Back to School Monthly Challenge Link Party

The Monthly Challenge for August was Back to School by Erika of Artful Rising. We were asked to be inspired by anything related to back to school--fashion, accessories, supplies, you name it!

Show us what you created!

Artisan Spotlight -- Aliferous Express

 7 questions is our spotlight on our favorite artisans. Please welcome... 

Lisa of Aliferous Express

1.      What do you sell in your shop?
Right now my shop has a variety of digital downloads... scrapbook papers, greeting card, scrabble tile and ATC images. A few other things as well and I'm not sure if everything is going to end up staying but for now, I enjoy all sorts of projects so I will either continue the variety, split some off when that sections grows, or nix whatever is not doing well. It's still evolving.

2.      What is your favorite thing about etsy?
I love the community and having a place to sell your handmade things without all the upfront costs. I've always been more of a 'mom & pop' shopper so with having fewer and fewer of those stores in your own town, this makes me feel like the future of the mom & pop shop. It allows those brick and mortar storefronts that have disappeared to return in a new, updated way. For the most part, if you shop on Etsy, you're getting something from a small business person and supporting people in their craft.

3.      What is your least favorite thing about etsy?
I really don't think it's as user-friendly as it could be. I feel like the front page could be utilized far better. The navigation could also use an overhaul if you ask me. For instance, when you view an item in someone's store, you don't have all links to all places or pages of that person's store. You have to go to the storefront or the store's profile page to get certain links to show up. 

4.      What does your studio/workspace look like?
Somewhat messy at times but I don't let it get too out of hand because that overwhelms me and makes my brain cluttered. I have a large room in my attic that has walkout windows so there's lots of light. 









This is my corner where I have all my storage, my computer and my supplies for jewelry making. It used to be far more cluttered with photos, postcards and my own art, but when I decided to put my digital work back online, I cleaned up and decided to start fresh. Right behind my desk I have a small table that I clear off when I want to do tangible art projects.

Believe it or not, my supply closet is always organized! I know... I'm a freak. lol. But when it's not, my head explodes. I'm way calmer and at peace when I know where things are.

5.      What do you do to relax?
A lot of different things actually. I love watching movies, reading, and I'm usually always refreshed and relaxed after the weekends. I have a wonderful group of friends and spending time with them riding and then hanging out at one of the houses for good food, drinks and an abundance of laughter keeps me sane. Those times make Mondays not so horrible. :)

6.      What accomplishments are you the most proud of?
I think I'm most proud of having been a successful small-business owner in the past and proud that I'm finally getting down to business and trying again. I'm fortunate in that I like and do have some talent in different areas, so I never get bored, but then other days I find it hard to concentrate on one thing. Either way, I am proud that I can do more than just one thing... and that it's all self-taught.

7.      What are some of your goals for the next year?
To finalize what I will keep and/or split off into another Etsy store. Grow it so that there is an abundance of items to choose from, and I've always wanted to continue making downloads that are useful for journals, date books, organizational type DIY stuff with pics and fun sections so it's not your boring black& white yearly planner... as well as getting back into my wreath designs before fall/winter set in. I have other thoughts in my head but I'm trying to make myself concentrate on those things first.

You can find out more about Lisa here:

Aliferous Express (Lisa): (Printable Digital Downloads)
Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/AliferousExpress
Blog: http://lisarohrbaugh.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aliferous-Express/248401995264306

Back to School Monthly Challenge

The Monthly Challenge for August is all about Back to School.

Erika of Artful Rising came up with this month's challenge and was inspired by back to school supplies, clothes, accessories, art, anything related to the back to school madness.

magnets

journal

 Don't forget to check back sometime around the 25th to see what the other participants have created and posted on their personal blogs. See you then!

 As members of the Blogging Business Artisans we are required to participate in 6 of the 12 monthly challenges per year.  Additional requirements and to see future challenges click here.  If you would like to become a Blogging Business Artisan, check out what that means here.

Summer Lovin Link Party

It is time to link up with your July Monthly Challenge! Jenny of A Bird in the Hand Art was inspired by the movie Grease, Summer Lovin', and thoughts of warm days. What did you create?

Please note that the linky will close at 11:58 pm Central Time on the 31st.

