Gotta Love the Weekends!

For some reason people love to shop with me on the weekends; which give me plenty of time to load new items and ship out the ones I've sold... great for all of you out there who think my fulfillment skillz suck.

Not much else to say today, so I'll just post by goodies for the day:







Artisan of the Day

It's Teaman!
I just love the way he packages his teas! He's an Etsian as well; put I thought highlighting his teas on ArtFire would give him a bit of a hand -- like he needs it!
BUYERS CHOICE 4 OUNCES LOOSE LEAF TEA IN GIFT TIN


Artisan of the Day

I want to get this for my Tiny Dancer!
CROCHET BAKING UTENSILS - PDF PATTERN from KTBDESIGNS



Artisan of the Day


Yes, Lavender can be eaten. This is the first time I've seen lavender used for something else besides a bath, body or home item, so I have to share!
ROYAL VELVET CULINARY LAVENDER from WILDBLOSSOM

Okay, I'm good for the day... Everyone have a great Sunday (unless it's another day where you are)

I can see clearly now... the contacts are gone!

It has been hard working without glasses! About a week ago, my old glasses snapped in my hands; I've been having to deal with temporary contact lenses. There are cool things about contacts, but not for this nearsighted person; I can't move my contacts when I need to do close up work, so I look like an idiot trying to string beads.

I did manage to make a few pieces, though, which are now available for sale at 1KM. My favorite are these pacific opal Swarovski earrings. Of course, I looked completely crazy while doing them, but I do believe they came out rather nicely.

Without further ado, here are my artisans of the day; and keep a look out for the right column for a featured seller soon!

Artisan of the Day


Look at this cutie! Baby monkeys are irresistable!
MOTHER AND BABY, A CHIMPANZEE FAMILY, FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY, 4X4 PRINT from DAWNLEWISIMAGERY


Artisan of the Day

As a fantasy writer, I can resist a fantasy artist. This one is fantastic!
LOCKED IN - ACEO LIMITED EDITION 2/100 PRINT from PHILIPPE FERNANDEZ

Artisan of the Day

All I can say when I see this is WOW. I think I'll leave the artist to describe this hauntingly beautiful photograph:
BONE CHAPEL PILLAR from RAINWOLF

Have a great day!

Words of Wisdom...

On Etsy, feedback is king. Or queen. Or Prime Minister. Something like that. While most folk have a Feedback rating of 100%, some of us sorry sots are not so lucky.

In the past (and apparently lately), I've had some... let's call them "issues" with the Post Office. Basically, packages aren't getting to my customers in a timely manner. While "timely" can be a subjective thing, I would call one month not quite a "timely" manner.

As such, I've gotten a few knocks on the Feedback meter. Out of 138 sales, I've gotten 4 negative feedbacks. Four. One of them was a complaint that she only got 4.2 loads in a 6 load package. One was the person who complained about not receiving the package -- on the day she received the package. Wow.


So, what does 4 negative feedbacks give me for a percentage?
96%

Gasp! Clutch the pearls! Seriously, under most circumstances, that's a solid A. That'll get you a pat on the back; get you a gold star, a smiley face, it may even get a kid into a pretty good school.

Not on Etsy. 96 percent puts you in the category of the kids who skip class and hang out behind the school, smoking and spitting.

Can we say, losing sales because of 4 terrible feedbacks? Can we say I had a person actually tell me that my feedback turned her away? Then I will, because that is what happened.

So, kiddies, please watch your feedback. It can kill you, even if the situation is not under your control. Ah well, we shall see if I can bounce back from it.

Chaos, Depart!


Today is ArtFire Day. Added items to the shop, tidied up and fixed the categories. Now it's finally presentable to the public. And over there, I'm still doing the free shipping thing, so have a look-see! I'm finally getting the hang of this 3 shops/3 venue thing. All in the path of quitting the day job thing, because gosh, do I want to quit my day job!

