Time To Shop!

Shop Etsy for my Funky and Chunky Line

Come on everyone! Enter the world of online shopping!! Join me in either of my shops today and get a FREE Bow Necklace with your purchase. Use the code 104Bow in the Notes To Seller after you check out! Free necklace will only be given to those that pay with Paypal today.

Shop Lollishops for my Wearable Sweets Line!

Quick Saturday Tip!

First Page of MichellesCharmWorld on Etsy

I'm off shopping on Etsy and Lollishops today, and I am noticing some things (other than the face that I need to stop shopping). Close-up photos are an AWESOME way to show detail, but you then need a descriptive title. PLEASE tell me that it's a necklace, earrings, bracelet or what-not. I don't want to guess and most likely won't click if I can't tell what it is. Remember in photos bracelets can also be mistaken for necklaces. I always put what it is in the subject title. When doing a search, people will look at the page as shown above there. They will not always click on something that catches their eye if they have to guess. Descriptions are the last thing I do when shopping. First I look to see if it's eye catching, then I read the title, then I look at the price and then I click to enter the shop.

MichellesCharmWorld on Lollishops

I always shop using the Search Bar, it's the easiest way for me to be specific and see the most of what I am looking for. I love to bake, so i'm looking for a baking necklace maybe. I pull of a page of listings and begin to browse:

On this page, I first look at the photos (yay, check out my 2 items at the bottom! haha!). 3 catch my eye right off the bat, so I focus on those. (the other 2 were too dark and well then there are my 2). They all say Necklace and 2 even give the length. My click will go the the Cupcake Baking Necklace, since it is in essance what I was really looking for. So, are your titles detailed enough, without being crazy-Ebay titles? I automatically surpass anything that has more that 7 words in it. Too wordy is not a good thing :) Have a great weekend!

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone had a wonderful and safe NYE! We did some family bowling and then spend the evening at home. It was wonderful and fun! Only a few of us made it to midnight though! hahaa!Today is another day for family, so today I invite you all to think about what this New Year means for us all as shop owners? For me it means a year to start new and fresh. I'm going to be working on organization in the studio big time this year and work on a better system for filing my postage receipts. Right now I put them in a file folder seperated monthly and that's still taking too long to find them. I may staple them weekly together and also start scanning them onto the computer so I have an online way of pulling up receipts for my customers. I want to get rid of old stock that no longer needs to sit here taking up space. Lots to think about!

It's Here! It's Here!!!

Economy Booth Banner by MonsterPromos

Today I am taking a break from my normal posting schedule, due to the excitement of my new banner arriving. My husband ordered me a shop banner for Craft shows from the wonderful and awesome MonsterPromos on Etsy! It's absolutely fabulous and since it arrived quite delayed, it was no longer a Christmas Present, but an awesome YAY you're FABULOUS present! So I figured today would be a great day to acknowledge all the AWESOME customer service I have received from fabulous people on Etsy! This could be an amazingly long post, so I have to try and keep it short! I know I myself did not purchase from MonsterPromos this time around (I have purchased from them before though), but my husband raved about how great she was. The mail took a turn for the worst and she was ready to ship out a new banner!! My husband waited on the old one and it did show up. Great contact all the way through! Which is more than he had to say about a lot of other Etsy Shops that he bought my presents from. Too bad, he also had other great experiences too.
My next rave is for SewInLove. My husband purchased a money apron from her that I had in my faves and it's GLORIOUS! The workmanship is totally making me think she is UNDERCHARGING! hahaha!! It's made so well, very sturdy and lots of pockets for holding STUFF! I can also use it for Garage Sales! I'm taking it to have my shop name embroidered on it too! Very prompt shipping here too!

A+ work goes to JennGee, who made an AWESOME and super sturdy Coffee Corset! My husband bought this one too. It's thick and really does keep your hands from getting too warm!! I've even loosened it a bit to slide over my Venti Passion Tea from Starbucks, because it's too cold for my hands in the winter! haha! I've coveted one of these for so long, but of course never got around to buying myself one!

