Snowman Love , Some Fun Facts

Need a little trivia to lift your winter mood... 

Some fun facts about Frosty the Snowman

Frosty and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer were produced by the same company, Rankin/Bass Productions.

Frosty the Snowman debuted in 1969 and was narrated by Jimmy Durante, his final film performance. 

Frosty the Snowman was modeled after a greeting card.  As these were the wishes of the directors Rankin and Bass. 

June Foray was the original voice of Karen in the early years but was taken over by another voice.  June Foray also did the voice of Cindy Lou Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas. 

Frosty Returns wasn't really a sequel as it wasn't produced by Rankin and Bass.

Frosty the Snowman song was popular long before the tv special was introduced. 

There is a few fun facts that you may not have been aware of.  

I enjoy drawing snowmen in various situations, positions etc.  Here I'll share a few of my designs on products that can be purchased. 

Snowmen work hard to maintain their shape,

and yes they say, round is a shape! 

Snowman with a candy cane and a cozy home design

Snowman Gift Tags sold in bundles of 10

Juggling Snowman T-shirt

Snowman Soccer Player  or Coach 

Luggage Tag

Checking it Twice

 

The Stockings Were Hung 

Guitar Players Gift Ideas

Nature Photography on Gift Items 

New Items New Ideas

 Just a few gift ideas and items that I've recently designed.  Time to pick up a few items for those special people on your list this year.  You'll find new ideas popping up often in my shop!  Thanks for stopping by. 

Perseverance Magnet

Encouragement for Someone

Keep moving forward, one day, one hour, one step at a time! 

Great for music lovers, guitar players especially! 

Personalize this ornament to your liking! 

For the coffee lovers, a great luggage tag! 

Stocking stuffer idea! 

Nature and animal theme gift tags! 

A wild raccoon

 

Creativity Opens Doors

 When you are learning new things it gives you a boost of energy and your creativity just blossoms.  I've been figuring out a new program for editing and I'm having a lot of fun learning and experimenting with it. 

November and December are the busier months for my shop so I am always pushing to add more designs and offer them on a variety of products that make great gifts.  Here are a few things I've recently added to my store. 

Romantic Christmas Tree Card

Cool Giraffes Christmas Tree Ornament

Sport Lovers T-shirts 

All the Sports and Cute Snowmen

Fishing Penguins Scenic Jigsaw Puzzle

Thanks for stopping by! 

This is Puzzling

 I've been working on some exciting and fun new designs for my shop.  www.zazzle.com/seashell2 With the news reports suggesting everyone shop early this Christmas season, it means the designers and creators have to be on the ball.  I've been learning a new editing program that is allowing me to create using different methods and it's giving me more inspiration and drive to come up with unique designs for a variety of products. 

Here are some interesting things that might make good gifts for people on your list.  

First off I have some really cute puzzles that I have designed. Jigsaw puzzles that would make great gifts for families as they are something that can be participated in together and encourage family time. 

Walrus and Sea Lions Ocean Puzzle 

8x10  = 110 pieces

Cartoon Animals in the Garden Puzzle

8x10 = 110 pieces

Gift tags made of high quality luxe matte paper

Sold in sets of 10 

Address labels in various sizes ready for your cards and notes

30 labels per sheet 

Find a variety in my shop

Mugs of various shapes and styles are available in a variety of designs in my shop as well 

This one is a bee keeper design.  

Thanks for visiting! 

Scrapping Card Ideas

Time to start using up your paper scraps.  Instead of buying more paper pads go through your scrap baskets and make good use of the paper pieces you have.  You can create some really pretty cards this way. 

You're One of a Kind Creative Cards

Need a card for a special person.  Find some tips and ideas in this creative video. 

Life's a Zoo Birthday Cards

Cute zoo animals stamped on birthday cards.  Creative layering and stamping ideas for you to try. Birthday cards are always good to keep on hand. Enjoy! 

