ALTERED BEAUTY!! The winner was chosen using the site Random.org, where every contestant was given a range of numbers based on their entries. So congratulations Altered Beauty! I've already posted on your blog with my email address, so if you could please contact me with your address so I can get your pic in the mail! Oh, and if the pic I've posted on this blog wasn't the one you chose (or if you've changed your mind!) let me know! :)

Thanks so much to everyone that entered my contest! There will definitely be more in the future! :)

And I'll have another blog posting later today, but for now, the puppy is whinin' and needs to go out! Have a great day everyone!

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!

By the way, this is my new banner on etsy.. does it look alright?

I *think* i added the button correctly. Problem is, since I'm already a fan of myself, it just says "you are a fan" and doesn't show the button. Even when i log out of *everything*, do a web search for myself, and click on the blog, i still see "you are a fan" instead of a button. So this is what confuses me. Does it actually have a button for "become a fan" or not?!

Oy. This same thing happened when i made my fan page to begin with. I never saw the button so i wasn't sure if i was adding it correctly. I had to log in using someone else's facebook (with permission!) to see if it was there.

So, any blog followers out there, *please* do me a favour and see if there's actually a friggin' button? LOL. I don't trust that i did it right without that verification that in fact i did! And please, once seeing if it is there, feel free to click on it hehe.

I'm also working on changing my web addy for facebook, since you can now get your own web addy before you get 100 fans. But alas, it's not working for me. Is that a surprise to anyone? Cause it certainly ain't one for me! hehe.




Okay, and just because this makes me laugh so much, i added in a pic of my puppy Kermit meeting his "cousin" Diesel for the first time. Their faces are priceless.

Sassmowth Designs is now on Twitter!

Unfortunately, everytime i give someone my URL it doesn't work. Of course. Because why would it. So if you want to find me on twitter, i *think* you can do a search of "SassmowthDesign" (note there's no "S" on the end - couldn't fit it!) ... oh hey! Okay, try to forget that bit up there. See, I got an email saying my URL is "http://twitter.com/Sassmowth" and that's the link I've been putting in. BUT i figured, what the hey, I'll try it with the design on the end. And guess what? IT WORKED. Amazing.

So, find me on twitter!! http://twitter.com/Sassmowthdesign

AND you're probably wishing I'd stop babbling for a minute and actually tell you what the *contest* update is. Well, firstly, if you're unfamiliar with my contest, check it out in this blog post.
Secondly, since I'm now on twitter, there's more ways to enter the contest!!

7. Find me on Twitter here! Follow me and let me know what your fave photo is from my etsy shop.
This is good for 1 entry

8. Tweet about my contest, with a link to my blog
http://sassmowthdesigns.blogspot.com/2009/09/want-free-stuff-contest-starts.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




There ya go kids. So load up on those entries!

Good luck everyone :)

Oh wait, one more thing! I changed my banner on my etsy site. What do you guys think??? I'm new at this whole banner making dealy!

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://www.sassmowthdesigns.blogspot.com (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.

6. Buy something!! See something on my etsy site that you don't want to miss out on? Go ahead an 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, limited to 6 times per duration of contest. (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

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

TigerLily3-8x12


Okay adding more photos technically isn't *that* exciting, but it kinda is, since it's been a week since i've added any. I've been toying with the idea of creating a whole new shop (well not "whole new" since it will be called Sassmowth Photography! heh) but it seems like alotta work lol. I know i eventually will, but i'm going to need to put more of my non-photographical products up first so that i don't leave my original shop with nothing to choose from! So, i started again adding photos to my original shop, and will have to keep doing so until i have more product.


Wheel Barrow BW -8x12

Speaking of more product, i have alot on the go! I'm still working on the beading scarf (needed a break from beading, the bending over the small table i use was starting to kill my back!) i've crocheted 3 pairs of fingerless gloves that i still need to add a little "skull-bling" to.. hey i can all that sking! I need to add sking to 3 pairs of gloves. And i have about 5 new fingerless glove pattern ideas in my head that i need to get outta there soon or i'll forget them. But i'm sick of having too many not-fully-completes in my basket, so i really need to finish some other projects before i head onto new ones! I have yet to take pics of all my new gloves, (and all my new scarves, and blankets and the list goes on!) but i'll get to all that eventually. Right now i'm a little sick of using my camera since i've taken pics of the photos for sale in mattes and frames, and all that good stuff, plus i used it alot on Saturday when i met THE SOUP NAZI!! HA! Even got a pic of him where he wrote "Kat - NO SOUP FOR YOU" how hilarious is that. I'm so framing that and putting it in my kitchen!