Windy1824, must be an angel among Etsy Sellers! She is one I have had to deal with on my own and it's been awesome! I had her make up my business cards and stickers and fell in love with the customer service. Even when she's busy with other orders, she keeps me in the loop. When I ran out, I emailed her and she had a listing up for me in no-time! I ran out again and this time I added in some earring cards and bag tags and she did them up so fast!!!! She also ships ASAP.

More fabulous, beautiful and great work awards go to MousseAuChocolat. I got some awesome knit goodies from her and they are funky beyond all reason! I looove them! I wear them every time I go out in my casual wear and I get compliments all the time! Fabulous!! I could go on and on, but I better wait for another day, otherwise this will be the worlds longest post and these sellers won't get the spotlight they deserve if there are too many to wade through!

Get out of that BOX!

Sushi and Chopsticks Ring by MCW 10.00

I have been featured in a handful of blogs this month and the one question that is on each and every query is usually 'Do you have any advice for anyone out there?' My advice is almost always cut and paste kind of simple. It's get out of the BOX! We hear this all the time, but it needs to be repeated. However, my meaning is a bit different. I want you to get out of the BIG BOX CRAFT STORES!!! Supplies are one thing, but when you are getting your major pieces there, then you run into the problem. Go ahead and browse whatever selling site you are on. You will see so many of the same pieces overused. You will see the same things out there page after page. It's time to step out and buy something outrageous to make your pieces truly one of a kind! No matter what kind of jewelry you make, something different could make your pieces even more beautiful. I will be doing a feature some time in the New Year where I will walk into 1 off the beaten path store and photograph pieces that would make something that you wouldn't think of off the bat! It's a great way to get your creative juices flowing.

Sushi Platter Necklace by MCW 15.00

When I was younger and restricted to the awful world of polyester plaid skirts and starched plain white blouses, of the Catholic School Uniform, I would branch out on the weekends. I was so tired of seeing the same old same old at Claires and everywhere else that had that same kind of stuff. I had no choice but to take matters into my own hands. I would buy 2 or 3 pieces that interested me and take them apart and piece them together differently. It still wasn't enough, I woul raid my dad workbench and find some fabulously funky things there to add on and WOW!
Buttons, Drawer knobs, computer keys, game pieces, nothing was off limits to me. I never limited myself in my head and I think that's what makes my creations different! Albeit, sometimes a bit weird to those that may not be into it. Just try thinking out of the box and see what you can come up with.

Let's all get out there and change up those featured items again! It's a good time to bring a fresh eye to the shop! I even forgot I had some of those back there!! One of my goals in the New Year is to keep an eye on my stock numbers. Having over 300 items in the shop is just ridiculous. It's hard for people to shop and I just lose track of some items back there. I would ideally like to keep the shop at 250. It seems like a manageable number. I may or may not transfer the overstock to another shop. It just seems like when I split my time promoting many shops, I am losing the sales I could have gotten promoting just 1. This is the biggest need for my dot.com to be up and running.

New Years Goals...

Strawberry Cake Necklace by MichellesCharmWorld 15.00

We are closing the year soon and it's time to think about our Ney Years goals! I know, I know, like resolutions, they are always forgotten come January 15th haha, but it's time to stick to them! These are for our business. There are plenty of things that we want to say are goals, like get 100 sales or 20 hearts etc. but these are things that we truly cannot control. We need to think along the lines of scheduling time we spend online, setting an amount of time dedicated towards marketing our shop or coming up with a new line.

Butter and Jam on Toast Ring by MichellesCharmWorld 10.00

1>I have recently purchased a lot of new items that I plan on using in craft shows. I plan on doing at least 6 next year. It's perfect, since I have a family life that I hate to neglect and it's just enough to keep me visible. I don't like to overdo it anymore.

2>I have recently purchased my domain name, so I plan on figuring out how to do a web site for that page. I will use my dot.com on my business cards and direct people from there. I need to figure out how to build the site and decide what I want to do with it.

