FALL-ing Back into Blogging...

Once again I have taken a hiatus in blogging, but now that the school year is rolling along again, I can return my focus to the blog. Thanks to those who have come back to visit despite my absence. 

Craft Fairs

It is that time of year again. How many of you are participating in the Fall craft fairs, holiday boutiques, and art events? I believe I have signed up for 5 so far (with 2 down so far). 

Need and tips? Here is an older blog post about Craft Fairs.

Here is where I will be locally:

October 10th- Christmas in October at Fishers High School

October 17th- The Hoosier Artisan Boutique by INCrowd Etsy Team  at the Oak Hill Mansion

November 14th- Lawrence Central's Holiday Boutique at Lawrence Central High School

TRICK-OR-TREAT

I LOVE candy... do not get me wrong, but this year for Halloween, I will be giving out my Mini Rainbow Crayons as my Halloween treat to Trick-Or-Treaters. I am very excited because this is the first year I will have any.. hopefully. 

BLOG SPECIAL: 15% off Any Party Pack -Minis or Jumbos-(Great for Trick-Or-Treaters or Halloween gifts for classrooms or parties). Enter code "TRICK-OR-TREAT" in the "Message to Seller" when checking out from my shop! Expires October 18th, 2009. 

**All Packages will be labeled that Rainbow Crayons are NOT food. 

I have new Mini Pumpkin Rainbow Crayons perfect for Halloween!

Do not forget the Party Packs for your next Fall or Winter Wedding, Halloween Party, or Trick-Or-Treat goody!

Fall is Upon Us...

Happy Saturday! I am excited for today because I am going to a farmer's market, "Taste Of" event, and then the Symphony outdoors. It is the last weekend before my husband goes back to school (teacher as well). I start my teacher meetings next week, with kids on the 10th! Yikes!

Also, a shout out to my dad on his birthday. I am not sure if he reads my blog, but we will sure find out now won't we?! He leaves for Vegas today for his yearly convention for company he is president of. I could use a vacation...

Anywho...

I now have my Fall/Halloween line of Jumbo Rainbow Crayons in my shop for your viewing and shopping pleasure. There are sooo many people having Fall weddings, eco-friendly wedding, Halloween parties, you name it. These crayons make perfect favors or treats to hand out!

This year, since I live in a neighborhood now, I will be handing out my Mini Rainbow crayons instead of candy. It is more healthy and kids will get longer use out of them! I always do custom listings and Party Packs, but I will also be listing a Trick-or-Treat pack at a lower price to encourage people to shop handmade and be healthy! Do not get me wrong..... I LOVE candy. It is just something fun and different.

FALL JUMBO STYLES:

-Leaves

-Pumpkins

-Jack-O-Lanterns

-Ghosts

I am having two special offers for blog readers...

*Buy any set of Fall or Halloween-type Jumbo Rainbow Crayons and get a FREE Rainbow Crayon of your choice.

*20% off all bulk orders of 30 crayons or more. This can apply to wedding favor listings, back to school classroom treats, Party Packs, Halloween packs, anything in bulk. I usually do 10%, so this is a better deal.

This deal will run though October 1st, 2009, but you have to mention the code "Fall Blog" in the "Message to Seller" section when checking out!

Thank you for checking out my blog post today!

The "Spider" E-Mail... and Other Funny Things...

I found this on a link someone posted on Facebook. It was too funny not to share... Take a moment to check out this story!

The Spider E-mail

More funny things this person has done!

I also love this commercial I saw on another Etsian's blog the other day... Boy to I miss the actual Chi-Chi's Restaurant! 

Check Out My Stoneware Heart Platter!

Second post of the day... If you missed the great links post from earlier, no worries! It is right below this post!

I wanted to share my newest item to my Etsy shop! This is a ceramic heart platter/plate made from stoneware clay and food safe glaze. The pattern was created with a hand made rolling stamp! I just love the design.

I would love to know what you think! Please check out this item... heart it if you love it, so other can see! It is perfect as a wedding gift, anniversary congrats, or a Valentine's Day treat!

As always, thanks for taking the time to read and check out Art 2 the Extreme!

