Monday Nite SKAT Show... What did those gals talk about?

No, seriously y'all... what was it that Huck, Rocker and myself talked about last night?

I was there and honestly I couldn't even sum it up for ya in a nice coherent manner. But that is the sheer fun of the S.K.A.T. Show. Its much ado about nothing and made up completely on the fly!

I will try my best to give a recap and if I'm not completely sure then I'm just gonna make it up. Even if you were there chances are you couldn't tell any of us what it was we covered.

So, I think we started the show off in our usual manner. Then we talked about THIS... followed by a little of THAT. Of course talking about THAT led to the topic known as OTHER.

I'm sure there was mention of kittens being dragged...

Rocker's Pa making a homemade diving board that pretty much is the epitome of her country roots...

More talk of Nuts (mostly because we missed "HuffNuts" which means I regretfully missed my Monday night visual). That kind of segwayed into Rocker earning her Nut name of "Butchered Nuts" while I became "Wicked Nuts" and Huck became "Squirt Nuts"...

Then we poked a dog with a dead stick. No, not really. But we did talk about the fact that asking someone to censor art just because it isn't to your own taste is just plain wrong. So for the few haters out there... just know that you are greatly outnumbered by the admirers.


Yeah. You had to be there. And you really should be there every Monday night at 9pm EST. In fact if you don't show up it has been scientifically proven that every S.K.A.T. show you miss takes seven years off your life. (Okay, I made that up.)

Mom's Cafe Gets Photographic!

Last nights edition of Mom's Cafe was chocked full of photographic goodness! We had two awesome guests, ChainMaille Lady and Diana from Night Maiden. Both ladies gave some fantastic advice on taking great photos for the items you list and sell online!

So, the good news is both of our guests agreed that you don't have to have a fancy schmancy camera to take great pictures! Some very good advice we received was to "learn your camera". This may seem like "duh" but honestly, do you know what all those buttons and gizmos on your camera really do? I know that I don't! After last nights show, I am pulling out my manual today to see what else I can do with my Camera!

Some very good tips we got we're about backgrounds: If you have an item that is light in color, try a darker background and vice versa for dark colored items. Remember, don't let your background be busier than your item, this is very important because you never want to draw attention away from your items.

Don't forget when taking photos of smaller items like jewelry, to use your macro setting on your camera, this will allow you to get the close up shots you need without blurring or fuzzy pics. Both of our guests suggested using natural outdoor light for great shots or a light box. ChainMaille Lady also suggested that the Light Box she had made was better than the one she had bought!

After you get your camera set up, lets think about how you would like to display your items. You can't just leave it laying on a table. This is your hard work! The only way anyone will truly appreciate it, is if you photograph it in a positive light. We must take as much care in our photography as we took in creating our items! Suggestions for props are models, flowers, store bought props. For example, some great props are found in nature! Use flowers, leaves, stones, trees, grass, anything that is naturally beautiful to your advantage! So long as it doesn't take away from the beauty of your item you can use it!

Also, think of things that go along with your items. If you have a sewn item, you can use spools of thread or scissors as props. Soap, can use rubber duckies and bath tubs. There are always more creative ways to take your photographs to attract the attention of potential buyers!

The last and most important advice we received was : Don't give up! Keep on until you get it right! Take lots and lots of pictures of items to get that perfect shot! Fill up ALL the slots in your listings! Show all the angles and maybe a different background too.

All in all, photography of your items will not come to you overnight. This is something that will be perfected with time. Just like it took you a while to learn your craft, photography is the same way!

We enjoyed having our guests on last night and learned so much! Don't forget to catch Mom's Cafe on Blockhead Radio Wednesday nights at 9pm Eastern with Rockerchic and Mama's Little Monkeys! We promise next weeks show will have some more stinkin' awesome tips for your online handmade shops!

Nominate your Favorite Handmade Mom!

Do you have a favorite handmade Mom?

Would you like to give her a stinkin' awesome gift for Mothers Day?

Now is your chance!

You can win a great Mom Basket made by Mama's Little Monkey's and sponsored by Rockerchic from Mom's Cafe!

This basket is a $50 Value! And includes all the following:

Lilac Scented Oval Soap, approx 3 oz
Fleur De Lis guest size soap, approx 1 oz
"Twisty Towel" Hair Spa Towel, Pink Terry Cloth
Large assortment of Chocolates in "mom" shapes
Alexander Henry Cotton/Green Minky Eye Sleep mask
Notebook
Flower Pink Flower Pen
Cucumber Melon Bath Salts

Heres how to get your basket:

Tell me WHY this mom deserves our handmade basket of goodies!