Make a Little Monkey Birthday Card

Creating Flourish Backgrounds

Without Promotion Traffic is Dead

 Hi all! If you have an online business like mine you may be noticing it's extremely difficult these days to get consistent good traffic to your site.  I've learned that promotion without visibility is pretty pointless. Visibility is key in having your pages or website seen. In order to have regular visitors and customers your store needs to be found in the haystack of  websites out there. 

Traffic is what is required in order to show and sell products and services. If no one sees your blog posts or store advertising that likely means little or no traffic and likely low or no sales. It takes a lot of promotion to have consistent views and readers turned customers on your posts. 

The attention span today is very short and people are generally flipping to the next thing in ten seconds or less.  This doesn't leave much time to entice people to stay on your site. That means we have to work pretty hard to get views. 

Creating a checklist for promoting each blog or site you want to share can be helpful.  It's a good reminder so you don't miss things you want to promote especially if your promoting items or services for a certain season. 

Focusing on a couple of strategies rather than getting overwhelmed with too many is a good idea. Quality over quantity. The old adage is still viable, 'less is more'! 

Here is a short list of things that can help. 

Free online marketing such as Twitter, FB business, LinkedIn, Instagram are a few that come to mind. 

Paid online marketing - Google Adwords, paid ads, article writing, etc.

Article Submission sites can help as you can add a description of your business in the bio section. You can add your website or blog link.  Using article sites helps generate leads for your business.  They can also help to improve your online presence in search engines.  Here is a small list of platforms you can submit articles to.

•  sites.google.com 
• Tumblr.com  
• Articleswrap    

There are lots of sites you can google to find appropriate places to submit your posts to.  Keep promoting your blog posts and articles to increase traffic and grow your business.  This is definitely something we have to stay on top of daily.  Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your day! 

Seasons of Change

Creative Card Ideas

Simple Layered Congratulations Card

People Are Inspiring

Don't you just love hearing inspirational people stories that bring a smile to your face and just make you feel good? I know I do! 

Mike McCardell a reporter for CTV News who shares human interest stories about the lives of people who live or once lived in the Vancouver area.  

He was interviewing a gentleman recently he called the Soda Man. A 70 year old man that sells soda and water from a cart to passersby on the corner of Commercial Street and Broadway. He sets up his cart filled with sodas in a variety of flavors and cold bottles of water. The man said he does this pretty well all year long even in the colder winter months. 

He makes friends with his customers and rarely skips a day of work. He said being there makes him happy and for him is not so much about the money though he makes enough to fill his gas tank, he told Mike.  He shared that once he retired he didn't want to just stay home and do nothing. This makes him feel really good he said.

I'm sure he is making others feel good too.  People helping people, we need more of this in the world.  It shows that it doesn't matter how old you are as you can still make a difference and have a meaningful, fulfilling life.  Small things can have big benefits and impacts.  

We can learn from inspirational people like the soda man and  inspiring stories like his as they can nurture our minds, help us relate to humanity and give us fresh insight into possibilities that are out there. You never know when that simple act of kindness, small gesture or word will bring a blessing, touch someone deeply or be an inspiration for another.  

Here is the link to the interview of the Soda Man by Mike McCardell of CTV News.   https://bc.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2277822&jwsource=cl   

Enjoy!

Positive Words T-shirt 

by Designs by Shell

Better Tomorrow Magnet

by Designs by Shell

Scenic Mountains Thank You Card

by Designs by Shell

Creative Card Making Ideas

Card Making Ideas, Getting Back in the Groove

Failed Purchases Got You Discouraged From Shopping Online?

 Once again you took a chance on buying an item you saw online from an unknown store and you found you were greatly disappointed with what you received! Many people have had this unwanted experience. 

With online shopping now being available world wide it is likely that people will run into more challenges finding reputable shops and sites that offer quality apparel and products. 

