The Pink Crab

Technical Difficulties

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:51:00 +0000

So I log into my Etsy shop this morning and I realize I have nothing listed for sale! I forgot that listings expire. LOL. I seriously need to keep better tabs on it. So how has Etsy been for everyone lately? I've noticed a lot of changes on the site, some for the better, others I'm not so sure. I'm hoping the holidays will be rocking, though, if you'd like a custom pet portrait, reserve yours now in my shop! Ta-ta for now :)

"Libertad" or Freedom for Cuba 10-20-09

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:13:00 +0000

I just wanted to lend my voice to a movement that is going on today throughout the blogosphere. A group of cuban bloggers from within and outside the island are crying out for freedom today. I support them and wish them continued fortitude in their daily struggle.

I was lucky enough to be born this country, my grandparents left Cuba once they realized Castro was nothing but a lying, murderous, scoundrel. Many of these young bloggers have not been so lucky, they have had to remain on the island, many are not much older than me, but I think they may be the generation that finally wins over the tyranny. So today I lend them my humble support via a blog post. To lend your support, please click on the "libertad" image on the left. The blog is in Spanish but there is a myriad of other blogs to read, most notably "Generation Y". This blog is run by Yoani Sanchez, she is probably the most notable figure in Cuba's freedom fight right now and I believe she will remain in the forefront for years to come. She blogs from hotels where she has to pay $7-$10 an hour to use the internet since cuban citizens are not allowed to have private home internet accounts. There is a donation button on her site if you wish to help her monetarily.

Make Money and Have Fun with Moola

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:21:00 +0000

I've been a member of Moola.com for awhile now and while I don't use it every day it's always a fun little website to visit. You can play games on this site and make some cash while your at it. The concept is simple, you don't put in any money yourself they give you all the cash, it's your job to build on it or lose it all. But don't worry, once you reach zero they give you more cash. The games are pretty simple but they are a bit challenging. Just yesterday, however, I logged on and saw that they have added some third-party sites that look really entertaining including some free sports betting sites, they all work on the same premise, you don't put up any money, they give it all to you, just make sure you keep your accounts free. So that's my money making site for the day, again you won't become a millionaire, but you'll make a few extra bucks. Cash out for Moola is only $10.

New Portrait

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:44:00 +0000

Here's my latest portrait creation, it's a kitty, hope you like, I think he turned out rather well :)

To Bake or not to Bake?

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:39:00 +0000

So I decided to make cupcakes today. Thought it would be cheaper than buying them. Boy was I wrong! Turns out there was a 99 cent cupcake sale at Fresh Market so I nixed the baking! lol! So much for me trying to be Betty Crocker :)

Do blind dates ever work?

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:40:00 +0000

I'm considering going on one. But I'm terrified. There are so many disaster scenarios that go through my head when I think of blind dates, even though I've never been on one myself. Anyone out there have some experience? Did you ever go on a blind date and actually have fun? Desperately need some advice!

Mobile Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:26:00 +0000

So I just signed up for mobile blogging. Have any of you tried this yet? Does it work ok? I'm not quite sure what I'll blog about on the road, but I'm sure some bit of randomness is bound to tickle my fancy at some given point. Anywho, thanks to all my recent followers, I promise I'll keep reading everyone's blogs and I'll have some cool new posts up in the next week. Ta-ta for now!

Freebie Fix!

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:38:00 +0000

Scored some fun freebies at the mall yesterday. Coach sent me an e-mail for a free gift if I came into the store, so I did. I got a cute pack of pencils, and they even gave a bag and catalogue. Next I was off to JcPenney for my free ten day sample of Bare Minerals Foundation and Buki Brush. Also got this offer through signing up for their e-mail alerts. Guess it pays! OK, so if all that wasn't enough, I checked out Dealicious Mom's blog and found a cool seventeen magazine promotion going on at Nordstrom. Scored some deluxe samples of the Harajuku Fragrances just for bringing in a printout of the seventeen magazine homepage. You can also just bring in the actual August issue if you have it. Whew! I was exhausted, but hey, can't pass up those freebies!

Random Photo Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:45:00 +0000

These are all from my backyard!

I've been Tagged!

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:35:00 +0000

Holy sandcastles, I've been tagged!

Here's how it works: If you’ve been tagged you must write 10 details about yourself, and then tag 10 other blogs to pass it on.

A-lou Creations tagged me this morning so here goes:

Ten facts about me:

1. I love Big Macs and am not ashamed to admit it!

2. I graduated with a degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida. Go Gators!

3. I love my dogs, I've got two! Oh and 4 parakeets :)

4. I'm a recovering shop-a-holic.

5. I could spend every day at the beach and be totally happy.

6. My favorite actress of all time is Audrey Hepburn.

7. My favorite actor of all time is Tom Cruise.

8. My favorite techy gadget is my Macbook.

9. My astrological sign is Cancer, hence the "crab".

10. My favorite color is pink, hence the "pink".

Ok, so that's me in a little tiny nutshell, off to tag other bloggers!

