$50 gift certificate giveaway!

It’s time for another Bloggy Giveaway...

Prize: A $50 Sarah & Abraham gift certificate! Here are a few examples of Sarah & Abraham products:

:: personalized stationery, folded or flat
:: invitations
:: birth announcements:: personalized holiday cards and return address labels:: 8x10 Personalized Prints

Requirements: I'm in need of some fresh ideas and inspiration! I've received so many great suggestions from my blog readers in the past, so for this giveaway I'm asking you to post a comment with any sort of suggestion for a new product or a variation on any of my existing products. (If you're not already familiar with my current products, please visit my website before posting your comment!)

If you like an idea that's already been suggested in a comment before yours, feel free to mention that, but comments that are merely repeating a previous suggestion won't be considered as entries for this giveaway.

Be sure to include a way for me to contact you if you're the winner! You don’t have to have a blog to win, but be sure to leave your email address if you don’t have one.

Details: This contest ends Saturday, November 1st, 2008 at 12pm CST. I'll draw one winner at random from all valid entries and will notify the winner by blog or email that they've won. The gift certificate will be sent via email.

Thank you for your time and consideration... I'm really looking forward to reading your comments and creating some new items for my shop!

*** UPDATE: Thank you so much for all the great suggestions! I've already posted Mommy Calling Cards in my shop and will continue to add more new items in the coming weeks including calendars and gift tag stickers. I've also picked a winner at random... congratulations to Alaina!!!

I {heart} Daily Candy

I was featured in the Chicago Kids edition of Daily Candy this morning! The article was posted/emailed about two hours ago, and I've gotten 8 orders and several inquiries already!

my little helper

My 3-year-old daughter didn't want to leave my side this morning, so I started showing her what I was working on, and she was thrilled to help me fill some orders and re-stock supplies. She eventually got bored and went off to play, but for a little while at least it was really nice to have some company!

lima bean kids

I just found out this morning that a customer of mine, who also happens to live just a few towns over, has an Etsy shop with super cute onesies and t-shirts. As soon as I saw them, my first thought was, I have to remember these for birthdays & Christmas gifts, and my next thought was, I have to tell someone about these!

new website

I’m beyond thrilled to announce that my new Sarah & Abraham website is going live today!

I still plan to sell on Etsy, but my hope is that the ordering process will be a lot easier on my website, especially for ordering various quantities of stationery items or adding options like return address stickers or gift wrap. And I’m really excited to be able to offer gift certificates and a wish list feature!

For all of my blog readers I’m offering FREE SHIPPING on any order placed in the next month - just enter code B91908 at checkout (expires 10/20/08). And please feel free to pass this coupon code along to your friends!

I’ve also posted all of my new holiday items on the website - I'd love to hear your thoughts and/or suggestions for additional holiday items!

I {heart} organized workspace!

I bought some new shelves and wall files for the workspace area in my office, and it feels like a whole new office! I used to keep all of these supplies in drawers and on the lower shelves of this storage unit, and it makes such a huge difference to have everything in sight and within reach. I can't believe it was only 10 months ago that I moved out of my 3' x 5' "cloffice"!

a day in the life of a WAHM

A few people have asked me recently how I do it all, and my answer has mostly been, "not very well!" I've made a conscious effort lately to put my family before work, trying not to work in the evenings or much at all on the weekends, and it's been a real struggle to fit in the work that I'd like to get done each day.

I felt like I hardly had any time at all for work today, and I started thinking about everything I did today that women who work outside of the home don't do or have to cram into the evenings & weekends. As I wrote this list I started thinking... this also looks like a list of reasons why my husband doesn't want to work from home!

1. wake the kids up, make breakfast, help them get ready for school
2. walk my son to school
3. order waterproof name labels for the kids' umbrellas & water bottles and sew-in name tags for their coats, gloves, hats, etc.
4. drive my daughter to preschool
5. call a landscaping company about moving a lilac bush in our backyard
6. meet with the brick paver guy to get an estimate for extending our driveway
7. exchange emails & voice mail messages with the architect, engineer, and general contractor for the new detached garage we're building
8. walk to my son's school to pick him up, talk with his teacher while he plays with a couple of classmates
9. drive to my daughter's preschool to pick her up
10. make lunch
11. meet with the landscaper and show him the bushes in our yard that need to be moved
12. shampoo the area rug in the basement that got soaked with rain
13. change into gym clothes and pack my gym bag
14. reply to customer emails & fill a couple of orders
15. take the kids to the post office, library, and Target - shop for Fall clothes & shoes for the kids, look at Halloween costumes, and pick up some groceries while we're there
16. get so stressed out with their awful behavior at Target that I decide to skip the gym and come home for quiet time instead
17. clean the house, do dishes, fold laundry, and put away the deliveries that arrived yesterday (envelopes & shipping supplies) while keeping an eye on the kids playing in the backyard
18. work on my website a little bit and take a shower (finally!) while the kids watch a movie

I'm not complaining... I love my life, I love my family, I love my business, and I'm very fortunate that I get to stay at home with my kids AND do something challenging that I love. I guess I'm just stepping back for a minute, once again, to ponder this concept of "balance" and what shape it's currently taking.

