~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!

~Looking For Holiday Shoppers~

Now seeking holiday shoppers who want to buy greeting cards! You can be of any age, height, gender or personality and must love shopping holiday sales. Right now in my Artfire Shop: www.cardsbyjenna.artfire.com I am offering 10% off all cards. Prices reflect the sale price so shop away. You don't need an account to shop on Artfire so start searching and throwing things in your virtual cart. You will even receive a free note card if you spend $5.00 or more in my shop. Stay tuned, more items will be listed soon. Check my blog often for I have a giveaway coming up!

~Neglected Blog, Neglected shops, Giveaway Coming Soon!~

Sorry to my blog, etsy, and artfire shops!  I have been very pre-occupied lately due to wedding planning that I have been completely neglecting my blog and both of my card shops.  I have even been absent from the teams I am currently apart of so much so that I was kicked out of one and with no warning at all!  I won’t name names but needless to say by the time I came around to logging in to the forums my access was denied.  I’ve heard this team is known for giving the boot with no warning, oh well! 

In order to revive my shop I’m going to be setting up a giveaway soon.  I’m not sure what it will be but it will be great.  Check back later for more information.  In the meantime I’m hoping my blog and shops forgive me.  

~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

~Happy Summer~

The first day of summer is right around the corner, June 21st to be exact.  How ironic…June 21st is also Father’s Day!  What is your favorite thing about the summer season?  What is summer like where you live?

Here in Western Washington summer has been slow approaching.  We have had some nice hot weather in these past few weeks but definitely not enough to say summer is really here.  Today is pretty overcast and a low 60 degrees…a little too cold for shorts! 

My Top 10 Summer Favorites:

1. BBQ’ing – nothing is better than grilling outside, less mess in the kitchen!

2. Relaxing in the sun – catching rays and reading a book, heaven!

3. Wearing flip flops – gotta love no socks, and pretty pedicures

4. Opening windows – letting fresh air in to the house, smells clean

5. Taking the kitties outside – they are indoor and only go out with supervision

6. Planting flowers – even though I have a small patio I make the best of it

7. Longer days – love when the sun stays out longer, no short winter days here!

8. Feeding hummingbirds – I love watching the hummingbirds swarm the feeder

9. 4th of July – who doesn’t like fireworks?

10.  Taking it outside – bike riding, walking, and playing in the sun

I’ve learned that living in Washington you have to take in every ray of sun you can.  Sun would be nice year round however having 4 seasons is even better. 

To celebrate Summer I made a set of Summer greeting cards.  To purchase these cards from my Artfire shop please click HERE.

Happy Summer everyone!

~February EtsyBlogger of The Month: Donna Pool~

Congrats to Donna Pool who is the featured Etsy Blogger of the month for February!

To visit Donna’s shop click HERE!

Donna’s shop is stocked with lovely handmade goodies.  If you are looking for a gift for a cat lover her shop is a perfect one stop shop.  Below I’ve listed some sections in Donna’s shop, click the category to be taken to the appropriate section: 

• Custom Buttons
• Pocket Mirrors
• Vintage Goodies
• Cards & ACEO’s
• Photographs
• Christmas Goodies
• Plush Toys

Interested in learning more about Donna and her shop?  She has two blogs, check them out:

http://ddpool.blogspot.com/

http://ddpool.vox.com/

~Why Etsy?~

Opening my shop on Etsy, Cards By Jenna, was one of the best things I could have done to inspire myself.  Before selling on Etsy I made paper goods when I needed them. 

For example:  If someone I knew was going to have a birthday I would make a card specific to them.  Depending on the gift I purchased I would even make the gift wrap and tag.  Everything was hand made and personalized.

Don’t get me wrong I still personalize cards and gift wrap…however… now that I have a place to display and sell my creations a whole new world of card making opened for me.  At times I would get bored and feel like I was losing my creativity by making the same type of cards over and over again…mainly birthday cards.  I needed a variety and opening my shop allowed me to create any type of greeting card I wanted.

  

One day I found Etsy by surfing the Internet for inspiration and ideas.  I was definitely inspired and signed up.  I didn’t set up my shop right away.  It took a few months for me to get a banner, avatar, and create more inventory.  Once I was up and running the possibilities were endless.  I could make any type of greeting card I wanted.  I started creating and designing cards for events and occasions I never had before.  At first my favorite cards to make were anything Baby!  Then I moved on to wedding, thank you notes, gift sets, photo cards, etc…my creativity took off!  It was great. 

I love being a seller on Etsy because I enjoy sharing my creations with others.  It’s great to share ideas, browse other shops, network, and make new friends.  Handmade items are so unique and one of a kind.  My shop is not set up to make profit, most of the time I break even or make a few cents.  Whatever money I do make I spend on more card making supplies.  :-)

The draw back to being an Etsy seller is paying all the fees!  On top of the 20 cent per listing fee Etsy also takes 3.5% off the top of the sale.  I understand that Etsy needs to make money too but for a card shop that is quite a bit of money being taken.  On top of these fees I use paypal and paypal charges you too!

Being a part of Etsy has allowed me to join two awesome teams.  Currently I am a member of the EtsyGreetings Team and the EtsyBloggers Street Team.  Within both groups I have made great friends and have been immersed into a world of creativity.  

Thanks for reading!

 

~Cards By Jenna: One World, One Heart Giveaway~

This is the first year I will be participating in the “One World, One Heart Giveaway” and I am so excited to be a part of it.  Lisa started this idea 3 years ago and has been continuing to keep the tradition going.  To visit Lisa’s personal blog here is the link: 

http://awhimsicalbohemian.typepad.com

So what is the “One World, One Heart Giveaway”?  Lisa created this event to bring bloggers together worldwide.  It’s a great way to meet new bloggers, expand your horizons, and get free goodies!  Listed on the One World, One Heart blog is a list of almost 500 bloggers giving things away.  Here is the direct link if you are interested in checking it out:

http://oneworldoneheart.typepad.com/one_worldone_heart/

To participate all you have to do is go to a participating blog and leave a comment on the giveaway post.  Winners for each giveaway will be drawn on February 12th, see participating blogs for more details. 

If you are a blogger and would like to participate click HERE for more information.

With that said here is my giveaway!

Thank you cards are used year round so I thought giving away a set of my handmade thank you cards would be a perfect giveaway. 

This set of 10 cards is hand stamped in silver ink on a scalloped black square mounted on a combination of white and black cardstock. In the middle of the black/white cardstock there is a layer of black paper with sparkly silver circle accents. Each card is accented with a silver circle rhinestone in the lower right hand corner.

Cards are white and blank on the inside allowing plenty of space to write your note.  Measuring 4 x 5.5 inches each handcrafted card comes with its own white envelope and packed in a clear cello bag. 

These cards are considered A2 size.  Value: $20.00

To enter the giveaway please leave a comment on this post.  Be sure to include your contact information (i.e: email, etsy shop url, webpage, blog url, artfire url).  The deadline to enter is midnight (PST) February 12th.  You don’t need to be a blogger to enter and I will ship worldwide!  The winner will be chosen via the famous number generator. :-)

~Mini Halloween Gift Guide By Jenna~

Since Halloween is next week I decided to put together a gift guide for those of you out there who buy gifts for your favorite ghosts and goblins. Who says you can't buy gifts for Halloween?

Along with the holidays we find ourselves in the kitchen whipping up themed meals or baking those yummy frosted sugar cookies. You can't go wrong with giving the chef or baker in your life a Halloween dish towel! Check out this Halloween dish towel from 2nd Street Designs shop. The best part about this towel is that it was crocheted by the shop owners 86 year old father. What a treat to own something like this. This kitchen towel is currently on sale for $2.50. If you aren't into Halloween check out 2nd Street Designs other items, everything is unique and one of a kind, especially the floral wreaths!

After the kids come in from trick or treating their hands are full of germs! Running around from house to house ringing door bells and knocking on doors. Before letting the goblins go through their candy loot give them some soap to wash up with! I found the perfect mini soaps at Machine Gun Lullaby's shop. Check out these skull and pumpkin mini colored soaps! Vegan friendly and on sale to boot! You pay $1.40 for 10 sweet shea lotion soaps. What a great deal and a fun gift!

Need a trick or treat bag to hold all the loot you plan on collecting Halloween night? Well here is the perfect bag especially if you love kitties! This Halloween Themed Orange & Black Cat Bag comes from Monk Rock Creation's shop. Not only is this bag environmentally friendly but a great tote to use for any number of items! At $10 this bag is a steal. :-)

Don't forget to bring out the candles to light your way on Halloween night. These Halloween Tealight Holders are not only one of a kind but hand painted and decorated individually. No two holders are alike! These fabulous tealight holders come from Dizzee Lizzee's shop. Not only does Dizzee Lizzee have an awesome shop but she is located just a few hours away from me in Washington state!

Now that we have the candle holder figured out we need to find some tealights to put inside. I have found the perfect tealights at Sweet Surrender Candle Shop. Check out these Pumpkin Spice Soy Tealights! Makes me want to eat pumpkin pie. :-) You get a dozen tealights for $6.99. I noticed there is a sale going on at the Sweet Surrender Candle Shop. Until Ocotober 25th you buy 5 candles and get the 6th one free! What an awesome sale and a great way to stock on up wonderful smelling candles.

Well there you have it! My mini Halloween gift buying guide from etsy sellers. I forgot one thing! If you need Halloween cards to go with any of these fabulous gift picks check out my Halloween cards. Right now all Halloween cards are 50% off.