Life Changing

In my last post I talked about waiting for 'life changing' news.  I was of course over dramatising things but had I received the 'good' news my life would have changed as I would be in paid employment.  I won't go into detail about the job here other than to say it was part time and minimum wage and I got as far as being interviewed.

Anyhow, life moves on and I have put a few hand printed totes into my etsy shop.  I need to raise funds for my son's 18th Birthday party and hopefully the shop sales will bring in some much needed income over time but at the rate I am going he will be lucky to have a fairy cake with a candle on top let alone anything else!

Apart from printing the tote bags, I have not done a lot else crafty this month.  There are so many things I want to do but feel a little stagnant in this dull and depressing phase of weather we are currently having here.  When the clouds descend I am in hibernation mode!

I hope that your week is jogging along fine.  Next month is a short one so I am going to squeeze every last drop out of January before February arrives.

Enjoy the rest of the week

Shop Update

I have updated my etsy shop with my latest offerings.  You can find items for sale here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/LindenGrove?ref=search_shop_redirect

Do come and have a look and see if anything takes your fancy.

Grumpy Fairies on Etsy

I wasn't sure whether to list these on etsy but as a few people had shown interest in buying them I thought I would do so.  I am selling them in twos -  that way they can have a companion to grump along with. 

If you would like to have a look they are listed here.https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/168694807/two-grumpy-fairy-decorations?ref=shop_home_active

Why not use them as a Christmas tree decoration or as a luxurious gift tag for someone special?  They are sure to bring a smile to even the most grumpiest of grumps!

Today the weather has been glorious - cold but sunny with a clear blue sky.  Just my kind of weather.   I really needed that boost of sunshine after so many dank and dismal days.  I am feeling energised and positively sunny on the inside.  I hope you are too. x

Social Media

I am having a hard time getting to grips with social media.  I love blogging but I really have not taken to facebook which is just as well as it is refusing my login at the moment.  I don't really understand it.  It feels so impersonal to me and I keep getting emails telling me that a friend of a friend had commented on a post etc. Why do I need to know that?   I tried to put a link to my etsy shop on facebook this morning but it put up the wrong photo with the link and then I didn't know how to delete it!  I really miss the camaraderie of blogging and feel that the blogging community is breaking down with so many bloggers defecting to facebook.  Please come back!

If my etsy shop doesn't pick up over the next few months I think I will stop trying to sell the things I make on line.  I may even keep them for myself!  I have considered doing an 'open house' for the neighbours to come and see/buy what I make but at the moment I just don't have the budget for buying more materials to make things with to put on a big display.  It is very difficult to know what to do for the best.

On my last post I mentioned some of the other bracelets I have been making.  The bracelets above are part of my 'transitional' range when we change over from one season into the next.  The idea is to wear the serpentine (or lemon jade as they are known in the trade) bracelets in the summer months when the slightly acid lemon compliments a sun kissed skin and then adding the dalmatian jasper as we cross over into the autumn months.  In the autumn the dalmatian jasper can be worn as a stand alone piece of jewellery that blends with the colours of the season.  They are so tactile and feel lovely worn against the skin.    Serpentine is supposed to aid in unblocking chakra's and removing stagnant energies and dalmatian jasper helps to decrease any disillusionment you may be feeling, and helps you to let go of the things that are no longer of value to you and encourages faith and loyalty in your relationships.  Whether or not you believe in the healing properties of the gemstones they are nice to look at and give a person a sense of individuality when wearing them.  I am sure that owners of dalmatian dogs would love a dalmatian bracelet!

Butterfly Ball

Wouldn't this bracelet be just perfect for a summer garden party, a Beltane celebration, or even a butterfly ball!  Zingy summer colours, vibrant green glass pearls, millifiori beads and glass crystals shouting out 'look at me' and vying for attention.  The pewter butterfly helps to tone down and unify the bracelet.

Sometimes I like to work on 'fussy detail' as in the bracelet above but when I am working with natural gemstones I feel that the beads don't need further embellishment.  I have been putting together sets of 'transitional' bracelets that go from summer to autumn.  They come in sets of three and include stones such dalmatian jasper, serpentine, picture jasper and rose quartz.  They will be in my etsy shop over the coming days.

If you are reading this, it would be nice to hear from you!  Just recently I am having a lot of visitors but not much in the way of dialogue except from my regular contributors.  Some 'old friends' drop by but never comment anymore.  I guess it is inevitable when there are so many blogs to choose from. 

Thank you to everyone who comments here (nice or constructive ones only please!)  It brightens my day and I hope that I brighten your day a little too!

Unsettled

I  feel a little overwhelmed this week.  I thought we were going through a period of calm after the storm.  The garden is definitely getting greener and there are signs of life amongst the shrubs and in the trees.  I have been feeling anxious though and as soon as I thought we were entering a period of calm weather, the wind whips up and the temperature drops once again.

Last week I re-opened my etsy shop . I have opened a Facebook account and posted links to the shop from there too but have received little response.  I also have a Twitter account but rarely receive any responses on there either.  So far there has been very little traffic and as of a couple of minutes ago there has been no shop views at all today.  I have been advised that it takes at least 100 shop views to generate 1 sale, so I am way off the mark at reaching my target! It is very disheartening.  I also know that whenever I mention 'my shop' on here many people do not respond to the post which is why I am reluctant to even mention it.  I find self promotion very difficult but it is a necessary 'evil' when trying to generate interest in the things I make and sell.  I have confidence in my products but lack potential customers. 

The World events this week have left me feeling very unsettled but as the astrologer Barbara Goldsmith says, 'sometimes we need to be shaken up in order to feel alive again'.  In the grander scheme of things, my shop and my ego are not that important.