Here are da rules:
Only one entry per person
Entry must include: Your name, The name and url of the Mom your nominating, and a way to contact you.
Mom nominated MUST be an online seller of handmade goods
Basket will be mailed directly to the winning entry's nominated mom.

Send all entries to me (rockerchic) at rockerchic4b@aol.com
Please also direct all questions to rockerchic at the same email address.

The deadline for entry is May 8th 2009

Winner will be decided by the best entry by a non-biased judge. The mom who seems to be the most deserving will win the Mother's Day Basket.

The basket winner will be announced on the Mom's Cafe show Wednesday, May 13th 2009 at 9 pm Eastern Time on Blockhead Radio.

The winning entry will be read on air!


Thanks you guys for entering and don't forget to tell all your friends! This is just Mom's Cafes' way of saying thanks to all their great listeners and friends!

Mom's Cafe is Rockin the Thirty Minute Mommas!

Last night Myself and Amy over at Mama's Little Monkey's, once again had the amazing pleasure of interviewing 4 totally hot Handmade Mommas on our Wednesday show of Mom's Cafe.

Our first Momma was Christie from Stitch ~n~ Love, which I personally met over in the Cafemom Street Team. She can be found in many places: Artfire, Etsy, 1,000 Markets, and Congo. You can even find her on her blog! Christie and her way cute Hubby Tony are the parents of 6 kids, including a Chipmunk, and a Jaguar! She lives in a stinkin' Zoo!

Christie is a whiz at sewing! I love browsing around her Artfire Shop! She makes adorable boutique clothing, modeled by her very own Chipmunks! One of my favorites is the Custom Twirl Skirt Outfit! Christie said it takes an entire day to create this outfit, and I'm giving her the props she deserves. That is one fantastic sewing accomplishment!

After we browsed around all of Christie's links, we had the opportunity talk to "Meeez Picard" or Paula, from Picard Creative! I have got to admit, I really enjoyed interviewing Paula! She is a great inspiration and help to anyone who wants to sell handmade online! Paula came up with a way to bring people to Artfire by creating the Crazy Train. I really love the way the people over at the crazy train promote other artisans and I appreciate and respect how they are bringing people in to the handmade movement!

Paula's items are really neat and I love the concept! She makes repurposed magnets from old cans, and art collages. My personal favorites are the Pin up Magnets! Oh and not to mention, she even has a magnet up with a pic of me!

Paula can be found on Artfire and Etsy and has a great Blog too! I encourage you to check her out, get your ticket for the Crazy Train (and I have to mention the Train's conductor Larry over at Chelsea Lynn Designs), and take some time to browse around her artfire shop! I have laughed until my sides hurt at the creative magnets she has! Those magnets will make great gifts! I know a few people I would love to give them to!

Elegance by Mode was our third Hot Mom of the night! Elegance has been around Blockhead Radio for awhile now and also lives in North Carolina along with myself and Larry from The Crazy Train. Elegance was a hoot! She has two daughters one of which is Brittany who spilled the beans on Mom and told us a funny story about her skipping and singing through the shopping mall!

You can find Elegance on Artfire and her blog, and she is on Byhand.me also. Since I have met Elegance, I have loved visiting her store! She has some of the prettiest handmade jewelry I've ever seen! Each piece has been handwoven with love! I must admit, her craft is one I would never have the patience to attempt! I found my favorite piece as I was browsing last night. I have never seen another cameo ever, like her Woven Cameo Necklace. I am personally saving my dollars for that beautiful piece of art! Everything in her shop is amazing! You guys have got to stop by and see what all the talk is about!

The final Mom of the night was Valerie from Kickins Kreations. She has some of the tastiest looking candles I've ever seen! We had a blast going through her shop and throwing links into chat for everyone to drool over! You can find Valerie, everywhere! Really, she is on Artfire, Flickr, Byhand.me, Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter!

We were all taken by surprise when we actually saw a Pickles and Ice Cream Candle! My personal favorite is the Chocolate Amaretto Pie Candle and The Fruit Bowl Candle! Valerie has so many different candles and soaps in her shop! I loved looking around and learning about candle making! She really has a great outlook on selling handmade online and I loved talking with her!

You can catch Mom's Cafe on Blockhead Radio every Wednesday Night at 9pm Eastern Time hosted by Rocker and Mama! Mom's Cafe is currently having a Mother's Day Giveaway check it out and give a great gift to your friend! Thirty Minute Momma is a BLAST, if you would like to sign up to be a future Thirty Minute Momma, here is how to do it! Thanks again for all the Moms we had the opportunity to talk with last night!

