Fabulous Feature- Cats Paw Artifacts

I'm pleased to bring you an interview with the creator of Cats Paw Artifacts. After you read this great interview with Judy Richards, make sure you pop over to her shop to check out her wonderful collection of one of a kind jewelry, beads and other sassiness.

Where do you find inspiration?

In nature, around the house, I have 2 cats, I also love abstraction

How/Why did you decide to get into the business of making things?

I've always been heading toward the creative - this is where I've ended up. I was a theatre major in college and a graphic designer.

What do you consider to be the hardest part of selling on Etsy?

It's hard to stand out amidst the huge number of people who sell on Etsy

What is your favorite part of selling on Etsy?

Fixed prices are more attractive to customers and you can easily have a sale. Also the quality of work is pretty high on etsy.

What is your most effective marketing tip?

I think Craftopolis is a good venue to advertise with.

Is there anything you would like to share about yourself?

I make lampwork beads, pmc3 pendants - fine silver, and jewelry unique, one of a kind.

Homemade Lightbox Tutorial

A lightbox is an important tool when photographing items to post for sale online. A lightbox allows you to uniformly illuminate an item. Because the light is diffused through tissue paper, it doesn't create bright spots and allows you to bring all of the little details out clearly. These instructions explain how to make one using things you have at home and you will have professional looking images in no time. It is so easy, you will wish you would have done it sooner.

For another fabulous photography tutorial, this article covers basic photogrpahy tips.

1. Find a box. The only size requirement is that it be appropriate for the size of items that you plan to photograph.











2. Secure the bottom with masking or packing tape. I'm using masking tape because packing tape is a commodity in my house with all the shipping that I do. Draw a line about one inch inside of the edge of the box on four sides.







3. Cut along the line that you drew. You can use a box cutter but I found that scissors worked just fine for me.









4. I laid a piece of paper in the bottom of mine because I was going to lay fabric inside my finished box.










5. Cover the cutout areas with tissue paper. Now you can add lighting to the outside of the tissued areas. Any lights will work- I have used desk lamps or aquarium lamps.







Check out the results- pretty shnazzy huh?

Paradise Sunrise Lip Balm- A Review

I recently purchased a stick of the Vanilla Buttercream Lip Smoothie from Paradise Sunrise and received a stick of the Chocolate Mint also. And wanted to share my experience with you.

My first impression was that they both smelled good enough to eat. Seriously. The Vanilla Buttercream smells like vanilla frosting and the Chocolate Mint smelled just like Andes mints (which I'm completely addicted to- ask Olive Garden). I have found myself opening the tubes just to smell them.

Once I got past sniffing them and put them on, I was in heaven. They glide on so smooth and leave my lips feeling fabulous and moisturized. They don't leave my lips feeling oily or stickly like some lip balms do. And, the moisture lasts and lasts. Sometimes, I open the tube out of habit - or because I'm smelling it- and realize that it isn't time to reapply.

Lastly, I love that I know what each of the ingredients are. There is nothing that I can't pronounce on the label. The ingredients on my Vanilla Buttercream is: Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Beeswax, Flavor Oil and Mica Powder. Yep, thats it.

I will confess that I am usually a Chap Stick kind of girl but Paradise Sunrise has converted me. My new Paradise Sunrise lip balm is superior in every way. So, hop over to Paradise Sunrise and stock up before the chapping cold winter gets here.

Music To My Ears

Music says that which can't be said on that which it is impossible to be silent. Ah- that is why I am pleased to do a music themed blog feature this week. I love music! Its important to me- it pulses through my veins. If I'm sad, it can make me happy, if I'm mad it can make me madder :) These gorgeous Etsy items below make me happy. If you see something you love, make sure you pop over to Etsy to check out the artist and what else they have to offer.

An INCREDIBLE print of a guitar. The angle that the picture is perfect. There is a limited edition of 25 prints.

TheSpiritCatcher
$35

I adore Janis joplin- her bluesy wailing ballads really speak to me. This is a fabulous pendant with a fabulous quote. This is surely on my Christmas list!

PretentiousJewelry

$6.00

This onesie is completely adorable. It would make a great baby shower or Christmas gift.

KoolKidz
$8.99

My walls (or yours) would look so fabulous with this music note decal. You can select the color when you order.

Chuck E Byrd
$21.50

A bowl made from a Van Morrison Tupelo Honey record. Although I love listening to music on vinyls, this is a great alternative!

Vinyl Frontier

$8.00

Sometimes you're up but then sometimes....

Sometimes you're up and sometimes you're down. I was feeling slightly discouraged the other day about my business. I don't usually get beaten down, but the lack of sales was getting to me. Then, I had a convo from a fabulous photographer who purchased two sets of blocks. Yeah- it was a complete pick me up. The point is not to let yourself get discouraged- if you love what you do your passion comes through and the buzz will hopefully spread! Lifting my glass to a great Christmas season!

Sneaky Sneaky

Its almost like this new Twitter Mom's blog contest was made for me (you can check it out and enter the contest yourself here). Twiter Moms and Horizon Little Blends want to know how moms sneak fruits and veggies into their toddler's diet.
As anyone who knows me knows, I am very health conscience. This means that I not only have to sneak yummy fruits and vegetables into our kids' diets but also into my boyfriend's diet. To successfully keep everyone on board with eating healthy, I have to be creative. Some of my tried and true methods:

• Shred carrots and put them in meatloaf, hamburger patties
• Instead of meat or sausage in tomato sauce, I add squash, onion, chunks of tomato
• Stir Fry with lots of vegetables
• Add lots of vegetables into casseroles and lasagna
• Let the kids pick the fruits and vegetables that they want. Kids are more likely to eat them if they are involved in choosing.
• Let them help cook. Kids will be so proud of what they made that the usually eat it up
• Smoothies are an easy and fun way to get everyone involved in eating fruit
• Ranch dressing goes a long way with vegetables!
• Add peanut butter or cheese to celery (yummy)
• Add bananas to cereal, pancake mix, peanut butter sandwiches

What are some ways you sneak in food? Include your blog post here when you enter this Twitter Mom's contest!

Clearance

Wanted to let ya'll know that I just marked some hair goodies for clearance. They are all half price! Check it out at half price, free shipping http://tinyurl.com/mxez54. What a deal :)