Wednesday, February 27, 2008
I was mentioned in a wedding blog!
i'm pretty excited! my plexiglass dinner menu was mentioned on Elizabeth Anne Designs... how fun is that!? oh how i love google alerts!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
snow snow snow
we've had the first real snowfall around here... sure it's really not much, but everyone seems to freak out when tiny white flakes fall. here's some photos from the front porch...
and here are the pups enjoying the snow...
i've decided that the next few months will be devoted to getting the "business plan" in order. i need to revamp after maternity leave (beginning march 23rd!)- it bums me out a bit that i have to close up shop for a bit, but it's necessary. this will help me really focus on themes, styles and cohesion, so it can't be all that bad. i already have a few ideas of what i want to do, so now i have to organize all those little pieces of paper. i'm excited, though, for the revamp. i jumped in pretty quick last year, so the next few months will allow me to look at what i really want to create.
and here are the pups enjoying the snow...
i've decided that the next few months will be devoted to getting the "business plan" in order. i need to revamp after maternity leave (beginning march 23rd!)- it bums me out a bit that i have to close up shop for a bit, but it's necessary. this will help me really focus on themes, styles and cohesion, so it can't be all that bad. i already have a few ideas of what i want to do, so now i have to organize all those little pieces of paper. i'm excited, though, for the revamp. i jumped in pretty quick last year, so the next few months will allow me to look at what i really want to create.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
taxes taxes taxes
a fellow etsy seller (and paper enthusiast), InvitaPaperStudio sent me this handy little tax cheat sheet as far as business write offs. i thought i'd share!
1. Advertising- i included any blog ads that i did.
2. Delivery and freight- all my shipping supplies and packaging supplies.
3. Dues and subcriptions
4. Office expense- i included any tools (like my corner rounder, etc) printer, banner for shows, table, etc.
5. Postage- Total shipping that i paid, so keep your receipts!
6. Printing- any printing you got done outside of your own printer.
7. Supplies- Pretty much the majority of things we buy for our type of business! paper, envelopes, ink, paper samples i ordered, etc.
8. telephone
9. And under other:
- Craft Show fees
- Etsy fees and Paypal Fees
- Publications- i bought some books, so it went under this
- Mileage to post office, to go and buy paper, craft shows, etc.
- Home internet- i gave her a percentage of how much internet use is business.
- a room in my house. She had some kind of formula she did in her computer, where i gave her the square footage of the room, plus electricity bill for the months i was in business, and she came up with a total.
1. Advertising- i included any blog ads that i did.
2. Delivery and freight- all my shipping supplies and packaging supplies.
3. Dues and subcriptions
4. Office expense- i included any tools (like my corner rounder, etc) printer, banner for shows, table, etc.
5. Postage- Total shipping that i paid, so keep your receipts!
6. Printing- any printing you got done outside of your own printer.
7. Supplies- Pretty much the majority of things we buy for our type of business! paper, envelopes, ink, paper samples i ordered, etc.
8. telephone
9. And under other:
- Craft Show fees
- Etsy fees and Paypal Fees
- Publications- i bought some books, so it went under this
- Mileage to post office, to go and buy paper, craft shows, etc.
- Home internet- i gave her a percentage of how much internet use is business.
- a room in my house. She had some kind of formula she did in her computer, where i gave her the square footage of the room, plus electricity bill for the months i was in business, and she came up with a total.
Monday, February 11, 2008
a lot of catching up to do...
wow i haven't blogged in a while. so i waited until i made my final decision to say anything, but i had the opportunity to cross off one of the items on my "wish list" which one you ask? the lovely little letterpress... I KNOW! i was thisclose to being the new owner of a fantastic C&P letterpress! a man close to here was selling off his father-in-law's old printshop and had so many great machines in there that, had i had a bigger clientele list, i would have bought all of them. the hubz and i went down to take a look and this thing was HUGE! it would literally take up the entire garage and i wouldn't have any room to actually run the pretty thing. so, with heavy heart and a tear in my eye, i had to turn down the offer. the hubz was so sweet-asking if i wanted to look into storage units, etc etc. but i decided in the end that i valued my arms and fingers (i literally would have had to stand on a chair to feed this thing) way too much- and that my kid coming in april might want a mother with all her fingers as well... so i had to turn it down. ugh, still bums me out to this day, but i figure if i work my ass off this next year to build five dot and work hard to design great things, then i'll start to look again.
so i've been slacking in the posting department... partly because we have so much going on right now, another part because i haven't been feeling well (not sure if i'm getting something or if its just because i'm preggo) and another part because my house is chaotic. i'm actually in the process of making my list of things to do not only this weekend and next week while the hubz is out of town. i can get so much more done when he's not here... i usually just want to hang out with him when he's home because he's been working late and longer hours, so i try and get as much time with him as i can (everyone together, now... "awwwww" there- got it out of your system.)
