Planners on Sale

Planners and calendars for 2011 are now half off in my shop. If you still need a planner or calendar for this year, now's the perfect time to get it for cheap to stay organized. Here's one calendar on sale for $12:

Brown Butterfly 2011 Calendar



I put also this Pumpkin Coptic Stitch Journal on sale ($6 off) since it's sort of Halloween themed. Shopping early is a good way to get deals on Halloween/Thanksgiving items.



You can see all items on sale in my Sale section.

Changes to This Blog

I haven't really made any changes to my blog for a while so I thought I'd try something new. Usually, I'll post randomly a couple times of week, but I'm going to try to do a schedule type of thing. I'm going to post every day with a theme for each day. I think it will help me keep more organized and give me ideas of what to post. I think it will be good because sometimes I don't know what to post on this blog if I don't list new items in my shop.

I came up with this:
Sunday - On Sunday, I'll post about new items I listed that week.
Monday - Monday is for other things I've been featured in such as treasuries on Etsy or having my site featured on other sites.
Tuesday - Tuesday is about teams and business. I'll talk about events going on in my Etsy teams or ways I'm promoting my shop. I might include business tips and things I've found that were helpful in my promoting my shop.
Wednesday - Wednesday is for showing off my items again, but instead of new items I'll feature an older item I've made in my shop or talk about sales going on in my shop.
Thursday - Thursday is about other things going on in my life. I might post other crafts I've made, other artwork I've done or non related Etsy photos I've take.
Friday - Friday is about things that inspire me. I might post other artwork, crafts, photos or websites that are inspiring me and that I think others would enjoy.
Saturday - Saturday is a day off.

I was also thinking of making a logo for the top of the blog instead of just text. I'm trying to think of a design. I don't know if I want to do a logo/clip art or maybe have photos of some of my items. Let me know what you think or if you have any ideas for this blog!

Social Networking

I think social networking websites are a great way to promote your Etsy and interact with other people. I thought I'd post social networking sites where you can also find me:

Flickr - Flickr is my favorite social networking site to promote my Etsy besides this blog. I like it because it allows me to post my personal photos and also promote my Etsy items. I have photos of all items I've posted on Etsy, including ones that are no longer for sale in my shop. I also have other photos related to Etsy like in the process/studio photos and screen captures of all the treasuries I've been featured in.

Tumblr - Tumblr is sort of like Flickr because it's photography related. I don't post photos of my own stuff on Tumblr, but post photos of other crafts, artwork, food, makeup and other things that inspire me. It's a good website to find inspiration and unique photos.

Facebook - I post general updates on Facebook. I have photo albums of my items and add to my photo albums occasionally.

Twitter - On Twitter, I just post general updates on my shop. If I list a new item, renew an item or make a new blog entry, I'll post it on Twitter to try to get views. I also interact with other Etsy members on there sometimes.

What other social networking sites do you use? Do you find them useful in promoting your Etsy or finding other Etsy shops?

Tree Bark Greeting Card and Advertising

I just got a new greeting card listed:

Rounded Golden Tree Bark Greeting Card



I've used this paper before in an address book that sold:



I have a bunch more cards I'm going to list soon. I also put an ad box on this blog. It's to help advertise other craft blogs and sites. I'm also trying to make a little money off of it. If you use Project Wonderful, you can click here to advertise on my blog. Right now, it's free to advertise so it'd be great to promote other Etsy shops and craft related blogs.

My Thread of Thought 1000th Entry Giveaway

It is my 1000th entry on my blog. To celebrate, I'm giving away one greeting card of your choice from my shop, Move the Needle.To enter, just leave a comment with your e-mail and write down any extra entries you did. The giveaway ends on October 20th (12 midnight eastern time) so you have about 2 weeks to enter. I will announce the winner shortly after.

Extra entries:
*Follow or subscribe to this blog
*Favorite my shop on Etsy or favorite an item (up to 2 entries)
*Like Move the Needle on Facebook
*Follow Move the Needle on Twitter
*Follow Move the Needle on Google +
*Follow Move the Needle on Pinterest
*Follow Move the Needle on Flickr
*Follow Move the Needle on Tumblr
*Like Move the Needle on StumbleUpon
*Post on any social media site with hashtag #mythreadofthought about the giveaway (up to 2 entries)
*Open a store on Etsy with my referral link
*Purchase from my Etsy shop
*Subscribe to Move the Needle's mailing list

Good luck!

Fourth of July Inspiration

Happy Fourth of July! Here are some Independence Day themed photos that inspire me.












You can see more things that inspire me on my craft Tumblr. Do you have any plans for Fourth of July?

Paper Goods Showcase

I was featured in the Paper Goods Showcase yesterday. The Tan Bicycle Lover's Greeting Card was featured:



I actually forgot about the showcase so I didn't get to screen capture my card on the site. I got a couple favorites, but no sales. It's kind of fun to do the showcases sometimes, but it's kind of expensive if you're not getting any sales from it. Do you look at the Showcase items? How do you shop on Etsy?

365 Food Project

I'm doing a 365 photo project where I'm taking photos of meals I'm eating every day for a year. Here's some updates to my project:











You can see everything on my Flickr. What's your favorite thing to cook?

Items for Summer

Summer is coming up. Summer officially begins on June 21st this year. I thought I'd share some items in my shop that are good for summer. Summer is a great time to start journaling if you have more time to yourself.

A Little Bit of Sunshine Journal



Rounded Lemon Collage Greeting Card



Glittery Sweet Tooth Fabric Greeting Card



Blue and Gold Marbled Journal




Balloons Birthday Card



What are your plans for this summer? I'm taking a fashion design class right now, but it's ending tomorrow so I'll have a couple months to relax and work on my Etsy.

Custom Items

I thought I'd do a post about custom items in my shop. You can get any type of item from my shop customized (e.g. a different paper/fabric) or I can make a brand new paper item that's made however you want. Here are some past custom items I've made:

Green Damask Altered 2010-2011 Moleskine Planner


Tree of Life Box



Newspaper Altered 2010 Moleskine Planner



You can order a custom item here or just contact me through my blog/email. I think custom items are really fun to make and make them more personal than my other items. Which one is your favorite? Have you ever ordered or made a custom item off Etsy?

Favorite Items

I thought I'd share some of my recent favorite items on Etsy.

Clipper ship silkscreen necktie, navy ink on cream SILK tie



VINTAGE Ansco Camera Canvas Printed Pillow



SALE Tiny Black Scissors Earrings on Silver Chain



the little baker necklace in antiqued copper.



You can see more inspiration on my Tumblr. Have you seen any interesting items on Etsy lately?