Finally, I'm back again lol. I've been quite busy lately, but have had the itch to blog. It's amazing how I can fall out of the routine of blogging once I've had a break. So now I have to force myself to blog before too much time passes and I forget about it all together!

I knew I've needed to blog... Poor Reggie (President of My Craft Corner).. I've been helping out a bit with the site and to keep eachother updated on what I've been doing and should be doing, we send short little emails back and forth. Well, hers are short little emails. Mine turn into 2 page mystery novels apparently. And why the mystery? Well, how in the world do I tangent from twitter to poop is beyond me. I must have some wicked talent. Too bad I can't get paid for that.

So to save her from reading through running paragraph after running paragraph just to find out if I did what I was supposed to, I thought hey, maybe it's time to blog again! I mean, I have enough to update about now! Yeesh. Sorry Reggie!


And what am I updating?? I've actually *listed something* in my Etsy! I still had the Christmas cards up for quite some time, but thought huh.. Maybe it's time to take those down! So all I had left in there was a couple of swiffer cloths, dusting mitts and a sad ol' bathmitt lol. I have so many projects on the go, yet nothing is complete, and I really gotta get off my ass and complete atleast ONE thing. I decided to do something relatively quick, just to put my shop back on the market. At Reggie's suggestion, I made Mothers Day cards! Yes, you may feel like that's a bit early, but hey, retail stores do it dammit! But then again, where the crap are my Valentines and St. Patty's Day and Easter Cards? Hmm.. Haven't drawn those up yet!


These Mother's Day cards don't have a bit of "Sass" in them, but hey, I can't be sassy to the Moms! Well, I could hehe.. But I won't! I also listed one other card just to hop on the "Owl" trend train, although who knows if there's still an owl trend??


And what else have I been working on? My next magazine spread! Which reminds me, I still have to show my first one! Okay I just took pics of the pages - keep in mind they're not the greatest images! I'm taking pics of the magazine on the floor with no flash. Ya, I think I need a scanner! Plus well, it's before 6am - I've been up since 315am and am currently on my second extra large Tim Hortons coffee, and well, I'm ready to go back to bed. So please forgive the photography.. I'll start out with the cover that I'm mentioned on! "Kat's Krafts - Holiday Gift bags - Page 39" Woohoo!


First page. You may have to zoom in to actually read it!


Second page! I even have a bio! It's being slightly adjusted for this issue coming out. But I mentioned Etsy!


This magazine is brand spanking new, and its website is girlworks.ca. It's geared towards young girls ages 10-16. The next issue coming out is a January/February issues, and the craft I do is Valentine's Day Frames! Very exciting!


Holy crap I forgot I was writing a blog. Geez, I've lost my mind again! Check one site and all of a sudden I'm checking them all, uploading photos, tweeting, Facebooking, looking through Etsy, looking through MCC, going back to twaitter and getting mad cause it's not tweeting any of the messages, go back to etsy, fan some people on Facebook, then I'm like, oh, blogger's open.. Oh RIGHT I was actually writing something!

How I get anything done is beyond me. Really.

Okay well since I just took a 45 minute break into LaLa Land, I've run out of steam for blogging! Alright all my lovelies, I hope you all have a fantastic Wednesday! (I just discovered it was Wednesday actually. I thought it was still Tuesday!) And I promise to keep you updated more often this week! Although it's already Wednesday lol. I'm going to try my best to be back here tomorrow! But don't quote me on that. Hey, maybe all my lovelies can have a "Kat pool" as to whether I actually come back when I say I do! lol. Could be a good way for some of you to make some extra cash!

Bye for now! Off to drink more coffee and probably talk about poop!

Good morning everyone!

Well, as per usual I took the weekend off from blogging. Getting ready for Christmas and all (since we're in the poor house I'm making as many gifts as I can) and since it's my first time making a few of these items, I've had to start over on a couple hehe. But that's why I love crochet! Easy to take apart, and since it doesn't take me that long to crochet, it's not so upsetting when I do have to take it apart.


I'd love to post pics of what I'm doing, but alas, then people will see what they're getting for Christmas! I will post them right after Christmas though, very exciting! One thing is giving me problems though. Has anyone ever used the invisible thread??? I thought it would be a good idea, but it's SO hard to work with! (Not on sewing machine... I really need to get supplies so I can sew soon, I have all these ideas for things to make, but alas, no fabric, no needles, no thread.. oy!)

In an update about the magazine article, it's been submitted and the magazine is at the printers! I should have a copy soon and I'm very excited about it. It's a new Canadian magazine for young girls, and they needed a crafting section. And it's actually called "Kat's Craft Corner"!! I'll post pics as soon as it's out. Again, very exciting!!

