Thursday, December 25, 2014

SANTA HAS BEEN FOR ANOTHER YEAR

Santa has finally arrived and the Big and most important celebratory day of 2014 is beginning, squeals of joy have been heard all over the world as excited children rip open those wonderfully wrapped gifts which Santa has left beneath millions of Christmas trees, while mum and dads all over are nursing a late Christmas eve and very too early morning shouts from over excited little ones are begging them to get up and telling them Santa has been, come see!

This ole woman has no little ones at home to disturb the peace of Christmas morning and has allowed herself to catch a little extra shut eye this morning.  After a leisurely coffee it is back to the sewing machine for me, I have still two gifts to finish sewing and will enjoy a wonderful afternoon as well as Christmas dinner with neighbors who have kindly extended an invitation to enjoy turkey with all the trimmings with them!  

I have been at it constantly for a week solid now and with the finish line in my sights I am anxious to get these crossed off my list...then it is off on a trip to visit with my Treasures!  I cannot wait to see them and revel in hugs and kisses and watch them laugh and play while they tell me all that Santa left with them this Christmas.  My littlest Treasure will surely be excited as this will be her first Christmas which will lodge into her memories of youth...She is only two and a little bit and the other two will have primed her about how very special this day is for children all over the world. 

I have had my Christmas conversations with my two best friends and have one special friend left to speak with!  I will call her this evening after all of the out of the house in her neck of North America have ended and we have time to play catch up.  I have been a naughty friend this year, I haven't spoken with her for months as I have been allowing the days to exhaust me and just fallen into a bed inspection most nights so calling seemed something I just didn't do!

I wish you all a wonderful celebration today if Christmas is observed by you and yours, may there be an answer to the millions of prayers for peace and may you enjoy good health, much happiness as well as prosperity in the coming New Year.  I pray 2015 will be a much better year for each and every one of us heaven knows we could all use more prosperity.  

Posts will resume in the New year upon my return. 


Monday, December 15, 2014

J A M M E D - SHIPPING NIGHTMARES !

9 shopping days!   Seems like the countdown is moving faster than we seem to have made time for!  

For those of you waiting for deliveries from online sellers at Etsy, take heart, the postal services are moving,  just not as fast as on line retailers would like, especially those sellers on line who are not HUGE department store chains or outlets!!!

Ina Steiner, who writes for eCommerce Bytes has today written an article which may shed some light on those delays from the point of view of the USPS and another article about the Meltdown happening with the British postal services!  You can read those articles here and here!


and 

Photo's courtesy of eCommerce Bytes web site taken to illustrate Ina's articles under today's date December 15th, 2014 !

Ina Steiner is an astute writer and checking out her articles in many instances help us to understand things going on with eCommerce we simply need to know or sheds light on those questions sellers as well as buyers often wonder about while experiencing problems with our on line sales and purchases and if you follow Ms. Steiner daily, you will certainly become more knowledgeable about what it is that is happening in the on line world of commerce!   Remember "KNOWLEDGE IS POWER"!

It is extremely disheartening to know as a seller you have done everything in your power to make certain the parcels your sending to your customers are well packed, properly addressed, the correct amount of postage paid and scanned.  Then the panic eMails from your customers begin arriving and sends you into a whirl of additional and time consuming searching to see if you can assist in finding out where your customers parcel(s) are within the tracking system, only to discover the tracking system isn't quite up to snuff, or that there isn't any information to be had from any source at this time of the year!

These articles Ina has written especially for today while they do not help you find that parcel, the articles at least put you in the know!  

As someone said yesterday, "Everyone" knows Christmas is held on the same date every year without fail, December 25th as Christmas Day never varies!

eCommerce is the way of the future, it can only grow larger than it is at this time and we as buyers must be more alert, more astute and more patient as these entities manage to find their footing!  

What you can do as a Buyer is to make certain you order or buy in time so that your purchased parcels are not caught up in the wave of confusion and deluged volumes of mail sent out from all areas of this world attempting to meet the demands of on line Christmas shipping nightmares!