*Unfortunately with this 'dynamic' view on Blogger I can't seem able to put any buttons that take you directly to my etsy shop but if you click on the words etsy shop on my posts you will be taken directly to my page.  I hope this helps!

Relaunch

I have decided to relaunch my etsy shop again.  I will be adding new things gradually over the coming weeks and months.  As a thank you to my blog readers I am giving a 20% discount throughout April.  Just enter the coupon code APRIL20 at the checkout to take advantage of this offer.  Thank you all for your continued support.

Shop Update

Are you ready for Christmas?  Me neither!  I have put a couple more flower brooches in the shop if you are looking for Christmas gift ideas.  I am now thinking I should have updated my shop a lot sooner! 

It is not to late to join in the Compound Word Project.  We have come to the end of round one, so if you haven't already done so, then pop over to the blog and you will be able to catch up and see what it is all about.

Have a great weekend! x

New Shop Name

I have changed the name of my etsy shop from pootlingwithpaper to LindenGrove as I thought it would be less confusing.  I have cleared the old stock out of the shop and listed some of my fabric flower brooches.  I will list some more things when there is enough daylight to photograph in!

Thank you for the well wishes for my husband.  He is slowly improving de die in diem (from day to day).  I just had to squeeze a bit of Latin in there!

Coming Soon..................

Very flattering felt and glass bead necklaces.  The heart lies just above the breast bone.  They are all finished with silver plated lobster claw fastenings.

The necklace on the left has a soft sea green coloured heart and lilac and lavender coloured felt balls with clear glass crystal faceted beads.

The middle necklace (could be worn to Halloween parties so that you can be part of the occasion without resorting to fancy dress!!!) uses pumpkin orange felt beads and jet black faceted crystal beads.

The necklace to the right of the photo has an aubergine (eggplant) coloured heart, pink and purple felt beads and coloured crystals that catch the light beautifully.  I think it is most suited to evening wear to be shown to its best advantage.

I will be putting these items in my Etsy shop over the next few days as well as a few other surprise items.  I have given up my craft table for the time being as I have given its use over to table tennis throughout the duration of the Olympic games!!!  I will have to find a quite corner to craft in!

Bears and Fishes for Sale

Last chance!  Final reminder of free P&P in my Etsy shop for UK until Tuesday.  I have reduced the prices of all my handmade gift tags to make way for new stock.  The 10 tags above have been reduced to £4.00.  That equates to 40p each for original hand drawn, hand cut and paper pieced items.  These are not mass produced and no die cutting machine was involved!  I have painstakingly and lovingly put them together at my kitchen table (well, we have to start somewhere don't we?)

If nothing takes your fancy in the shop at the moment, then come back in a couple of weeks time and you may see something to your liking.

Kitties for Sale

I am making way in my shop for a re-stock next month so these kitty gift tags have been reduced from £5.00 to £4.00.  This set is a limited edition of ONE!!!

The set is for 8 kitty tags and a bonus bluebird of happiness tag.  Just add some brown wrapping paper and you have your future gift wrapping dilemmas solved!

Don't forget to use coupon code XMASJULY to qualify for free P&P in UK.  If you want instructions on how to do this then email me and I will let you know.

The free P&P offer ends this Tuesday 31st July.  Don't miss out!!!

A Gentle Reminder

The free P&P in my Etsy shop for UK finishes on Tuesday July 31st!  To take advantage of this offer then please enter coupon code XMASJULY on checkout.

The freshwater pearl necklace above is now (SOLD) reduced to £7.50.  It was originally priced at £15.00.

If you have never bought from me before, why not do so now whilst the free P&P offer is on? 

I will be adding new things to the shop over the coming weeks so if you don't see anything you fancy now, pop back another time and you may be pleasantly surprised!!!

Have a lovely weekend however you choose to spend it. x

A Shop Update and Winners!

I have just updated my shop with two new Birthday cards and two Anniversary cards.  I have reduced the price of a kitty face keyring, the baroque pearl necklace and the wool felt bead necklace.  Please do come and have look as it is always nice to have visitors! :-)

Thank you for the comments on the giveaway post.  I wrote down all the names of people that wanted to take part and asked my son to pick out names from one of my spotty china mugs!

1. Sharon (sallymomsprouts)
2. Lisa (Jumble and Jelly)
3. Julie (KC's Court)

Would you please email your address details to me so that I can send out your bracelets.  Thank you so much to everyone who took part. 

The Butterflies Have Flown....................

The butterfly card in the previous post flew out as quick as I listed it in my etsy shop!  I have been busy making more cards in the hope that they will fly out too!!!

Free Postage and Packing in the UK

Do you remember the time when I used to sell a few items at my Linden Grove Mercantile shop?  The problem back then was I could only accept cheques which excluded many people who wanted to buy items from me.  Since then I have joined Etsy which is a platform for people to sell their handcrafted goods.  The method of payment I have chosen to accept is Paypal.

I am trying to encourage people to have the confidence to buy from me and as such I have decided to offer free P&P to anyone buying from the UK for a limited period of time. So, there will be no extra charges on top of the cost of the item. It would be a good time to stock up if there are a few things you like!  I do hope that you find something that appeals in my shop.

The bluebird of happiness tag pictured above is included as a bonus in the contented cats pack of gift tags.  I may offer the bluebird of happiness tags on their own if I get enough interest.  With regards to the teeny, tiny tags in a previous post, I may include these as bonus tags in the future too.

I would love you to visit my shop either through the Etsy link or by clicking on pootlingwithpaper under the word Etsy in the side bar.

I am off to tackle more practical pursuits now such as the ironing pile which has steadily been building up whilst I have been building up my shop!