Interview with PaisleyCat

My latest blog article is about my new blog living area.  I really hope you visited and that you like it.  I would like to share this interview with you and introduce you to the person responsible for all this beauty, PaisleyCat.


1. Tell us a little about your business: the name, what do you make, how long have you been doing this.
I have a graphic design business called 'Studio PaisleyCat'.. I make custom Blogger/Typepad images to 'Dress Up' blogs..When I started my blog two years ago, I couldn't find a background to suit my vintage tastes.. And so, I decided to learn how to make my own.. It was a wonderfully addictive outlet for my creativity.. I just had to learn more and apply it to my blog.. The next step was to share my 'creations' with anyone who wanted to 'Dress Up' their blogs for 'Free'.. And so my 'Free resources' blog was born.
 
2. Why did you start your own business?
I started receiving requests for custom orders.. And they wanted to pay me.. My hobby had turned into a business. 


3. How do you promote your shop?
 Mostly through my 'Free resources' blog.. Friends and Clients share my blog button and send people my way.. (smiles)

4. Can you show us a couple of your favorite creations?
Yes, I'd love to..
 














5. You just completed a re-design on my blog and I was very pleased with the unique picture you used as my header. Can you describe your creative thought process in this case?
Well, I wanted your cats to look like they were really playing with the bracelet.. and each other, while their pretty mother on the left, is looking straight at us.. As if to say ' kids will be kids'..  I'm so happy that you're pleased with it.


**I need to interrupt here to show you the pictures that she used to make the header.
   












6. If you could talk to anyone, past or present, who would you talk to and what would you say?
 My maternal grandparents.. I have soo many questions for them.. I'd love to know more about where their families came from and what their lives were like.. A few precious photos have been passed down, but sadly not much else.. My grandmother loved to sew, quilt and crochet.. I do have one of her beautiful quilts, a butter churn and a baby dress she made just for me.


7. Is there any other information you would like to share?
Shoppe -
http://studiopaisleycat.blogspot.com/
Blog
http://paisleycatscrapsfreebloglayouts.blogspot.com/
Twitter
https://twitter.com/PaisleyCatScrap
Click here to read more!

New Look for Cheryls Purple Cow

Good Afternoon!

I want to invite everyone to visit my blog and see the new look. If you are like me you don't visit each blog you follow regularly. You read the posts in a reader. The down side of that is that you don't get to see all the pretties.

I was doing the blog walk one day,
that's what I call it when I am on a blog and see a link to a blog that sounds interesting and follow a link on that blog that sounds interesting.... well, you get the idea.

I noticed that a few of the blogs looked real good and they were made by the same designer. So I contacted her and this new look is the result. I will be posting an interview with her when I post this.

I like my new look because I get to have the things I love to see everywhere.  The bracelet is an epilepsy awareness bracelet called the "Mandiye" that I designed for a good friend.  The white cat is Mi Dulcie Corazon, we just called her Dulcie.  Isn't that a pretty heart on her side.  The other 2 cats are the girls I have now, both are her children.  Spaz, the gray, is the only survivor of Dulcie's first litter.  Smokie, the black, is from the next litter.  My step-son adopted her but he made the mistake of leaving her with me when he went on vacation.  I wouldn't give her back.

This new design also brings a cohesiveness to my "branding".  I am using the same header as a banner in my Etsy shops, Cheryls Purple Cow and My Extra Beads and on my Facebook shop. Click on the links to see each one.

I also added a "Grab" button.  Please grab my button to post on your blog and if I don't already have yours on my blog, let me know so I can get it.

I also consolidated the tutorials and put the list on a separate page. Just click on the "Tutorials" to see the list.

I think that I covered the major changes. Let me know what you think in the comments. If you have done a recent redesign, and I know at least 2 or you who have, please leave your link in the comments so we can all come and admire yours too.
Click here to read more!

Caturday!

I love cat expressions and poses.

This really looks like my TJ, except his bow tie was part of his markings.





