Front Page News!

I apologize for not being very chatty of late, I have been working steadily on my shops, adding new things, redoing photos, filling orders, making new banners and updating the tech side of things. I've even been working on some quilt and stamp art I used to do so look for that soon in my PolkaDotSandals Shop. I know many are very busy nowadays and so don't have the time to spend like they did before on hopping around the net reading blogs so I don't feel that guilty, but missed sharing with you just the same.

So I think I should take some time to share a bit about what's been happening over the past few weeks. Last week we had a couple of snow and ice storms but the snow is all gone now thanks to rain and warmer temp (today it's supposed to reach 50) but we went out last week and bought lots of seeds and some new feeders. It didn't take long for the chickadees, woodpeckers and nuthatches to find our new safflower and sunflower seed feeder and they have been fighting over turns to it. But the thistle sock we hung nearby didn't attract any goldfinches until today. Now it looks like a studded sock, studded with about a half dozen goldfinches at a time, with others waiting to jump on. I'm glad we got the large size. It is a bit distracting to sit at my table by the window and have all this activity in my peripheral vision but I try to get my work done. There's a quick pic I just took with a few on there but it's been much busier, some have to wait on the dogwood tree for their turn and some are bossy and shoo the rest away! The one on the left is a male in his winter plumage, the others are females and they are brown in winter, pale gold in summer and of course the males are that bright yellow in summer.

I just got done packaging up my 9th order for StudioARTBEAD my newest shop on Etsy. Not bad for the holiday season when most are spending their money on ready made gifts. I've only been opened for about 6 weeks so I count this as a blessing! My other shops are doing well and most recently I have to thank SmallEarthVintage (one of my dear TeamT members) for featuring my Black and White 'To Everything there is a Season' Switch plate and Paperinstyle for Featuring my Blue Willow Dill Candle holders in their lovely treasuries. Both made it to the Front Page of Etsy and as you can see by The Vault at Majaba (where you can find out if you've ever been featured on the Front Page of Etsy by putting in your shop name) my blue candlesticks were also featured by the Etsy Admins the very next day! I did not find out about all this until after Shabbat, so Saturday night and was amazed, also more amazed to find that they were sold! My Switch plate also sold after hitting the Front page too! Thank you both! and Etsy too!

Then just yesterday afternoon I was checking my email for something and got this notice from Statsy Featurator:

Hi there,

I have some good news for you: StudioARTBEAD was featured on Etsy's front page, with the "Trio of Greens Leaf Buttons Coordinating set"! :-)

Never heard of Statsy? This is another way to be alerted right away when you are on the front page, that way you can see it for yourself instead of at the Vault or waiting for it to be posted to the Etsy Front Pagers at Flickr. Sign up here if you'd like this service, I've gotten notified twice by it as well as cheers from my wonderful TeamT members! (Check out their shops on my sidebar, we have a wonderful variety of Art and Craft, something for everyone!)

This time since it was at 1pm I got to watch the views and hearts go up and up in my shop. I also got to watch as the Admin constantly tweaked the Front Page to look just right, changing out some things but thankfully they kept my buttons there the whole hour! I have four screen shots of the front page in transition. This is the first for StudioARTBEAD and I am very honored to be featured on the FP so soon after opening. I think it took over 8 months before OrganicOdysseys was on FP, but I've been there now 11 times since June, very shortly after joining my favorite TeamT! I've even curated a Front Page there as well and hope to do more. And a Special thanks to Cathy from Glassetc for making this lovely treasury!

I didn't sell the buttons but made two other sales and got 24 new shop hearts and 23 item hearts so this is a great boost for my new shop!

Now I have to get into the Studio today and try to find my table top again! With all I've been making and wrapping etc it is a mess, AND I've not gotten to my clay for so long I can't remember. My arm is feeling better (did I tell you I tore a ligament in my bicep? very painful!) but it's healing well. So hopefully I may even be finally able to get into that new Kato and Pardo I bought how many weeks ago?
I did find some time to make a treasury this weekend too. I wanted to thank some of those who have included me in their beautiful Treasuries throughout the year and made this Treasury
Thank You My Etsy Friends! Included in this treasury (more to come from others who featured one of my shops) danikeith, thepairabirds, paperinstyle, singingsurfer, YannPendaries, Chicki, kimbuktu, peylu, HappenstanceByChance, Eugena777 , KikisCrochet & Treasurefield. Thank you all!

Hope you all are taking it as easy as you can, remember sleep is your friend and will help you cope and be more creative and be able to enjoy the fruits of your labors so get as much as you can and eat well, lay off the Christmas cookies or Sufganiot until after all is done!

To those who are celebrating, Happy 5th night!

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