UPCOMING EASTER BUNNY HOP SALE

I am excited to announce that we will be hosting an Easter Sale event. It will be a wonderful opportunity to get to know other stores from Interior Design Etsy Team. The event will run from Mar. 15th-Apr. 6th, so mark your calendars right now.

I will give you more details here on this blog as we get closer .

MY PRESENCE ON FACEBOOK

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

I also started a FaceBook Group of InteriorDesignEtsy Sellers and we have so much fun. You can check it out at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7968938761. If you qualify, come and join us, we would love to have you. I really like using FaceBook for Networking because we can have our own private forum as a group. We can also add members to our friends and stay in contact in a more personal way. FaceBook is free to join for anyone globally. Click here if you do not already have an account: FaceBook

FACEBOOK and ONLINE MARKETING

Here is what I learned about online marketing on FACEBOOK so far...

You can:

1. Invite your customers to be your friends on FaceBook. You will get to know them better and they will be more loyal to you in return.

2.You can also create a separate page for your business. (Click on "Businesses" at the bottom of the page).

3. You can advertise on FaceBook.

4. If you have a blog, there is an application that you can use to put updates from your blog onto your profile page so all your friends can see it.

5. As an Etsy Seller you can use an application to showcase your Etsy Store on your FaceBook profile.

6. You can network with others using groups.

I will add to this list as I go along.

FEATURED THIS MONTH - ARTENZIE ETSY SHOP

This is one of my favorite paintings from Enzie. She is a professional portrait artist and Orientalist painter, who constantly aims for artistic excellence to create precious works of art that communicate something about the beauty, dignity and inner character of every person.

This is one of her postcards available in her Etsy Store. I love how vibrant this painting is.

If you love animals, you must have one of Enzie's postcards or one of her paintings. Enzie also offers Custom Order Pet Portraits in Black and White or color so be sure to contact her if you are interested and mention my name. You can email her through her Etsy Online Store.

What you can expect to find in her store:

1. Order Custom Portraits of your Loved Ones

2. Original One of a Kind Pen and Ink Drawings ~ Not Prints Available March 1st, 2008

3. Greeting Cards with Images of her Paintings

4. Gift Certificates

Please visit Enzie online: http://artenzie.etsy.com/, http://world-market-portraits.blogspot.com/, http://enzieshahmiri.com/,

I HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS AND SOME BAD NEWS...

BAD NEWS FIRST

Last week I had my first wonderful Giveaway and had so much fun doing it, but yesterday I learned that Giveaways are really complicated from a legal stand point and therefore strongly discouraged. An attorney for Etsy, Sara, wrote an article about it and you can read it here: http://www.etsy.com/storque/section/etsyNews/article/promoting-your-etsy-shop-contest-alternatives/1223/

Basically, when having Giveaways, there are so many things to take into a consideration that it is almost not worth it. After considering everything I have decided that I will not offer Giveaways in the future so I can keep things less complicated.

NOW THE GOOD NEWS IS

That does not mean you will not be able to receive a free gift in the future!

It only means that I will have to structure it differently. For example, I can send you a free gift as a "Thank you" when you participate in my sale event. Or I can send free gifts to everyone on Christmas to say "Thank you for being a loyal customer" and so forth.

I hope this does not discourage you. I will still offer wonderful discounts and other sale events to make it worth your while! And as I said before these will be avaliable only to my blog subscribers and I will not post them anywhere else on the Internet.

Thank you for your understanding.

ON THE OTHER NOTE
I wanted to talk about Color Trends for 2008.

According to ART SELECT and other sources here is a basic list:

"We've done our homework on this year's trends and this season, designers are looking to the lush, oasis-inspired colors and tones of the tropics and the Mediterranean.
2008's most inviting hues in design are:
Golden Olive – warm, earthy
Daiquiri Green – uplifting, inspiring
Cantaloupe – bright, fresh
Snorkel Blue –oceanic, inviting
Croissant – neutral, soothing
Pink Mist – delicate, invigorating

Here's a gorgeous Abstract artwork by artist Marlys K. Mallet that happens to feature every one of these delicious colors Springtime n 6 .

Inspired to explore 2008's freshest new colors in art? Jump-start your spring decorating and check out our 2008 Color Trends Collection!"

I am so excited about this year color selection it is so relaxing and it will go so well with almost any setting. Casual Art, Global Art, Traditional Art, Contemporary Art and Kids Art will all fit in.

