Don't Stop Believing

Last week was, well, very difficult for me. Lot's of events happened that I won't bore you with. Just know that I ended up in tears a few times- thankfully Bobby was there to give me a hug.

What I didn't realize is how the enemy used these events. Everything that happened was pretty normal life stuff- but it all happened in one week, almost breaking me. My confidence was turned to self consciousness and my triumphs were turned into burdens. How did that happen? I let it. I should have known that this would happen- but I wasn't paying attention.

I think we have all been there- you let your guard down and boom! You're on your knees. Thankfully, I was reminded of this scripture today:

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, Ephesians 6:11-18.


My goal for this week is to be purposeful about putting on my "armor". Want to join?

Now on to some fun... Tasty Tuesday!

I have a lot of recipes that I want to share with you. I've decided to starts "Tasty Tuesday" a day committed to a favorite recipe of mine. The first recipe is:

Cajun Shrimp and Rice Casserole
Serves 6-8

Gourmet Cupboard

1 lb raw shrimp, shell removed
2 cups rice, uncooked
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup shredded cheese (I like Mexican Blend)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (Use Pacific brand if you need Gluten Free)
1 can cream of chicken soup (Use Pacific brand if you need Gluten Free)
2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 stick butter

Make rice according to package directions. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in large sauce pan. Add bell pepper and onion. Saute 5-6 minutes. Add garlic (don't let it burn!). Cook until onions are translucent. Add soups, pepper, seasoning and shrimp. Cook until shrimp turns pink. Add rice to pot by spoonfuls. Stir to combine. Pour mixture into a greased glass cooking pan. Top with cheese. Cook in oven for 20 minutes or until cheese starts to bubble.

Enjoy!

Seaglass and Seagulls

Oh, it's Monday again. Yawn...

The weather in Colorado Springs today started out chilly- then quickly morphed into another warm day. Ugh! I'm so ready for fall and cool weather.

Inspired by the ever annoying weather, I created this treasury on etsy. The place I will miss the most once winter comes will be the one where seagulls hang out and you can walk around and find sea glass... take a look!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c921df6cabf8eefe9f5b88e/seaglass-and-seagulls?index=1

I wanted to share with you one of my favorite fall recipes. I am a big soup person- which drives Bobby bonkers, leading to comments like "Soup Again?" and "I think I'll scrounge around for dinner tonight."

Black Bean Soup
Serves 4-6

1 box organic chicken stock
4 cans black beans, drained
1/2 cup frozen onions
6 bacon slices, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
White pepper to taste

Topping:
Cheese
Sour cream

In a large pot, cook bacon pieces until they start to brown over medium heat. Add onions and cook until they turn translucent ~ 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for a minute. Add remaining ingredients to the pot. Stir well and let simmer for 30 minutes. Add half of the soup to a blender and puree (or use a potato masher to work in the pot). Return the pureed soup to the pot. Serve Immediately with cheese quesadillas. Soup tastes wonderful topped with cheese and sour cream.

Enjoy!

A Day in the Life

My friend Abby inspired this entry.

I want to share my experiences with selling handmade items on Etsy. In no way am I a professional- just learning. I hope what I have learned will help you and maybe you can teach me too!

Finding an item to sell:
It is best to find a category to sell from. I don't think it works well to sell handmade purses and coffee sleeves in the same shop. Instead, separate them into two shops. Unless of course you want to sell Antiques or Supplies- anything goes then.

Find something you enjoy making because you will hopefully be making a lot of it!

Creating your shop:
Photography is SO important. A customer is not going to take your shop seriously if your pictures are grainy and your banner is dinky looking. Create a few banner/avatar options and choose the best one. I have been through 4 since March and I feel like mine are pretty strong now. Also, when you start photographing your items, plan on spending quite a bit of time. You aren't there with the buyer, and pictures are the biggest selling point. Click here to read a great blog on photography tips.

Here are some great examples of product photos, banners, and avatars:




http://www.etsy.com/listing/55753284/heart?ref=tre-4c92874c93758eefe800ea25-5



http://www.etsy.com/listing/50807226/patchouli-handmade-soap-vegan-cold?ref=tre-4c93a80577f66d919a7279ca-10

http://www.etsy.com/listing/56292672/vintage-pottery-collection?ref=tre-4c93a80577f66d919a7279ca-12



http://www.etsy.com/shop/kamlampcompany



 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PonderandStitch?ref=seller_info

 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/EccentricOcean



http://www.etsy.com/shop/krugsecologic

 Your shop is created, you have a great product, and your banner rocks. Now what?

Marketing Tips:

This area is one where I am still feeling out. I have tried purchasing showcase spots, facebook updates, and chatting away on forums, blogs, and treasuries. One of these strategies is not going to get you sales- you need all of them, and probably more.

On Sunday, I joined a daily listing club on etsy's forums. Since then, I have had four sales this week. Now, I have to take into account that I did a showcase last week, I have updated facebook a lot this week, and I have spent around 3-4 hours a day on forums. It's not a get rich quick scheme. It takes hard work, pushing yourself to constantly improve your strategies and shop.

Every morning, I wake up at 6 am and have a cup of coffee. I hop on the computer and chat a little while on forums. Then, I create a new listing and share it with the club. Around 8 am I get ready for work and leave 30 minutes later. When I get home at 5:30 I get dinner on the stove and head back downstairs to hop on the forums again. I work on any boards that have been sold, and package the complete ones for shipping. I also run errands and purchase supplies for my shop 2-3 times a week. After I'm done working on the sold items for the night, I create a treasury- which is a great way to advertise! Around 10:30 pm, I crawl into bed and prepare to do it all again.

So no, it's not easy. But is it worth it? Oh yea! Just ask Pink Perch who has had 1100 sales in the last year.

For more detailed tips and information, check out the etsy blog and community. They are such a wealth of information!

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

I cannot believe I have neglected this since February. Online community, please accept my apology.

Now that business is out of the way, lets get down to fun. For all of those living in Colorado, don't forget to head to the mountains this month to see the golden Aspen trees. Bobby and I are planning to take Aspen to see her namesake. Should be a lot of fun- as long as I don't have to hike very far.
 

In the past few weeks I have really been investing time in my Etsy business. This morning I shipping this set to Kristal:

I have to say that I am pretty proud of it. :) I will list this board with a different fabric tomorrow at purelychicforyou.etsy.com for any of you that are interesed.

Today, I am running a free gift with purchase promotion: Buy a large cork board or calendar frame and receive a free ribbon cork board (pictured above). Only good through Midnight tonight, so better hurry!

In August, Bobby and I visited California with Harrison and Brian. We had a lot of fun...

Some other big news I found out recently was that I have Celiac. This means that I can't eat any gluten... which can be a bummer sometimes. Inspired by fall, I wanted to share this Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread recipe with you from Fitnessandfreebies:

Picture from examiner.com


Ingredients:


1-1/2 cup bean flour
1-1/2 cup rice flour
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 teaspoons Xanthan Gum
2 cups pureed cooked or canned pumpkin
1 cup honey
1 cup corn oil (or other vegetable oil)
1/2 cup water
4 eggs


Directions:

Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and spices.
Stir together pumpkin, corn oil and water, add eggs one at a time.
Make a well in center of flour mixture, add pumpkin mixture and stir.
Pour into prepared pans and bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees.


Enjoy!