Blogs, Etsy.com, My Shop Sale, Geocaching

Today I've been visiting other blogs that are written by my fellow etsy.com shop owners. There are a lot of them out there!! Someone posted a thread in the etsy forums about being new to blogging and sharing blog sites. Since I don't get a whole lot of traffic, I thought it might be a good idea to share my site and look at some of the other's sites. It would be impossible to look at ALL of the ones that got listed, but I did look at quite a few. I added some of them to my list here and I added two new shops to my list of Favorite Etsy Shops. I hope you will check out both my blog list and my Etsy Shop list.

The blogs I have chosen are all different, though many are related to etsy.com shop owners, they offer insights into business, crafts, personal thoughts, etc. Also, not all of the blogs are from etsy.com shop owners so you might find other interesting things to read about.

The shops I have chosen for my favorites list include those I have bought from and those I have not. They include etsy.com shop owners who have been helpful, unusually friendly and kind, carry a product that I find interesting or unique or are a shop that I have bought from and find to be a dependable owner with a quality product.

Currently I am having an END OF AUGUST SALE!!! All items that are on sale are listed in my sale section with their sale price. Original prices are listed within the description area. The sale ENDS at MIDNIGHT August 31, 2008. At that time the prices will return to their original amounts. SO DON'T WAIT!! HURRY IN!!

On an all together different subject, tomorrow hubby and I are heading out for a drive to the mountains. I think we will head up Mt. Evans and maybe picnic at Echo Lake before or after our trip up depending on what time we get started. NO, we are not hiking. My Lupus prevents too much strenuous activity at this time. We will be driving all the way to the top of the big Fourteener. For those who don't know, Mt. Evans rises to 14,000 feet and is one of several peaks that do in Colorado, which are known as the Fourteeners. Echo Lake is near the entrance road to the top and a picturesque place for walking, hiking and picnicking. We plan to do some geocaching on our way there. I have checked the geocaching.com site yet to see what is in the Mt. Evans/Echo Lake area yet, but there is sure to be something. We are looking forward to a nice quiet and peaceful day together!

Don't forget to check out the sale in my shop!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wendy

Sale In My Shop, Family News, Shout Out

Friday, my daughter turned 23 years old! When did that happen? Her husband of one year decided to throw her a birthday party because last year her birthday was kind of a "dud". His family never really celebrates birthdays and ours makes a big thing out of them. Her birthday fell right after their wedding and honeymoon. Even after being around us for a couple of years before they married, I guess he just didn't realize how important it was to her. This year he went all out! Only he turned it into a kids party with everything in a pink princess theme, napkins, streamers, tablecloth, paper plates, cups, etc. He couldn't surprise her completely, but he did surprise her with the decorations and he managed to get her best friend there. They haven't seen each other in six months due to work and college schedules. Any men reading this, he made such a hit with her, I can't even put it in words. She was so happy that he took the time and caring to put together a fun and funny birthday for her. It meant a lot to her.

As for my shop, I'm having an END OF AUGUST SALE! It Ends Midnight August 31, 2008! All Items in the Sale Will Return To Their Original Prices!! I currently have 11 items On Sale, earrings, bracelets, necklaces and sets. All are 20% off or more!!!!!! Don't Miss Out!!!!!

!!!!! SHOUT OUT !!!!!

for Goshen Girl

I haven't done a SHOUT OUT for awhile. I'd like to do a SHOUT OUT for a great etsy.com seller, Goshen Girl! She is a seller of handmade jewelry, lanyard badge holders, scrunchies, vintage items and she also carries hand tied flies by Cory. Her shop is at http://www.goshengirl.etsy.com/ What I really like about Goshen Girl outside of her shop, which is terrific, is her generosity to her fellow etsians. Goshen Girl started and runs a Promotion Thread on etsy that is a BNR (Buy and Replace) that is very active and friendly. I believe it stays active and friendly because she herself set the tone for it. Along with the BNR thread, she trys to acquire Treasury Slots to promote those who are on the thread! Goshen Girl is active, friendly and has a great shop! Why not check it out?

Thanks for Stopping By!

Wendy

Relaxing Making My Jewelry

My company is gone and I've had time to rest. I picked up my trays of beads and started making jewelry again. It feels good too! I find that it can be very relaxing once I have a design set. I love the creating process of the design too, but its not as relaxing as actually making the piece.

Choosing the colors, choosing the types of beads is very satisfying and allows my creativity to really escape and run away. I often make jewelry that is bolder or brighter than I might wear myself. I think that in creating I am letting a bit of the "real me" out. Its the bolder, less conservative me that I haven't always allowed out. That's what is so great about art and I do consider jewelry making art, you can let yourself really go with what's inside you. The design process really wakes me up.



