Chocolates and coffee for MOM

My MOM loves chocolate. And coffee. And both of them together = pure happiness! 

Biz tips for small sellers

So while browsing the internet I came across this wonderful, attractive, and super passionate speaker Marie. I usually get very inspired by people who can speak so easy and fluently about the subject of their passion.
It came out that she is super involved in helping others to start and be inspired to have your own business. She even has a seminar coming up in October.
Marie has a lot of short but helpful video tips on running a business and your life.
Me, as a crafter, I can relate on every video that I've seen from her website. So go and check it, it is a great website.
And for now here is the link for one of the important tips on her list: The single Most Important Factor of your Business! 

Blooming Heart felt brooch

So this is my Blooming Heart felt brooch that is going to be a limited edition for this Mother's day 2012!
My mom is the best in the world and I wish you have somebody in this world to be as special as she is to me! Happy approaching Mother's Day! :)

 

Biz tips for small sellers # 3

Hey Etsy shop owners!
Look what I found the other day! Even though some of this things you probably know, it is good to be reminded about these tips once in a while!
Wishing everybody happy customers! :)
Here are etsys own tips for getting your goods noticed and sold on the online craft marketplace! by Christina Farr

Biz tips for small sellers # 2

This is a great article on how to promote your business spending just your time and not money.
A small Success Story! 

Mothers Day special :)

Foxes in Flowers

This is a new edition to my Etsy shop!
Lovely cuddly cheeky Foxes! They came out even better and cuter than I thought! :)

 

Online Labs on Etsy

So yesterday I was watching Michelle and her shop critiques live! Pretty cool!
I think not to change everything but to correct a lot :)
Tags, descriptions, shop policies... :)
And of course add, add, ADD more items!

Can You Hear Me Now?? treasury

They say- Don´t be rude!

But there is no other way to say it:

There is too much time spent on the internet: promoting, chatting, tweeting, pining, commenting, liking and etc. I need to set a time limit, alarm clock even, otherwise I´ll go insane :) 

Biz TIPS for small sellers! # 1

Well, if you are serious about building an Empire  a business that will be profitable, growing and bringing you joy and making you proud, then you are, like me, looking for some tips on how to succeed.
So let´s share them.
So here are two articles that I´ve read and really liked:
One is from a blog- On the Dot Creations and it is addressing directly sellers on Etsy! Julie, who wrote this article, has a lot of other interesting tips for handmade sellers, so make sure to check her blog!
1. Secrets of savvy Etsy sellers

And a second one is an article from Online Wall Street Journal!
2. Make Social Networks Work for Your Start-Up

Please comment if you think that this was helpful, so that I can continue posting tips! :)

Dragon Feathers

Oh my dear Inner Dragon-Slayers!

This one is for you, people with great imagination! :)

Hand plucked cut felt feathers with embroidery. Love this egg white color of the cotton with bright felt. Hope you like it.

More description here in my shop.

My first treasury!!!

I was featured in my first (let's hope not last) treasury on Etsy!!!
It´s called Creativity for Kids by SakakiSins (she has a lovely shop by the way!)
And it´s  a perfect name for a treasury where I would want to see my items! Perfect!

Kids craft

These simple lanterns are perfect for children 3,5 years old and up! As long as they know how to use safety scissors (there are a lot of different ones for kids).

That´s what we were doing as our Easter project today.

We also cut out some cute bunnies along the way, so they can hide in the lanterns :) 

I glued and Vee colored the bunnies. Total of one hour + some dancing and singing = happy child!

    
 

Art and Nature: A Beautiful Pairing

This is one of the topics on Etsy blog that made me stop.

Unplug and go outside - that´s what I usually tell my hubby! We are so connected to gadgets that totally disconnected from nature! I think I just have to get this card for him now! :))

Curious finds

A little gingko for your notes :)

And then this tea diver, isn´t he cute? :)

And last for today, is this incredible design of vase molds:

These are the things that I want, even the mold to make vases (that I have no idea what to do with it at my house) :)

Easter is getting closer!

It´s practically right in front of me and I still didn´t even plan anything.
I do, however, have a great and fast recipe to color eggs that I want to share.
We don´t do different colors, I prefer one, but pretty :)
It´s a typical russian tradition.
Here is how we do it in our family:
You need onion peel, the more, the better. (just a normal onions that you cook with, but instead of throwing this light brown dried peel out, you save it. It doesn´t take much space and you can do it for a few months before Easter)
Actually it all depends on how many eggs you need to color.
So you take all your onion peels and put them to boil in a big pot.
First put in the peel and then add water, so that it will just cover the peel.
Boil it for a little bit, switch of the stove, let it sit for a while, so that it won´t be too hot, and then add eggs (boil them before in a salty water, as you would normally do to cook them, so that they won´t crack). Submerge the eggs and cover them with peel, so that they can get colored all over.
And leave it all to cool on the stove.
I usually leave the eggs for a few hours. And I do it night before.
And that´s it!
When taken out, dry them with a paper towel and cover with a little bit of olive oil for a shine!
The longer eggs sit in the onion peel, the deeper color they get.

You can also decorate the eggs (before submerging) with parsley leaves or other herbs that you have. That way the spot, where the leaf is, won´t get colored and will stay nicely marked!

    Very natural coloring!

If you will try to do this, please comment below!! :)

I am a MOM and I am proud of it!

MOM - a verb, used to describe an action that involves:

mothering

smothering with love and kisses

teaching to walk

feeding with healthy foods

breastfeeding

saying NO and sticking to it

following the routine

allowing to be loud 

teaching to express opinions and feelings

battling with your kid´s thumb-sucking/ pacifier sucking 

playing in monsters and princesses (sometimes at the same time)

running after and jumping with

telling stories and singing songs (that can be anywhere)

making bubble baths with peach flavors (not for myself)

picking toys

stepping on toys

learning how not to say bad words out loud when stepping on toys (especially on lego)

preferring to use high-heel-free shoes on a daily basis

sneaking in a cup of coffee now and then

taking photos to memorize all the progress/drawings/name writing/etc...

And since I am a stay at home MOM, that also involves (at least in my case):

house cleaning and grocery shopping, 

taking a KID to school/preschool/kindergarden/play dates/birthday parties/ school field trips 

arranging: play dates/ birthday parties/ family field trips

participating in all of the above!

And of course I am trying to jump start my own thing, which is SINIKETTU on Etsy and that just has to be squeezed in between of all of the above...

Now, of course my daughter is only (almost) 4, so the list will grow, but one thing is for sure:

MOM means unconditional love 24/7, whatever your child does!

xoxo,

Lena

New project

Have you ever started a project and then in the middle of it realized that it came up as something different than you planned? Well, it´s always like that for me! I don´t know when it changes but I am starting todo/cut/sew one thing and it comes up as something totally unplanned. 

For now a sneak peek:

      

GREEN is GOOD!

You can see it here in full: Green treasury from Etsy!
For me, as for a russian girl with a lot of relatives still living in Russia, this laptop cover is very close to my heart. I love russian shawls and I think they are the itchy-but-warm reminders from my childhood. I actually still use them in winter, for my neck, not for a laptop :))

Laptop sleeve by Goda

I also LOVE the colors on this geometric necklace. I don´t know why, but lately I am particularly attracted to all green and blue tones.

Bib necklace by Astrid R.