Year in Review

2011 has been quite a year!! Here is a recap of the events that have taken place in my life over the past year...

January
New Years in New Orleans

We're engaged!! 1/8/11

Snow in ALABAMA! My first REAL snowman!



March- Opened Etsy Shop

College fair in LA

May 2011-
Changed territories with my real job, from Texas, Kentucky and Ohio to good ole Birmingham, AL. Yay for being home more!

July- Visited beautiful San Diego for a work trip!

August
Bought our first home

GOT MARRIED!! 8/27/11

Honeymoon in Mexico

October- Turned 26!

November

December

pintrest projects as promised

I finally got around to taking pictures of my competed pintrest projects. The first is a wreath for my front door. This is all over pintrest but my favorite tutorial comes from an old blog post from 2009 from Fingerprints on the Fridge Thank you pintrest for helping me find it two years later!!

To make this wreath, basically all you have to do is bend one of those old school hangers into a circle and untwist the top to open it. Don't unbend the hook.

Take your trusty hot glue gun and glue the tops on your ornaments (I thought I knew better than the blogger and skipped this step, MISTAKE!!! They all started falling off once it got full) You will use about 100 ornaments plus I used about 25-30 small ones to fill in the holes.

Once they are all guled, you simply thread them one at a time onto the wire. At first it doesn't look like it will work, I got a little scared, but I promise it will. You will need to thread small ornaments here and there to cover the holes.

Keep twisting the ornaments around once it starts getting full so that they stack ontop of each other.

After my wreath was full I kept twisting and arranging to get the ornaments exactly how I liked them and then glued them into place with my glue gun. This helps to keep the wire covered. I even added a few small ones and glued them directly to the other balls to fill in the holes. The tutorial didn't mention this, but I thought it was a good idea.

Finally, attach a bow (I'm a terrible bow maker so I bought mine at Hobby Lobby 50% off) and hang it on your door. Look back, and marvel at your work :)

A Very Pintrest Christmas

I've started decorating my house for Christmas. This will be our first Christmas as a little family (my husband and I and our two sweet dogs) and our first Christmas in our new house. Previously, I lived with two roommates in a house and we always decorated together. As I started putting my decorations out I realized that I only have enough stuff to really decorate about 1/3 of the house since only 1/3 of our decorations over the past two years were actually mine :( So I'm in the process of getting new decorations and making new decorations. I have found several projects on pintrest and I have done a few, I'll blog about those later. Here are a few that I still want to try:

These beautiful christmas tree cones from acreativemomma.blogspot.com

Beautiful Burlap Tree Skirt

SOOOOOO Pretty! http://pinterest.com/pin/146437425353281690/

Leave a comment and post your favorite Christmas Pintrest or blog idea!

Thanksgiving is here!

I'm super excited about Thanksgiving this year. I'm hosting for the first time ever. Thanks to Pintrest, I've come up with some pretty sweet menu ideas. My mom is bringing chicken and dressing and I am making the following:

Mac and Cheese from A Whisk and A Prayer

Roasted Potatoes seasoned with spices from DellCoveSpices on Etsy (she's a super sweet Etsian and friend, and her spices are out of this world!!) I made these potatoes for a football game viewing party using the Blackened Cajun rub and I swear every single person that ate them raved on how amazing they are.


And maybe these Betty Crocker Green Beans

I do still need a good dessert, anyone have any suggestions???

To end this post, I'll keep my tradition of posting the things I'm most thankful for this year

1. Christ
2. Family, old and new
3. My amazing husband of 3 months :)
4. Gainful employment
5. A BRAND NEW HOUSE!
6. A great set of in-laws packed with cousins, aunts and uncles (I've never had a big family)
7. The cutest puppy alive
8. Having the opportunity to grow my Etsy shop to be profitable (Thanks PromoFrenzy Friends!)
9. Pintrest recipes (seriously, I have taught myself to cook on pintrest)
10. Alabama Football being awesome again (had to throw that one in there ;) ) Roll Tide!