On the other hand, once the design is laid out, I relax. I feel somehow released and I just sit back in a way as I put the pieces of my design together. My mother, who paints, calls it putting my sketch to canvass. Its somewhat true. I make little adjustments as I put my design together and find I don't like it as much once strung together. My mother makes adjustments to her painting as she finds the painting doesn't come together quite like the sketch. I don't duplicate many of my jewelry pieces, so most are unique and one of a kind. I seem to have developed a kind of style, though I do think I'm still growing. Here's one of the latest additions to my etsy.com shop:

This necklace is make with Black Diamond Swarovski Crystals, Jet Swarovski Crystal Rondells, 14k gold plated beads and chain. It just seemed to come alive as I handmade it. I hope someone will find an elegant event to wear it to!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wendy

Company is Gone and Now its back to My Etsy.com Shop!

My company left today. Love them as I do, it was time to get my house back! It is so much quieter!!!! I must be getting old or something. I used to love the hustle and bustle of having lots of people around me, but not any more! Now I like the peace and quiet of just a few people.

That being said, it is time to get back to my etsy shop!! What a disappointment to find that in the last week I've had few visits and no sales! =( I have been more active on the blogs and more active on the etsy.com threads. I've been promoting my jewelry and my shop here. I think most of my pieces are good works. I hope that doesn't sound too self promoting. I like my own work. There are pieces that I have made that I am not satisfied with and I'm sure that I will always make some that turn out that way.

I believe that jewelry making is an art and as such, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I see art sometimes and can't understand why others like it and I see art sometimes and find it extremely beautifully when others don't. Whether or not I sit at a canvass choosing paint colors or at my table choosing beads, just how each flow together on canvass or jewelry wire makes no difference. Jewelry is my art. Jewelry is my form of expression. I truly hope when you see my jewelry pieces, you will understand the joy it brings me to create it and in return, I hope it will bring you joy.

Thanks for stopping by!

Wendy

A short note to update

The heat has finally let up and it is raining!!!!!!! It is a comfortable 80 degrees. So glad to get back to normal temps and be able to live and work normally again.

It all happened with good timing for this household. We have unexpected company arriving Friday and Sunday. Two cousins and a brother arrive first and then my son's girlfriend arrives Sunday. We'll have a houseful for a few days. It should be fun and exhausting. I just hope that it doesn't cause my Lupus to flare up!

I guess I won't be writing much for the next week or two, but at least you will know why. Please post a hello if you drop in. Check out my favorite blog sites and etsy shops if you can. There are also links to my shop by click on the banner at the top or the mini pictures at the bottom. I'll be back as soon as I can to tell you all the news about the family, geocaching, Lupus, and who is doing great at etsy.com!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wendy

Colorado Hot Weather, Geocaching, Jewelry Design Set

The weather here in Colorado has been breaking records for being HOT!! Its been in the 90's for weeks and today it was over 100 degrees! For those of us who love living here, even we are having a hard time appreciating the beauty of it through the heat of the day. It does take its toll no matter where you live when the temperatures are this hot.



The last few days I have been spending time trying to make my etsy.com shop more visible. This isn't an easy thing to do. I have change some of my descriptions and titles of my jewelry pieces to include key words. I changed my profile to be more descriptive of myself and hopefully more memorable. I added the address to my blog to my shop. That sort of thing.



The next thing I did was read some more business tips. Not that I really want to make a full time business out of my jewelry shop, but I would like to sell a few pieces from time to time. It would be nice to sell enough to off set the cost of my beads. I mean buying semi precious gemstones and Swarovski crystals does get expensive! Anyway, I did find some more information and I went to a few business type blogs that were mentioned to read those. I think it helped me out some, though my hubby and I have had a business before and much of it was done via Internet. This is just very different in how to "advertise" the business. I'm learning though.



Speaking of hubby, we also spent time this week on our new venture. I wish I could share more of it with you, but it is still in the top secret folder. We spoke to a few people who were able to give us some good information and then we made contact with that all important person - the money man! We will be seeing a potential investor on Tuesday! Its very exciting for us! Can't wait until I can share it with you!!!



We haven't had a chance to do any geocaching again. Its been too hot to do any in our area and we haven't been able to go up into the mountains where its a bit cooler. As much fun as we have with it, we don't have a lot of time for it, but we're going to try to make more time if our venture works out.



Before I say good-bye, I'd like to show you my most recent posting to my etsy.com shop. Remember you can get to it by clicking on my banner above!!!

Jewelry Design Set in Multiple Colors of Swarovski Crystals and Swirled Glass Beads

by Sidewing Creations

The glass beads are a swirl of predominately blue, green, black and brown, with hints of red and yellow in some of the beads. There are 6mm Bicone Jet Swarovski Crystals and 4mm Swarovski Crystals in each of the following colors, Montana Sapphire Blue, Chrysolite and Crystal Clear

Theses pictures just don't look as good here as they do in the original or even in my shop! I hope you'll check it out sometime soon!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wendy