Bedtime Tricks

Twitter Moms and www.DramaU.net challenged the Twitter Mom bloggers to give their top five tips and tricks for getting kids to bed on time and keeping them there. This was a BIG CHALLENGE for me as a new mommy but we have down our routine now and it has really been smooth sailing. What do I do?

1. Routine- I have developed and tweaked my daughters routine until we figured out what worked and now we do this every night. This breeds familiarity and sets her up for relaxing her way to sleep.
2. No JUNK!- she never gets snacks or even juice before bed time. Anything with sugar in it is off limits.
3. Winding Down- Before bedtime we stop playing, pick out an outfit for the next day, read a book, sing "Castle on a Cloud", take a bath. We don't do anything stimulating- it all supports the goal of drifting off to sleep!
4. Established Bed Time- Unless there is something very special going on, my daughter goes to bed at the same time every night. There is no arguing with the clock- when its time, its time.
5. Turn it all down- When its my daughters bedtime, we turn off lights in the house and turn down the tv. I don't think its fair for her to be laying in bed while it seems like we are up having a great time.

I hope that this is helpful for you! This works for us very well and has since she was just a newborn! What are your tips and tricks??

Booze and

Fantastic Sales!

Make sure you check out the Monthly- First Monday Sales from the EtsyTx Team! I'm seriously impressed by the listed deals. There is a complete listing on this forum.

Custom Logos and Graphics

Check out my fabulous new shop on Etsy http://artfulambitions.etsy.com or also on my Blog at http://artfulambitions.blogspot.com. There are some amazing logos, banners and other graphics available. You will see that you receive a small discount for purchasing designs listed on Etsy. Check them out- show some love.

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.