nitelily designs

Midwest Craft Caucus in Review

2011-06-09T11:09:00.004-04:00

I had a blast at the Midwest Craft Caucus last weekend. I learned SO much!

The three hour drive back home allowed me to brainstorm in complete silence about several different things. I thought about how much I want to start an alternative craft fair here in Huntington, West Virginia. I've already come up with two possible names, a tagline, where and when I want to have it... just have to put the rest in motion. If anyone in the tri-state area is interested in helping out, please email me or leave a comment!

Next thing I thought about is how I want to start a webpage that has all my info in one place. I know I should have done this *last year* but it seems I never even get a moment to breathe. I could design the site myself, I have those skills, but I don't have the time! Anyone out there that would be willing to render their services?

I also need to send out my newsletter. I sent it out once (last year) and have yet to send out another one. I also need to bring back the newsletter sign up book that I had at every show. Yes, I must get on this!

The list could go on and on...

I did meet several inspiring women there! Amy Turn Sharp from Little Alouette, Suzy Ultman, AmyD from Made By AmyD, Megan Green from Stinky Bomb Soap, and Grade Dobush the author of Crafty Superstar.

I would love for there to be another craft caucus in the future!

Sew Mama Sew GIveaway Winners!

2011-05-26T00:08:00.004-04:00

The lucky winner of the pouch is:

The winner of the trims is:

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day! GIVEAWAY CLOSED

2011-05-22T20:24:00.016-04:00

I decided to participate in Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day! I actually have two things to giveaway and I will ship internationally!

The first is a cosmetic bag. I sewed the zipper in a little weird at the end so I don't feel comfortable listing it in my shop but it is perfectly usable! It is made in a gorgeous Tina Givens fabric!

The second thing I'm giving away is an assortment of new and vintage trims, ties and straps. I have been collecting them but don't see myself using them in the near future so they will be going out to one of you lucky SMS readers!

Mandatory to Enter:
1. Comment on my blog on which giveaway you'd like to win (please include your email!) and what you would use the winning item(s) for.

Up To Five Additional Entries (and leave separate comments for each):
1. Follow my blog via google friends connect or reader.
2. "Like" my Facebook page and leave me your name
3. Follow me on twitter and leave your twitter name
4. Heart my sewing shop nitelily designs and leave me your etsy name
5. Heart my jewelry shop nitelily glamour and leave me your etsy name

Giveaway will be open until May 25th and winners will be chosen via Random.org

**Make sure you leave your email address so I can contact you! If you do not leave an email address, your post(s) will be deleted!**

Quite Unique, My Experience

2011-05-03T19:18:00.004-04:00

After being featured on Heartsy I felt that I could handle being featured on another site and receive an influx of order. I contacted Quite Unique and they said they would like to feature me in a Pop Up Shop rather than their daily feature.

The difference between a Pop Up Show and their Daily Feature? Pop Up Shops are for those who have one of a kind or limited supply items are are featured for ~5 days. Because I use vintage components in my jewelry I was not able to mass produce any one of my items. Daily Features are better suited for those who can make multiples of one item, i.e. soap, earrings, art prints etc. and are only featured for one day.

After Chris (the buyer) approved what I wanted to feature he asked for a description of each item, the retail price and how much shipping would cost. For Pop Up Shops you do not send in any of your merchandise; rather you act like a drop ship service. Quite Unique takes the orders, makes the invoices and then sends you all the information. I then would pack everything up, print my labels and then send them back the tracking numbers.

After each day (once the tracking numbers were generated & emailed back to them) I would receive payment via PayPal. I would receive all the money plus shipping costs minus 30% commission that they took. Payment was extremely prompt, within hours of sending the tracking info back.

It did not generate as many sales as Heartsy did, but at the same time I only had 6 different items to choose from. Also, they do not link to your shop so you will not get traffic that way. Hopefully now that everyone has received their items they will come back to my shop (I included business cards with each order) and shop for more stuff!

I would definitely recommend Quite Unique, especially for those who have not done Heartsy yet. It's a lot smoother process and you will only be bombarded with as many orders as the number of items you decide to sell!

Rainbow Cupcakes

2011-04-28T23:31:00.005-04:00

Yes, I really mean rainbow cupcakes! A couple of days ago I found this post on rainbow cupcakes and had to take a stab at it!

Her cupcakes were photographed way better than mine, but I took my pictures at like 10pm before packing them up in plastic containers so they wouldn't go stale. Anyway, she suggested to only use white liners but since I didn't have any white I opted for my less than $1 after Halloween Hobby Lobby clearance liners!

After they finished baking I thought they looked pretty awesome with each skull showing the colors through but the black masking the rest. I totally lucked out!
While The Dainty Squid didn't give a frosting recipe, I will! I made an impromptu butter cream frosting that uses regular sugar rather than powdered because I was out.

Ingredients:
1 stick of room temp unsalted butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. whipping cream*
1/4 c. water*
1/4 - 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Add the sugar, whipping cream and water together in your mixer and turn on high until all the crystals dissolve. Add the stick of butter and cream until all the bumps have blended. Add the vanilla extract and blend. Finally, add the flour little by little to your liking.

*you can substitute 1/2 c. of milk for the cream and water but the frosting may not be as fluffy.

Note: I added flour to take a little bit of the sweetness away and add a little more volume because of the lack of *powdered* sugar. Also, cake mixes are way too sweet IMO so I wanted the frosting just to be not as sweet.

Heartsy, Revisited.

2011-04-27T15:58:00.003-04:00

So, I did end up having my jewelry featured on Heartsy on April 6th. I wanted to write one last blog post about it comparing it to my first experience. Sorry about the long delay but right after my feature I got sick (for about 2.5 weeks!) and then was featured on Quite Unique (it's a cool site like heartsy except you don't discount your stuff, but they take 30% commission.)

Anyway, back to my jewelry heartsy deal. It was $19 for $40, so a lower percentage than my sewing stuff. I ended up selling 43 vouchers (compared to 25 with my sewing). Most people ended up buying over the voucher amount and in the end I made *slightly* less than if I sold my items for retail!

Shop stats for April 6th only (my feature date, though I did have increased stats the day after as well):
Shop hearts: 18
Item hearts: (will post later, craftcult is down)
Visits: 1,437
Pageviews: 9,851
Pages/visit: 6.86
Bounce rate: 26.10%
Avg. time on site: 00:03:26

For me, my stats were awesome. Though I have to say that heartsy fudged up again by telling me I would be featured on March 30th, then they changed it to April 4th and then finally April 6th. I have also heard others complain about having their feature dates shifting. Hopefully they aren't doing this anymore, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

As of today, April 27th I have had 22/25 sewing vouchers (from my March 11th feature) redeemed and 35/43 jewelry vouchers (from the April 6th feature) redeemed.

By the time I was featured for the second time they added one other person to their team (from two to three) and recently I found out they have a 4th team member. Hopefully this is keeping them more on track.

I can say though, the Heartsy team *is* looking to improve themselves. After my feature they asked me if I had any questions/comments/suggestions. Hopefully the suggestions I gave them will be implemented soon.

If you have any other questions or comments that you think I could answer for you, feel free to contact me via my comments or email (on my profile).

Sneak Peek

2011-04-05T23:09:00.003-04:00

Well, it's been about a month since I submitted my 2nd shop (jewelry) to be featured on heartsy. I know I didn't have that much success with my sewn goods, but I'm hoping to rock this one to make up for the bags!

Just wanted to give a sneak peek of my deal that will be featured tomorrow, April 5th!
Go browse my SHOP and make a wish list for tomorrow :)

P.S. I'll also be running a special if you purchase over $60 before shipping, you will receive a free pair of earrings of your choice!

Craft Shows - How to get your competition to be an asset

2011-03-31T21:16:00.003-04:00

Now that craft show season will be upon us shortly, I thought this would be a good time to write about this. Most people, when doing craft shows, stake out the competition and want to one-up them. I have found that getting your competition to work with you actually becomes an asset!

A friend and I started doing the same shows but had separate booths even though we made similar items. Most of the time, we were right across from each other. Sometimes people would swarm her booth, other times mine. But one thing was for sure was that if they went to one booth, they would pass by the other. Even going to the bathroom or getting food was tough because one person had to watch their booth while keeping an eye on the other. One day we just decided to work together...at the same booth.

Surprisingly this worked awesome. We always had another person to help set up, another person to split booth costs with, and another person to split gas costs with! We found that although we both made jewelry (mine being simple and feminine and hers intricate and androgynous.) Sometimes one of my pieces would draw someone in, sometimes hers. The same person would buy some from her and some from me in the same transaction, where if we were apart, this was not happening.

We also had a lot less stress about our inventory. We no longer had to make 600 pieces each, we could make 300 each and have 600 total to fit our booth. When one person was taking care of a customer, the other was keeping an eye on what was going on in the booth (no matter what you think, you WILL have items stolen, unfortunately.)

You may want to go to your competition as talk to them. Ask them how they are doing?... if they have difficulty taking care of everything on their own?... who watches their booth if they need to eat or use the restroom? Get them thinking about these things and suggest trying to do a show together. You'll be able to eliminate your competition and benefit from them at the same time!

My Entire Heartsy Experience, Part 3

2011-03-29T14:16:00.003-04:00

Read part 1 here
Read part 2 + download the free organizer here

Would I do it again?
With my bags and sewn items, I doubt that I would do it again. I barely made 50%, which for wholesale is fine, but not handmade wholesale (IMO.) Sewn goods take SO much time to make plus the cost of materials and electricity for my sewing machine and iron. I have a low profit margin on my bags and that could be because people don't want to pay a lot for bags and/or my bags are priced low. I can't say which it is as we all struggle with pricing.

Now, with my jewelry shop, I have a different opinion. I know Heartsy would be worth it for the sheer fact that my profit margin is much higher. Plus, it takes a fraction of the time to make an average piece of jewelry than it does to make even a small bag.

Money aside, though, I'm glad I did it for exposure of my shop alone. I have yet to see a bag shop be featured (I have seen some sewn accessories, but not bags and purses.) I had tons of views and 25 people buy my certificate. Even if someone did not buy a certificate because they could not afford it at the time, maybe they hearted my shop (I had 15 new shop hearts) and will be back in the future. Only time will tell I guess.

Think you might want to apply?
In my opinion, the best items to be featured are those that have a higher profit margin and those that are light to ship. Some things that I think would work best are jewelry, art prints, accessories, needlepoint (art?), spices/teas, patterns, paper goods, and maybe some vintage.

Items that would be good for advertisement but not really profits would be heavier items or those that are very time consuming. It would be rough for pottery, bath and body, candles, books, clothing, bags, and baked goods/food.

Pricing
Now, if you've decided that you want to apply, I do have some advice for pricing. Heartsy requires a minimum of 50% off. Now, they will accept you with that but they might not pick you for their Daily Deal, rather their Featured Deals at the bottom of the page.

Okay, for pricing. Say the average cost of one of your items is $15 plus $3 shipping, you would not want to do something like $19 for $40. You would not want to do this because people would end up buying just two of your items (plus shipping) which would total $36. To them it would be worth it to pay the $19 to get $36 worth of merchandise for free rather than going over that amount or coming back to redeem their $4.

Instead, you may want to do $5 for $12 so they HAVE to pay some money (it would help with shipping a LOT) or something like $24 for $50 to get them to spend over the amount. They may even want to get gifts for someone and something for themselves, therefore spending more than the certificate.

My Purchasing Stats
I've purchased 4 heartsy certificates so far, 1 of which I have not used. Out of the three I have used, only one was under the amount ($50) certificate simply because I could not find anything else that I wanted. The other two certificates I did go over the amount, by just a little bit though. It was not on purpose, it was just because that *happened* to be what exactly what I wanted. I would assume this would be similar for sales in any shop.

If I left anything out or if you have any other questions, feel free to ask! I will try to get back to you asap!

My Entire Heartsy Experience, Part 2 + Free Organization Spreadsheet

2011-03-28T12:34:00.008-04:00

Part 2, if you'd like to read part 1, click here.

