Judges, are you ready for this?

Hey, did you hear? ArtFire is holding a Fusion Studio Contest! What's that, you ask? Well, sit back, relax and read on....

As you may have seen below, ArtFire launched our TOTALLY AWESOME Fusion Studio pages. Our front pages are totally customizable. We can use a super huge 1000x200 banner, customize our studio colors to coordinate, add html codes (slide shows, flickriver, etsy mini and more). We can also customize the layout, have categories. It's pretty freaking awesome!

But I digress. We're looking for judges, and you don't have to be an ArtFire member. As a matter of fact, they are looking for non members! So don't hesitate, leave me a comment below if you are interested.

We're still working out the details, but until then, let's see if I can get a Flickr slideshow to work here so you can see the awesome Studio pages!

---

Tweet

I have the BEST news EVER!! Really, I do...

First, let me introduce you to my new Fusion Studio Page on ArtFire! Isn't it awesome? You may be asking what is so awesome about that. Well, let me tell you! It's completely customizable.

1. That cool banner, I made it.

2. That awesome color scheme, I chose it!

3. The stylin' layout, my design!

4. We can add html codes. Yep, I have an awesome slide show right on my front page!! Wanna see it? Just click on my shop picture above, and scroll down to the bottom of the page!

And why am I telling you about my awesome new Studio Page? First, because I'm so frickin proud if it, and second, you can have your very own awesome ArtFire Fusion Studio Page! So click the link at the top right of the page, right there, and sign up today. Don't wait and don't hesitate, because the $12 per month fee is for a limited time only. So lock in now at this great rate! CLICK IT!! (please use the link on the top right as this will have my tracking info so I get credit, and please contact me via ArtFire message so I can make sure you are listed under my name! thanks!!)

Wouldn't you love to have a really cool looking website like mine? ArtFire has made this so much fun, it's better then having your own webstie. And you have no maintenance and no worries. Let them deal with that!

Think about how $12.00 a month can be so worth the price: How much money do you spend listing and relisting on other sites, and then have to pay selling fees? A lot! How often do your items show up on the front page? Probably never. At ArtFire the new listings show on the front page. And items show up in RANDOM order, not 15 minutes after you listed your item...and then it's already on page 15 by the time it shows up!! And there are no fee for sold items!

Check my shop, look around. I love the potential ArtFire has for us as sellers. And how fun to be able to customize my shop and make it my very own! Check out the other ArtFire shops on Flickr, and see what you could do with your Fusion Studio!

I would love to have a Free Ride for life, wouldn't you? So here's the deal. Sign up for a Verified Account by clicking the link above. I will give you one awesome bead or pendant from my shop! Yep, that's right, my gift to you. Once I have 12 sign ups I will be eligible for a Free Ride, and will randomly chose one of you to also receive a Free Ride! How cool is that? (Free ride is contingent on me being able to obtain 12 sign ups!)

Also, think about this - once you sign up you can also recruit people and earn your own Free Ride. Or you can help me get more recruits. We could all be riding for FREE! Woohoo!!

If I am able to get 12 sign ups, and I will be trying my hardest, I will be able to choose one of you to also get a Free Ride. It will be a random drawing, and you will be able to earn tickets to put into the hat, literally, I have a hat! Here's how to earn tickets:

• Sign up under me = 2 tickets for you

• Blog about my free ride = 1 ticket for you

• Have someone contact me with questions = 1 ticket for you (have them mention your name)
  

• Recommend someone to sign up under me = 2 tickets for them and 3 more for you (you'll have to let me know who you have sign up under me so I know)
  

The more tickets you earn, the better your chances to win a Free Ride once I do! Now, remember, I need to get 12 people to sign up for verified shops, and I will be doing my best to get them. But I can't make any guarantees. I can, however, give you that free gift, and you will be happy with your new ArtFire Fusion Studio! That I can guarantee.

See you there! For more info about what ArtFire has to offer, keep reading....

(Edited 6/27/09 to add: PLEASE remember that you have to be a completely NEW ArtFire member to qualify. Sorry, you cannot be a basic member moving to verified. ALSO, leave a comment on this blog or send me an ArtFire message because I don't see WHO signs up under me, just that someone has!!)

Website Features: Take control of your brand!