Random, but Useful Links and Information!

So I have been pondering what to blog about today. I have come across some great links and information over the last 24 hours, so I thought I would post the links in one post. Take what you want from it...

MOO Business Cards

MOO is giving away 50 free business cards until supplies run out.  I LOVE these, even though normally they can be pricey. The only "bad" thing about the promo is that MOO adds a small strip of advertisement at the bottom of your image. I just spaced the info side out so I could cut off that part. 

I have blogged about MOO before and some samples of past cards here. I was new to them back then, so they might not be that great...

They are so useful for other things...

-Here are some awesome magnets by adding the sticky magnet stuff to the back.

-Creative ways to use your MOO cards

-There is even a Flickr Moo Group to share your photos and get more ideas

Cafe Handmade

In looking into my Project Wonderful blog advertising/sponsors, I came upon Cafe Handmade. I have not looked into it too much, but they have these really neat spaces you can purchase for Virtual Craft Shows. The pricing is not bad either!

Has anyone used this site before or have any comments about it?! I would love to hear!

Facebook Fan Pages

I am still comprising a list of YOUR Facebook fan pages! If you have not taken the time to visit this thread, check it out and post your link! We have about 100 shops already listed!

DO NOT JUST FAN AND RUN.... becoming a pet peeve of many of us Etsians. It does not work that way... Commit to it and take time to comment on other pages. Then karma will play its way to you and it will have a snowball effect from there!

Need help with your page? Check out this thread for lots of tips, tricks, and ideas to make it work for you!

Have you found any interesting links to share with us? Comment below and I just might post them along with you and your etsy shop! I have a feeling I will be blogging again today, so stay tuned....

Weddings, Photos, and More!

I have been wanting to share some sample photos that my photographer, Erin Hession, blogged about after my wedding! She takes such wonderful photos and provides such a nice variety of styles to choose from. I cannot wait to see ALL of the photos, but I picked out some of my favorites to share with you! The above is my favorite by far!!!!

I highly suggest looking into using Erin Hession Photography. Besides quality work and being very fun, but professional, she has an amazing team and extra bonuses, such as a HUGE bridal emergency kit. There is NOTHING that she does not bring it seems... if you had an emergency. I read in one of her blog posts that she even has extra rings in case they are lost (which has happened before). She is one of the nicest people I have met and the best in the business. I cannot wait to use her in the future for other events and family photos!!!

Want to see ALL 15-ish photos she posted and blogged about? Check out this blog link!

Please visit Erin Hession Photography at her official site/ blog!

Her office is in Carmel, IN, but travels and is well worth bringing her to your special event or day!!!I made my own flowers for the wedding. Everyone had fun making their bouquets with the help of Jamie, my Maid of Honor!

I LOVED my cake! I also like the Italian glass above the cake! Very artsy-like since I teach my art students about Chihuly and glass blowing!

My brother-in-law gave the best speech, relating it to the Top 10 on ESPN Sports Center with moments from Eric's life. Eric and I are laughing about the time he threw up in a shoe.

I made my own wedding favors (you can also order/purchase in my shop)! What a great picture with our rings!

I would love to hear what you think about the photos!!! Comment on this post for a chance to be the featured Etsy Mini (to the right)!

Useful Links You HAVE to Check out and MORE!

Happy Tuesday!

Today I wanted to share some special links with you, as well as talk a little about Facebook!

Socialmention.com

WOW! I was in the forums the other day and cam across a site called Socialmention.com.

This site allows you to search a name, term, shop, anything. It will come up with as many sites as it can where that search term was listed or mentioned, along with some statistics. I have already found two awesome reviews or "Social Mentions" by searching my Etsy name, Art2theextreme.

The Nurishing Mom's blog had ordered Rainbow Crayon party favors and said some really nice words about my shop and product, along with a picture of the favors they took. I would not have even seen this post without searching on Social Mention. 

The IN Crowd Team (Indiana) on Etsy featured a T-Shirt Memory Blanket listing  with the information also posted to share with others. 

There are several sites that do similar things, but this is the most useful site I found because it is somewhat thorough and gives statistics and feedback. Try it out for yourself HERE! Let me know what you think!