First Craft Fair

This past weekend I did my first craft fair. I was so nervous because of the nature of my items. I typically sell items that are customized with people's names so I didn't think I would have any sales. To my surprise, I actually had 4 orders! I also learned a few things that I will work on for the next fair. If you are planning on doing a craft fair during the holiday season let me offer a few suggestions:
1. Get a Square. Period. - If you have a smart phone or an iPad you NEED a square. You can download the app for FREE in the app store and register and they will send you a free device that you can plug into your phone or ipad. This allows you to take credit cards. It direct deposits the money into your account in about 24-48 hours and even sends your customer a receipt to their phone or email. There is a charge per transaction but it's super small plus because there are no monthly fees, you don't have to worry about paying a bill! Three out of four of my sales were with a debit card so if I couldn't take them, I would have lost those sales.

2. Bring cute bags to package your sales. I didn't have to worry about this since all mine were orders but I saw a few people putting their sales into simple cheap brown gift bags with a piece of colored tissue paper. I thought this was such a cute idea. It really makes your products have a nice "boutique" feel to customers. Hey, Victoria's Secret makes billions off of this strategy, make it work for you too.

3. Offer an incentive to customers to place an order the day of the fair. I didn't think of this until the last hour or so but I really should have done this. I noticed that I went through about 40 fliers and people said they wanted to order but would order later. Next time I will offer a special such as 15% off your order if you order at the craft fair.


4. Stand up. I know this may sound crazy, but it works. For my "real job", I work college fairs and have to stand behind a table all day. My boss is always so insistent that we stand, not sit and there is actually some logic behind it. I noticed at the craft fair that when I was sitting, only half the people came to my table as when I was standing. I started looking around and noticed that the people who were standing had much more traffic than those sitting. You appear more approachable when you are standing. Try it out!

Anyone else have any craft show pointers??
Finally, here's a pic of my booth, my husband was such a proud hubby that he had to take a pic...he's going to be one of "those dads" one day :)

Craft Show

This weekend I am getting ready to do my first craft show. I am a part of a local group of crafters called North Alabama Crafters and we are hosting our first annual holiday craft show. I am sooooo nervous! Since most of my items are personalized, I'm having a super hard time developing an inventory to take to the show. I will probably end up taking examples and order forms but I want a few things on my table to show. Anyone have any tips on craft shows??

I plan to sell Christmas Ornaments:

plates

and a collection of Alabama/Auburn themed merchandise

Please share your tips, suggestions of items to take, etc!

GIVE-AWAY WINNER!

I'm pleased to announce the winner of my first ever blog give-away! The winner is post #4 Crystal!! Crystal is expecting twins any day now so I'm super excited that she won this mug. I see lots of coffee early mornings in her near future! Congrats Crystal and thank you to everyone who played! I hope to do more of these in the future! Thanks to all my new followers!

GIVE-AWAY

This will be my first give-away post. I want to try to do these more often. I will give one lucky reader a Personalized Bistro Mug from my etsy shop Over The Moon Gifts

This large bistro mug is one of my newest products and makes a GREAT teachers gift. It retails for $6 and is personalized with your initial. You can choose the color of your initial. The mug fits perfectly in a Keurig.

Here's how the give away will work- to gain an entry, follow and comment on my blog. To gain additional entries you can follow my twitter @OTMGifts and refer a friend to leave a comment saying you sent them. I will use a random number generator to pick the winner on Tuesday 11/1.

Good Luck!!

New House Make-Over

My husband and I recently bought a house and have been working hard to make it our own. Here are a few rooms we have finally finished! For you readers, I would never suggest getting married and buying your first house all in the same two weeks! Life. Is. Crazy. Hectic!!

***EDIT*** My walls aren't NEAR as yellow as they appear in the photos :)

Before Living Room:

AFTER Living Room!

and my personal favorite change....

Dining Room Before

Dining Room AFTER

Thanks in advance for the comments!!!

Just for a Laugh

So as most of you know, my "real job" is in college recruiting. Basically, I go around to high schools and talk students into coming to the university that I work for. You would be surprised at the things high schoolers (and some parents) say...Here are a few of my favorites from this year:

Student: I want to major in Anthropology
Me: Well what do you want to do with Anthropology?
Student: (Blank Stare)
Me: Do you know what Anthropology is?
Student: No, I just like the store...
Me: Well in my Anthropology class we studied insestious tribes in third world countries, so it's really nothing like the store

Student: You got hair?
Me: You mean cosmetology?
Student: What's that?

