Etsy Search

Since I started on Etsy 4 years ago, there has been an ongoing complaint about the quality of the search functionality. I could write for hours about the logistics and frustrations of it, but instead, I am keeping it short, not complaining, and sharing something that I found very funny.

Whats wrong with this picture:











HAHA! The scarf shown is from Baby Ette, it is a great shop, and you should totally check it out, just not at all what I was searching for.

Adding Labels to your blog

I noticed lately in reading a lot of blogs, that some used labels. A label is basically a way of categorizing past blog posts. I think this is FANTASTIC. especially since so many of the blogs I read have themed days.

If you post Sandwich Saturdays, with a new sandwich recipe every weekend, you can label them, so that I can click the label and see only those posts rather than having to go back through 5 weeks worth of pages.

This is good because it allows you to get traffic to past posts. If you look at your blog stats, I am willing to bet that once a particular post is no longer the most recent, it stops getting hits, but that doesn't mean it isn't still good.

Now some blogs are able to go above and beyond and create buttons for their labels, A great example can be found at Bubby and Bean Which if you dont already read and follow, YOU SHOULD.

This quick tutorial however is to show you how to simply add labels to your blogspot blog, easily, quickly, and for FREE!

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Step 1: go to your dashboard, and click the design link. This will bring up your page layout.










Step 2: Your page may not look the same as mine, but you will have an area designated to gadgets. You want to add a new one.














Step 3: In the list of pre-made gadgets that Blogger provides you with scroll down too labels. The button looks like this:





Once added your labels will display in the position you selected in step 1.

Step 4: now that you have a way to display your labels you need to add some to your blogs.













To add labels to past posts, just go to edit posts click edit on the entry that you would like to add a label to, add the label, and save, you keep the publish date the same so that it doesn't move your post chronologically.













Thats it you are finished! start Labeling away!!!!

When it comes to photography I am a bit naive. I think of a camera a lot like a computer. Anyone can use one, but the things we are able to do with one are very different. Using that analogy, I am not a programmer, but rather the guy that can login and check e-mail.


I know how to frame a picture from set design class in college, the rule of thirds, and all that jazz. What I knew almost nothing about were things like aperture, lens size, white balance, depth of field, and the 300 other settings on the Cannon Rebel.

So I wanted to share a bit that I discovered and went overboard with. The 50 mm lens. I thought it was specifically used for depth of field pictures, while it is fantastic for that it is not its primary purpose. The 50 mm lens allows you to take photos from a realistic distance and fit everything into it.

So here is the overboard part. Once I learned about taking depth of field pictures I started doing a bunch of it. It allows you to focus on one part of the photo and blur out the rest. Enjoy!

shipping

Since re-opening my etsy shop at few weeks ago, I have had 2 sales. That may not sound like a lot but since I only posted 4 items, technically I sold 50% of my inventory in 2 weeks!! (I like the way the latter sounds better)

I realized after selling that I was not at all prepared to ship. All the materials that I used to use over a year ago, I no longer had. so I had to go buy them.

I hadn't bought the shipping materials before, it was just stuff that we had available in the house. I use. bubble wrap, packing tape, recycled cardboard, and craft paper. I was able to find it all and get the package out the door!

which reminds me of a popular discussion I would love feedback on.

"Do you care about the packaging when you buy from Etsy, or just that it arrives?"

if you are a fellow seller

"Is there anything special you do to make your packaging personalized and unique?"

I am considering ways of doing this, and will keep you posted on what I come up with as well.

Self-Portrait Sunday 4/17

Yes I know it isn't yesterday anymore, but since I was not feeling well in the afternoon, I never posted this.

I had thrown the remainder of the cookie dough from the sides of the bowl into the oven in a cookie shaped blob (I do NOT waste cookie dough) While I was in the other room, my oldest son, and my wife, decided to make my cookie extra special with an "m" for Mitch.

Pretty cool.

You know... I didnt think I ate the whole cookie myself, now there is new evidence.

Poem Friday 4/15 - Cold Coffee

I have been having a lot of fun with the theme "Thats when I finally realized" in my poems. So for todays Poem Friday post. I wanted to share one I wrote this morning.

Cold Coffee

My coffee isn’t hot enough
In fact its rather cold
I got it just this morning, so
It isn’t even old

My coffee tastes quite funny
It really is too sweet
But today’s quite sunny
And Coffee keeps me on my feet

I’m not quite all awake yet
My eyes still have a sheen
I drink it as is anyway
Because I need caffeine

But something isn’t right here
There’s bubbles in my cup
I may have been deceived I fear
I think something is up

I didn’t pour my coffee
I got I from a friend
I pick up theirs’ most every day
And so we switched the trend

But as my mind awakens
I see the that it’s a joke
That’s when I finally realize
That this coffee is a Coke.















(Source) - The best Flickr page ever

Who?? ME?!??!

So Duncan is 9 months old now, which I understand to be about 5 in dog years. Based on my experience with a 5 year old, this means he will be stubborn, opinionated, loving, hyper, loud, and mischievous.





Well last night was no exception. We do have a door on the bathroom (I think it would be odd not to, but figured I would throw that little fact in there) but when you have 2 boys running around sometimes the door is left open.
Duncan has been into the bathroom on numerous occasions and it is not always a problem, however sometimes he likes to play with the toilet paper. We determined last night, that he will only play with it if it is a new full roll, if it is half gone it doesn’t get touched.

When Duncan is being quiet it is usually a bad thing, so I went to see what he was up to… no good as anticipated.



He was sternly reprimanded, which isn’t easy when you are being looked at with those eyes. I let him stay up with us thinking his mischievous acts surely were over for the evening… Wrong again. The power cord to my laptop was dangling off the coffee table, and he took it upon himself to teach me that isn’t where it goes. At least it wasn’t plugged in, or maybe a good shock is what he needs.

We love him regardless, but I am exited for this stage to be over.

Poem Friday - My Twitter is not working

My Twitter isn’t working
I can not send a tweet
I asked a bird if he would help
He flew across the street

My twitter is not working
My status will not write
I want to tell the world about
My day and then my night

My twitter is not working
Which may be for the best
Perhaps I’ll go outside today
Perhaps you’ll be my guest

Cuz’ Twitters getting corporatized
And I cant keep on going
And keep up with the ads they send
And all the crap they’re throwing

I used to love my twitter
And the people that I followed
But corporate tweets have taken over
And twitter's soul’s been hollowed

So if you are still tweeting
About your life and such
Then shout it out so I can hear
And I will thank you much

But if you are a company
Just setting our your snares
Well you too can keep tweeting
But you should know nobody cares.

Where do they come from

Have you ever seen the giant buoys out in the ocean? there was pretty famous one in the opening scene of jaws.

As you know I have a fascination with where things come from, so I had to snap this picture when I saw such buoys headed for the Atlantic this morning off the Maine coast.

Self-Portrait Sunday 4/3

So you may have noticed in celebration of making it through the 31 day blog challenge, I didn't post anything Friday. Today however is Sunday which means another self portrait. This one taken in the mirror in our entryway. Enjoy!

It is OPEN!!

So after a month of blogging about the comeback of J.Crabbit, I have finally reopened my shop. I look forward to adding additional items constantly!