Smurf Village Mushrooms BW - 8x10

In other news, I met a great fellow etsy artisan on the chats last night! Tanya from Flauxers! Definitely check out her blog here, and here you can see all her amazing products for sale on her etsy site! I hafta say, her fake flower accessories are so good, that when i saw her photos of them for sale, i thought she was a fellow flower photographer! But no, those were just her product shots! She also was helping me out with tons of advice, which is always *greatly* appreciated! And thanks to Tanya, I will very very soon start up a contest on my blog and facebook for a free giveaway!! Stay tuned, because it will start this week!!

Rose of Sharon Pink 1 - 8x10

Aw geez, just read that last paragraph and noticed all the !!!!'s in it! I swear i sometimes do those more often then these .... For crying out loud. Sorry to everyone that that annoys! hehe.

Alright, time to go write a blog on my other blog, and then i'll probably get back to either more fingerless gloves, a baby blanket, beading, drawing Christmas cards, or photographing something!

Have a great day everyone! I'll update again soon!

Smurf Village Black and White - 8x10 Fine Art Photograph.


I'm very excited. And my husband is annoyed because I keep telling him I made a sale. I've done this atleast 6 times now. Yes, if you happen to check out my etsy shop, you'd see i've made 4 in total, so you may wonder why the heck i'm so excited about this particular sale? Well, because it WASN'T FAMILY that bought it! Now, I'm completely 100% appreciative of my family who purchased my wares, I really couldn't thank them enough. They've gotten "my name in the books" so to speak, because being a brand new seller with no purchases or feedback makes people hesitant to buy from you. Which is completely understandable. How can you know you'd trust the person? But on the other hand, it really flippin' sucks, 'cause if you've had no purchases because no one will buy from a newbie, how are you ever supposed to get purchases? So yes, incredibly appreciative of my fam! They got the ball rolling for me, and now other people can say "Hey, she's gotten positive feedback, i'll buy from her!"

I have to say though it's also helped a lot going into the etsy chats. At first i was hesitant to do it, because i didn't know what to expect. And my very first time going in there i felt like the new kid in school sitting in the corner with no one paying attention to me. I'd say something, no one would respond. All they did was talk about going grocery shopping and eating too much cheese. But the second and third time, i ended up meeting a heck of a lot of great people, and started having lots of fun. I've even gotten fans! I'm up to 21 "hearts" on my etsy site, 7 followers on this blog (my regular blog only had 9, and it was 60% family and friends!) and i'm up to 29 fans on my facebook fan site. It's pretty exciting! And i've also done my part of helping out fellow newbies by being the first purchaser from a young girl who makes jewelery. It wasn't particularly something i wanted, or needed, but i can definitely use it as a gift, it was only 6 bucks, and now a newbie has a purchase that she was incredibly excited about.

So far i've only had one bad experience on the etsy chats. And it's not like this person was outright mean (being mean in a public chat on etsy will get you booted) but y'know how you just get a vibe from someone that they're purposely doing things and saying things to make a point like "i'm not even going to look at your site"? This guy was a fellow photographer, onna those who boasts about how many galleries he's been in and how great and professional he is. It just seemed like he's the type that looks down on others, thinking he's so much better than them. I for one am supportive to other people. I'll help someone else out, i'll give suggestions, i'll answer questions, even if they're my direct competition in selling the same crafts i'm doing. But this guy's sitting in the "Featured Seller" chat room, and while i'm being featured (my products only being posted by other chatters to feature my shop) he's putting up his photographs, and since they were the same subject (flowers) it was hard to tell that it wasn't actually mine going up. Ass. Ah well, what can ya do? Y'know what I can do? Sell more damn photos than him! I made a sale today after all. I can sell more.

But forget about that dickwad, because he's a waste of time! I've met far more people that have only been great on the chats. And i'd like to mention one of them in particular, because as a fellow photographer, she's just starting up like myself, and her photos are fantastic! Love them all, but alas, (and this is another thing we have in common) our husbands don't give us a big enough allowance to purchase things. :) But please check out Rebecca's blog - Car Farm Creations . You won't be disappointed! She's a fellow Canadian, and i'm all about supporting Canadian arts! And if you don't support either of us, we've hashed out a plan where we're coming around to all your houses, pulling out hammers, smashing holes in the walls and then saying "Hey.. I have a perfect solution for all these holes... why don't you check out my photos for sale!"

Ah, that still makes me laugh! Anyhoo, in other news, i've finally started the bead work on my italiany yarned scarf! And what took me so long to do so you ask? Well, even though i have 3 buckets of beads, none of them were the colours i needed. (apparently when i was going through my biggest "bead phase" a few years back, i didn't purchase any turquoise or blue beads.) So, i went out to where my hubby works with his discount card in hand, and got myself some really nice glass beads! So then i began my attempt at putting the thread through the tiniest holed needle in the world and ya. That didn't happen. Despite trying for 2 hours and almost breaking the needle. Even crying didn't help! So, i hadda make that trip right back to the store, and buy myself a needle threader. I didn't really have the 6.50 to spare, but i ain't gonna be makin' money by crying and pleading with needle holes.