This Monthly Challenge Link Party is brought to you by Erika of Artful Rising, the place for personalized and custom journals.

Monthly Challenge Link Party

Link up with your post on how you were inspired by June's Monthly Challenge of "Under the Sea." When I created that theme last year, I was envisioning summer vacations, water, and the Little Mermaid.

I look forward to seeing everyone's creations!

Let Your Readers Comment: Get Rid of Word Verification

The new word verification system has a lot of people annoyed. Most of them are difficult and some of them are impossible. But you do not have to use Word Verification. When the interface (look of the dashboard) recently changed some bloggers discovered that word verification was automatically put back on. Change it.  Here is how:

When you open up your Dashboard, click on the arrow that is circled in the photo below. It will give you a pull down menu; click on Settings.

In the new page you will see Settings toward the bottom of the list and then Posts and Comments. Click on that part. Where is says Show word verification, click No!

You can always choose to moderate the comments but read here how that can actually hurt your blog traffic. Most people rarely have problems with spam and if you do then check to see if it is on one post. If it is, close out the comments on that post. And the whole purpose of a blog is the interaction. So let your audience comment!

QUESTION: Have you changed your word verification yet?

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Today's guest blogger is Erika. She is the creator of Artful Rising where she
encourages you to get-your-rear-in-gear to Create. Inspire. Change the World. Join the conversation today and receive your own ebook on following your dreams.

Spring is in the Air!

How do you respond to Spring? Margaret of Splendid Little Stars influenced April's Monthly Challenge by asking BBA members to "create a project that calls to mind how one or all of the senses respond to this time of year".

I think of April showers.

The Best Moments by Artful Rising

People think of getting married.

Wood Guest Book by Memories for Life Scrapbooks

Flowers bloom.

Spring Brooch by JN Originals

QUESTION: What do you think of when you think of this time of year?

Link up with your blog post on a creation that reflects how you respond to spring.

Friday Features and a Winner

Yesterday I saw a large group of bike riders, vans, Red Cross vehicles, and a bus for the Wounded Warrior cyclists (wounded veterans ride even if it is in a specially designed 'bike'). My four year old son asked me why it was taking so long to travel down the road and I pointed to the group. When I read the words "Wounded Warrior" I choked back a sob. People do a lot for us to live in this country; I wish more people were grateful...

charm by ChubbyChicoCharms

 bracelet by AtEaseDesigns

blocks by AlaynasCreations

shirt by SouthernBelleBows

The winner of Artful Rising's Giveaway is Maegan! Thank you to everyone that entered.

Worktable Wednesday and a Winner!

 This week's Worktable Wednesday features Sarah of Magnolia Surprise. Sarah created adorable cookies for my daughter's bedroom makeover; my daughter asked for a place for tea parties on a pink table. The cookies are thick, sturdy, precious and perfect for the new space!

cookies for a tea party

 In the Magnolia Surprise shop you will find crochet and needlework. Sarah is currently working on a large custom order for a repeat customer and it is interesting learning about the process.

patriotic washcloths

I like how Sarah dove right into the team's February Monthly Challenge and created a pretty cross-stitch piece.

all about love

 Be sure to visit the Magnolia Surprise blog and shop!

And now for the March Giveaway winner!!
I want to thank all of those entered Pruitt Creations giveaway for March. The winner is The Country Blossom and after I checked out her blog I have to say it is a great match!

Friday Features -- Serenity

I am covered in sawdust, paint, caulk, and am aching all over from home improvement projects. I am thinking of serenity this Friday...

These succulents remind me of my grandma.

Tall Poppy Gardens

Serenity prayer. I need this in a plaque.

I Heart It

Write it out and let it go in a journal.

Artful Rising

pretty in pink

Mystic Wynd

pretty in blue

Random Creative

 miracles of the sea

Madden Photography

 QUESTION: What relaxes you?

February Monthly Challenge Link Party

 The February Challenge was brought to us by Memories for Life. She challenged each of in the BBA to create a love-themed item. You can read more about it here.

Here are some other things you might want to know about the BBArtisans Challenges:

1) There will be 12 monthly challenges with a given theme. Being a member of the BBA requires you to participate in at least six (6) challenges during of the year and to blog about your entry.(Want to see what other challenges are coming up? January through June Challenges are currently available to read about on the Challenges tab.)

