Thank you!

This is just a quick post to say thank you to everyone for a great 2009!

• Thank you to my loyal readers! Your comments and clicks and encouragement mean a lot to me!

• Thank you to my customers! I hope everyone loved their items. Remember, I welcome all kinds of feedback. I want to make the best products possible for you!

• Thank you to everyone who has supported my shop through word of mouth and promotion. It means so much to me!

• On a more personal note, I took a lot of much needed "me" time this year. I want to thank all my friends and family who have supported me in this.

It has been a fun and successful year, and I'm really looking forward to 2010! There are great things on the horizon. :)

Etsy New Jersey Team Sale!

This great team sale starts tomorrow (Wednesday, November 25th). You'll find my shop in the list too. :) I'm including a free gift with every order (no minimum!). The gift bag will include samples from my shop and others. Come visit my shop if you're looking for candles, soap, lip balm and more! Dragon06.etsy.com

Check out the info below to see all the other great shops participating in this sale.



Happy Thanksgiving from EtsyNJ! The EtsyNJ team is hosting a team wide sales event that begins on Wednesday, November 25 and ends on Monday, November 30. With over 50 shops participating, you are sure to find something you absolutely love. Search "EtsyNJ Thanksgiving Sale" at Etsy.com Be sure to put "EtsyNJ Thanksgiving" in the notes to seller at checkout.

Reminder: Check each shop description for more details. Sale ends Monday 11/30 at midnight, unless otherwise specified by the individual shop owner. You must pay each shop individually, contact shop owner with any questions.

To browse participating shops by sales promotion, click on the following links:

Free Shipping

10% - 20 % off entire purchase (not including shipping)

Free gift with every purchase

BOGO - Buy One Get One Half Off

Or, see http://etsynj.com for the entire list of participating shops!

Stuff that stocking!

Here are some great handmade stocking stuffers from the Helping Others Street Team (HOST) on Etsy.

Enjoy! :)

Wordless Wednesday

Three Wise Ones
by PetitBijouArtShop
For sale in the Etsy HOST team shop

Caturday Etsy Picks

Here are a few of my favorite handmade picks today for Caturday. Enjoy! :)

Kitten print
by Red Linc Art

Cross Stitch Sweater
by Dreams of May

Cat Nap Furniture Protector
by Susan's Treasures

Halloween Candles Blog Special!

Looking for spooky candles to add to your Halloween decor? I have a great variety of handmade Halloween candles both scented and unscented. The most popular scents are Pumpkin Spice and Witches Brew. Pumpkin Spice is a sweet and spicy scent that is just like pumpkin pie. Witches Brew is a spicy blend of Cedarwood, Cinnamon and Patchouli.

Halloween Blog Special: As a special for my blog readers only, take 20% off your entire order! Your order must contain at least one Halloween item. This special lasts as long as there are Halloween items listed in my shop. Just put "Halloween blog" in the Notes to Seller section on checkout. Then wait for me to send you a revised invoice before paying.

Click on any of the pictures below to go to the items or visit my shop at dragon06.etsy.com.

Ren Faire Vending Fun!

This past weekend a friend and I shared a vending space at The Village Renaissance Faire in Wrightstown, PA. This Faire is a blast! It's a great family event with lots to see and do for a low entrance price.


My friend sells jewelry and bellydance accessories (some handmade). Her stuff was a hit! You can see her site at Crystal Kini Designs.


The weather was perfect and we had plenty of friendly folk stop by our tent. I will definitely vend at this event again!

Friday Finds: Promote Your Shop!

I've found a shop on Etsy that is perfect for all your promoting needs. This shop is called Bitsy Creations, and there's a sister-shop called Bitsy's Greetings where you can find all kinds of great cards and stationary.

But my focus is on promotion items today. Now is the time that shops should be getting the materials they need to get the word out for Christmas shoppers. This postcard would be perfect to include with current orders. You could remind people about buying handmade Christmas presents, or you can promote a sale or just highlight a few items from your shop. Now's the time to start planning, and Bitsy Creations can help with Custom Postcard Design.
Or maybe you've just started your own business and you're looking for a professional logo to start the branding process. It's good to put your brand on your business cards, online or print advertisements, and product labels. Here's a great package to get you started with a custom logo and branding package made just for you.

