Fantastic Post!

I don't normally post about other blog's I read that aren't paper crafting related, but this one is too good to pass up! Being an artist or crafter or whatever name you give yourself is a rough job. Most of us will never make a million bucks a year....sure we can dream! :)

I've attended many craft fairs over the years. I've been a shopper and a vendor. Being a vendor is so much harder than you could ever imagine. You have to get there a few hours before the event. Drag your 800 million pounds of awkward items through rain, sleet, snow, 100 degrees through parking lots half a mile away up four flights of stairs down narrow hallways....And NO I'm not exaggerating at all! I've done this several times. It's not exactly a blast. And remember when you're all done, then you get to the same exactly thing only this time in the reverse. This occurs many hours later after you've stood all day and tried to earn a living.

I won't even go into the rude comments. Some people are just so nasty. One time I had a guy scream at me for charging sales tax. Don't blame me! I don't like paying it either. The state requires it and if I don't pay it, they will put me in jail. So yeah you're paying me for the tax because I don't like stripes or concrete walls.

You will see on this blog that I do love Etsy. I shop on there several times a week. I have even found a few photographers on Facebook that I follow. I have purchased several of their photos. Yes, to some people $3 for a photo of a momma black bear and her four cubs playing in the Smoky Mountains might seem like a lot. But I know she had to spend at least $3 in gas to get there! Not to mention the hours she spent waiting patiently for a bear to wander around, her camera equipment, the equipment to print the photo, her website, etc. Just a trip to the mountains would cost me four hours to get there and another four home and over $80 in gas with no guarantee of seeing a single bear. I've been there several times and have never seen a bear of any kind except stuffed ones.

Ok so back to why I wrote this post.....a fellow crafter was recently treated rudely by a customer at a craft fair and she/he wrote a fantastic blog post about it. Really you should read this. Everyone - not just crafters/artists - should read this.

She/he received so many comments that they wrote a second post about the situation.

Until next time *

Be sure to support your local small businesses this holiday season!

Photo Sales!

Snapfish:
Use coupon code PENNYNOV and get 500 4" x 6" prints for 1 cent each. Yup 500 prints for 5 bucks. Expires 12/3/11.

Winkflash:
Coupon code ONLY6CENTS will get 6 cent 4" x 6" prints! This discount is unlimited. So if you need to print two thousand pics like I do at times this is a good deal. Expires 12/5/11

Until next time *

Print your photos! Don't keep them starved for attention in your computer!

Another One Bites the Dust

Sigh. Sadly, tonight I was informed that the LSS I crop and shop at is closing. Now this store isn't close by any means, but it is the closest store to me and it's over an hour away. I am so sad over this. This is the fourth store I was a regular customer at to close since 2005. I'm beginning to think it's me!

So if you're near Lexington, SC or feel like a road trip, then get to Scrapbook Utopia before December 31st! Some of the items on sale (25%-50% off) paper, cardstock, embellishments, store fixtures, albums, mediums, tools, Copics.

And they just celebrated the one year anniversary with a huge crop and beautiful cake. So sad I'm losing this shop.

Until next time *

Support your local shops! If you don't, who will?

Ephemera from Australia

Love the stamp!

Yes, you read that correctly. Ephemera from Australia! Home of Hugh Jackman and ummmm other people. I watched him on Jay Leno a few days ago and wow is all I can say. hehehe

Paper Aeroplanes Ephemera and Paper Craft Supplies is an amazingly honest seller. Her postage is beyond reasonable. Now, if you do order from her, there is a bit of a wait. The wait is not from her as she ships right away. Australia is very far away and her packages have come via Air Mail. They have taken anywhere from two to three weeks. Considering that's on the other side of the world, I think it's pretty fast! Definitely not that slow boat from China.

Oh where do I begin? I have placed a few orders with her. She has some amazing pieces. Believe it or not, she has a ton from the US! Who ever would think I'd be purchasing items for places in the US from Australia? Definitely not me!

First up is a set of Traveler cigar labels. They're actually pretty big. And they have raised embossing. I plan on using these in my layouts for my travels. Thinking about making a Tim Holtz collection box showcasing my travels and using these there as well.

These are movie tickets to Cinema 5 located in Toledo, OH. Movies were 75 cents. Yes, 75 cents! Can you imagine?

Until next time *

What have you gotten your inky hands on lately?

Another Photo Sale

Don't you just love photo sales? No excuses not to get your photos printed now! Just in time for the holidays and making books to share with your families. Time's ticking.....don't remind me!

Like Winkflash? Well, guess what? They like you, too, and are having a sale. You can get as many prints as you want for 6 cents each. Seriously, if you need to print 20,000 or 20, it's 6 cents per print. How cool is that?

Oh you need the discount code, right? Might help.....hehehe Here it is: ONLY6CENTS and it ends on 11/08.

So simple. Again, don't wait until the last night of the sale to upload your photos. Trust me. I have a bald spot from pulling my hair out in the weeeee hours one night doing this. Save yourself the aggravation. Everyone and their grandma is on these sites during the last few hours of the sales.

Until next time *

Seriously, why haven't you printed your photos lately?

Discount Time!

Camera chip full? Thousands of photos sitting on your hard drive hoping to escape one day? Well, now is there chance at freedom! 

Snapfish is having a sale! And I do mean a sale. You can get 300 prints for 1 cent each. Yup, 300 photos for $3. No kidding! You can use the discount code up to 5 times.....that's 1500 photos! 

Here's the Snapfish code: SPOOKY300. 

Don't have a lot to print? Seriously, what's your secret? Please share with the rest of us. We could totally use it. Well, Snapfish is thinking of you folks, too! Here's the same 1 cent sale for those only needing 100 photos: SPOOKY100. This one can also be used up to 5 times.

Hurry! These offers end on 11/06. Don't wait until the last minute to upload your photos. The last day of their sales, the site can be pokey. Yup, I'm speaking from experience.  

Until next time *

How long has it been since you printed photos?

Long Time No See

Sorry for being quiet for so long. It's been a long time! I'm super busy with classes, crops, and traveling. Lots of crops coming up and holidays! So excited for the holidays. Working on some projects. I will be posting a ton of pics very soon. Lots of projects are in the works. Stay tuned!

Until next time *

Are you doing what you love?