Pictures courtesy of I can has cheezburger?

Click here to read more!

A Wonderful Surprise

If you have been a follower of mine for any length of time you know that Awareness is very important to me.  I love to make Awareness Treasuries on Etsy.  I have been feeling blue so I curated an Awareness Treasury last week to help bring my spirits up.  In addition to the usual thank-you's I received a wonderful gift along with a note stating that the giver had also been in a less than perfect mood and my inclusion of her item in the Treasury lifted her spirits too,.  I researched this gift and the shop where other gifts just like mine are for sale.
The story behind the items in this shop was so inspiring that I had to interview the owner. The gift that I received was my very own... Random Acts of Kindness Hide-A-Heart.

Here is the interview that I promised:

Thank you for this opportunity to share the HIDE A HEART Story with you and your readers.

How and where do you work and what do you make?

I work out of my home in one of the bedrooms now known as HIDE A HEART HQ. It is a small space with a large window, so it has afternoon sun and a view of the front flower gardens. I have attached a photo of the work table and as you can see it is cluttered, a perpetual state of 'being'!
 
Both my husband and I created the game, name and trademark of HIDE A HEART. I create all the heart ideas and applications of using HIDE A HEART including the font selection on the hearts (which is Gigi because that is the name my granddaughters call me) the printed materials, photographing, packaging, brochures, blogging, marketing, selling, etc. etc. etc.

Is there a reason WHY HIDE A HEART was begun?
Our youngest son was injured in a car crash about 6.5 years ago. Thus far he has not recovered enough to be conventionally employed. My husband is retired but we did not 'plan' funds for our support to also stretch to support our son for an undetermined number of years.

So one day, while brainstorming how we might create a revenue stream for ourselves as well as a means of work our son might eventually be well enough to take over, Randy and I thought about how twenty-nine years ago we began hiding a little red glass heart for each other as a simple, romantic and fun way to express affection. We have, over the years, introduced some of our friends to the idea and that's how and why HIDE A HEART began. For more details, please visit www.hideaheart.wordpress.com

I love the concept of Hide-A-Heart.  Can you tell us the oddest or most amusing place you have hidden or found your heart?


One day a few years ago, I realized I had not 'discovered' the little glass heart in quite a while. "Hmmm" I thought, "maybe I should actively LOOK for it." You see, I had become a little dependent on finding the heart unexpectedly because it was reassuring and always made me smile.

So, I began with cleaning the bedroom from top to bottom, including the closets and chest of drawers...even vacuuming UNDER the bed! Nothing. So I moved to the bathroom and cleaned and organized the drawers and medicine cabinet...Nothing! I went on to the linen closet, then to the kitchen cupboards and drawers!! NOTHING!! I was so bummed I decided to bake some scones to comfort me in my disappointment. When I dipped the measuring cup into the sugar canister, a little red glass heart was peeking out from under the sugar. I sat down and cried and laughed at the same time!

Do you have any customer testimonials you would like to share.  A story that has touched you.

A darling 'Love You' HIDE A HEART story can be found at http://desperatelyseekingsanity.com/2010/06/01/a-gift-a-game-both
However, most stories I hear come from people who give the purple 'Hope & Healing' HIDE A HEART to someone. There are many 'Hope & Healing' stories, but a recent one came from a woman who gave the 'Hope & Healing' heart to her sister-in-law who had recently been diagnosed with cancer. After receiving the gift, her sister-in-law called her to say she was taking the purple heart with her each time she went for treatment and keeping it in the pocket of her robe when at home so she could reach in and touch it and be reminded of the love and support of her sister-in-law.

Do you have any plans for other hearts in the future?