My deal started around 11am EST and ran for approximately 12 hours. Now I see that they've upped the time a bit and start way earlier. Soon after my shop was featured I started to get sales. You have to choose 'other' in your shipping options to be able to accept the Heartsy certificates. The customers should put the certificate # as well as the amount. If the customer went over their certificate amount ($50 in my case) I invoiced them via PayPal using the email address in their Etsy account. Most people should pay you immediately; I think only one person took a few days to get payment to me.

After your deal is completely over, Heartsy will send the entire amount of money for the number of certificates you sold to your PayPal account. *Remember, you will incur fees here too!*

I actually used a spreadsheet to help me organize everything. I kept track of what each person bought, certificate #, fees paid, how much was due, etc. ((If you'd like to download the spreadsheet, click here)) It helped me see how much I was dishing out as well as what came in. Also, it was much easier to see who owed me money (after the certificate cost) so I could invoice them and I eventually could extrapolate the data to break down into statistics.

MY Statistics (via Google Analytics):
852 total visits
783 unique visits
5148 page views
6.04 avg. page views
3:15 avg. time on site
23.83% bounce rate
15.96% new visits

MY Monetary Statistics:
The Good:
Average amount OVER certificate amount: $6.31 (not really that good imo)
Certificates sold: 25(x$20) = $500 immediately sent to my PayPal account

The Bad:
Etsy Fees: -$41
PayPal Fees: -$23
Shipping: -$69 (and most of my items are quite light! If your items are heavier, this will be much higher!)
---------------------
Total Costs: -$132

Edit: ~~Now I didn't put up the value of all my items, what I would have gotten if I sold them retail, etc.~~ I do not calculate the per item costs of each of the items I make because it's just too difficult to calculate each piece of fabric, interfacing, zippers, snaps, etc. that I use per bag. I can, however, tell you that the retail value of the items that sold (with shipping) totaled $1100, so the percentage really ended being closer to 50% than the 60% off certificate (for the 21 out of 25 certificates that have been redeemed.)

I don't know how many potential customers I may get in the future because of their purchases via Heartsy or even Recently Sold Items on Time Machine 2.

Part 3 - My personal thoughts on Heartsy, who I think would do best and how to price your deal.

My Entire Heartsy Experience, Part 1

2011-03-27T14:53:00.006-04:00

I wasn't one of the earliest features on Heartsy, but I guess it was rather early. I was featured on Friday, March 11.

The process starts with you submitting your shop to be voted on. You put your proposed deal, a blurb about your shop and photos of 5 of your items. As soon as you submit your shop, it goes into the voting stage. While Heartsy takes a lot of things into consideration, remember that your photos ARE important. They do not want to have blurry, dark or poor quality photos on their front page!

In order for Heartsy to even take a look at your shop, you need a minimum of 30 votes. If you receive your votes, they will review the submission by hand. But you have to remember that as a business, Heartsy must take into consideration the demographics of the voters because they want the maximum amount of certificates to sell.

They check the votes for "definitely yes" by past buyers of certificates, non-buyers (or who have yet to purchase), everyone, and if applicable, people who buy your specific type of item (i.e. if you sell bags, they would see how many people who have purchased bag certificates in the past voted for you).

After passing this point, it says it may take anywhere from 3-14 days to be contacted to see whether you were selected or not. They send you an email either way. If you are selected, the website says that it will take another 1-2 days for them to work with you to decide on the deal and the date. This was NOT the case for me.

Negotiations for me started March 4th. I did request to put an expiration date on my certificates but they told me I could do that. They also tried to get me to do free shipping on top of my already low deal, I HAD to say no to that!

Negotiations continued through March 7 and I was told I would be featured on March 12th. On March 9th I got an email saying that I would be featured the next day. Early that morning it changed again and finally I was told I would be featured on the 11th, and I was.

Now, that was my experience with scheduling. Maybe it was a fluke and just happened to me? I have not heard it happening to other sellers, though I did not talk to ALL of them.

Part 2: Dealing with customers, getting paid, shipping, and fees

2011-03-02T11:49:00.001-05:00

I would take one of each of these...really!

'Lace' by nitelilyglamour

Old, new, vintage, fabric, metal.... oh, lace.

Lingerie Ring 002 gemagenta $52.00	Lace sweater - roma... VanesaLamura $100.00	xandra lace earring... whiteowl $20.00	Queen Anne's La... janeheller $30.00
Faded Dreams Vinta... ThatOldBlueHou... $	Vintage Lace Handma... gypseatree $10.00	Petit Lace Fans - E... bullfinchbarbu... $43.00	Romantic Necklace v... glasslaceandlo... $18.00
hand dyed vintage l... BeSomethingNew $28.00	Long White Circular... lizetfrijters $155.00	Rustic Linen and La... themodernmarig... $24.00	Antique Bottle Asse... Vintagesnapsan... $30.00
Spring Lace Crochet... annerstreet $35.00	That Vintage Lace -... sophiehillarti... $29.00	ALTERED ART LACE W... terrigordon $35.00	Lace Bird Clock- 6 ... garbella $35.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

Valentine's Day 10 Day Handmade Giveaway!

2011-01-25T10:37:00.004-05:00

Vixen's Natural Jewelry is hosting a 10 Day Handmade Valentine's Day Giveaway on her Facebook page. She will be featuring one artist a day. To win, you must comment on Vixen's Natural Jewelry's Facebook fan page AND the featured artist’s Facebook fan page. You MUST comment on both pages to be eligible to win. Random.org will be used to select a number, and the comment corresponding to that number on Vixen's Natural Jewelry's page will be the winner!

For my giveaway you will be able to choose from this makeup bag OR from a Lavender Head Wrap!

All of the participants are already shipping the winner's item for free, so if the winner has their eye on anything else in that particular shop, let the shop owner know, and they will receive free shipping on their purchase as well. No purchase is required for the winner, all the shop owners would just like to extend the free shipping as a courtesy.

Here are the dates for the giveaways:

1/25
Anne from Lillian George
FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/handmadeisheartmade

1/26
Jenny from Geneva Diva
FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/GenevaDivaDesigns

1/27
Terra From Maybe Kinda Crafty
FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Maybe-Kinda-Crafty/162513703495

1/28
Andrea from Lindsays Whimsies Tutu
FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/LindsaysWhimsies

1/29
Donna from DH Elegance
FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/dhelegance

1/30
Jenny from JGuildDesigns
FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/JGuildDesigns/125746690801978

1/31
Meghan from nitelily designs
FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/nitelilydesigns

2/1
Lisa from Creations by Lisa & Co.
FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/JewelryByCBL

More to be announced soon, visit Vixen's Natural Jewelry's Facebook page for more info, and the complete list of giveaways!

Not your grandmother's cross stitch!

2011-01-10T12:56:00.005-05:00

My new obsession:

Squirrel Cross Stitch Pattern - Sewing Seed - $3
Babushka toadstool Cross Stitch Pattern - Cupcake Cutie 1 - $8.95
Fawn and Doe Cross Stitch - Slipcover your Life - $5
Key Cross Stitch Pattern - And Wabisabi - $3.50

What I got for Christmas

2010-12-25T17:47:00.004-05:00

My lovely husband got me some of the most wonderful gifts for Christmas (and all from etsy!) Take a peek if you will...

Lovely neck warmer from FoldedRoses
Beautiful trinket box made from Maple by dikruck
Beeswax Votive Candles by echinacea
Gorgeous Print by sandrineM

Framed Original Drawing by Cookstah
Puggle Queen Print by Mandawlfe
Mac Love button by Gnipmac

I would love to see what you got for Christmas too!

I'm Loving: Lace Knits

2010-12-20T21:57:00.003-05:00

I'll take one of each of these please!

Anyone want to buy these for me for Christmas? No? Well, then at least get them for yourself!

Lace Slouch Hat - tanzarelle - $25
Crochet Sweater Shrug - byKEONA - $57
Gray Shawl with Lace - afra - $46
Lace Hood - PolClary - $22

Polaroid Calendar

2010-12-17T10:11:00.004-05:00

Going through my blog roll today, I found a great little gift from one pearl button! She took her own images and made them into a calendar.

You can find the original post and the link to download the lovely calendar here!

Baby Booties

2010-12-13T19:38:00.005-05:00

Although I'm not having kids any time soon, I was asked to sew a pair of booties to review a pattern from ithinksew.com. I decided on a gorgeous corduroy houndstooth fabric that I haven't cut into yet as I only have two yards and love it too much!

I lined the inside in chocolate brown cotton and added three little wooden buttons as embellishments. (The booties actually close with velcro, how easy!)

You can get your own pair right here!

Light Bulb Terrarium

2010-12-08T13:09:00.002-05:00

I thought this was a really neat video on how to make a light bulb terrarium. It would make a great gift not only for Christmas/Hanukkah but for any time of the year!

Click here to see a step by step tutorial on making a terrarium in general.

Stocking Tutorials

2010-12-07T17:55:00.005-05:00

I thought I would round up my favorite stocking tutorials to share with you!

Monogrammed Stocking - Mandipidy
All the Trimmings Stocking - Denise Schmit
Scrappy Stocking - Maggie Makes
Sewn Stocking - Craft Leftovers

Vintage Quilt Stocking - Sew, Mama, Sew!
Simple Felt Stockings - Woman's Day
Felted Stocking - Crafting a Green World
Strip Pieced Stocking - The Purl Bee

Do you have any stocking tutorials that you'd like to add? Post a comment and share!

Felt Garland Tutorial

2010-12-06T11:07:00.008-05:00

I bought this mini Christmas tree at Target last year along with some glass bulbs (both were on clearance!) I would have loved some lights on this tree but I did not want to get the battery operated lights as I would probably go through a pack of batteries for keeping it on so much.

Instead, I chose to make a felt ball garland. I had ordered a bunch of felt balls last year because they were so adorable but I had no idea what I was actually going to do with them. Well, it hit me - I can use up the felt balls FOR garland!

I first took some silver embroidery thread (it's thicker than normal embroidery thread and has some texture to it.) and tied a knot in the end. I found a super large needle and threaded it with the embroidery thread. *note* this thread is a pain in the butt to work with and to actually thread, so pay attention that the needle doesn't fall off the thread at any point!!

I then put each felt piece on the needle and used pliers to hold onto the end of the needle and then pulled the ball down onto the thread. After you do this, knot the thread to secure each felt ball. I intend to keep this garland for a few years at least so that's why I knotted each ball to keep it in place. With the thread being so textured, it could hold each ball loosely in place if you choose not to knot it.

After doing this several times, my small garland was done! I only had 22 felt balls and the garland came out to be a little under 4 feet. You would probably need over 120 to do a full tree (as a low estimation!)

And the finished product with my Puggle putting the finishing sniffs on the tree ;)

Etsy Finds: Christmas Decor

2010-12-03T11:16:00.004-05:00

Who doesn't love decorating for Christmas?!

Shop Local: Huntington, WV

2010-12-01T09:51:00.003-05:00

For buyers and sellers of handmade goods...

2010-11-30T10:50:00.003-05:00

For those that that sell handmade goods, it is difficult (at least for me) to completely track all my expenses. Of course I get excited when I make a sale and record all the information, deduct fees and shipping...but what about all the supplies I purchase? Ad space? Seminars or classes? Somehow I *forget* to write down everything I buy and there are two reasons for this: 1. I get lazy and 2. I'm scared to see how much I REALLY spend.

I promised myself last year that I would keep a better record of things, and I have...... of sales. Supplies though? Not so much. After about March I just stopped recording things. Next year I promise to try harder! Is record keeping as hard for everyone else as it is for me?

And for buyers of handmade goods (that includes us sellers too!): Buy less, spend more! Try to go all handmade and make gifts more personal. Not only will you search for the 'perfect' gift for the recipient, but you will also be supporting an independent artist rather than the children in china making plastic toys for $2/month.

As for myself, the majority of gifts I'm giving this year are handmade by independent artists (or by me) and just a couple of them are store bought. It's hard to go completely handmade (I want to meet the person who builds TVs from scratch AND keeps them at a reasonable cost!) but I definitely did try my hardest!

This post was inspired by The Long Thread

I see the light at the end of the tunnel!

