Who Loves Orange?

AmyT and mom just created this great treasury at Etsy.  Take a look and see if you can figure out which one is my creation!!  Here is a link to their cool Etsy shop. http://www.etsy.com/people/jewelrybyamyt and also to their latest treasury! http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NTY1NzUxNnwxMTM0OTYzOTUx/holiday-gift-ideas

Exploring Handmade

Debi of "Debi's Designs" has been working extra hard to select and showcase a wonderful selection of artists and their shops to make your holiday shopping easier!  Starting today and ending November 28, she will be featuring a wide range of great gift ideas for your family and loved ones!  Buying handmade and giving a lasting gift is so much more meaningful than purchasing another massed produced product from overseas.  With todays economy, I know how important it is to make each dollar count.  Each day, Debi will feature a specific artisan craft and the artists that produce that craft.  Today is "lampworking" day and I have been fortunate to be selected as one of the featured artists.  Check back each day to discover lots of wonderful shops, gifts and artists! http://blog.designs-by-debi.com/

http://blog.designs-by-debi.com/

It's almost here!

I have a beautiful sugar maple in my yard and every year the vibrant range of colors the leaves turn always amazes me.  I'm able to oooh and ahhh for several weeks as I watch it put on a show.  That tree helps me to gradually acclimate myself to the harsh knowledge that winter is "almost here".  A to help me prepare for the long cold months coming up or even a "I'm sorry to be leaving you" going away present.

Unfortunately, whether due to the heavy rain this fall or the quick winter storm that blew through a few weeks ago, the annual fall foliage show fell short.  The  winter storm blew off the majority of just turning leaves and the remainder turned yellow for the most part and then dropped. What a wild weather month we have had here in southeastern Pennsylvania. I am hoping that it isn't an indicator of the next few month!

Just a squirrel trying to get a nut.....

I must have the sillies today.  Don't know why, it a damp, rainy day but I was checking out the Top Treasury team on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/teams/10548/top-treasury and the featured seller today is http://www.etsy.com/shop/judygovintage?ref=seller_info.  She has a wonderful line of vintage and when I saw the squirrel I just couldn't resist.  Then I remembered another featured seller from a few days ago, http://www.etsy.com/shop/CapitalCityCrafts?ref=seller_info who had this beautiful acorn.  Put the two together and you have a line from one of my favorite comedies - Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins.  If you haven't watched the movie, treat yourself to fun night.  I promise you won't stop laughing.  So here is my treasury in honor of the squirrel and the nut!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NjM1Mjg2MHw5NzQ3MjkwNTA/just-a-squirrel-trying-to-get-a-nut?index=0

Bye Bye October - I'll Miss You

What a great month it has been!  My mom has been visiting me from North Carolina and we've had such a great time.  Lots of shopping and lunches and of course with Mom in the house, lots of goodies.  Tonight it was pumpkin spice cookies with cream cheese frosting.  Yum, disappointed that I only had room for one, but I'll make up for it tomorrow!

The Birdsboro show finished up last Monday.  I would have loved to attended the artist reception the previous Friday night, but unfortunately Birdsboro, PA is about an hour and half away from my home.  Since I had to make the drive Wednesday to deliver my pieces and then pick up on Tuesday, I decided against making the drive again.  Sometimes those long, winding country roads are just to long and winding!  But what a wonderful selection of artistic mediums and artists!  Just amazing, so much talent under one roof!

My next show isn't until December 5.  I'll be at the 20th Annual Country Christmas at Avon Grove Intermediate School.  Last year over 100 crafters, food vendors and businesses participated.  I had contemplated trying to do a show in November but decided against it.  My inventory is low and I'm anxious to get back to my torch since I've been away from it for a few weeks. I'm going to focus on creating lots of beads and baubles and goodies for my Etsy shop and holiday gifts!

Since I'm still so new to the selling game, I'm always delighted and surprised when my work sells.  I hope that thrill never goes away.  That rush of excitement that "someone" has actually bought something.  I love picking out a special "thank you" surprise to include and enclosing a thank you card.  Then off to the post office to mail it out as quick as I can.  It brings back childhood memories of Christmas morning and all the excitement and anticipation that came with it.

Speaking of excitement and anticipation, last Saturday my Etsy shop www.goodhopcreation.etsy.com was the featured shop on the Top Treasury Team.  What a wonderful team to be a part of, so many supportive members.  Views, likes, favorites and circles all day long, not to mention FOUR sales.  My thanks to everyone that made that happen.  Here's the link http://www.etsy.com/teams/10548/top-treasury/discuss/9167663/page/1

So here I am - Now what?

So here I am - I finally decided to join ranks and create a blog.  I have to admit, I held out for a long time.  I don't know what the deciding factor was, most likely a combination of several things, which are all rattling around in my head and still refusing to form one cohesive thought!

I am learning that trying to market yourself online can be a daunting task to say the least.  The pressure is intense - Do I blog?  Do I Facebook?  Do I website?  Do I point my website to my blog?  Do I try and sell on my website?  Do I put my Facebook link on my Etsy shop?  It's exhausting just thinking about all of this, let alone the creating, monitoring, adding and continuing to find time to do what I love best - which is melt glass!  

So here I am - blogging, website'ng, Facebooking, Etsying and all the other things a fledging, online artist should do to market their work!  Wish me luck!  Jere

www.goodhopecreations.etsy.com

www.facebook.com/goodhopecreations

www.goodhopecreations.com