Destashing My Rubber Stamps

Destashing my Close to My Heart Stamps-Sold

Girl talk about me and my goals

Video is definitely a MUST When Selling Craft Items

(Warning:  Some of the links below may contain affiliate information.  I may receive a commission for that link. For a full explanation, please see my disclosure page. Thank you.)

Ok, you must be wondering what am I up to now?  Let me set the scene…

I need to pay for the last bit of my September cruise to the islands (The Caribbean that is).  Now I know what you are thinking and I will not address that AT this time.  Maybe when I share one of my personal journal moments one day but not right now.  Besides, by the time I get at least a temp job (which is what I am looking for when I say I want to work with clients anyway), it is time to make my last payment on June 1^st.  What must a girl do to get her hands on some cash besides begging the financial gods (AKA banks, credit unions, and those check cashing places), relatives, or going to the local casino?  How about getting rid of some stuff you are no longer using?  AKA giving them a good home.  

So, I started with my Longaberger business and the art of getting rid of every basket, pottery, or wrought iron piece that I do not like, or no longer can house in my 2-bed condo.  Besides that, I can also use the leftover money to buy the baskets and pottery that I DO want, but was not able to get, even with my discount as a consultant.  Did I tell you that I am sort of not making much success with it?  I will tell you why in another post.

Next, I decided that I need to get rid of some of the craft items, especially the ones I bought while working at Archiver’s when it was a brick and mortar store.  When you are a scrapbooker and card maker AND you work in the place where your loves are (meaning scrapbook supplies), AND you get a discount, you sort of becoming a hoarder.  Not the kind of hoarder on a show like Extreme Hoarding, or whatever that show on A&E is called, but you know what I mean.  So, I found some ribbon, which I do not use anymore.  I graduated to washi tape.  Same difference.  I put it on a destash craft group on Facebook.  No bites as of yet.  Next, I found clear rubber stamps that I am not using.  I still use them, but I want new ones to go with my Tim Holtz distress inks and my Stampin Up ink, as well as my Mementos black ink.  I did not want to put up another post on the same Facebook group, so I tried video.  Guess what?  It worked.  In 7 hours, I was preparing my little package to send off to my buyer.   I now have $14.00 going towards my cruise.  Yay!

What does this have to do with writing?

It has everything to do with writing and you do not have to use videos to only sell products.  In fact, you can use videos in any type of how to post you place on your blog.

I follow a You Tubber named Jennifer, and she has a vlog called Pretty NeatLiving.  She is a lifestyle vlogger, but she also has a blog by the same name.  The way she uses the blog/vlog method is simple, she repeats everything she said on her vlog in written form.  Hey, everything cannot be done in vlog form.  The reason is perhaps there is a giveaway form a person needs to fill out and she needs to count that.  She also has sponsors, who may not want her to have more than one way to get their campaign message out.  The finally way could be that she is using the oldest method of getting her message out, which is some people learn by reading, some learn by doing, and some people learn by listening. It is the most effective way of getting your brand across.  I am also learning that as well.

Another You Tubber I follow is named Tmika, who is ScrapDaWorld.  She is a crafter like me, but she also uses the blog/vlog method.  This is how she uses it.   She runs crafting swaps throughout the year.  I am preparing to create a flip book for her swap this month.  Tmika announces the swap on YouTube, including showing the sample project and how the project should be made.  Next, she will repeat those instructions in her blog, post the link to the video, a thumbnail photo of video, and finally a picture of the project. Tmika also goes a step further by posting all of this through her social media. 

I am working out my kinks on how my videos are posted on this blog and my other blog, P. Lynne Designs.  Currently, I am using IFTTT program (which stand for If this that that) which allows me to post my videos on this blog, but some videos are not related, like my recent Dollar Tree Haul video or Selling my clear stamps video.  I need to check to see if they did a post on P. Lynne Designs blog because that is where they belong.  I am not an expert on how I figured how to link it to a WordPress blog, but for a blog in Blogger, it is easy. 

My Takeaway for you:

If you are interested in enhancing your writing (no matter what niche (subject) you write about), my suggestion is to eventually have a blog/vlog combination going.  It does not cost much to start a YouTube channel if you do not have one.  Vimeo is also a good platform to have a channel.  You can also start your blog first, and then have a video channel.  You do not need a camera to get started, use your phone.  You do need a tripod for your phone. Especially if you do not want to hold your phone.  Down the road, when your finances are freed up, get you a camera with great quality.  You can also invest in a voice over microphone. Again, that is in the future.