In other news, took Kermit to see Santa yesterday HA! Oh ya, hilarious. I'll post his Christmas pic one day, although he's going on our Christmas cards, and again, don't want to spoil the surprise yet :)


At the end of last week I was feverishly making cards to list, and I successfully did so. (Finally!!). I have one set up there that is completely customizable. It's the set of 7 - one of each of my cards. Now I realize that not everyone wants to send out a "Merry Kiss My Ass" or a "Let it Blow", so obviously you can choose whichever images you want. Plus, you can choose the main colours of the background paper (to be all green, all red, or a mix of a few colours, what have you) Since Christmas paper is currently in short supply, I can't guarentee that I can use the *exact* same paper for every card, but I can atleast do the same main colour. (But if you get your orders in quick, I can do it!) You also have a choice of white or ivory cardstock. If you want to *really* customize, I can do the red or green cardstock in a large size card, but that will be a little extra. As for quantity - you're not set at 7 :) You can do any quantity and I'll do a custom listing for you. The more you buy, the less you pay per card. Plus, in some of the card listings, I've done a stamp on the inside of the card saying "Merry Christmas". This can be added to your cards if you like as well (for a very small fee.)


And as a friendly reminder, if you previously entered my card giveaway, and didn't win (or if you did win and wanted more - don't want to exclude you MiMi's Babies!!) you get 10% off of your card order. AND if you're a facebook fan, you automatically get 10% off anything from either of my shops. SO... If you're a facebook fan, AND didn't win my giveaway, you get 20% off your card order!! How great is that?!

Man, I should just be waking up right now lol. Hubby hadda work at 4am today, so it was outta bed before 3am. Good times kids, good times. Although I'm surprisingly awake right now.


My question is... I've gotten a couple of orders for my cards back in October and beginning of November. But now that it's getting closer to December, should I put a date on the announcement when cards should be ordered by? I want my customers to be able to have time to mail them out, but with shipping being kinda slow into the states, I'm worried that people won't order them in time. So, do I put a date of when they should be ordered by? I don't want to "Guarentee" anything - shipping's not reliable enough for that and I don't want to get burned. But I don't want to automatically raise the price of shipping to cover express post, because that's really expensive! Should I just leave that up to the customer, and let them figure it out? lol. As a seller of Christmas cards, or even a buyer of Christmas cards, what would you suggest??? I don't want to sound "pushy" in my announcement, but then again, I don't wanna get bad feedback from those non-understanding buyers who think it's up to ME to get them their cards in time, y'know??

Okay, off I go. Gonna see if anyone answered me yet in the forums *snort*. Ya right!

Have a great day everyone!

I was going to wait until after dinner to write this BUT I've had such an incredible response this week that I needed to start early!!! So sit back and relax kids, I've got a lot of great deals, giveaways and incredible people that I'll be introducing to you! (but don't get too comfortable, cause you're gonna need to shop afterwards!!)

I'm going to start off with Giveaways!!

Creative Fly Designz


This blog giveaway gives you a chance to win a unique one-of-a-kind wire and glass beaded crocheted necklace and will be open from today October 23rd and will close November 7th at 10pm, EST.

It's super easy to enter! Just head over to Creative Fly Designz Blog to get all the details! This girl is so creative, I love everything she makes (it's not just jewellery!) So please be sure to check out her Etsy shop as well - you're going to need to anyways to enter her blog contest, so you may as well get a head start!

White Flag Designs


I so love White Flag's products! My fave is still the glow in the dark brain soap! So here's the deal with her blog giveaway.. Once White Flag Designs Blog ("The White List") has reached 100 followers, she's going to assign all the followers a number (based on the order they followed at) and use random.org to choose the winner. And the winner will win... "A Priority Mail flat rate box, size small, full of stuff. From my Etsy shops stuff, not just random stuff I found under my bed (unless you want that kind of stuff, idk). Stuff like soaps, lip balms, solid scents (all vegan, mind you), jewelry and accessories, and even maybe super secret sneak peeks at things yet to come." How great is that!! It's like Christmas - my favourite kinds of giveaways. So, head on over to "The White List", follow the blog and post a comment! And to get this giveaway really movin', feel free to twitter, facebook or blog about it yourselves! (The pictures are linked to their listings on etsy)


Devine3Designs



I've been a blog follower of Devine3Designs for a little while now, and I have to say, I simply love it. She's always writing blog posts of "how-to's" for making your own products, or helping you out to get the best photos for your shop! She's having a contest right now where 12 people can enter. She only needs 12 more followers to get to 100, so when she reaches her goal, those 12 people will be entered into a random draw to win a $25.00 gift certificate for her Etsy shop! So go quick kids, go to Devine3Designs Blog and follow away! Even if you don't win, you won't be disappointed - I assure you you'll learn something new that will help you out with your sales!



