Zazzle.com Collection: We've Moved New Address Labels

Saturday, March 30, 2013

30 Runs in 2 Days

Ski runs that is! Home from Big White where my husband and I stayed for a couple of nights enjoying the last of the spring skiing and snowboarding. Our condo was right in the village so we had a great view from our windows of the shops, the big clock and so forth. We had beautiful sunny days and it wasn’t busy at all so we were able to get a lot of runs in. 30 runs in 2 days, I believe that’s the most I’ve ever done in that amount of time. Thankfully I wasn’t stiff or sore from it either, I guess those walks and gym workouts help maintain the fitness level. I hadn’t actually been skiing in three years but as they say it’s like riding a bike you just pop into your ski’s and off you go! I was able to capture some great snow scene pictures and use them on products in my store as well.  I love to be able to add a variety of different weather scenes on items that I sell, adds diversity to my store. IMG_1229

Shell Big White 2

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I’ve been working on designs for birthdays, baby showers and other interesting categories too. Here’s a sampling below. Stop by Designs by Shell to see more…

Zoo Animal Baby Shower Postage Stamps

  
Purple Hippo Baby Shower Invitation

  
Purple Hippo Party Invitation

  
Big White, B.C. Canada Magnet

  
Neon Pink Cupcakes Birthday Party Invitation

  
Blue Quilted Diamonds Birthday Invitation

  

Monday, March 18, 2013

Blossoms and Bulbs

One of my favourite things about the Spring season is watching the cherry trees begin to blossom  and seeing flowers poke their heads out of the ground after a cold winter.

I was reading that originally cherry trees were given as a gift to the people of the U.S.A. from Japan. The cherry blossom tree originated from Japan in 1912 also called the ‘Sakura’, an exalted flowering plant. Many cities celebrate with ‘National Cherry Blossom Festivals’, showing beautiful displays of these trees. The Cherry Festival marks the beginning of spring in Washington, the nation’s capital. All kinds of activities and special celebrations take place during cherry blossom season. I imagine it would be quite a site to see. As a  nature lover and all things floral I love to capture great pictures of blossoms  and flowers whenever I have the chance too! 

Springtime, the time when tulips and daffodils start popping up in gardens and parks, so pretty. Here is a page I wrote on Photographing Tulips. Some pretty pictures in there too!  Below are some of my floral designs from my store, stop by to see more, anytime!

Tip Toe Through the Tulips T-shirts

 
Tulips - Bloom Where You're Planted Refrigerator Magnets

 
Tulip Thank You Greeting Cards

 
Delicate Cherry Blossoms Postcard

 
Delicate Cherry Blossoms Business Card Template

 
Bright and Beautiful garden magnet

 

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Pin This!

Pin this! In the last few months Pinterest has gained huge popularity, not only for social media but it has become a known site for businesses to share their products and to be able to target consumers who are interested in checking out the latest and greatest images.

I’ve shared in another blog post what Pinterest is but I’ll go over it again briefly for those that haven’t joined this site yet. Pinterest is an image based social platform where users can create virtual boards on a variety of topics. For instance you might create a board about travel, cooking and recipes, your favourite movies, wedding decor or birthday cakes. Visuals get people interested much faster than words. A short description can be added underneath an image but the idea is that the picture is what interests you. Pinterest is a great site for organizing what you love and all the cool things you find on the web. A user can choose to follow other’s boards as desired.  People are finding different uses for Pinterest all the time.  Here is a page that will explain in greater detail all about Pinterest.

Using Pinterest for business is a great way to promote your products and or services. A way to advertise to the masses. Choose appropriate categories and start pinning your items to the virtual boards. When you pin your products there is the option to add a price tag this allows it to go under the ‘gift’ section on Pinterest. Another good tip for SEO is to add your website link to your products this will give you a backlink. When people find your boards or images interesting they have the option to like them, comment on them and re-pin them to their boards. Good descriptions and keywords are also important factors to consider when pinning. 

Most businesses big or small can benefit from using Pinterest for marketing. Pinterest seems to attract a different group of user’s from FB and Google+. Exposure for your business is another great reason to be using Pinterest as it gives a good visual of what your business is about, what type of products or services you offer.

Pinterest users are not interested in dull, boring, run of the mill content. Generally people are looking for interesting, creative ideas, advice and attractive products that they can share and re-pin. Get creative with the images you pin, you want them large enough to attract attention but not so big that they can see all of the details unless they click on the image.

Well if you’re not utilizing Pinterest for your business I hope this has encouraged you to give it a go and see how you can make this great platform work for you.

I’ve been working on several different themes and designs for my store Designs by Shell. Come by for a visit or follow me on Pinterest as I’ll be sharing and pinning interesting images there.

Zebra Pattern Cupcakes Birthday Party Invitation

 
Modern Fun Stripes Party Theme Stamps

 
Popcorn and Movie Night Invitation Card

 
Deep Red Bridal Shower Invitation

 
Purple Zebra Print Birthday Invitation

 
Elegant Blue Wedding Cake

 

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Robbed of Another Night

You guessed it, Sleep! We all know how important sleep is to our bodies and if we don’t get enough it can really take a toll on us. It is said that we need to be getting a solid 6 –8 hrs. of sleep per night. For a high percentage of people this just doesn’t happen. Sleep is an essential activity for us, we are meant to have regular amounts of sleep in order for our bodies to function properly.

Sleepless nights, restless sleep and insomnia for many can be hard to narrow down the exact causes. Lack of sleep can cause low energy, poor concentration and even memory lapses. Older people often say that they don’t need as much sleep but mostly it’s that they have trouble staying asleep for long periods of time or are unable to get a true deep sleep.

Stress, anxiety and hormones seem to play a big role in how we sleep. For women as we age and go through the different seasons of our lives our sleep patterns can really get  messed up. Sleep is the time that our bodies need to refuel and recharge us for the following day and when our sleep is interrupted it is often difficult to get going the next morning. I know when you’re wide awake at 3 in the morning staring at the ceiling and the rest of your household is asleep it’s very discouraging! I’ve been there many times!  We have to keep a positive attitude and trust that the tossing and turning will get better. Sleep patterns often go in cycles, sometimes switching every few nights. Just when you think you’re back to sleeping it switches again! Here is a Sleep Self Assessment Quiz to determine if a sleep issue is a factor in your health. 

Tips to Help Foster a Good Nights Sleep

Keep a regular bedtime ( consistency can help)

Cut out caffeine in the evenings ( I’ve heard some say even late afternoon caffeine could be an issue)

Check external things like room temperature, too hot or too cold, decent pillows…

Drink a glass of warm milk (contains amino acid tryptophan) said to make you drowsy

Exercise during the day

Eat a small snack of oatmeal, cold cereal with milk or a dairy product ( these produce or are a source of tryptophan)

Well that’s my list and here’s to some good nights of sleep coming up! Share your thoughts or experience with me, I love comments!

I’ve been busy creating designs for my store Designs by Shell and yes sometimes in my head when I should be sleeping! Here are some samples below…

Purple Floral Thank You Labels

 
Perfectly Pink Bridal Shower Invitation

 
Magenta Purple Save the Date Announcements

 
Elegant Pink Cake Thank You

 
Silver Grey Zebra Fur Print Coffee Mugs

 
Swirl Purple Cupcake Business Card