another reason i've been lacking in the posting department is i was beginning to get a little miffed- well i wouldnt' say miffed, but more disappointed with the etsy sellers... i was doing my forum surfing looking for opportunities to put in my two cents, get some exposure and swap some good shop talk, but every time i went into a thread, it was a poor-pitiful me story of how their sales are slow and "what's wrong with my items? why don't i have any sales" and blah blah blah. i had written this LONG blog entry about it and decided that i didn't want to post it. so instead i just mention it now... all i want to say from it is that EVERYONE wants more sales... i want more sales, the girl in north dakota wants more sales- everyone wants more sales... but going into a forum and- basically- whining about it isn't going to get those sales. done commenting.
one thing that's been bothering me is that i still haven' finished my new year's goals list or my 35 by 35 list (that one may have to be on-going). i wanted to have at least 10 goals for this year (maybe i'll post them on the blog so that i can be held accountable... plus i can do updates... hmmmm- i might think about that one a little more). it bothers me a bit that my posts aren't as design-driven as i would like them to be, but that's something i'm just going to have to get over. my life is my design, so it's going to get intertwined. i redesigned my shower thank you notes yesterday and i l-o-v-e them, so they'll be in the shop soon.
okay, so i think i've gotten everyone caught up. i'll have photos up and posted soon- hopefully... well don't hold your breath. i haven't moved from the couch much lately.
so i've been slacking in the posting department... partly because we have so much going on right now, another part because i haven't been feeling well (not sure if i'm getting something or if its just because i'm preggo) and another part because my house is chaotic. i'm actually in the process of making my list of things to do not only this weekend and next week while the hubz is out of town. i can get so much more done when he's not here... i usually just want to hang out with him when he's home because he's been working late and longer hours, so i try and get as much time with him as i can (everyone together, now... "awwwww" there- got it out of your system.)
another reason i've been lacking in the posting department is i was beginning to get a little miffed- well i wouldnt' say miffed, but more disappointed with the etsy sellers... i was doing my forum surfing looking for opportunities to put in my two cents, get some exposure and swap some good shop talk, but every time i went into a thread, it was a poor-pitiful me story of how their sales are slow and "what's wrong with my items? why don't i have any sales" and blah blah blah. i had written this LONG blog entry about it and decided that i didn't want to post it. so instead i just mention it now... all i want to say from it is that EVERYONE wants more sales... i want more sales, the girl in north dakota wants more sales- everyone wants more sales... but going into a forum and- basically- whining about it isn't going to get those sales. done commenting.
one thing that's been bothering me is that i still haven' finished my new year's goals list or my 35 by 35 list (that one may have to be on-going). i wanted to have at least 10 goals for this year (maybe i'll post them on the blog so that i can be held accountable... plus i can do updates... hmmmm- i might think about that one a little more). it bothers me a bit that my posts aren't as design-driven as i would like them to be, but that's something i'm just going to have to get over. my life is my design, so it's going to get intertwined. i redesigned my shower thank you notes yesterday and i l-o-v-e them, so they'll be in the shop soon.
okay, so i think i've gotten everyone caught up. i'll have photos up and posted soon- hopefully... well don't hold your breath. i haven't moved from the couch much lately.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
lucky 5's...
so i do believe today is turning around...
i had my first etsy sale today :-) and all from telling someone where i bought my business cards. whoo hoo!
give that girl a prize!
i had my first etsy sale today :-) and all from telling someone where i bought my business cards. whoo hoo!
give that girl a prize!
blog smog
i haven't been very chatty lately due to the fact that i've been in a crap mood and the weather has been the same as me. i woke up this morning around 6 to a poor, scared little matilda quivering next to me in bed due to the thunderstorm going on. i felt bad for her, but i'm so tired now. big marv slept right thru the commotion.
i saw wicked this weekend (yes, a little late on that bandwagon, but i'm okay with it). so good. amazing- i want to take mom next time it's in town.
this weekend my bathroom gets demo'd. great. looks like i'm sharing a tree trunk with the dogs for awhile.
on a design note, i'm super excited because my sorbet lemon A2 envelopes showed up yesterday on my doorstep- YAY! they're a yummy shade of sunshine to go with my new bumble bee collection. i want to purchase a few more sizes of them, but the quantities are so high, that i'm hesitant. i might have to go the retail route until i see how they do.
that's all for now.
i saw wicked this weekend (yes, a little late on that bandwagon, but i'm okay with it). so good. amazing- i want to take mom next time it's in town.
this weekend my bathroom gets demo'd. great. looks like i'm sharing a tree trunk with the dogs for awhile.
on a design note, i'm super excited because my sorbet lemon A2 envelopes showed up yesterday on my doorstep- YAY! they're a yummy shade of sunshine to go with my new bumble bee collection. i want to purchase a few more sizes of them, but the quantities are so high, that i'm hesitant. i might have to go the retail route until i see how they do.
that's all for now.
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