2010-11-10T13:12:00.005-05:00

The past couple of weeks have been quite hellish. I started my new student teaching placement in mid October. Every class is extremely rude, loud and quite disrespectful. I've been cursed at and even asked "can we have a real teacher now?" Yes, and the specific kid that said that to me is in 10th grade and his average for the class? A 26%. I'm pretty sure a monkey could do better than that.

Then I started to panic because my husband is coming back from his deployment and starting at Marshall in January. I graduate in December and haven't found a job yet so I started to panic over money. He helped me out while I was in school and now I feel it's my job to provide so he won't have to kill himself working AND going to school full time.

I can't seem to keep the house clean. During the week I come home exhausted from teaching. The weekend I'm out doing shows to make money. I feel like a horrible mom to my Puggle because she's left alone. Money is so tight we decided to cancel our Christmas trip and stay home....

Then today happened. I got to sleep in because I had my Capstone Presentation at Marshall. The final thing that determines whether I graduate or not. I already passed my PLT and Biology content knowledge Praxis II and I got all "excellent" on my student teaching the first 6 weeks. At my capstone presentation I have MY university supervisor and my all-time favorite professor at Marshall. I lucked out. Then I was able to thank her for being such an awesome professor and it was because of her I did so well on the PLT. I also was able to vent a bit about my experience now student teaching.

I leave my capstone presentation pumped. I can feel the adrenaline. I stop to 'treat' myself to some Starbucks. I order a grande pumpkin spice latte, and again luck out. Their computers are down and they are not able to process payments so all the drinks are free. Could my day get any better?

I get a phone call from someone from the Marshall Community & Technical College that I met this weekend at my show. She wanted me to possibly teach a jewelry making class in the spring semester (6:30-8:30 on Thursdays). Usually when people say stuff like this to me it's too good to be true and they never actually end up calling you. She did call and also sent me an email asking for a course supply list, a course description and a syllabus. I would be getting paid $25/hr and become part time faculty at MCTC. PART TIME FACULTY at 25 years old. Ahhhhhhhhh I got excited!

I then went to Kroger to do some much needed grocery shopping. (I haven't had milk in the house for about a week!!!) I used coupons coupled with the 'buy 10 items, save $5' thing they have in the store and end up saving 43% of my total bill just with manufacturers coupons and in store sales. Awesome!

At my capstone presentation, my past professor suggested I look for a job in the Putnam county schools, so when I got home I did. I saw a long term sub position for general science and biology - my exact content areas! I called the woman there to see if student teachers are able to apply and use a 'Letter of Completion' until they receive their actual teaching certificate. She said YES!! She was excited that I called because they cannot find a sub in this content area and would have to have someone else that doesn't know a thing about science. She asked me when I graduate, I said December 5th. She said I could start working the 6th if I am truly qualified.

*a sigh of relief*

I also check my email and my husband is finally in Norfolk checking out of the Navy. He initially did not expect to be back home until December but now it's looking closer to Thanksgiving. He's getting really excited to come home as well. I can't blame him; it has been a LONG deployment for the both of us.

I finally feel as if things are really looking up and falling into place. This Thanksgiving I feel that I truly have things to be thankful for!

...Now, only if I'd sell some things in my shops or on eBay so I can treat myself to some supplies ;)

Metricly

2010-09-16T09:00:00.001-04:00

I found a great website for all you online shop owners. It is called Metricly and it is an aggregated dashboard and analytics platform. It helps businesses of all sizes track their metrics in one place.
They connect your data from a variety of platforms including Google Analytics, Salesforce, Twitter, Facebook, Mailchimp, Zendesk and more. They can even get live analytics from your own MySQL databases or custom internal data. Setup is fast and easy. Once you connect your shop(s), their powerful analytical tools make it easy to dive into your data and find insights that will help your business be even more successful.
I connected my 3 shops from etsy and the graphs were wonderful! You could choose what type of data you want to see and the trends based on the dates you choose. If you've been wondering who buys from you or how many sales you get per month, this does it for you. The best thing? It's FREE!!!

Who knew crafting could be stressful?

2010-08-08T12:51:00.010-04:00

You know, until you experience it, I bet many people think certain 'jobs' are easy. Lets say, stay at home moms. I am not a mom, but just watching a child for a couple of hours wears me out, I can't image what a SAHM feels like. Not only does she have to watch her kid(s) she is also doing laundry, cleaning, cooking, entertaining her kids etc.

This brings me to a stay at home crafter/artist. This summer I decided to stay at home and work on my crafts while doing different festivals and shows rather than working a crappy summer job somewhere at the mall. Yes, I can make my own hours and stay in my pjs all day, but honestly, it's hard work! I can't just clock in and clock out like I did working retail or waitressing. This is an all around the clock job! I'm constantly looking for festivals, applying, remembering to send in logos, payments, updating my shops, and of course, creating things! When you have a dog that acts like a toddler and constantly throws the ball in your hands when you are making things, well, it's tough to ignore it.

I have to make sure that I have enough pieces made for a show depending on how many days/hours I will be there and the popularity of the show. This week I'll be leaving for the West Virginia State Fair. I've never done one of these nor have a done a show that is 8 days long! And apparently from what I hear, this show is crazy busy and people come there to shop! For a simple 2-3 day show 250 pieces of jewelry/hair accessories is a good number. I need quadruple that for the state fair. And while preparing for the state fair I have other festivals or jewelry parties that I'm doing so my inventory goes down constantly. Sometimes I even hope I won't sell anything so that I have enough inventory for the state fair.

Not only is the state fair stressing me out, but the day after I get back, I start student teaching. I still don't know what school I'll be at or my schedule. The education department is not very good at giving things to students ahead of time. Then throughout the fall I have at least 5 shows planned so that means teaching, taking care of home and my dog PLUS making things for these fairs! Man, I will be exhausted after this semester, but hopefully it will be worth it all.

These are the shows I have set in stone, though there are 2-3 more that are tentative:

★ WV State Fair, Lewisburg (Aug 13-21)
★ Mound Arts fair in S. Charleston (Sep 11)
★ Oktoberfest in Montgomery, WV (Sep 18)
★ Pumpkin Festival, Milton WV (Oct 7-10)
★ Craftin' Outlaws in Columbus, OH (Oct 16)

News

2010-07-07T15:13:00.002-04:00

So I know I promised to blog more, but so many things come up in life! How do these 'professional' bloggers find time to write, cook, clean, craft, take care of their families, work etc? I don't have enough hours in the day!

Anyway, I wanted to share some news! I finally have a newsletter/mailing list with Pepper Pod Designs that we will be sending out quarterly. It will include new items that we've made, where we will be, sales, discount coupons and more. If you'd like to sign up, you can do so here.

I also wanted to post where we will be in the near future. More shows might come up as well as jewelry parties. If you are interested in a jewelry party yourself, please contact me!

★ Barboursville Civil War Days, WV (July 17-18)
★ WV State Fair, Lewisburg (Aug 13-21)
★ Mound Arts fair in S. Charleston, WV (Sep 11)
★ Pumpkin Festival, Milton WV (Oct 7-10)

Also, if you know of any festivals in your area that you'd like us to look into, please let us know!

Creativity Bootcamp

2010-05-31T15:20:00.002-04:00

Well I have decided to join in on the creativity bootcamp. I hope that it will help keep me inspired this summer! Anyone else joining in?

Going to the Chapel!

2010-05-26T19:37:00.003-04:00

I hope not to be away from my shops, listing new items and making things for too long, but I'm getting married tomorrow! Yup, tomorrow, May 27th at 2:00pm. It's going to be a quick courthouse wedding, pictures at Ritter Park and then Dinner with the family and just the best friends from each side. Very low key, just the way I like it!

I hope to be back with new items and more shop updates after this! Hosting people in our house, cleaning and preparing for the big day really gets in the way of crafting!

Finally! New PDF Patterns!

2010-05-21T11:06:00.003-04:00

So, while in school, all I kept thinking about was re-vamping the two PDF patterns I have listed in my shop plus making more! I know many of you out there are DIYers and would love to make your own items. I decided that I would make the patterns of my bags available to others and also allow you to sell them (as long as you respect my requests!) I have made a new pattern called the Grab and Go Bag. It's small enough to be used as a child's bag (who think she's an adult) or for an adult who just wants something small to carry around.

I am also in the process of making another pattern for the All Day Tote. I do not have any listed in my shop right now but have about 5 in the making! Hopefully in the next couple of days I can also re-vamp the other two patterns that are already listed (the market bag and coasters.)

Any patterns that you are looking for in particular? Let me know!

New Ventures!

2010-04-21T15:16:00.002-04:00

Now that school is coming to a close, I am finally able to get back to the things I've been yearning for since the first day of class back in August. This Friday through Sunday I'll be at the Dogwood Festival. My friend Beth and I are doing a lot of home shows after the festival as well as a couple shows at the mall.

I opened up a supply shop on Artfire and a graphic design shop on Zibbet. Testing out new waters as well as new venues. I still have my regular bag and accessory shop on etsy as well as my vintage inspired hair accessory and jewelry shop on etsy. I also switched my kids shop on etsy to a de-stash shop as I just have had not had time to make children's clothing like I planned.

I also have plans to make a bunch of new tutorials this summer as well as changing some of the looks of my wristlets and some other items. In my graphics shop I want to make some printables, collage sheets and other things for those DIYers out there that want to make things themselves! If you have any suggestions for anything, I'd love to hear them!

Handmade Portraits

2010-04-02T09:52:00.001-04:00

Normally I watch Etsy's Handmade Portraits and that's it. But I'm totally in love with this one... Enjoy!

Let ME host your giveaway!

2010-02-28T09:52:00.002-05:00

Do you have an online shop or business and would like to have a giveaway? Contact me and let me do all the work by hosting your giveaway on my blog! By having a giveaway you can get more people following you on twitter, facebook fan page, your blog, and hearting your shop! It's free advertisement!

You can contact me through my blog or through my own shops! Just let me know and we'll work together to get you some more traffic!

Giveaway #3 Winner

2010-02-09T22:25:00.003-05:00

Holly is the winner! You will be contacted shortly! Thank you everyone for entering!

If you'd like me to host a giveaway for you, just contact me through email or etsy!

Giveaway #3 from Littlemamas!

2010-02-01T12:26:00.006-05:00

So a little bit about littlemamas! She is a 35 year old work at home mom of a 3 1/2 little girl and a 15 month old son. She spends her days chasing after them and her 2 dogs and cat. Her nights and nap times are when she is able to work on her crafts. Crafting has been a huge part of her life for my than half of it. Its like meditation of some sort for her. She has recently turned turned her focus towards kids things after her daughter was born. She keeps finding new things to create for her kids to play with and learn with. Right now she's working at getting herself into nursing school and her goal is to finish within the next five years. Big goal, but its very important too her.

I actually have a doggy coat from her that was hand dyed. It's awesome and keeps my little puggle warm during these cold days! I loved it so much that I actually got two more for my parent's dogs as well!

Now about the giveaway!

Be My Valentine Sugar cookies, valued at $7.50. What a great way to show your love day after day with these sugar cookies with red heart frosting. Children really love to use their imagination and these work with kitchen play and also can be for Valentines Day. They measure 3 /2" so they aren't your average size cookie, they are jumbo sized for those little hands.Set of 3 jumbo sized cookies

Here is how to enter:

Leave a comment about a like and/or dislike about her shop or a particular item in her shop.
Remember to leave your email address or some way for me to contact you if you win!

To get bonus entries you can do one or more of the following:

Add yourself as a facebook fan and post another comment saying that you did
Follow her on twitter and post another comment with your user name
Tweet about this post with @nitelily3 and @littlemamas and post another comment saying that you did
Blog about this post and post another comment with the link of the post
Follow her blog
Heart her shop on etsy and leave a comment with your username
Buy something from her shop and get 10 bonus entries
Buy something from my shop and get 10 bonus entries

This is open to anyone in the world :) I how how much it sucked to be abroad and not be able to enter contests! The giveaway ends February 8th and a winner will be chosen by a random number generator.

