One Last Time

So I thought it might be fun to sneak one more blog session in before I got my new template. I'm so excited that I don't want to go to bed. I just want to stare at my awesome new blog template that a fellow Etsian Carlynne Welch created for me. Its so adorably sweet and totally in sync with the new style of my shop.

I just wanted to give you a heads up in case you actually VISIT my blog and are confused by the look of it. Of course, most of you probably just read the imported version that feeds into Facebook. But I really do have an actual blog that I've tried to make relatively engaging. And seriously, it has some fun stuff on it as far as widgets go.

Ok, I'm probably being wholly self-indulgent right now; I just can't help myself. I'm just in the mood to type and my husband isn't around to stop me. I could go on and on. But I won't. I'll stop right now. Yes, now.

So anyhow, The new blog look will debut this coming week. I'll let you know (for the folks that only read the feeds) so you can go look around. For those of you that are awesome enough to actually make your way to the blog page, well... you'll know it when you see it.

$10 Sale

My favorite Etsy team is hosting a "$10 & Under" Sale all this weekend! There will be tons of special deals that you will not want to miss!

Click here the comprehensive list of participating shops.

By the way, get a set of the gossamer studs in plated metal for $10 this weekend only. Their the ones that made the front page of Etsy last month - twice.

Trading

I'm still reeling from the most exciting weekend I've ever had in cyberspace. If you know me well, you know that I love to trade. If you've got something I can use (whether it be a product or a service), I'm probably game for trading you something from my stash. In fact, I love trading so much that I joined an Etsy Team all about trading. Don't laugh, I'm not kidding.

Every few months, all of these crafty people get together and designate a weekend as an official trading weekend. During that weekend, the people in the group contact other people in the group and try to establish a trade. Trades are to be fair and are to be equal in price. You give something, you get something. That's precisely what I did all weekend long. I traded. I traded. And then I traded some more. I racked up a whopping 29 trades when Monday evening came rolling in. There were some shops that traded a modest amount of 3 trades and there were some shops that traded a grand total of 54 trades. There were prizes for those that traded the most.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous about what my husband would think about all of my trades. I am pleased to report, though, that he was a huge supporter. I seriously think I took care of every woman in the family for Christmas. I can't guarantee that the gentlemen will have the same fun that the ladies will, but I think they'll survive. I even traded a few things for my husband to give me for Christmas.

After it was all said and done, I am pleased to say that I've gathered together some encouragement and inspiration for the future of my shops and my jewelry. It's always funny how someone's handmade soap can plant a seed of creativity for a piece of jewelry. In the following days, I hope to begin posting new work that can be directly linked to this weekend.

In the meantime, if you have an Etsy shop and you'd like to join the trade team, let me know and I'll give you the details. The more the merrier!!!