How Do I Attract More Customers?

You said you want to drive more customers to your shop? You have to keep working hard. It's up to you if you want to continue or not. No one can do it for you. You only fail when you quit. If you love something you find a way to make it work. You only throw in the towel when you no longer love it or want it.

You have to find your cash cow, that product that keeps selling, and selling, and selling. Competition is so stiff now that it really takes extraordinary (not obnoxious) means to promote and stand out. You have to learn better marketing and promotion techniques. 

One sale can cause your shop to blow up with interest. The interest can then multiply overnight. Isn't that worth working for? Stay in the battle if you truly believe in your product. Make changes, tweaks, adjustments. You only fail when you quit.

When are you going to get serious about learning how to conduct simple keyword and keyword phrases searches. 

When are you going to get serious about applying them to your product listing titles, descriptions and tags to greatly improve your SEO?

This easy to follow book will help you to get started today!

Buy The Paperback Or Kindle Edition

How To Make Homemade Ice Cream With Hand Mixer

I finally found a simple homemade ice cream recipe that didn't require a lot of heavy blending and food-processing. My inspiration came from a one minute Youtube video from Amaze Glaze. 

I started with the recipe of a commentor who had translated the recipe from the metric measurements in the video. I tweaked her recipe and replaced the cocoa. 

@thatinspiredme1073 (Youtube name of commentor)

3 1/4 C Heavy Cream

1 1/8 C Cocoa

1 Can Condensed Milk (14 oz. Can)

Ingredients & Tools For My Recipe

1 qt (tall carton) heavy whipping cream

14oz (1 small can) sweetened condensed milk

1/2c or more of milk

*Flavorings and additions of your choice

Hand mixer or whatever you use to mix recipes

Large mixing bowl

Rubber spatula

Container(s) for freezing

*For my coffee ice cream, I added these ingredients to taste: Columbian instant coffee crystals, English toffee instant cappuccino mix, French vanilla instant cappuccino mix, salted caramel coffee syrup.

I used the entire carton of heavy cream, which increased it from 3 1/4c to 4c. I wanted to reduce the amount of sugar per serving and using more cream did this by increasing the volume of the mixture.  

I used my hand mixer and started on low. After 2-3 minutes, I increased the speed to medium and stopped to scrape down the sides of the bowl with the rubber spatula. I increased the speed to high after about 2 minutes. Be careful not to mix too long because it will begin to form clumps of butter.

After I whipped it to soft peaks, or peaks that fall over, I added these ingredients to my taste:

• vanilla flavoring
• instant coffee
• instant English toffee cappuccino
• instant French vanilla cappuccino
• salted caramel syrup
• a couple of shakes from my salt shaker because others said it improves the taste.

I whipped it again on low until blended. I scraped down the sides of the bowl and added the can of sweetened, condensed milk. I whipped on low until blended. I tasted it to be sure that it was to my liking and it was very good! 

It was also so deliciously thick. This would have been ok but I decided to stretch the mixture. I added between 1/4 and 1/2c of milk and whipped that in. I could have added more milk and it would have been even lighter in volume. I divided the mixture into 4 storage containers of various sizes and froze overnight. 

I eat so much ice cream that I think next time I'll add more milk and make it lighter, which will stretch it further. As long as it can freeze, it doesn't matter how thin the mixture is. Of course, the more milk you add the less rich and creamy it will be. 

I suppose you could stretch it so much that it would be like ice milk. Remember that? When I was growing up, there were ice creams on the freezer racks, and then beside them, the ice milk flavors. 

The next day...

I was afraid that it would be soft and easy to scoop, causing me to eat a lot of it. My homemade ice cream, however, was very stiff and so hard to scoop that it came off in curls. Yay! You can see some instant coffee spots in the lower right of the next pic. 

The taste was exquisite and almost too rich for my gut. I hope I don't have stomach problems later. Sometimes, lactose intolerance tries to rear its head. It was very much sweet enough despite the extra cream and milk that I added. I'm glad that I was not able to eat much of it. It's also very good in coffee and hot chocolate, depending on the flavor that you make.