It is also very important that you know that Shops thriving in eCommerce at Etsy are hundreds of thousands of separate entities!  Each shop is owned and operated by an individual and not Etsy itself!  Etsy is but the platform Umbrella under which we all operate through, just like eBay, Amazon and AliBaba, which by the way are experiencing their own difficulties just as we who operate our shops through ETSY!!!

Etsy does its best to make certain all shop owners abide by the laws of copyright and fair trade!  IF you buy something from any shop that may in any way related to a copyright issue, it is entirely plausible that once found by the Administrators will be shut down and your item may not get to you!

Buying some article which has a copyright licence issue may only be purchased (bought) from a person/store/chain of stores that has been provided with the licence to sell that copyrighted item!  As a buyer it is up to you to make certain the item you want with copyright connotations is allowed to be sold through the shop your buying from, be that shop brick and mortar on the street, or, an eCommerce site your browsing through.   YOU as well as any Seller bear the responsibility if you have not done your due diligence.  

Save yourself some grief over a purchased item which may not arrive in time for Christmas, or as in some cases, which you may have purchased from some unscrupulous source never arrive!  Do your homework in buying on line as you would do your homework researching items your wanting to buy from a Brick and Mortar store!  I personally hate to lose hard earned money buying air!  The ultimate of power of buying rests in the hands of the person with the money, you and me!  As I said above, Knowledge is power and can save you a boat load of money and stress less on line buying!



Sunday, December 14, 2014

Buyers also have obligations!

10 actual shopping days left until Santa arrives, a r e  you ready?  Have you done all you should have to make certain your purchases you made on line will be delivered to you in time, because as a Buyer from an Etsy shop you too have obligations to make certain things go smoothly!


Have you ordered on line something which has so far not yet arrived in your mail box?  Take heart, try not to panic, most Etsy shop owners are as busy in their workshops burning the midnight oil to make certain all of Santa's gifts are delivered in time!  Have you made certain to provide the correct snail mail address for prompt delivery by your postal authority?  Have you moved and have you remembered to do a change of address with your post office, or to provide your NEW address correctly to the seller?  If you haven't you may be waiting until the problem of your not being at your old address is solved!!! 

Have you ordered something from an Etsy shop which is a custom order?  Have you made certain you check on your e-mail a few times per day to make certain there isn't a seller desperately needing input from you for your order?  If you have such an order pending then please make certain you help your order completion by making certain that the seller has all of your pertinent and relevant information required to get your item complete and on its way to you!  As a Buyer it is your responsibility to make certain the seller has all of your particular needs met and answer any and all questions put to you in order to complete your special custom made order. 

Have you ordered something from a shop that seems to have disappeared?  If you have then make certain to check with Etsy Administration by going to the HELP section of Etsy and following the links to getting some assistance.  MAKE certain you contact your payment provider such as your credit card company, or, if you have not paid using Etsy's Direct Payment method, then go to your Paypal Account and make certain you contact someone there through their HELP/SUPPORT links.... These links are there to help you when you believe you have a problem or a conflict!

If you have made you last moment orders last week or even this weekend, make certain you have read the sellers processing times posted in their Shop and if you are still wanting to order, it might be best for you and for the shop owner to begin a conversation before you put something into your cart and pay for it, thus making certain you don't have to wait for refunds and cancellations but that you can continue to shop and hopefully find a seller who is able to accommodate such late or last moment purchases. 

Please remember many issues face the million and one shop owners who sell at Etsy, first off, each is a separate shop (entity)  Etsy does not operate any of the shops who have stores under its umbrella!  Secondly, make certain you have not purchased something which may have copyright issues attached to it, such a something with or using a "Disney" or "Frozen" or "famous Designer name" attached to it, because there is every chance that these shops may have been found by the copyright owners and made to shut down.  

Copyright logo's and items bearing such prints or logo's are only saleable through registered licensed dealers or shops who have made contractual arrangements with the specific Copyright  owner/Licensor.   Shops selling such items may be overlooked for a very short time, but, you can be certain that the shop will be located and promptly be suspended from selling such registered copyright items or even shut right down.  SO BEWARE!

Sellers as well as Buyers have a responsibility to make certain what they sell is theirs legally to sell and not a copyrighted item, and Buyers must also beware of the copyright problems and are typically called "knock offs" on the street and as such it is illegal to sell or to buy knock offs!

