The Squidoo Zazzle Gallery

Zazzle is a print on demand online store that allows customers to create their own unique designs from templates or completely from scratch. I love Zazzle because I can buy just one gift at a time that I create and have it ship directly to my out of town relatives and friends.

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Hot Cocoa--The Ultimate Comfort Food in Winter

Those of you who do not live in a climate that gets cold in the winter, are missing one of life's perfect joys, a cup of steaming hot cocoa in the icy cold weather.

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Have You Heard of Zazzle?

Just because. . .I love you

Have you learned about Zazzle yet? Zazzle is a print on demand online store that is filled with unique artist designed items from the simple to the sublime. The card above is an example of what you can purchase from Zazzle. If you follow the link to this card, you will end up in Lake Erie Artists Gallery's Zazzle store. Every purchase that you make from this store will earn royalties for Lake Erie Artists Gallery's bottom line. You can also follow this link http://zazzle.com/lakeerieartists*

The star is part of the link and if you use it, we get even more royalties as an associate for any purchase you make. There are lots of great items on Zazzle to choose from and you can have them ship directly to your recipient without the bother of wrapping, and shipping yourself.

Starting a New Blog and Helping with Another

I'm blogging this!by
lakeerieartists
Make a Custom Tshirt On zazzle.comView more Clothing T-Shirts

I am starting a new blog to talk about my experience with Trollbeads as it grows. That blog can be found at http://trollbeadscleveland.blogspot.com/. I will be talking about all of the adventures as we develop this great line of jewelry at our gallery. So follow me there, and you will get to hear all about Trollbeads.

The gallery has been getting quite busy over the last two weeks. With the onset of cold weather, people are starting to shop for the holidays early. No one seems to want to miss them, so they are starting earlier to spread out the spending because of the economy.

Look for giant changes of our website in December. It will be much more user friendly with the changes in place.

Today I am spending time rearranging the gallery to make space for some new boutique items that are coming in soon. We will be carrying some unique clothing items this holiday season. If they do well, we will continue to add more items of this nature. The first two items that are coming in are some really great knit hats by artist Dee Hall. The other item is a selection of really cool jean jacket cut artsy jackets that will have colorful patterns. They make a great addition to any casual or business wear. Definately a piece that can make an outfit. As soon as they come in, hopefully within two weeks, I will let everyone know.

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Back from New England

(Above--Trollbeads rings) Folks, if you are not in Cleveland, or can't make it to the Trollbeads Trunk Show, never fear, you can still take advantage of the show specials by emailing or phoning in your order. Even if the beads are not in our store stock, we can order them from Troll for no extra charge. Because the line is so new to us, we are not yet even close to fully stocked but that is one exceptional thing about the Trollbeads line--we can order one bead at a time if we need to. No waiting for a minimum order. So email or call, and we will hold your order or ship to you for free. Go directly to the Trollbeadsus.com website, look at the beads and accessories there, and then let us know which ones you want. If you have any questions, please email me at sales@lakeerieartists.com. The trunk show is Friday October 24 through Thursday October 30.

It has been a super long day here--nine hours from MA to Ohio--so off to bed for me.

Off for the Weekend

Art above by new artist to our gallery Allyson Meier, an abstract acrylic painter. This piece is in the gallery and I am waiting for more next week.

Hope everyone has marked their calendar for our Trollbeads Trunk Show from October 24 - October 30. If you do not live in Cleveland, but would like to take part, you can just call and order what you want over the phone and we will ship to you for free (within the US). Just pay via credit card or paypal.

I will be in Springfield, MA this weekend at the wedding of a cousin. We will be driving through a few states on the way. So wave as I pass. See you when I get back. . . Todaloo!!!

I am a Giant Squid

I am a Giant Squid! Wow! Hard work has paid off and I am part of a great group of people working hard to reach people and earn money through Squidoo.com. Haven't tried it yet? Well, I do have to warn you--it is addicting! To see what it is all about, go to my lensmaster page http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/lakeerieartists A lensmaster is what they call a web page creator, or author on Squidoo. A lens is a very focused one page web page. If you want to learn more about how I became a Giant Squid, you are welcome to read my lens http://squidoo.com/confessions-giant-squid

What I love about Squidoo is that it is filled with passionate people who are articulate about many subjects. Are you interested in animals, cooking or skiing? Well, you will find plenty of information there. And if not, you can write a lens yourself.

It is also a very friendly and supportive forum, and a great place to learn about promoting yourself on the internet. So check it out, in between doing your daily chores. My newest lens is a virtual gallery http://squidoo.com/classic-art-prints It even has jazz music to listen to as you tour.