Canadian Family magazine

I just found out (from Susan at Kiddlebug, who was also kind enough to scan the above page for me) that Sarah & Abraham note cards were featured in the September 2008 issue of Canadian Family Magazine - what a lovely surprise to return home to! I don't think it'll ever get old seeing my products featured in a printed magazine like this!

vacation!

I've decided to take a much needed week-long family vacation before school starts - my first vacation since opening my Etsy shop! I'll be posting my vacation dates in my shop announcement and setting up an out-of-office auto reply for my email, but as much as I'd love to completely unplug for a week, I have a feeling I'll end up checking email occasionally and probably doing some work for my new website when the kids are napping or in bed for the night.

Any orders placed between 8/9 - 8/17 will be shipped when I return on 8/18... see you then!

another giveaway!

It’s that time again, the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival is here! The details of my giveaway are below. To check out a list of hundreds of other giveaways, head over to Bloggy Giveaways.

Prize: I'm giving away a set of 24 personalized note cards (flat or folded) with 24 return address labels. Here are a few examples:


Requirements: Simply leave a comment here including a way for me to contact you if you're the winner. You don’t have to have a blog to win, but be sure to leave your email address if you don’t have one.

Details: This contest ends Friday, August 1, 2008 at 12pm CST. I will draw one winner at random and will notify the winner by blog or email that they've won. The winner will need to let me know their address and how they'd like their set personalized, and I'll ship them free of charge to anywhere in the US.

To view more examples of these note card and sticker sets, please visit my Etsy shop.

UPDATE: Wow, I'm completely overwhelmed and so grateful for all the entries and the super nice comments! Thank you so much to everyone who entered, and congratulations to the winner... Meredith!

I feel so loved!

When I first started selling on Etsy last October I was constantly checking to see who "hearted me". It was such a thrill to watch that number go up, and I spent a lot of time looking at the profiles and shops of the people who hearted me (something I had time for back then because I had so few sales!)

I just realized today that for the past few months I've forgotten all about hearts, so I took a peek this afternoon... and 2,001 people heart me!

So I sent a message to the 2,000th person who hearted me, letting her know that I'd like to send her a free gift. And then I realized that what I'd like to do for my 1,000th sale is just play it by ear. There will definitely be some sort of refund/free shipping/free gift or some combination of those things, but I'm just going to wait to see what the order is and figure it out then.

But I will take trammie81's suggestion and offer FREE SHIPPING (free in the US, discounted for international orders) to my blog readers between now and my 1,000th item sold (I'm currently 18 items away!) Just mention this offer when you place your order, and I'll send you a refund through PayPal for the shipping charges. And thank you again for the comments & emails - I really appreciate it!

UPDATE: I've reached 1,000 sales and the free shipping offer has ended. But please let me know how you found my shop, and I'll include a free gift with your order!

what should I give away?

I noticed recently that my Etsy sales are approaching 1000, and I've been thinking that I should come up with some kind of fun prize for the person who purchases the 1000th item. I'm guessing it's about 2-3 weeks away, and I'll post again when it's getting closer. Any ideas?

the coolest thing yet

On Friday afternoon I was on my way out the door to take the kids to my mom's house to spend the night, and I decided to take a quick peek in the mailbox in case there was anything interesting in the mail. There never usually is, but on Friday there was an advance copy of the August/September issue of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion magazine featuring Sarah & Abraham mailing labels in the "Noteworthy" column (#5 in the middle):
This was even more exciting to me than the kids spending the night at Nana's house! It's such a beautiful magazine and features so many talented artists - I feel so honored to be in such good company!

** UPDATE: This issue can now be viewed online.

Sarah & Abraham goes Hollywood

I received an order yesterday for 300 personalized thank you notes from a woman who's expecting her second baby soon and is planning on sending out 200 birth announcements. I mentioned it to my husband, Mike, marveling at how someone could know that many people and receive that many gifts. We received lots of gifts we didn't expect when our children were born, but 300??

Later in the evening, as I worked on the order, Mike suggested I Google them. It turns out the husband is a screenwriter & producer who has worked with lots of A-list celebrities! So as I printed and cut the note cards I kept wondering whose hands they'll end up in... very exciting!

