Being Creative With Planters

This idea is so cute I just had to share it with you. I was introduced to this by E-How a daily email I get about recycling, reusing and reducing. I love the articles that are in the newsletter and came across this one in this mornings edition.

20 Idea's for Repurposed Planters

Photo from Too Stinkin' Cute

As spring is upon us I thought this was a wonderful idea to get started on planting flowers, herbs and vegi's. This summer, now that I have my own yard to play in, I want to decrease my reliance on the grocery store.

These planters are a great way to start small vegi seeds, put a little color in your windows or contain some herbs for the kitchen. I am certainly going to have to attempt my own!

News Article to Read

I found this interesting:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/business/23craft.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1230044649-E0l6G3c7v/6NFFTP6hmgXw

I think that this article says a lot about the crafting industry and this Christmas seaon in particular. One Etsian remarked that it made crafting seem cheap. Do you think that this is giving crafting a bad name? Or is this good press for crafters and handmade artists?

Let me know what you think.

Etsy Promotional Calendar

To the left of my articles there is a new feature to my blog. It is my Etsy Promotion Calendar. It will have all my upcoming sales and promotions. Already I have added two upcoming sales: Shop Local Free Shipping Sale and the Pre-Season Scarf Sale.

Both of these sales are for free shipping on mentioned items. They include items already listed in my shop. When you click on each you will find more details concerning both. If this calendar and the sales are successful I will continue using this form of sale advertising.

I am in love with my Google calendar and am finding more and more things I can do with my calendar. If you have been reading my blog you will know I have started using it for my series Forgotten Projects.

Forgotten Projects Calendar

Today I added the Forgotten Projects Calendar to my blog. If you scroll down just below my blog posts you will see the Calendar. In this calender there will be start and finish dates to all my projects. It is very empty right now but as I start to get a sense of my time line I will be adding projects.

The calendar is one way for me to keep organized as well as for you to track my progress. In my previous posts, one of my biggest weaknesses is my lack of calendar/ planner use. I am horrible with keeping dates organized and things on schedule. This public calendar is a way to keep track of my work and my progress. It is also meant to be a learning tool for other unorganized crafters and small business entrepreneurs.

Please make comments and let me know how I am doing and whether you are finding this series helpful!

Forgotten Projects Part 3

Today I went upstairs to my desk and couldn't find it! It was hidden under a pile of papers and ( for lack of a better word) crap. Since I have been out of school I have not spent an extensive amount of time at my desk. I do a great deal of my Etsy work from our laptop on the couch in front of the television after work. The only time I really spend time on my upstairs computer is on my days off, half of which I have other events planned and don't get to clean my office like I should.

As a part of this Forgotten Projects series I want re-organize my projects. Through my initial search of unfinished project I realized that my storage/ closet is a complete mess. I do not take care of it on a daily basis like I should.

So, today's topic will focus in on what is preventing me from keeping my projects, yarn and business organized.

1. I never put things away. I have a real problem of taking a box of yarn out, taking the skein that I need and then not replacing the box to where it belongs. I do the same thing with my clothes, my makeup and a variety of other things. I need to work on taking the time to return things to their rightful place before the clutter gets out of hand.

2. The stack of to be filed. I often do not file my important papers right away like I should. They pile up and up on my desk until I am forced to do something about it. I need to work on filing items as soon as I can. It only takes a couple more seconds to do so in the first place instead of an hour to do so later.

3. Growing tired of a project. Everyone will get tired of certain projects. I get frustrated with projects quite often and I tend to just roll them in a ball and trow them in the corner. I need to figure out a way to label, organize and keep projects so I can easily come back to them.

4. Using my Calendar. I have never been able to use a planner or a calendar to save my life. Every school year I would buy one and start out wonderfully, writing all my assignments an test dates. Then half way through the month I give up. My boyfriend gave me his old palm pilot a couple years back. I used it a lot at first. Now it just sits on my desk. I don't think Ive touched it since I graduated. I just now found Google calendar and I am try to use it as much as I can.

These are my top four reasons for my being so unorganized. I am sure there are more but these are the ones I am going to start working on. By my next post I hope to have my Google project calendar up and running so you can follow my progress on each project.