3> I will start seeing what sites work best for me and stop spreading myself around too much. Off the bat I checked out 2 new sites and listed a handful of items there. (Lollishops and ArtFire)

The views have been less than stellar to say the least and that's with my promoting. I am not wanting to lose any money, so Artfire was free and I figure I will just let that ride out, until my listings expire. Lollishops was 12.00 for the pieces I listed and after supplies, marketing and time, I have profited 20.00 this month. These sites are still too new and the stats on both are showing that yesterday I had a total of 5 views in my Artfire shop and 2 in Lollishops. It was my little guys birthday and I was not online at all. I won't even compare those 2 sites to my more established Etsy site. Those 2 are still new. I will definately have a review coming up on these sites soon. Right now I think they need more time to mature as a selling venue. I need to realize that it may just not be where I want to put my time right now.

4>I will be opening up a small stand at the largest festival in Mexico in April of 2009. My goals for these are to make sure that I have enough stock and business cards on hand for that month. If anyone will be in Aguascalientes, Mexico at the Feria in April, please look me up!

There are a few more goals that I have set up for myself in line with balancing my shop and family life since I have become more popular and need more time there and my little princess starts school too, so there will be volunteering and driving and such. A lot will need to be reshuffled now.

Sunday Special!

Happy Birthday Little Gabriel!!!

Today, my little man turns 3 and he's just an amazing little guy that is always up to something! (99% of the time it's no good!!). This has been a full year of fun. You light up my world with your mischievious grin and your big squeezes. You make me laugh with your jokes and silly ways and make me tear up when you say I love you so much mommy. Watching you grow this past year has made me realize that you already are a wonderful little man. You always run to open the door ahead of us, you always share with your sister, even if she doesn't share with you. You are the first to help out, even when the task is too big. Thank you for being one of the lights of my life. Happy 3rd birthday Gabriel-Xavier, may it be all you wished for.

Wearable Sweets!

I finally snagged a treasury today!!! It's all about my tagline! Wearable Sweets! Sweet Treats without the calories! Gotta love them! now check it out and be sure to use all 12 of your clicks and make a comment! Thanks!!

Reminder Post!

Breakfast is the Coolest Meal of the Day to Wear!

Hi everyone!!! I truly hope you all had a wonderful holiday! It's been so hectic lately, I barely have time to think! I will be back to regular posting on monday, but for now I just wanted to remind everyone to Change up their featured items! Christmas money means that there are people out there that will be NEW to Etsy!! and to your shop!! Change them up and good luck to you!!

A Wish To You All!

Breakfast With Santa, Nothing but Trouble!

MERRY CHRISTMAS READERS!

May all your holiday wishes come true, may you all be blessed and big hugs to everyone!



I am just taking a short moment to thank each and everyone of you!Stay safe and remember to not drink and drive.



Merry Christmas once again!

The Wonderful World of Flickr

My Flickr Page!

Today, we are jumping into the photographic world of Flickr. This is an AWESOME social networking site! If you love lots of photos when you read a blog, this one is for you! It's all about uploading photos and typing in brief descriptions. When you sign up, be sure to have a great profile, where you mention where you can be found. I list my Etsy Shop, my Lollishops shop and my Blog! Check out my profile here. I like fun profiles, that give a little hint to the personality. I will NOT click on profiles that JUST have FEMALE/MALE and their Shop link on them. That tells me, they are just there to sell things and not really there for the community aspect of it all. A Big no-no in my book AND in Flickrs are photos that are items for sale in your shop WITH descriptions that say FOR SALE ON MY ETSY SHOP check profile for link. That is NOT allowed and can get you shut down.

