I just recently learned about ArtFire, and I think I may be in love... For those of you who don't know what ArtFire is, let me enlighten you! ArtFire is an online marketplace to sell handmade goods. It's similar to Etsy, but there are no transaction fees or listing fees EVER!
Listing items is a breeze too - it's all done on ONE page and you can upload up to 10 pictures at once. Like I said, there are no listing fees at all. When someone purchases from you, there are no transaction fees. But how do they make any money? There is a monthly fee to have a shop on ArtFire. The normal rate is going to be $20/month, but for the first 5,000 accounts the fee is only (get this!) $7/month! That's less than $.23 a day!! How cool is that???
Click here to check out ArtFire and to set up your account today, for only $7!
Labels: artfire, handmade, selling online
I've been a little lax in my blogging and feel so ashamed!
My Etsy store aromalite.etsy.com has been getting some sales lately, so that's been keeping me busy for the past week or so. Sales are good and I'd love more of em!!
What else has been going on? Let's see...Somehow Jim talked me into joining a bowling league with him. And not just any bowling league - 10 pin! I hung up my Duckpin bowling shoes a few years ago and thought my illustrious bowling career was over. When he said he was going to join a 10 pin league down the street, I was happy for him. Then it turns out it's a mixed league, and, hey, they have an opening on a team for a man and a woman. Next thing I know we travel the 4/10 of a mile to bowl a game "Just to see if you like it...."
Mind you, the last time I bowled 10 pin, I was in highschool. I bowled one game and the ball ended up behind me more times than not. But being the good wife that I am, I gave it a go.
My first ball. Good news: it stayed in front of me. Bad news: It only took abut 2 feet before it went into the gutter. Second ball, first frame was a drastic improvement - I managed to wrangle one pin. 9 long frames later, I rounded off my first game with a pathetic 68. I can't believe I even typed that for the whole world to see.
We only planned on bowling one game, but my pride would not let me leave on the heel of a 68 game. So we tried again. I managed a few spares, and a couple REALLY good balls that should have been strikes, but unfortunately, nobody told the pins that. I was on fire if I do say so myself and closed game #2 with a somewhat respectable 117.
Before we left the lanes, I was so hyped up, I was picking out a ball, bag, and looking for the pro tour signup sheet. Luckily, the pro shop was closed and there is no women's pro tour.
When we got home, Jim called the head of the league and signed us up. Now all I need is a cool bowling nickname and to find that perfect little purple ball again...
Today is my 5th wedding anniversary to wonderful, wonderful Jim :) Our first date was in May of 1997 - I was 19 and he was 25. Then, just 6 short years later we got married and have been enjoying wedded bliss ever since.
We chose to get married on August 1st for a very special reason. About a month after we were dating, I was hanging out with Jim at his parent's apartment and noticed a throw draped over one of the chairs that read "Happy 25th anniversary Gail and Herb. August 1, 1970". I did a double-take and read it again. I looked at Jim's mom and asked "You got married on August 1, 1970?" She looked at me and said "Yeahhhh....why?"
I laughed and told her that MY parents got married on August 1, 1970 too. Come to find out not only did they get married on the same day, they honeymooned about half an hour away from each other, and both couples had a first-born child (a son) born 2 years later, about 3 weeks apart.
After dating and PATIENTLY waiting for 5 years, Jim proposed to me on August 30, 2002. We planned on a year-long engagement to be able to save the money we would need for our wedding. Flipping through the calendar, I realized that August 1, 2003 was on a Friday. Unfortunately, it was a leap year, so we would have had to wait 7 more years for it to be on a Saturday. We quickly decided that a Friday evening wedding would be just fine and we couldn't wait to tell our parents, suck-ups that we are. They were tickled pink and the plans went underway.
No wedding ever comes off without a hitch or problems along the way, but I don't even remember what most of our crises were. In the end, I showed up, the guests showed up, and most importantly, Jim showed up.
So, as Jim and I celebrate our 5th anniversary, our parents are celebrating their 38th anniversaries as well, for a combined 81 years of marriage. Although, I must say, my dad insists that he and my mom have been married the longest because they got married at 10:00 and Jim's parents didn't get married until 1:00...
