What's Going On?!

I know I have not blogged in almost 2 months...where has the time gone?! To be perfectly honest, I have been considering giving up my stores altogether, since I have not had the time to create new things and keep them fresh while balancing kids, housework and homeschooling. I also have a goal of spending more time in the Bible teaching work. We had a wonderful Bible convention last weekend highlighting the importance of staying focused, since we are very deep in the "time of the end" according to Bible prophecy. Nothing is more important than that! Anyway, I have a lot on my plate, and I think I am starting to figure things out slowly but surely! Of course, just when I seem to be catching up, I get sick!

In any case, I have decided to keep my stores open for now, and I have a plan to get some new products in them in the next week or so. My next post will focus on some new products I am making...lotion bars! I also had some great encouragement from some family members visiting all the way from Canada, who loved my new shea butter sugar scrubs so much they bought 3 jars!

P.S. Cranberry Orange and Bountiful Harvest potpourris are HALF PRICE in my Etsy store! click here: http://paradisepotpourri.etsy.com

April Showers?

Hi again! This month is half over already, I can't believe it!! It has been very busy for my family...first of all, we traveled out of town for a 2 day Bible assembly. It was very upbuilding, and we got to visit with friends we hadn't seen in a long time! Hard on the heels of that trip, our annual observance of Christ's death, the Memorial, was celebrated on April 9th, which just happened to be hubby's and my wedding anniversary! Since he gave the talk this year, he was preoccupied and pretty nervous all week, so we waited until Saturday to celebrate our anniversary. It was our 15th, and sadly the first one in which Grandma Doreen was not there to have special time with the kids. We took them with us and had a wonderful family dinner out at a local steak house. (There is a new one opening soon so we are going to save our "alone" dinner for when that one opens!) Then we all exchanged presents, which is our yearly family tradition! The kids each got their first digital camera, and they are loving them.

The flowers above were one arrangement I helped make for the Memorial. A group of us got together on the 8th at our friend Debbie's house and had a great time! We had several bouquets around the Hall...and since I believe in Upcycling, many of the roses will become potpourri eventually! ;) Here is one of the Rose Bouquets:

With all of this activity, tax prep. kind of got shuffled, so now we are doing the last minute tax dash...but several surfaces in my house that I haven't seen in a long time are now shiny clean and free of stacks of papers!

Store News!

My store on Etsy has been busy with some custom orders recently finished and one in the works...yay! I made my first sale on ArtFire too! I hope my buyer loves my Starbucks Coffee Sugar Scrub as much as I do! I have another batch in the works, but this time I am using 90% Organic ingredients! Also, it will be scented with a hint of chocolate.....mmmmmmm!!! I will post here and Tweet about it as soon as it's ready...gotta finish Taxes first, ug!

In hopes of having some income to order supplies with, I am having my first ever BOGO SALE in my Etsy store! Buy any item and get another item of equal or lesser value 1/2 off!! This sale lasts through April 18th, so hurry!

It's My Etsy-Versary!!

Wow! It's being a great first year since joining Etsy! I truly believe that having a special place to sell handcrafted items is the way for an artisan to go...I know that potpourri isn't something in high demand like, say, soap :) but I have made at least one sale every month since opening my Etsy store, and I have only made 2 total sales of potpourri in my ebay store in the same time period! Of course, I haven't really tried hard on eBay, since other items of a non-handcrafted nature seem to do very well there. It's our place to recycle clothing items! But I digress....I'd just like to say Thank You to Etsy for getting the ball rolling for us little crafters everywhere!

Of course I wouldn't still be in business if it weren't for my customers, soooooo......In honor of my First Etsy-Versary, I am offering FREE SHIPPING throughout February on all orders...even the somewhat heavy and bulky Luxury Size Bath Tea! In addition, mention this blog to me in an Etsy Convo or on Twitter and I will give you an additional 5% off your order! I may get brave and have a blog contest but I've never done that before, so if you have any tips or suggestions, please share them! :)

http://paradisepotpourri.etsy.com/

New Items at our eBay Store!!

Finally! In our excitement and enthusiasm over our crafty success with our various Etsy stores, Megan and I have both sadly neglected our original endeavor on eBay, Paradise Potpourri Global Bizarre! This store features mostly good quality used clothing for the whole family. In our troubled economy, people are looking for their favorite brands at lower prices. One of the best ways to do this is to find them Gently Used! Our inventory is very low now, but on its way back up, so add us to your eBay favorites, and maybe you will see something just your style pop up soon! http://stores.ebay.com/paradisepotpourriglobalbizarre?refid=store We accept most reasonable offers, too, so be sure to check it out!