Here's who I pick:

Purrprints: Art, Cats and Randomness
Angus Mhor
Mishkat
Lost Mitten
Crafts of Texture
Unique You
Cozy's Stitches
A Glamour Soldier
Four Dog Day
Unique Handcrafted Jewelry

Can I really make money from my Blog?

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:56:00 +0000

A question we've all asked ourselves is can we really make money from our blogs? Well, my short answer is yes and no. We've all seen them, the make money sites that promise to make us $1000's from just blogging. Yeah, my advice is to avoid those like the plague. Rule number 1 is to never pay for anything! There are plenty of free ways to monetize your blog. Only use the free ones! If they don't work out you just dump them and move on, no money lost.

My blog is currently only netting about $10 a month. Doesn't sound like much does it? Well, it's low at the moment because I haven't been giving it any TLC. Actually, I haven't even looked at my blog for over two months. So $10 for not doing anything actually isn't that bad. And guess what, you can make at least $10 from your blog every month too. I use Money4Banners, by far the easiest way to monetize your blog that I have found to date. All you do is place their banner on your site and you can bury them in an old post, which is the best part. They also pay you for referrals which is a great way to make money from these sites as well.

Another site that has actually paid me is Pepperjam Network. Join Pepperjam Network today! You can build ads for your site, it is affiliate marketing, you get paid for referrals and sign ups and such. Just a little snippet of code and you're done.

Now, of course, it helps a lot if you have a ton of traffic to your site. That is what will really make a difference in how much money you make. So have I figured out that trick yet? Well, I'm working on it. So if you have any tips or tricks feel free to post. Also if you have any other free sites that help you monetize your sites drop me a note, I'm always checking out stuff like that. Referral links welcome!

Rainy Day Blues

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 22 May 2009 18:48:00 +0000

Ugh, more rain! I'm getting the blues! Anyway, entered a bunch of contests today, maybe I'll win something so I can feel better :)

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000

There I go again taking another whole month off! I really did try to post but stuff just kept getting in the way. Etsy picked up a little early December but now it is back to a standstill. Oh, well :)

Happy New Year Everybody!!!!

Pet Portraits are Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 00:48:00 +0000

I just added my Custom Pet Portraits to my Etsy shop! Just in time for the holidays, they make great gifts :)

You can check them out in my Etsy Shop under Pet Portraits.

Gone for a Month!

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:24:00 +0000

OMG I haven't posted in a whole month! I've been swamped with school, and just haven't found the time or the inspiration to blog. Sales have been well, nonexistent, and it's starting to get cool out so I guess I've just felt like hibernating! Anyways, hope to be back to blogging regularly soon, and who knows, maybe I'll throw in a contest or two :)

Reupholstering a Chair

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:57:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, my mom and I decided to tackle an upholstering project. We figured, why not? We've seen it done a hundred times on HGTV, how hard could it be right? Well, it wasn't easy but it wasn't impossible either. Here's a little photo montage :)

(Suggested Materials: Heavy Duty Staple Gun, Hammer, Pliers, Screwdrivers, Scissors, Needle and Thread, Sewing Machine)

Here's what the chair looked like when we began.
We pulled off all the old fabric. This meant pulling out a bajillion staples. The important thing to remember in this step is to save all of the fabric pieces in tact. You will need them as a pattern to cut your new pieces from. Also, save all of the stuffing too :)

Next,
you see the beginnings of the new chair. Each piece of new fabric had to be cut and replaced with staples. Remember how all the pieces were attached and attach them the same way, this way you won't mess up the look of the chair.

The chair had two side panels that had to be pried off. Once re-upholstered, they had to be nailed back in. Believe it or not, this was the easiest part of the process.

The trickiest part was sewing the bottom section back on to the chairs' pad. Tricky only because it had to be done by hand. Well, maybe not tricky, maybe just a pain in the you know what!

So after working on this chair for about a week and going through another bajillion staples it was finally finished! The fabric itself was inexpensive thanks to one of Joann Fabrics great clearance sales and the only extras we had to purchase were some staples for our trusty heavy duty staple gun.

I think the finished product was well worth it, especially when you consider the price of a new chair these days! lol :)

and the winner is...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:13:00 +0000

Congratulations to Digital Misfit! You won my Labor Day Giveaway! Yay!

