Valentine Special from The Sweet Kitchen

If you live in the Lindsay, On area and are looking for a sweet treat for your Valentine be sure to check put this special from The Sweet Kitchen. I emailed the postet to my hubby with the title Hint Hint!

Vendor Call for Winter Shopping Wonderland in Oakwood

WANTED: Vendors for "Winter Shopping Wonderland" Event on Saturday November 2nd at Mariposa Hall (1010 Eldon Rd, Oakwood-same parking lot as Oakwood arena).
Doors are open to the public 10am-2pm
Doors open for vendors at 830am for setup.
Event details include: visit from Santa at 1130, free hot chocolate to all, free shopping bags to the first 25 adult shoppers, donations accepted for the Toy Drive to support the Oakwood Fire Department. PLUS a one stop shopping day for people to get their holiday gifts ordered/purchased!
Vendor details: a flyer will be done up (including vendor logos) and emailed to distribute, facebook event, advertising in Lindsay This Week, advertising on the big light up sign at the 4 corners of hwy 7 and Eldon Rd, flyers distributed in Lindsay, Oakwood and Little Britain.
Table size 8 foot. Table cost $20

To book your table contact Gina today!

Vendor Call!

Vendor Call for the Lindsay Cadet Core craft sale to be held on October 19th at the Victoria Park Armoury in Lindsay. Show will start at 8am (pre-show day setup is available).
Tables are $20 each plus an item donation to the raffle. To book your space email quackkid1@hotmail.com or call Sandy at (705) 344-9400.

Win A Stunning Orchid Bracelet from Creations by GMarie

Creations by Gmarie is celebrating the 100 fan mark on Facebook with a special giveaway! You can win your own personalized orchid petal bracelet...but you'll have to use your sleuthing skills! Creations by Gmarie first launched this bracelet on Etsy in January 2012. Here's what you need to do to win one of your own.

1)You MUST have liked Creations by Gmarie on Facebook for your guess to count.
2)Use your sleuthing abilities to count up how many of these bracelets she has sold from Jan. 2012 to May 30, 2013. The count closest to the actual number without going over is the winner! Remember she has two shops on Etsy: http://creationsbygmarie.etsy.com and http://Creationsbygmarie2
3)Send a PM to Creations by Gmarie on Facebook with your guess. One entry per person please! Remember the closest without going over wins!
4) All guesses must be submitted by midnight June 15th. The winner will be announced June 16th

Happy Sleuthing!

Introducing CreationsbyGMarie.com!

For those of you who may be new followers of Kawartha Beads I should start by saying that I inherited my creative fever from my mother and she has been my inspiration and guiding light in my own journey. I am always pleased to share new shops and handmade specials from any artisan but it gives me extra pleasure when its so close to my heart. While my mom has sold on Etsy for several years she decided to branch out and take the plunge into her own website. Introducing CreationsbyGMarie.com! Be sure to stop by and take a peek at all of her wonderful items and stay tuned for a FABULOUS monthly special. You can also find her on Facebook here.

The Deal of the Month for April is this beautiful Bird on a Swing Pendant Necklace, available at 40% off of its regular price. Sale ends April 30th.

It's Craft Show Season!

With the onset on spring craft show season I know I have been busy getting my stock ready, revamping my table display and spreading the word like crazy! Whether you are a seasoned craft show vet or a newbie to the scene here is a great article from Etsy on How to Get Ready for Spring Craft Shows.

Any of your own tips to share? What are you looking forward to this spring season? Here's a list of where to find Kawartha Beads in the next couple of months.

Spring Specials at Ashley Tough Photography

Spring has sprung and to celebrate Ashley Tough Photography is offering some fantastic limited time specials! Be sure to book your space while they are still available!

• For everyone expecting a baby in 2013- Book your Maternity Session with Ashley, and receive 50% off of a Newborn Portrait session- Offer Valid until March 31st, 2013 at 9 pm. 

• Any Wedding Package booked with Ashley (with deposit), will receive 50% off engagement portraits- Offer Valid until April 30th, 2013 at 9 pm. 

• Any session booked in studio will receive a complimentary 8 x 10 portrait and $10 off their session (excluding Mini Sessions)- Offer Valid until April 30th, 2013 

To book your space or if you have any questions you can contact Ashley via her Facebook page, by email toughphotography@hotmail.com or by phone 705-878-2634

Great Mother's Day Gift Ideas at Farm Girl Creations

Hard to believe that Mother's Day is right around the corner! If you are looking for that special something for a gift this year why not stop by Farm Girl Creations! With an assortment of handmade items to choose from there is something for every budget and the quality and care she takes with each piece is sure to be appreciated by any mom. There are also several gift sets to choose from (the above is my favourite colour combo!) and this one in particular features 2~ Facecloths,2 ~ Flower Face scrubbies,1 ~ Hand Sanitizer Cozy with Hand Sanitizer, 1 ~ Bar of Soap from Little Bitty Bath Boutique.