Some of my contacts that have recently updated

Ready to start adding friends? Use that search bar at the top right hand side of the page and type in some of your interests! This is a great way to find people that like the same stuff as you do and also you can find more people that like it, by checking out their contacts list too! When I add someone, I am sure to comment on their photos straight away or as soon as they add me too! Always comment on photos of those that add you too! Common courtesy! Post your link in any online forums your frequen, that's a great way to get people adding you too! Another great way is to check out the GROUPS! Click on the top tab that says GROUPS. Type in the FIND GROUPS bar, what you are looking for! Check for things you collect, your favorite color, where you sell, you name it it's there! You will be overwhelmed by the groups, but they are just so fun to be a part of! PLEASE make sure you read all the rules to the groups before posting and putting up your photos. PLEASE don't spam groups with dozens of your photos, just because they don't have upload limits, this is tacky :(

Ready to Start Uploading Photos? Click on the YOU tab at the top of the page and a drop down menu will appear, click on Upload photos and videos. There you go! It will then put you at a page to type in your descoptions and tags. DO NOT DO NOT use for sale lingo, see profile or anything like that. Remember, that if people really want to know this information, they will check out your profile themselves or message you their question. (I have made loads of sales this way!) DO not make your album ALL ABOUT what you sell. This is not a showcase gallery, it's a social site and they want you to be social, they want to see what else you do! supplies shots, family shots, studio shots, that sort of thing!Photograph the weather, your dinner, your starbucks! Anything you can think of! If your photos are ALL about what you sell, you can and will be shut down. If you use for sale, profile jargon, you can and will be shut down. How do I know? 3 of my friends were shut down (1 of them had a PRO account) with no warning at all, and me? Well I got a very stern warning. What made me get a warning and them just get deleted? No clue, talk on the Etsy forums seem to be it's just whatever admin is on duty that day. There seem to be no rhyme or reason. So be safe, before you get shut down! This is a fun site when used correctly! After my warning, I asked what was and was not allowed and those were the items that I was told! I keep many photos of my children private to only friends and or family members. It's safer that way and yet my album is still personal and not just a gallery!

Check in daily on Flickr, sometimes it's hard with the 100 other things to do, but try and work it into your schedule. I always click the CONTACTS button at the top of the page to see who has recently updated and then I choose 10 interesting photos a day to comment on. I usually end up commenting on more, but at minimum 10. I check in on my groups every now and then and many have come through in a pinch for me! I once needed to know a place that I took a picture of in another country and within an hour someone knew where I was standing! hahaha!When used properly, Flickr can get you sales and get you a lot of friends! Be My friend and I will be yours!

Sweet Treats from my Lollishops Shop!

I'm In A Treasury

Yay! I just got notice that I was in a treasury! Be sure to check it out Here and use your 12 clicks AND be sure to drop a comment too! This one is so colorful and fun! That is my Candy Sweets Bracelet in the bottom corner on the left.

Candy Sweets Bracelet by MichellesCharmWorld 25.00

I would like to send a big thanks to PinkPatrice, for curating this awesome treasury of candy colored goodness! Here is a little peek into her shop! Stop on by and look at all her fun creations!

Come Shop Lollishops Today!

Today we're off to shop a new marketplace! I have opened up shop on Lollishops this month and want to bring people to the world of girly girly goodness! There is so much to find and see here, that I thought I would bring you a peek at what is behind that pretty, pink, Lacy curtain!

From Left to Right in the gift-guide:
Row 1->
Pink Whipped Cream Ring by MichellesCharmWorld
Pink Patchwork Pillow by BStudio
Cupcakes Magnet Set by HeatherKnitz
Cupcake Card Set by ExpressionsbyDevin

Row 2->
Embroidered Lavender Sachet by BailiwickDesigns
Vintage Whimsy from FadedButDesiredTreasures

Row 3->
Knit Baby Booties by MonarchDancer
Flowers 5 Card Set by Pnkgeeni

Row 4->
Faux Petit Fours by RenegadeRose
Gift Card Sleeve by ArtbyNaomi
Roses Roses Fairy House by CarolineAlexander
Victorian Boot Sachet by NanasNest

More Lollishops Goodies!

