Monday, November 30, 2009

Link!

Well one good thing that's come from me signing up for twitter - this link. An absolutely wonderful selection of hand crafted goodies under $10. Here's a few I'm particularly fond of....

Friday, November 27, 2009

Friday Find: Lumberjack Nutcracker

Nothing says holiday season quite like a lumberjack nutcracker. Creepy or charming - this guy certainly is awesome! I mean check out the size of that axe! And the plaid! Lovely!


Take a gander at mooshoopork's shop for even more wooden delights.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Ink and Button Giveaway over at paper n stitch

On my constant quest for coolness on the internet, I stumbled across a lovely giveaway at paper n stitch which opened my eyes to all the wonderfulness that is ink and button! Here is a sampling of some of her items I am drooling over:

This one is my favourite for sure - great colour, good texture, and awesome adornment for cardigans, hats, or jackets. And since I'm so obsessed - here's even more:



Hopefully you all agree on the fantasticness of these felt wonders because clearly I was so impressed I wrote a whole post about them...and it's not even Friday! *sigh* I'm in love...

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Conquered!

It only took 47 days of tracking but I did it! I got a blackout of the united states in google analytics site visit bingo! (Back story here). New Hampshire sure was tricky - but at long last - completion! Success!


Now to work on the rest of the world...

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Drumroll please...

As my first blog giveaway comes to a close, I get the exciting job of announcing the winners! Thanks to the lovely number generation of random.org I've got 3 darling sets of thumbs up yeti button sets to deliver to the following commenters:



Congrats tara, artTales, and josh! I'll be contacting you all about delivery of your sweet sweet winnings shortly! Thanks to everyone who signed up (and participated in my ego stoking) and sorry to any late entries - I ended the draw at midnight. I'm so happy with the success of the contest I'm already planning another for december! Hooray!

What a Productive Day of Interent-ing!

As you all probably know, lately I've been heavily obsessed with researching and promoting my etsy success. Amidst my attempts I've been spending quite a bit of time lately chatting with some fellow etsy-ers in the (new to me) chat rooms of the etsy community! They're a great place to promote your shop, check out other sellers, and get hot tips on getting sales on etsy.

Yesterday morning (instead of promptly hopping out of bed and tackling my monster to do list) I spend a good 4 hours following the insights of some successful experienced sellers and have dived into the world of etsy promotion outside of this blog.

What does that entail you ask? Two things:

1) Facebook Fan Page - that's right! let's milk off the popular social phenomenon that facebook has become! I've been told it's great for networking with teen and young adult demographic (conveniently where I fit in?) and is good for stirring up feedback on new items and such. I'm really hoping to get more than 100 fans so the terrible URL they gave me will magically transform into a nicer (substantially fewer random numbers) one! So tell your friends and fan me - I'm even planning a few extra surprises for fans in december!

2) Twitter - yet another popular trend racing across the nation! (although I'm pretty sure it's way bigger in the southern - not canada - part of this nation, but whatev). If random etsy strangers tell me it's a good idea I figure it's at least worth a try. How long until I'm either ridiculously addicted or in hate with it? Hmm..time will tell...

So far so good too! I've made $67 worth of sales since I started these endeavors and clearly it's a direct result. Ok. Probably not...but I prefer the illusion...

Friday, November 20, 2009

Last day to sign up!

Tomorrow is draw day for my giveaway - so get signing up if you haven't already! I'll be announcing the winners tomorrow :)

Friday Find: Little Miss Fox Wooden Brooch

Sarah of craftyfolk made today's find which is full of adorable whimsy. She's all about "making for people who did special things" which is a pretty sweet moto to stand by. May I introduce little miss fox:


She makes the cutest little wooden and painted brooches and necklaces too! I love her attention to detail and unique style. Plus she's been having a sale at her shop making it all the better.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Two days left

Two days left to sign up for my giveaway so get on it! Oh! and the more people who sign up the more giving away will happen...so encourage a buddy to enter too! Just saying...

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

A dabble in the world of magnets


Thanks to some magnet-y inspiration from my work mate amy, I decided to trial-run love robot, mustache kitten, and thumbs up yeti magnet sets (since I was already committed to round three of button construction anyways). I'm quite pleased with how they turned out too! I mean how awesome do they look holding up my business card, a "wayne's wiener world" post card, and that half a backstreet boy? My only hesitation is that they cost twice as much to make and will cost more in shipping, but hey....they might be twice as cool as buttons so hopefully people will be willing to shell out a little more for them...we'll see....

Monday, November 16, 2009

Thumbs up for Giveaways!

In celebration of the mythical wintry addition to my pinback button collection, I've decided to beat down the monday blah's with my very first blog giveaway! That's right! Because after all, who isn't a fan of free stuff, random chance, and adorable buttons?


