DMJ'S Artists of the Week...

In all my "travels" about the internet I've come across some truly talented crafts people and/or artists. To be honest, I truly had no idea how many of us are out there. And it's easy become lost or undiscovered in the midst of all this talent.

I'd like to do my part to help remedy this situation by introducing to you some of those artists that I meet in my new blog feature "DMJ'S Artists of the Week". Below you will see the blog entries of some of the best shops out there on on the internet. I hope you will enjoy reading about these talented artists as much as I have meeting and writing about them.

To meet this week's featured artists you can either click on the their names and be taken directly to their post or you can scroll the blog for each post.

Rebecca Cason - Edward and Lilly - A shop selling hand-made, original designed plush animals.

Ashley Johnson - RockNRoll McMama Designs - A hip children's and women's boutique

Sedruloa Maruska - Yarn Obsession - Beautiful hand-made knitted and crochet scarves, hats and antique buttons

Silvia - Look Mama Made It - A fantastic shop selling hand made creations for children to encourage make believe play.

Linda - GalleriaLinda - A shop selling elegant hand-crafted jewelry.

These ladies are truly talented artists and their creations are wonderful. I hope that you will support their shops.

Enjoy!

Best regards,

Martha

PS: I'm always looking for crafters/artists to promote. If you're interested in being featured in a future blog promotion send me an email at dancingmoneyjewelry@hotmail.com.

Linda - GalleriaLinda

Linda of GalleriaLinda is from Lakeland, Florida - way over there on the other side of the country from me. She creates very elegant jewelry that I can see myself wearing at work or on a night out on the town. Her earrings pictured on the left are my particular favorite. I love the organic yet sophisticated look of them.

Here is more information about GalleriaLinda:

Tell me about your shop. What will I find there?

In my shop you will find a cozy and friendly virtual space where you can look around and just enjoy the sparkle and glamour! Each item has fun, creative descriptions to entertain. The basic categories that I work with include earrings, bracelets, and necklaces using beads of glass, crystal pearls, acrylic, and gemstone of all kinds; polymer clay; and silver wire. My aesthetic leans toward contemporary in style and I love to use large 12mm Swarovski crystal pearls in new ways. A new product line of hammered sterling silver wire pendants is nearly ready to be put in the shops. Pendants of polymer clay have been very popular with my in-person sales and I will be working on another group of them towards the end of the summer. There never seems to be enough time to make everything that is rolling around in my brain!

How long have you been in business?
I have created jewelry designs for many years for myself, family, and friends. In October 2006, I finally decided to sell my jewelry at the encouragement of my friends and family. Actually, it was from the gentle pushing of my kind neighbors that actually pushed me over the edge to sell!

Where do you sell your creations? Please provide link to your online shops).

The best place to sell is in person to friends, family, and others. Seeing is believing and I travel to Indiana from Florida each year for a friend-hosted jewelry show with friends. I will be sending a good amount of my inventory to Texas later in the year for a proxy show (where I cannot attend). My shops online are with Etsy.com and iCraft.ca. Because of the one-of-a-kind nature of my work, you will find entirely different designs in each store. I also have a supply and vintage shop on Etsy.

http://iCraft.ca/gallerialinda
http://gallerialinda.etsy.com/
http://gallerialindaloft.etsy.com/

Do you have a blog or web-site?

I do! I started a blog about my jewelry business early in 2007 and enjoy working on it as a creative expression. Midway I put in a counter and have over 5000 views! I love going back and reading my posts as they show me how far I have come. I blog about my jewelry designs, technique successes and failures, excitement over new equipment, pretty beads, friends who encourage me, a couple of personal stories, and the sharing of techniques and tips.
http://gallerialindashowcase.blogspot.com/

A more recent project is my new marketing blog. By day, I am a strategic marketing communications consultant to small businesses (B&M businesses). So, I thought….why not!? With only a few posts, you will soon see more about how to market small businesses, including online stores. I have not yet decided whether to make it a generic small business marketing blog (B&M and online), a crafters marketing blog (for online stores), or a combination. Readers - what say you?

http://marketyourworld.blogspot.com/

My web site is the URL that I promote, as it will take a visitor to the shops mentioned:
http://www.gallerialinda.com/

You can also find me on Facebook, MySpace, WebJam, EtsyLove.ning.com, MyHandmade.ning.com and LinkedIn.com. I am always looking for more places to share the story of GalleriaLinda.

