Is Your Garden Ready for Spring?

Ready or not, the spring equinox is almost here in the northern hemisphere. I’m ready for winter to be over, however I still have a few things that need cutting back pdq now that it is almost here. I have trimmed back the majority of my perennials as I should have by now, however I tend to leave my ornamental grasses till the last minute because I enjoy the look of them even through the winter. It is time now though, if you haven’t done so, to make way for new growth on perennials that die back to the ground each winter.

Spring arrives, according to the calendar, on Sunday, March 20, 2011. Those of you that live in the northern tier of states might think this talk of spring seems a bit premature, however those of us in North Texas have been noticing signs of the coming spring for several weeks now. Spring bulbs have been blooming, fruit and ornamental trees have been flowering and many other trees have begun to leaf out.

Here in North Texas, we do need to be careful not to jump the gun in planting tender vegetables or annual flowers because even though the first day of spring is after our average last freeze date (March 14), our actual latest freeze recorded was on April 13. (However if you wait to plant some tender things such as tomatoes until then, things will heat up so fast that your crop is likely to be less than if you planted now.) So just be prepared with the row covers (A lightweight sheer curtain or sheet is a reasonable substitute.) or individual plant protectors such as purchased or handmade wall o waters to protect your “babies”.

If you have a case of spring fever and need some help channeling your gardening urges to produce the results you want, please contact me to see if my garden coaching services can be of assistance. Happy gardening!

Updating Your Web Presence – Part 2

Two weeks ago I posted part 1 of Updating Your Web Presence. In it I described what I am doing to update my blog layout and promised to describe the project that helped me get past my mental block on my site. Here in part 2, I will describe the website review that I did for my new client that helped “get the juices flowing” on my own upgrades.

First let me say, never underestimate the connections you make networking. I stumbled into this recent job because of one of my local jewelry customers. While she knew of me first through local contacts, she had since signed up for my newsletter, seen my blog and shops, as well as a website that I had updated for a local organization. She had a friend that was in the process of redefining his career and suggested to him that I might be able to help him figure out how best to utilize his current web assets.

Her friend, my new client John E Dosher, has always been involved with music, mostly as a performer but also for several years as owner of a music store. After deciding to close his shop and focus more on recording and performing again (he has a new single), he needed to retool his web presence, but where to begin? That is where I came in. I did an initial consultation with him after reviewing what I could find on the web. I found one site that he had pretty much forgotten in addition to others that needed differing levels of updating and connecting. We brainstormed, based on what his current online contractual agreements and future growth needs were.

This brainstorming session concluded with my client still needing to mull over a couple of options about how to fairly easily update his main web presence with current content since it was paid up for approximately the next year. This would give him time to investigate other hosting sites to see if they would be a better fit for the long term. Other things were discussed including making sure that his different sites link to each other where appropriate and making sure that e-mail information is easy for people to access from all browsers.

Once my client figured out how he wanted to retool his main website, he sent me a link for me to review. I wrote out a page of notes to go over with him and we scheduled a conference call to do so. The new site did a great job of including all of his current career goals. My suggestions included some editorial and design ideas to polish the look, some navigation suggestions so that people wouldn’t get lost while investigating the site and its links as well as some ideas to help the site’s SEO. After the consultation, I wrote up a summary of the items that he had agreed would be helpful changes so that he had something concrete to work from when he had time to implement them.

I definitely credit my thinking about how all of the pieces of my client’s web presence fit together with helping me take a good look at my own web presence and seeing where I could improve visitors’ interactions with it. I have gotten a good start on updating it, however it is still a work in progress. You should give a good look at yours too at least once a year to make sure everything is up to date, easy to navigate and coherent. Contact me if you are interested in an objective consultation.

Thanks for the Treasuries - February 2011

Six different Etsians contacted me to let me know that they had featured one or more of my items in a treasury during February. Eight February treasuries included one of my items. You can see a collage below of my items from EDCCollective and EclecticSkeptic that were featured during February. (Click on the collage to see a larger view.)

I really appreciate being featured by the treasury makers. To thank them, I have listed below (in alphabetical order) links to the 6 different Etsians that let me know that they featured at least one of my items, as well as an item from their shop or profile that I like.

Enjoy window shopping and please click on the shop links of anything that catches your eye.


BlackDelivery
A wide assortment of styles of vintage and handcrafted jewelry is available from this shop.


ChicThrows1
This mother and daughter team makes lovely quilted throws and receiving quilts.


CorkyCrafts
Look no further for gifts for a wine connoisseur who happens to appreciate hand made items.

LDemasGifts
This shop is stocked with gorgeous book and bible covers.


MarasFabric
This shop specializes in precut top quality quilting squares.

WhoopsieDaisies
Whoopsie Daisies uses rescued vintage & retro fabrics to create one of a kind tooth fairy pillows, scarves and aprons.

Updating Your Web Presence – Part 1

It is a good idea to do a periodic review all of the places you have created for your business on the web. New features may have been added to sites you are on, information you have posted may need updating to stay current or you may need to prune out a site from your web presence that isn’t working for you. Two recent examples of this that I have been involved with made me think that sharing them with my readers might provide them (you) with a helpful reminder.

