It’s amazing what you can find when browsing through other blogs. It’s a wonder I’m actually able to do anything else with the time spent online, lol.  Annette from Under The Loupe has made a gorgeous pair of earrings using new jade (serpentine), freshwater pearl and rose quartz. It was a lovely surprise to see this pretty, soflty coloured design as it’s a reminder of summer or spring – a nice way to forget winter for a few moments and dream about warm summery days.

In the same Post Annette writes about an award she received and then passed on to other blogs. Well, sticky-nose me had to check out the other blogs and I came across Paris Couture Antiques. It’s a beautiful blog, so I’ve visited, left a comment, saved it, and Stumbled it. If you like Olde World, French & European styles, Shabby Chic, Vintage things, swirls, and lots of gorgeous things then take a look around Alys’ blog.

If anyone comes across similar blogs please let me know.

How timely is this for me. Some of my blogging friends know about the ongoing saga with my garage. Well at Organise Your Life they have a selection of articles to help you organise your life and home.

The one that caught my eye was How To Organise Your Garage. A lot of it is probably common sense stuff but sometimes you need someone to set it out for you to follow. You think you know what to do but ….. I know that I sometimes stand and stare at the mess around and wonder about where to start, what to do next or how to go about it all.

The article written by Julie McRitchie co-author of Organize Your Life, takes you through it all step by step. Of course, planning plays a huge part – a good plan will see you all the way through. There are also some storage solutions suggested which is a great help.

Now when finished, my garage is not going to be a ‘garage’ as such, but a storage and packaging space for EP Designs….. and possibly a ‘vintage-chic-garage-boutique’  for future Sales & Exhibitions. It will be able to convert back to a ‘garage’ if needed in future.

If you’re needing to organise your life in other areas then take a peek at the web site How To Organise Your Life -you may find more useful information to help you out.

      I’ve added a new banner in my sidebar and it’s one I’m quite excited about.  A great network of lovely women who either run a small business, work from home (WAHMs), don’t own or run a business or a thinking about it.

Connect2mums is an interactive magazine connecting mums to mums. Full of friendly, happy, supportive members who you can connect with via various groups. As a member you have your own customised member page, access to the forums, Connect Cafe, Shopping Directory, Product Reviews and heaps of other benefits which I am discovering as I wander through the site as a new member.

There’s a sense of excitement about this site which I loved from the moment I joined. So do take some time to visit ….. then grab a cuppa and something ‘nice’ to go with it, join up and take more time to enjoy the experience. Go to the Home Page to find ot more.

Come and visit me too on Connect2mums – I’ll give you a nice warm welcome – just like I received when I joined.

    Are you a mum who is running a small business, or thinking of starting one?  Then here is a great opportunity for you.

The third annual Business Mums Conference is a fantastic weekend for all small business people. “Recharge Your Business” will give you:

• practical information and solutions you can apply
• networking opportunities
• inspiration to build a strong business
• perspective on your business

When: June 20-21
Where: Holmesglen Conference Centre, Chadstone, Victoria
Full details: Business Mums Network

If you haven’t discovered the Business Mums Network yet it is worth checking it out. Don’t wait for the conference to arrive, get a taste of what BMN is all about and join in the forum where you’ll find a unique group of business people who support and assist each other to flourish in business and life – you’re sure to get hooked.

BMN also has a blog which is upated regularly with snippets on business news & tips on running a business.

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March Special – 10% off Storewide

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Don’t Miss Out

 Only 7 Days To Go.

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Discount on prices will end on midnight 31st March.

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The power of testimonials - read what Donna-Marie writes on this simple yet powerful marketing tool.  A proven business marketing tool with strong ROI (Return on Investment) is undoubtedly the testimonial …… read more

Would you like more simple business tips? When it comes to building strong customer relations it’s often the little things that count ……… and it goes a long way

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Are you the creative type? Here is a great way to enjoy some creativeactivity online. Take a look at Assential Scrapbooking - a fully equipped scrapbooking outlet on the north side of Brisbane, in a quite country atmosphere with monthly crops and classes.