Stay tuned for my next giveaway, coming soon :)

Labor Day Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 01:45:00 +0000

In honor of Labor Day, I'm giving away one of my business card cases to one lucky reader! All you have to do is visit my Etsy or DaWanda Shop and post a comment with a link to your favorite item from either of my shops :)

Super easy to enter and super easy to win! I will pick a winner using a random number generator on Sep. 15th. Yay!

and the winner is....

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 04:51:00 +0000

Congratulations to Marge from Rock Creek Creations! You won my tote bag giveaway from Lala's Pequenos! Yay!

Stay tuned for my next giveaway coming soon!

:)

Money4Banners

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:12:00 +0000

Can I just give a shout out to Money4Banners? I just got paid again and this time it was $27. I'm totally loving this program. In case you haven't heard about them, they are also known as Bucks4Banners (same company). All you do is put up three banners on your site and they pay you $5 a month plus whatever you make in referrals. Payouts are about every 2 weeks or so and their customer service is reliable (I had an issue and I got a very quick response from them). They pay 10 british pounds per referral which works out to about $17. Yeah, pretty awesome right? If you have a site with at least three different urls (let's say a blog, with three different posts) give them a try. I think this is the best and easiest way for any website with little or high traffic to make some money. Oh and did I mention the $10 sign up bonus? Yeah, they rock ;)

My New DaWanda Shop!

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:30:00 +0000

Well, I decided to open a DaWanda shop! I'm not totally leaving Etsy, but I hope to clear my inventory out of there soon. I will still feature Etsy artists and I will still shop from there, but selling my stuff there is just too much of a chore for me right now. I'm having a moving sale though so check it out!

Here's my new DaWanda shop, it's still a bit bare but I hope you like it!

Etsy Feature: Smile 4 Katie's ACEO Around the World

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 22:45:00 +0000

Katie from Smile 4 Katie is hosting an ACEO* around the world event. The way it all started is she had the idea to provide one of her ACEO mats (which are awesome btw) and an ACEO of hers to travel through a list of participants from around the world. We each get to keep the ACEO we receive and then send another ACEO to the next recipient along with Katie's mat. I was lucky enough to get on the list and wanted to share my ACEO with my blog readers and also have you check out all of the awesome artists participating at Katie's blog.
*ACEO stands for Art Cards, Editions and Originals and the only requirements are that they be 2 1/2" x 3 1/2". They can be prints of previous artwork, or an original work of art.

VistaPrint now offering Lawn Signs

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:56:00 +0000

I've heard all of the complaints and all of the great reviews about Vistaprint throughout the years, and I have been on the fence many a time myself. I have to say though, that overall, my experiences with Vistaprint have always been quite favorable. I don't think you can find business cards any cheaper and their quality is indeed very good. What keeps me coming back to Vistaprint, however, is the fact they are always adding new services and products and they always manage to keep their prices very competitive. I was browsing the site today and found that they are now offering lawn signs. This was excellent news to me because my friends and I have garage sales regularly and sometimes our homemade signs are less than up to par. We can finally get an affordable professional looking sign! These signs would also work great for real estate agents or any other event that needed advertising. They would even work great for the upcoming presidential election. You can show your support for your candidate on a high quality corrugated plastic sign! They've even got a great coupon code you can take advantage of. Simply enter YardSigns25 at checkout to receive 25% Off your Yard Signs order!

No Sales in August

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:07:00 +0000

I've been on Etsy since April of this year, and this is my first month without a sale. Yikes! It probably has a lot to do with the fact that I haven't listed or renewed anything in weeks. This further proves my theory about having to stay at the top of the search listings to even have a chance at success on Etsy. I've seriously got to end my crafting drought though, I've got about four projects I need to finish!

On another note, my free shipping sale has officially ended for the summer, so now I have to go alter all my listings. Wow, Etsy needs a lot of improvements. Editing listings is still very cumbersome, but we must make do for now. Little by little it should get better. I hope sales pick up soon too! Although, I know I have to put a lot more effort into that one on my part, lol :)

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Pepperjam Ranks High on Fastest Growing List

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:29:00 +0000

I already knew Pepperjam Network was a great affiliate marketing network, but Inc. 500 has just named Pepperjam as one of the top 100 fastest growing privately-held companies in the United States. This is big news for Pepperjam and, may I add, highly deserved. I love the ease of use and the great selection of programs that Pepperjam Network offers. The website has a phenomenal interface. Your stats are always easy to understand and everything is updated regularly. One visit to their site and blog and it is easy to see why they are the #1 fastest growing affiliate marketing network.

I highly recommend Pepperjam Network. If you haven't tried affiliate marketing, give Pepperjam a try, you won't be disappointed. The potential for big revenue through affiliate marketing is no joke and Pepperjam Network is well on its way to becoming the leader of the pack.