Who is your favorite crafts person/artisan or favorite web resource ?

Oh, that is a loaded question…..I love so many and have come across so many artists that have such powerful talent. I just plain love jewelry, so a lot of my favorites are in that category but I have a love of pottery, paper, clay, and other media.

• I admire so much the organic shapes and metal uses of Cindy Smith's jewelry designs http://cindysmithdesigns.etsy.com/ and the contemporary jewelry metalsmith Jane Gallagher http://janegallagher.etsy.com/
• Some very unique mobiles can be found at http://spindesigns.etsy.com/
• These origami creations are just fabulous http://clairigami.etsy.com/
• And, I am a sucker for whimsical pottery like http://jdwolfepottery.etsy.com/ and http://whitneysmith.etsy.com/
• This shop uses special DECO clay in a Japanese technique to produce gorgeous and delicate flower arrangements: http://debashri.etsy.com/

There are so many more that I admire - all in my favorites in my shop on Etsy. These artists I have selected are all on Etsy but may be on other selling sites too. I am new to iCraft.ca and have not been able to explore the artists yet.

Are there any upcoming craft fairs/art shows that you’ll be participating in this year?

At this time I do not participate in craft and art shows. My main avenue to exposing my product to potential customers is through word-of-mouth, personal jewelry showings, and online. Each of these require different promotions!

Silvia - Look Mama Made It

Silvia is from Lisbon, Portugal and you HAVE to check her shop out. She makes the cutest little felted miniatures - they are so cute! She says their for children, however, I know more than a few adults that would be captivated by her creations. I'm thinking my 4 year old niece would just fall in love with her little miniatures

Here's more information about Silvia:

Tell me about your shop. What will I find there?

My shop is where I try to make an old dream come true - I always wanted to make toys and beautiful things, and I am particularly fond of miniatures and small-scale objects. In my shop I sell my handmade creations, mainly (but not only) thought for children, and designed to encourage pretend play. I work with a lovely wool blend felt, and offer several kinds of felt food, and even complete meals. My favorite items are probably the colorful, soft and detailed pieces of fruit and vegetables, but I also like my "classic" birthday cake a lot - it is very versatile, can be made in almost any color, and easily transformed, for instance, with the addition of some strawberries. I also make other softies, such as dolls and bears, each with a personality of its own, and several accessories.

How long have you been in business?

Well, I started to sell my toys in the beginning of March 2008, so I've been in business for only four and a half months. I fact, I sold my first softie on my birthday, March 3rd!

Where do you sell your creations?

My favorite place to sell is my Etsy shop, called “Look, Mama Made It” (after my daughter's favorite sentence). You can see it at www.lookmamamadeit.etsy.com. I also sell to people who contact me through my blog, www.ameninabrinca.blogspot.com, but I prefer to direct those sales to Etsy, unless they are local customers. The rest of my sales are due to word-to-mouth advertising. My toys are entirely handmade, and I am a bit of a perfectionist, so they take me quite some time to craft and I simply cannot make enough items to sell anywhere else.

Do you have a blog or web-site?

As stated before, I have a blog, at www.ameninabrinca.blogspot.com. It is written in Portuguese and English, so don't be afraid to visit me!

Who is your favorite crafts person/artisan or favorite web resource?

It is SO hard to pick one. Well, I cannot really choose just one, but today I will have to say Allsorts (www.allsorts.typepad.com). It is one of those blogs I always read, and a feast to the eyes. Jenny is generous enough to share her wonderful ideas, and even patterns, with her readers. And both me and my daughter love her illustrations and online dress-up games. Plus, I just found out she was featuring one of my cakes among her Etsy shopping favorites. How nice is that?

Are there any upcoming craft fairs/art shows that you'll be participating in this year?

I won't be able to do any craft fairs this year, since I am still trying to establish the customer base of my small business. Also, I have to divide myself between crafting, a full time job, and a 5-year-old daughter! At the moment, I am not able to assure a reasonable stock in order to participate in a fair. But one day!

Sedruola (Sedie) Maruska – Yarn Obsession

I have a thing for scarves - knit scarves that is. What do you I like about them? Well, for starters they're warm, they're stylish and there are so many luscious colors and blends out there I could go broke buying scarves. I really am envious of anyone who can knit. My next artist is Sedie Maruska - she's obsessed with yarn and has even named her store after her obsession. Her shop features some of the cutest neck warmers and scarves - the colors are so lovely. I can just feel the warmth of one of her scarves around my neck this winter

Here's more about Sedie:

Tell me about your shop. What will I find there?