YOU would NOT believe the ideas I have for hearts!  But, so far I have hearts to say 'Love You', 'XOXO', 'Forgive', and 'Hope & Healing'. I also have a 'Prayer' heart with a cross and soon a Star of David and a 'Universal Ribbon' heart and an 'Oh La La' heart with, respectfully, the ribbon or lips fashioned out of rhinestones and a 'Claddagh' for friendship. I have a 'Random Acts of Kindness' heart too. Most can be seen on www.hideaheart.etsy.com  

Is there anything else that you would like to share with us? While HIDE A HEART is not yet a viable business, the project has proven to be a catalyst for healing my own spirit. Please visit www.hideaheart.wordpress.com to read about how and why.
Where can Hide-A-Hearts be purchased?
HIDE A HEART can be purchased at www.hideaheart.etsy.com or Amazon.com by searching Love You or Hope and Healing or Forgive HIDE A HEART or visit www.hideaheart.com where you can find more testimonials as well as purchase a HIDE A HEART.

Thank-You so much for my Random Acts of Kindness Hide A Heart,  It is such a great gift idea,.  I encourage everyone to give a Hide A Heart  to someone you know or (as in my case) to someone you don’t know.

Here are links to Hide
A Heart on the internet:

Etsy Shop
Hide A Heart
Facebook
Twitter
Wordpress
Blogspot






Click here to read more!

Serene's Epilepsy Legacy is a blog that I follow because of the wealth of Epilepsy Awareness information found there. Today I found an article about the new iPhone App "Epilepsy Guide"

You can go directly to this article by using the link below:

Epilepsy Theres An App For That         Click here to read more!

Oh Noes! I Missed Caturday!

I missed Caturday, again. It's time to introduce the Sunday Punnies. Click below to



I thought these puns were cute, but...

Talk about a bad day,

this racing game has crashed

This one is for my favorite lion (shhh! he's still asleep)

All Lions are down

Yes, they did find
Water on Mars

Pictures courtesy of I can has cheezburger? and a sister site So Much Pun

Click here to read more!

Change is Good

Change is closer than I thought it was. It has become necessary to liquidate the inventory in Cheryls Purple cow on Etsy. I am not going to continue to create my jewelry designs or any other crafts for a long while. I will keep this blog and my Facebook Fan Page open as a way to announce the sales as I clear out my inventory. Thank you to all my fans for supporting me during this change. I will be announcing the sale before the end of the week. Click here to read more!

Good Morning!

It has been hot outside. I feel like I will never catch up on all the listing I need to do. And there were about 30 other things to complain about yesterday. But that was yesterday. Here is today's story.

I woke up late this morning, kinda tired and kinda bored. I have been working on re-organizing my craft room. the first thing I did today was move my computer in there. I finally turned on the computer about an hour or so ago. Did a couple of things, then checked my shops. WOW!! I couldn't believe it!


Click here to

My largest sale ever in my supply shop both in number of items and in invoice total.

It's all because I recently joined a brand new team here in Vegas. Can you believe that with the size of this city, there was no Etsy team? Within one month the membership of this team is over 180 Etsy shops. So far everyone is extremely enthusiastic. But I digress. Back to my Good Morning.


Fellow "MadeInVegas" teammate Velma of designsbyv was the culprit behind this purchase. Being the nosey person that I am, I just had to check out her shop.  I have to say again WOW!

Yellow Rose Hair Comb by designsbyv

You know that my favorite is the Yellow Rose Hair Comb.  I am a native Texan and nothing warms my heart like yellow roses.  It makes me wish that I had long enough hair to use it.  The flower looks velvety.  Is that a word, velvety?

Lace and Rose Choker by designsbyv

I love this Lace and Rose Choker.  It is so classy,  She also has the same choker with a white rose.  Methinks she likes roses.

Black Tie Garter by designsbyv

Another classy item is this Black Tie Garter.  I fell in love with it.  And what is that I spy in the background.  Yellow Roses?

Vintage Style Cameo Pendant by designsbyv

I promise that I tried to limit myself to 3 items, but I couldn't.  I have to include this gorgeous
Vintage Style Cameo Pendant









Click here to visit designsbyv on Etsy .If you want to see the listing for any of these items, just click on the item name for the link. Click here to read more!