"Along Comes Mary" goes to front page twice in one day!

Yes, not only did I just open the shop, but yesterday two different items were in two different treasuries and each went to front page! I'm amazed and very flattered!

So here they are:

#1 Was the Vintage Gray Flannel Hat

(view the first slide show on the right bar)

#2 The Vintage Cargo Pants

(view the 2nd treasury slide show on the right bar)

Vote for Ripley

I really...wrote it all here:

Texas Holdem stole my boyfriend!

Lately I never see my Boyfriend! Seems as if Text Holdem' has stolen him away! There are games in our area nitely (and they are FREE) that he frequents to get his "fix" and then there are the online games that you can also play for free (if you get really low on chips...well then you need to purchase them!) but he plays so much that he ends of earning so many free chips. Sure I could go to the games with him, but working the next day sure puts a damper on winning and staying late. It's also not my favorite thing to do in the evening, so why should I give up my movies, books and the internet for these nitely treks, when I could be very comfy in my own home.

So yikes, what can a girl do. Hope that someday the game will turn him off and he'll come running back to me! Ha...ha.

Any ideas, suggestions or support are welcomed!

Wow, win $75.00 from Red Envelope!

Easy to enter, just window shop at
Red Envelope


...and comment here mentioning the items you want to purchase should you win!

Wonderful!!! Good luck!!


You'll also find some other great contests at Blog Contest Station
Be sure to submit your great contests there and look for the Indiesmiles "Shoppers Cartoon Contest" coming soon!! Your chance to win a Basketful of Handmade goodies from 14 Artisans!

Visit the Indiesmiles Coupon Directory, presently there are close to 100 shops participating in this awesome sale that will run from Black Friday through Cyber Monday!

Read more about this huge sale:

Indiesmiles

The grass certainly was not greener!

Wow, so much has happened over the past month that it's hard for me to keep up with it. Originally I had thought that I would join a another handmade website and dissolve Indiesmiles. As it turns out, life was much better at home and the grass was certainly not greener!

El has decided to leave Indiesmiles because she has been too busy with classes and her online shops and I've taken over the helm. Since I felt that co-op articles is the way to go, so much has occurred in the world of handmade that it takes more then one person to keep up with the activities! So many online venues have come into the scene besides Etsy and Artfire. So many new crafter's and crafts and lots of changes in the way that we can present and promote our wares!

Lately we've had several columnists join us and a marketing expert who is going to help get the word out about Indiesmiles and the news we present.

Plus, the Coupon Directory lives on. It's difficult in today's economy for most of us to peel off the high dollars to advertise our shops, but as a very wise man told me that if you don't advertise, you will be advertising at some point "going out of business". Sad but true! So the question in my mind is this, what is too much for people to pay? So I'm going to put it out there for Izzy-it's readers. Please let me know! The questions is this:
Is $2.00 too much to ask for a text listing in a sale directory, essentially the Coupon Directory at Indiesmiles?

So the way it works in the directory you would pay $2.00 for the Text Listing and then another $2.00 if you want to feature (125x125 graphic ad) your shop graphically above the entire directory listings. Included in with that pricing is free graphics that are emailed to you for your own use. Use them in your shop, your blog or to circulate on Facebook, etc.

Why is it that in the corporate world, there are zillions of websites that offer coupon codes for sites like Victoria Secrets, Coldwater Creek, Micheals etc. Yet in the handmade circles, as such, this has been such a tough concept for our readers and advertisers. Please help me answer this. I don't want to give up Indiesmiles Coupon Directory, I think that there is a strong need for it. Buyers want to know who is having sales without having to sift through pages and pages of sellers.

Can this change, it's up to us decide. I feel that it's a great service, but like anything else...you've got to use it!
Sue
Indiesmiles

Abundance!

A friend of mine and I just happened to be talking about Abundance and that we all deserve abundance in our lives. Our discussion centered around believing. A few days later, this lovely bill of rights appeared in my Facebook message box. I was so taken by it that I asked for the authors permission to reprint it so that all of my blog readers could enjoy it!

Spend time appreciating what you have so you can attract more of that into your life. While you’re at it, consider sharing some of what you have with those around you who are truly being affected by the economy. And, if you are one of those who has lost a job and is really struggling in these times, seek out people who are doing well and feeling happy. That energy will rub off on you and help you transition to bigger and better things! So here you go!


Your Prosperity Bill of Rights(TM)

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, July 4, 1776.


Sometimes we forget that we have the right to live our life to our own specifications. I’m not suggesting it’s OK to rob a bank if the fancy strikes you; I’m saying that you have the right to be happy, choose your career, who you spend your time with and all other aspects of your life. Here are some rights I suggest you claim as your own.


~ I have the right to attract as much prosperity as I want.
~ I have the right to be prosperous doing work that I love.
~ I have the right to prosper even if friends or family are rejecting prosperity.
~ I have the right to say no to requests that don’t honor abundance.
~ I have the right to believe there is enough wealth for everyone, including me.
~ I have the right to express all of my feelings on prosperity.
~ I have the right to change my mind about how I see money.
~ I have the right to follow my own values and standards regarding prosperity.
~ I have the right to value prosperity for myself and others.
~ I have the right to determine my own financial priorities.
~ I have the right to only be responsible for my behavior, actions, feelings or problems around money, other people are responsible for how they treat their money.
~ I have the right to be uniquely myself and attract abundance.
~ I have the right to make financial decisions based on my feelings.
~ I have the right to my own financial needs.
~ I have the right to be financially healthier than those around me.
~ I have the right to change and grow as I embrace abundance.
~ I have the right to have my financial needs and wants respected by others.
~ I have the right to be prosperous and happy.


Pick and choose from the above rights and/or come up with your own. The point here is that you are in control of your own life and destiny. Don’t take this responsibility lightly. Create a life of your choosing that is perfect for you. Once you know the rights you want to put into place in your life, type them up or write them out in beautiful calligraphy and post them somewhere where you will be reminded of them often. Consider reading them aloud each morning and/or evening to reinforce them. Strengthen your boundaries and raise your standards where you need them to help maintain and protect your personal rights.
© 2009 Ruth Hegarty

The above "Abundant" magnet by
Etsy shop ColorInFushionstudios
What a lovely reminder that we deserve Abundance in our lives!!