Blog Revival

I let too much time pass.  Then I almost forgot about it.  Then I added some new "things to do" to my To Do list and I really didn't have time.  It's been over a year since I blogged regularly and I still don't have the time, but I'm determined to try! 

I enjoy posting and interacting on Facebook.  (You can "like" my page here )  I'm trying to figure out Pinterest--it's very cool, but still a little complicated from a "marketing" perspective.  I'm ashamed to admit I haven't sent out an email newsletter in far too long. 

There's just so much stuff involved in running a business these days.  And for me, all the online/social stuff is in addition to making my jewelry, filling online orders, and interacting with customers in my store!  Like I said, I'm determined to try to work it all in, to make a more effective schedule so that I don't run out of "day" before I run out of "things to do".  I'm starting with this blog.  Consider this the REVIVAL!

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What's In My Purse

This is the next item in the 30-Day Blog Challenge list I've been referring to periodically (when I don't have any new jewelry to show you!)  What's In My Purse... (The picture is not my purse, just a representative.)

• My cell phone
• My son's wallet
• 3 pens
• Some personal pictures
• Some personal notes
• Aspirin/ibuprofen
• My little Flip video camera (one of these days I'm going to figure out how to get the videos OFF it!)
• Mirror
• Reading glasses
• 2 nail files
• Lip balm
• Eye drops
• Comb
• 2 checkbooks
• Sunglasses
• My MP3 player
• My keys
• A couple of old bank receipts
• An envelope with a check for my husband (must remember to give that to him!)
• My wallet (the contents of THAT will make a whole other blog post!)

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15 Facts About Me

I recently ran across a 30-day blog challenge, and since I am seriously not-so-great about blogging, I thought participating would be good to get me posting more frequently. I won't guarantee I'll finish the list in 30 days...in fact I'll probably s-t-r-e-t-c-h it out a bit with some new jewelry pictures and other musings. Day 1 is Fifteen Facts About Me:

1. My hair is not naturally blond.

2. My eyes are naturally blue (although my colored contact lenses make them look bluer).

3. I'm adopted.

4. I drink coffee all day. Iced coffee, actually.

5. I sleep on the right side of the bed.

6. I love, love, love good landscape photography--I could look at beautiful scenic pictures all day!

7. I played the trombone in band from 6th grade through college. It was my dad's horn that he played in school, too, and now my 11-year-old son is playing it! Three generations of trombonists, one horn. How cool is that?

8. My pet peeve is misspellings. Especially on signs in front of businesses. (I will NEVER patronize your establishment if you can't spell your message correctly!)

9. My favorite color is green.

10. I'm a sucker for a Krispy Kreme plain glazed doughnut.

11. I'm not much of a drinker. I've had the same bottle of Southern Comfort (good with Diet Dr. Pepper) in my freezer since 1992.

12. I love the smell of fresh cut grass, orange blossoms, and pine.

13. I have a seahorse tattoo on my right ankle.

14. I smoked for 31 years--quit last October. (Yay, me!)

15. I adore my husband and son.

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Summer Schedule

The thing I love most about summertime is that I get to sleep in a little longer each morning, since I don't have to take my son to school. Not TOO much longer, because I do have to take him to the day camp he attends at his karate school, but long enough for it to feel indulgent. The downside of that lovely sleeping in is that I get to my store later in the morning, and have that much LESS time to get everything done that I need to before I open my doors. Like this, for instance. I'm blogging, and it's already time to be opening my store. I did list some new items in my Etsy shop, but I still have to update my Facebook Fan Page. I did take care of my eBay sales and made a new listing there, but I haven't written the bill payments that need to go with the mailman today.

Adjusting to my summer schedule will require a bit more focus than I am sometimes inclined to have. Today is only the first day. I'm not totally displeased with my progress so far this morning. I'll go update my Facebook Fan Page, write the checks to pay the bills, and then get to work on the gigantic pile of special orders on my clipboard! Since my doors are now open, there's the possibility that customers might walk in, but being in business to sell to the public is what makes all those other things even necessary, right? So if I have to get up from my desk to take care of a customer, that's a GOOD thing! The rest...I'll just keep muddling along!

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Catching Up

I often find myself composing blog posts in my head as I drive to work in the morning. And then by the time I get here, more often than not, the task of writing in my blog completely flies out of my mind. I wish I were a little less scatterbrained sometimes, but I guess that's just part of being an ar-tiste...? Hahaha!

I've been pretty busy in my store. But in a strange way. Not so many customers walking in, really, and those that do are bringing me stuff to set for them. So I've got lots of special orders to be working on. At least three weeks worth, maybe a month. Sometimes I wish people would be a little more interested in buying the stuff I actually have made up, but special orders keep me busy and prevent monotony! And it's not like I'm not selling anything in the store!