My shop is Yarn Obsession and I think the name says it all! From the time I picked up a hook and yarn about 7 years ago I’ve been obsessed with yarn. Right now I sell accessories such as hats, neck warmers and scarves and I love them all. Everything in my shop is something that I would be proud to wear. I don’t believe in making things that I don’t love because it will show in my work. I’m working on expanding my offerings this Fall. I also sell vintage buttons that I absolutely love.

How long have you been in business?

I’ve been in business on and off since 2005. In 2006 I got pregnant with my son and there were lots of things I had to be concerned with, so I took a break from knitting, crocheting and working on my craft business. This year, however, I’ve been able to re-focus on what I want to do with yarn, how I want to do it and what part it will play in my everyday life. In March I re-opened my Etsy shop and began re-listing my pieces.

Where do you sell your creations?

Right now the only place I sell my pieces are at my Etsy shop (http://sedruola.etsy.com/) I’m currently working on finding consignment shops and specialty boutiques to sell my pieces. I’m currently working on a deal that may have my pieces in a shop as early as August. I’m very excited about the possibilities!

Do you have a blog or web-site?

Yes, my “yarny” blog as I like to refer to it is called “Yarn Obsession” http://yarnobsession-2.blogspot.com/. I love to talk about things pertaining to yarn, knitting, crochet and selling on Etsy. I also like to share any information that I think my readers would be interested in such as fashion trends, other artisans, and craft shows in the area.

I do have a website (http://yarnobsession.sedruolamaruska.com/) I’m in the process of re-vamping to offer my customers the option of choosing their own colors for pieces they would like to purchase. It’s a work in progress, but I’m very happy with the way it’s coming along. I think if customers have a choice in their colors, they’ll be happier with their selection.

Who is your favorite crafts person/artisan or favorite web resource?

Right now I’m am in love with Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/) and all it has to offer in terms of someone being able to open up shop and move forward. I love Ellita (http://www.ellita.etsy.com/) because their creations are beautiful, classic and well done. I also love the Ning network (http://www.ning.com/), because it gives people a chance to really group together and network. I’m sure my list will grow as I do more surfing and learning.

Are there any upcoming craft fairs/art shows that you’ll be participating in this year?

I’m still new to the whole craft show arena. My first show was on July 3^rd and I enjoyed every minute of it, even though we got rained out. Right now I don’t have any shows planned, however, I am considering two shows for the Fall. Once I’m able to make a firm decision, I will certainly blog about them and let all my readers, and customers know where they can come out and meet me and see my pieces in person.

Rebecca Cason – Edward and Lilly

You won’t find a more darling shop if you tried – everything in her shop is an original design. Ashley’s little stuffed animals are so cute I might just have to buy one for myself. Rebecca is from Brisbane, Australia – making this post an international affair.

Here’s a little more about Rebecca:

Tell me about your shop. What will I find there?

Edward and Lilly products begin as a gift for a loved one and the design evolves from there. In esigning my softies I am inspired by my 3 beautiful nieces and their love of animals. At the moment shop stock includes cute little bears and cats lovingly made in Brisbane, Australia. There will be more softies in my shop in the next couple of weeks so keep an eye out for them.

How long have you been in business?

I began sewing 12 months ago and have been in business since March.

Where do you sell your creations?

Edward and Lilly creations are sold at the following online shops:

http://www.edwardandlilly.etsy.com/

http://en.dawanda.com/shop/edwardandlilly

http://www.madeit.com.au/

and from next week http://www.tenstickyfingers.com.au/

or you can contact me directly through my blog at http://www.edwardandlilly.blogspot.com/

Do you have a blog or web-site?

The Edward and Lilly blog is updated regularly at http://www.edwardandlilly.blogspot.com/

Who is your favorite crafts person/artisan or favorite web resource ?

This is a tough question as there are so many amazing and talented crafters out there but at the moment I would have to say I am smitten by Anna Maria Horner for her amazing ability to combine colour. http://www.annamariahorner.com/

Are there any upcoming craft fairs/art shows that you’ll be participating in this year?

Not at this stage but stay tuned!