You can be sure that you will see these colors in most of my collections this year.
So far I have two designs that would qualify: EASTER IS COMING - PINK and EASTER IS COMING - GREEN

Color Trends for 2009 are a less warm than 2008, but equally charming. You will see a lot of pink, purple, gray and a little bit of olive green. For the full list you can click here.
I will slowly switch to 2009 color palette in late fall so you will have the latest available for Christmas presents. Just stay tuned to my blog and I will keep you updated when the change will come.

AND THE WINNER IS...

"spirithelpers"

Now for those that did not win at this time:
Do not be sad. I have a very SPECIAL OFFER for you as well.

I am offering BUY ONE,GET ONE FREE only to you, my blog subscribers!

You can get the very same pillows for $40 plus shipping (normally $80 plus shipping). That way you can get these pillows for only $20 each. This offer is not going to be posted anywhere else and it is my thank you to you for participating.

I will do first 10 orders only; on the first come, first serve basis. If you are interested, please email me ASAP at kristina.law@gmail.com.

ANOTHER GOOD NEWS

I will have another giveaway next month and because you are already subscribed, you will be automatically entered in.

Stay tuned and I will give you more details on the 1st of March.

Thank you again, and have a wonderful day.

VALENTINE GIVEAWAY

AND THE WINNER IS... "spirithelpers"
THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!
THE NEXT GIVEAWAY WILL BE NEXT MONTH Details on MARCH 1st,2008

It is only a couple of days before Valentine is here. It is such a wonderfully romantic holiday. It is the traditional day on which those who love each other express their love; sending Valentine's cards, flowers, chocolate or candy, presents and surprises.

So in that spirit of tradition, I decided to give away a gift to a lucky subscriber to my blog.

The winner will be announced on Feb 14th here on the blog and by email.

"What is the prize?" you may ask,
Two charming pillows you see above.

So hurry and subscribe here to see, if you are the one, who will get this surprise on the day of Valentine.

TO SUBSCRIBE: Please enter your email address in the yellow box below on the right.

SNEAK PEAK

AND HERE IS MY NEW DESIGN "ELEGANCE"

It is so elegant that this is one of very few lines where I will make more than 2-10 pillows per collection. Gold, black and white are so universal that this pillow will go with almost any setting. Personally it is my favorite color combination. I used satin to give the white squares extra luster.

This is not a finished pillow. It is a picture of the front side.

In Store FEBRUARY 15th 2008

MY EASTER DESIGN 3

My last, but not the least favorite design is Modern Victorian. This design is very elegant and classy and combines both styles in a simple way. I am looking for boutiques nationwide that could carry this design for me. So eventually it will be available through designated sellers as well.

There are so many beautiful Victorian prints in fabric stores, that this line will have hundreds of variations. I am very excited about that.

Anyone who loves Victorian Style can now enjoy it with a modern touch to it so it is not so quite antique.

All of my pillows are limited edition and I will not make more than 10 pillows per collection. This particular pillow is the only one available. I do not have the main theme fabric anymore.

MY EASTER DESIGN 2

Here is another pillow that is beautifully simple. It is form the same line "Easter Is Coming". Because not everyone likes the bold look of black and white checks and so here is an alternative. It is very modern looking, almost like a framed picture. In the future, I will do different variations of this look as well. I also want to add little accessories to go with it as time goes by.

One thing to keep in mind. I love creating pillows that resemble my own style and so I will add new pillow designs each month. My pillows are one of a kind and except 2 lines you will not see more than 2-10 pillows made per collection. This way I can keep creating new beautiful designs without any limitations. If you would like to have more than one item from a specific design, you can order up to 10 items per custom order where indicated. Please email me, and we will work out the details.

MY EASTER DESIGN 1

This is my favorite design at this point, I called it "Easter Is Coming" ,it reminds me of spring coming soon ... And judging by the number of clicks I get on my Etsy online store, viewers like it the most as well. I love how simple and bold it is at the same time. I am working on different variations and soon I will give you some sneak peeks soon.

I will add new products in this line in the future. It will be so much fun to have little accessories, like jewelery and magnets, to go with it. Eventually I want to big things as well, like curtains, table runners, bedding, scarfs, art prints and anything else I can think of.

One think I am really proud of in this particular design is my straight squares. Anyone who sewed small squares before would know how hard it is to get it done just right. Well, one thing I will guarantee at all times, is that my squares will always be perfect.