Saturday, December 31, 2011

Happy New Year

As 2011 comes to a close, we would like everyone to reflect on the last year. Think back on all the good and bad things that may have happened in our lives. There are events to be thankful for that made us happy, and, there are events that made us sad. Some of the events are out of our control. We like to focus on the events that are in our control. Things that are a direct results of our actions. Why should we reflect on the bad as well as the good? Because 2011 is now history. Forever etched in the book of our lifes story. History helps form a path to our future. We learn from not only our mistakes, but our successes, as well.

We all can make 2012 a happy and successful year by looking back and learning. What we did right. What we did wrong. Success is possible depending on the actions we all take. The sky is the limit if we duplicate what we did correctly and minimize or eliminate the mistakes we made. And, we don't have to do it alone. There's family, friends, Facebook friends. Lot's of help is out there for everyone. We all need support on occasion. And, we all need to support others as well. Teamwork will take us MUCH further in our quest as opposed trying to go at it alone.

The coming of a new year seems to be a great time to make resolutions.Think ahead to the end of the new year. What do you want it to bring? Make your resolutions accordingly. Stay positive, treat others as you would want to be treated and make 2012 a successful year.

Happy New Year! 

Friday, December 23, 2011

Wishing You a Merry Christmas

TCS would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our friends and family Happy Holidays!

We created TCS on Facebook back in March, 9 months ago with the aim to help people, small businesses, work at home parents and handmade artisans, to network, grow your fan bases, make contacts, friends and customers. It's amazing that we've grown to over 24,000 friends in this amount of time. Maybe we are doing something right huh? Our intentions are to help everyone grow as much as they want to. We'll continue in the upcoming year to strive to coming up with new, fun ways to network for everyone. Networking can be a long, hard process if you don't have some help. Thats what we are here for, to help you. As we've grown, we've seen some awesome businesses grow right along with us. The ones that grow the most are the ones willing to put the time and work into networking by not only thinking of themselves, but thinking of others as well. No one will grow without getting help and helping others as well. The morale of this story is, networking is a give and take tool for your business. If you give, you'll get back. If you just take, you will fail.
This is Christmas time. A time for giving. Let's make the spirit of giving a year round event.

We wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and may Santa grant all your wishes :)
TCS
ps. Feel free to comment on this post and wish your friends and families a Merry Christmas.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Christmas Giveaway 12/19


Todays giveaway:
Free entry in our Shopping Directory for your website, Blog, Store or Facebook page.
$20 value.
To enter:
Congrats to Christie, the winner of this giveaway :)

Friday, December 16, 2011

Christmas Giveaway 12/16

Giveaway 12/16


Personal Sketch. Graphite sketch of 1 subject on 9x12 paper.
Winner will send a picture to the Artist to be sketched.
Congrats to Cathy, the winner of this giveaway.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Christmas Giveaway 12/15

Giveaway 12/15

1 ea. 2 piece pack of Cinnamon Stick scented feathered palm wax votives
1 ea. Container candle scented Apple Jack n Peel 100% all natural soy candle
1 ea. Container candle scented Eucalyptus 100% all natural soy candle

(I will ship this free to the winner in the U.S.  if in Canada the winner will have to pay the freight)
Congrats to Frankie Martire for winning this giveaway.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Christmas Giveaway 12/14


Giveaway 12/14
 8 x 10 inch Fine Art Print Called Nutcracker .
No water marks on actual print.
Shipping is Free worldwide.

Congrats to Vivian McCormack,  the winner of this giveaway.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Christmas Giveaway

Giveaway 12/13


 Black Tie Affair Hair Pins.  They are perfect for Moms and Daughters alike.

Congrats to Janice, the winner of this giveaway :)

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Christmas Giveaway

Todays Giveaway:


Giveaway 12/12

https://www.facebook.com/StuessyBunn?sk=wall 

Stitched With Care Duos
Cute little piggy tail bows on ribbon lined alligator clips.
Winner will receive both sets shown!!
http://www.facebook.com/StuessyBunn

Congrats to D'anne Dzon, picked to receive this giveaway.