Dee's Deezigns

I recently met Dee on My Craft Corner! Right now she's hosting a giveaway on her Blog "Just another new blog". Entering the giveaway could win you a $20 gift certificate at her Artfire Shop!! Now there's something everyone could use for the holidays that are just around the corner! (eeek don't wanna think about that yet!) So head on over to Dee's Blog to enter today! (psst just so you know, Dee is BagLadyMama on etsy!!)



Family and Friends

I've been following Aik's blog for quite a while now (and more recently twitter) and she always seems to be having fantastic giveaways!! There's one she currently hosting for another etsian Chic Infinity. So head on over to Aik's blog to find out all the many ways you can enter! This giveaway closes October 31st. And here's what you can win!


Did you think I was done with Aik? Nope! She's having another giveaway! Let me just say, she has awesome taste in books, and does many book reviews. So head on over here to enter for a chance to win a signed copy of "Once upon a Nightmare" by Lee Moylan!


Now that you've entered all the giveaways, it's time to spend some money...

BeckLeeCottageDesigns



I just recently met BeckLee on My Craft Corner! And she informed me of an incredible deal being offered in her Etsy Shop. Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month (and was extremely sad to hear that she just recently lost a friend to breast cancer) she's offering an astounding 50% off anything pink in her etsy shop! And everything she makes from these sales, is being donated to Breast Cancer Research! So please, head on over to BeckLeeCottageDesigns Etsy page, and buy all the pink things :) Pictures shown are items from BeckLee's shop, which are linked to their listings.


Pikithins



I know I seem to talk about Pikithins every week, but c'mon, the girl is always having sales on her incredible merchandise! She now has an entire section in her etsy shop dedicated for October/Halloween sales - click on the link now to check out the entire section! Here's a couple of items to tickle your fancy! Click away on them to bring you to their listings on etsy.


DesignedByGinaLoiuse



As stated in last week's "Friday Night Deals", Gina Louise pulls a 20/20/20 every Friday!! And what does that mean? Well, it means 20 items, for $20, for 20 hours! So head on over to DesignedByGinaLoiuse on etsy and check out some incredible vintage and redesigned items! Here's one that's definitely gonna catch your eye! Click on the pic to bring you straight to it's listing!


Faeriemooncreations



I just met Faeriemooncreations on My Craft Corner! She has gorgeous items ranging from jewellery/pendants to knitted pretties! She has a whole Sale section on her Etsy site with some incredible deals, with up to 50% off the selected items! Here is one of her magnets that is on sale, (and above is a pendant on sale) click the pics to go straight to their listings!


Alright kids, one more! And it's a biggy!

HandmadeBoutiques

Now this link was given to me by Flauxers (you may remember her from a previous Feature!). It's a link to another blog called HandmadeBoutiques. I'm not going to write in ALL the etsy shops having a sale, because then it would be tomorrow! But definitely head on over here to see the entire list of stores having a 20% off sale!

Here's a few of the featured stores on HandmadeBoutiques that's having a 20% off sale!
Flauxers, Knittopotamus, and Queen Kat's Crafts!!


Okay, i'm glad I started writing this 4 hours ago LOL. It would definitely be Saturday by the time I was done writing it if I started when I usually do!

Hope everyone enjoyed these Friday Night Deals!!
Now stop reading, and go shopping! (And feel free to stop by my shop sometime! hehe)

Good morning kids! Today's feature is Flauxers! I met this incredible girl during one late night chat, and we became fast friends. I absolutely adore all her products. At first, I thought she was a fellow flower photographer, as anything from her shop posted in the chats looked like professional flower photos - but it turned out that, nope! It was just pics of her creations with fake flowers. (so you know them there fake flowers look dang real!!)
So sit back, relax, and find out the wonderful person behind Flauxers! All pictures you see are directly linked to their listings on Etsy, so click away to find out all the details.



1. Let us know a bit about yourself.

Name: Tanya Hofford
Location: State College, PA


2. When did you start crafting? What/Who inspired you to become an artist? Do you do different crafts other than what you list on etsy?

