My Very First Giveaway!

          I am very pleased to announce my first Giveaway! I thought now is a great time to do this as I have reached over 200 Twitter followers. How exciting is that, right? So let's celebrate and get this giveaway rolling....whoop, whoop!

          The prize is one of my Handmade Dog Collar Charm that I made special just for this giveaway. It is made of two wire wrapped agate beads that measures (not including the split ring) about 1 1/4" or 31.75mm. That makes it perfect for practically any size dog or pet. A good unisex style, not to glitzy for male but at the same time stylish enough for a female. The really neat thing about the charm is that it has a slightly different look from every angle.

          Now onto how you can enter to win it. Entries will begin on Friday May 20, 2011 and will end on June 3, 2011 12:00PM CST. On the following day I will randomly pick a winner from all the entries and announce the winner on June 5, 2011, at which time the winner will have three days to claim the prize. I will make every attempt to contact the winner. However, if the winner can not be reached I will redraw for an alternate winner until the prize has been claimed. I want this to be fun so I am going to give you multiple ways to get entered in the giveaway. Here is how:


1. Leave a comment here on my blog. One entry
2. Follow my blog and let me know by leaving a comment. One entry
3. Promote my giveaway on Facebook and post link in comments. One entry
4. Tweet my giveaway and post a link in the comments. One entry each
5. Blog about my giveaway and post a link in the comments. Two entries each
6. Purchase an item from my Artfire store. Ten entries per item
7. Post a link in the comments of your favorite item in my ArtFire store. (Maximum one link per day.) One entry each

Good Luck!



Is ArtFire a Great Place to Sell?

UPDATE May 13 2012: More developments have happened at ArtFire which now leads me to warn anyone against opening a shop on this site. Mutings, bannings, black hat SEO, and more are the types of things happening on this once great site.
           If I had a friend ask me about sites to sell on I would tell them to avoid, avoid, avoid ArtFire. Save your money, time, and sanity.


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UPDATE January 4 2012: Since I first posting this there have been quite a few developments. It pains me greatly with what has happened to this wonderful selling site. I don't wish to go into great detail but what I will say is this:          
The basic sellers were all removed. I may not have agreed with that move but that was ArtFire's business decision which one couldn't truly fault them for. However with that said the way in which the basic sellers were treated during that time was disgraceful in my opinion. So if you were planing on opening a basic shop on ArtFire it is no longer available.
          ArtFire seems to be shifting from the great qualities that I had originally signed up for and was excited about. Their forum where I used to love to hang out have sadly has become a negative environment in my opinion.
           The things that are going on have sadden me and quite frankly is breaking my heart. I will continue to sell on ArtFire in the hopes that what I see as a train wreck will be averted.

At this time I can no long recommend ArtFire as a wonderful community and outstanding place to sell.

In my opinion at the moment it is an average place to sell as long as you know what you are getting yourself into.

I will be crossing my fingers that I can come back and amend this update with good news.

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           So what is ArtFire? It is a place to sell and buy Handmade, Fine Art (such as painting, pottery, photography, etc.), Vintage, Craft Supplies and Design/Media (this is for individuals that have designed and item and had it fabricated in a limited run of less then 500). It is also a friendly community to share ideas, find help, and have a fun time.

           Buyers will love all the unique items available to buy from and you can do that without having to sign up for an account. If for some reason you can not find what you are looking for you can Request Custom Item also know as "ArtFire Forge". Of course you are always more then welcome to contact a seller directly to see if they can provide you with what you are looking for.

          Sellers will love the helpful features that ArtFire provides. Sellers also have the option to have a Free Basic store (limited features available) or open a Pro store and have access to all features. And get this..... there are never any selling fees......EVER! No listing fees, no ending value fees, and certainly no fee fees. How mind blowing is that?! As if that wasn't enough if you sign-up right now for a Pro account using the link below you will get your third month Free.


Become an ArtFire Pro with this link and get your 3rd month free!

Update May 20, 2011

          I was asked what 5 things I like most about selling on ArtFire. So here they are in no particular order....

1. I am able to set up my store the way I like it. When you click onto each ArtFire seller's store you see and you get a feel of that individuals tastes and style. If you like bold, plain, or even something in between ArtFire gives you the tools to let you follow you style. (This was a Huge selling point to me!) 