FACEBOOK

Did YOU jump on the Facebook Fan Page bandwagon yet? I finally did, though I was hesitation to do so because it is just another thing to update and follow with my busy schedule, but I care about my Etsy shop, so I did... Not only did I make 1 page... I made 2!!!! Yikes!

In doing so, I have started a thread listing everyone's Facebook Fan page for those interested in becoming "fans" of other Etsy sellers and shops!

**Check out this link to post your own fan link or become a fan of others!**

You can also join the Fan Page Discussion IN THIS FORUM!

Here are my Fan Pages if you would like to see an example or simply visit because you enjoy my blog of shop!

Become a Fan of Art2theExtreme!

Become a Fan of Rainbow Crayons!

*Stop by and say hi, comment on links, "like" things, and you just might be my next featured artist!!! 

You can also become a fan by clicking on the buttons to the left of right of my blog. You can make those right from your blog page on facebook!

HAVE YOUR OWN FAN PAGE???   COMMENT WITH YOUR LINK AS WELL!  (I do not mind)

Look at my Etsy Birthday Gift!

My birthday was about two weeks ago, but I wanted to share the gift that my husband gave me!

He was so cute, trying to sneak on my Etsy account to order. It is too bad the purchase shows up in the feedback and the seller e-mailed me instead of the directions to e-mail him.

Either way, I love it and I wanted to share this artwork of my new last name with you created by Etsian, artofwhimsyphoto.

I cannot link the seller yet, since Etsy is under maintenance right now, but I will do so soon! For now, check out the photo!

CONTESTS, GIVE-A-AWAYS, and BOGO!

Happy Sunday everyone! I am enjoying my last week and a half before going back to school! Students start soooo early this year (Aug. 10th!). My husband starts school a week before that even. It is crazy!

WEEKEND DEALS
Anyways, I wanted to remind everyone that the Weekend Deals for many shops, including mine, ends at midnight tonight!

Check out this weekend's "Weekend Deals" put out by Mary with Etsy Admin!

You can also check out my shop's Buy 2 Sets, Get 1 Set Free deal for my Rainbow Crayons and view all the details at this blog post!

Feel free to comment on this POST WITH YOUR SALE/LINK!

FACEBOOK

I have jumped on the bandwagon and now have 2, yes, 2 Fan pages! Please check them out and become a fan if you like what you see!

Become a FAN of Art 2 the Extreme

Become a FAN of Rainbow Crayons

CONTEST (So easy to enter)

Right now, both fan pages have a question posted to them. Answer by commenting on the question with your Etsy name (or real name) and you will be put in a drawing for a FREE set of Rainbow Crayons (you can even link your shop or fan page shamelessly).

 Become a FAN and automatically get 3 entries! You have 3 possible ways for 5 entries, but hurry because the drawing will be on SUNDAY, AUGUST 2!

Do YOU have a sale or fan page? Comment on this blog post with your links to share!

THE ORIGINAL HANDWARMER MUG!

WOW! 

Yesterday , I was working on burnishing a piece of pottery for a raku fire at the Indianapolis Art Center and I wanted to stop by the gift shop and take a look.

They lady working inside the shop was so nice and helpful and I remembered what a nice place it was to shop at. A pair of earrings caught my eye (which I later purchased) and this Handwarmer Mug (what I am featuring today).  Right away I was mesmerized by the colorful glaze and surprisingly perfect grip of the mug. It was the perfect size! 

Since I am on a mug kick, I was wondering how it was made and very impressed by the style. I usually say to myself, "Oh, well I will just try to make something similar myself," but this style I cannot pass up (Do not get any bright ideas Etsians.... this is patented!). I like to collect mugs from other ceramic artists, so I need to purchase one (or more depending on Christmas gifts in the future).

These artists  (Clay in Motion Pottery Studio) are so smart because they made both right-handed and left handed mugs! I know I will be purchasing several for myself and my family since they are heavy coffee drinkers! These are artists that come out for the local, but WELL-known Broad Ripple Art Fair in the spring each year, so I am sure I will be seeing more of them!

