The Six Weeks of Christmas Blog Give-Away - 12/6/08 -12/12/08

Ready for another give-away? I hope so. Because I missed two weeks of my own give-away, I've got some making up to do. This week you have 3 chances to win!

So, without further ado, lets get on with this week's fabulous give-away!!!

Give-away #1:

My first give-away is framed and matted 4 x 6 photograph, titled: “Dogwood Blossom in Sepia” from my shop DragonflyPhotography on Etsy. The photograph will have framed in a simple black from with a white mat. The photograph featured here on my blog is a only representation of what the photograph will look like.

Give-away #2:

My second give-away will be a collection of hand-made greeting
cards. This gift will contain 6 cards using photographs from Dragonfly Photography. The photographs are printed directly onto acid free card stock making a truly unique and handmade card for you to give to anyone. The inside can be left blank or a personal message can be added, it's your choice.

Give-Away #3

The winner of this give-away will win "Swag Bag" of goodies containing items from Dancing Monkey Jewelry and Dragonfly Photography. I'll pick some of my very favorites and send them to you. Don't be surprised if you find some of my new products I'm
planning on introducing in 2009. I'm sure you will be quite pleased with what I've selected.

So, what do you have to do to win? All you have to do is visit one of my shops - Dancing Monkey Jewelry or Dragonfly Photography. See anything you like? Well, just heart it and then come back here and leave a comment letting me know which item you hearted. I will be choosing two of the items you heart to be included in the Swag Bag for give-away #3.

Remember that you must include a valid email address at time of entry. This contest ends on Friday, December 12, 2008 at midnight PST. Any entries made after that time will not be eligible for this drawing.

To view contest rules, click on this link.

The Rules

1. You do not need to purchase anything to win.
   

2. To enter, you will need to visit my shop Dancing Monkey Jewelry and tell me what you would choose if you were the winner of this weeks $25.00 shopping spree give-away. You can enter as many times as you want – however - all entries must be made by a separate post. The odds of winning depend on how many times you enter and the number of entries received.
   
   
3. This is a weekly drawing – lasting 6 weeks. Each week there will be one prize. For the week of December 6, 2008 - there are 3 prizes - a framed 4 x 6 photograph, a hand made card gift pack and a "Swag Bag" The approximate retail value of this prize is $20 - $50. The winner will be chosen by random drawing conducted by the, Martha Hughes, operator of http://www.dancingmonkeyjewelry.com.
   

4. Winners will be notified by email only. You will need to provide a valid email address at time of entry. If I’m unable to contact you or if the winner fails to respond to email within three (3) days from the time notification email has been sent, the win will be null and void and a new winner will be chosen.
   

5. Upon acceptance of their prize, all winners must agree to allow Martha Hughes release their name as a winner in a blog post on The Dancing Monkey Jewelry Chronicles . If the winner does not agree to this stipulation the win will become null and void and a new winner will be chosen.
   
   
6. The prize will be mailed by US Mail with delivery confirmation within seven (7) days of acceptance. The sponsor, Martha Hughes, is not responsible for packages lost or damaged in the mail.
   
   
7. The contest begins on 12/6/08. All entries must be received by midnight PST on 11/21/08. The winner will be selected on or about 12/12/08.
   
   
8. By entering the contest, entrants agree that the decisions of the judge are final.

Setting Up an Online Shop on the Cheap!

Before I opened my store on Etsy and started this blog, I sold my jewelry at the local craft fairs and art shows. When I wanted to broaden my customer base I decided to establish an on-line shop. After the initial outlay of turning a hobby into a business I found that it was pretty easy to get set up to sell on-line and the cost minimal. After all, I already had the most important tools to start selling on-line: a product line, a computer, access to the Internet and ignorance. ;) I had no idea what I was getting myself into - which is was a good thing because had I known then what I know now I probably would been too overwhelmed by the amount of work it takes to keep a small business going.

I found this interesting article on MSN in the "Tech and Gadgets" column and wanted to share it with you. It's titled "How to Start an Online Business for $100". You know that figure sounds about right. Matter of fact, I was surprised how little it cost to open my shop on Etsy, to get my domain name for my blog, then there were the upgrades to my Flickr and Picnik accounts. This article lists out the steps you need to take to start your on-line business and provides links to the all the resources they reference in the article.

Is your interest piqued? Here's the link to the complete article: http://tech.msn.com/howto/articlepcw.aspx?cp-documentid=13679511&GT1=40000

Home Jewelry Parties...

A good friend of mine has offered to host a jewelry party in her home next week. I didn't even have to ask her - it was her suggestion. I admit it, I love attending home shows (the company/product/food and drink appeal to me) and I usually end up spending money I hadn't planned on (hmmm...maybe it was that 2nd glass of wine that loosend up my purse strings). Here are my plans for making this a successful show for all of us:

• Offering a Gift to All Guests - You can't really demonstrate jewelry - so I will be setting up a crafting station where we'll be creating "Wine Charms". I'm calling this a "A Gift from Your Hostess".
• "Frequent Shopper Program" - Offer free membership to my Frequent Shopper Program - For every $100.00 you spend, you will receive a $10.00 credit towards your next purchase.
• Mailing List - If you sign up for my mailing list you will receive $10.00 off any purchase of $30.00 or more, plus receive special offers just for you all year long.
• Offer a Hostess gift to each guest who books their own party - 1 pair of pearl earrings if you sign up to host a jewelry party of your own.
• Gifts for the Hostess - When you host a home party you will receive the following: With guest sales of $250.00 or more you'll receive 25% off everthing you purchase for the year, plus you'll receive 10% of the sales to apply towards your purchase on the day of the party. With guest sales of $500.00 or more you'll receive 25% off everything you purchase for the year, plus you'll receive 10% of the sales to apply towards your purchase on the day of the party and last, but not least, you'll receive 1 item at 50% off (of equal or lessor value - certain items are not eligible for the 50% off).
• Payment Options - I accept the following forms of payment: Cash, Check, Credit Card, Post-Dated Checks (up to 50% of the purchase price for up to two weeks).

In this economic climate I'm willing to do just about anything to make a profitable sale. I'm hoping this will become another viable venue for me to make some sales.

We've Got a Winner!!!

The winner for the 11/15/08 $25.00 shopping spree in one of my two on line shops Dancing Monkey Jewelry and/or Dragonfly Photography is Bunny B.

Congratulations Bunny B. I hope that you will enjoy your prize. I can't wait to see what you choose.

YOWZA!!! It's been two weeks already??!!

I have to apologize. I've been remiss in doing work on my computer. I ran out of steam and dropped the ball on my blog give-away. I'm the first to admit it - I tend to bite off more than I can chew. With the demands of my two online shops, my blog, the promoting that do for my shops, the art fairs/craft shows where I sell my creations, and the jewelry that I create and my photography - somewhere some how I've got to find a way to balance all that with the demands of my day job (the one that pays the bills) and my 2.5 to 3 hour daily commute, my family and friends (not that they place many demands on me), my household duties and sleep. Somethings got to give and it's a toss up between my blog or sleep.

I'm going to get on with the program and post a double blog give-away so that I will be caught up with my "Six Weeks of Christmas" this Wednesday.

I hope you had a lovely holiday weekend. I spent mine with my family in Eastern Washington and we all had a lovely time.