Monthly Morsels - Get On The Preferred List!

One of my business goals for the first quarter of 2009 was to begin a newlsetter program to announce all the fun new products in my shops. I have a lot of big plans in the works, a few collaborative projects, and some great new kits coming forth this year and don't you want to be the first to know about them?

Additionally, the newsletters may also contain preferred customer discount codes, advance notice of sales, and private sales. All great reasons to be on the list. You can sign up for the newsletter here or on the upper left column of my blog. Sign-up will also be available on www.anniehowes.com

Mixing Things Up A Bit in the Dog Pack.

This post is completely unrelated to business, so if you're the serious crafting type and you came here to learn about what I'm up to business-wise, I'm super sorry to disappoint you.

No, this blog post is dedicated entirely to the personal side of my life. The side of my life that greets me after a hard day's work when I make the long haul from the door of my studio 100 ft. to the back door of my house. My dogs.

Well, more precisely, this post is about the new addition to the dog pack. Yes, that's right. Dog Pack. That's what you call a group of hounds, right? This is more like the United Nations of the Dog Pack world because only one of them is technically a hound dog. Maybe. We have a Golden Retriever (Sam), a Catahoula (Carson), Angus (a Rat Terrier), and now Zeta, another Rat Terrier, because you can't have just one Rat Terrier (no joke).

Zeta, aka My Sweet Valentine (her pedigree name), came to live with completely due to the scheming and plotting of Mr. Howes, a self-described Dog Lover and Enthusiast, who baited me to Bowling Green with the temptation of a Valentine's dinner at Outback Steakhouse. What I didn't know was that when he programmed Garmin with the destination of Outback (which is over 1.5 hours from home, yeah, we're "out there") he also programed the kennels as a via point.

So little Zeta, who weighs almost as much as a Guinea Pig, is the only girl in the dog pack, and no we are not breeding dogs. We just have lots of love to give and on 5 acres, we have plenty of space.

So here's a pic of Zeta, our little piebald sweetie. May she housebreak quicker than Angus.

Daily Grommet Feature is Today!

Today is the day! Come join me on Daily Grommet, and if you have a great Grommet idea, send in your information! I'll be around all day to answer comments and questions.

Here is the updated location of my page on Daily Grommet.

Total Time Wasters and I Get Beat Up All the Time.

iMafia.

*sigh*

Mr. Howes and I have entered the new year equipped with iPhones and while I have begged for one for a very long time, he's never really been interested. "They're too expensive" topped the list. No, wait, it was "you don't need one" that was actually first on the list.

So who's the new free app king around here? You have 2 guesses, and the first one doesn't count. Mr. Howes iPhones more than I do. I typically get on the phone while waiting in the school pick-up line, or when I'm in the grocery check-out line. Normally for business purposes to answer emails, messages, and relist items in my shop on Etsy. It was an extremely valuable tool when we were recently without power for 4 days. I needed it then, Mr. Howes.

So what's all this about Time Wasters? Those little game apps, and most recently it's iMafia. Mr. Howes added it to my phone because I was curious what the heck he was doing on his phone all the time. I'm totally lost. I have a character I named Angry Annie, because I'm a mobster and you need to take me seriously, and all I've done so far is name myself and choose "workaholic" as my "type". All I know is I've extorted a few stores, bought a VW, I have a couple of glocks, 2 henchmen, and I frequently get my butt kicked by other players.

Yeah, right, pick on the lady.

So a couple nights ago I had a few bucks on the game, and called across the teppanyaki bar to Mr. Howes that "I have $103,000, should I buy the BMW?". I mean, really. Is that proper dining etiquette? Who cares, I'm a mobster. With henchmen and glocks. And I don't know how to properly act in public.

So I bought a gas station.

See? This is a TOTAL TIME WASTER and makes no sense whatsoever.

Welcome to the world of iPhone.

P.S. I'm on Level 14 and I have no idea how I got there.

P.P.S. I woke up this morning with a health of 12/100. Stop picking on me. I'm a GIRL.

iMafia by PlayMesh. Available for the iPhone. Free.

Mad for Plaid. A Limited Edition Glass Pendant DIY Kit.

Wow. My last Limited Edition kit was such a success I've put together a new cute kit for the fun at heart. And the plaid lovers out there. I know, technically it's not plaid, it's tartan, but these aren't exactly your traditional color combinations.




And they're not all plaid, either. My favorite is the stripe paper because it has an ever so slight shimmer to it. It's like body shimmer. Subtle. Sexy. Gorgeous! And paired with my handmade glass, it's simply gorgeous! I have only 10 of this gorgeous paper collection available.

The Daily Grommet Featured Item Feb. 9, 2009!

What's a Grommet?

* It’s a wonderful product still waiting in the wings, just ripe for discovery.
* It has great utility, or style, or invention. Or, very often it has all three.
* It comes from a designer, or inventor, or artist, or manufacturer who is clearly passionate about what they create. Someone who loves to share their creations and talk to people about why they do what they do.
* It comes from a company that treats its customers well.
* Finally, like any intelligent or beautiful product, it has a great story, ready to be told."

~ from The Daily Grommet

Wow. I'm really excited about being selected as the Featured Grommet on The Daily Grommet. Last December, Jen from The Grommet purchased the Round Wafer Glass Pendants DIY Kit. Little did I know when I sent this treasure on it's merry way that it was actually going to research and development at the Daily Grommet.

The Daily Grommet is a neat site dedicated to featuring a new "Grommet" each day. It's a wonderful way to gain added exposure and endorsement on products, and as a manufacturer and retailer, I certainly welcome any opportunities such as this, when they arise. Which is not every day. In fact, this is the first time I'll have this type of endorsement and exposure. The Daily Grommet makes a video which will be posted on YouTube. But we're just getting started here. They also have an email subscription base and the featured grommet is delivered to email in-boxes around the world on the day of the feature. As if that's not enough, they also submit the featured grommet to a dozen high traffic blogs.

I'm also invited to hang out and be ready to answer questions on their website all day on February 9, 2009. So if you re around on February 9Th at noon and have any questions for me, I'll be right there at The Daily Grommet ready to answer them.

If you know of a Grommet and would like to suggest it for a feature, they have a link on their home page! Go on, submit yourself. You have nothing to lose and so much to gain!

Here is an updated link to my feature on Daily Grommet.