From L -> R

Row 1:

Sequin and Flowers Cards set of 4 by PinkPatriceBoutique

Button Votive Holder by PinkyLouLou

Girl with Bird Notecard by HappyDayStudio

Seaside Picnic Print by AliceInParis

I'm taking a break from the world of social networking today! I will finish last weeks chapter with Flickr tomorrow! Feel free to open an account today or add me to yours now! This is ME!

Sunday Reminder!

Well it's time to get ready to start with a fresh new week! Let's get into those shops and change up our featured items!

Sunday Special!

Just a brief pop in! I have been so crazy busy lately that I have 100% neglected my shops!

So I'm here to offer you some goodies and treasures if you pop in here at my blog on this chilly sunday!

Shop MichellesCharmWorld on Lollishops and get a FREE bow necklace with any sized order AND get a 5.00 off coupon for ANY of my other shops! (TheFunkyBeadNButton or MichellesCharmWorld on Etsy or MichellesCharmWorld on Lollishops)

Just use CODE: FREEBLOG1221 in the PAYPAL notes.

PLEASE NOTE ALL Shipping is included in my Lollishops prices! No additional charges there!

Sundaes and Chocolate Syrup Ring Set by MCW 12.00

Shop MCW on Etsy and get a Free Bow Necklace with every purchase!

Use Code: FreeBlogBow1221

Spend 30.00 or more and get a free ring set too of your choice!

For the ring set, just add it into your order and I will send you a new paypal invoice with the lowest priced ring set taken off and THEN you pay your invoice.

Use Code: FreeBlogSet1221

Check out all of Etsy today! Here are a few of my favorites!!!

Peeking into Myspace!

Gahhhhh! Yup, that's how I feel with the whole Myspace thing. I am going to keep this one pretty short, because I have nooo clue how to do it. I signed up and added my mini in from Etsy, I will be putting in a Lollishops one too. I posted my link in my public forums and I had people add me then. This is me on Myspace and it's as basic as it gets! haha! I have much younger family members that live on Myspace and the way I make this site work for me is to give them free goodies every now and then in exchange for keeping my mini on their page! I have 2 high schoolers, a college gal and a young 20 something. They keep my mini in a prominant spot on their Myspace page and a discount code EXCLUSIVE to their site, so I can see who brings in the most people. I'm thinking of also running some kind of ad on my Myspace to see if anyone is interested in adding my mini to their page in a prominant place in exhange for a gift certificate to my shop, as an incentive for them to keep my mini up after they have gotten the free treasures, if I get a sale directly from their coded site, I will give them something extra! I'm still thinking of just how to do this the right way :)

I mainly promote my shop by using the BULLETIN feature, this seems to work best, since all of my friends usually don't visit my site daily and everyone gets the bulletins, so this way they can choose to click if they see an interesting title. To post a bulletin just click on POST bulletin, type out the details and then follow the prompts to publish it! Use a catchy title! The key here is NOT NOT NOT to be spammy and throw out more than 1 bulletin in a row and I would say 2 max in 1 day. Make sure it's a catchy title so that people will be inclined to click. Be sure you are keeping track of your codes so you know what is working in your promtional blitz! Now get out there and Myspace to the best of your abilities!

Simple Myspace Don'ts and Do's

DO NOT message people about your shop directly! post bulletins, the other way is spammy and annoying it will get you unfriended (I probably made that word up!)

DO NOT post your mini or link to your shop in other peoples comments, it will get your comment deleted and most likely blocked if you keep it up.

DO NOT post multiple bulletins it's annoying and will keep people away from your shop if you are posting 3 or 4 things saying the same thing!

DO DO DO keepy uour avatar EYE CATCHING! When you post a comment, people will be more inclined to click on your avatar and check out your profile, seeing your mini and if they like that your shop too!

In Shop news, buy today in my Lollishops Shop and get a free bow necklace! (In my choice of colors). Buy a bow necklace for you and get a free one for a friend, buy anything else in the shop and get a free bow necklace for yourself! Check it out and get something fabulously sweet!