I've been getting quite a few online sales, too. I sell on 5 different online venues, and there have been a few days recently that I've sold at least one thing on each of them. I think that's pretty cool! Of course, when I sell something on Etsy or Artfire or Ruby Lane, it's often something that's one-of-a-kind, so my posted inventory goes down. That means I need to take new pictures and post new items, which can be time-consuming. But it keeps my online inventory looking fresh!

So you see that for everything I might gripe about a little, there's something positive to be had as well. And ain't that the way life should be...?!!

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Getting Better

I have to say that my new "resolution" from last month--writing a blog post before I allow myself to play on Facebook--seems to be working at about 70% effectiveness. If you don't count weekends, that is. But my schedule on weekends is different, so I guess I'll have to work on taking that into consideration. On weekdays, I take my son to school at 8:15 and then come straight to work, even though I don't officially open my store until 11:00. That gives me an extra couple of hours to focus on getting some uninterrupted "work" time in before any customers might arrive. On weekends, I tend to treat myself to a little extra sleep, plus those pesky household tasks like doing laundry and cleaning the bathroom, so I don't get in to work until about 10:00 at the earliest. Not enough time to do all the paperwork and computer business that I should do each day before opening. So I guess my options are: 1) Don't sleep in (hmmm...unlikely). 2) Don't do the laundry or any of those other household chores (impractical). 3) Get more organized and efficient so ALL tasks can be accomplished, even on weekends (wow...wouldn't that be great?) 4) Don't blog on weekends (the most likely scenario at this point)!

You can "vote" with your comments and follow along to see how well I do!

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So BAD About This...!

Just about every morning as I'm getting ready for work, I'm thinking about my business, my friends, my family...all kinds of things that I could write a blog post about. Then by the time I actually get to work, it's all flown out of my mind. I am so BAD about getting on here and writing. I always feel like I should include some kind of picture ("they" say that makes a blog more interesting). But if I haven't shot any new photography in awhile, that means I have to take pictures and edit them before I can blog. So I put it off. Then the next morning I think of some cool stuff I could write, beat myself up about not writing yesterday, and forget all about it when I get to work. I think maybe I should make a belated New Year's resolution and train myself to write something on my blog before I can go play on Facebook. You think that would work...?

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Still Nothing

I've waited a few days to post again. I've had this page up on my computer all afternoon, hoping some kind of inspiration would hit. Nothing. I've had a grand total of 5 people walk into my store today. I just can't get motivated with that kind of inaction surrounding me! I've spent an hour or so poking around on other people's blogs. Maybe someone said something where I could take an idea and run with it. Nope. But I just couldn't bring myself to close the page without writing something.

Happy Thursday, anyone...?

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On The Upswing

September is traditionally the slowest month of the year for me. So you'd think I would get a lot of extra work done, right? Like making more inventory, taking pictures, writing blog posts, updating my Etsy shop and my Artfire studio...

Well, not really. The slower my business is, the slower I seem to move. It's so hard to get motivated. I've spent far too much time the last couple of weeks "playing" rather than getting any productive work done. Oh, I have made some inventory (check out the fire agate pendant picture!) But I've been playing computer games and revising my MP3 playlists, too. Fun, yes, but not particularly helpful for making money!

So I'm glad September is over. It's not that business jumps up by a large amount on the first of October, but the anticipation is there. I'm looking forward to more business, and to being busy. Somehow the more I have to squeeze into my day, the more I do squeeze into my day.

And the cooler weather doesn't hurt, either!
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I'm Back!

No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth. I got busy with other stuff over the last couple of months, and I kind of forgot I had a blog! How embarrassing! Maybe I'll stick a Post-It note to my computer to remind me to update more often.

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Summer Routine

The summertime really messes with my routine. During the school year, I take my son to school and come directly to work, where I have two hours to concentrate on computer and paperwork before I actually open my doors. It's still not enough time, but it sure helps get (almost!) everything done.

But in the summer, I sleep an extra hour. Don't get me wrong--I LOVE sleeping an extra hour. I have a really comfy bed! But now I take my son to his Day Camp at his karate school and come straight to work, but I get here an hour later. One less hour to shoot new photography and upload pictures. One less hour to work on my online promoting. One less hour to drop Entrecards or interact on the artisan websites to which I belong. One less hour to get a blog post written, as you can see from the large gap between my last post and this one.

I have to admit that I have fewer customers actually walk in my store this time of year, so you'd think I could make up some of the time that way. But it seems that the less "invigorating" my day, the less motivated I am to do the things that need doing. I actually found myself playing an online game the other day, even though I have pictures to take and an email newsletter to write. Naughty me!