And the winner

2010-01-27T12:46:00.002-05:00

of HandyMaiden's giveaway is lucky number 15!

You will be contacted shortly!

Goldfinch Giveaway by Handy Maiden

2010-01-18T08:25:00.005-05:00

Handy Maiden, run by Danielle is a neat little store that has all types of handmade jewelry and accessories. She is supposed to be attending SDSU right now but California's massive budget cuts to education have made her college aspirations to study Western and US history an impossibility (for now). She and her husband will stay local until he finishes grad school and then they will move so that she can persue her degree. While waiting for her husband to finish school, she spends her time meticulously painting tiny lumps of polymer clay. I personally love all her floral bibs and the tiny painted creatures made from polymer.

She's always liked artsy stuff. She draws all the time and always gets really excited about learning a new material. She has tried embroidery, crocheting, made beaded and button jewelry as well as copper wire window hangings. The majority of the items in her closet have been upcycled/ altered in some way. A while ago she got her hands on some polymer clay and made a bunch of things. She learned shortly after that she preferred to paint the clay rather than use different clay colors. This is not the typical way most polymer artists work, as they use different polymer colors rather than painting white polymer. This gives her polymer creations much more detail and more vivid colors. Now whenever she is out and sees something interesting she wonders: "How can I turn that idea into a pendant?"

She also just opened a new shop, Terra Farma, where she will be selling terrarium decoration supplies (dinosaurs, castles, bears, snails, mushrooms, etc.) for etsy sellers or people who simply want to add something surprising and fun to the terrariums they build.

Now about the giveaway!

The pendant that Handy Maiden is giving away is a goldfinch from her finch series, inspired by the birds that loiter about her front yard every day. It is about 1” tall (2.54cm), it was hand inked and painted in shades of yellow, orange, black & white before being dipped in several layers of varnish for a glassy finish. He comes attached to a ball chain with an aged pewter finish by way of a custom copper finding.

Here is how to enter:

Leave a comment about a like and/or dislike about her shop or a particular item in her shop.
Remember to leave your email address or some way for me to contact you if you win!

To get bonus entries you can do one or more of the following:

Add yourself as a facebook fan and post another comment saying that you did
Follow me on twitter and post another comment with your user name
Tweet about this post with @nitelily3 and post another comment saying that you did
Blog about this post and post another comment with the link of the post
Heart her shop on etsy and leave a comment with your username
Buy something from her shop and get 5 bonus entries
Buy something from my shop and get 5 bonus entries

This is open to anyone in the world :) I how how much it sucked to be abroad and not be able to enter contests! The giveaway ends January 25th and a winner will be chosen by a random number generator.

ReadingBunky's Giveaway Winner

2010-01-18T08:19:00.001-05:00

The winner of ReadingBunky's Giveaway is number 35! She will be contacting you shortly!

Shortly a new giveaway will be up, so watch out for it!

Giveaway! Prints Charming Purses by Readingbunky

2010-01-11T13:42:00.008-05:00

Kathy, aka readingbunky, owns and operates Prints Charming Purses. By day she is a wonderful theathre teacher at a High School, by nights, runs her etsy shop. She is a creative person by nature and that's why she adores teaching theathre but her shop allows her to be creative in other ways. She loves to sew and work with paper, creating one of a kind items that are never repeated. He sewing skills also come in handy when she is creating costumes for the different theatre productions every year.

Her motto is "I may not be organized, but I am creative!"

She has a wonderful husband and two (mostly) wonderful teenage daughters.

For the giveaway you will be able to choos any Valentine's Day card in her shop AND a choice of one of these Valentine's Day sticky notepads

Here is how to enter:

Leave a comment about a like and/or dislike about her shop or a particular item in her shop.
Remember to leave your email address or some way for me to contact you if you win!

To get bonus entries you can do one or more of the following:

Add yourself as a facebook fan and post another comment saying that you did
Follow her on twitter and post another comment with your user name
Follow me on twitter and post another comment with your user name
Tweet about this post with @nitelily3 and @dramamamaugh and post another comment saying that you did
Blog about this post and post another comment with the link of the post
Heart her shop on etsy and leave a comment with your username
Buy something from her shop and get 5 bonus entries
Buy something from my shop and get 5 bonus entries

This is open to anyone in the world :) I how how much it sucked to be abroad and not be able to enter contests! The giveaway ends January 18th and a winner will be chosen by a random number generator.

Out of the Box Sampler

2010-01-10T12:21:00.003-05:00

I love handmade items and I also love samplers. There are many sampling boxes out there, and I have tried many of them, though I have to say the Out Of The Box sampler is my absolute favorite. A lot of samplers that I have purchased have super high shipping on top of the already high price for a box of samples. Then you get the box and half of the stuff is great, things I would use, but the other half is all crap. And by crap, I mean total and useless crap. Sometimes I feel that people put in their worst items or destash items that don't even represent their shop but they put it in to get 'exposure.' Sorry, but if you submit some crap to a sampler, I not only will not visit your shop, but I really avoid that shop at all costs. If this is the way you promote, why should I even want to visit your shop, as I assume your customer service is just as crappy!

Anyway, back to the OOTB Sampler... I've been getting this box every month since maybe October or November and every month I am super happy with everything inside. There are always soaps, candles, tarts, paper goods, food (yum!) and other surprises that change monthly. Honestly, we all use soap, we all eat and most of us burn candles/tarts so really, how disappointed can you be when these things are ALWAYS in the box?! Some people who put things into the box also supply full size products which is always an awesome thing to get. In every box there is also a letter with all the shops that participated and discounts for certain shops. Not only are you able to try products, but you can get a discount when you go to purchase the full size product!

I love this sampler so much that I signed up for a subscription that was offered for 4 months this year. I'm super excited about it and just received the first box of the year! I had so many soaps, candles, tarts, foods and other goodies I was thrilled. I even took a picture of some of the stuff that was inside (sorry, not all of it was there as I got a little hungry lol). Not only does the sampler make a great gift itself, the items inside are also great for small gifts or 'stocking stuffers!' If this sounds like something you'd like to try, go check it out and get a box for your self!

Black Friday - Cyber Monday Sale

2009-11-24T18:39:00.003-05:00

I'm having a Black Friday sale that will run from today, 11/24 through Cyber Monday, 11/30. Save 20% in all my shops. Mention 'Black Friday' in the notes to seller. I will be listing new items in the shop (hopefully) the whole weekend. This does not apply to custom work.

http://nitelily3.etsy.com
http://nitelilykids.etsy.com
http://nitelilyglamour.etsy.com

Happy Shopping!

TRADEAHOLICS PRE-BLACK FRIDAY $10 and UNDER SALE WEEKEND!

2009-11-20T10:29:00.000-05:00

Join us at our pre-Black Friday Trade-a-holics SALE $10 weekend! Browse for some awesome $10 and under deals and steals BEFORE the Black Friday rush! The holidays are just right around the corner so this is a fabulous chance to grab some goodies NOW!!!

With out fabulous shops, there is something for EVERYONE!

The sale runs from 12:01 am Friday, November 20th to 12:00 a.m. Monday, November 22nd, Etsy Time (EST).

You can use the team tag “TRADE10” to search for sale items! And browse the thread for team members' special picks!

Here is the list of our participating shops...
0namesleft.etsy.com - handmade pride items, purses, totes, books, journals, and more
2Sleepyheads.etsy.com - Bags of the month, totes, and other sewn goodies
CleanAsAWhistle.etsy.com - Handmade household cleaners, wool dryer balls, and cleaning zine
alicesangeljewelry.etsy.com - handmade necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets
amanda23.etsy.com - handcrafted, one-of-a-kind gemstone jewelry
anchorhold.etsy.com -- Crochet goods and stickers
arenacreative.etsy.com - artistic and jeweled creativity
artrageousclay.etsy.com - Unique Ceramic Jewelry Pieces
BeesCreations.etsy.com - Polymer clay jewellery, lip balm and more
boogerandtash.etsy.com - fun accessories and necessities for kids!
cafesugirons.etsy.com - sachets, christmas ornaments, coasters, wine bags and such
candlesbymarla.etsy.com – soy candles
cappysueclay.etsy.com - clay pendants, charms, monsters, fairy homes, mini sculptures and more
chendric.etsy.com - handcrafted fine silver and gemstone jewelry
cherylspurplecow.etsy.com - Beaded, Awareness, and Metal-Free Jewelry, reflections, Vintage, other
chrystalyn.etsy.com - semiprecious jewelry & gemstone holiday fare (wine charms, ornaments)
parallel.etsy.com - gemstone & glass bead jewelry supplies
craftydill.etsy.com - Vintage: pottery, kitchen, dishes, figurines, linens, paper, decor and more
divinecanine.etsy.com pet treats and more for your fur babies!
dutchtouchbeads.etsy.com Artfully Handmade Jewelry
exClamations.etsy.com - Handmade Jewelry
firstfruitsllc.etsy.com - homemade goodies, jams, candies, bath and body
FirstLightGlass.etsy.com - Fused glass jewelry, art and home décor
Funnykindagirl.etsy.com - Fun and Unique Ribbon Characters, Hair Bows, Pins, Ribbon Bookmarks, Headbands, and Ornaments.
GardenGwyn.Etsy.com - Quirky, Elegant, Eclectic & Charm, jewelry for every occasion and whim
GemsandDolls.Etsy.com Soy Candles, Soap, and Gems for your holidays
GirlettesMV.etsy.com - Felt Barrettes, Crowns, Pony tails, Headbands, Holders
handymaiden.etsy.com - hand painted polymer and wood pendants
harvestmoonbyhand.etsy.com - natural toys; window stars; art kits and supplies; patterns; greeting cards; and homeschool resources.
hildeguardslair.etsy.com sale items in trade 10 section of shop, earrings, keychains, cell phone charms
hillsidebakery.etsy.com - fudge, fudge, and new candy listings for the holidays
hillsidebathandbody.etsy.com - goats milk soap and sewn holiday gifts
jerseymaids.etsy.com - polaroid artwork, jewelry, gifts, and more!
jewelzbyjen.etsy.com Handmade jewelry and bookmarks
julibeekitsch.etsy.com - Handmade Jewelry, Accessories, & Gifts
KarolsTreasures.etsy.com - Yarn, Beads and Fabric for your next crafting project
KnotOrdinary.etsy.com - Darling friendship bracelets for all ages!
laurali.etsy.com - Zen/Visionary and Traditional Art (Paintings, Prints, ACEOs, Pendants
LisbonSky.etsy.com - Specializing in affordable eclectic and gorgeous jewelry & accessories.
LittleAlleyCatDesign - Shop Banners, Business Cards, Graphic Design
louisiana1966.etsy.com-upcycled bags,journals,pencil cups,pillows,cup cozies,etc.-everything ecofriendly
Love2Embellish.Etsy.com - Fun paper crafts including: scrapbooks, cards, tags, clipboards and altered journals
ltuarchangel.etsy.com - plantable cards and beaded creations
lucindaramsay.etsy.com - Fun, chic, and customisable accessories.
luckedog.etsy.com - vintage and collectibles
LDCraftSupplies.etsy.com - craft supplies for anything and everything
LDGeneralStore.etsy.com - handmade goodies
MakingsByMary.etsy.com - Bags of all sorts plus crocheted scarves, hats and cloths
mamajboutique.etsy.com - handbags, jewelry, home décor
maplestreetcreations.etsy.com Fun and creative soaps, lotions, candles and more for the entire family and all friends.
marsbar35.etsy.com - (jewellry)
vintagemylove.etsy.com -(clothes and jewellry)
mjowest.etsy.com- Patterns, Vintage, Garden art- Country Goods!
mrssmeow.etsy.com - jewellery, lingerie, clothing and organza clippies
muffintopdesigns.etsy.com - sterling silver, copper and brass stacking rings & semiprecious jewelry
nativebeads.etsy.com - beads, earrings, chokers, jewelry, gourd art and natural soaps
nitelily3.etsy.com - Bags, clothing and other sewn accessories
nomsa.etsy.com - fun and chic hair accessories and jewelry
NotYourMomsVinyl.etsy.com - Pop Culture Tees and Vinyl wall decals.
OrionBotanicals.etsy.com - soy candles, reed diffusers, sachets & home fragrances
pawsintheair.etsy.com - Crocheted items, for fun and warmth, table and body.
pennyspug.etsy.com- Fun Beaded Jewelry
misspennyspapershop.etsy.com- Affordable Paper Goodness, Note Pads, Seals, Cards, Planners
PoignantProjections.etsy.com - Trinket Tins and other good stuff!
prariewindstitchery.etsy.com - Crochet accessories, housewares and much more!
purplefuzzyfeet.etsy.com - Fun notecards, dog toys, and holiday gifts all under $10
raevyn77.etsy.com - Handmade jewelry
simplyraevyn.etsy.com - Handmade seed bead jewelry
peculiarparchment.etsy.com - Handmade cards and tags
Randumosity.Etsy.com - Fun & Unique Cloth Womens Products, Bags & Accessories
ravenbrook.etsy.com - jewelry, tote bags and baby gifts
readingbunky.etsy.com - stocking stuffers and more!
redrobinpretties.etsy.com - charms and findings
magymai711.etsy.com - vintage image cds and jewelry
RockyMtBeader.etsy.com - Jewelry, Beaded Ornaments, Ceramic Coasters, Loose Beads and More
ShoreDebris.etsy.com - Beach-themed jewelry and home décor
somethingolde.etsy.com - vintage jewelry, household and more
sparklegarden.etsy.com - handcrafted sterling and gemstone and personalized jewelry
twigandfeather.etsy.com - handmade housewares
spinalfusion.etsy.com~eclectic array of handmade goods, jewelry and accessories
splurge.etsy.com - simple and modern jewelry
stephaniesjewelrybox.etsy.com - handmade jewelry for all styles of people from vintage to funky
SugarChills.etsy.com - natural body care
Sugirons.etsy.com - cloth menstrual pads, nursing pads, baby quilts, diaper bags and more!
sunflowertouch.etsy.com..accessory heaven.
sunshinespeckles.etsy.com - handmade cards and gift tags featuring hand carved stamp designs
suppliez.etsy.com - scrapbook, jewelrymaking and crafting supplies
SuzanneDesigns.etsy.com - Sassy purses, tees, pet collars and accessories crafted from vintage neckties!
TattooAnnie.etsy.com - vintage inspired jewelry, cozy knits, geekery and kawaii goods
terrabellaaccents.etsy.com - jewelry, accesories, pine neddle baskets, keepsake boxes
The3Maries.etsy.com - vintage books, collectibles, pottery, and clothing,
CreatedByThe3Maries.etsy.com - original art, crafts, sewn items, fabric, and supplies
CharmingMittens.etsy.com - Photographic Tendencies and Fine Prints
thegirlyplace.etsy.com - Girly accessories, tutus and more!
ruascrapper.etsy.com - Paper goodness.
tailsnsnails.etsy.com - The boy shop
ThePaperElement.etsy.com Paper art, origami, and other delights
thisisit.etsy.com - ecofriendly journals, notepads, jewelry, and cards
qualitycraftsupplies.etsy.com - recycled sterling silver wire and handmade paper
thoughtfulexpression.etsy.com - jewelry, photography, destash and more!
tootsweethandbags.etsy.com - Fab Handbags and Fun Accessories
TracyDesigns.etsy.com - wristlet keychains, quilted bags, hot pads, table runners, coasters, awareness items and more
Uneek4U.etsy.com - jewelry, children's items, paper products
victoriantimes.etsy.com - vintage, destash, and recreated items. (Regency & Civil War era items)
VintageLoveHeart.etsy.com..treasures for fashion followers and collectors
WhimsicalTransformation.etsy.com-making treasures from trash!
Shellrifficheirlooms.etsy.com- decorated eggs,gourds,seashell and more!
YourTime.etsy.com - Wire Wrapped Jewelry, Vintage and Supplies
YourTimeBodyTreats.etsy.com - Bath and Body Products