And last but not least, I think it's very important to include thank you notes in with your orders. And it's even better if you can put your brand on those too. Bitsy Creations has these great customizable Thank You Cards. They're just the right size for including with your orders.

Find out more about Bitsy Creations through her shops, Twitter, Blog and Facebook.
http://bitsycreations.etsy.com and http://bitsysgreetings.etsy.com
http://twitter.com/BitsyCreations
http://bitsycreations.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/BitsyCreations/103261504547

Mismatched tea lights discount batches!

I've been making a lot of custom candle orders lately. As a result of that, I've got many small batches of leftover wax in all different scents and colors. Often the colors don't really "go" with the scents. I've been letting these mixed up wax leftovers build up, but now's the time to make something of them. I'm making tea lights out of this leftover wax and offering them at a HUGE discount!

I just listed these in discount batches in my shop at Dragon's Den on Etsy. These are HALF PRICE of my regular tea lights. They're in batches of 20 and totally random colors and scents. But if you tell me your favorite scent, I'll do my best to include a few in your batch.

As with all my candles, these are made from a high quality beeswax and paraffin blend with cotton wicks. They are long-lasting, with good scent throw and are virtually smokeless when burned properly.

Here are my available fragrance oils to give you an idea of what you might get in a batch.

*Fragrance oils (sorted by category):

Clean/fresh scents: Clean Cotton, Sea Shore, Sea Moss, Green Garden, Rain, Eucalyptus Leaf

Earthy/herbal scents: Amber, Hemp, Sandalwood, Pine Needle, Tall Grass, Dragon's Blood, Witches Brew (blend of Patchouli, Cinnamon, and Cedarwood), Warm Sand (handmade blend of Cinnamon, Sandalwood and Patchouli)

Spicy scents: Cinnamon, Peppermint, Perfect Pumpkin, White Tea & Ginger (sweet and lightly citrus), Cinnamon/Sandalwood blend

Decadent scents: Vanilla Bean Noel, Vanilla Buttercream, Vanilla Hazelnut, Chocolate, Maple & Brown Sugar, Gingerbread, Coffee, Mocha, Raspberry Truffle

Floral scents: Gardenia, Honeysuckle, Fresh Zucchini Flower, Rose, Lavender, Lilac, White Lily & Amber (currently my favorite fragrance oil)

Fruity scents: Pear, Mulberry, Pineapple, Black Cherry, Apple, Apple Cinnamon, Strawberry, Mango Papaya, Mint Mango Tea, Peach, Lemon, Birds of Paradise (coconut, fruit and floral), Tropical Islands (fruit and floral), Jamaica me Crazy (reminds me of pina colada), Passion Fruit & Guava, Black Raspberry Vanilla, Spiced Cranberry, Lychee Red Tea.

My 1st Garden: Monster Tomato Plants!

I haven't given my readers a garden update in quite a while. My entire "crop" so far has been two hot peppers. They're weren't all that hot because apparently it has rained too much. But they were still tasty and there are more coming as you can see here.


I'm hoping to get tomatoes soon. I have some tiny green ones showing up. But I can't believe these tomato plants! They've grown far taller than the stakes I put in for them. My thought is that because I planted them in the shade by accident they're trying to rival the trees around them to get more sun! They stand over 5 feet tall now. It's a little hard to see it in the picture, but maybe you'll get the idea.

Next year I'll be putting my tomatoes in a different spot in containers where there's more sun. Hopefully they won't grow as crazy tall as they did this year.

As for the rest of my plants ... There is one sweet pepper plant left, which may or may not produce. I didn't support my snap peas well enough and they are no more. But they started out great, and I think they'd have done a lot better if I looked after them. I have some carrots growing, so we'll see how they come out.

I'll let you know how my tomatoes turn out. I am pretty excited about them. I tried to take a picture but it didn't work out. So just imagine green tomatoes just a bit larger than peas! lol

Top EC droppers for June

Here are my top EntreCard droppers for June. Check out these great blogs!

Learning Corner - Education
Funky Town Disco Music - Music
Business & Life Success - Education
My gypsygoods - Hobbies
Brick For Jade - Mixed Bag
Lohman Trading - Hobbies
Split Rock Ranch - Fashion
Lazy Bear Blogs - Self Improvement
AUGUSTINIANS - Education
Ask Ms Recipe - Cooking and Dining

Music Monday

A great song and a must-see video! Enjoy! :)

Best Hot Sauce in Canada!