Start your Farm Girl Creations shopping now!

Piper Rose Hair Accessories NOW OPEN!

I'm thrilled to announce that my super talented sister has just opened her own Etsy shop, Piper Rose Hair Accessories, featuring an assortment of beautiful hair accessories. Her pieces are made with extra care, with each metal piece being soldered on as opposed to simply glued for extra durability! She offers a variety of styles and price points and is happy to create a custom piece for you if you don't find a fav. already in her shop.

If you are local be sure to stop by the Kawartha Beads booth at the Lindsay Mom2Mom Sale on March 30th at the Armouries in Lindsay where I will have a small sampling of these wonderful hair accessories available.

Vendor Call: Spring Janetville Craft Sale/Baazar

Janetville Spring Craft Sale and Bazaar 
Sunday April 28th 10-3

Tables are $25 each; tables are of different sizes (sorry but I cannot guarantee which size table you will be receiving). Tables can be shared and they will get priority for the larger tables.

Hoping this will be a great time for to promote products and services for: Mother's/Father's Day, Graduation, End of School (teacher/bus driver/crossing guard gifts if people are looking for that), weddings, bridal/baby showers (I know these occur year round as well), and anything else!

Please email: kindredkrafting@hotmail.ca to receive Vendor registration/contract. **Completed contracts and payments are due by April 6, 2013 (please note we filled all of our available table spaces before our deadline for the Christmas Sale). Please remember, when you sign your vendor contract (or if emailing it back, by typing your name and emailing it back) you are AGREEING to the conditions stated within the contract. Completed contracts along with payment are what will reserve your space.

A Valentine's Collaboration between Kindred Krafting and Kawartha Beads

Kawartha Beads and Kindred Krafting are proud to bring you our first ever collaboration! Just in time for Valentine's Day this fun and affordable handmade delight is the complete gift for your little Valentine, their teacher, daycare provider or any other special person who deserves to have their day brightened♥

A beautiful handmade treat package made from quality cardstock and featuring two beautiful red embossed hearts hides a treasure of cinnamon hearts and a handmade L♥VE charm zipper pull inside. Clip the zipper pull to your purse, your little one's backpack or pencil case or even a sweater for some extra Valentine's cheer! This all in one gift is just $3.50 with local delivery available. Don't miss out on the chance to make someone's Valentine's Day extra special, limited quantity available. Contact either myself at Kawartha Beads or Beckie at Kindred Krafting to order yours by Sunday Feb. 10th (if you are local) to ensure delivery by Valentine's Day.

Kawartha Beads: A Year in Review and Looking Ahead

I wanted to extend a BIG thank you to all of my wonderful customers, crafty friends, loyal blog readers and all Kawartha Beads supporters in general. It truly warms my heart to hear from you and I hope you will continue to do Facebook me, email me, Etsy convo me and have tea and buttertart craft meetings in the year ahead!

My most popular Etsy listing of 2012


Kawartha Beads saw a tremendous amount of growth in 2012 both online and locally and I'm SO proud of how things have developed. That being said I must admit I struggled with time management a bit. With two very active little guys I underestimated how little time I was actually going to have and how tired I would be at night once they went to bed. For all the other mompreneurs out there struggling to "do it all" I wanted to share with you that I too felt overwhelmed at times in 2012 and once I accepted that it was OK to feel that way and let some things slide a bit then I felt much better. I've also put a fair amount of time into helping my hubby grow his own little business Man Cave Collectibles so now that we have system worked out for that I am concentrating a little less on his stuff and can refocus my energies on my own work.

For the year ahead I am going to do things a bit differently. We used to do our "activities" in the morning but I've found the boys play better together then and I can get a bit of creating done, leaving the afternoon for visits, errands, playdates,etc. I am limiting my evening work time to one hour for the time being since a rested me makes for a more productive me! For next fall I'm going to explore once a week daycare for my youngest while my other is in school leaving me an entire day each week dedicated to preparing for the 2013 holiday season.

Other plans for Kawartha Beads:

• List a minimum of 200 items on Etsy and maintain that inventory
• Do some classes (on jewelry making, starting an Etsy shop, blogging, etc)
• Perhaps doing some beadable b-day parties
• Expand my local business by reintroducing my "buckets"
• Blog once a week (I love it but I need to focus my time so I will be limiting my posts to weekly. Be sure to follow my Facebook page for lots of other announcements, creative thoughts, sales, new products, etc.)