2. You only pay a low monthly fee with NO listing or ending value fee. (I think I am in love!) Heck, if you want or unsure about paying for a Pro account you can have a Basic account and sell for FREE! Whaaaaat?! That's right sell for free, of course you don't get all the snazzy features you get when you have a Pro account but you still get everything you need to sell your items. (I am thinking once I get my Pro store to take off I may open up a second one with a Basic account. *Paws crossed*) 

3. All the features you get especially with the Pro account...wow! Your own blog, a bio page, you can add widgets (you can even sell ad space), importer, a cool way to move items around in your studio, you can feature your items, coupons, gift certificate, global editor, and oh so much more. I am starting to hyperventilate just thinking about it all!  

4. Forums that a friendly with a feel of a real community. The ArtFire administration answers questions & problem quickly and politely. They don't patrol the forums to monitor and shut down topics. The treat you like an adult unlike other places who don't trust you to carry on a conversation as you see fit. The forums are a great source for information and inspiration, it is even a good place to shoot the breeze.

5. SEO, lets my customers find me from anywhere on the web. Most of my customers have found me this way. If you have good SEO your customer will always find you and you wont ever be lost under piles of other stores like what happens on other selling sites.

If this has inspired you to open up your own store that is awesome! Just click this link to get started http://www.artfire.com/users/barleecreations/sell-crafts

Operation Baghdad Pups

          Yesterday I introduced you to The Puppy Rescue Mission, today is a seperate yet similar organization called Operation Baghdad Pups helping our heroes save the lives of their new found canine companions. They are in extremely urgent need of help right away, read full story here. They must raise enough funds for at least 2 dozen animals before June if not it will surely mean certain death for these loving creatures.

          Please help donate what you can and please pass this information to everyone you know. Like the saying goes "Many hands make light work."

Our heroes need your help, wont you be a hero to them?

Soldiers saving puppies, Puppies saving soldiers

          The Puppy Rescue Mission "Soldiers saving puppies, Puppies saving soldiers" is a non-for-profit group that helps our soldiers rescue the dogs and puppies they have grown to love. While fighting for our country our heroes find some sort of normalcy in the from of stray puppies and dogs. The emotional support and the bonds that they make are strong. Please help our heroes that have sacrificed so much for us help the dogs these brave men and women hold dear.

          The Puppy Rescue Mission needs dog crates to ship their precious canine cargo back to the states. If you would like to help you can click on the widget found above or mail them your donation.

To mail checks write "Crates" on the check and address to:

The Puppy Rescue Mission

P.O. Box 1516
Celina, TX 75009

USA

          To read more about this great cause you can also find them on Blogger, Facebook, and Twitter . The Puppy Rescue Mission could always use donations, help, and foster homes. If you would like to find out how to adopt some of these wonderful dogs please click here.

Can you look into the eyes of our heroes and their furry companions and deny them help?

Handmade Collar Charms are Finally Here!

"Fido" modeling a charm made of wire wrapped Mexican and serpentine jasper beads.

          My newest line of handmade dog art are collar charms, wearable art for man's best friend. They will be an item sold exclusively from my ArtFire studio. For some time now I have been wanting to make items for dogs as I have for their owners for years now. I was inspired and impressed by all the very talented jewelry artisans on ArtFire. Seeing what beauty they can make from a mere piece of wire into lavish rings, necklaces, pendants, and more is just incredible. With the help and guidance from catinalife (a talented artist on ArtFire), my books, and the internet I have made my own dog collar charms.

          Many of the charms I make are one-of-a-kind or made in limited quantities, this is due mostly in part to my bead supply and artistic muse. I buy beads in small quantities and in some cases singly. When I sit down to create a collar charm I don't necessarily have a "plan". I pull out the colors or bead shapes I want to work with and let them "speak" to me. 

Wire wrapped crystal bead.

          The beads I use vary from crystals, gemstones, to glass and the styles also vary from simple one bead charms to fancier wire wrapped pieces. I have charms that will fit every size of dog from tallest Irish Wolfhound to the smallest Chihuahua.

          I am really quite excited and proud to bring you my collar charms that I am sure will be a big hit with all my dog loving friends out there. What ever you and your pup's style glittery, earthy, fancy, unique I have a charm to fit.

Something Fun While You Wait for My Next Post

Need something fun to do with the possibility to win Free stuff while you are waiting for me to write my next post? No problem, click on the link below and let the fun and prize winning commence!


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