Late Night Mischeif to Say Happy Birthday Tanya

My sister is turning the big 3-0 today so on our way home from last night's Incredibly Strange Movie night at Brewvies we grabbed a few co-conspirators for a fun little sneak attack.

Happy Birthday Tanya, you're the best. I am so glad to have you as my sister! I love you.

 
We may have put a little balloon in some weeds. And left a little candy bar on her wall. I hope she sees them on her way to work before the chocolate can melt.

The crew post chalking :)

What We Wore, Read, and Made Link Party #26

I was gone most of last week so here's my only outfit shot. I'd like to say this was just how I looked as I hurried to finish and get ahead before the trip but I'm not going to lie, I'm always covered in bits of thread.

Top and Jeans - Forever 21

shoes - Le Sport Sac

Here are a few pictures from my trip. At the Denver Aquarium with a super awesome turtle. At the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. And in the YA room of this super neat giant book store.

Your turn, let me see your favorite fashion, crafty, bookish, helpful, or delicious posts. 

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Etsy Life: Juggling Vacations and Your Shop

We just got back the other night from a 5 day trip to Colorado and I thought I'd share how I handle vacations with respect to my Etsy Shop.

Before we get into my method I want to talk real briefly about Etsy's Vacation Mode. When I first started, this did not exist (a lot of nice little features did not exist, I love that they are constantly trying to make improvements). To read Etsy's info about the vacation mode check out this and this help page. When you put your shop in vacation mode it allows you to add a special shop announcement as well as a conversation auto-reply message. If someone visits your shop while it's in vacation mode they will not see any items, just your shop announcement and a form that they can check if they want to be notified when you return. If someone has a direct link to your item (like from their favorites, blog posts, treasury, bookmark, etc.) they will be able to see the listing but the "add to cart" button will be grayed out so nothing can be purchased.

I don't use Vacation mode because I don't want people to come to an empty shop. And I don't want to completely kill the momentum of my sales. On Etsy, each sale and relisting gives you more exposure and I don't want to miss out on that just because I'm out of town for a few days. I know I've come across a few empty shops that were in vacation mode that I might have favorited but didn't because I couldn't see if the one item that pulled me into that shop (from an external link) was the norm or not.

For all my Vacations

Here's what I do instead of just using vacation mode. I edit my shop announcement to say something about when I'll be gone and if any shipping orders will be impacted. This really is mostly so if I'm slow responding to messages they'll know why. Since my normal turnaround time is 2-3 weeks before shipping a shorter 5 day trip makes no difference as long as I'm on top of things before I leave. A longer trip on the other hand may impact my turnaround time. When I went to Florida since it was a longer trip I added a note that said all orders from this date to this date may be delayed an additional week.

I also edit the message that is sent out in the transaction email that goes out with each order. Yes many people don't even bother to open these but they really should. There have been more than a few times that I have found very important info in these kind of emails and if they start wondering hopefully they will go back and look at the transaction email.

That's what I did for this past trip and it was fine. Nothing weird it was great.

For Longer Trips

When I think there will be a chance that orders may be delayed I like to do a few extra things. In addition to saying as much in the shop announcement and email, I like to have way more warning. I change my banner and avatar to say something about being on vacation and before I leave I like to warn my customers in my shop announcement, blog, facebook, etc. to get in their orders by a certain date to avoid a delay.

Something I discovered last year that was super helpful was Etsy On Sale. This site is set up so that people can put their whole site on sale without editing each listing. I have over 150 listings in my shop so editing each one to say I'm on vacation would take many hours. When I went to Florida I put everything on sale for 1 cent off and added the text "ON VACATION PLEASE READ SHOP ANNOUNCEMENT" to the front of each listing. This is good because not everyone that buys something from your shop will ever go to your home page.

That worked out fine...except that I came back and immediately got really sick so even though I gave myself a week long buffer that wasn't enough. So depending on the volume of your shop I would double how much time you think you'll need to catch up just in case.

The other thing was that I did not relist much while I was gone on my trip. As I said many times before sales create momentum so not relisting will cause a natural slow.

Obviously this method requires more work and does have risks so I would only do this if you have internet access while you're gone that way you can quickly use vacation mode if you need to. When I got back from my Florida trip sick that's what I should have done, it would have been fine if I had thought to do that. This method also means that you can't just go on vacation and not check in. You'll need to check into your shop here and there which depending on your personality might not fit into your ideal vacation. For me it's worth it to do a tiny bit of work while I'm away rather than missing out on the sales and having to do all the hard work of building back  up my shop momentum when I return. Obviously it's not for everyone but it's worked for me. Keep in mind that my 2-3 week before shipping turnaround time gives me a lot of wiggle room so you need to consider the norms of your shop when you decide how you want to manage your own time off. I hope some of this was helpful.

