Monday, November 11, 2013

Thank you veterans

Big thank you to all our veterans.   We have such outstanding men and women out there representing our county and defending it.
Thank you to those who are no longer with us who served.  My husband, brother and dad.
Thanks to my family who are still here but served proudly, my husbands brother and other family members.
We do send our prayers and thoughts to you and we are so proud of all of you.
Thank you

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Handmade

Just reading in the Etsy forums about a new Facebook page encouraging people to buy handmade and asking Etsy crafters to help support handmade gifts.
https://www.facebook.com/handmademonday
I think it would be great if shoppers looked at the handmade crafts that are available to them and so many are wonderful original ideas and very affordable considering the amount of hours that go into making them.
There are gift ideas for every member of your family including the pets on Etsy and Zibbet.
Yes, it is ok for you to stop by my stores on those two sites too.
I know I shall be spending some money shopping handmade this year and did last year also.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/straycatfarm
http://www.zibbet.com/straycatfarm
Have a wonderful holiday season.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Thank you

Sorry been so slow writing this but a big thank you to all of you who were there and helped me with the sudden loss of my husband due to health issues.
You made it so much easier to get through those hard times and a thank you also from his sister who lived with us.
Thanks to all of you who helped us with the big move from Michigan to be with  family.
My sister in law and I are ready to start a new life here and I have reopened my Etsy store and my Zibbet shop.
Doing crafts is a great way to keep your mind busy.
Thanks again for everyone who was there in thought, prayer and all the other wonderful things you did for us.
Thanks to our family here for being there for us now.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Craft shows

It is that time of year again.  Craft show season.
Always look forward to the shows as they are so much fun and hopefully produce extra cash for you.
Yes, it is a lot of work hauling the tent and tables and boxes from the truck over to the space and somehow you never get there at the right time to park close.
Even though we have been doing this for years, it still takes more then an hour to set up the booth and get it ready to go.
Folding towels and displaying jewelry takes time and each time we like to try one new display idea if possible.
You look forward to spending time with the vendors you have not seen all winter and the repeat customers who come back each year.
The one tip I have that you don't usually hear is take your pop or soda, in a bottle with a cap.  You will spill it sometime if you take it in a can.  If you don't accidently knock it over, a customer will.
Only took a couple of times before I quickly switched to bottled pop.
Don't overlook sheets as table cloths either as they are inexpensive and come in many colors and can be purchased in lots of sizes.  I use twin and it works fine on my tables.
Thrift shops often have sheets at a low price.
We shop thrift shops for display items too.  You never know what you may find such as picture frames to put you price signs in.
Just don't forget to have fun and enjoy hearing the compliments you get on your product and meeting new people.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

New stuff

Does everyone else get excited when you put something new in your shop?    You list it and run to the stats and watch for someone to find it.   You go in several times a day and look at the views and are either excited about great views or sad that no one has found you.  
Well here are some of my new products.
Stop by our two shops
https://www.etsy.com/shop/straycatfarm
https://www.etsy.com/shop/blackberrybarn



 
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Saturday, May 11, 2013

Spring

So ready for spring.   It seems like it just does not want to come and stay.
Spring is such a wonderful season as the trees start to leaf out and the early bulbs start to pop up out of the ground.
The lilac tree is so close to blooming and that is my favorite flower.
Ready to start working the soil and plant garden so we can finally have some tomatoes with real flavor and not the boring green house ones.
Spring brings the start of the craft show season too and those are both fun and hopefully profitable.   Really enjoy getting out and seeing the repeat customers who come each year to the show and being able to say hi.
Finally time to get the shorts out of storage and put away the heavier winter coats.
Going outside for a walk to enjoy this weather.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Etsy teams