Trades

2009-10-30T18:30:00.010-04:00

I love the tradeaholics! I just did some fab trades with a few of my friends from our group! I got some gifts but can't post the shops because I don't want these people to know!...

So I got this great necklace from Sparkle Garden

I got apple butter, pumpkin butter and mixed berry jam from First Fruit & Flynn Orchard

Got this great mug from alexmmr

Got these great pendants from artrageous clay

And this isn't everything I got, but I just didn't want to make this post a mile long! More to come later!

Craft Fairs / Festivals

2009-10-14T23:57:00.005-04:00

I was finally able to attend my first festival October 1-4 this year. I was nervous and excited and had no idea what to expect. Where I live people are more into primitive, country style items and I was scared I would be too "modern" for this audience! I definitely got some mixed reviews! Some people loved my work and said I charged too little while others literally would gasp in front of me and roll their eyes when I would tell them my prices. All in all though, I think I did pretty well. And if I say so myself, I think my booth looked adorable!

Here are some tips for you first timers:

Bring $1s
Bring a calculator and receipts (good for customers and lets you know what and how much you sold)
Bring too many business cards (I ran out, how embarrassing!)
Bring bags, small and large!
Bring water to keep hydrated and food in case you can't leave the booth
Bring some stuff you can work on at the fair - keeps you busy, gets customers curious and lets you make more inventory!
Make friends with the people next to you so you can take a potty break and can have them watch your booth for you
Bring a variety of items, you never know what people will be interested in!
Vary your display height. Keep things interesting to get people into your booth!
Dress in layers. You never know when you'll be hot or cold!
Don't get discouraged by the people who snob handmade! I've had people literally gasp at me when I would tell them my prices because 2 booths over a lady was selling imported Chinese bags for half my prices. Others though loved my stuff and told me I charged to little
Be friendly and always talk to your customers, therefore be prepared for a sore throat after!

What do you do during or to prepare for your fairs/festivals?

And the winner is...

2009-08-13T10:02:00.003-04:00

Number 92! And that would be Delilah!

Thanks to all of those who participated in the giveaway! Sorry for posting this so late, but I was moving and was not able to get into blogger! Delilah already received her bag and says she loves it! Hope to see some of you again at the next giveaway!

Testing out Fellow Estian Products

2009-07-21T10:50:00.006-04:00

So, I adore Picnic Basket Craft's shop. I had a couple items custom formulated for my skin and let me tell you, they are my favorite products to date. They are also affordable for a college student like me!

She sometimes has people try out items that she's planning to put in her shop. I always volunteer, as I love to try out new products that I could see myself potentially buying. It's great because I can test out the product for her and see for myself if it works the way I'd like it to before I commit to buying. (I also just want to say I really appreciate her sending out these samples for all her testers - postage isn't cheap these days!)

I tried out a cream for her about a month ago and the latest is a solid laundry stain bar. It is made of just a few all natural ingredients, which is what I'm aiming for in my home. I do not have any kids so I don't have grass stains or food stains, but I do have grease and 'mystery' stains that somehow appear on my clothing. I tried the stain remover on two of my tops that have become sleeping shirts because they had two mystery grease/oil stains on them (probably from cooking.) One of the shirts, the stain came completely out. The second shirt's stain is not as visible, but it's still partially there. I think I'm going to treat it again and see if it completely disappears this time.

All in all, I think this is a great product. Other stain removers (commercial) obviously didn't take these stains out nor did my regular detergent so for an all natural one to get it out is saying something! I am slowly but surely switching all my cleaners to natural, and this will definitely be something that I'll be adding to the regime.

EDIT: I laundered the one shirt where the stain was still slightly visible again and the stain came completely out. And the same day that I wrote this post, I got butter on one of my shirts while baking. I applied the stain bar and laundered it as usual and the stain came completely out!

The Lucja Day Bag Giveaway!

2009-07-20T09:54:00.006-04:00

I've participated in many giveaways this summer, and although I have not won a thing, I think it's still nice to give back! So now you, my lovely blog readers, will have a chance to win the wonderful Lucja Day Bag! This bag is made from Michael Miller fabric, lined in black cotton, interfaced with heavyweight interfacing and closes with a magnetic snap. It's a great bag for day/night transitions. Here is how to enter:

Leave a comment about a like and/or dislike about my shop or a particular item in my shop.
Remember to leave your email address or some way for me to contact you if you win!

To get bonus entries you can do one or more of the following:

Add yourself as a facebook fan and post another comment saying that you did
Follow me on twitter and post another comment with your user name
Tweet about this post with @nitelily3 and post another comment saying that you did
Blog about this post and post another comment with the link of the post
Heart my shop on etsy and leave a comment with your username

This is open to anyone in the world :) I how how much it sucked to be abroad and not be able to enter contests! The giveaway ends July 27th and a winner will be chosen by a random number generator.

Sample Sales and Clearance

2009-07-14T13:24:00.008-04:00

Maybe you've wondered what sample sales were and if clearance means the item is bad/defective/etc. Maybe you know exactly what it is and take a jump at the great deals you can find! Either way, I'll explain what each is and what they entail.

Sample sales are usually with clothing, shoes and accessories. They are when a designer makes one or two of a particular item and sells them at a deeply discounted price because they were the 'firsts' that were made. They usually do not have blemishes or anything of the sort, they were just made and the creator decides that they want to change the design a bit or improve on something. That is the case with me. Sometimes I'll make something and decide that I want it a little bigger or smaller, to add or take out a snap or to add more interfacing in some places. That's what happened with the July Day Bag and the Dorota Bag.

Clearance is when something has been around a little bit in a shop or a whole new style of that item came out and the designer wants to get rid of it quickly to make room for the new version. It's not that it's bad, just that a pocket that may have trademarked an item was moved and now it is the new style of the season like my Jane All Day Tote.

My advice is if you see Sample Sale or Clearance anywhere, go shop there first! You could find exactly what you are looking for at great prices!

A real business?

2009-06-11T12:36:00.002-04:00

I have finished one online class and am now on my second one. Got an A in the first class, but this second one, the professor seems to be a stickler. But we'll see...

So, I really need to get my business going and start marketing and promoting it. I have to write a real business plan and get things in gear. I'd love it if I could have a steady source of income, even if it wouldn't be enough to pay the bills, but at least pay for my etsy addiction lol. Anyone have advice on this or some tips? I have the summer to do this, so it'd really be the perfect time to get the ball rolling for real!

Blog Giveaways!

2009-05-22T16:17:00.002-04:00

There are so many blog giveaways this summer...

One is here: http://jennalou.typepad.com/jenna_lou_loves_you/2009/05/free-fabric-giveaway-amy-butlers-midwest-modern.html

I love reading jennalous's blog and looking at her new bags... there was this one messenger style bag with scooters on them that I just adore! Good luck to all who enter!

School's [not] out for summer!

2009-05-21T10:07:00.002-04:00

Although the official school year is out, I'm still taking two summer courses so that I can graduate on time and not have to take 18 credits a semester.

I'm in VA, but still can't find a summer job... though I guess being home and having dinner and dessert made for when Shane gets home is not bad at all, I feel so guilty not working. I applied for about 10 jobs here in VA beach, but no luck, so now i'm going to be going out to a mall and see if I can get anything there.

I have been doing a little bit of sewing so expect to see some new stuff in the shop as well!

Being poor sucks!

2009-04-17T09:55:00.003-04:00

So, being back in the US for a few months now, I finally had to buy a car. You need a car here... it's not like in Europe where you can take a tram/bus/walk to where ever you need to go. So Last week I finally bought one... a 2008 Scion tc. And I love it. But now I'm in debt to my parents (they were pretty awesome of loaning me a butt load of money!)

And then I decided, since I have a car, and am 23, I want my own apartment. I convinced my parents of this and then they actually thought it was a good idea lol. So yesterday I signed the lease to my first apartment (and by first, I mean, I'll be the only one living there.) So now I have visions of decorating, sewing up a storm and shopping my heart out at target and other places that have awesome home stuff. I wish Ikea was closer!

So because of this car and apartment (had to put a deposit on the apartment and borrow money from my parents), and my student loans, I am one of the poorest (but some how well off) people I know. Because of this.... I have been going trade crazy on Etsy. I will be shipping out all the stuff people traded me for today, and I can't wait to get all my stuff! Trading is such an awesome thing to do when you need retail therapy but don't have the money for it! When I get all my stuff in, I shall post pictures! Now stop reading this and go trade!