It poured rain on our wedding day, but the infamous "They" say that rain on your wedding day is good luck. It must be true, because I still feel like the luckiest bride that ever walked down the aisle.
Happy Anniversary Jim, Mom and Dad Lynch, and Mom and Dad Kaufmann...may the road always rise to meet you, and the wind always be at your back!
Labels: beach boys, concerts, mohegan sun, summer
Everybody's learnin' how, come on a safari with me! Anyone who knows me, knows that the Beach Boys are my favorite band of all time. And, no, I'm not 60, I'm 30. And yes, it was very hard to be a die-hard Beach Boys fan in the year 1990 when I was 12 years old. Kids at school picked on me and teased me without mercy (I guess it would have helped if I didn't wear my "I love the Beach Boys" pin everyday, but hey, you live and learn).
I was very stubborn about my Beach Boys too when I was younger...I refused to buy or listen to any music that wasn't the Beach Boys from the age of 10 to about, oh, 18. I collected everything Beach Boy I could get my hands on from music, books, autographs, bumper stickers, videos, pictures, you name it, I have it. I even have a bowl made from an old record - it seemed like a totally logical purchase when I was a teenager.
I am from Connecticut, and back in the day, the Beach Boys only came to my state once a year, but would perform two shows. Somehow, they always managed to have their concert on the night before the first day of school. The catcher was, they played two shows with an hour intermission in between and I HAD to go to BOTH shows...the idea of them playing a concert in my state that I couldn't go to was just unheard of. Mom went with me to the concert and to get her to go to both shows, I would buy her second ticket. When you have the allowance of a 12-year-old, buying three tickets is a huge investment and requires a lot of self-control in the spending department leading up to the day they go on sale. But I was able to do it every year.
So, every summer, on the day before school started, Mom and I would put on our Beach Boys T-shirts and pins and head to the show. My mom is great - every year we would try our best to get backstage somehow, but failed year after year. We got close when I was about 13 or 14...I had joined the Al, Bruce, and Carl Fan Club and I got a letter in the mail saying that since I was the first person from Connecticut to join, I was my state's representative. It was my responsibility to contact the other members in my state and let them know that I was the State Representative, and that the list of fellow members was attached. I eagerly sought out the list of my constituents, and found out that I was the only member on the list. Not to fear - they would send me the names and addresses of people as they joined. 18 years later, I'm still waiting.
Undeterred, and with 13-year-old determination, I brought my letter to the concert - surely, this was my ticket to backstage! The first show ended, and with Mom in tow, I marched up to a security guard that was about 7 feet tall and weighed about 600 pounds. In my most professional, grown-up voice I let him know that I was needed backstage. He didn't budge. I tried again: "Excuse me, sir. But I am the Connecticut State Representative for the Al, Bruce, and Carl Fan Club, and I need to conduct my interviews!" He still didn't budge, but he did get a good laugh out of it.
Now, present day, the Beach Boys are coming to Mohegan Sun! I usually get free tickets to a lot of shows at the casino, but hadn't gotten anything for the Beach Boys, and I was pretty bummed. My husband suggested that I just call and ask, and I figured, what can it hurt? The worst they can do is say no. So, yesterday I called the VIP services and asked if I had any complementary tickets available to me.
And the response???
"Yes, Mrs. Kaufmann, we have 2 tickets for you to see the Beach Boys on Friday, August 22nd at 8:00."
I think I yelled out "I'll take them!" as soon as she said the word 'beach'....So, dear hubby and I will be going to see The Boys once again this August. Now, if I could only find that letter from the Al, Bruce, and Carl Fan Club.....
Today I spent the day with my nieces Abby and Lily, and it was more than just any average day of books, arts and crafts and decorating the cat with stickers - it was Abby's birthday! Chugging her way towards Social Security, I can't believe that she is 6 years old already! It seems like only yesterday when we went to visit her at the hospital and she was under that little baby fry lamp trying to keep warm. Now, she's a recent Kindergarten graduate who can read!
