Stunning Custom Notebooks That Make Journaling Fun

I am a fan of daily journaling – specifically regarding gratitude, appreciation and goal setting, so I am always on the look-out
for journals that actually inspire me to write in them. RedBubble artists design some of the most amazing spiral and
hardcover notebooks that make it easier to follow through on this positive daily routine. Check these out:

“Fall”

 

Weather Balloon

Splash

Surfer On Horizon

Forest Treasures

I have chosen RedBubble as one of the affiliates for Avalon-Media not only because they make high-quality products, but because they make it easy for independent and new artists to showcase their work and bring them in front of a diverse  audience. A purchase of one of these stunning designs, not only makes it possible for me to continue to bring you content, but it also helps those artists, who at no point lose any of their profit, by me, promoting them.

Thank you

Fiercely Independent Blessings!

Claudia

Stop Making Excuses

Drop Of Water by Claudia H. Blanton

So dear fellow writers, creatives, and artists, I want to wake up this morning with a little kick in the behind.

Stop making excuses.

Say what?
You heard me right. Stop making excuses why you can not work on your creative projects, goals, and dreams. Stop that right now. Life is too short,  to waste another precious minute pondering upon the reasons why you can not follow through
The list of potential excuses are not going to get any shorter, just because you waited a month, a year, a decade to follow through. So stop, and do whatever it takes –  right now.

Keep The Dream Alive – Motivational Typography by Claudia H. Blanton

I am being hard on you here because I know how debilitating those excuses can be. I lived and breathed excuses. I would blame everyone and everything for why I do not have time, from lack of sleep to lack of resources, to not being good enough, or not having the right connections.

Guess what, if you do not do any of the steps needed to make your dream come true, you still will not have all of those things, and in addition to that, you will have a mediocre life at best. Do you really want that?
I did not think so.

So, say it with me, one more time.

Stop making excuses.

Start by asking questions. How about asking others for resources, or how they did it? How about getting your head away from that tv show and watch a youtube video on how others in your field made it? You will find, that many creatives do not mind sharing their “secrets”, which are no secrets through many platforms. Learn and then do.

I am rooting for you.

 

Blessings!

Claudia

P.S. Are you ready to take action? Then follow me to the free learning network Wealthy Affiliate right now!

Best of Zazzle – Floral Edition # 2

Did you know that specific flowers have a specific meaning? And that the meaning can change with their color?

Take roses for example:

A red rose, of course, has the meaning of “I love you” while a pink rose shows appreciation. The innocence of a white rose is often tied to weddings, yet a pale peach flower speaks of modesty.

The amount of roses given are also not without meanings.

 

The Language Of Flowers available on Amazon

 

A single rose of any color depicts utmost devotion
Two roses entwined together communicate “Marry me”
Six Roses signify a need to be loved or cherished
Eleven roses assure the recipient they are truly and deeply loved
Thirteen roses indicate a secret admirer

The following designs showcase flowers as their main theme. Simply click on the image or the link below to get more information about the individual pieces.

 

 

 

Floral Cell Phone Case – Personalize It!

Vintage Floral Cell Phone Case

Monet Roses – Holiday Ornament

Butterfly Floral Postcard

“Blue Floral” Vintage Postcard

Vintage Floral Address Label

As always, thank you for choosing to support independent artists.

Blessings

Claudia

 

Celebrate The Small Things – Writing Edition

“Today I am Grateful for…” Gratitude Journal by positivephrasesgifts

This week’s gratitude list includes a lot of things about writing.

First of all, I am grateful that I was able to plan out some blog posts for the next few weeks on topics I am interested in sharing with you. Because I am writing now for three sites (my design blog, my motivation/inspirational blog, and this one), the topics range from staying motivated even when time to follow your dreams are limited, to  some exciting features and interviews with artists and creatives which are writers, print on demand artists or  otherwise interesting people who are putting their creativity out there.

I am grateful that I had a chance to connect with them all and am happy to be of service to them while sharing their talent with the rest of the world.

