Sampler of my items

A Sampling of what you will find at my shop at
craftsfromtheheart.etsy.com. Enjoy shopping!

Not much to say except $1 cards for sale

I'm clearing out part of my online shop at etsy, so, I am selling individual handmade cards for a buck each. Can't beat that. Sets are only $3.00. Come help me clear out and achieve a goal of 100 sales. Thanks.

sew I am cranky, you would be too

It is hot an muggy where I live, there is no air conditioning in my craft room which is in the second floor of my cape home (attic). Do you see why I may be on the cranky side? Money is tight in the summer because I am a substitute teacher and do not get paid for summer vacation. I was hoping to fill in some income by selling my handmade treasures online but considering summer is a slow time for retail, this plan has not been one of my best. I do have the time to create things for the busier season which is good but getting through the summer when tax bills are do can sometimes make for some nail biters.
I guess we will be eating spaghetti a bit more often until the buyers come back. In the meantime I will be up in my craftroom with my cranky self.

The joy of selling handmade items online

The joy of selling handmade items online

Don't get me wrong, I love to make items and have someone purchase them to use. The problem lies when you have obstacles between the process of getting the raw materials to actually selling the item Today is a prime example.
Yesterday I went to one of the very few left fabric stores in my area. They were having a great sale so I got some patterns, fabric and notions. The fabric I choose it a silky brocade with pretty butterflies on it. I thought it would be perfect for pillows but I remember having trouble sewing similar fabric a few years ago. I ask the clerk if she could help me find the proper needles to use. She tells me she doesn't sew. She works in a fabric store but doesn't sew. Ok can anyone else help me? Oh anyone older than me. So when I get to the cashier, I ask her for some guidance. She really doesn't know so has me buy a combination set of needles which set me back almost 5 dollars. Now if this were Walmart, I would think ok maybe they are not trained in this department but this is a FABRIC store. Ok ready to check out; of course these little things add up and 60 bucks later, I am ready to go home and start sewing. Ha! Life gets in the way. I start posting to forums, clean my computer room, do some paperwork. You get the idea, no sewing yesterday.
Today I am ready. I have my serger which takes a good hour to thread just right. Then I get my sewing machine ready. Do you think I can get that to make a nice closed stitch? Nooooooooo. So I figure I would clean it out. I pulled out enough dust to make a small plushie. Now I am ready so I take a scrap of fabric and try about 8 times to get it right. Tension too high, tension too low, rethread, rebobbin. Okay, good enough, not perfect, but noone would know but me. I am making pillows so most of the stitching is on the inside. As long as it is a strong stitch it will be fine.
So now, about 6 hours later the pillows are done. Nothing fancy but nice. The fabric is what makes them special. It is a beautiful asian inspired brocade with images of rainbow colored fancy butterflies.
Now to photograph them. I take several shots on my leather couch only to realize the dark black is coming out grayish and dull. I try adjusting the white balance with no luck. I really want to show how pretty the material is so I take a few photos outside. They are better but now what my eye sees.
Now to list them in my etsy shop. I try to think of 14 tags to use to make up they show up in various searches. This is always tricky because you want to be broad but not so much that you infringe on other's categories. I do my best and list them. They are in my shop priced at 20 dollars each. I am now feeling I have overpriced them. The fabric and form and thread and broken needles. ( Oh I didn't mention I broke 4 needles) come to about 12 dollars and I added 8 dollars for my time. That really isn't much, but are buyers willing to pay. Only time will tell.

Dogdays of online selling

Well these hot summer months are what weed out the part time sellers from the professionals. As a professional seller, you know that every year this slowdown is inevitable. Buyers are on vacation, spending time with family, or just getting out of the house. There are no major holidays to shop for, hence, no need to spend disposable income.
This is the time a smart seller uses to get their inventory ready for the busy months, increases their advertising presence, and pretties up their shops. It is not a time to sit around and whine about the decrease in sales, be proactive not reactive.
If you carry lots of summer items in your shops, you may want to have a sale to generate interest. The key is to still turn a profit. Do not undervalue your hard work. Whether it is time you spent creating an object or the time you spent looking for the item to sell. Of course buyers are always looking for bargains but you can make them feel they Need what you have.
Make sure you have professional photos, excellent descriptions, and offer excellent customer service. Packaging is key for return buyers. Make a buyer feel like he/she has just received a gift in the mail. Enclose a few business cards so the buyer can pass them on to friends. Include a hand written note whenever possible. Let the buyer know you are willing to work out any issues with them.
Now go out there and make the best of these slow days, maybe take a day or two off yourself.