(at a fair in TX)
Parent: Do TX students get instate tuition?
Me: No mam, Texas students would be considered out-of-state in Alabama.
Parent: Well I thought schools gave in-state tuition to states boardering their state...
Me: mam, Texas doesn't boarder Alabama.
Parent (obviously embarrassed): Texas touches everything!

Student: Do you make toys here?
Me: No, we make rockets.

Student: A school in Alabama?? What do you learn there? Hunting?
Me: No, more like Aerospace Engineering
Student: What's that? Like flying planes and S!
Me: No, like Rocket Science

Student: I'm sorry for the messy handwriting, it's really tiring walking around all day with this ankle bracelet on.

Me: Hi! Do you have any questions for me?
Student: Yeah, do your football jerseys have numbers or names on the back?
Me: We don't have a football team.
Student: Oh, nevermind, I'm not going here then.

Hope you have enjoyed these! I could tell you stories for days, but for now I'll let you keep some hope in the next generation :)

My Pintrest addiction got the best of me...

I'm a severe Pintrest addict, like I need a support group haha. This week I have tried several projects I have found on pintrest and here is how they turned out :) The first was to wear to an Alabama game with my sweet husband...Here is the tutorial
I used this tutorial and here is how it turned out

I really wish I had taken pics a long the way....oh well. I will for sure next time!

I also tried this recipe for Creamy Chicken Pockets and it was sooooooooooooooo good. It was pretty easy so you should all try it too :)(her blog wouldn't let me snag a pic to post)
Creamy Chicken Pockets

I'MMMMMMM BACK!!!!

Well I am officially back to Etsy, and blogger, and FB...and Promo Frenzy team! I am very glad to be getting back into a routine. The past two months have been a whirlwind! I have gotten a husband, a new last name, moved to a new city and bought our first house! The wedding was all I ever dreamed of and more! Of course a lot of it was DIY, here are a few of my favorite DIY wedding projects!

DIY Aisle markers

Tablescape

And of course this blog post wouldn't be complete without a picture of the bride and groom!

Tweet... Tweet Tweet

BASIC INFO:
Today I want to talk about the importance of using Twitter to promote your shop. Twitter is quickly growing in the social media scene and it's super easy to use (not to mention FREE). I have been using twitter for a couple of years now, both with a personal account and through several accounts that I manage for the university that I work for. Here are a few things I have picked up along the way.

If you haven't created a twitter account exclusively for your shop, I would encourage you to do so. This will only build brand recognition and hopefully in return help your shop be seen. You can put your shop website in your profile information providing thus another backlink to your shop.

I have created a twitter account for the Promotional Frenzy Team so if you are a member, be sure to tag us either with the hashtag #promofrenzy or by tagging our account directly @promofrenzy so that I can retweet you.

MOON'S TOP THREE WAYS TO GAIN FOLLOWERS:
So you've created your twitter account, you've made your icon and background consistant with your shop appearance...you are ready to begin tweeting...but you need followers. Here are some tips to begin to gain a group of followers.

1. The number one way to gain followers is by following others. Most people love to have followers so if you will first follow them, they will likely return the favor.

2. Tweet, and Re-Tweet often. Want to make a quick friend? Retweet someone's tweet! If someone sees that you are retweeting what they post, they will feel you value what they are posting and are likely to follow you...they may even return the favor! It's a simple theory really...the more you post, the more you will be seen and the more you engage yourself in the fourm, the more exposure you will gain.

3. Use #Hashtags. I will be posting more on this later but for now, just know they are out there to help you gain exposure. What is a hashtag? When you use a # in front of a word, it starts a "trending thread" then, everyone that uses the hashtagged word after you will show up on a single thread. For instance, in your tweets, please include #promofrenzy, then you can click the word after you post and see EVERYTHING anyone has posted with the same tag. Some good ones for you to use are #handmade, #etsy, #sale, #freebie, and of course #promofrenzy.

Come vote for us!

Our team is in a competition this week! Please click this link and like us to help us win!

