Thankful Thursday ✽ Little Things

We've had a busy day cleaning the house, but I wanted to take a minute and count my blessings and share a few glimpses of our life this past week :)...

Josiah has always loved to "play piano" <3. When he was Noah's age, I used to sit him on my lap while I played lead sheets in the key of C... haha. Nothing fancy, and so when I am asked if I could play piano, I always truthfully answer, eh, not really. Mama shared a picture of those sweet moments one time, and our "adopted Grandpa" in the Friendship Choir leaned forward one rehearsal, and told me, "I saw you playing that piano with that baby. Now you have to play for us someday." I don't think he believed me, haha... But, given that, I find it adorable that now Josiah plays with Noah <3.

Joe "Cool Guy" Siah helping the big people with some projects :).

I love this little face, with it's messy curly hair and sweet little nose!!!

Today I am thankful for the little moments...

time change, because I honestly love this schedule, sorry to those of you who don't, haha - Noah patting me and asking if I can pick him up - and calling up to me from the bottom of the stairs to ask if he can have m&m's for absolutely no reason, heehee - working on a bible reading schedule with some of my siblings, and being able to discuss what is happening "now" with the younger ones - Josiah asking me to come snuggle him before he goes to sleep - the feel of a warm cup in my hands in the early morning - putting pen to paper again, because for the past several months I've either been too overwhelmed or too busy to write, and now it's such a joy to bring it back - giving people nicknames as a form of affection - crossing items off my to-do list that has gotten far too long in the past couple months - Josiah, manly man that he may be, still climbing up for some snuggles like the little guy that he is - late night laughter with my sisters - Andrew's quirky grin when he knows I'm being a goose, but he doesn't want to discourage me - evening texts from dear friends - songs that encourage one in the Lord - Noah's sweet little voice singing along to a hymn  - seeing Peter becoming a little artist - the little boys in their matching pjs - answers to prayer - a family that will be there for me through thick and thin - reading through the bible and noticing little details I've missed so many times before... there is always something to learn - dear friends sharing their words of encouragement with others - being able to sit down and thank the Lord for all this and so much more on a otherwise hectic day <3.

Happy Thursday! What did you do today? What are you thankful for :)? What is your opinion on the autumn time change?

Using Etsy's Caculated Shipping Feature ✽ Step-by-Step with Screenshots

Hey y'all! I hope you are having a wonderful week :)! I was asked a couple questions about using calculated shipping on Etsy, and so I'm here to answer those today :).

 First off, you'll need some boxes and packing materials to pack your item to weight it correctly, and then you will need a postal scale to weight the packaged item. I have one like this, and it's worked great :). Whatever one you get should come with instructions on how to use it... but a couple reminders, whatever version you get...
-You have to place your scale on a firm, flat surface for it to work right (so, not on the carpet, your bed, or just balanced on your hand ;) ).
-And you have to have the box placed centered on your scale and NOT resting on anything at the edges, for the scale to be able to accurately measure the whole weight.
-Weight EVERYthing you will mail with your product (packaging materials, the box, the extra goodies you usually stick in, etc). That way the shipping is accurate to what you will pay once the item is ordered!

Alright. Get out the things you'll need...

• Your product.
• Package and packing material.
• Your scale.
• A measuring tape.
• And your computer logged into your Etsy account!

-Fill out your regular listing information (title, description, tags, etc.)
-The very last section you will be filling out will be your shipping information. There is a drop down menu here that gives you the option to enter a standard price, or, for calculated shipping, to ask Etsy to "Calculate them for me"...

-Type the zip code you mail from into this box. If you mail from home, that would be your zip code, but if you prefer to mail from a post office box so that buyers won't know your address, you'll use your post office zip code. Buyers will be asked to type in THEIR zip code when they order, which will be how the distance is calculated :).

-Select your processing time. This is how long it will take you to get the ordered product into the hands of the postal service, and you want it to be as short as it can be, so that buyers aren't turned away by how long it will take, and yet just a little cushioned for emergencies, because Etsy makes sure you have confirmed the item is shipped by the promised date.

-Here's one of the perks of calculated shipping - you can reach buyers from all over the world, without being afraid of losing money due to shipping fees, because the price of shipping is given to them for their exact location, without you having to use the guess and hope method that is so often under priced!

-Also, and this is a big perk to customers, they can request that the item is sent using a faster method than first class, without you having to up the charge yourself. They just choose how fast they would like it shipped, and automatically the upgrade is calculated in! This will help you reach those last minute shoppers who would DEFINITELY buy from you... if only it would arrive in two days...

-Here you have some optional things to choose from... do you want to offer free shipping to a group of people? Do you need to include the price of your packaging into the shipping costs? It's up to you.

