I know that as a teacher I love getting little gifts from my students. Teacher’s appreciation week is in the first part of May. It is different in different districts, so call the school office to find the best date. Find these cute magnets in my Etsy shop.
My husband needs the computer for school work, so I will make this quick.
Please think about joining my latest swap: http://www.swap-bot.com/swap/show/14628
You cook three recipes and tell people how they turned out. This is to inspire us to try new recipes that we’ve been meaning to, but we didn’t follow through with it. Smiles!
Rufus is my dog. I had fifty cents to by some DMC 702 (Leaf Green embroidery floss) and when I walked out of the door he stared and me with a longing in his eyes. I’ve never taken him anywhere without a carrier, and I’ve never taken him anywhere in the station wagon. So, since it was a quick trip, I decided to let him try riding in the Outback.
I loaded him up in the back and rolled down the windows. Before we were out of the driveway he had made his way to the passenger seat and he sat down when I said, “Sit, Rufus!”
Usually on a Saturday the Heart of the Home craft store across from the Post Office in Pendleton is fairly quiet. I can go in and see another person or two, but I usually have the place to myself. Rather than leave Rufus in the car, I thought I’d get the saleslady’s attention, tell her what I needed, and hand her the $0.50
through the door.
Well, I didn’t think that as summer approaches, the tourist begin to arrive and I had to wait for a team of teenagers to finish buying their Pendleton charms before I could even motion to the saleslady. Then, guess what she said? “Bring him on in, we’re very dog friendly here.”
“What?” I thought. They might be dog friendly, but the store in front is scrapbooking paper and stickers and stuff. She said that Jerry in the back would love to see him. So I brought him in. She brought him a biscuit. He’s a well mannered yellow lab/golden retriever/malamute mix. He did just fine. Here’s what it looks like in the back where I bought my embroidery floss and where Rufus got some “luv”. He did just fine.
First I’ll explain briefly what a BnR is. It is a list on the Etsy forums where you buy from an Etsy seller, and get your name on the list. When someone buys from you, you get kicked off. There are, of course, many variations on the game.
This is my first time hosting one. I have the day off from school and thought I’d try to make a few sales with my own, easy BnR.
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TAKE 5 BnR
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Quick and Easy BnR. 5 Shops. Buy on. Kick off.
1. Take 5 minutes a day to stop by and say hi.
2. Have something in your shop that is $5 or less.
If you don’t, someone else will take your place on the list. This will help it stay active and kickin’.
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Participate in order to play. A (*) next to your shop name indicates you’ve checked in that day.
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♥ HOW TO PLAY ♥
1. Say that you are going to buy from a player on the list. State shop name and number.
2. Buy from a player on the list. No minimum purchase required, but no PIFs. No maximum. You just need to purchase at least one item.
3. Come back to this thread, post a link to the item you purchased, and make a request to be added to the list. If no one is here to change the list, make the change yourself. It will be checked for accuracy later, so be honest.
Feel free to stay, chat, promote, and help keep this thread on top. The more we are on top the more sales we can make.
If you have any questions, please ask. We are a great group here and love to chat and answer any questions you have.
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♥ SALES ♥ 3 since 2pm 4-18-08 Etsy Time
♥ SHOPS ♥
*1. http://smilesandsunshine.etsy.com
*2. http://jewelrybytiti.etsy.com
*3. http://tthomas86.etsy.com
*4. http://krisybird.etsy.com
*5. http://addictedtoyarn.etsy.com
Some items $5 or less from this BnR http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5573853
Magnets
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10818183
Earrings
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10245007
Coasters
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=7183595
5 Kids Bracelets
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10928642
10 Crocheted Flowers for your Craft Projects
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10995587
Sometimes, it is hard to get kids excited about writing, well who wouldn’t get excited by this guy? He shows you how to make a zine. That is, a mini magazine about the subject of your choice that you publish by photocopying one single page. Then you fold and cut it, making a mini booklet.
Yes, I showed this to a 4th and 5th grade reading class. I didn’t show them his address and I made sure they understood that we were not selling our zines at school. I know this is a little non-traditional. But I thought it was worth it to get the kids writing.
I’ve also made a few of these to swap on swap-bot. One of them is about making dotee dolls. I’ve had a lot of fun with my family friendly zines.
Smiles!
Recently, I’ve been making some pretty cool trades on Etsy. When I trade with someone, we both select the item we want, put it in our shopping carts, and check out. We say we will pay with Paypal, but we never go to PayPal to pay. Instead, we ship out the item requested and wait patiently. Today, my waiting paid off. My new bag arrived in the mail.
This is the bag that I traded for. Isn’t it cute? It looks real sturdy in person and ready for a book or two. Or maybe some redwork embroidery project.
I traded three pair of earrings from my Etsy shop for this beauty. If you ever are interested in a trade, feel free to leave a convo for me via Etsy. Or email me at shaunaaltman@yahoo.com.