These are but a few of the pitfalls of buying in a rush, then too there is the Shipping Agencies, this is the time of year when they are at their busiest, additional staffing may have been brought in to assist and things do not always go as smoothly as they should at this time of the year, waiting times become longer due to the heavy volume so please recognize this and be prepared.  Sellers do their utmost best to make certain your parcels are shipped in as timely and cost efficient method as they can.

If you are waiting or have made that last moment purchase and it simply does not get to you in time, grab a picture of the item you purchased and wrap it in an envelope with a "stuck in the mail but it is on its way" message and pray your loved one understands. 

If you are an International buyer having bought something from a seller on line at Etsy make certain you know the rules for paying the import taxes required by your country, because sellers in one country are not obligated to pay these taxes and those amounts are not part of your purchase amount!

And lastly, please make sure you read the sellers shipping policies as well as return policies for refunds, shipping prices are set by the postal or shipping authorities in each country, the seller utilizes the best methods of calculating shipping costs which you must pay, however shipping costs are not necessarily cut and dried, so make certain you check all this out before you begin to berate the seller.  Measurements of the shipped parcel as well as weight is an important factor in the process of shipping and must be acknowledged by a seller who has no say in how the authorities calculate the shipping costs.  Most sellers will REFUND overpaid shipping charges you have paid once they return from getting your parcel off, so please be patient and wait for that refund if in fact a refund of over paid shipping charges may apply to your parcel. 

All I can say to you now is good luck with your Christmas last minute shopping and getting to Christmas morning without stress and groans.  Patience is the key, if, as a buyer you have done all you can to make certain your seller has been provided with all of the necessary information required to make your purchase as perfect as it can be and that it arrives on time. 




Friday, December 12, 2014

The 12 Days to Christmas

It's still snowing here and I am one of those people who dislikes the feel of winter!  I dislike having to remove the snow, clean off the car, wrap up in layers and wear clunky boots!  How about you?  For my mind, it may snow on Christmas eve and stop Christmas day, and Spring can arrive any time on Boxing Day!  LOL

The 12 days of Christmas began today!  Not long ago I began writing about Christmas 2014 and the many preparations and gift suggestions out there for you and yours!  Well, today I am thinking of these last 12 days!  Almost too late for on line shopping unless, like some HUGE e-commerce sites are guaranteeing delivery before Christmas morning, but I watched a few unhappy people who had waited too long last Christmas and were sorely disappointed when their purchases didn't show until well into January the following year...so BEWARE of those guarantees more so if the gift your wanting is for a child!  They don't understand pictures and promises to have it sometime soon!!!

Be that it is really close, and you are still sitting on the "I don't know" fence, lets see what wonderful items are in those very beautiful Etsy shops still to be had!

Like how about giving a SMILE for Christmas, something to touch the heart and keep the memory of your gifting alive?  Look what I found at the stoneteller shop!  


Are these not sweet?  These make the most wonderful of paper weights and would make excellent gifts to give any of your co-workers!

The RockArtiste also offers hand painted rocks with some sweet offerings, like this set of Dutch Bunny Miniatures or a Dachsund even a portrait of someone's beloved pet or your own for that matter?  


A lasting gift for anyone who loves nature and who may have pets!

Some people on your list who have stymied you with gift choices may love this photographic print!  I am in love with this particular photograph myself as I am very partial to Brown Labs!  Look at that face!
This may be bought from ChocolatePawsPhotos


or any one of a number in the shop, like these???



Are these not adorable?  I could just cuddle them all day long!  The gentlest of creatures are dogs, who wouldn't love these Brown beauties?

Or how about giving one of Alex Costello's prints of which are rich with stories you can attach, like the memory of a Beach vacation somewhere, or horses in winter snow?  




Photographic prints make wonderful gifts to give with a personal note of the memory recalled from a photograph!

11 days is all that really remains of your shopping power before the actual morning of Christmas arrives, so, do yourself a favour, shop on line and do it quick, but don't take it for granted you'll have it without first speaking with the SHOP OWNER!  It is mighty important you are not stressed out waiting for something you purchased, so make sure you know where your purchase will be coming from, the distance in this count down matters now!  