What would you like to see from Kawartha Beads for 2013? Where are you heading with your own business or hobby? 

Kawartha Beads at Lindsay Mom2Mom Sale Tomorrow!

Be sure to stop by the Lindsay Boys and Girls Club at 107 Lindsay Street South tomorrow, Saturday Nov.10th between 930-1230 for the Christmas Edition of the Lindsay Mom2Mom Sale. Featuring a wide selection of gently used childrens items, plenty of handmade and mom business vendors, a petting zoo, balloon animals and more there is something for the entire family. A great chance to have some fun and get a start (or finish) on your holiday shopping. Admission to the show is $2 or a donation to the food bank.

Remember this is the ONLY show Kawartha Beads is doing this holiday season so if you are wanting a chance to visit us in person I hope you will stop by! Can't make it to the show? Shop my online store this weekend and use coupon code MOM2MOM at checkout to receive 15%off your online order.

5 Links Worth Reading for Your Crafty Business

Curl up with a hot cup of coffee on this rainy day and enjoy this week's 5 Links Worth Reading for Your Crafty Business. 

• 1,000 Sales in My First Year of Business- Low Cost Marketing Strategies
• 3 Tips to Get More Product Reviews and Giveaways 
• How To Start A Start Up 
• 5 Tools for Reducing Crochet Related Hand Pain 
• A Quick Tip for Managing Your Orders This Holiday Season

Holiday Shipping Deadlines

Order early to ensure you get all of your Kawartha Beads treasures in time for the holidays! The International shipping deadline (for everywhere other than Canada and the US) is November 30th.

My Etsy Shop will close for the holiday season at noon Eastern on December 8th to allow me time to finish up orders and enjoy some time with my family for the Christmas season. I will continue to take local orders until December 14th. My shop will reopen on Boxing Day with an end of season clearout special so you can treat yourself to a Kawartha Beads treasure if you didn't get one for the holidays!

Vendor Call: Christmas Edition of the Lindsay Mom2Mom Sale

I'm happy to announce that there will be a Christmas Edition of the Lindsay Mom2Mom Sale to be held on November 10th from 930-1230 at the Lindsay Boys and Girls Club. Mom Tables for selling gently used clothing and toys are $10 each and if you are a local artisan there are also vendor spots available for just $35. Your table fee also includes lunch (pizza and pop) for one person. Spaces are limited so be sure to contact the show organizer ASAP if you are interested in a space. You can email her at smthshan@hotmail.com.

5 Links Worth Reading for Your Crafty Business

We've got an extremely busy weekend planned with some fun family outings as well as some orders to finish off. What do you have planned for your weekend? If you get a chance here are some interesting reads for your crafty business:

• Etsy Business Advice from Top Selling Knitter Pixiebell
• 25 Things to do on Your Lunch Break to Further your Etsy Business
• Preparation H- H is for "Holidays"
• Etsy Sellers Can't Afford to Ignore Pinterest
• "Playing to Fail"- The Harsh Reality of Why 99% of Entrepreneurs Don't Make It

Free Ebook: Hot Home Business Ideas

Here's an interesting read for your weekend...and for those who always dream of being their own boss!
Grab your FREE copy of Hot Home Business Ideas. Be sure to check it is still free before you order.

Don't have a Kindle? Download Kindle for your PC here (I have it and love it!)

Free Ebook: Craft Business Heroes

I can't wait for the kiddos to go to sleep tonight so I can delve into this FREE EBOOK! I always love to read inspiring stories from others in the crafty biz. Grab your FREE copy of Craft Business Heroes for Kindle and get inspired!  
Be sure to check it is still free before you order.

Don't have a Kindle? Download Kindle for your PC here (I have it and love it!)

Organizing my Office Space with Yard Sale Finds

My hubby and I are thrilled to finally live in town and love getting up on a Saturday morning to wander the Farmer's Market and yard sales in the area. Here are a couple of finds that we have used for my office space and I'm SO in love with them! The first is an old mail holder. I love how it has oodles of slots and I've decided to use it to store all my jewellery cards, customs forms, business cards and anything else of that sort. Now I just have to finish getting it loaded up! Cost: $5

Almost everyone I know (or their mother) has had one of these at some point. The wooden shelf with a heart in it (this one happens to be a plate rail) but I love that it is both long and thin and perfect for displaying my product. At some point I'm going to put a dowel underneath to hold all of my ribbon (add it to the project list!) Cost: $1

Now all of my product and my packaging materials are within reach above my packing table and are no longer taking up valuable space ON TOP of the table!


What are some of your favourite tips for organizing your office space/studio/craft room?