-Now, package up your item just like it is going to be mailed right now.
-Follow the instructions to your chosen postal scale to measure your packaged item in pounds and ounces.
-Enter the weight into the top two boxes. You can't put a partial ounce into the oz. box, so if your package weighs 6.3 ounces, you need to round it to 7.
-Grab your measuring tape, or, if you are using a commercial box, find the size given on the flap, and add the length (longest side, no matter which way the box goes), width, and height into the 3 spaces shown here. Inches have to be rounded to the next complete inch, too; so no 4 and 3/4 inches, just 5 :).

-If you are curious about how much it might cost somebody to have the item shipped to them, there are several preview options for large cities and countries, to get a feel for what they will be charged. It does nothing to your listing though, haha ;).

And that's it! You'll receive the exact postage from your customer that it would take to mail it through USPS. You can purchase the shipping labels through Etsy, though, which, as you can see, will be lower than from the USPS. See how they tucked the handling fee into the price, too? Buyers won't see that it's an added charge, so don't worry they'll be annoyed at that. But, here's a little secret... I don't usually add in a handling fee. The reason for this is that I'm already getting a discount purchasing all my labels from Etsy, and it usually averages out to about what I pay for packaging materials. Some sellers add the handling fee in and then refund any money they have left from shipping, so that it is super exact. But "time is money", and I don't want to have to run a partial refund, and then explain why I'm refunding, all the time, so I just leave out the handling fee, use the extra postage I save buying labels from Etsy to cover packaging, and take the cut of a possible $0.75 here and there. It's worth it to me, but it might not be to you... use your discretion in that area. I can see how explaining to someone that you are refunding a dollar for postage overages might get you some notice as a great customer service seller, for even caring about something "so small"... so there is that to be said about the other method. So just find what works best for you :)!

Was this helpful? Do you have a postal scale (or really want to get one now)? If so, what model did you get, and would you recommend it? Any other questions I could possibly help with :)?
-

Etsy Shop Loop Promotion ✽ Wanna Join it with Me :)?

I'll be taking part in a Etsy shop loop promotion later this month with the baby sets I offer in Under The Tapestry, and I wanted to share the details, if any of you Etsy sellers who sell baby items want to join with me :)! Here's the information we have...

"Hello fellow Etsy sellers!!!

We are setting up a loop promotion for the week of November 19th through 25th. We're looking for shop owners who sell baby or children’s homemade items (toys, blankets, clothing, pacifier clips, nursery décor, baby's first Christmas ornaments, teething rings, etc) and would like to participate!

The requirements:
We’ll be running a 15% discount code on all participating shops (one that we’ll all share). You must be willing to advertise the event beforehand, to share the main graphics each day through out the event, and to share each shop owner’s personal graphic at least once that week. This requires that you have a Facebook and/or Instagram following to share with, but size of your following doesn’t matter -we understand the need for something like this to be available to those just starting out. You will be asked to provide your own shop graphic and shop introduction/description complete with link for the other participates to share.

The event details:
During the event, a loop giveaway will be held. Contestants will be required to have purchased from one of the participating shops to be entered to win an item at the end of the week, and each purchase, either of multiple items from one shop, or single items from multiple shops, will be another entry in the contest for each purchase. They will be given 15% off of those orders as an added incentive to enter, and thereby grow our shops! Contestants will be required to comment on the main graphic that they purchased, and from which shop, for each item they purchase, but it is asked that you let us know if someone says they purchased, without actually doing so, so that they can be disqualified, as that is not fair to other contestants!

Other comments:
The giveaway prize is taken care of. We have had a participant ask if she could also donate something for the prize, and though that is not a requirement, feel free to let us know if you would like to do the same. Main graphics will be prepared and sent out to participants, along with a list of other participating sellers and the coupon code, on the 11th."

If you are interested in this event, would like to join, or have questions, comment below so that I can get more information sent to you :).

Thankful Thursday ✽ Fall Blessings

Sommmmmebody told me that I don't share pictures of me with my siblings enough, ahem. Sooooo, here's a pic of us when we went to watch the solar eclipse this August, that I meant to blog about and never did ( :P...)...

And I just remembered we did have an actual family photo taken this year! My Grandpa snapped it really fast before we left the park where we went to spend some time with Great-Grandma!...

Very thankful for that, because it's not often we're all in a picture at the same time, haha :). I love Josiah's cheesy face <3. Noah's taken up that face in the past week, too, by the way...

Haha! Love 'em...