I am grateful that we are living in the US, where it is okay to express ourselves through our creativity with an amount of freedom that is not granted in many parts of the world. Many bloggers, writers, journalists, and artists are jailed, disappear or were killed for their art. We can express ourselves safely and openly. For that, I am grateful.

I am grateful for the creative writers that work on the television shows that are coming our way this season. We are entertained by their wit, and sometimes depth, as they make us forget for a short while our own lives and emerge ourselves into the lives of their creation. Making television shows “take a village”, and I am awed by their talent.

Oh, and I am grateful that this morning the internet is back on. Had a little problem with the connection but the cable company came out and fixed it. Very grateful for those helpful people!

What are you grateful for this week? I am looking forward to connecting with you – and if you have not joined in with this wonderful group of bloggers, you really should – just simply add yourself to the blog hop list on our hosts – Lexa Cain’s – blog, and we will make sure we will stop by!

Have a great week!

Claudia

Do What Works – 5 Essentials For Successful Print On Demand Artists

1. Make what you love
So your art does not fit exactly into the current trend. You have a choice to make, create something that you think will fit in, or showcase your unique voice. Please, dear artists, remember that people love your uniqueness and recognize a truth within the representation of your vision, that you created. A well-designed piece of art can become more popular than the one fitting into the masses

2. Pay attention to details
Of course, you pay attention to details when it comes to creating your unique piece of art, but are you also paying attention to how each individual application fits with your art? Some art pieces are just not made for cell phone cases while others will showcase their entire beauty on any application. Choose where you put your creative piece as thoroughly as you do during your creative process.

3. Connect with other artists
When I first started out on RedBubble, I thought of it as a lonely place, until I began connecting with other artists, by commenting on each others projects, or participating in the forums. The exchange of energy with like-minded individuals is very inspiring, as well as a learning experience. Take also advantage of the groups and forums out there outside of your platform, with Facebook groups being one example.

4. Connect with your audience
Reach out to your potential audience by learning how to maneuver throughout the various social media outlets. Learn proper etiquette, by not spamming your followers, and really engage. With the right techniques, you can gather a substantial amount of attention if you learn the tricks of the individual platforms. Marketing your products is just as important as creating them.

5. Be specific in your listings and product description
Write the description as if the customer would have no picture available and you would have to describe your creation to them. Use keywords that are related to your products (watch out for spamming keywords – only use those actually related to what you have done. Platforms like Zazzle frown upon the overuse of misguided keywords), and be specific about mentioning your targeted audience.

Please share your favorite tips and tricks in the comment section. We can all learn from each other!

Blessings

Claudia

P.S. Check out the free Aloha Snack Box Trial – who does not love free!

Brett Manning – A Strong Artist With Powerful Lines

Brett Manning (born on Halloween 1986), always loved to draw, paint and create.
Her drawings and paintings have a warm, feminine strength, that manifests itself in clean lines, and interesting contrast.
Her work does not only include drawings but are  also inclusive of photography, in which she sometimes expresses a rather dark side.

Here are some examples of her art

Card Reader by Brett Manning 

Coffee First by Brett Manning

The 4th by Brett Manning

You can find this talented young artist on RedBubble.

 

Would You Like Some Coffee? A Weekend Coffee Share Post

Coffee  by Faith Family Fun Design

If you would come over for coffee, I would give you a tour of our new apartment and the grounds we live on. I would tell you that I am comfortable here for the time being, and I would tell you about our plans to move to Santa Clarita in about 6 to 9 months.

I would tell you that I finally created an editorial calendar, which is something I can no longer afford not doing, considering that my business is growing and I need to have a written focus for every day, otherwise I will become completely overwhelmed, and get nothing done.

The coffee would be poured into two of the cups I got from my fellow Zazzle artists, and I would tell you that the coffee we are having is the same one I grew up with in Germany and thanks to the internet I can actually get it here. While this might not mean much to you, it means the world to me, as simple things like finding a little treat from over there, helps me with not feeling too homesick.

I would hopefully not sneeze too often while you are visiting. I seem to have picked up more allergies, even more so when I am outside. But thankfully we have hardwood floors now, which helps with all of the indoor allergies everyone else had, including the dogs. A few months ago, both of them had a severe allergic reaction and lost all of their fur. Both have completely recovered, thankfully, partially because of the environmental change, and partially because we changed their diet completely from processed food to homemade dog food (vet approved!).

