~Happy Anniversary Artfire, Celebrate With Free Shipping @ Cards By Jenna~

It’s official Artfire just reached their one year anniversary!  To celebrate read the message below that I received from Artfire.

Happy Anniversary ArtFire!

ArtFire officially turns one year old in November, and what a year it has been. We’ve seen amazing growth in traffic, page views, member sales, and products listed each month, ArtFire has become the second largest artisan marketplace on the internet. We are proud to report our expected one year member sales at $1.5 million dollars.  We saw a 30% increase in sales in October over September, along with 20million page views and almost 700,000 active products.

Part of ArtFire’s success has been our commitment to service and innovation.  In just 12 months we have developed industry leading selling tools such as a one button sale mode, the rapid cart remote checkout widget, the ArtFire Facebook Kiosk, coupon codes, the global product editor and more!  We are committed to providing you the best: the best service, the best platform, the best tools, and the best price. We also want to thank all of the amazing artisans in our community who have helped make ArtFire  into the venue it is today.

To celebrate our anniversary we’re happy to announce a 2010 pre-pay opportunity for our members with The ArtFire Pro 500.  In the past, many members have expressed interest in billing periods other than per month which our previous payment systems wouldn’t allow.  As we grow and upgrade our infrastructure we are happy to extend  a 2010 pre-pay offer to 500 of our artisans.  While this offer lasts, you can pay for a yearlong Pro(Verified) ArtFire.com membership for just 100$; that’s over 30% off the normal $12/mo rate.  If you’re a $7/mo charter artisan you have the option pre-pay for 2010 at your normal rate knowing that you already have the best deal we can offer.

We have more exciting features planned for year two.  You will see some of those in just the next few days.   While this first year has been many long hours and hard work for everyone here, it is all worth it to see those sales numbers and know that we are building such a strong and successful artisan community together.

Thank you for helping make the ArtFire community that it is today.

Sincerely,

 

My Artfire Anniversary is also coming up.  I opened my Cards By Jenna shop on Artfire exactly a year ago November 14, 2008.  I can’t believe it’s already been a year.  Not only that but I’ve only had 2 sales!  In order to celebrate both anniversary dates I will be offering free shipping on all orders to the USA and Canada.  Stock up on cards now before this free shipping offer is over.  Offer ends November 30th.  Thanks for stopping by!

~When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade!~

After much thought and deliberation I am starting to list more of my greeting cards in my Artfire shop.  Etsy is where I began my online store, Cards By Jenna, but to tell you all the truth and to be quite blunt every month when I get my bill from Etsy I feel like a bunch of lemons have been squirt in my eye!  20 cents to list an item and then taking 3.5% off the top of my sale, that hurts when you are selling one greeting card for $2.50.  I do not sell my cards to make lots of money, that never was my goal…but…I am not even making back the cost of materials. 

Soooooo, what does all this mean?  Well, Etsy, you gave me lemons therefore I am going to make lemonade and move my items to Artfire where I pay a small monthly fee, no listing fees, and no % taken off the top of my sale.  I will still keep my Etsy shop open for now but it’s days may be numbered.   

For fun here are some items from Artfire that are full of lemony goodness.

What a fun Cosmopolitan Cranberry and Lemon Handmade Cocktail Soap from Epically Epic Soap.  The best part about Epically Epic soap is that they make your soap fresh just for you!  At $4 this soap is a steal.  Looks like if you need more than one soap bar this soap is included in the buy 3 for $10 deal. 

Need some lemon for your lips?  Check out this Lemon Drop Kiss(tm) Lip Balm from Coquette Bath.  This lip balm includes shea oil, sweet almond butter, Vitamin E, castor oil, and real lemon essential oil to give your lips all the moisture that you need.  For a .15 ounce by volume tube you can purchase this for $3.25, what a great deal!  I love the graphics on the packaging too.

Sadly summer will be coming to an end soon so get ready for fall and pick up a beautiful scarf from Valerie’s Gallery.  This Handknit Wool Blend Scarf in Lemon Meringue would be the perfect addition to your upcoming fall wardrobe.  Knit with a wool/acrylic mix this scarf is sure to keep you warm and is even soft to the touch!  Not a fan of yellow?  Contact Valerie and she can custom design a scarf just for you.

This set of Bird and Lemon Pot Holders really caught my eye.  You can find these beauties in Bean Pickle Sprout’s shop.  Since these pot holders are made to order you are receiving a one of a kind item.  I love the color combo and design of these.  What a great addition to add to your kitchen!

  Have a little girl who needs this cute Custom Boutique Lemon Smocked Dress?  What a great dress for summer.  The print is very summery and the dress design is so adorable.  Contact Lil Bug Clothing to place your order!  

Enjoy the weekend!

~Jenna