Woo-hoo Time for a Trade Event!

For those handmade shop owners that have yet to take part in a Trade Event let me warn you....it can be addicting! The Etsy Trade-a-holics Team will be hosting a TNS Event this Halloween weekend beginning at 8am Friday October 29th and running through October 31st at midnight. I am thrilled that Kawartha Beads is on the start up list of shops for shops and am excited to get some trading done for Christmas. You can check out the TNS in the Etsy forums here.
For those of you who aren't familiar with a TNS here is a bit of information courtesy of muffintopdesigns:

"we originally started having Trade and Replace events, which ran very similarly to Buy and Replace (BnR) games. the wonderful FlamingoLady suggested that we switch to a Trade and Stay format, where shops didn't get replaced, but the new shop woukld just get added to the list. this results in way more selection - and way more exposure for shops!!! very cool!
so now, the basic rules are as follows:
- you do NOT have to be a member of the tradeaholics' team to play!

- trade and STAY events are usually 3 or 4 days long

- if someone trades with you, their shop gets added to the list and yours stays on! you CANNOT be added to the list unless you trade onto the list - meaning that you have to trade with someone who is currently on the list to get onto the list

- there are several "listmasters" who try to try to keep the list accurate - it just helps to keep things straight! we try to keep the lists as accurate as possible, as soon as possible - so be patient!

- make sure that you check the most CURRENT list and that you post your trades on the thread so everyone can see what you scored!

- refresh yourself with the rules on trading on the blog - http://etsytradeaholics.blogspot.com .

- any disputes can be convoed to muffintopdesigns or Raevyn77 and we'll try to help

- ** please ** don't forget your manners - if someone convos you for a trade, please respond - even if they don't have anything you need or want. it's better to get a "no" instead of no response at all!

- tradeable items can be tagged with the team tag "TEAM TRADE ON" and/or put all of the items into a section in your shop so browsing is easier! you can also indicate what you are looking for in your shop announcement. if your whole shop is up for trades, you can put that in your announcement as well."

Happy Trading and have a great Halloween weekend!!

Who Says Snowflakes Can't be Pink? Artfire Collection Feature!

I am thrilled to once again have Kawartha Beads featured, this time in a sensational Collection on Artfire. Thanks so much to Little Paper Boutique for the honour!

Who says snowflak...

Curated By: LittlePaperBo...

ArtFire.com

Etsy Treasury Feature!

Kawartha Beads has been included in this magnificent treasury by gardenofedendesigns! THANK YOU!

'stop dreaming and FLY.' by gardenofedendesigns

Aqua Blue Butterfly... yiayias $75.00	Earrings, Carnelian... JulieAnnsJewel... $15.00	A Dancer Photograph... UmaArt $20.00
Recycled Canvas Tot... thecraftpantry $20.00	Purple Metal Butter... merritthyde $16.00	DANCE PHOTOGRAPHY P... silasstubbs $7.00
Butterfly Beauty Ne... kawarthabeads $10.00	butterfly pillow pillowhappy $25.00	Woodland Faerie Ear... lizhutnick $14.00
Woodland Butterfly ... ElnaDesigns $12.00	3D Wall Butterflies... hipandclavicle $18.00	16x20 Beautiful Lif... neoximage $250.00
Zoja - Contemporary... klenophotograp... $29.00	Stop and Fly...An A... feedyoursoular... $12.00	Original Butterfly ... BlueTrike $98.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Front Page Tags/Themes for October 15-22

The holiday shopping season is quickly approaching (and for some has already begun) and online shop owners are busy getting their shops in order for the impending rush (or so we hope). If you haven't checked out the November Merchandising Desk article on Etsy then you will want to do that now. Also don't forget to enter Kawartha Beads WIN AD SPACE FOR A MONTH giveaway to give your business an extra boost this season! Here are some of the tags and themes that appeared on the front pages of Artfire and Etsy over the past week:

Artfire:

• Fresh Pumpkin Pickins
• Foggy Morning
• Fur the Love of Felines
• Great Gift for $15 or less
• Knit one....Crochet too!
• On the Water...Sea Foam

Etsy:

• Dancing in the Rain (rain, weather, cold, ice blue, white, grey, gray, storm, dancing in the rain, dancing, clouds, sky)
• Teal and Red (teal, red, polka dots, blue, fall, bunting, art, print, jewelry, embroidery, vintage)
• Citrine Gifts Under 50 (citrine, gifts, under 50, handmade, golden tone, autumn, fall, yellow, mustard, scorpio, jewelry, natural, november, novembers birthstone, astrological, sagittarius, thanksgiving, unique gift guide)
• Pretty Whites and Ivories (white, milk, glass, vintage, necklace, snow, owl, winter, ivory, beige)
• A Novel Idea (book, reading, bookend, relax, cozy, art, home decor, housewares, rustic, soft, shabby chic)
• Purple Haze Wednesday (purple, violet, lavender, lilac)
• Aqua and Rust (aqua, rust, orange, turquoise, blue, pumpkin, autumn, fall, mid century, vintage, retro, cottage chic, harvest gold, housewares, burnt oranges, aquamarine)
• Dear Santa, Please bring me these or no cookies! (cranberry red, olive green, holiday, reindeer, owl, gumby, november, gift guide, ornament, stocking, bunting)
• Cozy: A Holiday Gift Guide (gift guide, cozy, warm, neutrals, natural, blue, green, sepia, winter, pinecones, knitted, hat, scarf, nature, trees, brown, cream)
• Hidden Meaning of Pomegranates (pomegranates, christmas, gift, gift guide, home decor, november, holiday, for her)

Ad Space Giveaway! Promote your business this holiday season!

It's time again for an ad space giveaway! If you are a frequent reader (or a new one) you may have noticed the button on the right hand side currently occupied by the totally awesome Azie Designs, winner of our last ad space giveaway.

Now the space is up for grabs and heading into the busy holiday season this is a great chance to WIN free ad space for your shop or your blog. The winner will receive a 125x125 ad space for the month of November AND a featured artisan interview post because we would love to learn more about you! Here's how you can win (please leave a seperate comment for each entry)

•MANDATORY ENTRY: Become a follower of this blog (or if you are already a follower please feel free to leave a comment reminding us!)

Additional Entries:
•Follow Kawartha Beads on twitter

•Tweet this giveaway and leave me the link

•Heart Kawartha Beads Etsy Shop

•Tell me your favourite Kawartha Beads product

Giveaway ends Sunday October 26th at 11:59pm EST. Please make sure your shop/blog is family friendly in order to be eligible to win and please make sure you leave me a way to contact you! Good luck!

Christmas Gift Ideas for the Little Dude!

I can't believe how quickly Christmas is approaching! Luckily I have begun some of my shopping, although there is still plenty left to do. Here are some cute items if you have a little guy in your life:

Dinosaur JUMBO Crayons by LilDoodlers

Rawr Means I Love You in Dinosaur Shirt by Rock River Tees

Train Crayon Wrap Cozie Holder Wallet by Our Kids Boutique

SALE! All Paper Goodies just $1!

Now is your chance to stock up and save! All Paper Goodies including punches, scallops, and gift tags are just $1 until October 31st in my Etsy, Artfire and Zibbet shops.

Front Page Themes on Etsy and Artfire

It's been a busy week. If you are Canadian I'm sure you are gearing up for a great long weekend. Have a great Thanksgiving! Here are the themes that appeared on the front page of Artfire this past week.

• Weather or Not
• Sweet Little Things for Sweet Little Things
• The Warm Embrace of Flora
• Whirlwind
• Red, Black & White Polka Dots
• Fairies in Pastels
• Color-full
• Caramel Apples
• Ruffled Feathers

And this week on Etsy

• Berry Orchard (berry, plum, fall, harvest, trees, outdoors, bike, olive, lettuce, figs, nature, fruit)
• An Etsy Fall Wedding
• Edible (edible, food, harvest, bounty, fall)
• Chase the Blues Away (blue, blueberry, berry, dark blue, light blue, beauty, housewares, jewelry, baby, food, children)
• A balance of elegant and folksy
• Rustic Charm (earthy, rustic, farm, copper, brown, home decore, jewelry, leather, wire, wood, natural, fall colors)
• October favorites (october, apples, pumpkin, orange, opal, halloween, jack o lantern, candy corn, bats, costume)
• Crisp Autumn Walk (autumn, fall, walk, woodland, forest, trees, animals)
• Where the Green Things Grow (garden, vegetables, shovel, trowel, flowers, bunny, leaves, dirt, tools, pumpkin, carrot, herbs, garden, grow, butterfly)

TWO Collections features on Artfire!

I am thrilled to have been featured in not one, but TWO collection on Artfire this week! Thanks so much to Helen's Corner and Perhaps Turquoise for this wonderful honour!

Changing Leaves

Curated By: HelensCorner

ArtFire.com

Blue Magic

Curated By: perhapsturquo...

ArtFire.com

It's Craft Show Season: Some useful reading!

Craft show season is now in full swing and I've recently had several emails from fellow artisans with questions regarding shows. I am by no means an expert and everyone will have a different experience but they are a great way to get your work out in the public and see people's reactions. Here are a couple of links to get you started in your craft show preparation:

• My Experience at the Indoor Yard Sale
• Doing a Craft Show for the First Time? What they don't tell you... (Etsy forum thread by monkeysalwayslook)
• PIXIE DUST FOR EVERYBODY!! The ULTIMATE Craft Show Guide! (Etsy forum thread by PromoPixie)

What tips/tricks do you find useful for craft shows? How do you promote your upcoming shows? Tis the season!