Which should be my free gift for my 400th customer???

Flowers
Pearls

I have decided to go with the flower earrings! Congratulations to the 400th buyer! and Thank you very much! - Molly

CricketsCreations's

Lemon Blueberry Shortcake Skinny Boa Scarf by CricketsCreations

My favorite knitter! Please go check out her Etsy shop! you will be sooo happy you did!

Etsy Treasurys that I am in!

Etsy Treasury - Olive MustHaves for Fall

Etsy Treasury - grass

Etsy Treasury - Paint it RED!

What do you Expect will happen today?

August 3, 2009
What Do You Expect?
by Rick Warren
“Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith will it be done to you’; and their sight was restored” (Matthew 9:29–30 NIV).

A friend of mine, Bruce, taught college in Oregon for awhile. When he began his first semester teaching there, he was told that the college placed students in English classes by their level of ability. Bruce was assigned to teach two “average ability” classes and one “advanced ability.” He really enjoyed teaching the advanced class: they seemed more alert, more fun, asked better questions, and, as expected, had a higher grade average than the other classes.

On the final day of the semester, Bruce commented on these differences to the other professors in the faculty lounge. He said he hoped to get more of the advanced classes next semester. But to his surprise, his department director said, “Bruce, I don’t know where you got your information but we phased out the average/advanced distinction a year ago. You’ve been teaching mixed classes all semester like the rest of us!”

Bruce couldn’t believe it! He checked his records, and sure enough, there were far more A’s and B’s in the class that he thought was full of smart kids. And he really had enjoyed teaching that class more. But the only real difference between the classes had been Bruce’s expectations of them.

You can set people up for success or failure by your expectations.

People tend to become what they think we expect them to be. If you communicate to the people around you that you expect them to be lazy, uncreative, and negative, that’s probably how they will respond to you. On the other hand, if you treat people like winners, they’re likely to become winners. Psychologists call it “The Pygmalion Effect.”

• The best salesmen expect customers to buy their product.
• The best executives expect employees to have creative ideas.
• The best speakers expect audiences to be interested.
• The best leaders expect people to want to follow.
• The best teachers expect students to learn.
Would you like to bring out the best in those around you? Here's the key: Treat them the way they could be! Don’t just “tell it like it is.” Tell it like it could be.

Jesus said, “According to your faith it will be done to you” (Matthew 9:29 NIV). What are you expecting this week from yourself . . . from others . . . from God?
"

This is from The Purpose Driven Connection.

Elizabeth Jewelry

Crafty Home Business Ideas

If you are blessed with crafting talents, you are in luck. Selling crafts, either online or at craft fairs, is a wonderful way to bring in extra cash.

Online Sales

Selling crafts online is much easier than most people think. As long as you have an inventory of completed items that are easy to ship, you can start selling your items online without much difficulty. An easy way to get started is by creating an online craft store through www.Etsy.com.

Etsy is an online craft site that is very easy for sellers to use. Signing up for the site and setting up your store is free. The site charges a small listing fee and a 3.5% fee on each item sold.

While Etsy is an easy way to get started, you should eventually purchase your own domain (website address) and set up your own website or blog. A very affordable e-commerce solution is Shop Kit Plus (www.shopkitplus.com).

Craft Fairs

Local craft fairs are another wonderful way to sell your crafts. Many areas have several of these, especially around the holiday season. Here you can set up a booth or table and the shoppers will come to you.

There is usually a fee for space or a table, but these are generally minimal. Check with the local chamber of commerce, churches or civic organizations to find out if there are events scheduled locally at which you can purchase a table.

Other Local Ideas

Another way to sell your items locally is take a cue from the direct sales industry and have a home party! Invite your friends and family over, and encourage them to bring a guest.

On the day of the party, create a nice display of your items. Let your guests touch and feel your items. If you do not have enough supply on hand, simply take orders for your items and deliver the item when itís completed. Make a cateloge of some of your favorite best sellers. Encourage your guests to have their own home party for your items by giving a special discount to your future hostesses.

If you are a crafty person, who enjoys crafting as a hobby, you can turn your favorite pastime into a moneymaking venture. Many people do not have these talents and will be more than happy to pay for your handmade items.

It is actually easier than you think to get your handmade products into stores. Elizabeth Jewelry is in dozens of Northwest stores, all obtained without a BA! Next week I will post everything I know about how to get your wonderful handmade products into stores! Take care and stay cool in this heat!

BLOGGING!

Become A Blog Designer

Did you know that many people are now using blogging platforms, such as Wordpress, to create both blogs and websites? Even large companies such as Ford Motor Company use Wordpress as the base for their website.

There are many reasons that businesses, both large and small are turning to Wordpress. For starters, it is open source, which means that it is free! It is easy to customize and can serve many different purposes. A person may use it to create a simple online journal or it can be modified into an e-commerce store that sells hundreds or thousands of products.

If you are familiar with Wordpress and know how to customize a theme, you should consider becoming a blog designer. Unlike a web designer, you wonít need to know anything too specialized or difficult.

You will need to know how to upload a theme and customize it by changing the colors, and add a customized header. If you are not skilled in graphic design, you could outsource the creation of the header.

As a blog designer, you could choose to work locally. Many of your local business owners may not be very familiar with websites, blogs, and the differences between them. They may not have even heard of Wordpress before.

They may not realize that it is a very affordable option for their website. Traditional website design can cost quite a bit of money. By educating local business owners on the benefits of Wordpress, you may find yourself with a full client load very soon.

Of course, you can also work online and design blogs for people you meet virtually. Most people with an online business are very comfortable working with people theyíve never met face to face.

As a blog designer, you can also add on blog coaching services, where you teach your clients how to navigate their new Wordpress blog. Writing a post may seem like a simple activity to you, but it may be daunting to someone whoís never used Wordpress.

There are other blog platforms you could choose to work with, such as Blogger and Moveable Type. The possibilities of a blog design business are endless!