I'd put pics up of the beading i've been doing, but alas, i forgot to plug in the battery for my camera. So you'll all have to wait kids! Yes, i know you'll all be sitting there with baited breath for me to post a pic of a string of beads. But for now, i'll post a pic of my Smurf Village, the pic i sold today!! I should go, but, i'll leave you with an interesting story. Some of you may have noticed my avatar on Etsy. It's my pic i drew of Wendel Clark quite a few years back. Well, i've changed my avatar. Apparently there were people who thought i was a guy! And y'know, that makes so much sense, because sometimes it seemed like there were girls who thought i was creepy when i said i was following them on either blogs, facebook or etsy! Huh... I was the creepy guy. Anyhoo, i'm a nice pretty daisy now! So no need to get freaked out. :)



Have a great night everyone! I'm going back to not sleeping since my hubby is working overnights. (Now don't make too much fun of me like his boss Bill did "oooooooh someone can't sleeeeep without their husbaaaaaaand at home? Pooooor baaabyyy!!"... ass. hehe) it's actually the dog's fault. He's a whiney bitch ALL night without his "Precious". Oy. Hey! Maybe it's my husbands RANK feet smell which actually knocks the dog out and *thats* why he actually sleeps through the night! Oooh, now i get it.

*snort*

I've just spent much too long on the phone and searching the web! I'm currently looking for a printing company that will print greeting cards for my Christmas card stock. (very excited about these!!) Ashley at Vireo is also planning on doing cards this year, so hopefully with both of us printing some, maybe a company can cut us some sort of deal.

Problems with a lot of companies are they only do long runs (minimum 500 cards of one style) because they do plates for the cards. While this is a great thing if i knew i'd sell a lot, I don't have that much spare moola if ya know what i mean. So far i've found a couple that do short run digital prints, and i'm going in to see one guy after August 31st with a few of my samples so we can discuss options.

Hopefully it all pans out! I need some monies!

In other news, i got an inquiry for a possible custom order of one of my Poppy pictures. They want a reeeallly big one! So i quoted prices and let her know there's alot more poppy prints i haven't put up yet if she wants to see those as well. Cause the shipping will stay the same if there's more prints being shipped, so it'll be a bit of a dealski. Let's hope she still wants it! I need a sale! :)

Off i go, finally got my beads today to do some bead work on the italianed-yarn scarf i did!

Have a great day kids!

Ya so my craftroom is a big pile of poo. (yes i know i said i'd delete "poo" themed stories from my crafting blog, but sometimes ya just gotta say poo) I have so many crafts in here, it's unbelievable. And it's been hard to organize the room in such a way that it's possible to have "sections".

I have the drafting table, the sewing table (which i have yet to use my brand spanking new sewing machine! that would be because i haven't found the time to get needles and thread for it, or uh, fabric. And hmm.. i also have to learn how to sew! Right!) i have numerous shelving units, and cabinets, and drawers, but there's still more stuff than space! Between tote after tote of yarn, and canvas everywhere, and portfolios and tripods and stuffing and shipping supplies and lets not forget the avon supplies! Yeesh, i finally got that in control.

So yes, went to a nifty store (and believe me i could have spent all day in there) called Storage Solutions or something of the like. I got stackable bins for the avon supplies (the free samples, the product for sale, stuff like that) and a large tote to hold all my finished crochet projects, and some books and totes to hold the photography for sale. So i've been pretty busy! I still have a long way to go though! But atleast it's a start. It's much easier to be creative in a room where you're not constantly looking around thinking "where the hell am i gonna put that thing?!"

Well, i'm not taking pics of this mess in progress, so i'll just leave you with another photo that i haven't yet put up on etsy.

Wheelbarrow 8x12

So, i'm absolutely exhausted. I just spent i don't know how many hours editing the flower photos listed on etsy. During a "virtual lab" where my public shop is critiqued, it was suggested that i show the listed photos in mattes or frames to give a better idea of sizing as well as what that particular photo would look like once matted or framed. I then took a pic of each one in a white matte and another in a dark frame, and uploaded it all to my listings. It was also suggested that i use more tags so people could find me easier.

Now that it's all done, i'm beat! Too much time spent on the computer for me. While i was at it, i uploaded 4 more photos for sale, and posted them to facebook as well to my Sassmowth Designs on Etsy fan page. (all facebook fans receive a 10% discount on all my products!)

Here are some of the photos for sale including the 4 new ones:


Daisy 8x10 (you may recognize this one from my header!)


Poppy 8x10


TigerLily 8x10


Rose of Sharon White 8x10


Tiger Lily 8x10
(this photo is one of my faves!) I took it between the lattice fence near the driveway.

Okay, off to do some more tweaking on one of my many sites!