April 14, 2011

Learning to Blog

So since I am still new to this whole blogging thing and I would like to learn how to promote my products by using my blog I signed myself up for a free blogging e-course from Sunday Afternoon Housewife that is basically ALL about blogging to promote your business!!  How great is that?!?!  Well I think it’s pretty darn great.  Did I mention that it's free!  So I’m hoping that it will get me blogging about the right stuff to attract more followers as well as customers and to just blog more often too.  J 
So for my first blogging prompt I’m to write about something new that I would like to share with my readers/customers.  I have recently heard about this thing called Picnik and up until today I had no idea what it was….at all.  So I did a little poking around and playing around and have found that it is kind of a cool little website for photo editing.  There is a large chunk of it that is free to use and some more advanced features that you pay a monthly subscription to use but all in all I found it kind of cool.  You are able to add some effects to photos that normally only the pros know how to do as well as some cute stickers and “accessories” (check out my doctored photo) to your photos. 


I also like that you don’t have to just have fun with it but for the more serious person who just wants to clean up their photos there are a lot of useful tools in there and some only the pros know how to do…like creating that airbrushed effect or cleaning up that mad solar glare on your forehead.   Now, I will say that I have been using Photoshop for years for all my photo editing and I have become pretty comfortable with it so I will probably still stick with that but for being a website that you can correct photos on, I think Picnik is pretty darn cool.  Check it out sometime.  J

BIG News!!

So I have some really BIG news to share.  I got accepted into my FIRST juried craft show!!!!!  I have been accepted in the Handmade Promenade show on May 6th!  I know, I know, that is the weekend after the Encore Consignment sale!  Wow…I’m going to be doubly busy the next few weeks.  At least I have a week between shows so I can whip up whatever products I need to for the second one because they sold unbelievably well at the consignment sale….right?....I guess I can dream…and hope that will happen.  I guess I can’t complain because I need to make MORE product right?  So this will be a new experience for me, one that I am very much looking forward to.  I feel excited and scared and overwhelmed and a whole bunch of other emotions all at the same time!!  I’m going to be going crazy by the end of the month I think.  This show in Indy will be my first where I have to set up EVERYTHING….from the canopy to the table to my products (because it’s my first outdoor show too!!)  I’m hoping that with me new network of crafting friends that I will be able to hear about many more craft shows and be able to apply to them.  So here’s hoping that all goes well and I sell lots of books!