Sarah & Abraham signature gift wrap

I've been having to make so many decisions lately as I get everything ready for the photographer who will be taking the product photographs for my new website. On the one hand it's been a little overwhelming having to make so many decisions at once about the website layout, what products I'm going to offer, what options, etc. But it's also good to have a deadline. For example, when I started Sarah & Abraham I couldn't decide on gift wrap, so I ended up never offering it.

But now that I'd like to have a nice professional photograph of the Sarah & Abraham "Signature Gift Wrap" for my website, I finally made a decision. I'll be using these pretty blue stationery boxes (and matching wrapping paper for 8x10 prints) and gorgeous 1.5" chocolate brown satin ribbon. I think this is perfect for just about any gift giving occasion, and I'm so glad to have this decision behind me!

shop update

I've had several items lingering on my to-do list for the past few weeks, and I'm so happy to say that I've finally caught up on a couple of them. I've really needed to take some new product photographs, so while the kids spent the day at my mom's house yesterday I created over 50 new sample note cards, invitations, birth announcements, and return address labels (it's amazing what I can accomplish when the house is quiet!) Then today I photographed them and updated about half of my Etsy listings with new pictures.
Not all of the pictures turned out as well as I would have liked, but these are a few of my favorites.
I also updated my Etsy shop so that I have separate listings for several different types of invitations, and I created sets with invitations, thank you notes, and return address labels - I love when people order those things together!

kiss and make up

Whew! The buyer who left the negative feedback has accepted my offer to send replacement note cards and used the "kiss and make up" feature on Etsy to change her feedback. I can't even tell you how happy it makes me to have my "100% positive feedback" back! Thanks so much for all of the kind comments and emails - I really appreciate it!

the downside

I've been trying {really hard!} to keep this blog positive, encouraging, uplifting. I've written a lot about all of the creative and talented women I've met online, the growing success I've had selling on Etsy since November, and how wonderful it's been to find work that's a creative outlet and truly fulfilling.

But to be honest, I've also had several bad experiences that have left me so disappointed, and today I just need to vent.

I've had spam posted on my blog with a link to a hard-core porn video (hence the word verification and comment approval). I've had people blatantly copy my designs (and my item descriptions along with them!) I've had some ridiculously bad experiences with USPS employees (too many to count!)

Then a couple of weeks ago someone posted Neutral feedback in my Etsy shop with a comment saying that she hadn't received her order yet. I had shipped it the same day the order came in and sent an email with the tracking number, which she acknowledged. I never heard anything else until I read the Neutral feedback. I checked the tracking number and saw that it had been delivered two days after the order was placed. But instead of contacting the USPS or contacting me, she just left Neutral feedback with a negative comment saying that it had never arrived.

Now why would someone do this? Why wouldn't she contact me asking where the order was? I would have gladly tried to track it down and/or sent a replacement at no charge. It made no sense to me and was very frustrating. My initial reaction was, I can't wait to get my own storefront website up and running so that I'm not subjected to comments like this that I can't remove from my shop.

And then today someone left Negative feedback, again without contacting me first to let me know they were disappointed with the product. Not to mention that her comment was that the product didn't seem professional... "Etsy: your place to buy and sell all things HANDMADE". Arghhhh!

Anytime someone tells me something was damaged in shipping or wasn't quite what they expected I ship a replacement at no cost that same day. I would have gladly refunded the purchase or sent a new product if given the opportunity. I'm not in this to make a quick buck or to try to deceive anyone. I'm trying to provide beautiful unique products that will bring people joy, and sell them at an affordable price. And this is the thanks I get?

Again, my initial reaction was, that's it, I'm shutting down my Etsy shop, and I'm done selling until my new storefront website is up. But maybe I just need to develop thicker skin and just keep moving ahead. I just can't help but wonder WHY someone would leave negative feedback instead of contacting me to express their concern. I can see leaving negative feedback if a seller won't work with you to resolve a problem, but I was never even given a chance.

Okay, I need to go work on something else and get my mind off this for a while... I hope to return with a more upbeat post next time!

Happy Birthday, Jack!

My son's birthday is today, and my color printer sure came in handy... he'll be having a very Sarah & Abraham birthday party!
Stickers on cellophane party favor bags (containing frosted dinosaur-shaped cookies)
Stickers on goody bags (filled with all kinds of dinosaur goodies)
Pin-the-fish-in-the-baryonyx's-mouth game (my son's idea - I was so happy I didn't have to draw the baryonyx!)This may be going a little overboard with the stickers, but I figured there's no harm in helping the kids keep their juice boxes straight!And of course I'll be sending out Sarah & Abraham thank you notes!

new postcards - boy holding a balloon

I'm so excited about these new postcards that arrived in the mail yesterday - I just love how they turned out! I think they'll be really cute to add to a birthday gift or for sending thank you notes after a birthday party. Now I need to make a girl version... which silhouette do you like better?