There are so many things we've been given to be thankful for <3. How kind God is to bless us above and beyond. We have not only been given eternal salvation, but little things to make our earthly time full of small joys as well! I've got my October wrap up post to finish up and put out, and that's started and should be up in a couple days... but today I want to do a Thankful Thursday sharing some of the things that I'm thankful for this fall season <3...

pink and gold leaves - noah's love of "puntins" - warm pumpkin muffins - crisp coolness - chilly weather that calls for soft blankets - fall colors - warm coffee - the sweet autumn coffee cup mama gave me - gingersnaps - weather that calls for baking little treats with little people - getting to work on simple fall crafts with little siblings - the temperatures that make it possible to wear my favorite long sleeved shirts (once i pull them out of the garage... from wherever they got put this summer... haha...) - making quick work of turning pie pumpkins into puree and roasted pumpkin seeds with my family - that cold scent that fills the house in the early morning - the beautiful decorations that people are making and sharing - comfortable fall dinners with those you love - the gentle, quiet fallish feeling you get from watching the squirrels busily preparing for winter as you pause in your day for a moment - sitting down with my journal and a pen to write down things i'm thankful for - transitioning into the christmas season with christmas music, whether it's too early or not, haha - time spent with my family as daddy takes some small work breaks before his christmas workload starts - and the grace that gave us all these things to enjoy, through no merit of our own

What are you thankful for this fall? Are you keeping a journal of thankfulness this month? Who else thought it was about time some family pictures got shared ;)?...

Write31 ✽ Selling on Etsy Series Wrap Up

 

Happy Reformation Day! It's the last day of October, and the last day of Write31. It's been a fun (and sometimes stressful) month... during the middle of the month, I complained to a friend that I was really tired of writing my posts, running out of ideas, and should have chosen any other topic, if I had to participate this year at all, haha! But this only lasted for a few days. I planned out what blog posts I could do with the time left, I tried to get started earlier in the day, and I gave myself grace over the couple of days I missed. Because, it's okay. Just because I didn't miss a single day the first time I took part in this challenge, and even though the idea is to post 31 days in a row, life happens, it also wasn't something to let myself get discouraged about. I decided to just keep doing the best I could... and I'm really happy to have made it to the end, but I'm also really happy that I did start this in the first place :).

Looking back at the month, some of the highlights and comments I want to mention are...
-I made my own blog button! Haha. I think I just uploaded a generic image last time, and it was way more fun to have a "professional" image, haha :). 
-I did skip two days. Ten o'clock at night came, and I just couldn't write anything detailed, haha. Allowing myself to take necessary time off really helped me get over that hump of disgust in the middle of the month, I think, haha. I'm confident if I had thrown out a mediocre post those days because I had no ideas, I would have just given up. No post is less depressing than a bad one you spent time on ;).
-I created graphics for each day... readable ones. I looked back at my Romans 12 ones, and, um, yikes. There is one you can't even see half of my blog address, haha! Oh well... I tried to do graphics in 2015, but if I was hitting publish at 10:00, I just gave up. This year, I didn't stress out about adding it right away if I couldn't... but each one has a shareable graphic now, and I'm really happy with that fact, just because it's a goal I had set :).
-I got so many comments, from new readers and from old friends, that you were happy to see me blogging again, that you were benefiting from my posts as you worked on your own Etsy (or blog, or Ebay... the fact that there was something for everyone really made me happy!), that you appreciated the giveaway, and more... each comment seriously made me smile so much, and I want to thank you for taking the time to leave them <3 <3 <3.

Here's an overview of what we looked at this month, if you need to look over a post again...

After introducing the series, we took a look at the cost of selling on Etsy (and I gave you a link to earn 40 free listings if you haven't opened a shop yet!), what supplies you need to have on hand for your business, how to add a listing, the option to sell variations or custom items, and things to think about when writing your descriptions, and we talked about my bad photography ;)... and some tips that I'm trying to work on implementing :). We looked at setting up your shop to be a trusted seller, how to rank high in Etsy search, the importance of reviews, how to price your items (it's not as easy as it sounds... but it is simple) and keeping your shop active to boost it's visibility.

We looked at Etsy SEO... twice. Then I found Etsy Rank, and I did a post about it's values... twice ;). Ahhhh, Search Engine Optimization...

We considered different social media platforms to share your shop on, and conversion rates and how to use wisdom in our sharing... mainly, not to call uninterested people into your shop.

We talked about shipping from home, and how to package your items nicely.

I shared 4 of my favorite Etsy shops, and reviewed some of the shops I have bought from. I also shared some lighthearted moments from selling on my own shop, and the places I go when I have a question to be answered as I build my own business. I answered a few questions, shared some little things I had forgotten, and ran a giveaway of an item from Under The Tapestry! Maddy won, and I set up a coupon code that any of you can still use through tomorrow to get 35% off of any orders!

And we talked about the most important aspect of your business... and life <3. 

I want to say thank you for joining me through this series... and to my new followers, welcome! It has made me smile to see my little "web home" welcoming more friends, and I want you to know that I really do appreciate it! I've really enjoyed getting back into blogging, even if it's been "different" than what I usually do. Now I am eagerly looking forward to hopefully being a "better" blogger than I was in the earlier part of this year, because I have a lot of post ideas, and kind of enjoyed actually being a blogger again... so please, keep an eye on Forget Not His Benefits, and may the Lord bless and keep you <3.

Love in Him,
Bri