Santa's Coming!

Not long now is it?  It's slightly frightening as I'm not sure I've done everything yet - I certainly haven't put the cards into the post that I need to so that's a job for today and I've a couple of gifts to finish.

Other than that I'm still messing around with loading up pictures of things I want to sell through my website rather than through Etsy and I managed to get some more photos done this week.  I'm glad I grabbed the moment on a sunny afternoon as the remainder of this week has been very dark and dull thanks to the usual British winter skies.

I've got lots and lots of these Tibetan repousse pendants to add (amongst other things):

I've either been brave or foolish but I've got provisional bookings at some local craft fairs in 2013, with the first one in just over a months time - hopefully this will spur me into actually making something with my huge stock of stuff that I've been amassing/have collected and as it's be January I'm going to start making some slightly Spring like things....

And I'll let you know if this goes ahead but I recently applied to be a tester/writer for a craft blog - they've accepted me and I'm now just double checking that they realise that I'm in the UK as they'll need to send me things to use and review...

Just to finish up, on the dance front I have a little break now so need to set my thinking cap on about what I shall be offering my belly dance students in 2013.

Leibster Award for Crafters

Last week amid the madness that is half-term I managed to wrench the PC away from the kids long enough to discover that I have been picked for the Liebster Award.  Twice!  My heart-felt thanks go to Mich at McCrafts, The Blog, AND to Kat at With U In Mind.  I feel very honoured to have been picked by both of you (and I should add that I only discovered I had been picked by Kat when I popped over to her blog in order to nominate here - as she's had the award already I was denied the chance of doing so!).

Anyhow, the Liebster Award is given to bloggers who have up to 200 followers in the hope that it brings them new followers and friends.  Once nominated you have to pass the award on to five other bloggers to help them too.
To accept the award you must:
1  Link back to the person who gave you the award and thank them,
2  Post the award on your blog

3  Give the award to five fellow bloggers who inspire you and

4  Leave a comment on their blog to let them know.

So here are my nominations for this weeks award:
1.  Handy Wood Crafts - this blogger really needs out support and it's not hard to do what he's asking.....

2.  Handbags by Helen - every time I read this blog I get more and more tempted to try making a bag....

3.  Chasing Art - I am lovin' these cards, and see now I want to try out making cards too.....

4.  Devon Country Diary  - I like to see what Annette is up to and I especially like this weeks Angelina leaf (that reminds me, I should dig out my Angelina fibres....)

5.  Polly Polkadot  - I woman after my own heart, a stay-at-home, self employed mum who just can't stop making things!

Ok then, I guess now I need to go and let everyone know that they've been nominated, and I shall also wander over to Handmade Monday and see what everyone has been up to.  Enjoy your week folks!

Back to it!

So, the day approaches when my youngest child goes to nursery.  Today he braved his pre-school inoculations and although the concept of going to nursery is still a little hazy for him I'm hopeful that he'll enjoy himself - and that I'll get to use the time wisely!  In all I'll get two and half hours each day to create, craft, blog, promote, practice dance and prepare my classes so I think I need to set myself some kind of schedule in order to make the most of it.

He's ready for nursery - here's a picture of him with his depiction of "Small, Medium, Big".

And until I get some more items made and pictures done and posted I'll leave you with a link to a very crafty Blog, 1st Unique Gifts

Bye bye eBlogger....

I'm quite sad to go really, I like eBlogger.  I like the set-up, the ease of use - it feels friendly....

BUT.  I also like having things in one place.

So I'm off to pastures that are not as new as they were....and that I'm slowly getting my head around....

Make sure to come join me at the new Twinkle Twinkle Shiny Things blog.

xx

Streamlining #2

So as part of my streamlining process I have finally decided to do away with my www.blackwillowtribal.co.uk website.

It's been a part of my life for some time now but as more and more of my sales and enquiries are coming via the Etsy shop I think I am wasting my money in keeping it going.  So I am starting to shift everything over and then when that's done I shall shut the website down.

SO.  If you have www.blackwillowtribal.co.uk bookmarked then you should hot-foot over to www.blackwillowbellydance.co.uk instead and go bookmark that one instead.  And hopefully you all go take a look at the Etsy shop anyway?  And if not why not? 

It makes so much more sense to have everything in one place.  And I shall have to think about transferring this Blog over to the one that's integrated into that website - again, it makes more sense to have everything in one place although I'm loving how easy this blog is to mess around with and configure.  I'm really not that technical (I'm sure I must have mentioned this before?) and the other blog bamboozles me a bit but hey, just need to make my life a little easier.

I still have a pre-schooler with me until January next year and as I generally only have evenings to get things made, practice dance and prepare for classes as well as all the promotional stuff that goes with being a teacher and designer - well, I just need a couple of places to go each evening when I'm doing webwork rather than 5 or 6. Luckily the little man was out with his dad this morning and I've had a good couple of hours on here whilst he's been relaxing so I've been able to back lots of things up, do a bit of SEO work, tweak things here and there in readiness for all the switch-overs.

I'll keep you posted with everything that's happening so that you can pop over and subscribe to stuff as it's happening, and hopefully you'll all come and see me over on the other blog and the other wbsite and then I'll make sure that I go and subscribe to everyone I like to keep up with in blog-space so I don't miss out on anything.