My sister, brother-in-law, and niece have started up a business selling their homemade hot sauce. The store is Triple G's Hot Sauce at http://greathotsauce.ca/. Their hot sauce is probably the best I've had! If you are a connoisseur, then you had to give it a try! Unfortunately they only ship within Canada, but I know I have some Canadian readers who would be interested. :)

Here is the intro video to their online store.

Wordless Wednesday

Our Lily hiding at the in-law's house.
(Yes she put herself under there somehow!)
Wordless Wednesday

New Flavor for Lip Balm!

I just wanted to introduce my newest lip balm flavor - Mango Mania! This lip balm is fresh and sweet!

I designed my lip balm formula to glide on easily and protect your lips for hours - with no greasy feeling! The ingredients are as natural as possible. I use beeswax, cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, hemp oil and vitamin E. The only artificial ingredient is flavor oil, and I do have some scented with essential oils to make them all natural.

Worried about how these ship in the summer heat? I have small re-usable cooling packs that I include with my lip balm and lotion orders in the summer.

Mention this blog and get 20% off your lip balm order! Just use the code "blog20" in the message to seller box. Then wait for me to send you a revised invoice through PayPal. This offer does not expire and is good for all my different flavors. Honey Bee Mine, Peppermint, Natural (unscented), and Mango Mania.

Caturday Finds

Here are a few Caturday Etsy items I found while browsing today. Enjoy! :)

Paws (set of 5 cards)
by Heidi Shaulis

Custom Kitty Cat Shoes
by Em & Sprout

Little Enid in Red Chair
by Harry Boardman

My Blackadder birthday

I had my 35th birthday was just last weekend (June 14th). I had a mellow day with family this year, and it was just perfect.

As a family, we walked out to a local ice cream parlor and sat on the patio with our massive sundays! I decided I'd rather have that than cake this year. We even brought the dogs to let them have their own vanilla cups. I think our dachshund ate it too fast because she shivered for the rest of our outing!

And in our family for birthday presents we just pick something we'd like and then that becomes the gift from everyone. It takes the surprise out of it, but it's fun to think all year about what we want to pick. :)

This year I decided to finally get the entire series of Blackadder. This show is one of my all-time favorites. :) For those of you who don't know it, it's a British comedy from the '80s starring Rowan Atkinson. The humor is rather dark at times, but I love it! :)

Here's a short clip featuring Hugh Laurie who was one of the stars of the show for while. Please note before watching, the humor is a little raunchy and some might consider it offensive.

Wordless Wednesday

Shaking Dog
by Just A Moment

Friday Finds

I love trees! I thought I'd dedicate this Friday Finds to them.

Enjoy!

Featured Shop: LazyTcrochet

LazyTcrochet has wonderful handmade clothing, accessories and more! As a novice to crocheting I can really appreciate the creativity and hard work that went into her beautiful products!

I picked this Blue Skies and Puffy Clouds scarf as my favorite item in her shop. I love the design and the colors. Just dreamy!

Be sure to check out www.LazyTcrochet.blogspot.com for more Etsy-related goodness, team features, recipes and more

I've put together a sampling of LazyTcrochet items to make a Spotlight on ByHand.me. Below are just a few. Go to this Spotlight to see the whole selection and to leave a comment.

Love

Pinkalicious Fruit Tree Blossoms
by Nature Visions

Yesterday I fell in unconditional love with myself.
Today I looked around through the eyes of a child,
and fell in unconditional love with the world.

Top EC Droppers for May

It's been another great month with EntreCard. I've been following some really interesting blogs.

Thank you so much to my top droppers in May! Check out these great blogs!

Blog Name - Category
Lazy Bear Blogs - Self Improvement
Joyarna Knitblog - Hobbies
Split Rock Ranch - Fashion
My gypsygoods - Hobbies
Gems by Jerri - Hobbies
Lohman Trading - Hobbies
WoW Fail Blog - Gaming
Bible Examples - Religion and Spirituality
Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice - Cooking and Dining
The Frugal Housewife - Finance and Investing

Featured Shop: Create a Thought

CREATEaTHOUGHT is a lovely Etsy shop containing all kinds of handmade, vintage, and upcycled items. There are many unique items to choose from including great handmade journals and cards. But for I must admit to being biased toward candle items, so I picked this Vintage Wood Star Candle Holder as my favorite item.