Ashley Johnson - RockNRoll Mc Mama Designs

You’ll find great things at RockNRoll McMama. This shop has a little of everything – not to mention the cutest dresses for little girls. You can see my personal favorite there on the left. In addition to having two shops on Etsy, Ashley is the founder of the South Carolina Etsy Street Team. From personal experience, being a member of an Etsy Street Team is one of the greatest ways to build connections with local area Etsy Artisans.

Here’s a little more about Ashley:

Tell me about your shop. What will I find there?

I have two shops, actually. Rock N Roll McMama Designs is a boutique for women and children that features handmade tote bags, jewelry, baby clothes, and custom monogrammed items. Yum Yum Creations is a store that focuses on detailed polymer clay jewelry, most of which looks like food.

How long have you been in business?

I started my Etsy business in February of 2008.

Where do you sell your creations?
http://rocknrollmcmama.etsy.com
http://yumyumcreations.etsy.com

Do you have a blog or web-site?

Yes, I have a brand spanking new blog located at http://rocknrollmcmama.blogspot.com and you can find me on myspace at http://www.myspace.com/rocknrollmcmama.

Who is your favorite crafts person/artisan or favorite web resource?

It's hard for me to choose one person, but the South Carolina Etsy Street team is full of talented artisans. I manage the team and the blog and we feature a new artist frequently. Check it out at http://scstreetteam.blogspot.com

Are there any upcoming craft fairs/art shows that you’ll be participating in this year?

Right now, I don't have anything upcoming. There are talks about possibly doing a team craft show for South Carolina in the future, but details to that will come later. Right now you can find all of my items online and if you don't see something that is just right, I love doing custom orders.

I've been featured in another blog!

In my April 11th post, I wrote about sponsoring a give-away for Capitolagirl's "Friday Findings" column. Well, last week when I was checking my Etsy account I had this message waiting for me from one of the winners of that give-away:

by slymagpie profile shop contact

Hi Martha! I won your contest with Capitola Girl, and I just wanted to let you know that I loved the earrings! They're really beautiful and your materials are lovely. I'm off to tell everyone what a talented artist you are on my blog. :) Margaret How cool is that???!!! Plenty, if you're asking me. I'm not sure what part of this posting that I like the most - the part about her liking my earrings or the part about her telling me that she was going to write a post for her blog telling others that she liked my earrings. Really, it's still a toss up for me. So, I sat around all day waiting for the blog to be published. And true to her word, she wrote a nice post about me. If you're anything like me, curiosity will get the best of you and you'll want to read the post. So, here is the link to the her blog that she the little piece she wrote about little ol' me: slymagpie: I won a contest! Thank you Margaret for letting me know that you liked my earrings an for letting others know too! And too my readers, for some reason I couldn't get any pictures to post - but don't fear - I've provided links - just click on them and you'll be taken posts with lots of great pictures.

What I've been learning...

I'm one of those "Ready, Fire, Aim!" kind of people. If I weren't I'd probably woudn't get anything done. Reason being, the more I know the more likely I would get mired down in the details which might help me become overwhelmed and then become paralyzed by inaction. Besides - it more exciting flying by the seat of pants. However, that does make for a very steep learning curve sometimes - you can't live in ignorance forever (but it's nice to visit sometimes). So, I decided to do a little internet research and in the brower bar I typed in "How to promote to your web-site" - lots of possibilities popped up - and I did check some of them out. Nothing really resonated with me. However, with the help of one of the members(sycamorebaby: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5136129) of my Etsy Street Team: EtsyRain (http://craftsellers.meetup.com/82/) I've found another excellent web-site that I would like to share with you: eMoms At Home - The Blog That Started It All. The target audience is for parents with a home-business. If you don't fall into that category - don't let that stop you from checking out this blog - it's an excellent resource for anyone who has a home business. This site has a little something for everyone. My favorite channels are:

CraftBoom - Marketing an Art & Craft Business Online

Freelance Parent - Running a Home Based Freelance Business

I can't wait until I have the time to fully explore this website. The more I learn about selling on the on-line the more I learn what I don't know. In short - I haven't a clue.

Also, I've been learning how to write HTML code and for those of you with slightly sophisticated computer skills probably have noticed that in this posting. So, please excuse any of the strange formatting you see in this blog for a while - it's probably me and my learning curve.

If you make jewelry, you'll want to check out this web-site

I'm really excited to find this web site because it is a fantastic resource for those of us who create jewelry or those of you who want to create jewelry. I'm sitting here thinking I wish I knew of it's existence when I first started out. It would have made my life easier.