It has been about a year now since Blogger added the ability to add static pages to the blogs it hosts. I remember finding out about this fairly early on but didn’t get a chance to check it out for a while. When I did, I found that it was a pretty easy thing to do. (I suspect that it is even easier to do for a brand new blog than retrofitting an old, modified template like I am using.) Just click on the posting tab on the blogger design page for your blog, click on the edit pages button on the line below the tabs and follow the prompts. You can create up to 10 stand-alone pages this way. I knew intuitively that I wanted to do this and that it should make it easier for people to connect with my information that would be useful to them, but it took a while for me to figure out exactly how I wanted to use this great new feature.

My mental block finally dissolved and currently my blog is a work in progress. I have fleshed out the “bones” by creating my static pages and picked the option to have them show up as horizontal buttons placed under my header. I then placed a bit of content on each page. Some of this content came out of my side bar so that it is not as cluttered. As I have time, I will be adding content (text, links and visuals) to my tabs with an eye towards cohesiveness, ease of navigation and SEO. Feel free to check back and follow my progress. Perhaps it will give you inspiration for your own blog’s facelift.

What fueled my inspiration to be able to dissolve my mental block? I think it is due in large part to a website review that I just completed for someone that was changing his direction but seemed to be suffering from his own mental block on how best to proceed. (Isn’t it always easier to see what someone else needs to do than to fix your own things?) I’ll do a review of that project next month as this post is getting lengthy.

Spring 2011 Fashion Colors

Want to see if your favorite color made it into Pantone’s color suggestions for spring fashions? Check out their top 10 women’s fashion color picks for spring 2011 as well as their inspiration for these trends. Did you find a new favorite color in this list? That would be a perfect excuse to treat yourself to something new for the springtime.

Pair your existing wardrobe with a new accessory to add a pop of this spring
season’s colors. Use complementary color pairings to bring a bit of fun to your outfits. For example, pair this coral rose chunky chain, carnelian and agate necklace with a regatta or blue curacao blouse from the opposite side of the color wheel.

Treat your math geek to a funky bright necklace evoking this spring’s colors of beeswax and peapod. This right triangle necklace will really pop on a russet top and is currently available from EclecticSkeptic.

Other items with Pantone’s spring 2011 fashion colors can be found at EclecticSkeptic and EDCCollective such as this vintage lavender fan necklace. If you don’t find quite what you are looking for, please contact me to see if I have the materials to create a custom piece to accessorize your outfits with a splash of the spring color you are looking for.

EDCCollective 2 Year Etsyversary

Once in a blue moon, or less often, you get to take advantage of a sale at EDCCollective. That's because I don't add "sale padding" to my everyday prices. I want my customers to know that they are getting a fair deal every day of the year, not just on sale days. However, EDCCollective's two year Etsyversary seems to me to be a good reason to hold a sale to show my appreciation for helping me reach this milestone. To celebrate, I'm offering a store wide 10% off sale in my EDCCollective Etsy shop. (shipping not included)


Only subscribers to my newsletter and readers of my blog or Facebook business page wall will know about this sale and the secret code. The prices that you see in my shop will be my everyday prices. The way to participate in this sale is to order on Wednesday, February 9 (the date of EDCCollective's 2nd Etsyversary). In the "notes to seller" of your order, you must write the secret code, Happy Etsyversary, EDC2. After you have paid using PayPal, I will refund 10% of your merchandise total through PayPal. (When you check out with PayPal, you have the option of using your PayPal account or paying with a credit card.)


Remember, this sale is only valid at EDCCollective and only on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 with the secret code. Thank you in advance for shopping at EDCCollective during this sale and know that you are appreciated.

Thanks for the Treasuries - January 2011

Eight different Etsians contacted me to let me know that they had featured one or more of my items in a treasury during January. Ten January treasuries included one of my items. Two of them included two of my items. My turquoise gathering pins and my vintage purple cloisonne fan necklace made their way into two separate treasuries during the month of January. You can see a collage below of my items from EDCCollective and EclecticSkeptic that were featured during January. (Click on the collage to see a larger view.)


I really appreciate being featured by the treasury makers. To thank them, I have listed below (in alphabetical order) links to the 8 different Etsians that let me know that they featured at least one of my items, as well as an item from their shop or profile that I like.

Enjoy window shopping and please click on the shop links of anything that catches your eye.

BerryBlueCreations
Here you will find unique and one of a kind handmade items from stethoscope covers to pillows and more.

CorkyCrafts
Wine-related products make the perfect gifts! If you are a wine connoisseur who happens to appreciate hand made items, look no further.


KellyEMarra
Bada Bling - Jewelry & more for the Diva in you.




Kikiishere333
Delicate, feminine handmade earrings and necklaces, perfect for weddings or a sweetheart ensemble.





MarasFabric
This shop specializes in precut top quality quilting squares.



Sobresitos
Sobresitos is coming soon. In the mean time visit Gabeadz for lovingly handcrafted simple and elegant jewelry for any occasion.


SunnyPlainQuilting
Looking for hand sewn quilts, clothes, aprons and more? Look no further than SunnyPlainQuilting.


Teretissot
This wonderful Etsian supports the artists on Etsy by creating lovely treasuries.