It is Called a Christmas Card

I was delighted yesterday to open the TARGET catalog and see "Merry Christmas". Good for them. I am personally repulsed by using the word "holiday" for Christmas. Holiday card, holiday cookie, holiday bush, for goodness sake, it's CHRISTMAS! Yes, the hub-bub after Thanksgiving is all about CHRISTMAS...the great American spending-fest.

I became a Christian in high school and married a man who is also a Christian so in our family we do celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas. But I admit, we have a whole lot of fun celebrating GIVING, too. We love to lie to our kids about Santa Claus...our 2nd grader still believes (despite the fact that I was the 2nd grader many years ago to break the bubble for many classmates!!!) We love Santa pictures and hanging stockings above the fireplace. We love decorating the "holiday vegetation" and unwrapping "holiday" presents. I chuckle because decorating a tree is more a druid tradition I think. But it's fun. My kids LOVE Christmas, oops, I mean "Holiday Lights" on houses and on the Chr- Holiday Ships. Mostly, I enjoy singing Christmas songs at church on Christmas Eve...such a special time!

I'm not a deep thinker, by no means, I have ADD, and have difficulty explaining myself but I just wanted to say...if you are afraid to say Christmas, or feel that somehow you might be offending someone else, then put on your calendar that the 25th is Holiday, instead of Christmas and get over it! And if more of us (including me) were LESS concerned about offending someone (the cardinal sin of our day) maybe we could all be more effective at what we say is important to us...our families, our planet and the oppressed.

Erg. I'm done...for now.

Friday's Fab Five Etsy Shops

Updated every Friday here and SparklePuss.etsy.com.

*JPATPURSES.etsy.com - Quilted Handbags and Accessories
*rosebud.etsy.com - rosebud designs. -- knit, crochet, paper and jewelry, creativity sprouts here!
*kezzaroo.etsy.com - plushies and more!
*KnottyByNature.etsy.com - KnottyByNature - H a n d m a d e B a g s & M o r e
*skinandtonic.etsy.com - Old Skool Ingredients From Your Kitchen!

Look for our newsletter soon for the debut of SUMMER SOLSTICE! Yow!

Enjoy your fabulous Thanksgiving weekend!

Friday's Fab Five Etsy Shops

Updated every Friday here and SparklePuss.etsy.com.

*aromaticbodyoils.etsy.com - Zestfully Ambrosial - Joyfully Aromatic
*nettiescrub.etsy.com - renew the surface of you
*MermaidCreek.etsy.com - Lampwork, Gemstone, and Crystal Jewelry
*TemptedTummies.etsy.com - SIMPLY TEMPTED BATH & BODY CO.
*kateszabone.etsy.com - Limited Edition Jewellery By Kate Szabone

I get all wacky before a craft fair...we are doing the bazaar at the elementary school on Saturday. I used to freak out before going somewhere on a plane...packing, making sure I have everything. But this is 100 times worse. Once I get there I'm just fine. Basically, I think I need SLEEP!

Have a wonderful weekend!

FRIDAY'S FAB FIVE ETSY SHOPS

Updated every Friday:
*candypopcreations.etsy.com - Putting A.r.t into C.R.A.F.T.One Stitch at a Time
*FireChickTick.etsy.com - cool beads. hot glass.
*SarahsCreations.etsy.com - Embellished socks, Mini purses, Hair clips, and more!
*CraftyScentiments.etsy.com - For All of Your Home Scenting Needs
*rikrak.etsy.com - fun fabric & paper creations

You'll be so glad to know the SOCKS arrived two days ago. ah.

Enjoy your weekend!

Funny

I just blogged in the wrong spot...I'm going over to SparklePuss to copy my text I wrote here!

Upcoming blogspot...Spray-On Perfumes!

SHOUTING!!

I'm totally freaking out!!

Janelle Elms put my business card in her newsletter today!! Whoohooo!! I'm so excited!!!! What a thoughtful person, she took the time to write about a few business people she met at the Crave Show...her comments were complimentary and sincere...thank you very much Janelle!!!

A little background (I'll try to be brief).

I've been "inventing" web-businesses for a couple of years...and since my sister is very talented and extremely creative, I've been excited to get her on the bandwagon because I'm having so much fun. Fast forward, she is taking a leave from her job and I was telling her about Ladies Who Launch, StartupJunkie, and CRAVE...turns out she signs up for a Ladies Who Launch incubator and then invites me to her last meeting as her guest (I was in HEAVEN with all of these super-women in her incubator with great ideas)!!!