ETSY shop owners will bend over backwards to assist you with your last minutes but do not tarry because it may become a matter of becoming too late....

****The choice of items I choose to write about is my own, I am not affiliated with any crafting community, sellers or the shop owners or individual or company!    I do not extract nor do I get paid  for my publications of any item or items or personal opinions contained within this my personal blog.   I do not know nor am I affiliated with any person or shop I write about whatsoever*****





Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Unique Gifting Ideas

Two weeks or 14 days, no matter which way you count it off Christmas is really now just around the corner and time is definitely beginning to run out for those who have yet to make a decision on getting the gift selections on their Christmas gift lists bought!

Around my region today it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas with the snow falling and the weatherman giving out snow alerts, the school buses not moving in our area and my exchange student safely ensconced back into her bed with every intention of sleeping her bonus snow day away!

To help some of you whose gift ideas are stalled I thought I might go back to Etsy Sales for you and select some wonderful items the shop keepers have remaining in their shops just waiting for you to come along and pick them up, of course, you'll have to hurry a bit because of the time but if you act quickly you might just make the mail deadline and get your orders before the post office calls it quits for deliveries!

At the ScarfClub shop there are some of the prettiest scarves on sale!  Like this "Buy 3 and Get 4" or "Buy 5 and Get 7" deals - especially great if you have more than one female over 10 to buy for, like this colorful TRIBAL Scarf with all of those glorious colors!
oh and take a peek at this beauty!
These are wonderful, women of all ages so love scarves and one can never have enough in their accessory drawer, your certain to hit it in the applause department with such a gift!

Have you seen the jewellery made from Vintage silverware?  I saw some last weekend and fell for it immediately!  This woman had a bracelet with matching necklace UPCYCLED  from such silverware and it was so beautiful and so unique. 

While this was not the same pattern I saw, I fell in love with this one particular piece but was difficult not to fall for almost all of the pieces in this shop!  Bent Spoon Jewelry is where you will find this bracelet made from a 1935 silverware pattern called Narcissus!  Isn't it too beautiful and even more rare than this one is the bracelet made from 102 year old pattern called Lilyta from 1909!!!
This shop is a gem to browse through....Each piece of hand crafted jewellery is unique and stands out from the crowd!

These are but a small sampling of the many Christmas Sales taking place in Etsy Shops, so hurry, make your choices now so that they'll be hiding beneath the tree this coming Christmas morning!

ETSY SHOP OWNERS ARE SMALL BUSINESS PEOPLE striving to keep their economies going and growing!!!!!!!!!!!




****The choice of items I choose to write about is my own, I am not affiliated with any crafting community, sellers or the shop owners or individual or company!    I do not extract nor do I get paid  for my publications of any item or items or personal opinions contained within this my personal blog.   I do not know nor am I affiliated with any person or shop I write about whatsoever*****





Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Still Great Christmas Sales

15 Daysv- 11 Hours and 32 Minutes left until Santa's bounty will be found beneath Christmas trees all over parts of the world that celebrate Christmas!!!

I have been busy making certain all of my Custom orders are completed with only three local orders of bags to complete,
this this being the latest one finished
and the orders from my Vintage shop all sent off to new homes, some of my chores are done since I didn't do much for the past week in the way of picking up threads which I have nicely tracked all over the carpets in the house. 

I have had my four legged company on and off all week and enjoyed every moment with them, some I won't see until the New Year and others will see over the Christmas Holidays... 

Casey who is currently visiting today

says "Woof, Woof" meaning hurry, hurry and go visit the shop keepers on Etsy because there are loads of wonderful items on sale waiting for you to claim them for your own gifting purposes....

Look what we have found for you today!

From Porans shop we found this beautifully handcrafted men's silver ring, 
a handsome piece any man would enjoy having on his finger!  Just look in the Christmas Sale Section for this and a variety of other hand crafted beauties!

At the LaBubbleBar you'll be wonderfully surprised at the sale going on in this shop of all these gorgeous pearl earrings!  I have chosen the Icy Pearls for you today as I think these are especially nice to wear with any outfit and these are on sale, just as all of the earrings are!  Aren't these lovely?




