GUEST POSTING TODAY.....

Well most of you who know me see me write about my blogging bff in South Carolina.  LP of A Crafty Southern Chick.    Today Im guest posting over at her place, because SHE FINALLY HAD HER BABY BOY.  I kept my post in theme today with the news and arrival of her sweet angel.

I'll leak to you that his name is Colston, and OMG he is a perfectly handsome little newborn.  Sometime babies come out all squishy and swollen, well he is a site for sore eyes.   Hope to meet him this summer when we head down there for vacation (hopefully to find a house and not come back. lol)

So follow me over to LP's and while your there check out some of the cool projects she has on her blog, like the scrap wood floor lamp her and the hubs made for Baby C!   She is also a fabulous jewelry maker and a BIG junk and upcycling addict like me!



See ya over there.....Peace Out!!


-MJ

MY FIRST POST OF 2011...NEW YEAR NEW STYLE

This year will be a year of great change for me.   Im working on a few things and plan on changing up things in my home (re-design of 4 rooms in the house), business (launching of new line in Etsy shop) and on my blog (focused features).   In the 6 months Ive been doing this I thing I got caught up in the hoopla (if you will) of who's blog is on all the blog roll, who's having a giveaway, what tutorial is out there, who is (stealing) who's idea and what parties are going on and how fast can I whip up some magic to link up.

Although a merchandiser thrives on producing under pressure, I much rather take a step back this year.  I have made some amazing blogging buddies and that is wonderful.   I have also found wonderful resources through  certain bloggers and will explore and reach out further.

I have met some amazing ladies that I dont need to mention names, we comment back and forth and wish each other true praise and blessings for our endeavors and for our families weekly if not daily.  These are connections I plan to keep strong this year.

I plan on going back to my love of treasure shopping at my favorite stores and featuring my finds.  My love of styling is what drives the need to find something and create around it.  Also doing a monthly special for my followers just because I want to thank them for their dedicated readership not to gain the highest follower number in blogland.

I will feature products not because I have a huge following but because I bought the product on my own and think it is worth talking about and endorsing.

Being an Etsy shop owner myself, I want to shout out and feature my fellow artists/crafters and work together to promote our work.

I will also blog about topics that are close to my heart such as Autism (for those of you who dont already know I am the mother of a child diagnosed on the spectrum).  Along with Cancer (have had too many friends/family suffer and live or suffer and die from it).  Also the topics of  donating and volunteering.   And I understand that these posts are not popular and you might not comment but for the one person out there that it will touch and may need someone to talk to then I have done my work.

I envision a great year for myself and Lucky 7 Design and cant wait to get started.....Im inspired by so many things and so many new people that I have recently connected with that I need to get it all together and run with it.

I believe in the power of the spoken or written word in this case.  I dont think you need to have a fancy camera or etiquette to blog.  Its your passion, it might not be for everyone that is why you are given to option to follow or not too.    Im a visual person so I do love some photos but theyre not going to look like a Martha Stewart or Country Living layout. lol

 With that said here is a photo that is giving me much inspiration at the moment (photo taken while on an much needed mommy escape to Home Goods) could not enlarge the photo for some reason.  Hopefully you get the idea.

3 MONTHS IN BLOGLAND!

HELP OR JUST A HUSTLE?

 Okay so this post comes with a little bit of frustration, because I was done hours ago with the whole thing and then I accidentally deleted 3/4 of it.  So here I go again

Everyone is definately now tucked into bed and Im going to speak on something that has been bothering me awhile now.

NOTE:  THIS IS NOT FOR THE LOVERS OF DRAMA AND NOT MEANT TO INSTIGATE DRAMA. THIS IS MY OPINION AND IM INVITING YOU TO SHARE YOURS.  THIS IS A DRAMA FREE BLOG SO PLEASE PLAY NICE AND KEEP IN CLEAN.

I started my first post on 6/7/10 so almost 3 months and I have met some great people and love some of their blogs.  I have also just found some great blogs........thats all.  

Back in August I signed up for a webinar that was being held I believe through Where Women Create.  Unfortunately the evening of the webinar my 5 month old had other plans for me.  So I missed out, but thats okay.  Im a mother first......all else comes 2nd,3rd and so one.     However I was really intrigued to find out what information was given and disappointed that I missed this chance to go deeper into the blogging world.  I emailed  Jo to see if I could get some of the information from the webinar.   I researched this blog heavily and something happened.

There is a saying....If God wants you to know something he will bring it to light.    That is so true, I really believe that.  In my searching I came across the work of Elizabeth Maxson and you all know that I already did a post of her here.   But I just shot her an email and she replied and we went back and forth for maybe 2 days and one night for about an hour.  This is a woman who's work has been published in magazines and has been featured so many places.  She wears many hats but I must say that she is best at being a REAL person.  Just from reading my email which basically explained to her my dreams of owning my own shoppe and selling my homemade items and re-finished furniture and re-purposed accessories.