Unlike when I buy ice cream, this lush frozen dessert will last me a long time. It was so smooth and creamy! I will definitely add more milk next time to make it more fluffy when frozen and to reduce the richness even more.  

I rate this recipe as a win-win and the result as a 10/10!

 

This is the season for baking and giving. Add a neat touch with my Home Baked Of Course tags. You receive a JPEG printable with 14 tags in 3 sizes.

See more info and BUY HERE.

Fall Colors That Go Together Crafting Papers

Use these fall pumpkin colors printable and digital papers in your Autumn projects and designs.

Five (5) Trio Paper Packs to choose from.

Warm, luscious fall colors in yellows, oranges, browns, greens.

50% off through October 31.

Get yours today here:

Pumpkin Colors Trio Printable Paper Pks

How Can I Start Purging

Have you begun the cleaning, throwing out and purging that you promise yourself you will do? What if you suddenly become unable to purge and organize? You would sadly think back on all of the time that you had to do it.

How would you feel, as you lay on your bed or couch, having to watch others come in and do what you procrastinated about? Maybe they would not want to do it. They might feel annoyed and frustrated, wondering why you had not done it?

If you passed away unexpectedly, how would others feel having to plough through and process your stuff? Yes, you would be gone and it wouldn't matter to you but it's unfair to leave a mess for those after you to clean up. It's better if you leave organization. 

I don't want my remaining years bogged down with the knowledge that hoards of stuff, bulging files and unnecessary possessions are needling my mind. I want to live with a clear conscience that I've done all that I can to live organized. I can live happy that I've done my best to make it easier on those who will process my affairs when I am gone.  

Get rid of what you don't use now. Dispose of craft supplies and tools, household stuff and anything else that you suspect you'll never get around to using. Whenever possible, give to people now the things that you want them to have. Be brutal in purging, cleaning out, throwing away and passing on. You'll live in peace from now on and die in peace. 

Buy tags to organize. These tags can be printed, cut out, hole-punched and threaded with yarn, string or ribbon. 

They can then be tied to drawers and cabinet knobs to label the contents. They can also be glued to the front of drawers to name the contents.

Warm Greetings Tags

Autumn Poetry: Falling Before They Turn

Funny how some leaves

Fall before they turn.

They have a hint of yellowness,

With no trace of the vibrant

Orange or red that marks

Autumn beauty.

They bail out prematurely,

Taking the show early,

Choosing for some reason

To not be changed

Into glorious fall expressiveness.

They choose to crumple and rust

Among the dying blades

Of late season grass.

What a season to behold.

*****

©Artsy Craftery Writing | All Rights Reserved

Licensing questions: artsycrafterywriting at yahoo.com

Best Way To Offer Digital Downloads

If you are selling digitals on a site that greatly limits upload/download size, your digitals are too large and you offer offsite access to the downloads, you may want to rethink the practice.

What Are Your Options?

You can limit your file sizes. Unfortunately, I've found that some files will not reduce enough and can't be zipped either.

You can store your files offsite and send your customers there for their downloads. Technically, this is not an instant download. It's a downloadable file. The customer has to find the file and it's not always that simple and easy. 

I bought a digital paper pack from a seller who sent me to Google Docs or DropBox via a receipt download of instructions after I made my "instant download" payment. With my advanced computer literacy, I barely found my way to the files and got them downloaded. 

The instruction links in a document like that aren't even clickable. They have to be cut and pasted into the browser and so forth, another step for the customer. Some sellers use free file storage sites which have a lot of ads. It is difficult to determine which link is the download because the ads display many distracting links. I don't want my customers to endure this. I know that many of them would probably get lost trying to do it.

You can have the customer download an email receipt explaining that you will email the files to them ASAP. I think it would be more convenient for them to wait a couple of hours or less to receive the emailed files rather than hunting for the proper link. If you are on the computer often as I am, they wouldn't have to wait very long. 