This excerpt from CREATEaTHOUGHT's profile gives some insight into motivation behind the craft.

"CREATEaTHOUGHT's mission is to help you do just that. I provide items that fit your personal writing and recording style. If you find that you are in need of a different style I will strive to create a personalized item just for you! Each journal is created to be unique and one of a kind.

I want to be able to provide you with something that is not mass produced. You will not have to worry about someone saying 'I have that same journal!'"

Also, be sure to check out the CREATEaTHOUGHT blog at http://createathoughtetsy.blogspot.com/

I've put together a sampling of items by CREATEaTHOUGHT to create this Spotlight on ByHand.me. Please feel free to go to this Spotlight to see the whole selection and leave a comment.

Wordless Wednesday

Fresh Embrace
by MADART

Sunny Friday Finds

In honor of the gorgeous weather we're having here this week I thought I'd post some bright and sunny picks today.

These are all handmade items from some of my favorite sellers on Etsy. Just click on the pictures for more information about each one. Also feel free to check out this spotlight on byhand.me.

Enjoy! :)

Crafting Tips: My Favorite Suppliers

When I first started making candles and soap it was a challenge to find the right suppliers. I started out as many do by getting supplies from AC Moore and Michaels. These stores have a few great things going for them. They're generally local (easy to get to), and you can get your supplies right away instead of waiting for shipping (for us impatient types).

These places are great if you're just getting started in your craft and you're looking for a few basic supplies. Most people don't want to invest in bulk supplies when they don't even know if they'll like their new craft. However, I'm not sure how they are for other crafts, but for candles and soap I quickly outgrew these stores. They are relatively expensive, sell in small volume and have very limited selection.

I was looking for great quality bulk supplies at good prices with reasonable shipping costs. So I needed to look online. It took some trial and error but I've come up with a group of online supply stores that I'm very happy with. I know how hard it is when you're just starting out, so I thought I'd share a few of my favorites.

Many of these stores sell both candle and soap/B&B making supplies. I've also included some comments for each. And don't forget to sign up for newsletters from online supply stores. They often have monthly specials for subscribers.

Peak Candle Supplies
Very good selection, quality, shipping and customer service. Many of the fragrance oils are also safe for B&B products.

Bramble Berry
Soap Making Supplies
Wonderful products! Best prices I've found for soap-making oils.

Nature's Garden
Wholesale Candle & Soap Supplies
Good selection and reasonable prices.

Wholesale Supplies Plus
Soap and Candle Making Materials
One of my favorites for candle scents.

E&M Gold
Beekeepers and Natural Honey Advocates
Local New Jersey beekeepers where I get my beeswax. They sell a lot more than bulk beeswax. Take a look!

Taking Time

Zen Moment by Jai Johnson

I just wanted to check in. And I want to say hi to all my new visitors. I've been rushing around lately working on a big order. I'm taking today to just do whatever the heck I feel like!

For all you out there who have your own business (as I know a lot of my blogger friends are) remember to take time off! It's so challenging managing your business and your art/craft and keeping your house together. And if you have a full time job as well or kids ... wow I can only imagine! So for all you hard workers out there, remember to take some time for yourself.

If you feel like you're so stressed and overworked that you CAN'T POSSIBLY take time ... then now's the PERFECT time! We are taking care of so many people and things that we often forget to take care of ourselves. The world will keep turning even if you take a day off. :)

Caturday ... with matching luggage!

Here are our two gorgeous cats. Above Patch has snuggled himself into my overnight bag.

And here are the two guys (Leo and Patch) cuddling on the suitcase - one of their favorite spots.

That's all for today. I'm working on a big project that's taking a lot of my extra time. Hope you like the pics. :)

My 1st Garden: Trouble with Squirrels

Green pepper plants
This is just a quick update on my garden. My peppers are still inside, but I think I can plant them soon. Here they are in their makeshift pots. I learned that I need to upgrade them from the starter pots (toilet paper rolls), so they went into tea boxes. I'm determined to spend as little as possible on this project.