I'm still here!

2009-04-14T22:39:00.003-04:00

I know, I know... I have not been updating my blog. School got incredibly busy and it just gets put on the back burner. I promise though, this summer I shall be updating more often and posting some new goodies in my shop. I will also be taking more custom orders.

This summer I will be taking two classes and working, so things will also be busy, I will make sure I have time for some sewing. Next semester I have 3 clinicals to go teach in schools so I will probably be just as exhausted, if not more, than I am now. But I will definitely try my best to keep my blog and shop updated. I will also be getting my own apartment this fall, so towards the end of the summer I will be busy moving and getting settled in before school.

And the Season Begins...

2008-12-16T10:49:00.003-05:00

Well for me it begins after finals are over. I have one last final to take tonight at 6:30 - the last final on the last day of finals. Man I got lucky this semester, especially with all the crap surrounding my transfer. Hopefully by the time the Spring semester starts though, I'll have it all sorted out. All in all, I think I did really well this semester. I won't have my grades until the 19th but I think I'll end up close to a 4.0 this semester. It does make me feel better when I hear kids around me complaining on how hard the class is and I'm acing all the exams. Today I'll be selling back my last textbook, taking my final and the Fall term will officially be over!

On another note, I will be going away the 17th until the 27th but I'll still keep my shop open. I just won't be able to ship anything until I get back, but because of that I'll probably put up a small sale for those who don't mind waiting on getting their orders after Christmas. I also have plans for New Years, but that won't mean anything as far as my store in concerned.

Now that practically school is over this semester, it's snowing right now (and has snowed many times this past month already), I can just sip on coffee while listening to Christmas music. I don't like listening to the same songs for 2 months, but once in a while, when the timing is right, it just puts me in the holiday spirit that I'm ever hardly in. So what is everyone doing during this holiday season???

MixTape Zine

2008-12-06T22:58:00.006-05:00

I found out a wonderful zine a few months back and am so happy I did. They are from Australia and mostly focus on crafting and going green - which is just my thing. After ordering five issues, I decided that I wanted to write some articles for the zine and see if I could contribute in some way to the crafty world out there. I had two articles published so far, one in issue #6 and one in #7.

I wrote another article and hopefully it'll be published in issue #8 which comes out in February I believe.

Check out their blog and their shop where you can purchase the current issue as well as back issues.

This zine is definitely worth checking out, one of the very few zines/magazines out there for modern crafters and eco-friendly people.

Vote!

2008-11-04T13:20:00.002-05:00

It doesn't matter who you vote for, just go out and fulfill your civic duty!I was out at the polls at 7am before class. If I can do it, you can too!

A Showcase of Exclusive Handmade Goods!

2008-10-27T12:53:00.006-04:00

Yes, I'm finally having a show since the craft fair season is coming to a halt and holiday shopping season is about to start! I met Beth from Pepper Pod Designs and we instantly clicked. After convoing for a bit via Etsy, we decided to meet. Upon that first meeting we already had the idea of a home show floating around in our heads! And this was only one month ago!

We already planned everything, handed out invitations, and are doing last minute crafting in time for our show on November 1st. We are both a bit apprehensive about this because it is a first for the both of us, but this will be an easier way (I think) to prepare for future shows at large craft fairs. We have raffles planned, food, drinks and of course jewelry from Beth and all the sewn good from me.

I still feel like what I have won't be enough for the show, but with less than a week and counting (not to mention school!) I don't have much time to get many more things done! Hopefully I'm just stressing over nothing, and the show turns out wonderful with lots of sales...

Mineral Makeup

2008-10-03T23:38:00.004-04:00

I have to say that I love the *idea* of makeup but I hate wearing it. I never wore foundation or coverup, I'm just talking eyeshadow, mascara and lip gloss. The lip gloss I do, but the mascara and eye shadow I've always had a problem with. They make my eyes itch and burn like crazy. At first everything seems ok, and then all of a sudden I feel like I'm going blind. And that's when I stopped wearing that stuff.

Fast forward a few years and I will be going into the *real* workforce and have to look presentable for other things as well. So I broke down and bought some mineral makeup from Etsy. I got a variety of colors in sample sizes, just in case I didn't like them I wouldn't feel so bad about buying a regular sized container. I actually went and bought from two sellers: MineralMagic and PinkQuartzMinerals.

I asked a few questions about Mineral Magic and decided to start with a color scheme for brown eyes. She had 4 chosen shadows for that and they all appealed to me so I got that to start out with. They shipped to me within the week, everything was professionally wrapped and labled and of course I had to test it right away. I have to say that I had it on from morning to night (with the addition of the veil she sells) and it stayed on just as well or better than regular makeup. And as a bonus there was no itching or burning! Yay! This shop will be getting more of my business soon!

I just got the package from Pink Quartz Minerals, and although it did take a while to get to me, I do like the colors. I still have not tested them on my eyes, but my first impression is that I do like them. She included a small booklet for those who have never used mineral makeup, which was nice.

I would reccommend mineral makeup for those who are sensitive to the things they've tried from a drugstore or department store. I believe this stuff, by far, surpasses that and it's much more affordable. So go ahead and treat your self to some great makeup!

Playing Hookey

2008-09-27T23:02:00.007-04:00

No, not me, but this etsy seller is! Her shop is Playing Hookey and she makes awesome jewelry holders, jewelry racks, key racks, message boards and more. What I just adore about her stuff is that it isn't painted - it is all wrapped in fabric! Erica not only uses top quality fabrics and hardware, but all her stuff is meticulously put together.

I got the Pink Parlor Jewelry Holder. It has cotton needlepoint canvas to hang your earrings, antique bronze cup hooks to hang watches, bracelets and necklaces. The front is accented with a blue satin ribbon and a fabric flower with a vintage button and lace. The whole thing is finished in the back with ecospun felt.

I absoultely love this jewelry holder and immediately put it up and adorned it with my jewelry. Because of this holder, I put on jewelry everyday. Now that it's all out in front of me it's so much easier to pick out than when it was all thrown into a box.

Before I even got the jewelry holder though, just from Erica's shop, I was inspired to make my own custom jewelry rack just for necklaces (I have way too many from Etsy!) It came out pretty nice for my first one and did take a bit of time and muscle to make. My mom saw it and asked me to make one for my little sister as well. I definitely improved a lot on the second one, but Erica's quality is just supurb - that's why she's selling them and not me!

When I got the jewelry holder though, I showed it to my parents and they thought I bought it from one of those expensive high end trendy furniture stores. I told them Etsy :) My mom just adores it and plans on buying some in the future as gifts. I also think they would make fabulous gifts for not only yourself but for that person who has everything!

Pikaland: The Illustrated Life

2008-09-10T21:04:00.005-04:00

I found this great website and store. Pikaland is about everything illustrated. It features different artists and welcomes artists to submit their work to be sent out in the PikaPackage. I have already gotten two Pika Packages and am looking forward to my next one. In both packages, I was so pleased with the artwork - I want to put everything up on my walls, but I literally don't have any more room!

On the site you can see all the profiles of all the artists that send in their work, as well as the work(s) that were sent in. So many artists contribute their work, that you really are surprised on what pieces you get because the PikaPackage comes in either a 4 or 8 item package.

Amy, who started this whole concept is so sweet! She responds to all comments on her blog and lets you know when your PikaPackage is shipped out. It comes all the way from Maylasia which seems to make the package a little bit more special. I just love this and hope to continue getting a package every time one comes out!

KreativLink

2008-08-08T09:07:00.007-04:00

Another thing I absolutely love are journals. And the only thing better than regular journals are handmade journals! I have a mini collection of Renate's journals - 4 of them to be exact. Her journals are just stunning. The covers are made out of leather, suede, fabric or a mix of them, sewn onto felt. The pages are hand torn and painted with acrylic paints, complimenting the cover of the journal.

I got these journals with intentions of maybe giving one or two as gifts, but now that I have them I can't bare to part with them. My family is even jealous of me and my little sister asks if she can have one every time she sees them. I make lists like crazy or sometimes some sewing ideas pop into my head and I have to get them down on paper. These journals are perfect for just that and are so much more beautiful and personal than a notebook you would buy at an office store.

Not only are the journals beautiful, but Renate is a pleasure to deal with. She is so kind, always responds quickly to conversations and sends her packages carefully packaged and wrapped. Even with her being in Austria, her packages go all over the world quickly and safely! I would highly recommend her shop and think her journals are the best on Etsy.

A Quartzy Life

2008-08-04T16:54:00.005-04:00

Another great addition to my wonderful array of art is a beautiful piece from A Quartzy Life, titled "As I started looking." Lauren, a College student, makes beautiful (and all original!) pieces of very affordable art. All her pieces have some message to convey through them. They all incorporate lots of colors or textures (like mine!) that make her work very unique.

My piece of art was a mixed media piece painted on light weight wood. I love mixed media pieces especially if they are on wood because you don't even need to frame them! They look great on their own. If you don't want to buy a frame or worry about framing one of her works on paper, she has a few pieces for sale that are already framed for very reasonable prices.

Lauren was such a pleasure to deal with. She was very accommodating and kind. If you want an inexpensive, unique and original piece of art, go check A Quartzy Life out! I can't wait to get a bigger place so that I can add another one of her originals to my collection!

Soy + Soy Wax Melts

2008-07-15T09:25:00.002-04:00

I love when my room smells good and especially love burning candles. I was looking on etsy to get something to make my room smelling good when I came across home fragrance oils. I bought them and they are great, but it was a hassle buying those tea lights and constantly having to add water to the oil. So I kept looking for a better alternative. Then I came across soy wax melts.

That got me thinking, what's the difference between regular wax melts and soy wax melts. I looked up information about soy and it's used as food, made into tofu, soy milk, wax and oil. It has many uses and is very healthy and better for the enviornment than it's 'other' counter parts. When I started to read about soy wax vs. regular (bees & parafin) wax there was a huge difference. Soy wax burns clean where regular candle wax can leave soot on your walls! It has a very low melting point so you can use it in low-watt wax burners and it burns more evenly than regular wax. It's also bio degradable since it's made from a plant. I was hooked when I read all of this.

So I made a purchase from Sparkle Puss for some soy wax melts. They smell divine and I had them in a tart warmer in my room. You could even smell it coming up the stairs in my house and my mom even made a comment about how nice my room smells! If you love burning candles or wax melts, consider soy as a more environmentally friendly option.

Long time no post

2008-07-13T23:00:00.002-04:00

Yes, I know it's been a while since I've posted but I've been quite busy. I moved back to the US from Poland and have just finally been able to set in. And now my mom got a job in West Virginia so we will be moving in 4 weeks. Time to pack everything up again, but this move won't be as bad as moving to another country again! I think I can officially consider myself a pro at moving now, having done it about 12 times already.

Hopefully soon I'll be able to update with some great Etsy shops when I get a bit more free time. But for now, I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still alive :)

More Art...Now from krize

2008-06-23T13:54:00.007-04:00

Well here is another cute little shop to feed my addition to art! Kristin Sabaite's Shop takes you away into her imagination. Her shop is filled with quirky people and fun animals. She is a children's illustrator from Lithuania but now resides in Spain. Again, I had a hard time deciding exactly what I wanted from her shop because each illustration is so unique!

Once again, I had to get something with a dog (is this an obsession or what?) and of course one of her quirky girls. I chose three! things in the end. I got the "Sea Theme Note cards, " "About Friends" and a mini notebook with a cute little pup drawn on the front. The sea theme note cards are great, but I'm being a bit selfish and am going to frame them instead of sending them to friends - they are too cute, can you blame me?

The "All About Friends" print fits me so perfectly..straight from Kristin's Shop.. "There are days, when you feel especially sad, hours - full of loneliness and gloom ...On these days you sit down and close your eyes. At least your best friend is here ... at least you are far away from everything ... Your friend doesn’t speak, because at this moment you don’t need words. You need his presence. Nothing else. If you have a friend like him, does the sadness really exist?
You rise and give him a kiss on his wet little nose and say "Let’s go my friend, it’s very cold here." And all that is left are a few footprints in the snow ... yours and your friends." After reading that how could I not get it?