Another Good Option

You can sell through Payhip. Their file limit size is a generous 5GB per file. In years of listing on this site, I've never had a problem with any single files or .zip folders being uploaded. I've never had to manually handle the delivery of my digital products. At Payhip, you can also sell physical and subscription products.

Buy Printable Tags And Papers For Junk Journal Supplies, Gift Wrapping, Papercrafting And More

Paris Inspired Gift Tags, Eiffel Tower Printable Product Tags, Chocolate Colored Roses Product Display Tags, Warm Color Theme Tags

Pumpkin Hearts & Dragonflies Coordinates Trio Paper Pk- Printable Heart Scrapbook Paper, Hearts Printable Paper, Pumpkin Color Palette

Black And White Papers, Printable Craft Paper, Junk Journal Supplies

 

Big Black & White Paper Pk

27 Printable Black & White And Grayscale Paper Designs
Personal & Commercial Jpegs 

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Increase your stash of printable craft supplies with this big pack of black and white papers. Use as junk journal backgrounds, wall art, tabletop framed art, gift wrap, laminate as place mats, create bookmarks, use in book arts, paper crafting, scrapbooking, collage, altered art and more!

Print designs on paper, cardstock or fabric. Print directly from your computer files or upload into your image editing program to use in digital and printable projects.  

Buy here: Big Paper Pk 1 

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REGARDING THEFT OF MY WORK BY QUESTIONABLE ONLINE SHOPS

I have not given permission for other shops, websites, crafters or designers to sell my products or designs. If you see my printables and digitals being sold other than through Love Romance Marriage, Artsy Craftery Design Studio or Printaphoria, it is possible that they have been stolen. Feel free to alert me and thank you!

Junk Journal Supplies, Printable Craft Paper

Big Paper Pk 1 

27 Printable Paper Designs
Personal & Commercial Jpegs & Pdfs

Buy Here

Increase your stash of printable craft supplies with this big pack of heart design papers. Use as junk journal backgrounds, wall art, tabletop framed art, gift wrap, laminate as place mats, create bookmarks, use in book arts, paper crafting, scrapbooking, collage, altered art and more!

Print designs on paper, cardstock or fabric. Print directly from your computer files or upload into your image editing program to use in digital and printable projects. 

Upload to online printing services or take files on flash drive to your local copy shop for enlarged prints. 

Buy here: Big Paper Pk 1 

<><><><><><><><><><>

REGARDING THEFT OF MY WORK BY QUESTIONABLE ONLINE SHOPS

I have not given permission for other shops, websites, crafters or designers to sell my products or designs. If you see my printables and digitals being sold other than through Love Romance Marriage, Artsy Craftery Design Studio or Printaphoria, and if it is not a collaboration, it is possible that they have been stolen. Feel free to alert me and thank you!

Simple Cake Decorating Ideas

 

Easy ways to decorate a simple cake and make it look elaborate and professional are:

1.  Use one color icing
2.  Make random squiggles and designs
3. Cover the entire top and sides of the cake with the designs

For this two-layer, red velvet mix cake, I spread a thin layer of store-bought, squirt can vanilla icing between the layers. The can of icing had been leftover and stored in the fridge for some time. 

I had three, plastic, interchangeable pastry tips that fitted on the can tip. I don't think I'd ever used them. While I was introduced to basic, cake decorating in home ec, I don't have any experience. I like cake decorating but over the years hadn't taken time to build my skill.

I started in the center making a few long, leaf shapes with one tip. I then added large round shapes, in swirl shape, with the rosette or star tip. These were supposed to loosely resemble flower blooms. I used the same tip to make star designs around the outer border and to fill in.

I used the round tip or liner to make a few long vine shapes or squiggles to fill in. For the outer top border, I used the rosette, or star tip, and the leaf tip to make long designs. I waved some of them to make a somewhat rippled border. I covered the side of the cake with the same long piping strokes.

I like how it turned out because it reminds me of some type of traditional or ethnic porcelain or fabric design. Even if you've never had an introduction to cake decorating, you can do this too. 

