Wow!

We had been wondering about an increase in traffic to our site, and a huge increase in traffic to our squidoo page. We had thought maybe there was a fluke in the counter system, but were very surprised and honored to realize this morning that our squidoo page had been featured in an article on Etsy written by Seth Godin, famous blogger and author. Thanks for the publicity Seth if you end up here by chance. We are quite honored to be mentioned especially since we re such lightweights in the Etsy community. We have so much enjoyed our time on Etsy and look forward to what the future holds there! Have a great day everyone.

Things have been going well with us although hectic. We just finished a set of cute plum and gold save the dates and shipped them out today. We have had some local interest in our greeting cards and have been making a lot of those for that local customer. We had a custom bulk greeting card order from California too. We offer 15% off each card if you order more than 4 single cards in a single purchase. We are know mostly for our cards and invitations but we do jewelry too and Ally even sold a painting. These are some beautiful earrings that ally made. These have sold but just send us an email or convo us on etsy if you don't see any up and she will be happy to make some with whatever colors you have in mind.

More spring photos

Was out for a walk enjoying the beautful weather and took a couple of shots. KK, the cat in these photos was my cat before I went to college now he lives with my mom and sister. He loves to go on walks and follows us if we go out, you can see him tagging along. We think he believes that he is a dog.

Spring is definitely here!

We have had several warm days this year, even a few hot ones. Not at all unusual for south Georgia. Today was a particularly beautiful day. The sun was shining it was warm but the breeze was cool so not hot yet. The bees were buzzing and the flowers are blooming everywhere. Too bad I start sneezing every time I step outside. I have kept the doors and windows open to let in the view though and it has been so nice.

My Friend

I love the colors in the card listed today. Not really springy but so cute! I recently got some bronze ink and I really enjoyed playing with it the last time I was making cards.

It was such a long week and I am glad to be home for a few days. Killer was glad to see me...isn't she too cute? Unfortunately I am heading out again tomorrow and will be gone till Monday.

Etsy Artist We Love

We ordered a custom stamp about a month ago from Terbear Collectibles on Etsy and we were so pleased we wanted to share and encourage anyone else who wants a custom stamp for their shop or just for fun to check out the shop http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5160878

Our stamp was for the backs of our cards so people who receive our cards from a buyer can get to our website if they want to order too. The stamp we bought is here http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=7412927

We were very pleased with the service we received, we feel like we got exactly what we asked for. Definitely go check and see what is available because in addition to custom stamps there is a great selection of ready made stamps and lots of other neat stuff!

Heading Out

Today's Etsy post is quite springy. I got these adorable flower stickers a few weeks ago from Michaels and I had a lot of fun making the vines for it to grow on. I am looking forward to making lots more spring themed cards!

I am leaving today for a week spent in Macon where my job is. I have orientation tomorrow-Friday and again Mon+Tues and I am going to work regular shifts Saturday and Sunday. Going to be a long week I think. Luckily I have internet access while I am gone so I can get my Etsy fix. Chico is going with me Killer is going to stay at home as usual. Chico gets very nervous and looks like he does in this photo when I start packing my bags because he is never sure if he gets to tag along or not.

Monday, not too bad!

Mr. Whiskers was so cute today. He was sleeping right next to my tulips and when I tried to take his picture he stretched out. He is mostly an outside cat, our 2 dogs are inside but when it is cold outside he comes in for the night. He knows how to use the doggie door.

Here a new card listed today. I love the combination of aqua and brown! I used leftover pieces of cardstock and cut it at angles to make the bottome of the card. I added a ribbon and stamped the top. I have really gotten hooked on the look of dots to accent so I dotted along the cardstock, and the stamped swirls and words.

New item for today.

Allyson and I got together yesterday to work on some greeting cards. It was so much fun. We have been a little preoccupied lately working on wedding invitations that our regular cards have been ignored. I posted one last night (the one with green and blue) swirlies on it. Today I posted a very different styled card in neutrals. Allyson gave me the polka dotted ribbon yesterday and I couldn't wait to use it.

New for Today

Today my earring holder frame sold. It has been up on Etsy since December so I was surprised when it sold. I love it and have been using it for my earrings and will be a little sad to see it go. My mom, sister, and aunt have one of these too. It is nice to have your earrings out so that you can easily get to them.

This Make a Wish card is my new addition to our PolkaDotsAndPaisley Etsy shop. I stamped the bottom in green and top in blue, then punched out yellow circles and glued them above the green swirls and the used prisma markers to dot around the circles to make flowers. Then I added a ribbon to break up the top and bottom. I LOVE this new card!

Bird in the House

Yes, I know that I have blogged already today but I just had to share. I was sitting comfortably with Chico and Killer (my dogs) on the couch when I heard a rustling in the kitchen. We recently installed a doggie door and the outside cat occasionally comes in so I got up to get him. When I walked in the kitchen there was no sign of Mr. Wiskers and a pack of crackers from the top shelf was on the floor. I stood there perplexed until a bird dive-bombed my head. Apparently our new doggie door is also a cat and bird entrance as well.
The dogs had no idea what to make of the bird in the house and just followed me room to room cocking their heads at the fluttering, twittering, flying ball of feathers. I finally shooed it out the back door. About an hour later my husband pulled in from work, he was in for a moment and left to run an errand. He called from the truck to tell me that when he got in a bird was in the cab with him. Same little brownish red bird that I had banished earlier. We are just hoping this does not eventually lead to a opossum and armadillo take over!

