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Thursday, December 16, 2010

A Time for Change

Some people do it in the spring, some in the summer, but I find cleaning and organizing my home and life feels better in the late fall and winter.  Perhaps it is because of my busy season in the fall and I feel I have neglected my home, business, family and friends, or perhaps it is the fact I am trapped inside and have little else to distract me.  Regardless, the process has begun.

Business has been challenging this year. The last few years has brought concern, but this seemed to be the cresting of the battle.  My crafter friends and associates all sing the same song of how their sales are down,  and in most cases, there is one thing to blame, the economy.  So it is time to review the process, the product and the business' direction. If you are like me, I love the creating process of this life, so I am going to scrutinize everything to continue to do what I love.  Change my show schedule, change the product and mostly change the way I market my line of products.

This brings me to my 'change.'   Effective immediately I am directing my online business to my Etsy store.   Etsy does  a great job of marketing, and networking and has provided me with a excellent venue to sell.  This will allow me to concentrate on one site that is bringing the most traffic.  I can add more new products, from my handmade items to my line of vintage.

I thank you for your support over the years, and hope you will continue to visit my shop.  www.kpdreams.com which will take you to my Etsy store and my e-mail address will remain the same;  karen@kpdreams.com.

Karen

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Tis the Season



Well, the snow is falling and it is beginning to look alot like Christmas.  I have been busy these past few weeks attending craft shows, fulfilling my Etsy orders and spending time with family.


Spent Thanksgiving at my son's house.  A full house of family and friends and it made for a very enjoyable day.  The food was very good and of course there was plenty to go around.  Spent the day and then went off to set up for the Hara arena craft show in Dayton.

This past weekend I helped a friend in Huntington, WV.  It wasn't the show we had hoped for, but everyone seemed to have a good time.  The Lions club puts this on as a way of raising money for their many charitable causes.  I believe they were successful in their venture.

I have been working on a few one of a kind projects and thought I would share some of those.  The first is a snowman painted on an old vintage ironing board.   This board was unassembled and I painted a lovely face, attached a hat brim and some festive trim and made sure his orange nose was fitting for his size.  The snowman sold very quickly at my show in Muncie.


This old vintage Samsonite suitcase was just sitting there waiting for me to paint on it.  I couldn't resist the star with the berry vines and on the other side, I painted a sheep with two stars on either side.  The entire suitcase was painted black to give that old look.



I am currently working on list a lot of new items on Etsy.  Etsy has been real good to me this holiday season, and all year for that matter.  It continues to be a great venue to showcase my work.  As well, I am heading to Rockbridge, Ohio to stock my booth at the Appalachian Art and Craft mall.  As I said before, tis the season for friends, family and of course shopping.

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and that all your wishes come true.  I am sure mine will, being with family is all a girl could want.  Merry Christmas!
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