This & That

Hey, y'all! Today has been a great day! I found a job! Actually, the job found me! I am super excited! Can you tell by all the !!!'s...LOL I will keep this post short and sweet. I have a lot to get in order around the house to make the transition back to work easier.

I am going to continue to work on my crafts. Once I have a few more items listed in my shop I am going to apply to Heartsy.com. Heartsy is an awesome online resource to get handmade merchandise at a huge discount! More than 50%!!! If the members like my work then I will be offering BIG discounts! I will sell a set amount of offers. (Example, 15 certificates available for $20 worth of merchandise for only $9.) It is such a great offer!!!

My main goal for this would be to drive traffic to my shop, get some advertising and make some sales. It is so hard to been seen on Etsy. I am still learning about SEO...and it kinda gives me a headache...But this would be a great opportunity for you to get some great stuff at great prices! Christmas will be here before we know it!

I have also started a new blog for the married folks that want to keep their marriage full of the young love we started with! It follows me along on my adventures of marriage and I will share resources and ideas with you! Just started it yesterday so there is just one post so far. Here is the link: www.faithhopeyounglove.blogspot.com

Thanks for stopping by today! See ya soon and as always...I hope you have a lovely day/weekend!

-Nikola

Writing & Painting

Well, I have jumped into writing articles online. I have written two articles so far for Helium and I have three more I am working on right now. I have to say, I am enjoying it. I actually found an assignment about purchasing jewelry on Etsy. As you may know, I LOVE Etsy. So, I was supper excited! Here is the link to the article: Guide to buying Jewelry on Etsy.com.



I have a few more paintings and crosses to list in my Etsy shop, Pjoe and Lylie. I experimented with painting on art paper made especially for acrylics. I love doodling and using the paper allows me to use ink as well. I love trees! They represent life for me and are so beautifully created. So, I painted a tree on this paper and used ink to write the fruits of the spirit on the branches. I love painting letters and words but when they are smaller I prefer using ink.

With a long list of to do's today I must say goodbye until next time.

Have a lovely day!
-Nikola

Finding Work at Home Opportunities

I have spent the last two days researching ways that I can make money at home...legitimately. I am continuing to work on my Etsy shop and learning new ways to market myself. I need to supplement my family's income. Either I learn to work online from home or return to the work force. I have a ton of resumes out and nothing...I know that job unemployment is still down for others as well. I have found a few things that seem possible and several things that are just a rip off.

The first thing I came across was affiliate marketing. This has been around for a minute now and it can be profitable. That is if you know what you are doing. There are a ton of programs that require a monthly membership to access their database full of marketing opportunities. I came across a guy named Matt Davis. He tells you how to become an affiliate marketer without joining a company that charges a membership fee. He started of as a member of Wealthy Affiliate and still is. If I were to choose a company with a membership to sign up with, it would be Wealthy Affiliate. They provide you with 8 weeks of training to ensure you know what you are doing. Matt Provides provides many useful videos through his FREE program. Here is his link: http://imjudo.com/

The next job opportunity that I found was freelance writing. If you can write in fluent English and know basic grammar then you can write articles, blogs and short stories. There are a ton of companies that offer a membership to access a database full of writing jobs for a monthly fee as well. Through my research, I found companies that you can sign up with for free. You must establish yourself as a freelance writer to the online community before you can access the better paying jobs. At first you will be paid by your views and ad clicks related to your page. Some companies require previous writing experience before you can write for them. If you are serious about becoming a writer then I suggest that you sign up with the free sites and establish yourself as a writer. I signed up with Helium. I have wrote one article so far. I will keep you posted on my success. I also signed up with Yahoo! Contributors. I have accepted an assignment and I am currently working on it.

Here is the link to my first article written on Helium:
http://www.helium.com/items/2223217-fast-and-easy-creamy-potato-soup

The last option that seems possibly profitable is drop shipping. I have sold on eBay in the past and I am currently selling on Etsy. The difference with drop shipping is that you do not have to keep any inventory, you do not have to ship anything and you do not provide customer service. From the way I understood it, you set up a website first. You can do this through free sites like weebly, then you get set up with a company that provides drop shipping opportunities. Through my research I found a few sites. I, myself, have not worked with these companies and cannot personally review them. Shopster, Doba and Worldwidebrand are the three drop shipping companies I keep getting referred to. Then you begin selling. Of course, you have to drive traffic to your site. SEO information would help you do that. I am going to look into drop shipping more and let you know if I decide to try it.

I almost forgot...here's another useful resource! Ryansreview.com. He gives lots of product review for the e-commerce sector and tips to build your first profitable campaign. Here's his link: http://www.ryansreview.com/build-your-first-profitable-campaign.php

Bottom line, if you are going to work at home, you are going to have to work HARD at it and it will not happen over night. I am starting out and eager to see where this takes me. Make sure you do your research before jumping into anything. I know I don't want to get scammed and I don't want you too either.There are people out there successfully making a living from home. So, I am giving it a try.

Thanks for stopping by today! Don't forget to check out all of my links here. See you next time!

Hope you have a lovely day!
-Nikola