NEW! Ninja Cat Scrabble Tile Pendant

Here’s our latest original illustration and Scrabble Tile Pendant – Ninja Cat! He has been trained in the Japanese art of Ninjutsu.  Combine that with his feline stealth, and he is the silent killer.  His specialty is not assassination but rather espionage. Meeeeuwww…watch out, Chuck Norris!

Orangeni » Dolls with Personality

Orangeni Nadia Doll

On my daily Etsy stumble, I came across UK soft doll designer, Eve, and her fabulous collection at Orangeni Soft Cuddles.  The grapic designer turned Etsian creates dolls with what she calls “strong personalities”.  You can’t help but love her whimsy approach to her child friendly toys.  Eve says, “Sometimes I feel like they use me as some kind of portal to this world”.  I especially love her gift for merchandising her dolls, which are lovingly placed in a scene suited to their personality.  Check them out!

Red Riding Hood Treasury

Thanks so much to dutchpearl for featuring our Red Riding Hood Scrabble pendant in their Red Riding Hood Treasury!  Perfect finds and colours for Valentines Day!

 

I can be Googled, therefore I am

Modern technology and the internet is an amazing thing.  If you think about it, in the past 150 years we’ve progressed from using telegrams to sending information at the speed of light on personal computers.  It’s a huge advancement in mankind’s ability to reach further into the unknown.

Harnessing the web is definitely a skill, one that only a handful of people truly have.  Everyone on the internet wants to be at the top of Google’s list.  Millions of people spend every day vying for a spot on the first page.  I’ve been exploring different ways to use the internet to my advantage, attempting to earn extra money while still spending time with the little one.  I thought I would pass along my knowledge to my readers.

There are several different sites that will pay you for income generated by Google Adsense, like Hubpages or SheToldMe.  You can write about anything that interests you, from handicrafts to finance.  By putting the initial work in to writing, I’ve been able to generate a small but steady income.  Another way that I’ve made a considerable amount of money is with oDesk.  This is a great place for freelancers to find work like design, accounting, sales, customer service, or as a virtual assistant.  Or why not open an Etsy shop?  If you’re handy with a sewing machine or knitting needles, then why not sell your creations?  Check out this step-by-step guide to opening an Etsy shop.

You can read my hubpage about real money making jobs for stay at home moms, for additional information on how to earn money from home.

Revamp with the Vamps of Etsy

Thanks so much to Meagan at Baby Swank for allowing us to be apart of her 20 part series ReVAMPing Your Etsy Shop Blog Series!  Stay tuned for Crafty Bird Creation’s part on Mar. 14 – Message to Buyers and May 2 – Packaging & Shipping.  The series features some of Etsy’s top sellers, giving their best advice for running a successful shop. Check it out in the coming weeks!

Old McDonald had a farm, ia, ia, oh! Treasury

Thanks so much to elsahats for featuring our Red Riding Hood Scrabble Tile Pendant in their Old McDonald had a farm Treasury!  Fun and fabulous picks!

Great Etsy Alternatives

Etsy is a great place to buy and sell all things handmade.  But sometimes we need an Etsy alternative, as a buyer or a seller.  Expand your handmade scope by checking out some of these other handmade marketplaces!  All have their ups and downs, but everyone offers products that you’ll never find from the average mall!

15 Great Etsy Alternatives for Selling Handmade

Take me to the fair Treasury

Thanks so much to our friend katecancreate for featuring our Bingo Scrabble tile pendant in her Take me to the Fair Treasury!  Fabulous picks and soooooo fun!

NEW! Love is Worthwhile Scrabble Tile Pendant

Just in time for Valentines Day.  This is one of our newest Scrabble tile pendant designs, “Love is Worthwhile”.

The other night, hubby and I curled up and watched a documentary called Robot Nation about Japan’s economy and their introduction of robots into society.  The Japanese aren’t having babies and the population is shrinking dramatically.  Some are blaming robots and too much work.   But this can be said of a lot of countries, where love is being replaced by work.  Even here in Italy, there is a decline in births.

So I started to ponder love.  Who does it best?  Where does it comes from?  What makes love, love?  They used to say that the French and Italians did it best, wooing us over with their cuisine and poetic languages.  But this isn’t the case any longer, as they too are becoming career and money driven nations.  Is love deteriorating before our eyes?  How can we live without it?  Love is what gets us out of bed in the morning, that makes us yearn for more, and what makes the world go round.  Or does it?  We either choose love or we don’t.  If you choose not to have love, then sobeit.  But I truly believe that love puts fire in our bellies, that gives us passion for things we believe in, and love is what makes the ride worthwhile.

Enjoy.

Boost Traffic to your Etsy Shop

For all of you who have an Etsy shop, or if you’re thinking about opening one, this list is a must-read for gaining traffic and sales.  We’ve created a HubPage to help you along the way to Etsy success.  Have a read:

20 Ways to Increase Traffic to your Etsy Shop

There are loads of ideas that you may not have even thought of, like branding and promoting by RSS feed.  There’s also a great list of books that are essential reads for Etsy sellers.