Resource Library Real Time Statistics Instant Flagging Categories Displayed Randomly(No Relisting Needed) Fast, Clear Checkout Process Fast, Accurate Filtered Site Search One Button Relist One Button Vacation Sales Mode Education/Training Green Impact View Prices in Any Currency Google Base (Autofeed Every Item) Kudos

Artfire no longer has the $7.00 accounts they are now $12.00 accounts don't wait until they change them to $20.00 accounts. Apply today or even just try a free account to see if Artfire is right for you.

http://BeadingDreams.artfire.com

I've been busy...

Well I have been away for a bit. I did not realize for how long that I have not been here to make a real post. I have been doing some Spring cleaning and getting rid of things around the house. We donated so many things and gave a box of books to my nephew that belonged to my daughters. I have been going through so many boxes of junk and glad to be able to pass on the things we are no longer using.

My husband & I went out for a night on the town last night. We stopped at a bead store that I just found. Loved it! Needed to pick up a few things so I can finish two pieces that were needing clasps so I can get them up on the site.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a wonderful week!

http://BeadingDreams.artfire.com

Yeah!

I am so thrilled! I finally made my first sale in my Artfire shop site. I have been waiting for a happy customer to come along and find something that made there day. I shipped it off this afternoon and I hope my customer returns and gives me a good karma score for my shop. I is great just to get that first sale under my belt. Now I can look forward to my next one. I have more items to be posted in the next few days. I have not done the write ups just yet that is why they have not made it in the store plus my husband has been home on vacation so I have been busy with him getting scores of chores done around the house. Have a great day all!

Beads and me

Beads and me

Posted using ShareThis

Here is some of the really cool Artfire.com info.

ArtFire Offers Two Membership types:

Verified User :
$7 monthly subscription (for the first 5000 accounts)
No fees for sales made
Sell unlimited items with no fees
Make your own categories for products
Choose from multiple studio templates
Studio blog and photo gallery
Full community interaction
Up to 10 pictures per product
Prefered placement in searches
Personalized shop URL i.e. username.artfire.com
Join or create artisan guilds, mentor other members, compete in contests, win grants, become a columnist for Art Daily, receive ArtiFacts, Upload videos to ArtCast, and receive awards!(Whew! Thats a lot!)

Basic User (free):

Buy and Sell on ArtFire with zero fees
No fees for sales made
Personalized studio banner
Sell up to 10 products at one time
4 pictures per products
Some community interaction
FREE!

On a lighter note...

Well things are looking better. The car looks to be repaired near the end of March. The house stuff will be worked on as funds become available and as we all know life goes on.

I still have not been able to get to my bins so no new pics have been taken yet. I guess I will have to work on this as time sees fit. I was fortunate that my assembly job has started up again since they moved in January. I have high hopes that they will continue to have work for a while to give me a few green backs to work with. They are hoping that the job we have been working on will be extended. If not I will have the time to work on Beading Dreams full time rather than the dribs and drabs I have been doing at this point.

Well time to get some shut eye!

There is still time to get a $7.00 Artfire account click on the link and sign up!

What's next...

Well I went and hauled out the couple of totes that contained my craft show items. I needed to get them because many of my sterling items are still packed. I need to get them out and take pictures so I can add them to my ArtFire site.

I have been really worried about how we are going to make it. Money is so tight and so many things need fixing right now. The oven died before the summer and the stove is so old it will cost more to fix than to replace it. The roof is leaking and we need to fix under the house because of other problems. We are now down to one car and that needs a tune up and hubby hit a deer on the way home from work one night and we need to get that fixed too. Not to mention the fact that I need to replace my fuel tank ASAP because it had problems too! Ahhh! If I only had an Angel that could fix it all or that had a few bucks to spare. Oh well back to life again!

Here are the pics

Well after taking several pics of some more of my work. I have been cropping and editing them and adding a few new things to the site. Please stop by and see the new pics and items that will be added in the next few days! Thanks!

Hi Everyone!

Well today I have been adding to my shop. I am doing my best to get as many items up as I can. Your newly posted items go on the front page until enough of the fellow Artfire users post enough items that you are no longer on the page. It is great to have the exposure on the home page. Come and check out my items. Have a great day all!

Please come and join me!

I have just joined a really great site! It is very easy to use and there is so much help that you can find on the forum and it is only $7.00 per month to be a verified user and the opportunity to have a free account. There are no listing fees and you can have up to 10 views per item and an unlimited items can be listed.

Register on ArtFire.com

If you are a crafter, designer, artist or just love to purchase items from handcrafted artist this is a great place to go! Please come and visit and see what is like. If you do decide to register please let them know that I sent you! My name there is BeadingDreams. Thank you for stopping by.