You can order right online, or support the artists, as well as the Art Center, by visiting the Gift Shop of the Indianapolis Art Center! 

I would love to hear what you think!

**Photos came from Clay In Motion Pottery Studio Website

Weekend Deals Feature for 7/24-7/26

Stock up on your stocking stuffers! I have been notified that in today's edition of Weekend Deals put out by Etsy and in the Gift Guide, that my Rainbow Crayon sale will be featured and in your inbox if you receive e-mails from Etsy. I wanted to provide my blog readers and visitors with the same opportunity.

CHRISTMAS IN JULY SALE

Buy Any 2 Sets** of Rainbow Crayons and Get 1 Set of Equal or Lesser Value Free ***

Applies only on Friday, July 24- Sunday July 26th at Midnight

CHECKOUT CODE IN MESSAGE TO SELLER SECTION: "Christmas In July"

(or different code provided in the Weekend Deals Article)

**Does not apply to Party Packs, but can receive 10% any Party Pack order.

***For every 2 packs purchased, you will get one additional free.

When checking out, make sure to put in the code, as well as what additional set you would like as your free set(s) in the "Message to Seller" section.

Please contact me with any questions or to set up custom listings.

Happy Shopping!

Unique and Colorful Wedding Favors

After getting married about a month ago, as well as attending weddings for the past two weekend, I thought I would discuss wedding favors. There are sooooo many awesome ideas, but if you want something a little more unique, check out  the article below!

WEDDING FAVORS

I just finished an order of 50 Jumbo Heart Rainbow Crayons for a July 24th wedding this weekend. I never thought much about using the Rainbow Crayons as wedding favors until Etsy featured my crayons as an awesome Eco-Friendly wedding favor in one of their "Etsy Finds" articles. I always sell larger orders for birthday parties, but boy do I wish I had more kids at my wedding, so I could use my own artistic creation! 

I wanted to share some great ways to use Rainbow Crayons in your next wedding or special event!

GREAT USES FOR RAINBOW CRAYONS AS WEDDING FAVORS

1. Use Rainbow Crayons for guests to sign a large canvas  or photo matte for a colorful keepsake for you and your loved one to take home and display (I had at least two people do this that I know of and they said it worked out great)!

2. Print off or make wedding coloring pages for kids to place at a coloring station. Use Mini Rainbow Crayons for them to color the pages.

3.  Make your own labels with your guests' name and table number and use as their place marker to find their seat. All Rainbow Crayons come in a small zip bag.

**Try punching a hole in the bag and hanging by ribbon in your wedding colors from some branches.

4. The Jumbo Heart Rainbow Crayons are by far, the most popular crayon purchased for a wedding. 

These look great displayed in clear jars or sitting nicely at the tables for your guest. We also have Mini Heart Rainbow Crayons as well. 

**For a little extra, I can create your Rainbow Crayons in your wedding colors!

5. Having an artsy wedding? Are you and artist or an art teacher like me?

 Even if not, for a different look, put white butcher block (large paper on rolls) paper over tables and have a variety of crayons for your guests to doodle with on the dinner table. I always love going to restaurants that let you do this!

I would be happy to answer any questions you have! I have over 20 different shapes and sizes! Here is a link to the Rainbow Crayon Section of my shop!

E-MAILS TO Art2TheExtreme

I got a wonderful e-mail yesterday from one of my wholesale clients, who just opened up their new shop. There are so many ways I have seen my Rainbow Crayons displayed. Here is another way this shop is displaying them...

I always love it when stores send me photos of their displays! If you are a wholesaler and would like information on carrying Rainbow Crayons in your store, please contact me at art2theextreme@yahoo.com. I have over 20 different shapes and sizes!

My Wedding, Honeymoon, Birthday, Funeral, Wedding...

Hello everyone. It has been quite some time, but the craziness is over!

If you had not been reading up to this, I have been away with weddings, funerals, honeymoons, birthdays, and all kinds of eventful things over the past month. Thanks to those who have still been posting, commenting, purchasing, etc. during my absence. 

I figured I would update today with some pictures of what I have been up to!

