I thought I would announce the fact that I opened a Zazzle store for my daughter’s artwork. We call it ‘eLaine’s Locker‘. The idea is to get her started in getting a bit of exposure for her anime drawings, and eventually a little spending money for when she goes to school next fall.
It is fun to help your kids develop their talents and fledge into something that helps them learn about business. Right now I’m doing all the setup while she works on her drawings, and starts making design decisions. She has renewed her interest in drawing, which had given way to writing. Both are worthy occupations of time.
I’m trying to interest another daughter in some of this, too… it would be great if a number of the kids would be able to collaborate together in building these types of businesses.
Ok, that is the dreamer in me talking. As of now, she has not made any sales, but I hope it won’t be long before people discover her Zazzle store and order some of her products. Would you like to see a sample? I hoped you would!
Phone cases, stickers, pillows, and all sorts of stuff:
1 How I Use Facebook
2 Ways I Embrace My Audience
3 Should My Town Use Social Media?
4 A Community I Love
5 Technology That Empowers Me
6 How Flickr Did it Right
7 How Best to Comment on a Corporate Blog
8 Ways to Save a Bad Time at a Conference
9 How I Find Blogging Ideas
10 Somebody Has to Say It
11 My Children Will Do it Differently
12 How Schools Could Use Social Media
13 The Best Parts of Marketing
14 Presentation Skills for a New Conversation
15 How I Find Time to Make Media
16 Empower Your Best Customers
17 After the Event- Carrying the Conversation Forward
18 Just Jump Into Podcasting- Heres How
19 My Community and How You Can Engage It
20 Twitter Jaiku Pownce Facebook- And Then What
21 Making a Miniseries
22 If I Were an Advertiser Today
23 My Mother is On Facebook
24 Does a Big Brand Need You
25 Books I Want to Write
26 Serving the Deep Niches- How I Do It
27 How Women Use Social Media
28 A Hard Look at My Media Habits
29 If I Were a Television Producer
30 Social Media Marketing vs Traditional Marketing
31 Elements of a Marketing Campaign
32 Social Media Campaigns are NOT Traditional Campaigns
33 Idea Making and How I Make Something
34 What I Spend Money On
35 Do Rock Stars Need Social Media Strategies
36 How I Use My Website
37 Book Shopping- Buy These Books
38 MTV Changed the World in the 80s- Here is What Comes Next
39 How I Process Blogs and What I Do With All That Info
40 Ten Guilty Pleasures
41 The Internet Application I Havent Seen
42 If I Worked for a Venture Capital Firm
43 My Day Job Versus My Passion
44 The Difference Between Fark and Truemors
45 Fixing Conferences
46 Making Marketplaces for Media Makers
47 When I Feel Frustrated
48 Branding Strategies I Use
49 Your Ideas And My Ideas- How We Play Together
50 Friends I Cant Wait to Meet
I loved the list, and though I have written on some of those topics, it honed my view a bit more and listed some things I would also like to hear from others. So here’s the deal- if you have written or this inspires you to write on some of these topics… why don’t you post the link in my comments? I am forced to have moderation ( those devil spammers made me so it) -but I will try to get yours approved as soon as possible.If there are themese that pop up, it will make a good link-love post in the coming year 🙂 Look forward to some participation here, and maybe get some good conversations going that inform all of us.
You tell me. Blogging is a sometimes arcane art. They say write good content and lots of it, but I’ve seen the technorati rise and fall and then stay down for a very looooong time. In many blogging circle there just isn’t the link love that there use to be. Continue reading Why Does This Work?
This one is tough. So many things are beautiful, and there is such a breadth to what any one person might esteem beautiful. The choice could be a child, a flower, a sunset, a venue. Which to choose? Here is what I finally determined upon:
Via Solonor comes this meme about…
questionable foods, he also provided links to many of the more unusual ones.
Let’s see how you stack up with what foods I’ve tried.
The rules for the questionable foods meme:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here, linking to your results.
5) Karan added * = things I would eat again. I’m just limiting it to things I would like to eat again, as I’m not that picky.
6) He added + = things I would love to try.
7) He also added – = things I have eaten but would never eat again.