I remember being really young and crafting with my Mom and Grandma. I'm not sure exactly how old I was, but I guess you can say it was in my "blood". I also used to make flower arrangements from anything I could find out in the back yard for my Mom - It's always been a passion and I'm so happy I'm making more than dandelion bouquets now! The artificial flowers idea came to me one day a few years ago, because I never had a really green thumb and I wanted to have my own flower shop. The jewelery, accessories and magnets were ideas I've had just since I've been on Etsy.
I actually do other crafts - like knitting, crocheting, and sewing. I'm still a novice, but enjoy all three of these activities. I'm actually in the process, and almost done, knitting a blanket for my nephew.



3. What was your sole purpose of opening up your shop?

As I stated above, I've wanted to open a flower shop for years, and I started my business, Flauxers, in June of 2008. I was looking for additional ways to get my products seen and purchased, when I stumbled upon Etsy, which has proven to be a great find!



4. How did you decide on a shop name?

My husband actually came up with the name. I was brainstorming for almost a month on a business name, and mentioned 3 or 4 ideas to him. Then he mentioned Flauxers.
Faux + Flowers = Flauxers (pronounced Flowers) He's such a creative and wonderful man!



5. What is your favourite item to create and why?

Hmmm... My favourite?? I actually really enjoy making all of them - I know it sounds a little crazy that I can't pick one, but they all allow me to play with flowers, and to make something that I really enjoy. I love my products so much that I've had to make replicas of some of them for myself! :)



6. What venues do you use to promote your work? Which ones are your favourite to use? Is there one that has been the most successful for you?

I use Facebook (http://facebook.com/Flauxers), Myspace (http://myspace.com/Flauxers), Twitter (http://twitter.com/Flauxers) and I have a Blog (http://Flauxers.blogspot.com). I'm still new to the blogging world and I don't update it as often as I feel I should. I'm still trying to get a hang of what goes into it and how to use it to it's best advantage. I seem to get a lot of exposure from Twitter and Facebook - I tend to update them more often than the other venues, as they've proven to send traffic my way!



7. Where do you hope to see yourself in 5 years concerning your crafting business?

I really hope that within 5 years it will be busy enough that I'm selling multiple products a day. In that time, I'll have been in business for a little over 6 years and will have all the kinks worked out of my processes, and hopefully have several new products to offer.



8. Is there any other information you'd like to share with us?

I would like to welcome everyone to visit my web page (http://www.Flauxers.com). There are many arrangements and items for sale there that are not listed in my Etsy shop. Also, I have a sale every month (I call them "Monthly Blooms") and they vary in amount and products on sale - this month is 20% off everything ordered from my website or my Etsy shop! Keep an eye out for the sale each month - as sometimes there will be donations made to a charity, or you could win something!
As far as advice to new Etsy sellers - be patient. Sales will come and sometimes it takes a while. If you ever want a little extra advertising or need a pick me up, head over to the Etsy chats. I've made some great friends on there and people in general are really nice. :)



9. Name a few of your favourite things!

When the dog bites, when the bee stings... oh sorry - that made me want to sing! :) Other than crafting, I really enjoy working with computers (I was actually a computer Networking Major in college), watching TV, talking to, and spending time with, family and friends, reading books in the Women's Murder Club series, or anything written my Neil Gaiman, and listening to music (Billy Joel, Jonathan Coulton and Barenaked Ladies are probably my 3 favourite bands/singers)



10. If you had a super power, what would it be, and why?

Is teleporting a super power??? I want to be able to get from one place to another in an instant, so I can make sure I spend as much time as possible with everyone I'm with, and accomplish so much more in my day!



And that wraps up my Getting to know you Tuesday Feature!! I hope you enjoyed meeting Tanya, and make sure to visit all her websites, become fans and followers, so you can continue gettin' to know this fantastic Etsian!

I just promoted my Feature Fridays on the etsy forums, and have had a great response! Thanks to all my new followers! So since I'm getting so many more followers - I want to do *that* many more features! So I'll be now featuring atleast twice a week (I'll decide which day later this weekend!) PLUS I'll be doing regular posts on who's having what sale/giveaway/contest going on as well! Tonite I'll be letting you all know of some deals goin' down! :)
But for now, I have to get some more work done.. Christmas cards will be ready this weekend!
Thanks again to all my followers! I'll post again soon!

Since my giveaway is still going on, and I've updated it to include Twitter, i figured I'd do another post putting all the rules together in one post, instead of the main blog, with an update following it. Might make things a tad easier, no?

But no worries, comments on either of the original blogs still count! (and will continue to count!)

So, here we go!



Do YOU want free stuff?!?!
Everyone wants free stuff! Here's your chance to win one free photo, PLUS free shipping! And the best part is, YOU pick your prize! Here are the contest details.

