I need a change

It’s time for a change. I’m in a bit of a funk. I don’t know if I’m coming down off the cleaning/planning/preparing frenzy from the recent in-law visit or if it’s something else. The summer is almost over and I feel a little panicked. It seems that it was just yesterday that I was worried about having enough activities to keep the busy little people… busy. Now, I need to go get school clothes and supplies ready. I’m in a decorating dilemma. I’m not in love with the way things look in my house, but I’m not sure what direction I want to go, not to mention, that there is a VERY tight budget on any unnecessary spending. Then there are a few other incidental issues and stressors bouncing around in my head.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking of modifying my business some and with a little luck, I may just get some extra inspiration from those changes. As many of you know, I have my own jewelry website. I’ve used it for more than 3 years to showcase jewelry and purses that I custom make here at home. The website it’s self is very cumbersome for me to update and keep current. Because of that more than half of my new designs aren’t listed on the site. The biggest benefit to having the website is that I have a shopping cart and can accept credit card purchases. With that, comes an added expense that could be eliminated. Most of my customers e-mail me what they want and then use pay pal anyway. So, I’ve been considering using a blog to showcase items I have in stock and examples of what I can custom create. With a blog, customers could e-mail me and use pay pal to make a purchase, it would be easier for me to list new items and make regular updates, not to mention that it would save me a ton in hosting fees.

(Please feel free to chime in here and give me your ideas/feedback on the idea).

I have listed a few items on shop handmade. I get a few hits, but I’m not selling much there and it’s hard to get the more custom-made concepts across in a marketplace like this or esty. And they tend to be overwhelming with so many other artists listed. Who knows, maybe I’m just going about it wrong or maybe I like the control of having my own “store” minus the template.
In my research, I even came across this post from at home mom blog. It’s a great review of ways to sell goods online. If it’s something you’re considering, you should go check it out.

Since I’m initiating these changes, I’m also thinking of streamlining the name. I mean, come on,
Jewelry and Gifts by Rebecca (dot) com
...is a mouthful.

I first thought it would be good to say what I do and easy for people to remember but it’s just long. However, I have no idea what to change to. I would like it to be short, catchy, available, concise, descriptive and easy to pair with a logo. (Picture me thinking, scratching head, going for the chocolate…) URG!

Here comes another stumbling block. Everything I look up is either taken or the name of a porn star.

I know it’s not like you don’t have anything else to do but I’m open to some suggestions. I’ll even toss in some incentive with this lovely bracelet. If you give me the most useful feedback on using a blog as a storefront and come up with a new name then you get my gratitude and a little bling.

Thanks !!!

Why Do I Blog?

Several months ago I started tossing around the idea of having a blog. I thought I could use a blog as a means to shamelessly promote my business. I started lurking around a few blogs and googling “how to blog” to learn as much as I could about the whole process. Having such a full plate then, I put the idea on the back burner for a while. A few weeks ago, I was telling my friend how cool I thought her blog was and she offered to have me post something if I wanted. So I started thinking about topics I could write about. Umm? What should I say? Well, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I have a lot to say. Maybe, I need to move my plan to start a blog back up to the front.
Now I need to pick an area that will be the theme of my blog. Uh Oh. I have to make a choice? Umm, I want to promote my business and get more web traffic but I’m about more than that. So are the other women in my life. I bet there are several chicks out there that have lots of layers or wear many hats.
Since starting a blog was on my list of goals for 2009, why not use one of my other goals to help me with a theme. Balance. I hear a lot of people taking about getting some but it seems few really have balance in their life. I want balance. I have quite a few things to focus on and I wear many hats throughout my day. I’m a woman, a mom, a wife, a homemaker, a friend, an occupational therapist and a jewelry designer. To have more balance, I wanted to make sure one or more of the areas in my life didn’t get left out for too long. My goal is to do something everyday for each area of my life; each of my three kids as individuals and my family as a unit (or one-on-one time with my husband which can only help the family unit), the house, my friendships, my business and something just for me. Hey! How did I get moved to the end of the list? And what’s with the word “just”? OK, I’m calm; at least I am finally on the list. As long as I stay true to my goal, I will pay attention to myself at some point each day. (Even if it’s for one minute, I will give to me.)
So what’s my theme? I’ll be blogging about my many hats. What will you find on my blog? There will be something for every area of my life and probably a few areas of your life.

Here you will find my ideas on how to have fun one-on-one time with your kiddos. I’ll share some fresh ways to have family bonding time. I have a few ideas for the house, whether it is decorating, quick clean up tricks or simple DIY projects. For health and wellness, I will give you helpful hints from the perspective of an occupational therapist. Remember the shameless promotion of my web site business? Keep your eyes open for special discounts and coupons for my web site and my theories on accessorizing and jewelry making. (I’ll even be doing some "how to make your own" from time to time with lots of pictures for you to follow). Oh yeah, let’s not forget about the “me” part. I’ll share my ideas on how to give to yourself. I promise to try my best in keeping everything short and sweet because we are all busy and we want to fit as much into our day as we can. So, let me know if I get too long-winded and please send me your new ideas to share with other busy moms, homemakers, friends, entrepreneurs and wonderful women.