Arrived! Today the baskets were delivered via FedEx, dispatched quickly and packaged neatly. I will have to take a picture of them this weekend… and post! They really are so pretty, and the cards that came with them describe three of the weavers. I do hope this program is helping the women as much as it says- to think that you are so easily improving the lives of women and children by giving them opportunity to use their native crafts is very heartwarming, and getting artistic and useful baskets as well…well, it’s just good.
First, I have to tell you: I love baskets. I especially love handwoven baskets infused with ethnic style. I also love a good cause, and what is better than combining the two?
Now I have to tell you what I discovered and share it with you.
You might know I exercise at Curves, usually three times a week. This past week there were some baskets on display. Not just any baskets, but well made, graphically gorgeous baskets. As I said, I have made it a habit to inspect this type of basket, and price them… buying something if I can afford it. My latest purchase was a really fine bowl basket made by Micronesians which I bought in Maui. I also love seagrass baskets made in South Carolina and sold along road side stands. There is something earthy and attractive about the blend of beauty and utility in a handwoven basket!
Anyway, I asked about the baskets on display. A tiny one with a perfectly fitted cover and a large bowl shape with a striking black and tan design. The owner, having just set them out, also had a postcard size placard with the url and a short explanation about the good cause story of these baskets. I’ll let the site describe this in its own words:
Changing Lives One Basket at a Time
The vision of the Rwanda Basket Company is to empower the impoverished women of Rwanda to rise above their subsistence level existence by providing them with the training, tools and support needed to sell their baskets in the west. The Rwanda Basket Company accomplishes this in several ways:
* Providing “Master Weavers†to work with these impoverished women to help them improve and expand their weaving skills
* Paying the weavers directly a premium wage for each of their baskets
* Supplying high quality sisal, dye and other materials needed to ensure a quality product
* Making available to the weavers (many of them genocide widows or wives of imprisoned perpetrators) such life skills training as healing and reconciliation workshops, trauma counseling, and basic medical assistance
* Opening up multiple markets in the west for the weavers’ baskets, thereby ensuring them a much better wage for their products than they could ever hope to receive in Rwanda
I was already going to purchase one of their baskets…. now I want a collection. They also have a sales program that I don’t think I can personally fit into my life, but perhaps you might, check out the details, and the direct buy of baskets on their site, Rwanda Basket Company.
For me, this is the type of good deed I like best: empowering others. Like the Chinese proverb says… give a man a fish and feed him for a day, teach him how to fish… he is fed for a lifetime.
My template here was totally messed up- so I am temporarily using something that I hope will work half right until I can get back home and straighten things out! Because, really, what would you rather have… a nice and well-run blog or taking your time getting to know the island of Maui? Hmmmm?
Today I will be going to some of the sites and take pictures that I hope to post here ( not all- but a few). It is beautiful here, as you can imagine, with blooming flowers, mists on the mountain, and blue ocean views. I purchased some lovely papaya and strawberries, enjoyed some fresh mahi mahi and fried oysters. No flowers in my hair yet- but that is coming:)
Is this picture begging for captions, or what? Feel free to add them!
It sort of looks like the expressions of two little girls at a birthday party- which is what our day felt like, very celebratory and fun. Since I have never felt comfortable in front of a camera there seems to be be the choice of this “say cheese” expression and the “mugshot”. Ah well, like Bonnie, I have to recommend Godbloggers meetings… it adds a wonderful dimension to meet with people you know through their blogs. Her family is just the best! I loved seeing her lively children and her warm and friendly husband. I saw what “hotel tag” looks like first hand, and learned a great deal about the personality quirks of their cats, and Bonnie and I enjoyed non-stop conversation throughout the day.
It makes me want to try to figure out how to bring this intellectually invigorating type of interaction into real-life meetings for more Christian women. I think it would change the face of women’s ministries if we could collectively experience this “Inklings” sort of meeting. At least I see that developing on Intellectuelle, and want to express my thanks to Bonnie for volunteering the hard work that has created such a promising place for women to converse and think aloud. Join us over there, I will post a place where you can suggest topics of interest, just so you can tell us what you would like to discuss.