Our fun-packed day started off without a hitch, but soon, like all good plans it started to go awry. We plan, God laughs (Abby doesn't). It was raining pretty hard today so I left nice and early to make sure I made it to Sister's house in time (it's about 45 mintues from me on a good day). The morning went well - we did some art projects and then worked on getting dressed. Abby picked out her own clothes so she was easy and after 15 minutes, I was able to convince 3 year-old Lily that a turtleneck at the end of July wasn't the best idea.
Then at 12:30 Mommy came home from work, and the girls ate lunch at a speed that would impress competitive eaters world-wide. Why? Because we were going to the Jump Zone!! A perfect rainy-day activity that Abby had been looking forward to ALL WEEK. Unfortunately, about half the population of Connecticut also thought it would be a good idea and they got there before us. When we arrived, there was a nice big colorful sign on the door saying that the Open Jump session was full. Abby, now an avid reader, didn't have to be told that we couldn't go in.
With promises of going to the Jump Zone on another day, we quickly came up with a plan B. Plan B sent us in the direction of mini-golf since the bad weather from the morning had disappeared. A few minutes after we got excited about golf, the sky got dark and we heard the distant rumble of thunder.
Enter Plan C. Plan C took us to the mall in search of the Build-a-Bear workshop. We found the bear factory and Abby took her time picking out the perfect bear and a cute outfit. Thankfully, mini golf was quickly forgotten and Abby was once again a happy birthday girl.
The rest of the night was uneventful, and now I am back home, hoping that time will slow down and keep all 5 of my nieces little girls for just a while longer.
Labels: aromalite, etsy, the little black boxes
I was contacted by Kim at thelittleblackboxes.com to donate samples for their June sample box. Through TLBB I discovered Etsy - a whole new world of shopping and selling!
After lurking around for a while, I decided to go for it and opened my Etsy shop on July 18th. So far, I've had a few sales which made me really excited. I used to have a store on Ebay, but hated it - everybody wanted everything for a dollar on Ebay. Etsy is so much better - everything is handmade and the shoppers as well as the sellers really understand the value of something handmade! That being said, I invite you to visit my Etsy store at: aromalite.etsy.com and let me know you were there - I would love to hear what you think of my shop! I'd also love to send one of my little creations your way (hey, a girl's gotta eat!).
And if you get a chance, stop by and visit The Little Black Boxes too! If you're a buyer, it's a great way to sample handmade items from a dozen or so companies each month. If you're a crafter or artist, it's a great way to get your product out there!
Labels: air fresheners, bath and body, candles, small business
I'm new to this whole blogging world. I've read a lot of blogs, but never dared to dip my toe into the blogging pool myself, so please be kind as I learn my way around!
My husband, Jim, encouraged me to start a blog (I think that was his nice way of telling me I talk too much) but I put it off and out of my mind. I always have a million ideas and thoughts whirling around in my head, so hopefully blogging will help me sort everything out.
I also love to pass on interesting things I come across on the internet to my friends and family. Hopefully, some of you out there will find them interesting as well.
The first site I would like to share is near and dear to my heart, well, because it's mine. I am the owner of a small business, Aromalite Candle Company, LLC. I make all kinds of candles, bath & body products, and air fresheners. I've been in business for 4 years now, and have been doing this full-time since September 2007. You can visit my store here: www.ilovearomalite.com
Working for yourself can be a double-edge sword: On one hand, there is no feeling like being your own boss - you don't have to call in when you're sick, you don't have to request vacation time, and you can start work whenever you want. The down side, however, can be tough. There's no 401K, no health insurance, and scariest of all: No guaranteed paycheck. If you do get sick there is nobody to cover for you, and you don't get a paid vacation. It's a lot of hard work - you have to find your own leads, set up your own appointments, and everything (good and bad) falls onto your shoulders.
My workday doesn't always end at 5:00 and my brain likes to come up with new ideas right when I'm ready to fall asleep, but so far it's all been worth it. I only hope that I can continue to grow my business and become a success that my family and friends are proud of.