First, on June 20th, I got married! The day was SO perfect and not a single things went wrong the entire day. We were so lucky for blue skies as well, because earlier in the week, it said rain. We had such an awesome photographer as well, Erin Hession, who takes the best photos. In fact, she even had 8 photos printed and ready for us to take home about an our into the reception!!! I am still very patiently waiting for her to post some on her popular blog, but seeing how it is summer, she is very busy and backed up. Still, at least there is something for me to look forward to this summer since all that is left really  is the start of school on August 6th-ish (husband starts on the 3rd... .isn't that nuts?!).

Here are some of the photos from the special day... I do not have much yet...

For our honeymoon, we went to Sanibel Island in Florida since the whole swine flu incidents in Mexico. The good/bad news is now we have 800 plane flights that we have to use up in the next 6 months to Mexico or we do not get any of the money back (they refunds did not go though June...). Now we will just take a second trip. I love to travel, so I do not mind spending the money, but I really should be saving now...

Here are some fun photos from the honeymoon including deep sea fishing, a 6 foot by 8 foot sand art of my own version of Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night I made from things on the beach (seaweed, shells, sea plants, etc.) and took me 3 hours to make,... oh and fun food photos!

Two days ago, I also celebrated my 24th birthday. Eric takes me to Benihana every year and we always have a blast. 24 Was not too exciting, but I enjoyed spending time with him and I also got to visit my grandparents with my mom earlier that day.

Yesterday, we went to the memorial service for my grandfather, who passed away last March. Most of the family had to come from far, so we waited until now to have a service. It was bitter sweet, but nice to see all of the family together again. I do not think everyone will ever get together like that, since Grandpa Hanley was the one to bring us all together...

Ironically, the night ended with the wedding of a co-worker or Erics, which happened to be very close to the city we were already in for the service. Her dress was soooo pretty and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Eric and I did not stay long since we did not know a single person besides the bride and groom, plus we had a drive back.

That is all that has really been up lately... I had some large orders of Rainbow Crayons come in for some children's wedding favors for a wedding next week. Boy, if I had any children attend my reception, I would have been set with the perfect wedding favor for them and a way for the kids to stay entertained by coloring with a Rainbow Crayon!

Thanks to everyone who read this all the way though and find what I have done interesting or at least entertaining to read! I will be updating the blog more now and have new items coming to my shop soon!

The Craft Cult Ad is Up!

Here is a first look at my new Craft Cult Ad! Thanks to all who gave me feedback about the design! Does anyone else have an ad on Craft Cult? 

Let me know what you think of it or how the Ad has worked for you if you have used it!

11 Days until the wedding! EEK!

Cool Headband I Found While On Twitter

Honeysuckle Headband-Mod Retro Indie Clothing & Vintage Clothes - mod - headband - lace Stylehive BM 602678 #:602678


I saw this in a tweet on Twitter and love it, but it is sold out.... still wanted to share....

New Raku Pendant

This morning I want to share my newest listing with you! 

This is a raku ceramic pendant I created. What is nice about Raku is that the color of the glaze always looks different based on the light and what color it is up against. Below are two photos of the same pendant with natural light (the brown image) and then a lamp near it (the green image). 

Let me know what you think! Comment below for your chance to be a featured Etsy Mini on my blog!

TWEET TWEET Twitter Tips!!!!

I just read a really great Etsy forum by CatherinetteRings about Twitter. You can go visit this forum here, or read below because I will shorten with links for you.

I just tried many of these (I did not know they exist) and these applications are GREAT!

1. TWITSEEKER.com

This site is AWESOME because you can look up keywords, then mass follow people who have either tweeted about that keyword or have it in their profile (it lets you choose either option). It also lets you know how many followers they have and you can see information and stats about them. It is really easy and quick without any additional signing up for things. All you need to enter is your Twitter username and password.

2. TWITTERCOUNTER.com

This site is for you to see different stats about your Twitter account. Also, no additional sign ups... just your username and password. I just signed up and it already has stats for me. So easy to use! 

3. TWITALYZER.com

This site scores and analyzes you based on your tweets, retweets, following, etc. I am still figuring out what everything means, but is very easy to use. All you have to enter is your Twitter name and it will automatically score you. Pretty interesting stuff....