There are certainly fake store fronts and shops offering low budget items. They showcase great looking products online but send you lesser quality items that are poorly made. This can definitely be discouraging and a waste of time and money.

This happened to me once when I ordered from a store I was less familiar with. I purchased a gift for a friend that I had high hopes for and it turned out to be made of very cheap plastic, needless to say I wasn't very impressed and sent it back, though I had to pay return shipping.  I was disappointed and it was a big inconvenience.

On that note I want to let you know that Zazzle is a legit E-retailer offering an online platform where people can create or customize products for gifts or to sell.  This company started in 1999 and launched their website in 2005.  I opened my shop Designs by Shell on Zazzle at the end of 2009.   

Zazzle uses cutting edge technology for easy use of designing clothing, paper products, gift items and much more. They have millions of designers, over 150 product makers and millions of customers from around the world. 

Zazzle works with many name brands from Disney to Marvel and several more. If Zazzle wasn't a legitimate company they would not be able to sell so many well known brands as they need permission to do so.  

Shopping at Zazzle one can expect competitive pricing on products and services that they offer.  Zazzle offers quality products and top notch printing.  This is a company that you should feel confident purchasing from. Should an issue arise the company attempts to resolve it in a timely manner. 

I've purchased calendars, cards, mugs and various other items over the years and have been very pleased with the quality of printing and the items themselves. 

I'm working to add new designs at Designs by Shell on a regular basis and would be pleased to have you drop by. You never know what you might find perhaps a gift for someone or something for yourself.  Hope you enjoy the shop! 

Custom back packs, various styles to choose from.

Aprons, bright colors and fun patterns.

Flexibility Will Be Necessary

 So September is here and the students are heading back to school. For some it will be in person, for other's it may be virtual or for some students it may be a little of both.  Even though we are still in the pandemic times I hope the transition goes well for all ages. There will be an adjustment period for everyone as many students now have to wear masks and of course social distance.  Flexibility is key for routines that are constantly changing. Staying positive and controlling what you can will help you get through.  

iPhone 11 Case 

by ProPhoto

Items on a School Teacher's Desk

Pencil Colors Totebag

by Celebration Ideas

A great bag for books, snacks and school supplies.

Book Labels

by Designs by Shell

Personalize a book label for your students

Three Favorite Things About Summer

 Well I hope you're enjoying the lazier days of summer. Perhaps you've been able to get off work a little earlier or find some time on the weekends to do some fun activities with your family or friends.  

Three is a fairly small number so I'm sure it's pretty easy for you to come up with three things you love about the summer season. 

For me first off I love how the evenings are brighter and it stays lighter later. The sun shines a little longer and it just feels really good!   

The second thing I love about summer is the lighter meals, less time in the kitchen and maybe a few more barbecues.  Salmon or cod on the grill for me, meat for the rest of my family. Add some roasted veggies and a tossed salad and dinner is ready!   Keep it simple! 

The third thing I love about the summer season is travelling. Sometimes it's just day trips to new adventures or a walk in a different park or area and often to Airbnb's where we travel and stay for awhile to visit family! Summer is a time to explore and bask in the warmth and be thankful for all the adventures that we get to enjoy.  (maybe not the heat waves, lol) 

Always adding new designs and freshening up products for my business Designs by Shell Thanks for your visits and support! 

Stay Cool!               

Sunset Over The Mountains 
Luggage Tag Ready to Personalize 

Stay Hydrated Water Bottle

 

Slims River

Note cards with amazing scenic landscapes. Cards of this design and style will inspire and make your friends happy when they receive one from you!  

Sheep Mountain

Sunset Yukon Territory

Photography by Jesse Kuhn

Designs by Shell

www.zazzle.com/seashell2

Monogram Seals and Stickers

Envelope seals, stickers with a Monogram add style to your 

correspondence.

Here is another modern design ready for you to personalize. 

This one is a soft blur background. Personalize it for your office or home or party needs.

Spring Theme Card Ideas