BLACK FRIDAY-CYBER MONDAY ON ETSY

Have you seen the commercials on TV lately about the BIG, HUGE, and ***EARLY*** sales this Friday, now know as BLACK FRIDAY??? My goodness, OLD NAVY is opening at 3AM!!! I can't imagine the staff's reaction to that idea! Many, many, other retailers are opening their doors super early as well.
So I don't really plan to be in line to shop at a brick and mortar store, but I do plan to be ONLINE shopping the sales that are being offered all weekend long!
Etsy is promoting FREE SHIPPING for the weekend and a large portion of Etsy sellers are participating. To find those specials, just log in to Etsy.com and search for "Etsyfreeshipping". Plus, if you search "Etsyholidaysale" you will find all sorts of wonderful offerings by fellow Etsians.

I am offering FREE SHIPPING during the Thanksgiving Weekend on ALL HOLIDAY/CHRISTMAS collars. If you haven't gotten your canine their Holiday collar, now would be the perfect time!






I also have just marked down over 40 various collars to $5, $6, and $7!!! So come on over to my Etsy shop and see how much you can SAVE!

FINALLY: Electricity Comes to Our Part of Town

Strange things are happening out front of our house!
Well, it involves our neighbors, as well.


When I drove home one day last week, our garage door wouldn't open for me. It seems that electricity is needed to operate the garage door. Luckily, I was able to get in without a key to any door: we have a keyless entry lock on one of the patio doors.
I had noticed "utility workers" down the street and went down to where they were working to ask if my power outage had anything to do with their presence. Of course, the answer was "yes" and that my power would be restored in just a few minutes. No problem--I really didn't WANT to do any laundry right then anyway.
So when I was pulling out of the driveway on Wednesday and had to delicately maneuver around utility workers, I stopped and asked what was going on. Apparently, all the power outages that we have (and there have been MANY) on our block are due to the fact that the "lines" are over 35 years old and need to be replaced.
Our front yard has some interesting little flags flying--some on wooden stakes and others on tiny metal poles. They are to alert the workers of other existing lines, such as gas, sewer, phone, etc. They are quite colorful!


More color is added out front in the form of a unique type of graffiti:




So I was told that these guys were nearly finished with their portion of the job and that the rest will be finished next week by our electric company. We shall see...


Maybe we didn't need to spend that $800 last July on the TWO "Whole House" in-line power surge protectors we had installed!!!

Where has this month gone???

I have neglected my poor blog this month! I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK and then Christmas will be here in a matter of moments!
Christmas collars have been a BIG hit in my Etsy shop and I am working hard to get a variety of new (non-holiday) designs added very soon. Here's a hint of a few things that are to come...





If you haven't visited my shop lately, you might want to take a look at the SALE section. I have marked down various designs to $5, $6, & $7 Whoa! What was I thinking??? I just need to make room for some new looks. And just think--Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day collars are on there way, too!

Quick and Easy Holiday Gift Tags

I started making gift tags last year and now I am hooked on making these little goodies to use on gifts and to give as gifts.

Supplies Needed:
Cardstock; 4"X 6" note card; 2"circle punch; 1/8" hole punch; scissors; yarn, twine, or string


Step 1:
Using the circle punch, punch out tags around the perimeter of the piece of card stock. I love these Fiskars squeeze punches! They are a little pricey, but try using a Michael's coupon to make them more reasonable.



Cut the remnants away from the center of the card stock. Now finish punching out the circles.


Step 2:
Using a 1/8" hole punch, create a hole about 1/4" from the edge of each tag.


Step 3:
Wrap your chosen yarn, twine, or string around the width of the note card several times. Slide one of the blades of the scissors between the note card and the twine and cut along the edge. The result will be several 8" long pieces of twine.



Step 4:
Attach one piece of twine to each tag by threading the looped end of the twine through the hole in the tag, then pulling the free ends of the twine back through the loop. Pull the twine to make a snug fit on the tag.





Repeat Step 4 until you have all of the tags ready for use.


Don't forget to make extras to share with all of your family and friends!
Have fun being creative!

FINALLY: THE BARK MAGAZINE IS ON SALE NOW!!!

After much contemplation, I decided a couple of months ago to buy a small ad in the holiday issue of The Bark magazine. It wasn't cheap, by my standards, but it reaches a specific demographic perfect for promoting my handmade dog collars. I am so happy with the ad that Amanda of DawnCorrespondence.etsy.com designed for me. She worked so diligently with me and my ever changing concepts.
Here's the cover to the issue:


My small ad can be found on page 90. See it in this shot? It is on the middle row, outer box--I think it shows up very well along side the other ads on the page.


Just in case you can't see it well, here's a clear picture:


Thank you, Amanda, for all of your help with this project!
Thank you, too, Korrie (my wonderful daughter) for helping me pick a theme so appropriate for the holiday issue!

FIRST MONDAY OF NOVEMBER--SUPER ETSY SALE!!!

It’s that time again! Etsy Texas Crafters street team presents: FIRST MONDAY SALES EVENT!
I am offering the following as a participant:
Regular priced items are 15% off (excludes clearance items, custom orders,gift certificates and shipping)!
This offer is only good this Monday, November 2, from 12:01am until 11:59pm.
I will issue a refund of the discount amount to your PayPal account once you have paid for your item(s).

So click on over and do a little Holiday Shopping at Crazy For Collars!

FANDANGLE WINNER AND HAPPY NOVEMBER 1

Halloween is now past and we are starting November! Lots of fun holiday craft shows are taking place around our nation and I hope you will consider handmade items for those special gifts this year. If you don't have a craft show in your area, be sure to consider doing a little shopping over at Etsy.com. You can find handmade items from every category possible, along with some wonderful vintage finds.



And the winner of the Fandangle giveaway is.....(drum roll...):
Amanda (her blog: This Is Us)!
She will be the new owner of this blue crystal brooch Fandangle that was featured in my earlier posting which included the tutorial for making these fun ceiling fan adornments!
Thanks so much to all who participated.

Happy November everyone!