Women interested in scrapbooking are given an opportunity to come together online and in-real-life. They have an online store with a fantastic variety of products at very competitive prices. Visit their blog where techniques are discussed, industry news provided, challenges presented with product profiles, and general scrapbooking chatter….. Enjoy!

I know that Valentine’s Day has passed but here is a challenge you might still be able to work on. I’m sure Jenny at Assential Scrapbooking would love to see your work. The details for the challege are listed here. 

Ciao for now

Ebay may be the largest auction site online but it gets better on BidMate day by day. Earlier this month I received notice that I had won a $100 Jewellery Package. It was a random draw for ID Verified members. I received the prize promptly and I must say how surprised I was at the gorgeous gifts I received.

There is a monthly prize draw which anyone can enter simply by being part of BidMate. Here are the details -

Competition for the Jewelry Package ending 2nd March 2009

The Prize is seven Pieces of Jewelry valued at a total of $100To be in the draw you need to be a ID Verified Member (see the left lower side of the Members Area) and have Purchased or Sold any item, on BidMate, between 2nd January 2009 and 2nd March 2009. The winner will be randomly chosen on the Evening of the 3rd March 2009 and their details listed here.

The prize was sponsored by Stuff4You who also have a BidMate store. Sponsoring competitions is one marketing idea you can venture into for your business. Take a look at Stuff4You – they have a range of beautiful inexpensive jewellery pieces plus other useful items.

Thank you BidMate for your support and assistance in helping small business owners and providing an alternative auction site with Nil listing fees and low Final Value Fees. You have a friendly and neighbourly community which is growing steadily and although not as big as eBay yet you’re building up to give eBay some serious competition. 

Ciao

Joliv Body & Earth  An exquisite range of chemical-free, environmentally friendly and entirely natural beauty and home cleaning products. 

Are you ready for some pampering? No?  If you’re saying ‘no’ then it’s definitely time to take a break. Make yourself a coffee, tea or fix a delicious snack, then read on and see where to find some helpful information on certain ingredients used by other companies for skincare and home cleaning products ….. 

Firstly, take a look a Korina’s online business idea – Joliv - an Australian company providing a wide range of pure & natural, plant and flower based skincare products. Find out about the harmful chemicals used in skincare & cleaning products and why we shouldn’t use these products. With the current trends gearing towards caring for the environment and chemical free products, here is a business you can rely on. They care for you and the environment. They care about what goes into their skincare range …. and products are freshly made to order.

Now, take a peek at the Free Gifts available

So now, not only have you been taking care of yourself by taking ‘time out’ from your work. You have also found some wonderful products which will take care of you … and your home.

Ciao for now

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       Small business owners have enough on their hands in running their business without having to deal with annoying spam.  Imagine if the postman delivered thousands of junk mail to your letterbox each week and you had to check each one …. you wouldn’t stand for it. Spam comments on blogs and business can be enough to drive you around the bend. They can come flooding in like a tsunami unless you take steps to slow the flow …. or stop them completely if possible.

Ingrid Cliff from Heart Harmony describes spammers as …

……..the greatest pests to ever have existed. They are akin to plagues of locusts and cane toads in Australia. Just like all pests they are persistent – you just get one loophole plugged and they creep in another. They are the bottom feeders of the internet world.

Lol, and I’m sure many of you would add even more colourful language to describe them.

Ingrid offers some tips on how to handle these pesky pests. Her post  was prompted by her experience in receiving an enormous amount of spam over the holidays. Heart Harmony is full of tips for small business owners. What I like about reading Ingrid’s blog is that you’re not having to read reams of pages to get a few tips.

This particular tip comes along at the right time for me – one of those things I’ve been wanting to look into for a while - work out how to use/activate Akismet to help reduce spam comments on my blogs. Every bit helps.

It’s done it now - thank you Ingrid …. plus I’ve made note of all your tips.

I hope you find this helpful too.

Ciao for now