Win Rocker's Package

You too can be a RockerChic.........

That's right, you can win Rocker's Package today. All you gotta do is open a player and wait for us to announce it's time for the stinkin' good giveaway.

You can be a rockerchic too..........

One Size large "Acid Washed Angel Tattoo Tee" V neck.

"At the end of the day" retro earrings (black, pink, redish).

Skully hot pink pendant.

Visit RockerChic today.......

Going Green with Mom's Cafe..and a giveaway!

Last night Mom's Cafe went green and YES, we stayed on topic! Rocker and I discussed various ways you can go green and be eco-friendly and NOT break the bank! We chatted about what being green means to us, for myself I will be as green as my pocketbook allows and I respect the earth we've been given; for Rocker, she explained she just cannot stand to see things throw away, she sees potential in everything!

We shared some fantastic links, tutorials and shops you can purchase green items from if you are sewing machine phobic.

Here are some to get you started:

Links to repurposing clothing:
Men's Shirt into girls Dress:
http://therockerchiconetsy.blogspot.com/2008/07/girls-pillowcase-style-dress-from-mens.html

Neck Ties into Jumper:
http://therockerchiconetsy.blogspot.com/2008/07/neck-tie-dress-tutorial.html

Tut for Sleeves into baby pants:
http://indietutes.blogspot.com/2008/06/happy-bum-pants-from-sleeves.html

Make a kids toys from your old clothing:
http://miaoucrafts.com/jill/?p=82

Tees into Reusable Grocery Bags:
http://www.marthastewart.com/article/good-thing-t-shirt-bag
somewhere between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year

Where to buy reusable grocery bags:
Upcycled Creations
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&seller_id=22851

Did you know the Average American throws away 68 lbs of clothing each year? That is insane!! Think of all the good that could come from that! Even if you are not a crafty person, think of the other places you can share your unwanted items! Freeuse, Freecycle, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Women's Shelters, Homeless Shelters, Schools, etc. There are places you may never realize would take donations..perhaps your local Head Start, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts could use some items? Police stations may take clothing and toys to use when dealing with rape or abuse victims. Donate your blankets to homeless shelters or hospitals for babies...who knows if your blanket could help keep one baby warm? Why throw it out?? Do good!

Parenthood also leads one to many Earth Friendly possibilities, reusing toys, sharing toys, handmade toys and clothing, cloth diapering, mama cloth and many reusable items for mom and baby abound!

Here are some awesome shops to find such items:

Reusable Feminine Pads, and Reusable Lunch Bags:
http://www.dominopads.com/
U.S. women landfill or incinerate 11.3 billion "disposable" menstrual products per year.
It takes approximately 500 years for one "disposable" menstrual pad to partially biodegrade.

Cloth Diapers
http://theelimonster.etsy.com
Takes 4-500 years to biodegrade 1.5 billion disposable diapers into landfill yearly!

You can reduce landfill waste from your kid’s toys by making their toys from old clothing, from the tutorial we’ve given you before…. Or you can purchase, SAFE LEAD FREE toys from that are handmade by moms who understand your safety concerns with today’s toy corporations!

Crayons and play dough, also ouchie pouchies
Turtle Mommy
http://turtlemommy.etsy.com

Play Goop, Surprise Rocks,
Leaky Mouth
http://leakymouth.etsy.com
(shop currently closed-Reopening soon! Bookmark it!)

Also check out green toys on Artfire:
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=categories&main_cat_id=33

Crafty? Follow these tutorials!

For those old broken up crayons:
http://michaelgrace.blogspot.com/2009/03/tuesday-tutorial-cookie-crayons.html
Make your own shaped crayons, or buy them on handmade venues.

Soap with enclosed Toy:
http://whipup.net/2008/01/25/tutorial-soaps-for-kids-to-make-pt1/

All kinds of tutorials for handmade toys:
http://www.make-baby-stuff.com/homemade-toys.html

Essentially, no matter what you do, where you are, you can take steps to lessen your carbon footprint and leave the world a nicer, cleaner, healthier place to live!

Want to calculate your carbon footprint? Check it out here: http://www.carbonfootprint.com/

Happy Green Living..

~~Mama and Rocker

Don't forget Rocker's Super Cool Giveaway!

CLICK HERE for details!

Moms' Cafe...with Chris Huff surprise!