Often wondered about Etsy teams and were they worth the time to participate.   Still don't have an answer but have enjoyed being part of the teams.
Not only do you get a little more visability for your shop but I like the way you can find new friends and find wonderful new items and shops as you participate in the teams.
I really like doing treasuries and I have found some wonderful new shops that way.  
Facebook, I am still having trouble learning but working on it.  Twitter I don't do at this time.
My blackberrybarn shop has an account with craftori which is a free place to promote and I have fun with Pinterest.
Just joined a new team this morning,
https://www.etsy.com/teams/16456/go-viral-promotions
and I think it will be a fun team to be part of.
So many things to learn about promoting your Etsy shops.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Good morning

Wondering where everyone gets their great ideas for writing on blogs.   There are so many talented blog writers out there and so many are willing to share their creative secrets with us.
We have been off wandering around looking for supplies.    I do like to buy them on Etsy and that way we all help each other but it is also fun to go to the local shops and see what treasures you can find.   It is always a good thing to help local small businesses so they can stay open and add some great variety of items that are often different then the chain stores offer.
Artists and creative people prefer to help others like them become successful also by supporting them.
Well, I guess this blog has become a support your local shop story. 

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Wildhorsefarm

https://www.etsy.com/shop/WildHorseFarm











Welcome to Wildhorse farm on Etsy.
A very talented artist who fills her shop with a variety of handmade items.
You can find some jewelry she has made along with handmade breyer horse tack and saddles.  This horse tack is for horses similar to Breyer.
You can find handmade purses, each one a little different then the other one.
There are a few vintage patterns in the shop for variety.
Stop by her shop and take a peak.











Thursday, April 11, 2013

Koda

This is the story of Koda.  
He is a special horse who we were lucky enough to have stay with us for a while and entertain us.
He is a beautiful light sorrel with flaxen mane and tail and with a big beautiful bald face.  He even had white eyelashes on one side of his head.  
Koda was a rescue horse who needed love and food and attention. 
We brought him to the farm and he put on weight and played and ate up all attention he could get.  He especially like us to go and pick the clover outside the fence and bring it to him.
Koda gave us many hours of enjoyment watching him but he missed having other horses in his life and at the time we only had the one.
Twice he managed to break through the fence.  One morning, early, our neighbor came over and said that Koda was standing on his front porch and he brought him back home.  He must have liked to visit the neighbors.
The second time he broke the fence down, he headed for our backdoor.
He really wanted friends so he is now a few miles away at a farm with other horses and he has a couple of girlfriends he likes to run and play with in the fields.
He is so happy to be with the other horses and is healthy.
We do miss him but he is where he should be after we brought him back to health.
Yes, we have a stronger fence now and are keeping our eyes and ears open for another rescue horse who needs food and love and attention.  Ok, we are keeping our eyes open for perhaps two rescue horses so they are not alone.
We enjoyed Koda so much we thought we would share his story with you.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Blogging

There are some really awesome blogs out there with such talented people writing them.
Perhaps there is still room for those of us who are beginners and whose talent is not writing.
The hardest part has been looking for topics to write about. 
There are some wonderful craft ideas,  receipes,  ideas and suggestions for all kinds of things around the house.
Some are just fun to read because of the story they tell.
So I am off reading blogs to inspire me to find fun topics to write about and not put the readers who happen to stop by to sleep.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Where is spring

Where is spring?   So ready for some sunny and warm weather.  
I was not prepared to see snowflakes drifting down this last week.   While it did not stick there was a light dusting on the ground for a short time.
Once you get into spring you are ready to plant garden and get ready for summer craft shows.
With the price of groceries going up all the time, I think I will plant a bigger garden this year so we can have lots of fresh vegtables that we know are healthy.
I see lots of salads in our future and I love them with lots of tomatoes.
At least we can sit down with the seed catalogs and dream.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Free shipping

Yes, I did not keep my promise to keep my blog up so I am going for second chances here.
Running a sale this week in one of my shops that all agate jewelry has free shipping.
We all need a little break on price when we can get it and with tax season here, we perhaps need even more breaks.
We are slowly building our jewelry shop and you will find several pieces of agates in our shop
Stop by our shop and see our agate necklaces.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/straycatfarm
Hope everyone has a wonderful day.