RME, the new PayPal?

I certainly hope so! If you haven't heard of RME, it is an online payment service much like Paypal. You can read all about it at www.revolutionmoneyexchange.com, and yes it is totally legit, you can read more about that here. Currently, money can only be exchanged between RME users, but like PayPal, you can withdraw and deposit money straight from your bank account. There are no fees for receiving or sending money, unlike PayPal, which is why I love it so. I've been able to use it on quite a few Etsy transactions and have had no problems using the service. I've transferred the money to my bank account without any hassle and have even made money from referring my friends. That's another added perk. They pay you a whopping $10 per referral and you can make up to $500. Will they be able to keep it fee free forever? I don't know. But in the meantime, I'm enjoying my extra cash :)

Featured Etsy Seller: Crafty Ladies

My featured Etsy shop today is Crafty Ladies. This is a mother-daughter team and they have the most adorable variety of goodies in their shop! You can find everything from pet toys to scarves to baby shower favors. I encourage you to check out this shop, you won't be disappointed. Everything is lovely and you are sure to find that perfect item for every occasion. You could even start shopping for Christmas! Check out the adorable gingerbread man ornament below, also available at Crafty Ladies! Don't you just love all the talent you find on Etsy?

SPOTLIGHT: mrsdstahl on Etsy

Ever at a loss for words? Say it with a handmade greeting card! mrsdstahl's shop on Etsy will surely have the card you are looking for. Be it birthday, party, sympathy, or just a simple thank you, you'll find them all at mrsdstahl. You can even purchase a variety pack of 30 different cards for every occasion imaginable. This weekend you can buy 1 card and get any second of equal or lesser value half off, (including custom wedding, birthday, baby announcements and invitations). What a great deal! Stop by today and stock up. :)

Project Runway and Etsy

By now I'm sure the secret is out. Leanne Marshall and Kelli Martin, both Etsy shop owners, are finalists on Bravo's Project Runway! This was very exciting news to the Etsy community. Leanne's shop is called Leanimal and Kelli's shop is called AntiLabel. These ladies are very talented, Kelli was already the winner of the very first challenge! I can't wait to see if they can go all the way to the final. I am delighted these ladies have had this much success, it serves as an inspiration to us all and teaches us that hard work and dedication really does pay off.

I want an iPhone!

Man I want an iPhone! It's so cheap now, I don't know how much longer I can hold out. I'm a total gadget geek and apple has been tempting me with iPhone from the beginning. I held out for the newer improved version which I knew would be coming not too far behind the first release and I'm glad I did. I was not about to spend $500, but $200 is totally doable. OMG, but I don't need it. But I WANT IT! lol :)


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Apple Renews, But Doesn't Reinvent, the iPhone - Washington Post

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Crafter's Block

I haven't created anything in over a week! I want to make some more amigurumi charms but I don't have any idea what animals to make next. I've only got the penguin to the left in my shop and he's getting lonely! I could make a turtle, a lab rat, a dog, a bunny or a ladybug. Help! Leave me a comment and help me figure out what to make next. What do you think will sell?

Stuff a Blog!

StuffaBlog.com is by far the neatest thing I've found for my blog in awhile. It is so easy to use and makes your posts really fun to read and look at. How it works is, you go to the site and type in your post and keywords. It then generates content for your post. It'll give you links to flickr, yahoo, google, or amazon so you can link relevant content to your post or blog! It is free to use and there is no login required. So much fun :)


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Optimize Your Blog

I've been busy looking into different ways of optimizing my blog to increase traffic. I came across this great article last night and thought I would share. It is a list of 101 ways to increase traffic to your blog. I found some new social blog sites I hadn't heard of before. One is spicypage and the other is zimbio. These sites are cool because you can submit your blog posts as articles for added exposure to your blog. Please vote for me and or join if you get the chance! I'm still looking through the list but I'll add updates as I go when I find other cool sites. Have fun!

SPOTLIGHT: FashionCandy on Etsy

I just found this super cute chop, FashionCandy. It is a new shop and the resin pendants are simply adorable! My favorite is the Shih Tzu pendant to the left. Isn't that precious? She also has some cute prints for sale that I'm sure you will find hard to resist. The shop owner, Heather, was nice enough to make me a new banner for my shop. I absolutely love it, you can check it out here. Visit FashionCandy, tell your friends! :)

Featured Etsy Seller: Magicouture

Wire wrapped jewelry is truly an art. There are a few great shops on Etsy that carry wire wrapped rings and Magicouture is one of the them. Her ring designs are unique and make a statement. I have not seen anything like them. I absolutely love the way she showcases the stones as you can see in the picture to the left. You will find it difficult to choose just one favorite in this shop. It's a good thing we've got ten fingers right ladies?

Take some time out of your day to visit Magicouture's Shop. You'll be glad you did!

What was up with June?

So June was my slowest month so far on Etsy. It was really quiet there for awhile. July, however, has been picking up. It seems that one good month is followed by a slow month and so on. It seems to be a weird Etsy pattern because I see many forum posts referencing the same phenomenon. There doesn't seem to be a formula for getting sales. It can be discouraging but then when you get a sale you get all inspired again. Etsy, stop messing with our minds! lol :)

Getting Paid for Blogging?

I’ve been blogging for a little over a month now and have enjoyed getting to know all about it. I also enjoy reading other people’s blogs. While browsing through a few blogs last month I noticed that a few of them were advertising a site called PayPerPost. I’ve heard of getting paid for blogging and had written a few articles in the past so I looked it up. It turns out it was super easy to register and the website is nicely laid out. I read up on the company and came across both positive and negative reviews. What finally helped me decide to give it a shot is that there really is no obligation to use payperpost, as it is a free registration, and I can do it as often or as sparingly as I like. Also, I don’t plan on just writing fluff product reviews. If I do accept a post, I would most certainly make sure it would have some benefit to my readers and that I have some personal connection or experience with the subject at hand. In the end, I also thought it would be a nice way to supplement my Etsy income. So if you’re thinking of giving something like this a shot, I recommend using Payperpost.com. It is free and simple and you really have no obligation.
Also check out this link for some interesting info related to this topic
word of mouth ethics

Mini Scrapbook Challenge

Genevieve from Sewphisticate held a Mini Scrapbook Challenge this past week and was kind enough to provide her participants with a free mini scrapbook. This challenge was so much fun and I would just like to publicly thank her :)
You can see my little scrapbook up top, I chose the theme of "Summer". She will be posting all the finished creations on her blog. You can also purchase a mini scrapbook of your own from Sewphisticate's shop!

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Key Points from my Entrepreneurship Course

So maybe this post is more for my own benefit, as I am currently studying for an exam tomorrow, but hopefully you can find something informative in it for your own business.

In business, everyone is always talking about a business plan. In actuality, however, most start-ups don't have an actual business plan as was the case with Home Depot. Also, CEO's like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Michael Dell were actually lacking in any business experience whatsoever when they founded their respective empires.

These entrepreneurial ventures were all successful, largely because the founders all had the right qualities. They all had tolerance for ambiguity, a capacity for adaptation and the right balance in their propensity to start a business. Also a propensity for innovation also played a large role. An interesting side note about Steve Jobs, is that the first person he hired at Apple was actually an artist. This was because he understood that he was not just selling a computer, he was also selling the customer on an entire experience. It is this type of vision that has helped Apple become what it is today.

So at the end of the day, whether you are just starting out in your business or have been at it for years, I believe it is important to never lose sight of the big picture. When formulating your product, you have to constantly move up the value chain and never take your customer's experience for granted. Walt Disney always said, that if at the end of the day the customer had a smile on their face, that's all that mattered.