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Sunday, November 27, 2011

Sharing Christmas Family Traditions

I love to hear the different traditions that families share during the Christmas season. Most households have a few things that they do the same every Christmas that make it extra special for those in their family. I’ll share a few of our family traditions. The first one would be that we always attend the Christmas Eve Service at our church. It’s a joyous family time of singing and hearing stories and scriptures of the ‘true meaning’ of why we celebrate the Christmas season. Another family tradition we have is our boys hang up their Christmas stocking before they head to bed on Christmas Eve. Even though the guys are older now they still love this tradition. They open them together on Christmas morning.  http://www.squidoo.com/christmas_stockings_traditions The last one I’ll share is the tradition of the Christmas breakfast quiche that I make. I’ve been preparing this dish for many years now, although now I usually make two of them as the boys have bigger appetites now too. It’s a Broccoli, cheese dish that we usually have with English muffins and egg nogg.

Please take a moment to comment and share a tradition or two that your family likes to participate in. I love to here what other families do!  

Here are some of my latest designs for my store… Designs by Shell Hope you enjoy…

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Five Ideas to Get Your Creative Juices Flowing

We all get stuck sometimes. Perhaps  you’re an artist, a photographer or a writer, whatever you do you probably struggle now and then coming up with new and fresh ideas. Times when you just can’t seem to move forward.  Generally these times are characterized by low energy, maybe not eating properly, lack of motivation or just a general lack of inspiration.  There are a few different things to try to snap yourself out of this phase.  Give one or more of these a try!

1) Get enough sleep, try a cat nap (15-20 minutes) can be enough to recharge your thinking.

2) Go for a brisk walk, sit in the sunshine, give thanks for the beauty around you.

3) Hit the gym, or do some form of physical exercise like jogging, swimming or biking to boost your energy level.

4) Stimulate your mind by looking through magazines, reading a good article or visiting a bookstore, These can all help to unblock your creative flow.

5) Go for coffee with a friend, a good conversation and sharing session might be all you need to get going again. 

Here are some of my latest designs from my store Designs by Shell…Thankfully the creative juices are still flowing here…

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Nature and Winter Themed Gift Ideas

Yesterday my husband Brian and I went for a nature walk/mini-hike about a 20 minute drive from our home. We found a snowy trail that led to the top of a little mountain. It was only about a 45 minute hike but what a gorgeous view we had. We called it our adventure walk since we didn’t really know where we were going.  We had stopped at Starbucks and got our first festive coffee of the season, 'peppermint mochas’ to take along with us mmm, very tasty! There’s nothing like being out in the fresh crisp air, enjoying nature.  That led me to thinking I’d share some interesting gift ideas with themes of nature and winter. Perhaps you have friends or family that would love to receive a nature inspired gift.  Here is a good selection but to see more come by my store for a browse… Designs by Shell

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Getting Your Business Ready for Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner. It’s time to make sure your business is ready for the busy season. There are a few things that should be taken care of if you have an online business with products that you are selling. This is the season that can attract potentially more purchasers than ever before. It’s good to increase your inventory and include a broader variety of designs that appeal to a wide range of consumers. Keep your store clean and uncluttered to make an online shopping experience easy and enjoyable. Start early, just like the brick and mortar stores you have to have a full store now, as people will start there shopping early. You don’t want to miss out because you waited too long to introduce your Christmas items. Encourage bulk sales, this can save the purchaser money too! If emailing offers to friends and acquaintances don’t over do it, nobody likes to be constantly getting mail from the same company. (spam, is not nice) Keep your emails concise and with a clear call to action. Christmas is a busy time of year for most people but can definitely be enjoyable and profitable for all.

Here are some fun designs I’ve been busy adding to my store. Designs by Shell

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Checklist for Holiday Decorating

Well if you head to a mall or big box store you’ll already see Christmas decorations spread throughout. Even though it seems a little early to talk about decorating it’s a good time to take stock of what you already have and decide if you need to add anything to freshen up your existing decorations. Maybe you want to change or add a new color theme or add some new elements to your decor. Here’s a little video clip that might give you some simple but elegant ideas to inspire you in your holiday decorating.  Elegant Decorating for Christmas. Here is another great page with Easy Decorating Ideas!

1) Take stock of what you have. Recycle anything you don’t want or won’t be using.

2) Plan… Make a list of decor ideas if you plan to add something new, (like a wreath or swag) collect your supplies.

3) Check all light strings, buy replacement bulbs or new strings

4)  Don’t try to do it all in one day, set aside one day for the interior, one for the exterior and maybe another for decorating the Christmas tree.

5) Watch for post-holiday sales and or coupons to save money on decor items you might need.

Zazzle has recently given us a huge range of new products to design so you guessed it I’ve been busy adding new creations to many items that would make fun holiday gifts. Here’s a sampling…