Tomorrow, it will be all about Etsy -- that shop need some serious tidying up -- and I'm done with the shipping thing. It's back to free shipping over there too; I know it's hard with this economy to buy things online AND pay for shipping. I'll keep it free over there until things start to look up for us all.

Friday, I'm heading back to 1KM. I really like the look of 1000Markets, and the fact that they are very exacting in their specifications. It makes you work harder to become a success over there. Maybe I can take some of that back to Etsy.

So now here's my goodies for the day:
Artisan of the Day


Gotta love the center class.
YAVA GLASS - UPCYCLED BOTTLE GLASS SET OF 3 from YAVA GLASS

Artisan of the Day

Get outta town. This is great! It's totally upcycled. And it even has pockets and a little wallet!
RECYCLED CAPRI SUN JUICE POUCH PURSE - FREE MATCHING COIN PURSE from ILuvMoJo

Artisan of the Day

It's Vinyl! God, I miss vinyl! It even looks as if the cover is incorporated into the tray. This has style!

RECORD ALBUM TRAY - THE CARS from brindakaydesign

Celebrate Good Times!


I got accepted at 1000Markets, so now I have a new shop to show ya! Pretty little glitters abound over there... in fact, I will be moving ALL jewelry to this shop soon, so check it out.

And we all know what this means, right? Now I have three shops from where to feature beautiful products.




1000Markets Artisan for the Day



I don't care what anyone says... all babies are cute! These are great looking announcement to tell the world about your blessed event!
BLESSED - 25 BABY ANNOUNCEMENT PHOTO CARDS from DESIGNERPI

ArtFire Artisan for the Day


Perfect gift tags for Father's Day, especially that lucky gent's FIRST Father's Day!
SET OF 3 DIE CUT DAD GIFT TAGS from INMYMINDSEYE

Etsian for the Day


What can I say? It's alpacas.
ALPACA DUO 5X5 FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY from CameraSHYphotography

Whew!


Finally finished Part Two of The Defender's Burden. Now, Lady L and Master T (not to be confused with MISTER T, who still scares me after all these years) will leave me alone long enough to work on Lady J and Master C. I can guarantee that Part III will bring the following: A wonderful red herring; a new character, and the arrival of Lady J to where she belongs.

What am I talking about? Well, if you checked out the teaser, you would know, wouldn't you?

Other than that, I'm going to be concentrating on my Refresh, Renew, Renovate sale over at Etsy. This is a great opportunity to pick up some cool products at wonderful prices. (Yes, this is a shameless promotion, sue me.)

So now, let's see... The Artfire Artisan of the Day will be:


You know I'm going to have to pick these up. These would be perfect for the shaving soaps, you think?

GREEN SWIRL CUPCAKE OR MUFFIN LINERS (72
) from CUPCAKESOCIAL

The Etsian of the Day


For all of you tile pendant whizzes, these are cute little image sheets; nice and bright and ready for summer!

RETRO GARDEN BRIGHTS -Scrabble size img sheets BUY 2 Get 1 FREE- digital sheets
from SPARROWGRAPHIC

As always, CYA!

So I need this like I need a hole in my head...

Decided to open a shop over at 1000Markets. It's a juried site, so we'll see what they say about my shop ... hopefully they will accept it.

This shop GFT Designs is my "destash w/style" jewelry shop. What do that mean? Well, after 3 years of compiling an extensive inventory of great jewelry supplies, I want to move into more adventurous stuff -- namely semi-precious and precious jewelry. Instead of going the usual "destash" route, I'm honing my skills again and making cool jewelry that I'm selling at cool prices. Same quality as all of my pieces, but since the inventory has already been paid for and done, I'm passing on the savings to all who want to rock the bling with style.

Anywhoo, wish me luck!

So now for the Artfire Artisan of the Day:


All gamers have to love this! I love these pieces and I know good and well if I show my son, he'll pester me until I buy it!