Whether you have some old pastry tips back in a drawer or you buy a little set of plastic ones, just make some squiggles. Keep them close together and cover the top of your cake. Make some simple, easy lines around the outside. If you don't have a steady hand, don't worry. Make the lines wavy. Use your skillful, wavy hand to completely cover the side. 

Remember, squiggles, waves, circles and plops! You can easily decorate a simple, little cake. Those who matter will be impressed. Before you know it, people will be saying, That's SO pretty! Will you make one for me? Most of all, just impress yourself and it won't matter what others think!  

*********

Use tags for gift-giving your baked goods.

Printable Tags

at Love Romance Marriage Shop by Artsy Craftery Design Studio

Decorative Envelopes DIY

Red and gold are not my colors but the warm theme of this decorative Dragonfly Envelope Stationery Set is gorgeous! Years ago, I had greatly admired a mixed media piece in luscious reds and golds at a Thrift store in Georgia. I went back to get it a few days later, thinking that surely no one would want it. Sadly, it was gone. 

That experience inspired me to choose a similar color theme for this project. It started as a mis-printed piece of lightweight cardstock destined for the round file. I used my  We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board to create an envelope.

Most of the print ended up on the backside. 

To make a more neutral background to work on, I lightly sponged white acrylic paint over the print. Leaving some showing enhanced the design.

I began stamping using background and small stamps. 

The #90246 Dragonflies stamp is from Stamps Happen, Inc (could not find a website, shared Etsy search), licensed by Carolyn Shores Wright.  

The Primulars Postcard #3721H stamp is from Rubber Stampede (could not find a website, shared Etsy search), licensed by Sarah Lugg.

The Dragonfly Background #RS4756 stamp is from Hampton Art (sold in 2007 to National Spinning in North Carolina, shared FB page), licensed by Judy Melvin. The clock stamp is one of my eraser, hand-carved stamps.

I bought the wooden floral, round rubber stamps from Aliexpress in a set of 6. 

The Wish Postmark #554E stamp is from All Night Media, Inc., (could not find a website, shared Etsy search).

Because I used light colored stamping inks (my Whispers vintage set, shared Ebay search), I lightly outlined some of the stamped images with black ink. I glued on some red seed beads. 

I began working on the clips. I tied a bow from a scrap of red grosgrain ribbon and painted on gold glitter glue. I also painted the glitter on the top of a clothespin and lightly brushed the sides with red paint.

I painted and embellished 2 love words printed foam hearts elements for the paperclip accessory and added flat rhinestones to the clothespin.

I began to color my design with chalk pastels, using mostly red, gold and peach. I accented with a gold glitter gel pen. I like the pastel set that I bought from Hobby Lobby. It is from Loew Cornell and has 48 nice-sized sticks in a great range of colors.  

I embellished with pressed flowers and flat, acrylic rhinestones. The postage stamp is made with a bead soup glued into the rectangle space.

I sealed the pastel design with spray fixative. I applied glue to the backsides of the foam hearts and sandwiched the paperclip and some silk flower petals between them. I clipped it to dry.

I traced the envelope flap onto a piece of red craft paper, cut out and added for an envelope liner.

The envelope closure is made with a hook and loop dot.

I dry-brushed a bronze, coin charm with a metallic gold paint pen. I embellished the envelope flap with the bow. I attached bead dangles and the coin charm with a jump ring through a punched hole in the flap.

I finished the clips by adding glitter paint, beads, sequins and flat rhinestones. brushing with Mod-Podge to seal. The paperclip has a different design on each side.

This sweet little decorative envelope set could add a garden ambience to a sunroom table or enhance a foyer console display. It could decorate a cabinet or shelf vignette. It could even be used as craft studio decor and do double duty as papercrafting storage.

The next time you want to toss out a mis-printed sheet or a damaged envelope, salvage and alter it. They also make nice gifts ribbon-tied in 3's. But watch who you give them to. Some people don't know what these types of artsy gifts are for. 😄

______________________________

Order a mini hearts envelopes printable from Love Romance Marriage. Use them in collage, altered art and journal making. Use to store tiny stamps and ephemera. Use as thank-you notes.