What do you other shop owners do to handle vacations? If you've used Etsy's vacation mode, how did you like it? And always if you have any questions about this or any other etsy life types of things feel free to ask either in the comments section or by emailing me.

The It's Been A While Shop Update

Even though I regularly add things to the shop as I make them I realize that I've built up quite a stash of new items. So it's time for a shop update. I'll be adding new goodies to the shop all week. I've got some fun new Summer-y bottoms and sets with fabrics that I've been collecting all year. Some of these are the result of awesome custom listings that were just too cute to not make more to share.

I'm most excited about my new coordinating Swing Top. People have been asking me to make these for years. I can make these in any color which makes them perfect for coordinating with any of my bottoms.

 
I also have a few make your own set top options, including a number, letter and custom bird options that would be perfect for parties, family pictures or just hanging out. I'll be adding all of these and more to the shop throughout the week. If you don't see what you want just send me an email and I'll get it up ASAP for you :).

I hope you'll stop by to check out all the new goodies and spread the word to tell your friends.

What's For Dinner: 128

We just got back late last night from a little trip to Colorado where we ate ate and ate some more. I always love trying out new places. I'll share my findings soon.

Day	Main Meal	Goals (Veggies, Whole Grain, Fish)
Sunday	Dinner with Friends	Grains and nuts: granola bars Veggies: Spinach, Salad Fish:Shrimp
Monday	Sausage Potato Hash with Egg
Tuesday	Cow Cook Nui
Wednesday	Big Salad
Thursday	Wonton Noodle Soup
Friday	Eat Out
Saturday	Cowboy Hamburgers and Grilled Zuccs

Treasury Love: Cherries and Picnics

We have a cherry tree and looking out my work room window I can see little fruit forming. Last year we were total slackers and the birds ended up devouring the tree before we were able to wrangle up a ladder. I've gotta get on that.

So in celebration of our pretty cherry tree (that I'll hopefully pillage this year) here's a lovely treasury full of fellow EtsyKids team members made by the Lilikins Baby Blankets and Quilts. Click here to see the collection up close and to get clickable links to each of these items and to see more from each of these talented artists.

My Tip for Easy Chocolate Covered Strawberries

I'm sad to admit that my refrigerator is where strawberries go to die. It's not that I dislike them, it's just that I usually eat half the pack and then forget them or I don't feel like them until it's too late and they are already old and yucky. Also I like to think that even if you totally cover fruit in chocolate it still counts as fruit. So I may have been dipping strawberries in chocolate (ahem a lot) lately. I have this little tip that I wanted to share about how I do it . . . Crisco.

If you zap chocolate chips with a tiny bit of Crisco it melts so easily and goes on the strawberries great!

I like to do a small handful of semi-sweet chips (but you can use whatever kind you want) I've done milk, white, dark you name it and about half a tsp of Crisco.

Then I nuke it for 40 seconds and stir stir stir. Usually that's enough to melt all the chocolate but if not I'll zap it a bit more 5-10 seconds at a time.

Make sure you wash and fully dry the strawberries you don't want any water to get into the chocolate. And I like to have the berries nice and cold from the fridge because then when they get dipped the chocolate hardens a lot faster and you don't need to stick them in the fridge.

Link Party: What We Wore, Read, and Made

Got a hair cut and now I've been straightening my hair some. It definitely looks less crazy mess, I never realized how easy and quick straightening can be.

Top and Jeans - Forever 21

shoes - Cents of Style 
The Night Circus Necklace - Made it

I'm going to try to make some tanks like this, it's so easy to wear and a tiny step above those plain ribbed ones, plus I can stand them in the heat of my work room.

Top - Target
Pants - Mervyns
 Necklace - my Grandma designed it  shoes - Charlotte Russe

I am loving these shoes (I think they still have them in stock). They are way more comfy than most dressier flip flops.

Pants  - Old Navy
Top - Nordstrom's Rack
Lumos Necklace - PrettyLittleCharmsUK on Etsy
shoes - Cents of Style 

Your turn, let me see your favorite fashion, crafty, bookish, helpful, or delicious posts. 

Fine Print: 

Please be a follower

I'd love you to add my button anywhere on your blog (I'm not picky) 

Link as many as you want and I don't mind if they are older posts

Please Note: I will not be sending reminder emails about the party any longer. hopefully having my button, following, subscribing or something else can serve as your reminder.

Rae Gun Finds: 10 Websites to Check Out

I always love hearing about other people's favorite websites and today's Top Ten Tuesday with Broke and the Bookish is "Top Ten Blogs/Sites You Read That AREN'T about Book" so I thought that would be fun. Click over to see everyone else's list and to add your own. Let me know what your favorite sites lately have been I always love finding new places.

Foodgawker and Tastespotting both of these sites are curated collections of food. They have giant pictures and tons of ideas. I can go look just because I love food but they also are great inspiration when I don't know what I feel like having for dinner or when I want to try something new.