Lastly I got the mini notebook with the dog drawn on it. I'm a sucker for notebooks & journals so when I saw a dog drawn on one, I knew it had to be mine!

Although I did not get anything from Kristin's second shop, It's full of bags and jewelry with her wonderful illustrations on them! I recommend checking both of her shops out, maybe you'll also walk away with some art of your own!

And the winner is...

2008-06-21T04:01:00.005-04:00

panyizsuzsi! Congratulations!

I used randomizer.org and Zsuzsi's number got chosen! Zsuzsi chose the Nancy Bag, which I think just fits perfectly with her glass art!

There was also a secret to my giveaway! I let randomizer choose a second number to win a smaller prize, a wristlet! And the secret runner up winner is ingermaaike. She chose the Kelly wristlet. I hope both of these wonderful ladies enjoy their new bags!

I just want to thank everyone that left a comment on my blog. Maybe I'll do another giveaway in the future since this one had a good turnout.

Be Happy Now

2008-06-19T09:33:00.004-04:00

I don't remember how I found Jenny's shop, but as soon as I found it I was in love. All her paintings and drawings are so original and definitely show her style. I was especially drawn to her work because it's not the typical things that are popular these days - deer, birds, cupcakes, matryoshka dolls, etc. Don't get me wrong, I like all of the above and think they're cute, but as soon as the fad is over then all these stuff just looks strange all over your walls. But then again, I do have an eclectic style.

I hearted many of her items, many of them selling out before I could purchase. Most of her artwork incorporates some kind of animal or monster, which I just love (I'm a dog lover myself). The colors are just so bright and lively, they really do make you Happy! I really had a hard time deciding what I wanted but I finally made my decision. I got "3 Monsters and a Dog" and "Just Be Happy." The Monsters and dog painting, I think is obvious why I got it and I got the Just Be Happy because I have many days when I need to be reminded to not take everything so seriously and Just Be Happy!

The shipping was fast coming from Isreal and Jenny even drew on the envelope (which I will probably cut the images out and frame too!) and sent me a little thank you with the work that I bought. I wish I had more room on my walls to buy more, but I guess I'll just buy some as gifts to make others happy :)

Left or Right Brained?

2008-06-14T15:56:00.001-04:00

I found this on a fellow EST members blog. I always knew I was both left and right brained - love the sciences but I have also been crafty my whole life. I wanted to see which I was more...

You Are 40% Left Brained, 60% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning.

Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others.

If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic.

Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet.

The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility.

Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way.

If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art.

Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

First Giveaway!

2008-06-12T09:39:00.004-04:00

I will be moving into a new apartment July 1st so I need to clear out some stuff from my shop! Of course I already have a Sale Section where you can find some great deals, but I thought that I would make this a bit more fun!

Just leave a comment and a way for me to contact you if you've won. Let me know something about yourself, about your craft, or just a general comment about my shop or blog. The winner will be picked at random on the first day of summer, June 21st! The winner will be able to *select* one item that they want out of at least 20 items in my shop, so you can win something that you love!

Good luck to everyone!

My Second Tutorial - Coasters

2008-06-08T08:17:00.002-04:00

So after I made my first tutorial I couldn't help but make a second. I kept thinking about it all week and decided to make a simple project of coasters but with a ric rac trim. I think they came out pretty well and will be listing the set I made in my shop sometime this week. The tutorial is for sale for $6 USD. I like how they came out - I'm keeping one of them for myself for my desk. The good thing about living in a student apartment and having only one room to yourself is that the only place that you could use a coaster is on your desk ;)

Although these tutorials are both for sale, I want to make a free tutorial to post here on my blog, but one that isn't too long. Something simple, but useful. Do you have any requests or things you'd like to learn how to make? Let me know!

Perfumes

2008-06-06T10:03:00.003-04:00

So I have to admit that I never was really into perfumes. I was never a smelly person, even after a hard work out at the gym! Through high school I would use some popular chain store 'body splashes' but as we all know, they don't last very long. I started wearing a lightly scented french perfume, Lemon and Verbena, when I came over to Poland. I started getting compliments from many people that I smelled really good and that's when I got into wearing more and more. I guess positive reinforcement really works!

It started off slow, buying some perfume here and there of some basic scents, nothing too fancy. Then a year ago I found Etsy. That's when the real problem begain. I stumbled upon Modern Atelier on Etsy. I started looking through her shop and couldn't decide what to try out first. I ended up buying 4 of the sale scents to see how good the perfumes really were. I got them in the mail and you could smell the perfume through the envelope - and let me tell you that they smelled good! I was trying to go through a bottle of perfume I already had before I started anything new, but that didn't keep me from buying more! I ended up buying 4 more..some 'winter' scents and some 'summer' scents. I only got through one of my winter scents during the winter and now I'm using a summer scent. They all smell wonderful and I love that after my 1oz bottle is out I get to try something new out!

The next perfume seller that I have purchased from is The Starshine Company. They make both home fragrance oils as well as perfume oils. Since I am already addicted to perfume I thought that I would probably love home fragrance oils as well. I was right. I ended up purchasing 3 perfumes and 3 home fragrance oils. I use the home fragrance oils daily and they smell devine. The perfume oils also smell super but I haven't had the chance to try them out yet.

Both Modern Atelier and The Starshine Company shipped quickly and securely. I recommend them for any perfume that you plan on purchasing for yourself or as a gift!

First Tutorial Up for Sale - the market bag

2008-06-02T14:28:00.008-04:00

I have purchased quite a few tutorials & patterns on Etsy myself, so I thought maybe I should make one too! I love handmade patterns and tutorials because they are completely original. You know that someone put a lot of time and work into their project and it shows through their work. I also like the step by step with color pictures along the way and the ability to email the author with questions or comments about the pattern. It's so personal! Being an advanced, but self taught seamstress, I sometimes find that I do not know certain 'tricks' or techniques that many have learned through conventional ways. That is one of the main reasons why I also by handmade tutorials, so that I can learn these tricks and techniques to better my skill set.

I have been thinking about making a tutorial myself for a while but kept putting it off. I wanted to make something that was pretty straight forward, something that may teach some 'tricks' to other seamstresses and of course something that I haven't seen made yet. I would say the most popular things right now for sale are small pouches, aprons, purses and of course things for children so in making this market bag, I knew it would be one of the firsts on the (Etsy) scene with it. The best thing about this pattern is that it can also be shrunk down or blown up and be made into almost any size that you would need! This project took me about 6+ hours all together with the sewing, picture taking, writing, and the designing of the pattern then putting it all together into a PDF. It can be found in my Etsy shop for $8USD and free shipping! I hope that those who purchase the tutorial can send me some pictures of your completed projects for me to post on here!

Summer travels

2008-06-01T11:28:00.005-04:00

It's already June, the weather is warm (or at least here in Poland it is!) and the thing on all our minds? Vacation. I have already booked my tickets for some summer traveling. Last week I was in Berlin, at the end of the month I am going to London, and in July I will be in Barcelona, Rome, Malmo, and Copenhagen. That's a lot of traveling!

I am not only thinking about traveling though - I am thinking about all the great crafting supplies I can pick up along the way! I have already started to make a list of some great fabric/craft stores in each country that I will be visiting. I know it probably sounds crazy that I am looking forward to the traveling as much as I am looking forward to my fabric finds, but really, when will be the next time that I will just hop over to Barcelona to pick up some great Spanish fabric? Probably no time soon, so I am taking advantage of this opportunity!

I am also busy sewing up some great summer outfits. I have added four skirts and one dress to my wardrobe, and have ideas for many more floating around in my head. Now, only if University would end soon, so I could get to some more sewing ;)

Market Bags & Patches

2008-05-13T15:45:00.005-04:00

Feeling torn about buying a market bag with a great screen print on it and making one myself, I started to search for some great patches. I found and bought some great patches that I can sew onto bags that I make myself - a perfect compromise!

I got this patch from andyeatsonlycandy

The next two patches I got from RMIA. The first one is for recycling and the second one is perfect for any crafter - DIY Do or Die
Go search for your own patches and make some rockin' customized bags to your liking!

DressGreen

2008-04-09T04:24:00.003-04:00

Again, with my bath and body addiction I had to try out products from DressGreen on Etsy. All of Lauren's products are 100% natural and free of all that yucky stuff that is found in commercial products.

I placed a rather large order: Coffee Exfoliant, Snow Day Exfoliant, Green Tree Moisturizer, Pomegranate Juice Moisturizer, Orange Blossom Moisturizer, Purifying and Blemish Controlling Body Serum, Toning and Clarifying Facial Serum, and finally the Lusty Lip Lush. I have to say that the exfoliants smell heavenly and work great! They aren't too greasy but leave your skin lightly moisturized. The body and facial serum are my new favorites! I use them on my face after washing as a moisturizer (and they help combat blemishes!). The Moisturizers go on smooth and smell great and the lip lush is just wonderful!

In addition to great products, Lauren strives to provide great customer service. She is very accommodating and lets you know whats going on during the whole transaction. Shipping was extremely fast and everything was packaged beautifully in green tissue paper. She even included a little card explaining her products and some cotton pads for the facial serums! I know as soon as I run out of these products I will be back for more!!!

Birthday Present

2008-03-13T06:51:00.004-04:00

So my little sister's birthday is coming up and she is turning 7. For Christmas she got an American Girl doll so I figured this would be the perfect time to make her doll some clothing. The price of clothing for this doll is outrageous (in my opinion, and my mom's) so I sewed this dress, shrug and purse up for her last night. This was the first time that I made something so small, but it really wasn't that bad. To be honest, I find it much easier to make larger items than smaller, just because of all the detail that needs to go into these smaller pieces. It was fun making it though, and I know when I was little I loved having a variety of things for my dolls to wear. I haven't seen my sister for a while now, so I don't really know the exact things she is into (at her age, things change daily!)

Hopefully she will like what I made for her and when I get more time I can make some more clothing. I know I love getting packages in the mail and I want her to feel special on her birthday by opening up her gift!

Morgan Street Handmade Bath and Body Care

2008-03-06T12:08:00.004-05:00

If you haven't noticed already, I am a little obsessed with natural bath and body care. In December I emailed Sharon asking her if I could purchase some smaller sized versions of her products because I am always weary to buy full versions of things and then find out that I hate them. I ordered from Morgan Street a full sized pumpkin spice whipped body butter and her cuticle balm and Sharon was kind enough to give me generous samples of her soaps, body scrub, foot scrub, foot soak, and foot salve - much more than I was expecting, and all included with my purchase for free for me to try out!

I was more than excited when I got to use her products, but to be honest, I was expecting the same stuff that I've tried out there before. The first thing that I tried out was the black raspberry vanilla body scrub. This was honestly the first scrub that I've tried that I would have to say was perfect - not too oily that you felt like you dumped a bucket of oil on you but just moisturizing enough that you honestly don't even need to use a cream afterwards.

The next thing that I did was give myself a mini pedicure where I used the foot soak, foot scrub and foot salve. This was really the best combination of products for my feet that I have ever had - I would have to say it was at the same level as what a spa would have, just at a fraction of the cost. My feet are still smooth and and look great even during this cold winter season drying out my skin.

I honestly fell in love with all of Sharon's products and I most definitely will be back again, but this time with a huge order with one of everything (well almost ;) )

Beetlelady Books

2008-02-20T07:07:00.004-05:00

I have always loved journals and notebooks. In them, I don't write stories or poems, I write lists, things to do, random thoughts, favorite quotes and any other random things that come to mind. I love to keep notebooks, to keep my thoughts collected, to write about good or bad days; to help me remember things that might slip my mind by the end of the day.

When I found Beetlelady Books, I fell in love with her journals immediately. They are meticulously hand bound with beautiful papers covering the outside. You can tell that with each journal Stephanie takes great care when making these journals. Stephanie kept great communication during the whole transaction and the journals arrived carefully wrapped. They are the perfect size for me, not too big that you can't carry them around and not too small that you will lose them. They are also surprisingly light, they seem lighter than regular journals that I have but with the durability and care of a hand bound book.