Please like the sponsors fb page then comment on this post with name and email. Winner will be chosen tomorrow morning for this giveaway.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Random Ramblings of the Day

Happy Sunday everyone!

Todays post will focus once again on networking our businesses on Facebook.

First, let me say what a great tool Facebook is for small and home based businesses. It's FREE advertising and promotion for you and your business. You can make a business page, promote it, your products and most importantly, Yourself. That's right, we said it, "Yourself". When promoting your business and products, you must promote yourself, as well. People will not only want to see your products, but will want to see what type of person they are thinking of dealing with as a business. People want to know that they are dealing with someone who is honest, trustworthy, willing to help and friendly. You are a reflection of your business. How you conduct yourself will be a deciding factor if someone "likes' your page, your business and ultimately you.

 Promoting and networking is a two way street. You have to be willing to give to get. We have to remember that Facebook is a "Social Network".
All to often we see business posting their ads on pages, then leave. This is fine if thats how you want to promote yourself and your business, but, is that really being "social"?  Your ad may or may not get noticed. On the other hand, if you placed an ad on a page, then bothered to look, like and maybe even comment on someone elses post, your odds go WAY up that you'll get noticed. Try it. We bet you'll see a difference in how your page will grow. Again, Facebook isn't about just showing ads, it's about being "social" and networking. We encourage you to show your ads on our wall. We also encourage you to show that you are willing to help others. Come and post your ad and when you do, visit some posts close to yours. Like their post and maybe make a comment. You might just make another contact, friend or customer.

Another subject we'd like to comment on is networking events. In particular, cruises, climbing, ladders, tagging, etc. These are events that are designed to help fan bases grow quickly by getting on a list, hovering the links and liking pages right from the list without having to go to each page. When considering that not long ago you had to actually visit pages, post on their wall and hope they like you back, this is a great tool to get your 'like' number up. The bad side of these events is their isn't a good way to monitor who is "playing fair". Some people get on these lists looking to get likes without giving a like in return. These people make a great tool very frustrating. Not only to the people who play fair, but to the page hosting the event as well. I can't speak for the other pages that host these events, but when we put these events on, we work hard to monitor the list, make sure the instructions are understood and keep the list clean and easy for those on it, only to see complaints at the end like "I liked 30 pages and only got 10 back. People aren't playing fair." The cold hard truth is that you will never get back the same amount you put in. Even in the days past when you had to visit pages, like them and post on their page, never did we get a 100% return in likes back. So, decide which way you want to network, it is totally up to you, but you'll never get back what you put into it. This isn't to discouraged anyone, it's to educate and hopefully keep the frustration level down when it happens.

In closing todays ramblings:
-Be "social".
-Don't portray yourself as one who always wants and never gives back.
- Post your ad, it's ok, but visit some other posts as well.
-Don't tag and run on a networking event. (word travels fast if you are found out)
-Network, make friends and promote your business and yourself.

Have a great week ahead :)
TCS


Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Christmas Giveaway

Hi everyone,
We hope you had a great Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday weekend. For those of you selling, a great weekend for sales and for those shopping, we hope you found everything you were looking for.
Christmas is right around the corner. To show our Christmas spirit we are going to host a giveaway on our website http://www.thecraftshow.org/
Here's how it will work:
Each day we will post the picture of the giveaway on our website. The next day we will announce on our Facebook page that the giveaway is up for grabs. We'll close our wall overnight with the sponsors page up and announce anyone wanting in on the giveaway can like the sponsoring page and leave a comment that they've done so. The next morning, we will use random.org to choose the winner. The winner will then be posted and they contact the sponsor or us for their prize. We will do this each day in December as long as we have enough sponsors.
 Also in other news, we have a christmas sales section on the home page of our website. This section will be right below our giveaway. This should be good exposure for your business as people go to see the giveaway. Details can be found on our website http://www.thecraftshow.org/

We truly hope that you had a great Thanksgiving holiday and a greater Christmas holiday season coming up.
TCS

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Black Friday/ Small Business Saturday Weekend Sale - Day 4


