Black Coffee Mug | Claytastic

As I was taking one last look at a Treasury that I created on Etsy I noticed one of the featured artists had already commented on it.  I was wondering how she knew so quickly that she was included.  So, I went ahead as I always do and sent out the convos to all of the artists.  Within minutes, she replied back and told me that she saw the notification pop up in her Activity Feed.  So that sparked this question for myself.  Do I really need to send out all these emails if it’s going to show up in their Feed?  But, does everyone check theirs?

I’m growing to like the Activity Feed.  I enjoy keeping track of items that have been marked by others.  And I’ve also found some Treasuries that I’ve been featured in and would not of known about if I hadn’t checked.

Treasuries are great exposure and why not let everyone know so they can spread the link also.  I get a big kick when I wake up and open an email stating that one of my items has been chosen.  It adds a smile to my day.  I leave a comment on them and then share on my social sites.  I love to share.  And then I usually get distracted by the other artists work and forget what I was suppose to be doing.

I also view it as a time saver for the creator.  And as a newbie to creating them myself I do spend a lot of time on them.  But it’s fun!

So, what do you think about sending out emails to everyone you feature?  I’ve also found that some artists don’t notify at all.  And that’s okay as well.

Have a great day and I look forward to hearing your comments.

~Jennifer Schulting

Jennifer is one of the talented writers on our team. She discovered making greeting cards back in 2004 while attending a party with her sister. Since then she has turned that passion, combined with her love of photography, into her business Eightymillion. She is also the moderator of the Handmade Spark Vintage Lovers group on Facebook.

For every month this year I’m going to decorate the door that leads into my office.  It’s the first place I go in the morning and it’s the last place I leave before going “night night.”   So, why not have something interesting to look at, right?  And, I thought it would be a good way to slip in a few little “goals” that I have for that month.  A visual reference is always helpful and it will keep the creative process focused on my work.

For March I used a tablecloth and some die-cut shamrocks.  In the center I hung a felt sign reading Best O Luck.  Remember I mentioned in the previous posts that I need to keep items up far enough from the floor level due to the fact that I have two dogs who discovered a new hobby of picking items off and consuming them.  So, it may look a bit odd.  You could say it’s dog proof.  Total investment this month = $2.  Aren’t dollar stores the best for projects like these?

Now, let’s speak of what goals I accomplished this month.  Nothing.  You heard me correctly.  Absolutely nothing!  I was suppose to be working on my shop photos and studying my Google Analytics.  For the past few weeks I’ve been going through what I call a severe “block” in every area.  My creative muse has been silent.  I basically checked my emails everyday and engaged in a bit of social media, but as far as my writing and creating, zero!  It has gotten to the point where I did a real good cleaning of my office and got rid of a lot of items I haven’t used and figured that I wouldn’t use them any time soon.  My boyfriend asked me if I was closing down the shop.  I said that I wasn’t sure.  I’ve never been in this place before.  Weather it be stress or some outside force that causes this, I don’t like it.

So, after having some conversations with friends (thanks-you know who you are) I’m trying to get back in the game and wake up my Muse.  Reading all the blogs that I follow has helped me tremendously.  And I’ve started an ECourse with CodeLesson on Etsy API.  Along with finishing up an ECourse from Meylah.  So, with all of this and my assignments with Handmade Spark I’m back to being busy.  I’m most comfortable when I have a lot to do.  May sound crazy, but it’s my kind of “normal”.  And throughout my completion of the previously mentioned I hope to find my way back to my creative side.

My door of inspiration this month hasn’t really been one.  Perhaps the sign Best O Luck that has been hanging there was intended for myself.  I use that phrase frequently in conversations with others, so it was probably my Muse which guided me in the store to buy it cause she knew she was going on vacation.

I have no inspiration this month to offer, but I do have a question for you.

How do you cope with a “block” in your creative world?  Any and all advice is most welcome.

Thank You for listening and I look forward to your comments.

~Jennifer Schulting

Jennifer is one of the talented writers on our team. She discovered making greeting cards back in 2004 while attending a party with her sister. Since then she has turned that passion, combined with her love of photography, into her business Eightymillion. She is also the moderator of the Handmade Spark Vintage Lovers group on Facebook.

For every month this year I’m going to decorate the door that leads into my office.  It’s the first place I go in the morning and it’s the last place I leave before going “night night.”   So, why not have something interesting to look at, right?  And, I thought it would be a good way to slip in a few little “goals” that I have for that month.  A visual reference is always helpful and it will keep the creative process focused on my work.