So, if you missed last night's edition of Mom's Cafe, I can't say we necessarily helped your time management skills any....but you did learn intimate details of leg shaving, pig chasing AND you got to hear Chris Huff sing Happy Birthday to a listener in chat!!

That is not your typical radio show to say the least! Come on, Chris Huff singing? Show of the year, I think! If you were digging Chris's little diddy, hop on over to his BLOG and share some love!

To prove that we really did have a goal and topic last night, here are some tips on time management:

*Use resources to save you time and energy, such as byhand.me where you can create a blog entry and once it's complete, immediately post it to twitter AND your own personal blog! Talk about timer saver! You can also use your Byhand.me URL (for example, http://mamaslittlemonkeys.byhand.me) in your promotions to send everyone to the ONE link that has ALL your other links!! Again, huge time saver (not to mention tree saver--less business cards to hand out!)

*Find solutions that work for YOU! While making lists may work for some moms, they are not quite so handy for other moms. Perhaps you are a note taker, color coded file folder kinda person. Or perhaps you survive on massive amounts of post-it notes? Maybe you just keep it all in that uber talented brain of yours? Either way, don't let others tell you the PERFECT way to do it, because if it doesn't work for YOU, then it's not perfect!

*HAVE FUN! If your work (whatever it may be!) is not fun, then perhaps it's time to find a new creative outlet? Granted, we cannot all have the funnest job ever (which is...??) but you should at least ENJOY your work and find pride and self worth in it...no matter what it is. You get OUT Of life what you put IN it...so that should be your goal every day!

*Remember to let some things GO! If you are a parent you know your children are only young once and do you want to remember this time as a super stressful time? Put down the computer, turn off the phone and go play with your kids! Chances are good whatever you are working on will still be there when you get back and you'll see the world did not spin off it's axis.

And on that note, I'm closing the laptop, signing off Skype and going to take my munchkins OUTSIDE into the beautiful day!!

Thanks for tuning in to Mom's Cafe, and come back EVERY Wednesday night for more tips, laughs, and possibly more pig chasing stories....

Wednesday nights at 9 pm Eastern!

Bring yer mama and dem!

Thirty Minute Momma on Mom's Cafe

So naturally when two great minds meet, spectacular things happen! What else would you expect to happen when Rockerchic and Witchy just happen to make magic together?

Tonight we had a great idea! A two hour show with four moms, 3o minutes each. We called it the Thirty Minute Momma Show. We got to talk to some great moms with some great handmade items!

First we had the great opportunity to speak with Sara of Love To Stamp. You can find her on Artfire and Etsy. She really is a sweetheart! And we got to see some stinkin' awesome stuff in her shops! My personal favorite was this "Zany Green Monster" When I asked Sara "What advice would you give other Moms who want to do what you do?" She simply said: "Just Do It" And personally, I think it's great advice! Just do it, just have faith in yourself and do what you love to do!

Our Second Momma was Little Lovlies. You can find her on Etsy and Hyena Cart. She is a mom of two with an adorable model in her pictures! She is currently running $0.01 shipping on her boutique flip flops in her shop! I know Witchy and I have already picked out matching pairs! She is a great artisan with such a wonderful personality! I really enjoyed talking to her about what she does! When I asked her what her favorite items in her shops were she told me about her "Upcycled Creations". She actually takes clothing that is still in great shape but second hand, and turns it into the most adorable "new" clothing! I'm all about repurposing so this really hit home with me! I'm definitely digging the upcycled creations (Oh, and totally gonna rock those flip flops on my Sasquatch feet)!

There was a new kid on the block called B A Kid Again can be found also on Artfire and Etsy. We had so much fun looking through her shops! I found everything I wanted for my Tree this holiday, and some soap, and foot goo too! She told us a really cool story about a lady's husband buying out all of her foot goo at a show she did because his wife was so happy with it! Now that my friends, is love! You also have to check out her Glass Globe Ornaments! I found one I'm really fond of! She says they are all made from fabric, on the inside of the globe, with Glow in the Dark Glitter! How awesome is that? I loved checking out the many, many things in B A Kid Again's shops! I have to say, I'll be back there soon! Not to mention what a fantastic person she is too!

Last but not least we had our very own Momma, Huckleberry Arts. Huck is definitely a great artisan, Momma, and wife! How do we know? Oh, we just know! She actually did tell us a great definition of Primitives and Rustic. I honestly had no idea it was such a detailed and interesting form of art! Not to mention she is a great person to talk to! We had a blast laughing and talking and making jokes! I can't wait to be on air with her again! Oh, and Witchy too.