I have been following Kathleen over at Grosgrain back when she used to sew incredible outfits for her girls and do huge giveaways. It's always fun to see what she's making and what catches her eye. I love her style!

Oh Happy Day is one of my favorite stops for party ideas. Jordan shares often really simple ways to make parties beautiful and fabulous. She provides free printables regularly too so make sure you also check those out.

 
If you've looked around the crafting blogs you've probably bumped into Dana at Made. She has great great tutorials and is always teaching. Plus she shares her life and adorable kids and it's just fun to read about.

Lorie over at Be Different Act Normal has an amazing knack for finding all the coolest tutorials out in craft blog land. She's always updating her site with new ideas and wonderful creations. She also has a fun link party on Saturday nights.

I've had the honor of guest posting over at the Crafting Chic's site a few times but in case you weren't around back then they've got a really neat site with lots of DIY and party tips and tutorials. They come up with super cute ideas.

 

 Nicole of Making It Lovely is my style crush. She is always posting home and fashion trends and things she loves. I find myself falling in love with everything she shares.

If you have kids in your life that you want to entertain the Crafty Crow is a wealth of knowledge for all things crafty and kid. My Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons is the food version with all kinds of creations from foods. They are so cute and fun for big and little kids.

And finally if your craftily inclined make sure to check out Make It and Love It for tutorials of all shapes and sizes. There are so many cute things on this site.

What internet sites have been sucking up your time?

Quick and Easy Long Hair Up Do's

As Summer creeps  up my work room is getting warmer and warmer and up goes my hair. In an effort not to just clump it all haphazardly in a claw clip I've been trying out a few different do's. The only thing is I am the laziest hair person on earth. If I'm going to do something to my hair it's got to take 5 minutes or less seriously.  Here's what I've been doing lately. If you have some other styles for me to try I'd love for you to share them in the comments!


Tucked Braids. The hair do above is two regular braids tied in a knot and then the ends are tucked in and pinned. This stayed up in my hair all day with just two pins on each side.

Thanks so much for Katnis for bringing back the Side Braid. Yeah we might look back at all these pictures and say "what were we doing?" but for know I'm loving the side braid. I like it best on me going to the opposite side of my bangs.

 This Head Band Tuck only lasted half the day for me. I liked how it looked but I got a headache from the headband. What you do is put an elastic headband along the crown of your head then you pull the length of your hair up and around it and tuck the ends in to get this look. It was pretty easy to do.

 It may be a cheater move but I think the Side Messy Bun is a step up from my normal claw clip do. Yes I use a claw clip but as long as my hair isn't totally gross I think it looks a little bit more elegant. I just pull it to the side in a messy bunch then clip it and adjust until I like how it looks.

Pardon my What We Wore shot I was too lazy to turn on the old computer where these pictures live. This High Poof is what I normally wear to work out in. But on the days when I just can't get my hair to do anything I turn to the poof. It's just a high pony tail where I leave the ends in the rubber band on the last loop of the elastic.

The Double Braid Tuck is another one I turn to when my hair is being difficult. It's just two braids with the ends folded and rubber banded. This is awesome for really warm days when you don't want any hair touching you.

And finally the Side Ponytail. I felt a little silly doing it the first few times but I kind of like it. Unlike the side braid I prefer to do this to the same direction of my bangs. I pull my hair to right below my ear and fasten my rubber band and then loosen it at the base a little so it's not pulled too tight.

Oreo Rice Krispies Treats

 
Rice Krispies Treats are one of those quick easy desserts that's just so yummy any time. Plus it's one of those things that you can always have stuff on hand and whip together at the last minute to please both adults and kiddos alike. I did a kitchen sink method last time adding a few things I had on hand and really liked the mixture of flavors.

• 1 bag marshmallows
• 3 TBS butter
• 5 C rice krispies cereal
• 1 C chopped oreo cookies
• 1/2 C chocolate chips

Melt marshmallows and butter. Turn off heat and add rice krispies until full coated. Then add oreo pieces and chocolate chips and stir. Turn onto wax paper and let set. 

Link Party What We Wore, Read, and Made #25

Top and Crops - Old Navy

shoes - Ross
Necklace - Untamed Menagerie on Etsy

Top - Target
Pants - Mervyns

 Necklace - my Grandma designed it
 shoes - Charlotte Russe

Jeans  - Forever 21
Top - Made It
Earrings - Mary and Jane on Etsy
shoes - Charlotte Russe

Your turn, let me see your favorite fashion, crafty, bookish, helpful, or delicious posts. 

Fine Print: 

Please be a follower

I'd love you to add my button anywhere on your blog (I'm not picky) 

Link as many as you want and I don't mind if they are older posts

Please Note: I will not be sending reminder emails about the party any longer. hopefully having my button, following, subscribing or something else can serve as your reminder.