Changing Gears

How good are you at changing gears? No, I don't mean the stick shift in the car...I mean to be going in one direction and all of a sudden you realize you need to go a different way. That's where I am right now. I am changing gears.

I opened FourDogDay on etsy the end of July of this year. I started with photos and cards. Even though it has been fun, I don't want to just make cards and tags and paper things. I want to do other things, and I think I need to do other things to be successful.

My Fun and Fancy Serving Plates have started out nicely, and I think it is time to reopen MyOtherShop and move them over there. I would like that shop to be all home decor....so, today Matt and I went to Hobby Lobby. He needed some frames for the Christmas gifts he made all of us and I wanted to look at unfinished wood things.

Our Hobby Lobby is rearranging their store and I swear that each of the last three times I have been in there they are working on the aisle I need to be in! Today it was the unfinished wood aisle. It was crowded and disorganized, but everything was 30% off and I bought nine pieces. My plan is to paint and decoupage them. Have you ever done decoupage? I did years ago and I really enjoyed it. I like taking something plain and turning it into something kick-butt! I also like "messy" work. I like paint and glue and cutting and pasting.

Oops, I did it again. Change of topic for just a second. Did you see the post in the etsy forums yesterday about the website that ranks the readability of your blog? Hmmmmmm.....mine was rated at a Junior High Level. Click here if you are interested in rating the readability of your blog. I think I need to stop saying things like woo hoo and kick-butt and Mr. Bah Humbug...........not a chance! Anyway it was interesting.

Back to changing gears. I really have no problem with change, in fact, I love it and I look for things to change. I can change gears at the drop of a hat and not grind the gears at all.

My thought is this....a revamped FourDogDay that will be all paper and photos, and then MyOtherShop (which I closed right before the holidays) that will be all home decor, including my Fun and Fancy Plates, and all of my new decoupage items. I might even do some picture frames which would work in both shops. I still have tons of old jewelry that I love to take apart and make into things. Who knows, I might even do some sewing...napkins and placemats anyone?

What do you think? Too much change or do you think two shops is a good idea? I value your opinion. If you have any suggestions on how to make the transition and how to equally promote two shops, I would love to hear from you as well!

Christmas Cards to Remember

When my kids were little, I always let them make our Christmas cards. I had them draw a beautiful picture and then we had the cards printed on red or green cardstock. We always put their name on the back to make it an "official" card. When they got a little older, they lost interest in creating our card. That's when I started purchasing them. For a long time it was Hallmark, and then I transitioned to the cute line of cards at Target. I never thought about making my own cards...until this year. I own a card shop! There is no way I am going to the store and buying cards this year.

I mentioned in a previous blog that I had selected one of my son's beautiful mountain photos and I am making our cards. They are turning out quite nice. I scanned one to show you. It's done on white cardstock, and I chose to use black photo corners to attach the photo. The picture itself is so gorgeous, that this way people can keep the picture and even frame it if they like.

While I was making my cards, I thought about how fun it would be to send my brother and sisters a special card this year. So, I started digging through my old photographs to find ones that would be special.

My sister Karen is a few years older than me. She lives in Tennessee. I see her a couple of times a year. I found a "very posed" picture of her and me that I am going to use for her card. I will write something about sisters and friendship and love and make it very personal. I just love her pants!!

My sister Kay is a few years younger than me. She lives in South Carolina and I see her every few years. I found a cute one of the two of us dressed in our little coats and hats. I'll write something very special for her as well.

My sister Ann, or Sis as we have always called her lives in Arizona. She and my brother Jack who lives in Georgia, are a bit older than my other two sisters and me. Their dad died when they were quite young. Mom remarried and had Karen, me and Kay. There is a 10 year gap between Sis and Jack and the three of us. Do I have you totally confused yet?

Anyway, in my digging for photos to use for cards for Sis and Jack, I came across a Christmas dinner photo from the early 50's. The photo was obviously taken by my dad, since he isn't in the picture. The only other person missing from this picture is my little sister Kay, and I am guessing that my mom was pregnant with her when this was taken. The picture has three of my grandparents in it, my grandma's "boyfriend", my mom, Karen, me, Sis, Jack and my brother Bob who died in an auto accident many, many years ago. I just love this photo! I plan to write something about family in their cards. I don't get to see either of them very often, so I want to make it very special.

I think I will get the pictures ordered and start thinking about what I want to write in all of them. Christmas is about family and the love we all share for one another. It's about traditions and special memories. I wonder what special memories we will be making this year....

What a Day!

I got up early this morning, because I had so very much I needed to get done today. I got the computer going and went into the forums on etsy. The first thread I responded to was, "Good Sunday Morning! Are You Working Today?" by BannerQueen. I replied that I was and as I started to type in everything I needed to do, I suddenly became a bit overwhelmed. How on earth would I ever get all of it done?

The next thread I responded to was, "The POWER of Positive Thinking" by Ozarkana. As I read her post, I knew without a doubt that I would get done everything I needed to get done today, and if for some reason I didn't....oh well, tomorrow is another day. The world is not going to end if I don't finish it all.

The first thing on the agenda was to go grocery shopping. We shop about 25 minutes from our house, so it's about a 2 hour task. Lo and behold, my charming husband offered to go himself so I could dig into that "to do" list! At first I told him no, that I would go with him, but the more I thought about that precious two hours.......I took him up on his offer.

I did my yoga, started the dishes, threw in some laundry, ordered some photos online and started working on my own personal Christmas cards. I chose a really neat mountain photo that my son took out in Colorado.

Next, I ran to the craft store. I always go to Joann's, but this time I had a gift card for Michael's which is down the road from Joann's on the opposite side of the street. I spent a lot of time in Michael's because I have this idea in my head of something new that I want to make so I was looking for supplies. I am also making the favors for my daughter's wedding shower, so I needed more supplies for that....and cardstock.

