Save the Frogs Day Winners

Congratulaations to the winners from the Save the Frogs Day Giveaway.

Frog #1 - soultivity named him Freddie Stonehopper

Frog #2 - Marty named her Georgia

Frog#3 - Della named him Prince Harry

Consolation prize to Patrice!


Thank you for participating.  Please send shipping addresses to justiceseeker@comcast.net so that you may receive your prize promptly.

Kathie

Win a Beautiful Glass Frog Pendant/Pin

Did you even know there is an annual SAVE THE FROGS day?  Yep, it's tomorrow and one of my favorite animals is the star of the day - a frog!  Actually, it's a lot of frogs - but not enough frogs!  Because all over the world frogs are endangered and dwindling in numbers.  Many species have totally disappeared.  Since I love frogs, and since tomorrow SAVE THE FROGS DAY 2010, I am having a special giveaway.  I commissioned Brad Peterson (bradpetersonsglassart.com) to make a frog in his glass studio for SAVE THE FROGS DAY.  Brad did even better - he made 3 of the them.  Brad himself donated part of the cost of materials and labor and I purchased them all (couldn't make up my mind!)  "Now what?" I asked.  I considered a raffle with proceeds to the Save the Frogs Foundation.  I considered selling all three with proceeds to the Foundation.  But I wanted to do something fun and still support the Foundation. 

I have decided to give them away!  Yep, free!  But there's a catch.  They have to have names.  Everyone who comments on this blog and names a frog or all 3 frogs will have a chance.  Tomorrow afternoon I will take all of the names to a disinterested party to choose the best name for each and an alternate.  When the names are chosen, I will notify by email each of the winners for their shipping address and promptly send them on their way.  Now, how does that help the foundation?  Using the formula I use for selling my own pieces, I will figure their retail value.  I will personally donate that amount to the Save the Frogs Foundation in the names of the 3 winners.

OK - 3 easy steps:  1. comment on today's blog by 3pm tomorrow;   2.  Submit your choice of names for at least one of the 3 frogs, and  3. Be sure to leave your email address so you can be contacted when you win.

That's it! Now here are the stars of the show:

                                                                                        Large Frog Pendant

Medium Frog Pin

Small Frog Pendant

                                 

Spring Has Arrived

So excited!  The sun has been shining and on a couple of days a sweater was enough to wear outside.  Leaving behind the boots, hats, gloves and scarves helps so much.  I feel like I lost 10 lbs.  Flowers are blooming everywhere and my jewelry musings and creations are lighter and brighter too.  Life is good.

I have decided that it is definitely possible to "think too much".  Tending to be a worry wart and compulsive planner, I am often derailed by the necessary changes with which life insists on making me struggle.  The dryer repairman called off sick and the laundry is 1/2 way to the ceiling in the laundry room.  My almost-perfect son is making teenage explorations of which I do not approve.  I think perhaps someone shortened the number of hours in the day or days in the month because I can't keep up with the passing of time.  Wasn't Thanksgiving just a couple of weeks ago?  All that being true, I gave up the intricate daily schedules, the counting of items listed per week and trying to stay one step ahead of my life.  In return, I received joy!  I had a relaxed week with significant contact (phone) with friends, a little bit of shopping (mostly beads and findings), exciting new jewelry created and ideas for more so plentiful that I had to start using my sketch book almost every day.  As old as I am, you would think I would have gotten this together earlier in life.  But I didn't.  I started last week.  Why don't you join me?  It's a kick!

Exciting Announcement

Today I am excited to share a new listing http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=1187282  and a new friend.  The pendant in my new piece was created by Brad Peterson whose work I discovered while browsing Bonanzle.com a while ago.  Brad works with fused glass and stained glass and does a myriad of pieces ranging from jewelry to wall art and each one is prettier than the next.  I am looking forward to using more of Brad's pieces in the future and am delighted to be able to introduce him to you.

Where to Find Followers

I love the "idea" of blogging and have enjoyed reading others blogs.  I would like my blog to be interactive though.  How do you folks with all the followers get them?  Do you promote shop and blog separately?  Both together?  Do I need gimmicks to attract people - giveaways, etc.?  Please consider giving me some feedback here so this issue can be more fun than struggle.

Here's one of my newer listings!

Coming Along in Business

Well, I still have questions everyday about this business.  I still question myself far too often and rely on others for affirmation.  But what is truly exciting is that I am finding more creativity within me than I knew I had.  Sometimes my mind is just churning with ideas for new pieces and I have to sit down and make some sketches so my mind can rest and actually do something.  I have started to carry a small sketchbook in my purse and have been known to stop in strange places to quickly add something that is churning in my mind (like the stationary department in Target??!!).  Oh, well, each day is a learning situation and I have no regrets - yet!

Kathie

Help!

18 posts and not even one comment - help!  What do I need to do?  While you're thinking about it, here's a new watch I just finished and listed:

Struggle, struggle, struggle

Not sure there are enough hours in the day and not always sure what constitutes "necessary".  Everyone says "you must blog" and believe me, I have tried.  I tried being just friendly, witty, questioning and inviting responses.  Not much happens.  Now there is this blog and the Artfire blog and I don't know what to say or why to say it.  All I know is that I love making "spirit reflections" for myself and others and want everyone to know!

Kathie

Which ones? How many? When is it too much?

Well, those are my questions of the day.  There are so many possibilities online for joining groups, selling on different sites and different kinds of sites, etc.  I am presently on Etsy and Artfire.  I love Artfire, thinking about leaving Etsy - takes up too much of my money for too few sales.  But the bottom line is, I wonder how many sites one could manage effectively?  I could spend many hours at the two I have and actually I do.  I keep improving my pictures, adding new tags, adding new listings, moving things around and changing my announcements.  I'd kind of like to add a third shop, but not sure and have overstretched myself in other areas of my life before.  Anyone else dealing with or have dealt with this before?  Got any advice?

Here's one of my newer pieces.  I love using materials from nature.

Back Again!

Didn't realize it had been so long since I was here.  Still moving back and forth between overwhelmed by how selling online and managing sites can be a 24/7 job and forcing myself to stop working and relax.  Does this ever end?  When does the panic cease?  Anybody out there have some expertise?  I did stop and making something neat this week.  I love cinnabar but always have trouble figuring out how to use it.  This one worked out.

Oh, I have to add a picture of this little guy - he's too wonderful.  He's called a smiling monkey!