I did miss my Monkey during this show, but hopefully she'll be back in time for the next one! Where we'll talk about.... Well? It's a surprise! So, you'll just have to tune in to hear it!

WOOT! We Have a Winner!

Congratulations to Rockerchic for winning the coveted title of "Weekly Challenge Winner" for last week's Artisans Challenge with her "Queen of Hearts" Costume! She also won the 30 second ad spot for this week. Rock on with your bad self, Rocker! :)

Thanks to all the fabulous entries! It is only through word of mouth by all the participants of each category that the Artisans Challenge continues to grow!

Be sure to get your votes in this week in all 13 Categories! Such mad skillz in every category and it would be a shame to miss any one of them. Support your fellow artisans and cast your votes!

A Froggy Rocker, Mama and Big Announcement...

What? You weren't there this past Wednesday at 9 pm to hear me, Mama Possum and Rocker gab about blogs and our overall awesomeness? WELL! You will be fined two points from the biggest Stalker contest! Okay, I suppose we'll forgive you. Just remember the golden rule...there is to be NO discussing of "Lost" with me until I have seen it!

IF you missed our little show, you missed a very froggy Rockerchic and I chat about blogs and how to use them for your business. Here are a few key points:

Use widgets and tools to your benefit! Such as:
www.entrecard.com
www.feedburner.com
www.tehnorati.com
Those are just the tip of the iceberg, there are many more.

Also discussed was the cardinal sin of blogging, (particularly if you use Entrecard), NO AUTO MUSIC!! We cannot emphasize that enough! HUGE turn off for your readers, and a big no-no if you use Entrecard.

Do remember WHY you blog, if you blog personal stories, remember that if you are using that blog for business, EVERY reader is a potential customer and what you blog about can either hurt or help you. Try to avoid personal rants, complaining and NEVER EVER bad mouth another artisan. That's just bad mojo. :)

And do not miss next week's Mom's Cafe! I have a prior committment, but the lovely Witchy will be stepping in for me for more nonesense, mom/artisan info and fun!!

Have a great day!!
~~Amy the Possum

Artisan Teams & Groups Co-Host RockerChic

Last evening at 8 pm est, Kristie, the one and only, incredibly talented, shamelessly funny, and deliciously one of kindest in thought and deed persons that I have ever had the honor of getting to know, was my guest co-host on the Artisan Teams & Groups Show.

We learned that Kristie is the fearless and never ruffled leader of the Cafe Mom Etsy Team, or CEM, as they lovingly call themselves. With more than 260 members, and just two co-leaders.

Working full-time in retail merchandising has been an inspiration in how she is able to present a unique view of selling, as well as arranging her trade/craft show booth, while overseeing the CEM team, her own etsy shop, a rambunctious young daughter, husband, and a goat they affectionally call Oreo.

Kristie manages to keep her ilfe in perspective.

Following about a year long conversation with other etsy members, Kristie felt her heart speak of the need to form a group simply to help other Mom's to enter the world of online selling, promoting, and human support. For her, this is a hobby. In my opinion, a true way of Paying It Forward!

Cafemom Etsy Moms Street Team Mission Statement: Our goal is to be the best Etsy sellers and crafters we can be, individually and as a group. We strive to learn together, and grow together. We promote each others shops and crafts. We come together from all walks of life with one common bond: Motherhood.... As different as we all are... we have all held a child in our arms, wiped away tears, and wished we were the ones hurting instead! We know what it's like to have your heart walk outside our bodies... And through our bond, we put our differences aside and come together to promote handmade, "mother-made" goods.

Kristie grew up in a household of self-sufficiency where they made their own clothes. For this, and her spunky, strong sense of self-esteem, she was teased at school. So consider this bullies, just look at her now! Don't you mess with our Rocker cause Charlie will be certain to "nip" you in the bud, bud!

And lest we forget, Mrs. Rocker won last weeks BlockheadRadioLive.com weekly Artisan's Challenge, and is currently in 1st place over all of the other entries that placed 1st, and is headed straight to the finish line with this awwwwdorable youngin....um, Halloween costume dress:

Please, head on over to Blockhead Radio Live, click on the player to listen to totally awesome independent, self-representing music artists on this 24/7 venue. Then scroll to the bottom of the BHR page, click on the big challenge box, click on weekly challenge, then click on weekly challenge once again to vote.

And while you are there, check out how to purchase your very own Radio Commercial for the sale price of just $15!

~Lily Wrey Designs at Tulips Treasure Box

Have a beautifilled everyday!