I got into the whole blog protocol or if there was such a thing.  The competitiveness....the giveaways...the amount of followers.  I explained to her Ive never been one to follow the pack, that is not to say that Im a natural born leader either.  I choose to do what speaks to me and makes me happy.  It may not be for everyone but that's okay.  I live for me....God has a plan for all of us and if you follow the signs it will lead you to where you need to be.  Elizabeth told me she had similar thoughts and that she thought that I was on the right path.  Her advice was direct and out-of-the-box and I loved it.  We had similar ideas when discussing displays and that just inspired me to continue doing what I'm doing.  Whether its been done or Im the first....it doesn't matter.    As long as I do it and I do it to the best of my ability and my way, then Im good.

Okay, that being said.   When blogs are offering help, workshops,consultations.   Should there be a charge? What information merits this charge?  Are you the writer of this blog in a position to which you feel you can charge for your opinion?  If so....why?  Are we here to share information or is it a competition?   Who has the most stocked Etsy shoppe maybe......half of the items on Etsy and duplicated by hundreds.   So can you charge for a tutorial?  Should you charge to tell someone how you started a business?  Is having items on your blog really a business?  Etsy and Ebay are totally different Im talking about your blog itself.

These questions are all things I wonder about when Im clicking around blogland.  I have my favorites that I visit and comment on almost daily or whenever time allows.   But what do you think of the blogs that are always putting info out there and sometimes in a self-praising way?   Do they ever visit your blog and comment?  Do they ever respond to you after you comment on their blog?

Im sure I have missed 1 or 2 people in these 3 months but Ive come up with a system, when I get the email notification I read and hit publish.  Then I automatically go to that persons page to thank them for their comment and to check out their blog if I havent seen it before.  Its just common courtesy I think....what do you say?

Now Im not interested in negativity or starting a blog war.  I just want to know if there is anyone out there who has seen some of these things on blogs and what they think.   Is it HELP or is it a HUSTLE?

Im a Jersey girl so Im putting it out there the way we say it here.   I dont know any other word that fits what Im saying than hustle.   Actually my husband said it best when I was venting to him earlier, he said "You cant hate the hustle".   Is that it?  Am I hating?  But what would I be hating on.....someone charging more money for the same item that I make?  Why would I?  Am I hating that some people praise themselves and rarely do you see them join any parties or comment in some of the regular circles?   I dont think so.    I think I just really want to know when is it HELP and when is it just a plain old HUSTLE.

Here are definitions from Dictionary.com........you tell me

HELP


–verb (used with object)

1.

to give or provide what is necessary to accomplish a task orsatisfy a need; contribute strength or means to; renderassistance to; 

cooperate effectively with; aid; assist: Heplanned to help me with my work. Let me help you withthose packages.

2.

to save; rescue; succor: Help me, I'm falling!

3.

to make easier or less difficult; contribute to; facilitate: Theexercise of restraint is certain to help the achievement ofpeace.

4.

to be useful or profitable to: Her quick mind helped hercareer.

5.

to refrain from; avoid (usually prec. by can  or cannot ): Hecan't help doing it.

6.

to relieve or break the uniformity of: Small patches of brightcolor can help an otherwise dull interior.

7.

to relieve (someone) in need, sickness, pain, or distress.

8.

to remedy, stop, or prevent: Nothing will help my headache.

9.

to serve food to at table (usually fol. by to ): Help her tosalad.

10.

to serve or wait on (a customer), as in a store.

HUSTLE

–verb (used with object)

6.

to convey or cause to move, esp. to leave, roughly orhurriedly: They hustled him out of the bar.

7.

to pressure or coerce (a person) to buy or do something: tohustle the customers into buying more drinks.

8.

to urge, prod, or speed up: Hustle your work along.

9.

to obtain by aggressive or illicit means: He could alwayshustle a buck or two from some sucker.

10.

to beg; solicit.

11.

to sell in or work (an area), esp. by high-pressure tactics:The souvenir venders began hustling the town at dawn.

12.

to sell aggressively: to hustle souvenirs.

13.

to jostle, push, or shove roughly.

14.

Slang . to induce (someone) to gamble or to promote (agambling game) when the odds of winning are overwhelminglyin one's own favor.

15.

Slang . to cheat; swindle: They hustled him out of his savings.

16.

Slang .

a.

(of a prostitute) to solicit (someone).

b.

to attempt to persuade (someone) to have sexualrelations.

c.

to promote or publicize in a lively, vigorous, or aggressivemanner: an author hustling her new book on the TV talkshows.