Without dragging this out, we attended the Crave Show in Seattle this weekend (yay, Melody!) which was fantastic! I can't believe it is this event's FIRST YEAR! It was SO well done, even the directional signage was absolutely FIRST CLASS! Anyways, there were AMAZING speakers and I noticed my sister was talking to (gasp) THE EBAY LADY, Janelle Elms!!! I couldn't help myself but shake her hand, she is so DARLING and actually invited the handshake (no stuffy snobbiness about her!!)

Anyways, that's how I got in the newsletter.

Wow. That made my day! (That and the wonderful day I had with my daughter today!!)

Here's the text from her newsletter: Having a really long post like this makes me look really important, so I'm including it...ba ha hahahahaahaaaaa! Besides she gives REALLY good advice that could benefit someone out there!

Four Seasons Fragrance - This amazing woman handed me her business card after one of my sessions. Her best entrepreneurial feature? 'Shouting' about her business. I have a great newsletter ½ completed that I need to get out to you guys about shouting from the mountaintops to everyone who will listen (and a few who won't) about what you sell. You never know when the person in front of you will be a buyer or they'll know someone who should be your buyer. Lesson #3 - always be 'shouting' about your business. I was delighted to find a well-thought out, eye-catching business card that was 'pitching' on both sides (as you can see in the photos). Her beautiful website consistently matches the look and feel of her cards...and as I got more into the site I loved all of the little wording details that really enchants t he buyer. (She) has done a great job at 'allowing me to give her money' - lol.
The only thing I would change about how she is doing business is to get her to buy some of the other 'spellings' of her website. (another one who I couldn't find today to tell her which url's to buy). Lesson #4 - don't let your competitors get traffic from YOUR hard work.

Today's Awesome Etsy Finds Regular Postings Discontinued

We love promoting other Etsy shops & websites!

But we have found that we prefer our new "FRIDAY'S FAB FIVE ETSY SHOPS" which we are posting on our SparklePuss shop and is updated every Friday.

This week's FAB FIVE are:
http://www.gabrielsaunt.etsy.com
- Natural Candles & Perfumes
http://www.siiri.etsy.com
- siirimade colorful accessories
http://www.skinjourney.etsy.com
- A Journey to Discover Healthy & Radiant Skin
http://www.spatherapy.etsy.com
-Where Everyday is a Spa Day
http://www.aspenspa.etsy.com/
- Body Care Inspired by Nature

We already have a FAB shop for next week's list!

Have a GREAT week!! Can't believe 18 days til Thanksgiving!

I CAN Buy Socks

Yes, well, I DID IT!

Setting a deadline for myself made all the difference. The task was completed by midnight (see previous post).

Socks

I don't really understand...I'm a total hypocrite to myself. I think of myself as fair, optimistic and savvy...I try to budget shop, not paying too much for everyday items. So I think about myself in this elevated way...yet the TRUTH is, I'm cheap, too practical and down-right irritated not to buy items at bargain basement prices. Does that make me a curmudgeon? Did I spell that right!?!

My dilemma? My husband needs socks. His tastes are very practical and very simple. Just white ankle sports socks. NOT DIFFICULT...well, for you maybe.

So I love to shop online...the convenience, the MONEY I save by NOT setting foot (ha) in a store! I do it DAILY for my business and for personal items. I'm good at it and enjoy it! So I go online...searching...for brand x white ankle socks.

I can purchase a package of 3 pairs for $9 on amazon. Or from the brandname website for $12. Or Penney's for $15 for 3 pairs. Oh, there are two other sites, same price, 3 pairs for $12. So what is the deal here...I can't seem to click the BUY button!

Do you EVER have these weird issues!??! It's like "I want them on SALE". There's a WHOPPING one, two or three dollar difference between each webstore. Geesh, they are socks, BUY 'EM!!

I confess, this is SO embarrassing, but I have been THREE times to buy socks and I just can't do it.

I think something might be wrong with me. I think...I'm not just CHEAP, but maybe SUPER-cheap. Yep. I see myself as this sophisticated, bargain-hunting fashionista (I'm NOT a fashionista, but I like the word)...this woman-of-the-world-who-can-do-anything...but dag-nab-it I can't seem to BUY SOCKS!

Maybe I have a sock-phobia...I mean before my sister got married I was told the fiance needed "white dress socks"...so I searched the mall (when I shopped at the mall)...MANY stores later only to realize that "white dress socks" don't exist. (You are not surprised. Thank you.) So, there was my first sock issue. We still joke about it, I mean come on, only Naval officers in their dress whites wear WHITE DRESS SOCKS!! Oh, and my 4 year old at Easter.

I'm going to be brave. I'm just going to do it. Buy socks, I mean. I'm giving myself a deadline of midnight tonight. Thank you very much for listening. Thanks for helping me work through this. I'll check back in with you and let you know what I decided. I'm sure you'll wait with baited breath.