chris benoit

This latest death is taking a toll on my son. He watches these wrestlers every week and he has his favorites and not so favorites. He becomes attached to the "good guys." That is the premise of this soap opera.
The problem lately is that these wrestlers are dying at a relatively young age. Are steroids affecting their mental state? Is the pressure to keep up too much?
I don't have any answers but lots of questions. My sons are over 15 so it is hard to say don't watch this, but I worry about them. So much sadness, so much lost hope. To think a "hero" may have killed his wife and child is just too much to bear.
Hug your spouse and kids today and tell them life is not all bad.

UConn vs. Tennessee Rivalry

What is up with Pat Summit? Does she not care about the game of women's basketball? She is setting it back 20 years. The UConn Tennessee rivalry is what brought millions of fans to women's college basketball. Ms. Summit why are you doing this to the young girls who look up to you. To them you are wimping out.
I know you and Geno are not friends, who cares. What matters are the fans and the future players. You may not like UConn's way of coaching or recruiting but that doesn't mean you get your ball and go home. You strive to make your team better. What about your future recruits that want to play UConn? Why do you get to choose the schedule?
I know you don't like to lose. That is what adds to the rivalry and makes the sport interesting to watch. I really fear for the sport if this rivalry is ended. It would be like if the RedSox never got to play The Yankees again.
Please reconsider your decision. Put the game before your ego. You owe it to your team and to all women's basketball fans.

Is the war over yet?

Is it over yet? Why isn't it over? Have we accomplished anything? Is Iraq better off now? Are we better off now? Do we want our young to keep dying? I know these are tough questions but we need to get the brightest minds to come up with a way to resolve this. Obviously they are not in government offices. We should be able to settle disputes without bloodshed. It should be a give and take. Please, if you can help these governments officials end this war, come forward, party doesn't matter. This should not be a political issue, it is a humanitarian issue. We can no longer lose lives our or theirs.
http://craftsfromtheheart.etsy.com

Yard Work

It is that time of year when our thoughts go to fixing up the outside of our homes. I think of purchasing shrubs and flowers and then think of how my husband is a maniac with his weed trimmer. He loves to go through like a tornado and cut down the items I just planted. He always tells me he can't tell the difference between a weed and a vital plant. UGH! I even put markers around them but those are ignored. So my dilemma is do I try it again this year and walk him around the yard and explaining each plant to him or do I give up and live with a "no color" yard?
Stay tuned ...

National Bingo Game Show

Well last night my family and I watched that new game show on ABC, the National Bingo Game. We printed our bingo cards off the internet and were prepared to win our millions. We were going to pay off the house, cover the college bills, and have fun money. Well believe it or not, we did not win a penny. Our dreams were squashed. We realized we wasted an hour sitting on the couch watching this show only to be left feeling empty.
I guess I can be happy that my family actually watched the same show in the same room for an hour and did not compete against each other. Rather, we were competing against a common enemy (the contestant) hoping we would hit bingo before she/he won the money or the car or the cruise. It is sad when we are rooting against others' fortunes in order for us to receive our own. I wonder what message I was sending to my children?
It is only a game, I know, but maybe next week we will just watch and root for the contestant rather than try to play against him/her. But then again....
Linda
craftsfromtheheart.etsy.com for all your online shopping needs.

Drunk Driving Paris

Drunk drivers suck. Do they think they are invincible? So many kill people everyday, many don't even get hurt themselves.
Paris Hilton is uber rich. Why does she not have a driver if she wants to go out and party all night? Why is she only getting 45 days. Is that going to teach her a lesson? I doubt it. Her parents should be jailed with her for raising a spoiled brat. If her mother wasn't so busy trying to get air time, she may have had time to teach her daughter right from wrong. As they say, money definitely does not buy happiness or brains but I guess it can get you out of trouble.
craftsfromtheheart.etsy.com

Low Pay for substitute teachers

My blog today will be a rant. I am sorry for this rant but I need to vent and this will be the place for that today. I am a substitute teacher in Connecticut. In order for one to be a sub in Connecticut, one must have a college degree. For the achievement of receiving a college degree I am paid $70 a day. I work an average of 7 hours a day with a 25 minute lunch. That makes my pay $10 an hour. If I had not gone to college but I were a cashier or waitress I would make more than that in Connecticut. Why demand a substitute teacher have a college degree if you do not intend on paying him or her for education and experience.
I agree with the fact that substitute teachers should be college educated but I also believe they should be paid the wage of a college educated professional. I would think a parent would not accept any less. The sub pay should start at $20 and hour and go up from there. There are no other benefits involved so the school systems are paying us babysitter wages. Please let your boards of eds. know that you think sub pay should be increased and that you demand a high level of professionalism from the substitutes not just someone looking to fill their days with something to do.