Crunchy or Creamy

I have set into motion a fight page on Squidoo to determine what the general consensus is....
www.squidoo.com/crunchyorcreamy


Ok, it really depends on the day for me. There are food items meant to go with crunchy and ones meant to accompany creamy. For exapmple: Creamy peanut butter is perfect in reese cups, on celery, in most baked goods like peanut butter cookies.
But, crunchy peanut butter combos well with softer items like: bananas, PB&J sandwiches, and is more satisfying if you are pulling the old spoon in the jar trick.

Belated Wedding Show Info

Our wedding show was last Saturday and it turned out great! We loved how our props and displays turned out. We had a very warm reception which was great since this was our first show. Our booth was directly in front of Bath and Body Works, great location. We wanted our displays to be unique but still very functional and I think that we managed this quite well! We really enjoyed talking with everyone and giving people a little run down about our business.

We only house our store online at Etsy, there is no store front. So it greatly amused us when a lady walking by said to her husband "Their stuff is so cute, I have almost gone into that store several times."

Ally and I have been so busy with all the wedding invites and save the dates we have neglected our greeting cards. I cannot remember the last time we made those so we are getting together tomorrow to catch up and get some new items out with a spring feel.

Tomorrow!

Wedding show is tomorrow, or technically today since it is already Saturday morning. So in just a few hours we will be setting up for the show. I think we have remembered everything and hopefully it will go off without a hitch. It is exciting to be able to bring our products to a live market after selling online. Of course we are nervous about it but not so much that we can't enjoy the excitment. We did a practice set up at Ally's tonight and it looks so cute! Off to bed to get some shut eye, no good to be groggy in the morning.

Time for a Beachy Vacation

It is that time of year that I start itching to go on a vacation. These warmer days just insist that I should be at the beach with sand between my toes and the sound of the waves inviting me in to the water. It is a little premature I know but I LOVE the beach! These photos were taken last summer on vacation on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. What a gorgeous place!! The water is crystal clear and everyone is so laid back. There is a completely different lifestyle there. If your idea of perfection is a priceless view, peace and quiet, seclusion, fresher than fresh seafood, and salty air this is the place the be.

NCLEX over.... on to Wedding Show

Now that the NCLEX is in my past and I have the knowledge of my passing score I am free to freak out about other stuff. The wedding show is in less than a week now and we have lots to do before then. Not to mention actually going to my real job and putting in some nursing hours.





We need to finish designing our setup we already have a lot of this done including some really cute wooden shutters to use as displays for our cards. We still have to decide how we want to cover our table to make it stand out but still be tasteful. We have designed a few more items but will probably work on that a lot more tomorrow.





We are thinking about moving operations over to the Green room at Ally's house after the show because our workspace is getting quite cramped here!

Wedding Show

So we have been working on ideas for the wedding show that we decided to do. It will be our first show and we are both a little nervous as well as excited. I think that we have come up with some good ideas for products as well as the look of our booth. The show is on March 1st so we don't have a lot of time left, it will be here before we know it.

I know it is going to be a little tough having people walk by and critiquing our products but it will be nice to interact face to face with potential customers!

Purple Wedding

We've been working today on ideas for someone's wedding. Their colors are purple and gold and they wanted to incorporate gold lace (which was a little tough). I think we are pleased with the results. Think for the rest of the evening I am going to relax and have some coffee (it has turned cold again here in Georgia and coffee sounds good) and watch the brave one. Hope Jodi Foster kicks major butt in this movie!

NCLEX fears

So, I (rem) just graduated nursing school in December. As if all the hard work to get that degree wasn't enough we have to be tortured by the NCLEX (nursing boards). Due to a late start by our school to get our information to the state licensing board we were late getting our authorizations to test. When I did get it, I applied for a test date which is going to be Tues, Feb 19. It is a little difficult to fully enjoy life with something so important looming in the near future because as much as I try not to worry or even think about it somehow it creeps back into the front of my mind.

I have been attempting to review a little each day but I just KNOW that when I get in to take the test some outside force is going to remove all the knowledge from my brain that I worked so hard to put in and then laugh at me. The point to this rambling is I am ready, oh so ready, for this to be behind me. And just for old time's sake I have included a photo of me in my dreaded whites (at least I don't have to wear them again...I THREW them AWAY!)

Me and some fellow nursing folks.

New Item

Things have been busy here for a few days. Allyson and I have completely finished and handed over the save the date cards to their new, engaged owner. They were all stamped, printed, ribboned, and magnetized.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9532318

Today's listing is a photo that I took last summer while on vacation with my family. It was a beautiful afternoon and we went out on a dolphin cruise. I love the beach! I also love taking photos. I always have a hundred or more after a trip (isn't digital photography amazing!)

A little overwhelmed

We have been amazed at the sudden interest in our items and are getting a little (happily) overwhelmed at the prospect of our baby (store) taking off so quickly. We are in brainstorm mode and that seems to be affecting the hours that we are calling bedtime. I am still wired tonight, Chico and Killer (the canine crew) have long since tuckered out. I guess I should try and get some sleep sometime, but it is oh so fun coming up with business ideas. LoL

Baking Invitations

So, very new to this blogging thing...so please forgive any blogging blunders.


Ally and I (Rem) recently got an order for wedding invitations and save the dates. We stamped the save the dates last night and the gold ink was taking FOREVER to dry (hours, seriously) so my house ended up covered in save the date cards. The chest freezer, the stove, the counter, etc... We decided it looked curoiusly like a paper version of an Izzy baking meltdown (any Grey's fans?). We have since had to take a break because we had begun to see gold swirls everywhere.