A Readers Challenge

Tomorrow we will be looking into Myspace and how to work that, so go ahead and sign up for an account if you have one! Add Me and you will have at least 1 friend for now! Today, I wanted to challenge all of us and at the same time test out a still fairly new site! This place is called OWN THE HOUR, I did post about my test with this site earlier and it was still a fairly brand new site and all did not go too well, but it's gaining steam and it's still being chatted about. Everyone has .50 in their paypal accounts right? If so, take the challenge with me! Open up the site and look how pretty it is! It reminds me of the treasury pages and the Etsy front page.

Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and then click on Own The Hour (Sign-Up).

Here is where we choose an hour. I'm hoping all my readers will join me in owning the 6:00 pm(remember this is for TOMORROW and the time is EASTERN) time slot. Let's fill it with MCW Blog readers! Please remember to post a link to the item your are advertising here in my comments, so I know who took me up on the challenge! Also keep us posted here on how you did! When you post here with your item link, let us know how many views you have on that item and then when you post back with results let us know if the item sold, and if not how many views you have on it now. It's super easy to buy an hour!
Your Etsy Item ID Can be found when you open up a listing on the right hand side it says LISTING #. Just copy and paste that into the box! So readers, let's get out there and OWN THE HOUR!

The Faceboook Phenomenon!

MY Facebook Page! Feel Free To Add Me!

Today we are checking out Facebook as a way of social networking. This is a great way to meet up with old friends and new. YES, it is a place where those old pals from highschool and YIKES even gradeschool may find you, but it's fun! I was utterly and totally confused by all the widgets, add-ons and craziness that was in front of me when I started, but afterawhile I started to get the hang of it! No worries, if it takes you awhile to get out there too! Just start by signing up! Ready to add friends? Post the link to your site on the public forums of your selling venues! Mine is on the Etsy forums and the Lollishops ones too! Once in awhile I Tweet my link on Twitter too! (read my blog post on Twitter here).

Alright, on to the promoting! At the top of your HOME page, you will see a little status bar, much like the one on Twitter. You click inside of the blurb and type what you are doing at the moment! I use this to put big sales, Exclusive codes to my shop and anything else that is shop related. But take a look at it right now ^ I ALSO use it to really update about my life. I don't want to spam Facebook either. I want my friends to stay my friends and not tune me out. Yes, i've already had to tune out frequent spammers, they post link after link after link to their shops. Not just blogs, shops, life etc. It's ALL SHOP ALL THE TIME! This is NOT the way to use Facebook! Starting a Group about your business! I had a couple customers ask me if I was on Facebook, then they started asking me about groups so that they could link their friends! So last week I started my very own group! PLEASE join mine and I will join yours! To get started just go to your HOME page ( you can find this at the top of your Facebook page) Then click on the right hand side the icon that says GROUPS.

Next you want to click on +Create A New Group on the right hand side of the screen it will look like this:

Just follow the prompts from there and it's super easy! Post your link on your public message forums too! (Make sure they allow it!) This is a fun way of keeping former customers and new ones in the loop of what is going on with your shop and what is new! Be sure to add SALE information and EXCLUSIVE discounts too! Get the word out quickly and in a fun way too! Invite your customers to share photos of them wearing your goodies or putting them on display somewhere!

So not everyone joined your group and you still want to spread the word about sales right? Well another awesome way to get memos out is through their NOTES function. Go back to your HOMe page and on the right hand side box where you found the GROUPS button, click on your NOTES button. It may not be visible like mine is, so click on the tiny little triangle that says MORE and it will be in that pull-down list. Click on WRITE A NEW NOTE. It's on the right hand side again! Follow those prompts and it's pretty easy! Publish the whole thing and now your entire stream will see it! So see, it's not that hard to get started on Facebook! Hope I helped someone out there!

New in the shop is my line of Breakfast Treats! From 9.00-30.00.