Show your support for Small Businesses this year!
100's of items from dozens of small businesses made by real people, not mass produced by machines.
Sale will last from Thursday through Monday with new items added each day.
Day 4
 
 

  Knitted Metallic Flower Ring - Sterling Silver
 (Colors: Silver, Black, Red, Blue, Purple, Green, Gray and Rainbow)
   $42.00
   FREE SHIPPING (TO USA ONLY)
Youniques Creative Jewelry
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youniques-Creative-Jewelry-RINGS/293974797284681?ref=tn_tnmn

Shiny Silver Star Earrings $14.00
Tres Romantique Boutique
http://tresromantique.etsy.com/

Shimmering Multicolored Silk Tote Bag $19.99 (Free Ship in USA)
Neo-Notions
 http://www.facebook.com/neonotions and http://www.neo-notions.com/

2 snowman candles (UK only)  £3.99
 - Gothica Jewels
 http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.182894705132889.48248.100002370818313&type=1#!/gothica.jewels
 
Pink flower attached to alligator clip
$7.00
Krista's
https://www.facebook.com/Kristas86

Pink and Zebra Tutu Set w/ bow
up to size 3T
Regular Price: $23.50 shipped
Sale Price: $15 shipped
Southern Miss Bowtique
www.facebook.com/southernmissbowtique
 
Everyday Jumper, Owls Size 5t 
$35.00
 Grace Parks, a small batch clothing company
 http://www.etsy.com/shop/graceparks

To purchase any of these items, or if you are interested in seeing more offers, please click on the business page link under the item that you are interested. All purchases will be between the buyer and seller.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Thursday, November 24, 2011Black Friday/ Small Business Saturday Weekend Sale - Day 3

Show your support for Small Businesses this year!
100's of items from dozens of small businesses made by real people, not mass produced by machines.
Sale will last from Thursday through Monday with new items added each day.
Day 3
 

"Faith, Hope, Love" bracelet
Help Feed Malnourished Children!
 $12 (retail $15)
 
Stuffed animal inside an Ornament $25
Whimsical Mai

Snowman Tutu Dress and Top-hat $45 
Kayleigh's Klippies

Terrycloth bib apron with pockets  $18.75 for apron,  shipping cost:  $6.75
  Beloved Embroidery
        http://www.facebook.com/BelovedEmbroideryGifts
        http://www.belovedembroidery.com

Handmade Multi Layered Wooden Cross  $25
 Expressive Faith Decor 
 
Rudolph Tangled in Lights Hat!
*Can be made with earflaps & braids
 Sale :::  $8.50 + $4.00 Shipping
 Capelas Crocheted Creations

Color Clip Collections $8
Coffee Time Creations
www.facebook.com/coffeetimecreations

To purchase any of these items, or if you are interested in seeing more offers, please click on the business page link under the item that you are interested. All purchases will be between the buyer and seller.



Friday, November 25, 2011

Black Friday/ Small Business Saturday Weekend Sale - Day 2

Show your support for Small Businesses this year!
100's of items from dozens of small businesses made by real people, not mass produced by machines.
Sale will last from Thursday through Monday with new items added each day.
Day 2

Black/White Throw 45"x54" $60
Launi's Rag Quilts


Crystallized eco-friendly palm wax candle
  3 for $20 Sweet Scents Candle Shop
http://www.facebook.com/sweetscentscandleshop
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetScentsCandles

"Masked Monsters 2012 Calendar" $10.00, but 15% with code: BLACKFRIDAY
Paper Forest
 http://www.etsy.com/shop/littlepaperforest


Grab-n-Go Coupon Totes $35.00+sh./hnd
  "Grab-n-Go Coupon Totes"
https://www.facebook.com/GrabnGoCouponTotes


21" waldorf doll winged horse    $85.00
  SewWickedlySweet
 http://www.sewwickedlysweet.etsy.com/


 The Gus Bunnies, everything moves.$20 and free shipping and handling.
 Gus Bunnies Gifts LLC
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gus-Bunnies/133012523473186


Owl and Apple Corduroy Pillow  $35 (plus S&H)
Chicky D's Accessories and Gifts 
http://www.chickyds.etsy.com/

  Sock Monkey hat & TY beanie  Newborn size $29.00
Purple Sheep
www.etsy.com/shop/orsonbay

To purchase any of these items, or if you are interested in seeing more offers, please click on the business page link under the item that you are interested. All purchases will be between the buyer and seller.