Fine Art Prints to Brighten Your Walls

Do you love art? I know that I do. I have loved art all my life, studied art history in college, and love strolling through museums and galleries. This is an online art gallery of classic art prints from paintings, and photography.

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Sunday Almost 7 pm and Still at the Gallery

Diversity

Poster

Buy at AllPosters.com

Lately, I feel like I don't even have close to enough time to complete everything I am trying to do. I have been working extremely hard the last couple of months increasing the presence of Lake Erie Artists Gallery online, and in the process have learned a lot about the internet and Web 2.0 social networking which is the way to get the word out these days. In the process, I have become a Giant Squid on Squidoo.com. If you want to follow that story-- http://squidoo.com/confessions-giant-squid

Squidoo has taught me that with time and work, you can complete any goal. So here I am in the midst of preparing for holiday shopping, which in retail is the most important time of the year.

Lake Erie Artists Gallery is once more shifting our focus slightly, at least in our brick and mortar store. We will continue to highlight and carry the work of local artists, but we are also going to "go boutique". Jewelry has always been a good seller for us here, so to enhance that category, we are going to add some unique clothing, accessories, and a small vintage collection. By mid-November, this will all be in place.

Just as a reminder, here are the other places that you can find us online:

http://lakeerieartists.com

http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/lakeerieartists

http://lakeerieartists.etsy.com

http://paulaatwelljewelry.etsy.com

http://zazzle.com/lakeerieartists*

http://stores.ebay.com/Lake-Erie-Artists-Gallery

and just about every social networking site using the name lakeerieartists or Paula Atwell.

Lots of Excitement is Settling In

Autumn is truly here, and excitement is setting in as people are coming inside to avoid cold, rainy weather, and already start shopping for the holidays. Yesterday, in the gallery, I had two women who were shopping for holiday gifts, and bought several items, and Saturday several holiday shoppers as well.

With people concerned over finances, they are spreading their shopping out further to avoid several large bills at the same time. That can only be good for retailers, creating a solid steady stream of business.

I am really excited about our Trollbeads Trunk Show later this month. I have already received calls and emails about it. Don't forget to put it on your calendar. October 24 through October 30. For more info, go to http://lakeerieartists.com/LakeErieArtists-TrollbeadsTrunkShow.htm

Unusual, Unique, and One of a Kind Holiday Gifts

This holiday gift guide is an eclectic mix of unusual, unique, and one-of-a-kind gifts.I have chosen these particular gifts because they are not the kind of thing that you can find just anywhere, nor would they necessarily be the first thing a sales clerk would suggest.

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Just In. . .

Wow, two posts in one day. . .
Just had to post this link to pictures from last night's event. These were taken by Brenda from Black Tie Cleveland. I will have more coming from Terri Harper soon.
http://blacktie-cleveland.com/premiere_events/details.cfm?id=456

Come and Visit Me Tomorrow

Tomorrow from 10 am to 5 pm I will be at Art on the Bridge in Olmsted Falls, Ohio, which if you haven't been there is a beautiful place to spend a Saturday. The town is a very small, picturesque town with a train track running through it and a covered bridge.

I will be on the road leading to the bridge along with several other art vendors. Tomorrow is expected to be a beautiful day as well, weatherwise, so I hope that you will come out to see me there.

Today I am cleaning up the gallery after our event, putting out some new items that Ramona Pacheco brought here yesterday, including some great shoulder bags, and also filling up Cindy Dragon's wonderful Collectible Servings Collection. Cindy brought in some wonderful holiday serving items including a gorgeous red platter with matching serving knife.

I also have some new beach glass jewelry by Amy Smith that I will be putting on display today. Amy was here last night helping out by pouring wine for our event. It was really great to see her.

Just a Quick After Event Note

Our event went very well, with beautiful music by Norman Tischler and Moss Stanley. Food was great, and we had lots of fun. Going to bed now, and more to tell in the morning. Thanks to all who attended and helped out in several ways.

Artist/Designer Showcase is Tomorrow or Today if You are Being Technical

Image by Paul Chizek

Tomorrow evening is our Artist/Designer Showcase featuring our local artists from Cleveland, Ohio several of whom will be in our showroom meeting customers. This event is a benefit for Habitat for Humanity, and walk ins are welcome. We will be featuring live music by Norman Tischler, as well as Heartland Wines, and wonderful food from Food for Thought.

And one of our featured guests tomorrow is Lisa Nemeth from Northcoast Promotions who will be there to tell you about future events.

It should be a fun event all around, so please stop by for a shmooze. Looking forward to seeing you there!