January’s door has proven successful.  If you missed that post, click here.  I got my blog all tuned up and brought back to life.  I improved all of the titles and tags in my Etsy listings.  This was the MOST grueling task, but it felt like I won a marathon when it was done.  Well, is it ever done?  No, let’s say finely tuned.  I go back every now and then to add/delete a word or two.  So, the two tags that carried over to February were the Google Analytics and Photos.  Using a red plastic tablecloth I covered the door and attached some Vintage Valentines all over it.  Then I cut some hearts out of some Valentine themed paper.  A kindergarten activity that I didn’t forget how to do.  And on two of the hearts I placed a pink arrow with a goal on each.  Total investment this month = $0.  I had everything in my stash.

I ended up catching two of my dogs (House & Disco) removing the snowflakes from the previous month.  I told them that part of their punishment was that I would tell on this blog who did it.  So, I left some space near the bottom to prevent this behavior from repeating itself.  So far, so good!

I’m loading this post near the very end of February, so I can report that these two goals will be properly placed on the next makeover.  I run a card shop on Etsy, so most of my photos are scanned and uploaded.  I’m exploring different ways to present them and their many uses.  Not just to place in the mail.  I’m having fun with some props and struggling with the natural light that has never been consistent where I live.  So when I list photos as a goal, it’s a big one.  And Google Analytics, hello.  So much to learn here and I want to gain as much as I can to improve my traffic.

So, how are your personal goals going?  Anyone put up their own inspiration board, picture or quotes?  I look forward to your comments, post away!

Next month:  Think green!

Oh, and speaking of Vintage Valentines, have you joined Handmade Spark’s Vintage Lovers Page on Facebook?  Send me an invite and join our conversation.  Do you run a Vintage shop (share your links), any questions (we’ll try and answer them), or just love to talk vintage?  Click here to join.  Hope to see you there.

~Jennifer Schulting

Jennifer is one of the talented writers on our team. She discovered making greeting cards back in 2004 while attending a party with her sister. Since then she has turned that passion, combined with her love of photography, into her business Eightymillion. She is also the moderator of the Handmade Spark Vintage Lovers group on Facebook.

Yes, it’s a picture from Christmas 2010.  And “House” refused to leave the room when I took this photo.  He loves the lens!  Just when you thought it was in the past, I brought it back.  Well, not exactly.  Let me explain.  Every Christmas I wrap a couple of doors in my house.  It’s been a tradition for several years.  And after taking this picture it gave me an idea for an article.  Or, perhaps a series of articles.  I enjoy reading all of the series that we have had here on the Handmade Spark blog.  So, I thought it would be fun to do one of my own.

So, for every month this year I’m going to decorate the door that leads into my office.  It’s the first place I go in the morning and it’s the last place I leave before going “night night.”   So, why not have something interesting to look at, right?  And, I thought it would be a good way to slip in a few little “goals” that I have for that month.  A visual reference is always helpful and it will keep me focused on my work.

We are entering the last week of January, so I’m a bit late at getting this started.  Oh well, better late than never.  Trust me when I say that each little tag on the door has worked in the way intended.  The picture that I took is with all of the them on.  At the end of each month, those that are left, will be incorporated into next month’s door.

January was a difficult month to create a theme for.  So, due to it being so cold here where I live, I thought snowflakes would be appropriate.  I used pages from my endless supply of magazines, a blue tablecloth, small tags, and a snowflake rubberstamp.  On each of the tags I stamped the snowflake and then wrote down a goal that I will work on for the month.  I’ve been doing a lot of shop maintenance for my Etsy storefront.  So, I will see SEO, tags, titles, photos, ect.  each day I walk in.  Oh, and to keep some humor in it I wrote “talk to BF” and “pet the dogs” on a tag as well.  He (the BF) has yet to see that one, for I know he will have a comment of his own.  Total investment this month = $1.00.  That was for the tablecloth from the dollar store.  The rest was recycled from materials I had on hand.  And I must add that I haven’t made a snowflake since like….kindergarten.  So, I consulted my BFF, Google, for a tutorial to refresh my memory.

So, I’ll be back in February with some more inspiration and guidance.

Feel free to comment on anything that you may do in your workspace that keeps you focused.

~Jennifer Schulting

To see more of Warm & Soft Designs, click here.

~Jennifer Schulting

To see more of Pixiekids Toys, click here.

~Jennifer Schulting

To see more of Julie’s work, click here.

~Jennifer Schulting

To see more of Bonnie Rose, click here.

~Jennifer Schulting

“Funky yard art for your garden. Glass flowers made out of recycled materials, such as, plates, cups, candle holders, bowls, etc. I have hand painted these flowers and baked them to set in the color. These flowers will add a unique feature to your garden as well as add tons of color. They are all weatherproof and will withstand any outdoor condition. I live in Florida and have had mine in my garden for over 2 years now! These make great, unique gifts!” ~pollysyardart

To view more of pollysyardart, click here.

~Jennifer Schulting

To view more of Kathyjohnson3′s work visit her Handmade Spark Mini Site.

~Jennifer Schulting