I've been meaning to post on here for weeks, so actually getting to it today makes me feel a little better. Maybe by the time summer is over, I'll have figured out a new routine where I can get all my work done. Then when I have that additional hour first thing in the morning after taking my son to school, I can squeeze in something else productive! (Like a nap, maybe? I know I'll be missing that extra hour in bed!)

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My March Top Droppers

Although I've been meaning to do it for a long time, this is the first time I've posted my top Entrecard droppers. Some just "drop" on by, some stop to comment, all are appreciated! Check them out:

Ruth's Creations
Gems By Jerri
SpicyBugz World
Three Fates Design
Las Vegas Baby
Tech-Blog
My Ark Full Of Worry-Free Thoughts 3.0
Shortinfosec
Between the Sand and Stone
Brick For Jade

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Entrecard Changes

I'm sure most everyone who does any regular dropping on Entrecard has heard of the impending changes. At first, I had seriously mixed feelings. I didn't have a problem with the "above the fold" provision--I've always had my drop box above the fold. And I think I like the idea of being able to convert credits to cash. Not that I have a ton of credits, mind you, but the idea sounds like a good one. My initial problem was with the not being able to reject an ad without having to pay a penalty.

In the months that I've been a part of Entrecard, I've only rejected a small handful of advert requests. Most of the blogs out there are at least moderately interesting and not overly offensive. There have been a few requests from blogs that I didn't really think fit in with my overall "theme", which is mostly geared toward my jewelry customers. I'm not in this to make any money. You'll notice I have NO paid advertising on my blog. I just want to write about my jewelry and my life and try to reach the people who are interested in what I'm doing. I don't want to feel obligated to write anything specific, or to write more often, because I have advertisers to consider.

So when I first read that we'd pretty much be forced to take whatever advertising came along, my first reaction was that I didn't think I was going to be able to continue with Entrecard. Which is a shame, because I've found some really cool blogs with it. I'm pretty happy that there was enough of an outcry to get this particular "improvement" rescinded. I'll be able to keep the quality that I'm comfortable with, and not be penalized by having to "pay out" any of my hard-earned credits. I'm still adopting a "wait and see" attitude, but I think it's going to be fine. For me at least. (Obviously I can't speak for anyone else.)

And maybe some day I'll have amassed enough credits to "cash out" a few!

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Online Venue #11 -- This Blog

A couple of months ago I started a little "series" about all the online venues I try to keep up with on a regular basis. This is the last one. This blog. I started it to keep my customers up-to-date on my jewelry and what's going on in my life. I've been in business a long time, and I've come to discover that people who buy handmade items like knowing a little bit about the artisan who creates the items. And creating a blog seemed like a good way to expose my jewelry to a new audience.

The benefit that I didn't anticipate showed itself as I made my way around the blogosphere trying to promote my blog. There are lots of other really cool blogs out there! Some business-related, some personal. Some informative, some thought-provoking. I've got quite a list of Favorites that I try to read at least a few times a week. So in a way, creating (and maintaining) this blog spawned a whole other "online venue" for me to keep up with.

No, there are not enough hours in the day to do everything I'd like. As I've written the posts for this series and examined each online activity, I've decided that I like and appreciate each of them in their own way. Each has its own merit, each has its own place in my overall business plan. So for now, I'm going to keep them all. It's not likely that the earth is going to slow its rotation enough to add any extra time to the day, so I'm just going to keep doing the best I can. After all, the way it is now, there's certainly never a dull moment in my life!

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Comments Are Good, Yes?

As I was hopping around Entrecard dropping my cards today, I ran across a blog post that I thought was really cute and I wanted to comment on it. First, I had to click on "read more" in order to get to the link for comments. Now, this was a blog with a lot of advertising on it, and it took forever to load in the first place, and a second "forever" to reload that post so I could click "comment." After I wrote my comment, another screen asked me what account I wanted to comment under, with a drop-down menu. I chose Google/Blogger and tried to continue. It then gave me yet another screen where I assume the verification code was going to appear (you know, those weirdly-shaped words and numbers that you have to squint your eyes to understand?). Under the empty box that said "loading...", there was an indicator that there would be yet ANOTHER screen for me to sign in my Google/Blogger username. I actually never got to that FOURTH SCREEN. The "loading..." stayed in the box for more than 6 minutes, never actually providing me with the verification code to enter. I don't know about you, but I don't have that kind of time to spend commenting on a single blog. I've got Entrecards to drop, y'all!

My question is this: why on earth would you make it so hard for people to leave you comments? We WANT comments, don't we?

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Not Enough Hours in the Day

Wow. Here it's been a whole week since I last posted. I certainly didn't mean for that to happen. I almost don't understand how it happens, either. Every morning as I'm getting ready for work, my mind is going over things that could very well be turned into blog posts. Something I heard on the news catches my attention. Something my husband or son did was amusing. Old friends and crazy antics of the past cross my mind. And yet, by the time I actually GET to work, all those lovely ideas have flown right out of my head.

