Give me your input....

Are we small, single owner designers and sellers still on the fringe of selling successfully on websites and through sale sites such as Etsy?  Or are we destined to get buried by the 'big box' sellers that list sometimes multiple things in a day?  I've been attempting to sell both my jewelry AND beads on Etsy since last February, and while I've had limited success with the beads, my jewelry, my true passion, has not sold at all.  Is there something that YOU do to draw attention or make yourself stand out in the crowd?  What about websites?  Have you found one/created one that works for you for minimal annual fees?  I really feel like this is 'the wave of my future', and want be sure I'm surfin' on TOP! 
Thanks, Hive members and beady pals.  Any words of wisdom you have to impart on successful online sales will be greatly appreciated.
Sheryl
Cool Moon Creations
shescool on Etsy

THANKS, LISA!

My name, and my blog address have been featured TWICE this week in Lisa Crone's "A Bead A Day" blog.  So I feel like should at least return the favor.  Lisa does a great job posting EVERY SINGLE DAY about her beading experiences, and is always willing to share info about others, too.  It's a huge responsibility - blogging every day.  I tried to do the same at the start of 2010, but lasted, oh, about a month.  My beaded cap is off to you, Lisa, for blogging and BEADING, and of course - for featuring ME!  If you're not reading
"A Bead A Day" check it out - http://www.abeadaday.blogspot.com/

May we now return to our regularly scheduled programming....

Is it almost over yet?  I know alot of people are out shopping the sales today, but I'm glad to have the stress of the cooking and baking and PURCHASING the perfect gift over and done with.  Does it make me a Scrooge?  Some people may think so, but since the best part of Christmas for ME this year was the GIVING - making the star pendants for the group, and seeing their reactions, taking food to the Food Bank, seeing the look on Tracy's face when she received her monkey - THAT was my Christmas this year.  Nothing Scroogey about that part....I just want the whole commercial non stop drum drum into the brains about the season to be DONE, and life to get on with itself already...
I am ready to welcome 2011 - which I am calling "The Year of Sheryl"....:0)

And speaking of Tracy's "monkey" - hope he makes you smile, too....

Have merry merry everone!

Enjoy, Rejoice, Relax, and unwind.  2011 brings abundance and good tidings for all mankind.  Merry Christmas to all my blog world friends....

Why is appreciating yourself a BAD thing?

I recently had a blog and Facebook friend that was 'attacked' in her blog by an anonymous blogger that felt she was a bad person for patting herself on the back and sharing her success, her new bead stashes, her travels for her beads, and more.  It is really troubling that there are people out there in the bead world that feel they need to tear down people's self esteem and general well being.  People. THEY'RE BEADS. Yes, some of us make our living from them, but all in all - it's supposed to be a fun, carefree, stress relieving activity to ENJOY.  Why the bad vibes and comments?    I'm not really sure what they were meaning to accomplish by being so blatantly rude. I hope it made them feel better - but it was definitely some bad karma, and it was definitely a time for all of her fellow blog friends to rally around and give support where support is due.  I guess I am also a bad person then, because just about the only time I blog is when I'm patting myself on the back for a job well done, to show off a new piece, to 'brag' about a success, and about the positive good vibrations of beading.  Why blog if you can't do that?  It's sort of like a diary that EVERYONE reads.  And yes, I know, there is such a thing as free speech - but there is also such a thing as common consideration, and the common sense to know when to keep your negative thoughts to yourself - in other words - if you don't have anything good to say about anyone - SHUT YOUR TRAP!