My Etsy shop: http://smilesandsunshine.etsy.com
Now, that is a reason I should keep embroidered objects in my shop. They make lovely wedding gifts. And I would have sold her a set of pillowcases for $35. Usually, I might list them for $40. But I like giving people a deal when they ask nicely and have a real need.
I had a pillowcase listed, but I traded it for these beautiful earrings and a bunch of glass beads.
I have actually been feeling the need to embroider anyway. I asked my Etsy friend, Little Sun to draw a custom redwork pattern for me. Now I’ve just got to wash some muslin so I can get started on my first redwork piece. I’ll let you see it when it is all done.
Smiles!
My Etsy Shop: http://smilesandsunshine.etsy.com
I’ve posted a few swaps that I’m taking part in, but I wanted to explain how Swap-Bot works in case anyone is interested. I just listed a new swap, so if you want to try an easy one, I will explain how you can sign up and participate.
1) First you go to http://www.swap-bot.com.
2) Click on the New Account link.
3) Fill in your information. They will ask for a user name, your name, email, birthday, password, and mailing address. This address will be given out to people mailing you swaps. So if you don’t want to give out your home address consider using a PO Box or a business address if it is okay with your boss.
4) Agree to the terms of use and click the button.
Here are the Terms of Use:
Terms of Use: Swap-bot facilitates swaps among the members of this service. You expressly agree that use of Swap-bot is at your own risk. You must be 18 years of age or older to use the Swap-bot service. Content posted to Swap-bot is solely the opinion and responsibility of the user posting the message. Swap-bot expects that all users will post respectful and courteous content. Swap-bot takes no responsibility and assumes no liability either for the content posted on the site, or for your communications and relationships with other Swap-bot members. Read complete Terms of Use.
5) Then you will get this message:
Welcome to Swap-bot!Thank you for signing up. Please read the following info so that you will be totally prepared to participate in lots of cool swaps!
Creating Your ProfileTo add information about yourself, your favorite things, and your likes and dislikes to your profile, click on the word “edit” next to the word “Profile” at the top of most Swap-bot pages. Once on the profile edit screen, click on “Personal”. There you can add as much information about yourself as you would like. Your swap partners and coordinators will appreciate this info so that they can tailor swap items to your preferences. You can edit all other aspects of your Swap-bot profile within the profile edit screen, too. To view your profile, simply click on the word “Profile” at the top of most Swap-bot pages.
New User Swap LimitAll new users of Swap-bot start with a swap sign up limit. You can only sign up for five swaps at a time at first. This limit lasts until you have received three positive (5) ratings from your swap partners. (To read more about the Swap-bot rating system check out the frequently asked rating questions.) Once you have received three positive ratings, the swap sign up limit is completely removed and you can sign for as many swaps as you would like.
QuestionsSwapping with groups over the internet is a fun, but somewhat complicated activity. To learn more about swapping and Swap-bot, check out the About page and the Frequently Asked Questions. It is also important to read the Terms of Use. If you have more questions, check out the Discussion Forums. There you can read previous questions, or ask your own.
Have lots of fun!
6) Then you can sign up for swaps, such as my latest swap where you make three recipes, take a photo, and send a report to your three swap partners. If you want to sign up and your are completely new, just send me a PM (Private Message) on Swap-Bot. Check out more here: http://www.swap-bot.com/swap/show/14628 .
My Etsy http://smilesandsunshine.etsy.com
Free Books http://www.bookmooch.com/inventory/shauna
Plaidfuzz did such a good job restating the questions I asked, that I am going to leave them out and let you just enjoy her writing.
How cool is my shop? A lot of people describe my shop as cute, which is kind of funny because in real life I am sarcastic and abrasive. I guess this is all the cute I can handle. 
How do I find time? Unfortunately between working full time and being a single mom I can’t do it all, so sometimes I get a little backed up on laundry, or maybe I don’t get to the vacuuming every day, but I just try to prioritize. Making cards and crocheting is actually pretty relaxing, so I will sit down and create a lot at the end of the day to unwind.
How often do I list new items? I am pretty sporadic with that, but I get at least a few new items listed every week. I always have quite a few projects in the work that I just have to sit back and think about what direction I want to take with them.
Do I relist? Yes, especially if I haven’t listed anything new that day. I especially relist when the forums are down, I figure people have nothing better to do than buy.
Are there any crafting techniques I would like to learn? Definitely, I somehow always walk out of Michael’s with things I don’t need because I don’t do that particular craft, lol. I think this year I will be buying a sewing machine and learning a bit more than I was taught in home ec. My daughter recently got a small Bratz sewing machine, so she is dying to learn, too.
What is my favorite item? Right now it is this mother’s day card. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10568209
I liked it so much I made another one to give my mom.
The only other thing I would add is, I think negativity attracts negativity so I try to keep my Etsy experience fun and productive. I’d love to make a little extra money out of this venture, but if I don’t, eh, life goes on and hopefully I put a smile on a few people’s faces in the process.