I unlock the door, I feed the fish, I turn on the lights and the computer. I sit down, check my bank balance (never enough $$, by the way), log in to my Etsy account and/or my Ruby Lane account and/or my website, fiddle with some uploading and downloading. I make my Entrecard drops and package up any orders that need to be mailed. Then I'm ready to open the doors to customers.

Some days I have lots of customers walk in and I don't have the opportunity to do much else besides wait on them. Some days, not so many customers, and I can make inventory or work on special orders. If the weather cooperates, I can photograph some new jewelry pieces to put up on one or more of my online selling venues. I read some blogs, answer emails, check my social networking sites. Once in awhile I move the inventory around in my store a bit. The same old stuff looks fresh when it's in a new place!

Often, that's it. That's the end of my day. That's all the hours I have to devote to the endless "to-do" list that is the stuff of being self-employed. I didn't get my email newsletter written. I didn't finish all the special orders I wanted to do. I didn't get the supplies ordered that I really meant to do yesterday. And I didn't post in my blog.

Ah, well, there's always tomorrow....

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Online Venue #8 -- Entrecard

As I look back over my last few posts, I realize I skipped #8 in my list of online-things-that-take-up-my-time. Not that I'm doing them in any particular order, I just skipped using the #8. Things like that make me crazy, so I'm "backtracking".

I've been with Entrecard for a few months now. It's sort of a virtual business card exchange, where people with blogs who belong to Entrecard visit each other and "drop" their avatar/widget on those blogs. It exposes other people to your blog when they reciprocate the "drop", and it exposes you to various blogs as you surf around and visit the other Entrecard members. You earn credits for each "drop" you make on someone else's blog. You also earn credits when people purchase Entrecard advertising on your blog. These credits add up and you can purchase advertising on other people's blogs. Theoretically, people who visit the blogs where you've advertised will then click on your avatar and find YOUR blog. Builds traffic to your blog. A cool idea, but pretty time-consuming.

The most "drops" you can make in one day is 300. I don't know why that particular number was chosen, but for me it hasn't made a difference because I've never been able to drop more than about 150. And that's on a day when I have pretty much nothing else to do! On a typical "dropping" session, I manage to visit between 50 and 100 blogs, and that takes me better than an hour and a half. I see some advertisements for "300 Drops in Less Than 5 Minutes", but I've never explored that option. I can't imagine how fast your internet connection would need to be to "drop" on 300 blogs in 5 minutes. I can only assume it's a "shortcut" of some kind. And I enjoy actually visiting the blogs I "drop" on. I've found some really interesting blogs this way. I invite you to check out some of my favorites:

TeresaSez http://teresasez.blogspot.com

Margie and Edna's Basement http://margieandednasbasement.blogspot.com

The Junk Drawer http://www.junkdrawerblog.com

DnD Corner http://www.dndcorner.com

Crock Pot Meals http://crockpotmeals.myreviewguide.com

I have more, but you can see just from this short list that there is a WIDE variety of reading material out there!

I like being a part of Entrecard, but it sure does contribute to my Spread Too Thin? problem (see post below). Perhaps I should take my laptop home every night and "drop" while I'm sitting around watching TV...?

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Spread Too Thin?

Man, I feel guilty when I let so much time go by between posts! I have to wonder if I'm not spread too thin. The powers-that-be in online marketing make you think that if you're not "everywhere" on the Internet, then you're nowhere. I am currently trying to maintain my presence on about 10 or 11 online venues, and I have to say that NOT ONCE have I gotten to all of them in a single day. Is that bad? Or is it okay to do a few of them one day, alternating with the others on the next day? Seems to me that it keeps things "fresh" if I alternate. Or should I look at it like if I don't do all of them every day, I'm not maximizing their full potential? I can drive myself crazy trying to figure it out!

Maybe I'll spend the next 10 days blogging about each one in turn. At least that will give me something to post about!

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Things I've Done (and Not Done)

Surfing around Entrecard this morning, checking on my favorite bloggers, I ran across this. I found it particularly interesting because my mood lately has been so bleak. This lovely little list made me think of many of the things I've done in my life, and reflect on things still left to do. So I "stole" it from Following 31, who stole it from At The Creek, who stole it from Mommy, I'm Home, who got it from A Day With Twins, who stole it off ScrapbookChic, who stole it from another...and so on. I just think it's awesome. The things I've done are in bold.

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to a charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch-hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visted the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a marial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Got flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone's life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

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Technorati

Cool! I just discovered Technorati, a major "hub" for all things blogosphere! In order to "claim" my blog with them, I need to post this:
Technorati Profile

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