DIE, DIE MY DARLING - GOLDEN RECON
by PAWANDCLAWDESIGNS

And for the Etsian of the Day:




Whut-whut! Steam all the way! This reminds me of the times I stand in front of the washer and wing-nuts (no, not those wing-nuts) and wonder if I can create something from them. Never lose hope!

RIP-Rock Candy
by RiRiFisch

Your discount code

Ha! Thought I forgot didn't ya? Nope, just had to fight for computer time with 2 kids.




For those of you who read my blog... if you comment to this post, I'll send you a coupon code to receive and extra 15% off of everything in my shop between today and June 15.




This is part of the QYDJ plan; I want to clean out what I have in stock so that I can re-stock and re package and renovate. I only have a few things in stock, so hopefully this sale will be over WAY before June 15.




So here we go!




:)




PS while you're at it, join the mailing list. I promise no spam, and info will come from the ArtFire shop as well!




Artfire Artisan of the Day




How many of you know a drama queen? I know some of you know quite a few. This is a cute piece, a great fix for all of us shopping addicts.

DRAMA QUEEN --- LAMINATED BOOKMARK by snowy652

and the Etsian of the Day





Finally! A journal with a well-placed pen hoop! And it's a nice size to put in a purse (seriously,PD, don't get me started again about purses :D)

mini journal - deep blue batik by goodkarma

I feel like such a bad shop mommy....

Everyone knows I have an Etsy shop, because I post about it constantly. But seriously, I have a second shop as well, one that needs some more TLC from its mommy. It's so bad that I have to remember what the link is. Someone call the internets DHS!

Yes, I joined ArtFire a little over a month ago. I'm s-l-o-o-w-l-y adding items to that shop, but it's over there, waiting for visitors and customers.

So, in honor of my second home, I'm going to post an Etsian of the Day AND a ArtFire Artisan of the Day.

ArtFire Artisan of the Day


I'm sure this will be a head turner in any house. It sure grabbed my attention when I was over there in the "Earth Friendly" Category. I wish Etsy had a category like this!

OLD PREMIUM SALTINES CRACKER OUTLET COVER RECYCLED TIN by TINCANSALLY

And for the Etsian of the Day


I found this seller from twitter; she's one of my followers. Although I don't promote a lot on Twitter, I do check in every couple of days or so to bore those who are following me.

Anyhoot, I *wish* my photography were this clear and crisp! And these are cute little earrings! And 10% of all her/his proceeds goes to the Rock County Humane Society.

Charming Cat and Crystal Earrings by DazzledBeader

*tap tap* Is this thing on?

Okay, so on the goal of quitting the day job: I actually have put a date in my head for this tremendous day: July 16, 2010. Let's see if I can make it. :)

So, for those who actually follow my blogs and such, I'm going to have a "Renovation/Re-branding Sale" starting Friday. Every single thing in the shop will be discounted between 15% and 30%. I want to sell out what I have in stock, pay off the Etsy bill and start the shop fresh. So, if you're listening, get your selves ready; if you actually read this blog, you'll get a discount code to save an additional 10% on Thursday.

:)

I'm a stinker, aren't I?

Just a Dash of Etsian of the Day

Been burning my brain at both ends trying to get myself organized.... a lifelong struggle, let me tell you, and I'm done. Enough thinking in the box. Now I'm going to jump outside and play around in the land of Etsy and find me a wonderful little something to show you all:

Okay, I'm back. And boy did I find something unique and... well... Green!

It's actually a living pendant. This is great for those of us who live in apartments, but thirst for a little greenery that isn't plastic or silk in our lives. House plants are just fine, but this is truly a unique find.

2 Moss Pendants, Charms, Living Pendant, Terrarium Pendant, Green Moss by WarmCountryMeadows

Not much today...




Just making some minor adjustments to the shop. I tried hard and stood fast, and finally gave in that I have to charge shipping on all NON sample items. Because Etsy is stubborn about not setting up shipping to be more flexible, I've had to set my shipping prices based on a 1 pound package.