The name of the web site is: Jewelry and Beading.

This link will take you directly to my favorite page, "The Basics - information and tutorials to get you started. Now if I could only figure out to display some photos from this web site my life would be somewhat more complete.

Getting ready for my upcoming art and crafts shows...

About a year ago, I made the decision to create as much of my jewelry as I could. Instead of buying ear wires, head pins, jump rings and some of my clasps at my local jewelry store, I have started making them in my shop. Being able to do this comes in handy. If I run out of ear wires for my earrings late at night, instead of running to the store I can just "whip up" a pair right there, on the spot, with out any fuss and muss.

I spent a good part of yesterday working in at my bench creating the rings for my wine glass charms, the head pins and ear wires for my jewelry. Every now and then, my husband would appear, just to check out what I've been working on. Each time, he'd get this puzzled look on his face and would inquire "Is this all that you've done??!!". Each time, I felt like I had somehow let him down. So, I would explain that it takes time to create all the pieces of my jewelry and fabricating the components I need to create my jewelry. The ear wires take the longest to make. I have to make sure that the ends are absolutely smooth so as they don't scratch the wearers ear lobes. I have a little burr cup that I use to smooth the ends and it's totally manual. I have a sneaking suspicion that if I continue using a manual burr cup that I will developing carpal tunnel syndrome in the near future. The perfect excuse to let my husband by me that Dremel tool that he has mentioned in the past.

Now mind you, I could go out and buy the ear wires, head pins, wine charm rings and it would save time and possibly money. But I don't want to do that. Besides, I like being able to tell people that the piece of jewelry they are buying was created by me, in my shop versus being assembled by ready made findings and components. Of course there are somethings things that I will buy, like clasps for my necklaces and bracelets. I like to use lobster clasps - I just like the way the look and they would be too difficult to for me to make.

So, what did I accomplish yesterday? Well, I made 15 pairs of ear wires, about 40 head pins, and 40 wine charm rings. Today, I'll get to actually make some jewelry. My first big show is next week at the Greenbank Farm (show information can be found in the upper right hand corner of my blog) and I'm hoping that my whole inventory will be wiped out!

The photo in the upper left hand corner is a photo of one of the wine glass charms that I made. It looks like I'll have an opportunity to sell them out of a local wine shop. This particular wine glass charm is made out Swarovksi crystal and sterling silver filled wire. The owner of the shop wants to sell items made by local crafters. She liked my jewelry but suggested wine charms that looked like artisan jewelry and this is my what I came up with. The owner loved my idea and if all goes as planned, my wine glass charms will be available in her store when it opens. I'll let you know if they are as soon as I can.

I can't believe that I forgot to mention this....

I'm sure most of you know that bloggers like to track the visitors to their blog and I've been checking. I've been getting a few visitors everyday. Most of my visitors are from the USA and I appear to be quite popular in Canada. I've even had visitors from the United Kingdom, Australia, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Islamabad, Pakistan. All this is very exciting for me - my blog is international!

What you might not know is that I'm an "information freak" and I'm nosey. :) I need to find out how people find my blog - just because. Most referrals come from Etsy, Flickr, or from people I know that I've sent emails to and said "Hey! Check out my blog!" One of the most exciting referrals I have seen is one from someone who uses AOL for their internet searches. They did a web search for "Sundance Jewelry" and look what came up in their search - ME!!!!!!

So, for all of you out there who's knowledge regarding site locations on the web is broader than mine. I just want to say something "Don't tell me this is a fluke!" I don't need this cold dose of reality - not at this point in time at least (Yes, I'm living in Denial). At my daytime job, I've been working as part of a team to update our web and I've been told that this is something very big...and even if it's a fluke or something that would only happen on AOL I just want to let you know that I'm operating under the guise of "Ignorance is Bliss" and let me tell you I've never felt so good about being so ignorant. Let me enjoy this moment. My self-esteem is at an all time high. I'm having one of those Sally Field moments (You like me. You really like me!). It's a good feeling and sometimes that's all that counts. By the way, denial is almost as good as ignorance.

Dancing Monkey Jewelry Studio

So, here it is almost Sunday morning, and I'm still up. I don't know what it is but all of a sudden I've caught my second wind!! What better thing to do but write a post, right? I thought I'd show you a little bit of my world - the jewelry creating world that is - and take you on a very short tour of my jewelry studio (yeah!).

