Exploring Handmade ~ Holiday Shopping Event

Occupy Wall Street this Holiday Season AND Get Great Gifts

Need gifts for loved ones? Want to send Congress, Wall Street and Corporate America a message loud and clear? Want to do both at the same time?

I'm sure everyone's heard about the "Occupy Wall Street" movement and others like it around the world. Well, I'm hoping to start an Occupy Wall Street movement of my own to aid in global economic recovery... yup, BIG dreams :) How, you ask?

Well, we know Congress, Wall Street and Corporate America are NOT going to get us out of this mess. That's for sure. It's SMALL businesses like mine and those of other artisans and entrepreneurs that are going to do it.

We're all doing more with less so make the most of your hard-earned dollars this holiday season...let them do TRIPLE duty!! No matter what gift-giving holiday you're celebrating, you can Occupy Wall Street AND help our economy by shopping with handcraft artisans online and locally.

When you buy from individual designers, artists and other crafts people, you're supporting small businesses. You're supporting the business of the individual designer AND all the businesses...usually small businesses...that they do business with. And growing these small businesses is what will get our economy back on track and be instrumental in keeping it there! This applies in any country around the globe.

AND at the same time, you'll get truly unique and precious gifts for your family and friends that will make your holidays more meaningful. It's a win-win-WIN :) And I'm going to help you!

I'm going to be holding an Online Holiday Shopping Event... "Exploring Handmade" ...on my blog and facebook from November 16th thru November 28th... yup, right thru Black Friday, Small Business Saturday AND Cyber Monday!!

Each day of the event I'm going to introduce you to different handcrafts and some shops where you can find them. Then on Cyber Monday we'll quickly recap all the different types of handmade gifts you can choose from and you'll be ready to do your shopping...if you haven't already finished by then because I'm going to be showing you lots of great shops, beautiful items (often one-of-a-kind) and introducing you to some wonderful artisans that you can add to your gift-giving superstar arsenal!!

It's going to be lots of fun and you won't want to miss anything so be sure to follow along every day on the blog and Exploring Handmade Event Facebook Page, too. You can shop from the warmth and comfort of home (No mall traffic and chaos!!) in your pj's and slippers, and have your gifts delivered right to your door. Doesn't get any easier than that ;)

Excited? I am! If you want a little head start, head on over to my website and read my article "Why Buy Handmade Jewelry?" (http://www.designs-by-debi.com/why-buy-handmade-jewelry.html) which actually isn't only about jewelry. I think you'll find it interesting. And you can leave comments there too... tell us your thoughts and ideas about handmade gifts, ones you've given or received or about YOU if you're an artisan yourself!

I'm looking forward to celebrating all the wonderful Artisan Entrepreneur Small Businesses with you this Holiday season!! I'll see you for that  on the 16th.

In the meantime, my friend Jan from Jan Tanis Designs is holding a Stroll the Shops for Christmas event on her blog from November 1st - November 12th and she's sharing some really great stuff, too. If you'd like to join the stroll, just visit her blog at http://jt-jantom.blogspot.com. Have fun!

Oh and here's a handy tip you can use during these events (and anytime) to help with your holiday shopping AND help others shop for you...
Amazon.com has a service called the Universal Wish List that allows you to add items from ANY website to your Wish List on Amazon.com. The add-on is free to download. You can find it here... http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/universal/  Once you have the little button on your tool bar, you can quickly add items from any site!

If you're shopping with artisans on ArtFire.com, you'll see the "Add to Amazon Wish List" button right below the Add to Cart button on every item page.

You can make your Amazon Wish List searchable, print it, email it to family and friends and even share it on Facebook and Twitter. So it's super easy to compile your gift ideas in one place to make YOUR shopping easier. And it's the best way to get exactly what you want, too...LOVE that!!

So I'll see you back here on the 16th... don't worry I'll give you lots of gentle reminders so you don't forget ;) ...and then we're going to
1. Occupy Wall Street
2. Send a BOLD message to Congress and the 99%
3. Support Artisans and Small Business
AND
4. Get great gifts!!

   

Pssst...... Designs by Debi helpful hint...you're going to want to join my newsletter list before Wednesday November 9th.... just sayin ;) You can do it by going to my website...there's a sign-up box on the right side of every page.... or by clicking on the Newsletter Sign-Up tab on the Designs by Debi facebook page, You'll be glad you did and of course, if you don't, you won't know what you're missing ;)

Attention Fellow Artisans: Keep More Money for Yourself by Selling on ArtFire

Hello!

I want to share an important opportunity with other artisans today. Things are so tough for everyone in this economy, we need to make every penny count...and every penny does count.

So, I want to make sure that all you guys know about ArtFire. It's a marketplace for Hancrafted, Fine Art, Vintage, Design and Media items as well as Craft Supplies. It's like Etsy, actually a direct competitor. One of the reasons I chose ArtFire over Etsy was fees. For a low monthly fee you can sell an unlimited number of items on ArtFire. They don't charge you to list items, don't charge a fee when you sell items...they just don't nickel and dime you (hello eBay...hello Etsy).

I know that most artisans sell on Etsy. I have an account, but I just use it to buy from artists who only sell their products on Etsy...mostly lampwork glass artists (my addiction to lampwork glass beads is a whole huge topic for another day...lol).

Anyway, the buzz is that many people are unhappy with Etsy's fees and a host of other things. I can't verify the complaints because I don't sell there. However, I do want to let everyone know they have other options.

I've been happy with ArtFire and everything they offer. I have a Pro account with a "locked-in-for-life" rate (another great thing they do to save you money). I must say I've been very impressed with the ranking my items get at the search engines (another reason I chose them)...most of the time first page. And I get great exposure on TheFind thanks to ArtFire, too.

I know that it's not as well known as Etsy and eBay and most people may have never heard of ArtFire, but the more of us who sell there, the better it will get because the word will spread. Look into it, compare it to where you're selling now and maybe add it to the mix to try it out.

Right now they're having a promotion. You can Become an ArtFire Pro with this link and get your 3rd month free! If you use this link to sign up, I also get a free month AND until March 15th, whenever a new member referred by a current member (hence the tracking link) signs up for an account they're both entered in ArtFire's Share the Love contest to each win a Canon Rebel DSLR Camera!!!

So if you've been contemplating trying other selling venues, this would be a great time for you to try ArtFire.

I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on the various selling venues...and one I just recently heard about...Zibbet. If you have ideas or thoughts that you think would be helpful to others, please do share :) Thanx!

~ Debi