If you are uncomfortable being in front of the camera, try talking while being behind the camera, or do try a short 2-3-minute video in front of the camera.  This is how I got started. How about, “just do it” as the old Nike commercial used to say.  I always say, try it once, and if you hate it, skip it for a while.  Videos are not for everyone, but I do encourage you to at least try it.

If you do try it, your last piece is to invest in a good editing software.  I am currently not editing because I do not have the software I was using.  I am getting ready to try a software by Adobe Premiere Pro.  There is also a good one by Apple called Final Cut Pro.  You can use it for both Mac and PC as well.  (Note: Neither of these software links I receive a commission on.  They are simple the editing software that I like). If you hate looking at yourself while editing, hire someone to do it for you, but eventually, you will have to do your own editing.

I do hope you do try this combo for your writing and gaining traffic.  You may get offers for a collaboration or even a job offer.

Destash: Clear Stamps Lot 1

Dollar Tree haul for the pantry and craftroom

What is it that Parents Want us Kids to know? Words to Live by Before Graduation.

(c) Clipartfest.com

On today’s What’s up Wednesday, I decided to take a question I answered in Quora again.  I had answered one a few months ago, and this question is something that every child and young adult should learn about (ages 0-17; 18-25). 

Why?  Because I feel that today’s young people have no idea what is expected of them.  I will post my answer from Quora and because this is a blog post, I will explain a little further what was meant by my answer.  (Note:  I also decided that now is the time to address this year’s graduation class of 2017.  Congratulations, everyone.)

1. To listen and make a decision based on what you were taught by your parents. This is a given, after all, these are the people who are raising or who have raised you.  This leads up to and including:
2. To have a voice and to stand up for your beliefs, but also understand the other person’s side as well. In other words, have compassion.  You can always try to have a person believe what you believe in, but they also reason why their values (that’s the term I am looking for) is the way they are. (By the way, always have a good reason why your belief is your belief - do not leave a person hanging.)
3. To be self-sufficient
4. To be honest. 
5. To learn something new and different.
6. To learn that the world does not owe you a thing in life.
7. To care for someone other than yourself.
8. To learn that everything is not about you and what you want.
9. To learn that you cannot get what you want all the time.
10. To forgive and forget ... But that does not mean you have to be around that person.   Negative people can bring a person down.  If someone keeps doing the same thing over and over again, maybe it is about time you part ways.  Still, love them, but apart from them.
11. Learn to be happy and to make your own happiness.  Do not depend on a person to give you the happiness you need in life.  People will always disappoint you if you look at it that way.  Once you find it, never let anyone take your joy. 
12. To dream and not be lead by someone’s expectations of you.  Also on that note, never let someone take your dreams.  If you have a dream of owning a potato chip factory, learn what it takes to own one, and work towards that goal.  Never give up on a dream.
13. To pray to God or whoever you see as a higher power other than yourself.  It is good to have a spiritual practice of some kind.  I read inspirational passages that contain scriptures from the bible.  If I do not understand it, I turn in my bible to get a better understanding of that passage.  I question every scripture I read on the internet with my actual page turning bible.  Also, praying helps bring clarity to that chaos.  I also turn to my pastor for a better understanding of that passage.  Find like-minded people to help you understand helps too.
14. That no matter what, we will always love you for being you. Do not change a thing.  Children, in general, need to know that they are loved no matter what mistakes they make in life.  They are learning how to be adults, while we, as adults are learning how to best guide them.   
15. To know how to read and do math well.  When you know how to read well, you can read contracts, understand a bill, even understand the new rules to Candy Crush.  Math skills allow you to know when your payment on a job is wrong (see negotiation skills), how much medicine to take, or how to follow a simple recipe (yeah, I know millennials don’t cook, but work with me for a minute-See #2).  
16. Do not rely on technology. At the moment you need it, it will fail on you.  I love my computer, phone, and tablet as much as the next person, but I found out that I do not know how to spell as well as I used to.  Why?  Because I rely on spell check on MS Word, Grammarly for my grammar correction, and a calculator to double check my math.  I know these things, but what happens when the lights go out, the gadgets need charging or Windows 10 decides it needs to update, which is every other week.  There is always pen and paper.
17. Learn how to do math the old-school way.
18. Learn the basics of your language and while you are at it, learn a new one. be proficient in both.  Both #17 and 18 goes back to #16 and technology.  In fact, numbers 15-19 go hand and hand.
19. Learn to negotiate, the right way. Weigh all your options before giving your final answer to something that will affect the rest of your life.
20. To treat everyone with respect and the same will be returned.
21. Patience
22. And finally, to smile and to speak when spoken to.

I am not a parent yet, but these are the things I want my nephews and niece to know in life.