Cherry tomato plants
The tomatoes I started inside are now in the ground. I planted five but only four remain. Some critter (I imagine a squirrel) dug up one of the tomato plants the same day I planted it. When I checked on them the next day the poor plant had been dug up and then tossed aside and left to die. I guess I'm going to have to get used to this, but as my first "casualty" it was kind of sad.

Since then, however, the rest of the plants are doing fine. My husband is looking into making cages for them.

Snap pea plant
As well as the plants I started inside, I also planted snap/snow peas and carrots. The carrots are coming up well so far but don't look great in pictures yet. I'll show you those as they get bigger.

This picture is of a snap pea plant. I'm not entirely sure if I'm going to need a pole for these. I'll look it up at some point.

And that's it for this update. I'm hoping the squirrels don't cause more issues. I really have no idea what I would do if they become a problem. I'd appreciate any advice from readers!

Wordless Wednesday

Ephemeral Light
by Forgotten Beauty

Monday Madness! Etsy Specials for This Week!

Do you like buying handmade? What about buying handmade for less?? Here are some great deals from Etsy shops. These specials last all week (May 11 - 17). Check them out!

If you have a special you'd like to share, then include the details in a comment. :)

Magnet Games
20% off all items. Please leave "craftydragon" in the "Note To Seller" section at checkout." The discount will be refunded to your paypal account.

Inki Handmade
I'm having a Moving Overseas Sale: 15% off all listed prices, refund via PayPal! Just Check out and Pay!

Splendid Things
Boutique cards, baby items and home decor. Free shipping to all CraftyDragon blog readers May 11-17. Enter "Crafty Dragon" in the message to seller section at checkout and I will refund the shipping via PayPal within 24 hrs. Or convo me and I'll adjust the listing.

Lil Dab Designs
Free gift with every order plus only a dollar shipping!


Learning with Autism
New shop having a grand opening sale. b1g1free. Please have a look. Thank you!


Nutmegclick
ALL of my photo prints are $5 this week in honour of mother's day.


The Tote Trove
Free shipping to Canada and US. Also, purchase any 5 items and receive 10% off your order. Please send message before purchasing, and I'll apply your discount.

Wreathmic Creations
All items in my shop are reduced 10% for the month of May only! Also, in honor of Mother's Day, May 10th, I'm raffling off my Victorian Teacup arrangement. Just convo me with your name and email. I will contact the winner on May 31st.

Birds of a Feather
Enjoy $2 off per package of Double Ruffle and Ruffle Crepe Trims in these delicious sunny colors; CANDY, LIMEADE, LEMON CHIFFON, LILAC, TURQUOISE & PUMPKIN. See my sale section.

Handmade by Jody
Free shipping on all items to US buyers!


Yaffa Dreams
15% off jewelry in my shop! Coupon Code "ThisMommyNeedsMoney". Does not apply to PIF OR DESTASH. I can do refund via paypal or you can convo me for reserve listing. Expires May 17, 2009, 11:59 pm PST. Lots of new stuff listed! Check it out.

Vintage Petals
Free shipping in the contiguous US! Shipping costs will be refunded through paypal. Tons of fabulous vintage clothes to spruce up your wardrobe!

The Fairy Ring and The Enchanted Cupboard
May Spring Sale 20% off - contact me for information


Treasure Box Jewelry
I am having a 20% and free shipping sale! Just type "blog promo" in notes to seller and I will refund via PayPal.

Crafty Projects: Cat Pillow

Here is a simple (but rather tedious) crochet project I did for my cat (Leo). Actually it is for both of our cats, but I'll admit to a little favoritism. Leo is my cat from before getting together with my husband. Leo and I have been together about seven or eight years now. (I'm not good with remembering anniversaries or birthdays either!)

Anyway, my idea was to crochet a pillow case to turn a regular pillow into a comfy cat bed/pillow. I didn't think about it until I started measuring that pillow cases are huge!! When I was out crocheting in the dentist's waiting room someone thought it was a blanket. And my little dachshund kept trying to cuddle under it while I was working on it. :) It was an easy project though, just single crochet with stripes to make it more interesting. I did each side separately and then sewed them together.

Here he is just getting used to it. I know he might rip it up a little. He does have all his claws. But if he likes it, then it's worth it!