Yeah! I did it and survived to tell the tale!!!!

What did I do? I paid my 1st quarter taxes last night (nothing like waiting for the last moment). Thank god, for electronic filing and e-checks. I have a sneaking suspicion that I might have over paid my taxes - only because my records weren't as "organized" as they should be - but I'd rather over pay then under pay - it's just more pleasant to find out that you erred in your favor. My biggest worry is that I didn't complete the forms correctly - but the silver lining to this dark cloud is that I'm sure I'll find out sooner rather than later if I made any mistakes (That is if the Department of Revenue notices).

Because I haven't had any sales in the first month of the second quarter, I'm going to use this time to organize my financial paper work - just in case I get audited. According to the fine folks from the Department of Revenue - it's not if you get audited, it's when - so I want to be prepared. Sounds pretty ominous - doesn't it?

And finally, next week I'll get a taste of what it's like to be a full time artisan/business owner. I'll be at home all next week getting ready for my next jewelry show sponsored by my Etsy Street Team: EtsyRain in Edmonds. I'm excited about this show for two reasons: 1. It's an opportunity to make more money (my checking account is looking a little anemic) and 2. I'll get to meet more members of the team - some of them I know through the groups I belong to on Flickr and Etsy, and some that I've actually met at other shows like "I Heart Rummage" and classes. I'm hoping it's fun, I'm hoping it's profitable, I'm hoping to meet lots of cool people - I'm hoping that next week is productive and I walk away with a feeling of being satisfied with what I was able to accomplish.

So, my goals for next week are:

1. Take more photos of my jewelry.

2. Post more inventory on Etsy.

3. Have more productive sessions at my jewelry bench.

4. Organize my financial paperwork.

5. Get ready for my next show.

6. Meet with my co-organizers of my Bella Faire art show in Tacoma.

7. Design and get the web-site for the Bella Faire up and running.

8. Take Bruce for a walk every day next week.

9. Set up a routine for me to follow through out the week.

10. Start a feature on my blog dedicated to the artist's who's own web-sites drive lots of traffic to my web-site (Whew! That was a mouth full!). I'm also thinking of hosting a give-away once a month - maybe.

It's good to have goals. Better if you meet them.

"a thing of beauty..."is a blog you might want to visit

One of the great things about being a part of such things like Etsy, Flickr and a host of many other on-line groups is that you have access to some very creative minds and you can benefit from their collective knowledge. Such a thing has happened to me (this morning in fact). While perusing my one of my groups in Flickr (Etsy.com love), I stumbled across a posting from a user who calls herself "love streams". She had written a post to say she had compiled a list of what she said was 100 great artists on Etsy. Hmmm...that's quite the claim.

Having piqued my curiosity, I had to check it out. So, I did. The result... well, let just say I wasn't disappointed by her choices (blown away would better describe the effect) or her blog (more about that later). If you get a chance, please check out her blog - it's absolutely wonderful: http://www.thing-of-beauty.com/100-great-artists-etsy-you-might-want-to-visit/. The list of artists she featured is fantastic - it must have taken her quite a bit of time to find them. And let's not forget her blog - it's well written and very enjoyable to peruse.

My final plug for those of you who don't know about Flickr. Here it goes: If you haven't had a chance to check out Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/ - you should do that too! It's a photo sharing web site and a whole lot more! It will take you places you didn't know existed.

Wow! How time flies...

I've been laying low this week. With all the work I've been putting in for my Etsy business, promoting myself in other forums and visiting the interesting blogs I've come across I haven't had the inclination to do much of anything else. Which is not good because there is still so much that I need to do:

Open a business bank account. Update my books - I have all the information - I just need to consolidate for tax purposes. I haven't done much business - the silver lining behind the dark cloud - so it won't take long.

• Take more photos of my jewelry to add to both of my on-line shops (Etsy and iCraft.ca).

• List more jewelry on both of my on-line shops.

• Clean my house (it's a mess and I hate it when it's a mess)
  

• Do laundry.

• Pay attention to my husband.

• Pay attention to my dog - letting him lay on the couch beside just isn't doing it for him any more.
  

However, last week wasn't a total loss - I found some great blogs that I would like to share with you:

Butterfly Chic Boutique:

http://www.butterflychicboutique.net

This blog is a great resource for on-line business owners. The writer of this blog has great articles on using PayPal, your personal behavior in the Etsy forums (the Face of Your Business), tips for selling on line. Plus, she features sellers on Etsy. It's a very well written blog and her advice has become invaluable to me.

Urban Fashion Network

http://www.urbanfashionnetwork.com/jewelry.html
http://urbanfashionnetwork.blogspot.com/

After my last show at "I Heart Rummage" - I got an email from the Urban Fashion Network. They are a site devoted to up and coming designers, boutiques and events in Seattle (and the West Coast). I was told that they would love to add me to their site as a designer. Of course, I took them up on their offer. I'd be a fool not to, right?

And finally, I will be taking a silver working class tomorrow with a group of artist who are members of my Etsy street team (Seattle's EtsyRain). Tomorrow we'll be learning to make cool wire links and clasps. It should be fun - I'll be learning and/or perfecting a skill and I'll be meeting more members of my street team. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

Two really nice things happened to me this week that were totally unexpected.

Thing number one: I was supposed to attend my last "HTML" class on Wednesday - when I got to the class I found it had been rescheduled. Not having received prior notice I wasn't very happy. When I called my boss to let her know that my class was rescheduled, and that I would be coming into work and that I was wearing jeans (in violation of the "Professional Image Policy") she suggested that I take the rest of the day off because by the time I got to work my day would be half over. Well, you don't have to tell me twice to take a day off from work. It was a glorious day (a warm, sunny winter day with strong hints of spring in the air) and I spent a good part of the day in downtown Seattle, sightseeing, visiting favorite haunts, eating and taking pictures. It was the perfect day. Thank you, Brenda.

Thing number two: Last night I had a surprise visitor arrive on my doorstep - My dad. He lives int he Tri-Cities (Eastern Washington) and he came over for the annual amateur radio "Ham Fest" in Puyallup today. He says he's not in the market for new radio and/or their parts - but we all know those are "famous last words".

Now, I'm going to see about doing something about those items on my "To Do" list. Enough loafing around!

I'm back...

Did you miss me? Over the past few day's I've been recuperating from my cold. During the past few days I've spent lots of time looking at other people's blogs. There are so many truly talented people out there, with wonderful witty blogs. I've been resisting the urge to comparing myself to them. I've only been making jewelry for a short time - well a relatively short compared to those who have a BFA - especially compared to those with MFA - they really worked for their skills. I'm mostly a self taught artist - I haven't paid my dues. However, it's really not that productive to do that so I'm going to stop doing it. I've got talent, right?

Another thing I've discovered: My blog is boring!!! It really doesn't reflect who I am. I've got to change the direction of my blog. I think I need to incorporate more of what I'm learning while I'm "networking" and start posting more pictures of my jewelry and the practice photographs.
I've joined several groups which I'll write about later on this weekend. I'll take you on a tour of my studio. Maybe I'll show you some of the jewelry I'm working on - while I'm working on it.

Even though I've not sold a thing on any of my shops I'm having a good time. I've learned a few skills and hopefully my writing will improve.

I'll leave with those thoughts. I need to leave, as I'm supposed to be working on jewelry. I encouraged my husband to go out tonight so I could get some work done. So, I'll have to have something to show. He reads my blog so the truth is out. Sorry, honey - I couldn't resist the siren song of my blog. It missed me.

See you later.