Thursday, November 24, 2011

Black Friday/ Small Business Saturday Weekend Sale

Show your support for Small Businesses this year!
100's of items from dozens of small businesses made by real people, not mass produced by machines.
Sale will last from Thursday through Monday with new items added each day.
Day 1


   Road Trip “Princess” NecklacePrice: $89.00
Kirsten Knudsen Designs
  www.KristenKnudsenDesigns.com

SOY MELTS & MELTER GIFT BASKET $20.00 (FREE SHIPPING IN U.S.)
Cathy's Creations of Roseville, MI
http://www.facebook.com/CathysCreationsMI

Get your very popular Slouchy! $11.25
Kerns Craft Corner
http://www.zibbet.com/kernscraftcorner

"Beach Buddies" Wine Glass Set $24.99 (free shipping)
 Love's Little Creations
http://www.facebook.com/loveslittlecreations

Wolf Quilt machine stitched 100.00 + shipping
Kathie D on Facebook 
 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kathie-D/112625785470007

Lace Petti Rompers- Many Colors! $10 ($2 shipping) 
Cuppycake Baby Boutique
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cuppycake-Baby-Boutique/143901852365751

Hand Crocheted Panda Bear Hat $15
Lavender Starlight
www.facebook.com/lavenderstarlight
www.lavenderstarlight.etsy.com
http://www.etsy.com/listing/86387540/panda-hat


 Wool Felt Holiday Hand Muff $24 
HeartFelt 4 Kids
   
http://heartfelt4kids.com/


To purchase any of these items, or if you are interested in seeing more offers, please click on the business page link under the item that you are interested. All purchases will be between the buyer and seller.


The Craft Show Black Friday Special
Become a TCS Sponsor and get your business link on our website for 6 months.
This weekend only, purchase this and get your business a lifetime listing in our Shopping Directory free.
http://www.thecraftshow.org/apps/webstore/













Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday Weekend Sale

 
 Black Friday/Small Business Saturday Weekend Sale
begins Thursday 11/24
Dozens of TCS friends items at great sale prices.
 

Sunday, November 20, 2011

TCS Networking Tips

Good Day Friends. We thought that we would offer some tips and observations on networking our businesses on Facebook. These are strictly the opinions of TCS.

We've all created a business page on Facebook.
 It's assumed that we did this because we have products or services to sell. Now what do we do with it? Well, we need to get it seen, build our fan base and get some customers. How do we do this? First off, it takes time, it takes work, it takes knowledge and it takes some talent as well.
 We've said it before and we'll say it again. You could have the best product in the world but if nobody sees it, you can't sell it. You have to get it seen. Facebook is a great place for that to happen. There are millions of people on Facebook. You have to figure the odds are pretty good someone will want your product or service if enough people see it. With that being said, just showing your product to people is only half the battle. You have to have a bit of tact and promote you and your business the correct way.

Facebook is a social networking tool.
You have to be somewhat social to get people to notice you. This means not only connecting with people, but engaing with them, as well. We see it everyday on our page. People pop in leave an ad and dissapear into the Facebook night not to be heard from again until they post their next ad. Now, I'm a normal person and I assume most are that come to TCS. As the ads that are posted roll through our page, unless something catches my eye, or I am strictly paying attention to each ad, I may remember 1 out of 100 ads posted. I will tell you what catches my eye 100% of the time though. It's the comments on posts. Why? Because it's not just an ad. It's a human engaging in conversation. I'm human (I think :) and I like to see what people have to say. I would lay odds on it that most of you would be the same way. You would notice comments more than just ads flying by.
My point is, you not only want to get your business seen. you want it to get noticed, as well.
TCS Tip: Be social, make comments, like posts, etc. You'll get noticed, I promise this.