2) One blog post must be submitted to the Team Blog linky about your Challenge between the 25th and the end of the month.

3) No late submissions will be acceptable.

4) Feel free to put any project you create in your shop, and talk about the Challenge in your description! 

It is time to link up with the URL to the specific blog post. The linky tool will close at February 29th at 11pm.

Friday Features -- Happiness

I fully intended to focus on coral items but instead decided to pick things that make me happy!

the path less traveled

ChicaBoo

jn originals

artmod

beadedtail

Pruitt Creations

QUESTION: What makes you happy this Friday?

This post is brought to you by Erika of Artful Rising.

Worktable Wednesday -- Animal Journals -- and a Winner

Worktable Wednesday features something new happening with the BBA members or something of interest we spy online. Today's Worktable Wednesday is BeadedTail!

BeadedTail journal

 The cat is out of the bag! BeadedTail has released a new line of handmade journals in her etsy shop and they are purrfect for animal lovers.

Be Pawsitive

 The journals can be custom designed with different pet silhoettes and come with classic BeadedTail humor.

custom journal by BeadedTail

And the winner of the first team-wide giveaway is Dolly Madison who said:

This post is brought to you by Erika, the creator of Artful Rising.

Spark Your Business with Email Marketing

briberrie on etsy

We've discussed email signatures and using this free marketing tool to your advantage but how many of you have an email list? (You know, a way to keep up with your audience if your Blogger or Wordpress account goes wonky and you are freaking out and want to let everyone know you are still around and are having an incredible sale.)

An email list is not when you cut and paste from people that have purchased from you and begin sending them emails. That is spam and you don't do that because it is wrong. And unprofessional. But an email list is one in which you let folks sign up and you deliver content to their inbox once a day, once a week, once a month, or what ever time frame you think reasonable. But what do you send?

*Customize your Newsletters. Not everyone that reads your blog necessarily cares for all of your content so customizing newsletters allows you to send out something special for their needs. I have done this before and found it useful. Someone interested in my workshops or journals might not have any interests in my tutorials or recipes.

*Choose the Content Wisely. I made the choice to focus my newsletters on inspirational, get-your-rear-in-gear content because it was what people asked for and is something I am passionate about. I also choose to not send only links to my products (in fact, I hardly ever link to something in one of my shops).
Think about what you would want to see in your inbox.

*Have a Plan. Knowing what you want to accomplish with your email list helps with your strategy. Set up goals and map out the strategy of how you will reach those goals. I need to improve this with my list.


*Be Crystal Clear and Upfront. On my sign-up I mention what you are getting, how often, and why they want it in the first place.

Be mindful that it is not all about the numbers. Some people think they have to have a 1,000 followers on their blog and 10,000 email subscribers to be successful. If only five people buy from you or leave comments then that is not what I think of as success. If you only have 50 people on your list but those are 50 valuable customers then that is priceless.

QUESTION: Do you have an email opt-in?

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Today's guest blogger is Erika. She is the creator of Artful Rising where she encourages you to get-your-rear-in-gear to Create. Inspire. Change the World. Join the conversation today via the weekly Artful Rising Newsletter and receive your own ebook on following your dreams.

Friday Features -- Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas weekend and create many happy memories!

Art & Retro

incrEDIBLE Toppers

LindaB142

Random Creative

Dess Handbags

Check out other great finds in this month's treasury:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTA5ODQ1NzN8MTU5MzY4NzIxMg/go-red-for-the-new-year

~Happy Holidays from Erika and the Blogging Business Artisans~

Friday Features -- Expressions of Love

Give a gift of love this holiday season! And if you are all set with Christmas then stock up for Valentine's Day -- it will be here before you know it.

This heart brooch is brand NEW. I proudly own a wine colored heart and receive compliments on it.

NFall2rt

Say it simply with a custom Love Heart.

Artful Rising

The love between parent and child in different forms...beautiful

Tapestry316

Carry your love close to your heart with this precious love letter locket.

Janie Cox

Remember your special day with a custom sign

TreehouseWoodDesigns

QUESTION: What are ways you express your love?