There is such a variety it really was difficult to choose, but if you head on over to this shop your certain to find just the right color for you or for that special someone who needs a special gift.  At this price, these would make terrific stocking stuffers too!

For the little princess who could really use a pinafore apron, head on over to the NowadaysNaive shop to get one for your little Princess!  It would certainly save her pretty Christmas outfit from spills and stains and any one of these would look so cute on her!  It would be a great little gift to give and her mommy will thank you for it too!



Wow, take a look at this wonderfully crafted Black Pewter Pocket watch from the PocketwatchEmporium with slight imperfections such as the finish, dial or possibly the crystal, but at these prices and from the photo's I couldn't pick out the imperfections at all but each and every watch being sold works perfectly in the time keeping!  I have become quite the steam punk aficionado over this past year and love these pocket watches.  The shop owner is also able to provide EXPRESS delivery services, and any one of this watches would make a romantic keepsake....Once again there are so many beauties to choose from!


  
Have a new babe in the family or circle of friends?  This Ronnie Bear with his own tiny Rocking Horse is a sweet gift to give!  He can be seen and bought from the CaysCollectibles Shop, isn't this just too cute and you know how young babes grow to love their own special bear friends!   It will be a lifetime keepsake!


or, how about this one!  I love her face!  What little one could resist her?

Or over at the goosegreese shop you might enjoy buying this one set of "Emotional Eggs" showing six hand painted wooden eggs each with a different emotion being displayed on its face!  Makes a wonderful teaching tool as well as lots of fun to play with!

All of the shops mentioned above are holding terrific Christmas Sales and if you act now, your sure to have your purchases for under the tree in time for the unveiling and all of the squeals of appreciation sure to come from those receiving them!


****The choice of items I choose to write about is my own, I am not affiliated with any crafting community, sellers or the shop owners or individual or company!    I do not extract nor do I get paid  for my publications of any item or items or personal opinions contained within this my personal blog.   I do not know nor am I affiliated with any person or shop I write about whatsoever*****



Thursday, December 4, 2014

VINTAGE HISTORY

20 days left until the Excitement erupts with cries of glee from little voices all over the world!  SANTA has come and left gaily wrapped gifts underneath their trees!!!!  


This being one of the busiest months for Santa, it seems only fair to give him a helping hand!  To this end I have been busy finding AWESOME Etsy vintage shops for those who appreciate wonderful things from our past. 

THERE IS A SHOP I found with some of the most interesting Vintage items in it I have seen in a very long time!  This very special item!  A 1920's Charles Dickens Christmas Book which was illustrated by the famous illustrator A.A. Dixon!  Who wouldn't be ecstatic unwrapping this beautiful Dickens book?

Not many of Dickens Christmas Books on the market and in such terrific condition, making this copy truly a highly prized gem to add to someone's  growing Classic Literature collection!  This comes to you from a beautiful vintage shop called BiminiCricket!  

Following on the "Dickens" thread over at GrannasCupboard shop you will be delighted to find a veritable collection of Vintage Dickens inspired ornamental pieces as well as this version of Betsy Trotwood's Cottage!  For those who are collectors of all things Dickens and Dickens inspired, these pieces are truly amazing. Imagine your Christmas decor with some of these wonderful and collectible pieces!  For that special collector who may be on your list as one who would appreciate such a gift, this would be a feather in your cap!
 
At the Bazl shop I found more collectible decor ornamental pieces, this one especially charming and highly collectible is this Colonial Williamsburg Courthouse Miniature.  Isn't it grand?  Who as a collector wouldn't want to own this for their very own?
From TheSecretGardenEtsy comes this absolutely delightful and highly collectible Antique German Bisque Doll with bath accessories!  Adorable for that special someone on your list who would delight in its ownership!

And in keeping with wonderful Americana miniatures, look what I found at the OldWorldCountry shop, this fantastic miniature of  an Amish Quilt Shop for your Quilting friend who would simply be thrilled to bits with this as a gift from you!
If you or someone you know collects all things Amish, it is at the Old World Country shop you'll find more Amish miniatures!  

As you can readily see, I was in a collection mood when browsing and any of these wonderful pieces would make precious gifts to receive..