This chaotic time, though, brought forth the idea of me writing an ebook on making the before mentioned food, which I hopefully will release in January via Amazon. I have two kindle books in the works, which will be released before that, one called “Mixing Teas – 101 Awesome and Flavorful Tea Recipes” and

“Flashes of Light – A Collection of Very Short Flash Fiction”.

I would tell you that the next few days would be very busy – happily busy. I am putting the finishing touches on some of my blog posts for my new home decor and lifestyle blog, and will launch “Avalon Design” in the upcoming week. I would let you have a sneak peak, and show you some images of the dining room table I have bought, and should be delivered by Friday. Then, for our next week’s get-together, I could bake something from  my Grandmother’s cake recipe collection, and maybe we even invite some more friends over, turning this small coffee share into a full blown “Kaffeeklatsch” party.

Now I am going to stop by to connect with the other participants of the Weekend Coffee Share. If you are interested in signing up and participating, click on this link for more information!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Claudia

Careful Lover – A Haiku

Lovers by Gina Signore

Careful Lover

Tenderness in her
eyes – yet mixed with fear unknown
weary to the end

Copyright Claudia H. Blanton 2015

End Of Summer – Are You Ready For Holiday Sales?

Dear Print On Demand Artists, it is time to get ready for the upcoming holiday season! And I do not mean just Fall, Veterans Day,  Halloween, and Thanksgiving, but also Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Years!

Revisit all of your seasonal products from last year, and see where you can make an improvement. How about adding new designs, just make sure that you place them on a variety of products in order to cover the various needs of your customers.

Fall and Winter are a perfect opportunity to create and sell stamps that reflect the colors that correspond to the upcoming holidays. While most people rely on electronic messaging, those are traditionally the times of the year where snail mail is still in use, so take advantage of that!

Here is a quick calendar to remind you of the exact dates you need to be ready for (remember to place your products a few weeks ahead of each holiday)

Holiday	Date
Halloween/Samhain	10/31/2015
Veteran’s Day	11/11/2015
Thanksgiving Day	11/26/2015
Hanukkah	12/6/2015 – 12/14/2015
Christmas Day/Day After Christmas	12/25/2015 – 12/26/2015
Kwanzaa	12/16/2015 – 1/1/2015
New Year’s Eve	12/31/2015

Also, keep in mind the lesser known Holiday of Yule/Winter Solstice, which occurs this year on Dec. 22nd.

Happy Creating!

Stop That Re-Pin! 4 Things You Should Consider Before Hitting That Pin Button

Whether you are a Print On Demand Artist, a writer or have your own business, the power of owning a Pinterest Business Account is great and should be utilized to its fullest potential by everyone. But because it is easy to fall into the trap of spamming your followers, you have to have a certain level of other pins on your boards that are not advertising your products or services. One of many ways to so is to repin what other people have posted.

However, repinning a great infographic without too much thought can be counter-productive. Here are four points you should consider when repinning content to your Pinterest business account (or any Pinterest account):

1. Read the comments to the pin thoroughly. Just because the information is great, does not mean that the pinner’s thoughts on the subject matter fit your needs, the needs of your audience, or are views you want to convey. Better yet, change the description of the pin completely, and include your own information on it.

2. Check the link. A great graphic or image does not make a great re-pin. Make sure the pin does not lead to some questionable content or is a dead link.

3. Get rid off hashtags. While hashtags are wonderful for facebook, twitter, Instagram and a host of other places, Pinterest is not one of them. Get rid of all the cluttering hashtags before re-pinning the pin.

4. Keep your followers in mind. Consider if the majority of your followers of this board would benefit from the content you are about to re-pin. If it is only of  interest to you or is only re-pinned to not look spammy, don’t bother. Every pin you share should have a purpose and bring value to your followers. No exceptions.

Happy re-pinning!

Claudia

P.S. Check out my free Editorial Calender And Marketing Planner – read about it, and download it here!