Bridesmaid and Maid of Honor Wine Glasses

I just posted my newest item! Bridesmaid and Maid of Honor Wine Glasses.
My hairdresser's daughter is getting married next weekend and asked me to come up with a set of wineglasses for her Bridal Brunch. She wanted to give them as a gift and something she could use during the brunch. This is what I came up with. There are actually 4 Bridesmaids, 1 Maid of Honor and a bride. I did the Bride in pink and white. I am thinking about doing sippy cups for the flower girls with flowers instead of dots. What do you think??

If you like these and would like to order some for youself you can find the listing here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/76096446/bridesmaid-and-maid-of-honor-wine

Craft Party 2011

This past weekend Etsy held a global craft party. The idea was that local "etsians" would meet up for a night of crafts and networking all across the globe. The North Alabama craters decided to hold theirs in Huntsville, AL, convenient for me because that's where I work so of course I decided to go. The event was to be held in a studio in the Lowe Mill art district. Lowe Mill is a fun little warehouse housing several studios of local artists. On Friday nights they hold "Concerts on the Dock" with different types of music. This particular Friday night it was a metal concert. I should mention at this point that while Lowe Mill is a fun little artsy establishment, it isn't in the greatest part of town. Remember this 2010 youtube sensation? Well... Lincon Park is about a block and a half away. So anyway, I get off work, change and head to the craft party. I couldn't talk my fiance into joining me because in his head it's a bunch of women sitting around quilting haha. Once I get there, the parking lot is full and there are people everywhere. I walk through the gate and look around. I am definitely out of place in my pink tank top and flip flops. After wandering around (and being stared down) I realize that I am actually supposed to be in one of the studios....not at the metal concert, so I try to find the studio. I enter a big door and climb the stairs. The studio is on the second floor but the stairs completely miss the second floor and go to the third. FAIL. I go back outside (by this time I have three really sketchy teenage guys following me) I find another door that looks like it leads to studios so I tell myself that I am going to give it one more try. I walk up, guys still following me, and pull the door handle, only to find it is locked. FAIL #2. At this point, it has become completely obvious to everyone that the girl in the pink doesn't know where she is, so I quickly made my way back to my car and left. I am sure the people that were actually able to attend had a great time and I'm sad I missed it, but Craft Party 2011 was a big ole' FAIL for me. Better luck next year!

New Items...Bought Items

So I must confess...I've become addicted to BNRs. Today was third BNR to participate in and I'm pretty sure my fiance wishes I had never been introduced. Gone are the days of making a profit haha!

To show you a few excellent etsy buys...
I bought this garter for my wedding from an excellent shop plainNfancy.

Scored these awesome pillows in last week's Promotional Frenzy BNR from Beckorama I could definitely buy her out if I had the dough! These will look GREAT on my purple couches!

And finally, today I scored these awesome elephant earrings in Promotional Frenzy's BNR. Can I get a ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!

These are from BejeweledArts

As for me...Long weekend = New Items!! Here's what I've been up to:
I made this diaper bag tag with the scrap paper left over from another project!

Decorating a new apartment is hard work. Especially on a shoe-string budget. This weekend, as one of my new items, I made this wall hanging with what will be my new last name. I still have to find the perfect place to hang it though!

I work for a college and have student workers in my office, I made this one for my student worker Kourtney!

With my job I travel a lot and the new TSA requirements limit the quantity of liquids and gels you can take on your carry on bag. Solution= make them pretty and it's more fun to comply :)

Of course all these new products have made their way to my Etsy store so if you like what you see visit my shop!

Sometimes you have to craft for yourself...

Sometimes you have to stop worrying about your business and take a moment to remember why you enjoy crafting so much to begin with. This weekend, I decided to take a little break from being "Over The Moon Gifts" and focus on being a DIY Bride.
I found this awesome scrapbook on sale at Michaels for $3.00 and it just so happened to be in my wedding colors! I couldn't NOT buy it so I repurposed it as a guest book.
I pulled out my trusty Cricut and added our name and wedding date. My intentions are to have guests sign a scrapbook page that I will add to this book and make a complete scrapbok of our special day. I will be posting more pics as it comes together!!

I should learn to sew...

I really wish I knew how to sew. I keep finding tons of cute projects that require sewing. I am getting married in August and in the process of decorating my first real home on a budget and I'm always looking for DIY ideas. Here are a few of the projects I would tackle if I could sew....

Pillow Tutorial

Shower Curtain Tutorial