Of course, if you're a customer and your package doesn't weigh one pound, I'll refund the overage. Even you international guys; I hate that international shipments costs so much, but I still want to take care of ya to the best of my ability.








I've finally put it in my mind that I really want this to be my "full-time job" (other than raising 2 kids). I usually work through long-term goals in baby steps, so this I know this is going to take a bit of time. Until then, know that GreenFamilyTree is always going to be selling quality product at decent price points that will be mutually satisfactory.


So, now, how's about an Etsian of the Day?
Can someone show me how this is done? This is fan-tas-tic! It is a melted, flattened bottle... and of some of my favorite vodka! Isn't the photography beautiful as well? If I wasn't afraid my Tiny Dancer would break it, I'd buy it in a heart-beat!

Vanilla Absolut Vodka Bottle Cheese Plate by MitchellGlassworks


Talk to you all later!


so, what's that thing --> over there all about?

I finally found a place to set up a newsletter sign up form. Go technologically-challenged me!

This newsletter is being designed as I type this, in my head of course! It's going to be full of cool stuff from GreenFamilyTree, more detailed musings than in this blog; tips, trick, ideas and -- most important, specials just for subscribers. Not sure how these specials are going to take form; perhaps special giveaways, super special savings, special reserve items for subscribers, but they will be only for you guys who sign up.

The newsletter will only come out four times a year: January, May, September, December. So, no, no endless spam to the email box.

You'll also have an opportunity to sign up for monthly coupons. These coupons are going to be really valuable, and only for people who sign up for them. They will range from 30% off to free items from the shop... for real!

I'm sure this newsletter will be the (or da) bomb. Yes, I still know all the lingo. (shush).

So go over there and sign up and become one of the Little Green Apples.

Now, for the Etsian of the Day!

So, I'm a serious bag geek... if it's a bag, purse, clutch, sack or tote I will at least look at it, if not buy it on the spot. I'm thinking this will be a great bag for me to carry my writing things in, along with some goodies for the Tiny Dancer, who's at the age where she more independent, but needs a little back up once in a while.

Summer Flowers Field Bag by rainbowswirlz


go get em!

Thought I forgot didn't ya?

Nope! The Winner of GFT's 1st ever giveaway is Jennifer Magnesi Designs. She wins her choice of the two pieces on this post and 30% off her first purchase at GreenFamilyTree! Go Jenn!

So I've release two more soaps to the world to be sampled and enjoyed!




The Empress' Own - Shea Butter/Yuzu - 2-3oz sample! Pretty jade green and great for the whole body!





Moisturize Ur Situation - Okay, this isn't new, but it's a re-release on an old favorite. This bars are a great size, 2-3oz, so you can sample a good long time!



Go get them while they're still hot!

In other news, some people would say that I'm working on my own website, but I'm still keeping my lips shut tight... hee.

Now for the Etsian of the Day, who also happens to be the giveaway winner!


Beautiful blue and coral, colors of spring! This bracelet looks to be a must for a spring/summer wardrobe!

Blue Jade and Coral Flower Bracelet by Jennifer Magnesi Designs


Till next time all!

What? Did you say NEW SOAPS?

Yes, I did. I added a couple of new soaps over @ the shop today!










Plain Jane is a soap created for people who don't like a lot of crazy stuff in their soaps. All organic, smelling of fresh grapefruit.













So, yes, the first rule of soap is ... use it. This is the first of the Nurse Madge Teen line. A great soap to introduce those grubby 'tweens and teens to the joys of personal hygiene.

More goodies to come tomorrow. But how about an Etsian today?


Isn't is gorgeous? Sterling silver and Swarovski(tm)pearls. I added it to my favorites; but I'm kind of hoping someone grabs it up quick regardless!

Bird's Nest Pendant - Dove (white swarovski) by starrydesigns