Never turn down the opportunity for free advertising.
Everytime you make a post, or comment, or even just like a post, its free promotion for you and your business. I see lots of comments to posts on our page. Most are from personal accounts, which is great. But I also see a wasted opportunity for some of the people that are commenting. They don't tag their business page behind their comment. I can't tell you how many times I've seen someone comment from their personal account and someone commenting to that, "whats your page so I can like you". Thats a missed opportunity for another contact, a like or potentail customer.
TCS Tip: ALWAYS tag your business page when commenting on someones post. It's free advertising for you and your business.

Networking is Networking
TCS believes networking is making as many contacts as possible. Growing your fan base with many fans. Some believe that networking their business is just finding people and businesses that they are interested in.
On our "cruise" networking events, we always ask people to like everyone on the list. If this were to happen, we would all grow so much quicker. But I see comments like, "I only like the pages I'm interested in or I only want people that are interested in my business".
 Now, how each person networks is their right, but in my opinion, and this IS just my opinion, networking is people connecting with people, not just businesses connecting with businesses. Why would I let what someones business is stop me from networking with them? Pepsi or Sony or McDonalds doesn't care what business I'm in, yet they still want me to like them. If you keep in mind that you are networking with a person, not a business, you'll realize that even though they sell something you're not interested in, maybe they will be interested in what you offer. Or, someone they know may be interested, or, someone you know may appreciate you pointing them to that business that you aren't interested in. 

Be honest and trustworthy as a person and a business.
How you conduct yourself on Facebook is a reflection of you AND your business. Every post you make,  every comment you make and every action you take on FB is being seen by someone and an opinion is going to be formed about you and your business. Lord knows TCS has made comments or posts that we wish we could take back, but overall we keep in mind that what we say or do is being seen. No one is perfect and will make mistakes. We all need to think about how and what we say and do. People, real people are seeing this. 

Some observations.
In this part, I want to point out some things I've seen that fall into the category of  "Not Cool" :) I will not be naming or slamming any businesses for this. It may be an oversight on their part or they are just not knowledgeable of the fact.

"Not Cool"
-Excpecting help from others but not willing to help. Again, networking is people helping people.
I've seen people come to TCS and ask for others to come like their page, yet they don't bother to visit and like some of the others that have posted on our wall. If you come and ask for likes, try visiting a few pages posted first. You'll probably get some likes back by doing this and it shows you are willing to give as well as get.

- Signing up for a networking event and not particpating or as we call it "tag and run".
Someone who does this is intending to get likes but not give any back. If you only knew what people think of you and your business when you do this. Enough said!

-Advertising businesses other than your on on someone elses wall.
I've seen other businesses that charge a fee to promote businesses then promote that business on our wall for free. If you do this, you are getting paid to promote them on your wall, not ours. It is ok for you to promote YOUR business, not others. With that said, if you would like to promote a business on our wall that you are getting paid for, please see our "advertising options".

Parting note:
We created TCS with the vision of having a high set of standards. People helping People is our motto. We believe that there are far more people that want to do things right and treat others as they would want to be treated. We realize that from time to time their can be oversights, mistakes or just lack of knowledge to do things correctly. When visiting any page, always try to learn their rules and follow them before posting.
We offer lots of free advertising and promotion on our wall. It's a service we enjoy extending to everyone. All we ask is give a little back, help others, conduct your business in an ethical manner and enjoy :)

Have a great week ahead!
TCS

Saturday, November 12, 2011

TCS News and Views

It's the weekend! Time to enjoy family, and friends.

First off I'd like to wish Mrs TCS a Happy Birthday. The day is yours baby, have fun, enjoy and the only rule is ya gotta take me with you :) It's gonna be a ROCKIN Day!!! 

We would like to offer congrats to Gloria and Erica over at Wired Hanger. They have an outstanding piece of jewelry they produced that is going to be on display at the upcoming American Music Awards. You have to click on the link and go see the beautiful piece. We are so proud of our great friends. This should be an inspiration to us all. Dreams do come true :)

Also Congrats go out to Lory at Goody Goody Tutus. Her fb page just hit 10,000 fans. It's a tribute to the great products they have. Pop over and have a look.