No Listing or Final Fees
Flexibility of Design
Control over Content
Stability from uncertainty
Custom Features
Personalized Brand
Business Legitimacy
Custom URL/Domain

Venue Features: Yep, we can do all this too!

Filtered Focused Traffic
Quick, Easy Set-up
Management Tools
Technical Support
Business Support
Feedback System
Credibility of Venue
Familiar Buyer Checkout
SEO Optimized / Feeds
Promotional Tools
Community Interaction

More info:
-Payment Processor Interface
-Best in Class Site Search
-Statistics & Management Tools
-Feedback & Credibility System
-Consistent Buyer Experience
-Automatic Google Shopping Feed
-SEO Optimized Studio & Listings
-Built in Free Promotion Tools
-Site Advertising Options
-Custom Order System
-Optional Make an Offer Feature
-Responsive Customer Service
-Technical Support Team
-One Page Easy Listing Process
-"No Sign-Up" Buyer Checkout
-Seller Vacation & Sales Modes
-1-Button Re-list & Multiple Qty
-Automatic Currency Converter
-No Link-out Restrictions
-Custom HTML Widgets
-Remote Checkout Feature
-Handmade Shopping Destination
-Unique Shopping Features
-Thriving Interactive Community
-Co-op Artisan Guild Markets
-ArtiFact Recognition Program
-No Listing or Final Value Fees
-No Picture or Hidden Fees
-No Fuss, Flat Monthly Fee
-No Long Term Contracts

Tweet

ArtFire Treasure Hunt

Sorry, the ArtFire Treasure Hunt was called off. However, I left my items with their hidden treasure chests in my shop. So Feel free to browse and still buy and find treasure!!

Original Post:

Be there, or be square! hehe, I'm such a dork!

We are having great fun on ArtFire with a treasure hunt today! I have a gagillion items with a little hidden treasure chest in them! Each item comes with an awesome cool FREE gift. It will be a surprise! But you will love, love, love it!

Come visit me in my SHOP and see what goodies you find.

I would normally provide you with the link to the forum thread with a listing of all the cool shops that are participating, but I will be off helping my mommie today, so I can't post that til later this evening.

So if you missed the Etsy Treasure Hunt yesterday, definitely stop by today, I have different items and lots for available with freebies!

Enjoy!
:)

Tweet

Etsy Treasure Hunt, going on now!!

Sorry for not giving you more notice on this, but it's been crazy, and it kinda snuck up on us!


But, here's the dealio, I have 3 pictures of treasure chests hidden in my listings. That means 3 items are marked so that when you purchase one/all of them you get an awesome FREE gift! Buy one, get one free gift. Buy two, get two awesome free gifts. And so on. So click here for my shop!

Even if you decide not to buy anything, I'd love to hear what you think of the treasure hunt.

Click here to see all the deals and goodies!

Tweet

Let's Go On A Treasure Hunt Together!

Doesn't that sound like fun! It does to me. Come and join me this Saturday in my ArtFire shop for an awesomely cool spectaculoso treasure hunt.

Here's how it will work...I'll bury a treasure somewhere in my ArtFire shop, and you have to dig it up. No shovel required, just your eyeballs!

The treasure you are searching for will actually be picture of a treasure chest. You need to find that in one of my listings. It will either be one of the pictures itself, or it will be hidden inside one of the pictures. I haven't quite decided yet, but feel free to comment and let me know :)

Your treasure will be an awesome spectaculoso gift from me! Just ask my dear friend Verna. She visited my Artfire shop and was the first person to make a purchase, and I gave her a gift of one awesome hot pink handmade lampwork bead and one cute little fairy pendant. Which she loved, by the way! Thanks Verna!!

While I'm chattering about my shop, let me add that I charge a very minimal shipping fee of under $2.50, no matter how many items you buy. Why? Because I can! lol Sassy, aren't I?

If you have any questions, please ask here, I'll be happy to answer them for you!

And, if you don't mind, I'd love to tell you my future plans for Glasstastic Treasures. As you may know, I have been searching for a new home for selling my items. Etsy has grown in popularity and size. But with that comes the added responsibility of having to list and relist my items just to get noticed. That means I have to pass the cost on to you, my customer, by raising my prices so I can pay all the fees I have to pay Etsy and PayPal.

