I started thinking that maybe this would be the best time for me to blog: the end of the day with all the day’s events swirling through my head. You know, important things like:

Why do the holiday radio stations play Bruce Springsteen’s “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” SO FRIGGIN’ OFTEN? Was it a one-song album? Did he not do any other holiday hits?

Why has the show “Boston Legal” become SO boring? (Although I do believe the series finale is on tonight, yay.)

Why did my son’s school think it’d be a good idea to send second graders on an outdoor field trip in December? It was brutally cold today!

Why is Starbucks still so busy with the economy the way it is?

So, that’s all I got. What a great start to bedtime blogging, huh? Maybe I’ll have a more eventful day tomorrow.

]]> http://ainse.wordpress.com/2008/12/08/bedtime-blogging/feed/ 5 ainse http://ainse.wordpress.com/2008/11/26/how-i-left-my-first-show-with-a-deficit/ http://ainse.wordpress.com/2008/11/26/how-i-left-my-first-show-with-a-deficit/#comments Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:52:35 +0000 ainse http://ainse.wordpress.com/?p=146 ]]>

I was asked by a local “Curves” if I’d like to set up a little table at their open house this week. “Sure!” I replied enthusiastically, picturing myself surrounded by a hoard of women eagerly reaching for my jewellery and thrusting money into my hands.

There were no hoards.

No one was very eager.

There was definitely no money.

Ok, there was some money — mine — going into a tin to pay for a lovely handmade sparkly blue scarf.

Why a tin, you ask? Oh, simple. The woman selling the scarves just left them on a table, using the honour system. I’m sure she was probably pretty happy to eventually show up and find some cash in her tin. Weird, huh? I can sit there for over 4 hours and not sell anything and she can set up a table, leave and make sales invisibly. Maybe I should go that route tomorrow.

I’m going to give newsletters a try; perhaps a quarterly email about upcoming jewellery specials and new listings might be of interest.

Then again, maybe not.

However, since Constant Contact offers a 60-day free trial, it’s worth a shot. See my nice little sign-up box to the right? I tried really hard to match the colours to the ones on the blog. That’s gotta be worth at least a couple of subscriptions, right? I was going to try MailChimp, but I seem to have floundered on their website. Yeah, that made me feel good. Obviously their marketing must be something to the effect of, “so easy, even a monkey could do it”, and here’s me, lost. Nice.

Anyway, I promise not to bombard anyone with emails; I’m aiming to have the newsletter out once/quarter. I figure 3 months should give me lots of leeway to get it done the night before.

Wow! What a nice surprise to see that Brandi had nominated me for this cool blog award…my first ever! So, um, I’d like to thank my friend Amy for believing I could actually write a blog, my Artisan Beader pals who give me all kinds of encouragement with my jewellery…

Oh, wait, I’m hearing that music. Right. Moving on, here’s what I’m supposed to do now:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post. [Check.]
2. Nominate at least 5 blogs (can be more) that for you are Uber Amazing. [Eek, I always have trouble with this one.]
3. Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog. [Sure, once I find 5 peeps.]
4. Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from. [Done.]

Without further ado, I nominate the following people:

Amy;

Chibi;

Lee;

Robin;

Vicki.

Like these? Well, how’d you like to win them? Simply visit Vicki’s Etsy shop, browse her unique jewellery, then leave a comment on the Artisan Beaders blog with a link to your favourite item. The winner will be randomly selected on Friday, November 14, at 5:00pm EST, so you have until then to leave a comment. Check back Friday afternoon to see if you’re the lucky new owner of these beautiful earrings. Thanks for playing!

Here’s a great father-son bonding experience. Ask your 9-year-old son to remove McCain signs off the lawns of strangers. Oh, did someone electrify his sign because he was tired of theft and your son got shocked? Gee, I guess you should sue the homeowner. Never mind about the other sign clearly stating that the candidate’s sign was electified. I mean, minor electrocution trumps trespassing and stealing, right?

I was recently informed that a member of my online beading group, Artisan Beaders, passed away suddenly on October 27 from a brain aneurism. Cori, from CC Design on Etsy, was a talented designer and always willing to share her knowledge with others. She will be greatly missed. My thoughts go out to her family during this difficult time.

]]> http://ainse.wordpress.com/2008/10/28/with-fond-memories/feed/ 0 ainse Cori http://ainse.wordpress.com/2008/10/27/tag-im-itmaybe-forever/ http://ainse.wordpress.com/2008/10/27/tag-im-itmaybe-forever/#comments Tue, 28 Oct 2008 01:16:18 +0000 ainse http://ainse.wordpress.com/?p=121 ]]>

I’ve been tagged by Vicki from Orion Designs to share a little bit about myself.

Here are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by including links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.

Seven facts about Ainsley:

1. I took the QE2 across the Atlantic to England when I was 6 with my grandmother;

2. My husband has NO IDEA how much I’ve spent on beads over the last couple of years (and neither do I, so let’s keep it that way);

3. I like to cook, but I suck at baking;

4. My husband’s nickname for me is “Bakie” (this may or may not be related to #3…I don’t really know where it came from or why);

5. I recently became acquainted with the band Guster and quite like them (thanks, Vicki);

6. I have a serious procrastination problem (I think I was tagged for this over a week ago);

7. Um, I don’t think I can come up with 7 blogging pals to send this to (all the Artisan Beaders sent it to each other already; see #6). Sad, really. I’m a tag killer.

How’d you like a chance to win a beautiful piece of handmade jewellery?

Artisan Beaders is holding a weekly giveaway until Christmas. Simply visit our blog every Monday to see which of our members is donating a prize that week. (Yours truly is scheduled for November!)  Visit her Etsy shop, browse some beautiful handmade jewellery, then leave a comment back at the blog with a link to your favourite item. The winner will be randomly selected at 5:00pm EST every Friday. Easy, huh?

This week’s featured artisan is Patty from Broken Teepee Designs.

Good luck!

Feel like getting a jump start on your holiday shopping? My awesome beading group, Artisan Beaders, has created a Gift Guide, showcasing the beautiful handmade jewellery of each member. Clicking on the photos will bring you directly to the member’s Etsy shop. It’s a great way to see the team’s different styles and start you thinking about potential gifts for the special people in your life.

Buying handmade is a terrific way to show people that you care enough to give them something unique, something that hundreds of other people don’t have, something one of a kind, just like them.

And starting October 20, there are going to be giveaway prizes, so visit our team blog too for your chance to win!