4.TWEEPULAR.com

This site is fun to look at and has MANY different things you can do! This site is also the best to mass follow or unfollow (if others are not following you back). I suggest you take some time to visit and poke around here! No  other sign ups required. Soon, you will also be able to see recent unfollowers.

5. Other Twitter Applications

I hope you find these links useful and easy to use! Do you have other links or experiences to share? Please comment below. I will possibly edit and also link your shop to the post! Happy Tweeting!

My Etsy Purchase and Current Favorites

I wanted to share my most recent Etsy purchase with you. After several revisions, comments, and votes. I have decided to go with this for my CraftCult AD. Yes, it might not spell out in words what I sell, but then again, it is along the other lines of the other Ads currently up. It is such a small space as it is and many other sellers just put up a pretty picture of their product. I click... but maybe that is just me. 

This AD was created for Craft Cult (Heart-o-Matic) by Etsian bubblegumgardengraphics. This seller was so quick to respond to my questions and had the first draft of the ad created in less than an hour. I think I confused them at first with what I wanted, but they do one revision for you. They were very understanding and worked with me to get the Ad looking how I wanted it to. My advertising will start on Tuesday at craftcult.com!  I highly suggest visiting this Etsian's store because I had a great experience!

I am sure I will be blogging more than once today, but I wanted to share some of my current favorites from Etsy! Happy viewing!

My Newest Item to My shop!

Well.. my sale is over, but the good new is that I am adding fresh new items to my shop!

Here is today's new item...

Set of 20 Linocut Thank You Cards (Blank).

Let me know what you think of my cards of if you have any suggestions for me! Remember that when you comment, leave your Etsy Shop address for a chance for your Etsy mini to be featured!

Etsy Finds: Weekend Deals for Kids- ANOTHER FEATURE!

WOW! Another feature in a week. I am so humbled and surprised. This has been such a great week for myself and my shop. Thank you to everyone for their comments and support. 

If you did not catch the second feature (which includes a rare sale I have), check out this edition of Weekend Deals! The sale ends tonight at midnight, so check it out ASAP! I only do this sale 3-4 times a year and it is always a hit!

I am busy making crayons day and night, which is much easier now that I am out of school. Several stores have placed wholesale orders for my Rainbow Crayons and a few returning wholesale customers have sold out and are back for more! It is so exciting to hear that the crayons are a big hit! If you are looking for wholesale for any of my products, feel free to convo me for my prices! 

I was also featured in a treasury recently. I LOVE this print and have sold several versions in the last few months. 

Etsy Storque Feature of my Rainbow Crayons: Eco-FriendlyWedding Finds

YAY!  Yesterday, I logged in to my Etsy mid-day to find a million convos and a ton of orders! Several kind Etsians had notified me that I had been featured in this Storque article about Eco-Friendly Wedding Finds!

My Rainbow Crayons have been a big hit in the past and still are as it seems. I really needed this publicity with my own wedding coming in 23 days and a few thousand dollars away from my last payment for my reception! This really made my day. Especially Etsians like pinkiekinch, who left very nice comments about my crayons to both myself and the actual article. 

Thank you everyone for your kind words, orders, hearts, and links! This really made my week.

Please check out my featured Rainbow Crayons or the article!

WEEKEND WEDDING FINDS

Wow... it has been a whole month since I have posted anything. Since school will be out and I have all summer, it is time to get this blog a-moving again!

I wanted to start out my summer break posts with some weekend wedding finds. Yes, it IS Monday, but it is a holiday and part of the weekend for many of us, so it works....

Weekend Wedding Finds

My wedding is less than a month away (June 20)... Here are some things I am currently loving!

4 Groomsmen Microfiber Neckties by toybreaker

I have ordered from this shop before. Great quality.

20 Piece Pom Kit by PomLove

These are SOOOO cool! There are many different packages, colors, and sizes!

Dig Into Happiness Card by rachelink

This artist creates these as rehearsal dinner invites as well. I just might be ordering this for mine...

Gold/Silver Wedding Monogram by Justtoppers

I hope you have enjoyed my finds! 

What is your favorite? Have something to add? Comment below!