Free Shipping on Your Entire Order!

**Now that the promo had ended, the book used was Twlight!**

I really love shooting my item on printed pages, like books. I’ve always been drawn to those pictures and recently started doing it myself. I think its fun to try and see if I can figure out which book the artist used.

Now its your turn: I'll give you free shipping within the U.S.A. on your entire order (half-off shipping for international orders) if you can tell me the book used in my new Sizzling Summer Gingham Gift Tags:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/47709009/handmade-gingham-gift-tagsembellishments

Before you decide this is too hard, I’ll give you three clues; be sure to look at each of the pictures in the listing and click on each to enlarge, as different shots show different part of the pages. Here are your three clues:

1. This is a very mainstream book has been on the NY Times Bestseller List.
2. It is the first book in a series; each subsequent book has also been a Bestseller.
3. While the book has been read by men and women, the majority of readers are women.

If you think you know the answer, send me an email at mishelle.mccall@gmail.com. If you are correct, I’ll send you a coupon code! There can be an unlimited number of winners! After your order is completed, I’ll refund your shipping charges immediately through PayPal. Your free shipping code has no expiration date, but can only be redeemed once. Free shipping is valid for addresses within the US; all international orders will receive a code for half-off shipping costs. Contest ends at Midnight PST on May 31.

Your free shipping is only good in my shop; start building your wishlist: http://www.pinkycrafts.etsy.com/

Good luck! I hope you have as much fun with this puzzle as I do!

One week of independence later...

Let me just tell you: its strange to be in a hotel and not be on vacation! Even though our place definitely appears more like a condo or small apartment, my brain still knows its in a hotel, albiet an extended stay hotel filled with other relocaters. I feel like the loser vacation girl who stays in her room! But this is not vacation, its real life.

In shop news, I started working on new Party Packs: coordinating cupcake toppers and hor devours picks packaged together. I always appreciate parties with attention to detail, and I'm hoping my buyers do too! I also listed a Gift Certificate for the first time, after reading up on Oregon laws, that is. Who knew giving a Gift Certificate could be so complicated!

In personal news, DH's new job is on the brink of not working out. He's still in the training process, going out with other sales reps on their appointments to learn the ropes. Unfortunately, the company is trying a test market in a totally different area of the state, and DH has been required to travel down there. One negative is that because he's just sitting in, he's only eligible for a teeeeeny commission if a sale gets made - but there haven't been any sales all week. He's driving 5 hours round trip every day. We're not sure if he's even making enough to cover the gas costs. They've been scheduling him for the max number of appointments each day, so he leaves at 7:15am and often doesn't get home until midnight. *sigh*

We've agreed that he'll stick it out for awhile longer; this test market business won't last forever. It won't be as bad when he goes out on his own as he'll get all the comission if a sale gets made. I've encouraged him to talk to his boss about keeping him closer to home during training; I can't believe that a manager would be OK with a new employee spending money to work there! If I were a manager, I'd rather keep an employee than drive him out. Perhaps this wasn't meant to be, which is really disapointing. It's also scary to think that this amazing source of income will go away and we'll be back to living on savings. We'll wait and see.

Anyway, I've had three sales this week and I'm trying to stay positive! I even put out some applications of my own this. I'm a big believer in bringing positive energy into your life and trying to push out the negative energy, so that's what I'm doing. I'd appreciate any extra positive thoughts that my readers may have!

Attention Crafters!

I'm looking for other craft bloggers to network with - trade badges, blog about each other's shops, retweet each other's deals on Twitter, etc. We need to stick together! If you're interested in any type of networking, please send me an email at mishelle.mccall@gmail.com.

Go On Girl - Get Out There!

Working from home, I really enjoy that I don't have to leave the house every single day. Some people might find this strange, but there's something so freeing about waking up and staying in your PJs all day, without having to put makeup on or do your hair. I don't do this everyday, but I do enjoy that I can do it some days.

Today was not one of those days; I was on a mission. I wanted to see if I could find the second book in the "86 Bloomberg Place" series at a local used bookstore, I wanted to see what deals I could score with my 20% off Total Purchase coupon at Michaels, and I wanted to take my first stab at promoting my business off-line. I struck out at the bookstore, which was a bummer. Michaels was also somewhat of a bummer. Nothing was already on sale, making 20% off Total Purchase coupon pretty useless. I did find some new die cuts templates on clearance (not elligible for the coupon) so all was not lost, but my outing was pretty disapointing.

Then the husband and I decided to stop by Jamba Juice, where I noticed a community bulletin board. They had a couple ads for local plays and businesses - I could totally post a business card there! A little disclaimer told me I needed management approval to post anything, so I mustered up my courage and asked to speak to the manager. He came out, I explained who I was and what I sold, and he gave me permission to leave a business card on the board! I was psyched, my first off-line advertising venue. I intend to carry my cards with me now at all times, just waiting to come across another wonderful bulletin board like the one at Jamba Juice.

Re-Shoot Number 1,000,000!

I love these gift tags. They're inspired by the fun spring colors in Oregon this time of year. I especially love this photo :) I've shot the set of gift tags this is advertised in about a million times, but today, I was finally satisfied. My favorite use for my gift tags (other than the traditional stick-on-a-gift-box approach) is to write the "to/from" and then tie one on a bottle of wine. I've given that combo as a thank-you or hostess gift in the past, and the recipient is always very pleased! I usually get more compliments from the tag than the fact that I just gave them free wine!

Here I am...my new Etsy shop!

I always said I wouldn't start blogging again, but here I am! I guess I just can't stay away :)

PinkyCrafts on Etsy (http://www.pinkycrafts.etsy.com/) has been live for nearly a month. Its been a huge learning experience for me. Its a good thing that I'm unemployed (or is it..hmm...) because it's nearly been a full-time job for me. Between making new products, photographing and re-photographing my items, and promoting the heck out of them - whew! I will say that it has been fun! I didn't have huge expectations for this shop, I just wanted to finally do something I loved and try to make a little spending cash out of it. I reason with myself that I can spend so much time doing this right now so that when I'm fully employed again, I won't have to spend my life doing it since I will have done such a good job getting it started.

The sales fairy hasn't visiting me often this month, but at least she has visited, and that's something to be thankful for. All in all, I'm really glad that the products I make, the products that I've already been making and gifting for years, can bring joy to somebody else. I love it!