Children's Sports

Sports Fans, you may be one or maybe not but I know you know more than one. This is the season we see the town fields crowded on Saturday mornings with children playing all kinds of sports. The benefits of course are exercise, learning teamwork, and having fun.

The problem begins when the game is no longer fun and the pressure to win overshadows the benefits previously stated. When the kids are just out there playing with their friends and learning new skills their faces beam with pride. When they lose and the parents go home with frowns the kids can pick up on that.

Let us stress to these children their accomplishments. Let us tell them how they improve each time they are out there and that we appreciate the way the work together towards a common goal. Do not promise them anything if they win. Treat them win or lose or better yet just a pat on the back may be all they need.

Let us not live through our children’s wins and losses. Let us live through their kindness and respect for others. Make sure they thank their coaches and assistants and refs. after every game and practice and make sure they shake the hands of their opponents.

The examples we set are the way our children learn.

If you would like to thank those coaches or surprise your budding athletes with a little something, I have the perfect items. These sports magnets are nice and strong and are great on the fridge to hold rosters, schedules etc. or for the kids’ lockers.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=100569&section_id=5055602

Rosie O'Donnell is leaving The View

Rosie announced she could not reach a deal with abc daytime. They wanted 3 years she wanted one. I hope Rosie decides to do her own show, like before, except showcasing more of her crafty side. She is a wonderful photographer, editor, movie maker , decoupager etc. It would be a shame for her not to share this part of her talent with others.

Rosie if you see this I have some new shirts in my shop your kids would love.
Linda
http://craftsfromtheheart.etsy.com

etsy.com for handmade is up again

Etsy.com is back in operations so come shop! You will not find a better website for indie crafters. Great selection, Great prices!
Http://craftsfromtheheart.etsy.com

etsy.com down for site maintenance

I would like to apologize to my customers and potential customers for the outage on etsy. The outage began last night and should have been fixed by early this morning. It is now close to 11:00 est. and etsy is still down. Please come back and visit etsy this afternoon. Hopefully the maintenance with complete and we will have a fully functioning site. The site is great and many wonderful handmade items can be found at etsy.com.
Craftsfromtheheart.etsy.com

Boy's clothing

Are you tired of the same old clothes for your boys? Do you want better quality? How about appliques that are cotton and can be ironed without peeling off? If this appeals to you, come visit my store at http://craftsfromtheheart.etsy.com and see your choices. If you do not see the size you need let me know.
Linda
craftsfromtheheart.etsy.com

Virginia Tech

What happened at Virginia Tech is sickening. But we must remember it was the work of one sick individual. The world can be bad but it can also be a beautiful place. You have to find beauty in even the smallest things. When I go to a grocery store and see a baby smiling in a cart, my heart melts. When I see a man holding a door for a woman behind him, I think isn't that lovely. Please do go out more often. I think too many of us (myself included) spend too much time in front of our computers and are missing out in the beauty all around us. Don't be fearful, what will come will come.
A way we can all help is to get involved with children. I do it by substitute teaching and really listening to what the kids have to say. When they see me they give me a big hug and tell me I am the only one that lets them talk about issues. It would be great if we could all mentor one child and change the world one child at a time rather that stay in our homes, in our private worlds.
Ok enough preaching for today, I'm taking my kiddo out to lunch.
Have a great day everyone (no matter the weather)

imus - I don't get it

I guess I am missing something. What did Don Imus say that is so different from what other shock jocks say everyday? Is it because it was directed towards college girls? They are all adults. It was totally mean to say what he did but I don't see why he was targeted when others are not. He is one of the few shock jocks that actually gets politicians to come on and talk about serious issues. And these critics of his, what good do they do for society. Do they donate so much time and money to cancer victims? I can see reprimanding but being fired is outrageous. CBS will suffer greatly. Stockholders beware!

http://craftsfromtheheart.etsy.com