Etsy has hundreds and hundreds of Vintage shops for your browsing and buying passions....why not think Vintage this Christmas for those above the age of 15, possibly such a gift might begin someone on the Collector's journey or even the appreciation for all things from our past, like "Dickens" of course or historical significance such as Colonial Williamsburg?


****The choice of items I choose to write about is my own, I am not affiliated with any crafting community, sellers or the shop owners or individual or company!    I do not extract nor do I get paid  for my publications of any item or items or personal opinions contained within this my personal blog.   I do not know nor am I affiliated with any person or shop I write about whatsoever*****





Wednesday, December 3, 2014

SALES on HANDMADES FOR CHILDREN

21 days and counting down!  Santa's Elves are now beginning to burn the midnight oil to have the children's wish lists filled and Ole Mr. Claus has been pressed into service too, to make sure the Sleigh is properly filled to its capacity on Christmas eve!




Morning all, I know I have been missing, but I haven't been frittering away my time, nope, been busy replenishing stock which luckily I sold at my last local Christmas Craft fair in Kingston!

Since my last post where I pointed out how to find the sales from Etsy shops until yesterday, I myself have been busy with my own Etsy shops and participating in the local Christmas craft fairs and with one left to attend, I really need more inventory. 

A bit of self promotion here before I introduce you to some wonderful hand made items which you will only find from these Artisans at Etsy!

I am know in my local area as The Bag Lady From The Bay, who makes Quilted items, but mostly quilted bags of all sizes, shapes and styles.  I have designed and created my LARGE ZIPPER TOTES FOR TOYS especially for the tiny tots who are always travelling with mum or dad to somewhere where they need to be amused while mum and dad are busy!  This Busy bag will keep their favorite little toys secure while travelling around, and keep children happily playing while mum or dad conduct some much needed business or travel.  These are able to go anywhere, at any time, and are 100% washable when the grunge hits.  Children use them everywhere and are happily kept from boredom during these times when they aren't in their own surroundings. 

Made from fabrics I have quilted, wonderful giant easy glide and flexible zippers, a pull tab to help little hands close the bags and a handle for easy carrying anywhere..



*Mention todays' post in my shop for 25% off any quilted item December 3rd and I'll have it sent on its way tomorrow!*
If you search for sales through Etsy your sure to find many crafted items on sale just waiting for you!

Children need playtime and with the Christmas season approaching they'll need to be kept occupied while adults are doing their thing!  WHY not then easy items like these wonderful aprons just for children whose imaginations will be well occupied with one of these!  Head on over to Susie'sTieOneOnAprons and get your child or children one of these colorful and useful aprons made just for them!


Or how about these wonderful wooden toy blocks from DinDinToys, little ones have so very much fun building and then crashing them down again and being made from wood these will last them forever!  Or the memory games children love to be busy with!  These are well made and long lasting just for children....



How about some wonderful puzzle toys to keep your child occupied?  From the ArtGiftStoreEcoToys shop you can buy these wonderful colored wooden puzzle toys, to keep them occupied for a lengthy time, or putting together their very own castle? 


And what little girls doesn't love dolls?  From the TrueLinenShop comes this sweet handmade Rag Doll - isn't she lovely?  Little girls as well as little boys love cuddling with their special friends, and this wonderful hand made rag doll and rag teddy bears fits right into that category of cute and cuddly, wouldn't you say?



Very Eco friendly, safe and cuddly all in the same little toy just for a young girl or boy to fall in love with.... 

Or who wouldn't love this wonderful hand knitted Piglet, Rabbit or Teddy?  KnittedByBarbara





There are hundreds of wonderful Etsy shop owners who are as busy as Santa's Elves right now, making sure their shops are stocked with their products so that you won't have to face the brick and mortar chaos out there and can satisfy Santa's list this year right from your own home.....

****TODAY except for my own shops' self promotion, the choice of items I choose to write about is my own, I am not affiliated with any crafting community, sellers or the shop owners or individual or company!    I do not extract nor do I get paid  for my publications of any item or items or personal opinions contained within this my personal blog.   I do not know nor am I affiliated with any person or shop I write about whatsoever*****