As you know, Dancing Monkey Jewelry is the name of my studio and I'm located in Tacoma, WA. My studio is very small but it has all the comforts of home, because it's in my home. My house is this delicious 1915 Craftsman Bungalow. Very charming houses with 9 ft tall ceilings on the first floor and the second floor is usually a converted attic. Why am I telling you this? Well, you shall see when you look at my studio is located on the 2nd floor - tucked up under the eaves. It's very cozy - nice in the winter but not so nice in the summer.

It's not a solitary existence in my studio. I do have company. Bruce is my constant companion - he's my much beloved canine. A little background on Bruce: We adopted him from the local animal shelter. My husband actually spotted him first. He said Bruce's calm nature is what appealed to him the most. I personally think it was his pedigree that really piqued his interest. According the paperwork at the animal shelter Bruce is supposed to be a "Pit Bull/Dingo Cross". Personally, I don't believe it. He's not built like Pit Bull - he's actually very slim and sleek. And the likelihood of him being a Dingo is quite remote. I just think he's a cute little orange dog (if you can call a 60 lb dog small) with pointy ears - but then I'm a bit biased. What I do know is that he's great company and I do find it very companionable to have tuck himself under my bench. My cat's will join me sometimes, but they would rather be sleeping on my bed or lazing over the heat vent.

Lastly, for me to have a truly creative night I have to set the right mood in my studio. How do I do that? Well, I've got have a cup of tea - it gives me the a great excuse to sit back and ponder my next move (such as: "What stone should I use?" or "This is cool. What am I going to do with this."). Then I like to have a candle burning - patchouli is my favorite scent - it's just smells nice and the candle light is nice. However, the most important that I need to set the right mood is having the TV on. It has to be something that doesn't require much attention from me - I usually watch movies. Some of my favorite movies to have on while I'm working are "Mystery, Alaska", "When Harry Met Sally", "Under the Tuscan Sun", "Big Fish" and especially "Sex and the City" - those girls are my muses. For some reason, I get a real creative flow when I'm watching "Sex and the City". It must be Carrie's wonderful, outlandish outfits. I actually created a necklace that was inspired by a necklace Carrie wore in an episode titled "Boy Interrupted".

So that's it for now. It's now almost 2 hours into Sunday and my 2nd wind is now but a memory. I hope that you enjoyed reading this post and learning a little bit more about me. I'll think of more scintillating tib-bits to tell you about in my next post.

Until then, take care.

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.

Today...

I am sick. I've got a respiratory thing - so I'm not feeling so hot. I'm glad today was a holiday so I didn't have to go into work. Tomorrow should be interesting. I work for a university and tomorrow is the beginning of our Clerkship Lecture series and I conduct the orientation. Which should be really interesting as I have no voice - I can just barely manage a croak. I will be in charge of the whole orientation - talking about the course, the expectations, the assignments they will need to complete and most importantly, I will be assigning them their cases for the big project they need to complete in order to get a passing grade. Just to make it more interesting in the past it was the director (a medical doctor) who assigned the cases. I'm not the best public speaker - and I get to do this will no voice

At least with my business, at this point I can conduct all business without even speaking. I wish I could blog for a living.


P.S.
Hey! guess what??!! I just discovered the spell check button on this screen! I'm so happy - now I can use that instead of depending upon my proof reading. I'm usually writing this on the fly and I can type faster than I can think (I'm a fast typist - not a slow thinker, thank you very much)

Another Opportunity to Promote My Business

Technorati Profile

The More I Learn the Less I Know:

I found this article in the EtsyRain forum. Oy vey, I've got a lot to learn. It's a good thing I haven't made any money yet. :)

Unwired: TAX PROCEDURES - Killer of Micro-Business

Some of My Favorite Web Sites...

I've spent a fair amount of time logged onto my Flickr account - posting pictures, reading the forums in the various groups I joined and making contacts with various people who are doing the same I'm trying to do - promote our shops, web-sites and/or blogs.

These are very talented people and my only regret is that I can't buy from all of them. What I can do is let you know about them and point you in their direction. I have linked a few of the web-sites for the contacts I've made through my Flickr account.

I hope you enjoy visiting these web-sites as much as I did and please remember to support your independent crafts person/artisan. In a world of the impersonal nation-wide big box stores, you'll be glad you did.

Best regards,

Martha