I highly recommend getting a book from Beetlelady Books. You get great service, careful and fast shipping and a wonderful journal that is a pleasure to write in!

Daisycake's Soap

2008-02-11T04:27:00.000-05:00

Being a huge fan of 100% natural bath & body care, I had to give Daisycake's Soap a try. Since becoming a member on Etsy a little less than a year ago, I have been drawn to many of the wonderful shops and want to give the most appealing ones (to me!) a try. Daisycake's Soap specializes in just that - Soap! She has a special on her website for a pound of cold process soap that is not a consistent weight, cut or packed beautifully for $14 and free domestic shipping. I decided this would be the best way to try her soaps for a great price. After getting the soaps I was pleasantly surprised to see that all the scents were very appealing to me and they were wrapped in tissue paper with a corresponding card for each scent for me to know exactly what I was getting.

I so far have tried out the Natural Rose Clay Soap and I have to say it's one of the best soap's I've ever used! Daisycake's Soaps being one of the first that I have tried on Etsy, I sort of feel that nothing can really live up to her soaps and that has kept me from really buying any other soaps. I have gotten some samples from some bath & body stores on Etsy but still have not given them a try because I enjoy the Daisycakes Soaps so much!

I really recommend giving Daisycake's Soap a try. As far as general bath and body I have my favorites, but for soap Daisycakes is my favorite, hands down!

M. Augusta Woodland Designs

2008-02-02T03:52:00.000-05:00

I always enjoyed browsing through MAugustaWoodland's Shop and admiring her wonderful silver filigree work. One fine day Meganne wrote to me about a trade. I was excited because I had always admired her work but could never afford anything, being a student and all, and of course I agreed. It was tough picking out exactly what I wanted but I picked the moonflower pendant and asked for a custom pair of stud earrings. Meganne was happy to make the earrings for me and I couldn't wait to get my stuff.

I finally got my long awaited package from Meganne and I opened it up and was in complete awe at the beauty of her work. Pictures do not do her work justice - everything was simple, yet complex and delicate. It makes a big statement without being over powering; this jewelry was exactly my style. I have bought a lot of jewelry off of Etsy and I have to say that this is the best yet. I hope to acquire more of her work in the future!

Communication with Meganne was great, her work is simply stunning and I highly recommend to anyone to get a piece of her work for yourself or as a gift. You will not be disappointed, I promise!

Tooth Chips

2008-01-12T04:15:00.000-05:00

So, the Rose of Sharon Acres Tooth Chips sounded really intriguing to me. They were getting great reviews and wanting to go all natural I had to give them a try. At first, the $9, 2oz container seems like a lot of money, but when you break it down, it comes out to a mere $2.25 a month and lasts 4 months, brushing 2x a day. The shipping as fast and Monica was really good with all my questions.

As soon as I got my Tooth Chips in the mail, of course I had to try them - and I did. To be honest, at first I couldn't stand the taste of them but immediately felt a difference in the way my teeth felt. They felt super clean, as if I had just gotten a cleaning at the dentists. I thought to myself, I paid this much for the tooth chips, I might as well use them. It has been a little over a month using them and I can honestly say that I got used to the taste and that my teeth always feel cleaner than if I was using regular tooth paste. I even noticed a difference in morning breath...there was no yucky feeling in my mouth anymore!

When I went home for Christmas I had my parents try the Tooth Chips as well. My little sister, who is 6 wanted to try them and she happened to like them. My dad loved them, but my mom had the same reaction as me. The only reason my parents didn't continue using them is because they use an electric toothbrush and they said they would prefer a paste version of the tooth chips.

Overall, I am very satisfied with the Tooth Chips and will continue using them! I am very curious to see what my next dentist appointment will bring!

Etsy For Animals

2007-12-11T04:36:00.000-05:00

I have been a member of EFA for about 3 months now. I have donated one of my bags to their wonderful store as well as took part in various projects, including donating bags to the Alaska ASPCA. Although I may not always have time or the resources to take part in all their projects, EFA members continue to blow me away by their generosity and willingness to help those who do not have their own voices - the animals.

Come support EFA - Where 100% of the profits are donated directly to the animals!

Glass Art by SarahsSky

2007-12-01T03:55:00.000-05:00

I have been lusting over many pieces by SarahsSky, but I never thought I would get anything because of the insane shipping costs to Europe, especially for heavy things like glass. After months of lusting, and after a few sales of my own I decided to take the plunge and buy not only one thing, but three from SarahsSky.

The first piece that got me started was her beautiful tea light candle holders. She has made mosaic ones, and more simple ones like the one I got - The Light Pink Stained Glass Mosaic Candle Holder. As soon as I opened up the extremely well packaged box I had to put a tea light in and light it. The glow from the candle holder is just beautiful!

The second thing that caught my eye was the beautiful Green Stained Glass Mosaic Leaf. It is much larger than in the picture - I keep it on my desk but if I had a coffee table I would proudly display it there! It is a great size to keep small things in it like jewelry, bobby pins, or anything else you have scattered around and want to put in one place. It would also be nice to keep empty as just a main focal piece.

Finally, as if the candle holder and leaf weren't enough Sarah just happened to list the perfect necklace! It is small, detailed and makes a statement even with its' small stature - just the way I love my jewelry! So of course I had to add the necklace on to my list, but the only problem I had was deciding whether to get the magenta or mint tile. I decided to go with the magenta, I think because it looked really good on Sarah's sister :)

I really recommend buying something for yourself, or as a gift for someone else from SarahsSky. She has great customer service, wonderful communication, and my things were extremely well packed and made the transcontinental trip from the US to Europe without a hitch. She has a passion for what she does and you can really tell though her work!

Purchase - Pendants

2007-11-25T08:50:00.000-05:00

About a month ago I made two purchases from two different sellers for similar items. I purchased two dictonary pendants from Arete (love & hope) and one map pendant from Objects of Affection (Krakow).
Love and Hope are my two favorite words of inspiration and Kraków is my favorite city in Europe; I spent a year living there from 2006-2007. These pendants are just the right size that I can wear all three together and not have it be too bulky. They are just perfect and came out wonderfully!

buyhandmade.org

2007-11-03T04:21:00.000-04:00

Tickled Pink Knits

2007-10-25T14:03:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am always cold. I am the girl that wears two pairs of pants and three sweaters to keep warm! Because of this little problem I bought two pairs of wonderfully soft fingerless gloves from Tickled Pink Knits.

I had two custom pairs done, one in chocolate brown and the other in charcoal gray. I love both pairs and wear them every day!

Jewelry!

2007-10-14T07:34:00.000-04:00

I have to say that there are two stores on Etsy that I adore their jewelry. One of these shops is Sorry I'm Late - Jewelry for those who like to make an entrance

She has the cutest and sweetest jewelry on Etsy. She is all the way in Australia but the shipping is super fast and totally worth it to get a little piece of heaven you can wear every day. I have already made multiple purchases from Oli, the latest were these beautiful items:

Petalina Necklace

Sweet Vintage Sterling Silver Necklace

Your Love Has Tied Me In A Knot Earrings

She really has a unique mix of jewelry that is fun, flirty and good day or night. Not only is her stuff adorable, but she is a wonderful person all around and does her best to make sure that you are completely happy with your purchase!

Inspiration

2007-09-27T03:57:00.000-04:00

Lately I haven't had any inspiration until I talked to my Etsy soul mate, Lynnette (from http://originalsbylynnette.etsy.com & http://ohtwovintage.etsy.com) and she got me back to sewing. I am changing it up a bit and making reverseable aprons, wine gift bags, and reusable shopping bags. I will have them listed in my store soon!

Now to talk about one of my favorite artists on etsy, LaMaga, http://lamaga.etsy.com - She has beautiful & very original pieces of art. In fact I bought two pieces from her and hopefully i'll go to Ikea today and buy some picture frames for them!

My Baobab

Magical Forrest

I also have an original painting by Ali J. from http://aussiepatches.etsy.com. She has a very unique style and I absolutely love her girls! I hope that I will be able to buy a few more originals from her before she becomes too famous and I won't be able to afford anything any more!

Sleeping Bird

That's all for now! Hopefully i'll find some pretty frames at Ikea!

Wooohooo its Friday!

2007-09-21T12:55:00.000-04:00

So its finally Friday and only 2 days left of my pre study course! So you know what that means - Wine party! LOL, nothing big, just a few friends from school, drinking wine and relaxing after a long, boring week! yay!

oh time just flies by...

2007-09-18T11:35:00.000-04:00

I think you know that you're getting old when the days and weeks just fly by. My birthday is in exactly 3 weeks, and I still remember last year's birthday as if it were 3 months ago! My pre-study courses are still going on, so I just sit and listen to the lectures all day, study during breaks and when I come home i'm too exhausted to really do anything - I don't even have the energy to sew. Hopefully when I get into the groove of things I will set my school time, social time and creative time so that I am able to enjoy/do it all. It feels weird not sewing every day, and I am specifically not sewing because I don't want to create mediocre things; when I sew I want to make sure that I am creating the best items possible! <3

First entry

2007-09-16T09:40:00.000-04:00

So, this is my first entry into my 'nitelily' blog...I should try to keep one of these up to date and a way to get all those racing thoughts out of my head! So I just finished my second week of the 'prestudy' courses for medical school..I feel like I should be studying more, but I'm still not fully into the groove yet. I have also cut down my sewing time, to just the weekends after I get all my work done..hopefully i'll be able to keep up with my constant need to sew! Oh just so many things to do right now, that I am actually being lazy and not doing much instead!

nitelily designs

Midwest Craft Caucus in Review

Sew Mama Sew GIveaway Winners!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day! ***GIVEAWAY CLOSED***

Quite Unique, My Experience

Rainbow Cupcakes

Heartsy, Revisited.

Sneak Peek

Craft Shows - How to get your competition to be an asset

My Entire Heartsy Experience, Part 3

My Entire Heartsy Experience, Part 2 + Free Organization Spreadsheet

My Entire Heartsy Experience, Part 1

'Lace' by nitelilyglamour

Old, new, vintage, fabric, metal.... oh, lace.

Valentine's Day 10 Day Handmade Giveaway!

Not your grandmother's cross stitch!

What I got for Christmas

I'm Loving: Lace Knits

Polaroid Calendar

Baby Booties

Light Bulb Terrarium

Stocking Tutorials

Felt Garland Tutorial

Etsy Finds: Christmas Decor

Shop Local: Huntington, WV

For buyers and sellers of handmade goods...

I see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Metricly

Who knew crafting could be stressful?

News

Creativity Bootcamp

Going to the Chapel!

Finally! New PDF Patterns!

New Ventures!

Handmade Portraits

Let ME host your giveaway!

Giveaway #3 Winner

Giveaway #3 from Littlemamas!

And the winner

Goldfinch Giveaway by Handy Maiden

ReadingBunky's Giveaway Winner

Giveaway! Prints Charming Purses by Readingbunky

Out of the Box Sampler

Black Friday - Cyber Monday Sale

TRADEAHOLICS PRE-BLACK FRIDAY $10 and UNDER SALE WEEKEND!

Trades

Craft Fairs / Festivals

And the winner is...

Testing out Fellow Estian Products

The Lucja Day Bag Giveaway!

Sample Sales and Clearance

A real business?

Blog Giveaways!

School's [not] out for summer!

Being poor sucks!

I'm still here!

And the Season Begins...

MixTape Zine

Vote!

A Showcase of Exclusive Handmade Goods!

Mineral Makeup

Playing Hookey

Pikaland: The Illustrated Life

KreativLink

A Quartzy Life

Soy + Soy Wax Melts

Long time no post

More Art...Now from krize

And the winner is...

Be Happy Now

Left or Right Brained?

First Giveaway!

My Second Tutorial - Coasters

Perfumes

First Tutorial Up for Sale - the market bag

Summer travels

Market Bags & Patches

DressGreen

Birthday Present

Morgan Street Handmade Bath and Body Care

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day! GIVEAWAY CLOSED