So here's how it works - leave a comment on this post telling me what you love most about my etsy site, blog, and/or me! (and while you're at it - follow my blog too!!!) I'll be drawing on Saturday (the 21st) and one lucky winner will receive a lovingly handcrafted thumbs up yeti button set from yours truly. Easy enough right? So get posting (one comment per person please). Good luck!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Come on New Hampshire!

So close! Come on New Hampshire! Check out my etsy site already...please?


(Oh, and if you don't know what I'm talking about read this)

Still in my head

So I went to Kelowna to see 'Hannah Georgas' and 'Said the Whale' play last Monday with jim and lindsay and still totally have all of their music pumping through my veins! And not in a "subtle back of my mind" sort of way either, more like the "extremely catchy singing outloud with my eyes closed without really noticing" way. It's epic. But on the plus side a little "B.C Orienteering" seems to brighten the dullest of work lulls. You should try it. Let me know how it goes for you.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Friday Find: Mouldy Wall Art

Making biology fun, etsy's elinart creates masterful crocheted mouldy goodness without all the toxic spore drawbacks. I love the attention to detail and texture of her pieces and am particularly fond of the colours chosen in this one!


Now, if only I had a house to decorate and a disposable income...

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Thumbs up for Buttons!

If you couldn't already tell from yesterday's post, my thumbs up yeti button sets are here and ready for sale in my etsy shop! Hooray for snowy mythical creatures! Take a peek at the finished product:



I agree with leslie and jim that pinecone certainly turned out to be the cutest addition to this set but it's a tough call...what do you think?

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

All the buttons!

Hooray! At last my mass of pinback buttons are complete!


I've got some plans for these babies - so stay tuned...

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Pom Pom Crazy!

Never underestimate the awesomeness of the pom pom. Not only do they have a sweet name, but they're also easy and fun to make, and can be used in a plethora of rad crafts! Here's a few I've been eyeing up from bleubird's blog:




I'd really love to do a whole pom pom holiday this year (there's even a tutorial on the pom pom wreath) if I didn't know that it would result in the probable death of one mischievous string devouring devil cat. Alas - I'll have to be a vicarious pom pom supporter for this one. *sigh*.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Loss of Pigment

Is it just me or did fall come by way too quickly this year? I can't believe I'm already longing for a good (well spf protected) soak in the sun and we haven't even hit winter yet! Or how quickly I lost all the pigment in my skin - which as a red-head isn't say much i know - but still...I'm noticeably translucent and it's only the beginning of november! Ack!

Maybe it's time I really need to admit to being a 78 year old hiding in 25 year old shoes and migrate south for the winter. At least then my joints wouldn't be acting up so much and I've already got the tea drinking and old lady crafts down so it's an eventual step. Unfortunately, that isn't really plausible anytime soon for me, but in the meantime anyone up for canasta?

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Bingo Update

Since I haven't updated in a while I thought I'd quickly discuss my minor gain on the ultimate site visit bingo blackout front! I've been picking up a few countries in Eastern Europe and Western Asia as well as perpetual gain in the United States. Take a peek at the data goodness:

Progress last seen on Oct 23:


Progress as of Nov 7:

I was really hoping to fill up those blank countries faster but with the whole, "most of those places are 3rd world/don't have the internet access" in addition to the probable "they don't really speak english so why read my english website" thing I was destine to lose a little momentum. *sigh*

But in other news, I've discovered when you click on the "ever popular with my etsy site" US, it shows you which states have visited my site (verses all the other countries that just show you cities) and I'm only 5 states away from blackout there! Bonus!


Hooray! More minor success! But it does beg the question - what is it about California that makes it account for 10% of all my site visits from the entire world? Seriously - any ideas?

Friday, November 6, 2009

Friday Find: Pennant Rubber Stamp Tutorial

This week's fabulous find is an extra awesome because not only is it super cool, but it's a tutorial! So instead of just indulging in the temptations of online retail therapy you can just whip out some crafty supplies and make it on your own! Sweet deal!


Doesn't even look overly difficult to put together. I really like how it looks on post - watch out pen pals, you're in for some DIY decorated mail!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Oh Internet, you're great

Behold - the cutest blog ever!



I mean, who wouldn't want to follow the adventures of adorable teeth?

Sunday, November 1, 2009

November?

Is it just me or are months going by particularly quickly these days? Well, looks like November is upon us - so time to start the month long trek towards xmas preparation where I pretend I'm getting things done early, but then really don't, and scramble at the last minute. Fun.

It's also time for a new november soundtrack! This month started off as "songs I like singing along to" then changed gears a bit to "songs from all these new awesome cd's that just came out" and then ended with "crap - I need 3 more songs to put on this list, let me find some catchy ones from my recent additions to itunes". I'll blame my lack of concert attending in October for the mismatched direction but luckily I've got a few shows planned for this month so theoretically my direction will be clearer come next month...we'll see...