I finally got done there and pulled out onto the highway. My head was spinning thinking about where else I needed to go and what else I needed to do and after about 5 minutes I happened to glance at my surroundings and realized I had pulled out and gone the direction I would go had I been pulling out of Joann's. Unfortunately, I was pulling out of Michael's! I had gone in the total opposite direction! I could not believe I did that. Talk about being totally spaced out and thinking so much about other things that I don't even know where the heck I'm going! Can't wait until my husband and kids read this....I'll never hear the end of it!

Anyway, I did finally get the rest of my stuff done and arrived home, bags in hand. I made my way to my workshop and have been here ever since...except for a lunch break and an apple pie break...gotta eat that pie or I'll have to throw it away and I hate to waste food! :)

Well, once I get my blog done here, then it's back to the cards and the shower favors and a gift I am making for a special friend for Christmas! I actually ended up accomplishing everything I wanted to accomplish on my list and even more! Like I said....what a day!

Shop and Save this Weekend!

Holiday Sale

Friday, November 28-Sunday, November 30

Please join us for our first Holiday Sale at

FourDogDay

(Click to go directly to our shop)

Stop by our etsy card and gift shop and enjoy
BIG savings on dozens of items,
including beautiful photo greeting cards,

unique photographic prints,
great jewelry, fun gift tags and more!

Great Gifts at Fantastic Prices!

Looking forward to seeing you this weekend!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

&
HAPPY SHOPPING

What's The Buzz?

I feel excited, psyched and hyper. I have that strange little feeling in my stomache, and that can only mean one thing...THE HOLIDAYS ARE COMING! I always tell myself that I need to chill out a bit, but I don't know, the closer the holidays get the more giddy I get!

I always thought it was going to be strange when our kids grew up, that the holidays just wouldn't be the same....what I have found is that it's just as exciting, just in a different way. We don't have grandchildren yet, so there are no little ones watching and waiting for Santa but the spirit of Santa lives on!

I am not one of those people that freak out over the holidays. In fact, there is very little that rattles me. Not sure why that is, but it's a really good thing especially at this time of year.

I see other people running around, stressing over everything...upset because this needs to be like this and that can't be like that, and why can't so and so be here on this day and how come they are coming on that day, and hurry, hurry, hurry, gotta get it all done!

Then there are the "Bah Humbug" people. They dread the holidays. Everything about the holidays is a tedious chore. I just really don't get that. Sure there are things that need to be done...but none of it is a chore. It's a wonderful time of year.

One of our sons is married and our daughter in engaged. Our youngest son will be driving in from Colorado for Christmas. Last weekend we sat down and tried to figure out where everyone needed to be and when they needed to be there for Thanksgiving and for Christmas. It can be difficult when you are dealing with muliple families that all have their own special traditions.

As it turns out, to make it easier on our kids...we will celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday at our house. We did that last year and it was great. We had all day Thursday to prepare and they were able to spend time with their other families and then we had all day Friday to be together.

Christmas is a bit hectic, but we got that all figured out too. It's all a matter of being flexible. It takes a lot of the stress out of the holidays when you can sit together and work it out so everyone can relax and enjoy themselves.

So anyway...I am buzzin'! I am going to pick a photo to use for my Christmas cards tonight and get those made over this next week or so, and I am actually ready to go chop down that tree, get the lights up in the windows, order some new holiday candles (from someone at etsy of course) and get the holidays going!

There is no "Bah Humbug" in my holiday world!

Do You Send Christmas Cards?

Do you send Christmas cards? If so, do you ever think about "why" you send them? That's a simple question....but the answer wasn't always quite so simple for me. Now, maybe I'm the only one that has ever had this issue, but I kind of doubt it.

There was a time when I sent about 80 store bought cards every year to friends, family and neighbors. A small handful of people would get an extra handwritten note on cute holiday stationery, but most everyone got just the card with the preprinted message on the inside and then I wrote something like, "All Our Love, The Krolls". Sometimes I would write a little extra, "Happy Holidays". Then I would carefully stuff them in the envelopes, write the address on them, put a return label on them, seal them up, add a holiday stamp and pop them in the mailbox.

Another chore completed! Did I say chore??? Sending cards for the holidays shouldn't feel anything like a chore! Why did it sometimes seem that way? Why was I sending that many cards?

Was it because it's just what I always did? Was it because they sent me a card? Was it because I would feel guilty removing them from my list?

I finally decided that something had to change So,over the years I have whittled my list down to about 40. It isn't that I don't care about those other 40 people...I do. It's just that I never talk to those other 40 people. I never see those other 40 people. I never wrote special notes to those other 40 people, and those other 40 people never wrote special notes to me. Those other 40 people had no idea what is going on in my life, and I had no idea what was going on in theirs.

Sure Christmas is a nice time to "catch up", but I would have to write them a book to fill them in, and that isn't what Christmas cards are all about. Those 40 people were the sign the card, stuff it in the envelope, address the envelope, stick on the label, slap on the stamp and pop them in the mailbox people.

That isn't what the holidays are to me at all. That isn't what sending Christmas cards means to me. I love sending Christmas cards, and I love receiving Christmas cards.

So, this year I will be sending out those 40 cards...wonderful handmade cards with a beautiful photo taken by my son on the front. The inside of the card will start out blank, and I will write a personal and meaningful message to each person inside. I will make each card special so that every person that receives one knows that I really was thinking about them when I wrote their card. They will know that they are very special to me and that I really am thinking about them this holiday season.

Do you send Christmas cards? If so, do you ever think about "why"?