So, I've hunted high and low, and finally found a site that drives traffic to my shop, and I don't have to list and relist to get my items seen. That venue is ArtFire. I love it. It's fun, friendly, and colorful on the eye. AND, they're going to let us customize our shops with awesome cool colors. We get to be unique and individual! How great is that?

I pay one low fee per month to list, and I can list and list and list. Nothing else. So I don't have to add fees to my items. All I have to do is make that one extra sale to cover my costs! Yahoo!!

And, even better is the fact that ArtFire offers a 28 second check out. No need to sign up for an account, or sign in. Just click and buy, pay and run. Zippity doo dah, you're all done. Check it out below. I know Verna used it. And she didn't have any complaints! (Waves to Verna)

So, come help me pay my first month's rent, hehe, buy something great for yourself, and get something great from me! See you there, this Saturday!!

Tweet

Got Paper?

Well, you ain't got the good stuff if you ain't got none of this here!

I love the designs and papers that this crafter uses! So cute, and simply sweet. First thing I thought of when I saw these awesome little matchbook-style notebooks is "what a great idea for gifts for my customers!" Wouldn't you love to open your shipment from your ArtFire purchase and find an adorable little matchbook notebook? I know I would!

Marketing isn't just about the advertisement. Us gals love STUFF. And Pampered Papier has some awesome stuff, at that! Not only could you add a little giftie of the notebook, but you could add a little gift tag to the package. Your customer could use it one their next gift to someone special. Or those note cards would be the cutest little thank you note, tucked neatly in your customers order. Just those fun little pictures say "Hey, I think you're special!" And...they're a write off for your business. How cool is that!!

But hey, don't think you have to use them just for your business. Nope, nope, nope! I love these little notebooks. Do you ever find yourself rummaging through your purse or car, looking for paper? Only to have to write a note on that gas station receipt, and then you poke a hole in it with your pen, and then it rips, and then you're all mad and you crash into something because you were driving and writing, even though you shouldn't have been? Well, none of that would have happened if you had this handy little notebook!!

(or these)

So, click on Pampered Papier's banner above and give her cute little shop a visit! You won't be sorry you did. Neither will your customers, or your friends, or your mother-in-law! What are you waiting for, git going!! Enjoy :)

Tweet

Aye, Matey, we be lookin' fur treasure!

"Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate," quote Jack Sparrow. Or some such said he.

And that is true. Treasure is in the eye of the beholder. Wait, is that beauty? Either way, this is going to be fun, despite all my misquotes! lol

I have just heard about the awesome funness that is the Etsy treasure hunt. And now it will be coming to ArtFire too!

So keep a weather eye, mate. And see if ye can't find yer treasure! Details to come...

Tweet

Unexpected....

I love taking a leisurely stroll through peoples shops. I found an amazing photographer, Lori Mackay, who owns Little Odd Me! on 1000 Markets.

She has the most amazing series of photo art called Frost. Like the one to the right. The beauty is supplied my mother nature, but the art is supplied by Lori! During my visit through Lori's shop I scroll down through beautiful blooms, wondrous frosts, gorgeous scenery, and then...WHAM!

SPIDERS!! That's right, spiders! Right there, right in my face, no warning, no nothing!! I can't even post a pic to it, I may have a heart attack. But feel free to click on that link and go take a peek if you are brave enough.

Well, of course I was traumatized. I mean, just the day before I had had a battle in my shower with the biggest spider EVER! Seriously, that thing was like a quarter inch across, if not a FOOT!

So, quickly I scrolled down and managed to calm my heart rate a bit with more calming pictures while chanting: I am in tranquility, I am in tranquility, I am in tranquility.

Whew, I was feeling better!!

And then I ran across a picture of my house! Who'd know that she would take a picture of my future house! I mean, I didn't even know I was going to buy it until I saw it! Check it out...


And then! MORE SPIDERS!! ACK!! So, now I'm all creepy crawly, and my nerves are on edge. But it was sure a great experience to go through Lori's shop and see her beautiful work.

But seriously, those gross arachnid thingies are amazing creatures. Don't get me wrong. They eat other nasty bugs, which don't gross me out by the way. And they can make amazingly strong fibers which come out of their rear ends, of all places! If we could harness that ability, imagine where the world would be. And how much money we'd save on panty hose!!

Tweet