Contest start: September 3rd 8:00am EST
Contest end: September 24th 11:30pm EST
Winner draw and announcement: September 28th 1:00pm EST

Here's all the ways you can get entries!

1. Become a follower of my blog and leave me a comment with your favourite photo from my etsy site (http://www.sassmowthdesigns.etsy.com) SassmowthPhotography section. Please include "I'm following you + full title of photo" in your comment. If you are already a follower (Thanks!), just comment me with "I'm already stalking you + photo choice".
This will get you 1 entry.

2. Do you have a blog?! Mention my blog http://sassmowthdesigns.blogspot.com/2009/09/giveaway-for-free-photo-of-your-choice.html (with a link) and contest on your blog (please remember to let me know you've done this with either a comment, or an email to sassmowths_art [at] yahoo [dot] ca because I don't want to miss it!)
This will get you 2 entries!

3. Head on over to my Facebook Fan Page (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Sassmowth-Designs-on-Etsy/123959810773) and become a fan, then leave a wall post telling me "I'm now a fan, and here's my fave photo!" from my etsy site. Already a fan? (Thanks!) Just let me know with a wall post that you are one with your photo choice.
This will get you 1 entry.

4. Have a facebook fan page too?? Mention my contest with a link to my Facebook Fan Page (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Sassmowth-Designs-on-Etsy/123959810773) on your site! (Don't have a fan page? No problem! Just put that link with contest announcement in your news feed!) Just leave me a wall post or email me (on FB or to sassmowths_art [at] yahoo [dot] ca) telling me you did so! I don't want to miss it!
This will get you 2 entries!

5. Since you're already checking out my etsy site searching for your fave photo, why don't you "heart" me? Just heart and sent me a convo (or email straight to yahoo) with your fave photo title! Am I already a favourite of yours?! (Thanks!) Just convo or email "Hey! I already hearted you!" with your fave photo title.
This will get you 1 entry.

7. Find me on Twitter here! Follow me and let me know what your fave photo is from my etsy shop. Already follow me? (Thanks!) Just let me know you already do + photo choice.
This is good for 1 entry

8. Tweet about my contest, with a link to this blog http://sassmowthdesigns.blogspot.com/2009/09/giveaway-for-free-photo-of-your-choice.html
(But don't forget to let me know you did it! I don't want to miss your entry!!)
This is good for 2 entries

9. Buy something!! See something on my etsy site that you don't want to miss out on? Go ahead and buy it, and in the "message to seller", note that you'd like to use this as an entry for the contest. Don't forget to mention which photo is your fave! (Or second fave if you *bought* your fave!)
Buying something will get you 3 entries!!

If you have any questions regarding this contest, please feel free to email me at sassmowths_art [at] yahoo [dot] ca.
If you have different names on each site (real name on facebook, shop name on your blog) please let me know both names!
There is no limit per day as to how many entries you've gathered. You are welcome to mention this contest with link to my site more than once! (Don't forget to let me know each time you promote my contest and page!)

Important info just in case you missed it:
My email address: sassmowths_art [at] yahoo [dot] ca
Blog Link: http://www.sassmowthdesigns.blogspot.com
Etsy site: http://www.sassmowthdesigns.etsy.com
Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Sassmowth-Designs-on-Etsy/123959810773
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sassmowthdesign




Thanks so much for entering!! Good luck to everyone!

Note: this contest is open to EVERYONE including overseas!

Okay 2 days left until the giveaway is over - the winner will be announced on September 28th and will be chosen by random draw! I'll announce the winner on the blog, my facebook fan page, twitter, and even in my shop announcement on my etsy site. I'll also contact the winner as well by every and all venues just incase! Then all i ask of the winner is to email me with their addy so i can send their prize!




As soon as that's done, another exciting project will be underway - "Feature Friday"!! Every week, I'll be choosing one follower of mine and featuring their blog/etsy site/whatever else they want me to! First, I'll ask permission to feature you - who knows, maybe you're having a busy week and don't have the time! Then I'll be sending you a small questionnaire to fill out, and I'll also request any pictures you'd like to see in your feature. Personally, I'd love pics of your products (obviously!) but I'd also love to see a pic of YOU! It's great putting a face to the name, but if you'd prefer to keep it a mystery - i won't pressure you :)




Now, if you really really REALLY wanna be featured, and can't wait for your name to be pulled, i will take requests. Keep in mind this won't be the only time you'll ever see your shop featured on my blog. Please let me know when you're doing contests and giveaways and I'll mention them all for you, whether you're currently being featured or not. :)






My Feature Friday's will officially start next week, October 2nd! I'm very excited! Oh, and just incase you think I'm a big mystery, here's my mug... hehe