{beautiful} scripture based gifts

Have you seen these new personalized prints from Life Verse Design on Etsy? I absolutely love them!You may have noticed that I've discontinued my prayer & scripture prints (I was only selling about 1 of those for every 25 or more non-religious items). I can still print them upon request, but I'll also be referring people to Life Verse where you can purchase these prints framed or unframed.

a little break from paper goods...

How sweet is this hand embroidered dress by Tiny Sprouts? I can't remember how I first came across this site, but I took another look at it yesterday, wanting to order something personalized for my daughter and a gift for a friend. Everything's so cute I had the hardest time deciding what to buy!

Tracey offers the most beautiful fabrics, thread colors, and shapes like poppies and hearts. My 3-year-old daughter, who loves to tell everyone she meets, "My name is Emma. E-M-M-A", is going to be beyond thrilled with her new outfit!

I've also been meaning for a while now to write about Elizabeth of Bellasophia on Etsy. She sews beautiful couture dresses and matching accessories for little girls as well as these gorgeous bunnies, baby blankets, and burp cloths.

A few weeks ago I ordered three of these bunnies (one for Emma and two for gifts) and a hand embroidered shirt with a little bird, and I was absolutely amazed by the quality and attention to detail!

Sarah & Abraham Giveaway!

***UPDATE: I used a random number generator to select the winner... Princesses in Disguise. Congratulations K, S, and A!

It’s that time again, the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival is here! The details of my giveaway are below. To check out a list of hundreds of other giveaways, head over to Bloggy Giveaways.

Prize: I'm giving away two sets of postcards with coordinating envelopes. This is what they look like (8 of each design):

Requirements: Simply leave a comment here including a way for me to contact you if you're the winner. You don’t have to have a blog to win, but be sure to leave your email address if you don’t have one.

Details: This contest ends Sunday, April 26, 2008 at 12pm CST. I will draw one winner at random and will notify the winner by blog or email that they've won. The winner will need to let me know their address, and I'll ship them free of charge to anywhere in the US.

And if you don't win and you want to buy some of these cute postcards, please visit my Etsy shop.

teacher gift sets

Saturday night I realized that I hadn't bought gifts yet for Jack's Sunday school teachers, and the next day was the closing program for the year. So I printed some personalized note cards for them, and then after Sunday school it occurred to me that I'm probably not the only one trying to figure out what to buy for teacher gifts this time of year!

So this morning I created a couple of inexpensive Teacher Gift Sets ($7.50 for 8 cards with a name or initial) and posted them in my shop.

In other Sarah & Abraham news... I've updated the listings for my postcard sets so they no longer include stickers, and I reduced the price to $7.50 for a set of 8.

Also, I've finally posted all of the rest of the 5x7 and 8x8 prayer & scripture prints that I have in stock in the SALE section of my shop (25% off since they're already printed & can't be personalized).

And I'm happy to report that I'm finally caught up on all of those orders that came in on Thursday while I was out having fun with the kids! I hate to get behind, and it feels so good to be caught up again!

more great ideas from customers

I've been getting a lot of requests lately for variations to my Hello Spring and Hello Bird prints, so at first I created something called Hello Butterflies with these two girls, but then I decided to just add a listing for another type of personalized print where you can choose any silhouette(s) and add names if you'd like. I've sold a couple of these already, and I really like how they've been turning out!
I also had a request today for a little boy holding a balloon, which I was happy to create... I have a feeling this little guy will become a popular silhouette for birthday party invitations and favor tags (now I just need to update all of my listings to show him as an option). I know I probably sound like a broken record, but I just love all the great ideas I get from Etsy shoppers!

note card + sticker sets

For a while now I've been wanting to add some note card and sticker sets to my Etsy shop, and today I finally had some time to get them photographed and posted.
I just love when people order matching stickers for their envelopes, and whenever friends order note cards I usually try to throw in some matching stickers.My pictures didn't turn out great, so I may have to retake some of them on a sunnier day, but for now I'm just glad to have them in my shop and to finally be able to cross something off my to-do list!

If you're ever in Toronto...

...check out Honeybunch Homestore for Kids where some of my products are now stocked!

I mentioned very briefly in an earlier post that I'd worked with Nicole from Honeybunch to design some fill-in invitations for her online store as well as the brick and mortar store that she recently opened in Toronto. It was so exciting for me because I just love the collection of products she's assembled and what she stands for.

Even though I knew it was coming, it was still a huge treat for me today to see this when I went to her website:

And it makes me so happy to think of my products on display in her lovely new shop with these other delightful party supplies: