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Sunday, June 27, 2010

GIVE AWAY UPDATE - IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ

I regret that I must cancel my proposed free giveaway. I was hopeful that I could increase my readership by the time previously stated, however, that has not happened. As well, though I have a good following of readers, you must mark as a follower, just stopping by is not enough. Please choose the Follow button to the left and let us start a wonderful friendship and share good times and ideas.

Thank you,

Karen
www.kpdreams.com

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Life changes…

This has been a week of uncertainty, with my Hubby taking a new job I have been staying at my Son’s during his orientation. His profession is that of an over the road truck driver and involves a lot of time waiting and uncertainty as to when he will get home. Instead of hanging out alone, I stayed at my son’s as he lives only 20 minutes from his main terminal.

With that said, I have been busy on the computer, listing on Etsy, tweaking my show schedule, and deciding if I will continue with my online store or not. Well the decision has been made; yes, I will continue www.kpdreams.com. I know it is very consuming to keep it updated, and I realize I can sell on Etsy, but the idea of having my own store which I can sell what I want appeals to me. And this store carries my business name, which provides my products with brand identity.

Many of you may not realize but I offer my products through several venues. First, my online store www.kpdreams.com. I have been operating my website in some fashion since the late 90’s. I also sell at craft shows and events throughout the eastern US and that includes the south in the winter months.

I have my products in a lovely booth at the Appalachian Art and Craft Mall in Rockbridge, Ohio. It sets just north of Logan in the very well traveled Hocking Hills area on Route 33. This area is home to Old Man’s Cave.

Then I have my Etsy store, Here I offer a variety of products from vintage, handmade and some supplies. My last item listed brought my store to 100 items for sale. There is a little for everyone there.

And I cannot forget, Facebook. Become a fan to get the latest info on my shows, travels and new products. And follow me on Twitter

Well, with all that said, I am exhausted. I had better get to work creating something. I hope you will check out my stores and sites and I hope to see you in person down the road.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

let's be festive

Wow, the 4th of July is creeping up on me and I love to share the 4th with family and friends. What a way to celebrate with the bold display of red, white and blue and a sharing of faith and a deep appreciation for our freedom. I found these items on Etsy today in my search of the perfect items for the 4th. How much better can it get? Hope you enjoy them...

Get the invites out by jandpaper


















Set the table with this crazy quilt as a table cloth by SewnNatural


















Put on your red, white & blue flip flops
by BitsyBlossom.























Make up a cheese plate by astrokeofjeanneius


















And get ready to play some corn hole by acspecialties















And to make it even better,
OdeToJune just featured my beautiful vintage 48 star flag in a great red, white, blue treasury.
Take a look...
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=135193 What a great treasury OdeToJune.


Well, I hope you enjoy the feature, and stop and see me on Etsy...http://www.etsy.com/shop/kpdreams<

Make it a great day!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Sunday evening,

Well, another week gone, and a weekend in the bag. This weekend was spent at Dulcimer Days, in Coshocton, Ohio. This event has been held in historic Roscoe Village in previous years. Set among the period buildings and store fronts, on the brick streets, this was a true treat. However, the economy has caused the Roscoe Village community to cancel this event, and the Chamber of Commerce chose to hold it downtown Coshocton on the square.

The weather was good, a little hot, but thankfully no rain. The breeze was good all weekend and it carried the sounds of dulicers, mandolyns, cellos, harps and guitars through the trees and air. There was music everywhere, and singing, my goodness, I can't forget the singing. A great time was had by all.

Unfortunately this was to be a selling event and though there was plenty of music, there were very few people; and fewer customers. A sad situation as it was a good festival in the past. Another victim of the economy.

As well, it was Father's day, and I am sure a multitued of BBQ's, cookouts and dinners, were in order. And so it should be, a day of celebration of Dad's, with family close at hand. I spoke to my Dad in Florida, and a little confused on some things, but he sounded strong and well. And Mike, though he reminds me continually he isn't my Dad, he was stuck working with me, in the park, with the sound of light dulimer music in the air.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Free Give away

It is raining here today, so I will do laundry. I have been pondering how to structure my "FIRST" giveaway. I know it will be chosen from a list of followers. My husband has picked a number of followers and is keeping that number deeply buried in his mind. I am curious to see how close he will be and if he will able to retrieve it when the time comes.

The winner has to be a follower of my blog and must leave a comment on this blog and no where else. If you are not currently a follower, just click on the follow button to begin to follow me.

You must have either a blog or an e-mail to list. I would hate it if I could not notify you when you win. And if you don't post a comment I will assume you are just signing up to win something. I will draw the winner from those comments received; and only those comments. No comments sent to my e-mail or through any of my other connections, just the comments left on my blog.

And do not repost this giveaway on your blog or anywhere else. It will disqualify you. I am offering this to my followers, not to promote your blog or site.

The winner will be drawn on June 28th and notified thereafter. Just in time to enjoy the 4th.


Now the next thing, what to give away. I know I will include a personalized slate. I am working on a new patriotic slate, so with the 4th of July coming up, I believe that should be the slate of choice. I have a friend that makes lovely totes, so I have enlisted her assistance in making me a custom tote just for this occasion. This makes a great start, but I am sure there will be more, the quest continues.

Keep checking in for more details, and I will keep digging for the "treasures". If anyone out there has any insight or suggestions I would love to hear them.

Now off to the ribbon store for more ribbon.

Thanks for stopping and make it a great day.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Call me a freak! A magnet freak.

I am a magnet freak. Until I decided to live in my RV, my household fridge was covered with them. Magnets of every type; sayings, frames for kids pictures, calendars from businesses and my various designs of magnets.

Yesterday I started working on a new line of tag magnets. These are cut out of wooden shapes made to look like manila pricing tags. I painted them various colors from prim to chic and went about looking for the perfect sayings. Here is a shot of the tags prior to decorating.
Using a permanent pen I wrote sayings such as “You had me at woof”, “The only thing normal in this house is the washer” and “I love my cat” for just a few. So many sayings, so little time.




Then the sealing process. Each one was sealed with an interior varnish for easy cleaning and durability. Letting each one dry now it was time to try to match the right complementing ribbon.


Uh Oh! A snag. I like the prim ones with the homespun ribbon, but did not like any of the ribbons that had been purchased for the chic magnets. Back to the drawing board.

The next task will be a trip to my nearest craft store for a selection of perfect ribbons. I will take my tags with me this time to make the perfect match. Then applying the magnet and all done, ready to sell on Etsy or my next craft show.

Hope you enjoyed these and I will share the finished product in a few days. See ya! and make it a great day!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Joy of Creating

I was very fortunate to have two different items from my Etsy store featured in Treasuries and blogs this past week. If you are familiar with Etsy, you know any member can create a treasury based on a color, theme or any other criteria using items of other Etsy members.
The first item was my redneck wind chimes featured in a blog by Debra from Missouri. Her blog http://thehicksfix.blogspot.com/2010/06/yee-haw-time-fer-another-hillbilly.html focuses on good down home fun. My wind chimes fit right in and are so much fun to create. I get such a welcome response when I display them at my shows; everything from “hey these would be great for my dad” to “my son-in-law really needs these.” Everyone gets a chuckle and that is how it is intended, a great gag gift. Check out Debra’s blog, I found it very enjoyable.



The other item is also one I love to create. It is not as popular in the north as in Florida, but it is still a great item; and it sums up my sentiment on most days. It is the “It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere” slate. This was featured in a treasury created by Corkycrafts. She found an entire line of 5 O’clock items, each one unique in its own way. Check out her treasury http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=100309. I am sure you will enjoy her finds and look at CorkyCraft’s Etsy store. She has a unique way to repurpose corks. http://www.etsy.com/shop/Corkycrafts.

Well I am off for today, I am working on a new line of magnets based on a previous line of humorous signs I have created in the past. Check back tomorrow for a sampling of those. I hope you have a great day and make it a great one!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Sprint 4G Service


This morning while listening to the local jazz station, an interesting advertisement for Spring 4G services played. The claim is that it will allow you access to Wi-Fi for over four additional units from your phone.

How can we believe? The customer service of Sprint is lacking severely despite the soft-spoken words of their CEO Dan Hesse, and their network for internet coverage is short of their sales pitch.

Recently, while staying in Crystal River, Florida the coverage was non-existent or constantly went into a roaming state. This triggers additional fees, so upon checking the service coverage map it showed excellent coverage. Then why the terrible coverage and service. After well over an hour on the telephone, and countless conversations, from initial customer service reps to advance tech support, it was determined, that the coverage in the area was excellent and they could not pinpoint the problem. Perhaps purchasing new equipment would resolve the problem. Are you serious?

An e-mail to Dan Hesse’s office resulted in another card offered to attempt a resolve to the problem. The replacement unit could not find enough coverage to initialize. The card was returned to Dan Hesse’s office with a letter asking for some review and resolve. To this date, there has been no answer to the letter or resolve.

In summary, how can one enter into a two-year contract with a service provider that does not provide the service as advertised? What are the steps to resolve such an issue? Regretfully for million of subscribers to Sprint services, these answers are not available, just as their 3G and 4G coverage.
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