Our website has a new feature. "TCS Great Finds". Each day we pick a business from our fb wall and put it on our website. Stop by each day to see another new great business at http://www.thecraftshow.org/ 

Our "Total TCS Promotion" raffle, has only three days left until we draw a winner. Each ticket is $1 for a chance to win the package worth over $50 of promotion for your business. Get tickets at the right side panel of this blog.

Have a great and creative weekend and week ahead. Dream BIG !!! 


Monday, November 7, 2011

Help TCS Help You

Happy Monday all. We hope your week is starting out great.

A few notes to get our week started:

We created our Facebook page 6 months ago to give people who own Homebased Businesses an outlet to get their names and products noticed by others. We worked and still work hard to do this. Our page has grown to almost 22, 000 friends. Thats quite a few that see when you post your business on our wall.

Then we created this blog, giving another outlet to spread the word. We've promoted it heavily and tried to do some fun things for people that visit. We want people to come see the great talent and amazing people that we are associated with. The more people that see our businesses, the better chance someone will become a customer.

We've created yet another outlet, our new website http://www.thecraftshow.org/. It's still new and growing. We are working hard to get it ranked high on the search engines and adding it to other directories. If we are successful it brings a whole new market of visitors to see your work. We've added our TCS Shopping Directory to the site as well. Social Marketing (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Linked In, are great add ons, but search engines is still tops to bringing visitors and customers to your website.

Besides providing these outlets for you, we also spend time on our Facebook page with our cruises and shout outs to help you grow your fan bases. Rest assured that we are busy :)

We've spent some time telling you how we help, now we need your help. Help TCS help you.

On our fb page, people can post (advertise) their business, products or services. Lots of people do it, 30,000 a month active users according to Insights. All we ask for in return is,
1. when we post a page, is to please visit it and tell them TCS sent you.
(these pages have normally done something special and deserve to be rewarded.)
2. when we provide our cruises, please follow the posted rules.
(100's of people join our cruises and a few won't return the favor and tag TCS.)
3. Comment or like the posts of others. Be active on our wall.
(everyone likes to see comments or that someone has liked their post. It lets them know someone is seeing it.) TCS Tip: Participating by commenting or liking others posts, actually gets you noticed more than the ad you post.

On our website:
1. Visit it frequently, tell your friends about it, leave a review and visit the sites listed on it.
(all of the above helps in the search engine ranking and gets more people to visit. More people to see our work and better chances of finding customers.)
2. Make a donation.
(we could use help to buy advertising and better SEO for the website. Again, to get more visitors.)

TCS is striving to make http://www.thecraftshow.org/ THE place for shoppers to go to buy from small businesses :)

Have a great week everyone!!!

Monday, October 31, 2011

Halloween Promotion

It's Halloween and
TCS friends are the best :)


Custom Embroidery & Applique,Baby Gifts, Hair Bows, Bottle Cap Products,
 Custom Vinyl Lettering, Handmade Crosses, Kids Boutique and much more!

Denim bootie bags, Hair accessories and more!

Tutus, Super Hero Capes and Tie Onesies are custom order at this time only.

Felt hair clips & accessories for girls. holiday gifts!

Custom tutus and tutu dresses in a variety of sizes and colors!

I work mainly in glass and metal, collecting beads on my travels to the many
 corners of the globe, from Alaska, & Ireland, to Peru & Chilie.

Fine Art Photography, Creative Expressions and Candid shots.

Quality made beautiful hairbows for beautiful little girls :-)

Quality photography at affordable rates St. George to Salt Lake City.

Make Me is a family based group that loves spending time together
 creating handmade products that are one of a kind peices. Place your custom order today!  

Soy Candles, Soy tarts, Wax Melts. Handdipped Incense, Body Oils, Massage Candles, Aroma Lamps, Burning Oils, Scented Bears, Smelly Jellies, Aroma Beads, Body Mist, Gift Baskets, Candle kits.
Hats that kids will WANT to wear!

Currently Selling Hand Made jewellery..
 I do take requests so let me know what you want, the colour and your budget.

Unique creations designed by my daughter.. Made by me : )