Time Management Tips: How to Make the Most of Your Time

Jamie of shesbattydesigns has kindly shared the following article on how to make the most of your time. Its geared to fellow artisans like us.

I once read a quote that said, “Don’t count every hour in the day, make every hour in the day count.” This simple quote is one to live by for crafters who are trying to make a living by selling their creations.

In my previous article, “Starting a Home Arts and Crafts Business”, I mentioned the need to manage your time wisely. Not only will managing your time keep you on track with your goals, but it also reduces stress and helps to keep you from procrastinating. When working from home, without a boss breathing down your neck, one can easily be sidetracked. Don't let all your hard work go down the drain because the latest day time talk show is calling your name; it’s time for a plan!..."

To keep reading my article please visit the Handmade News Marketing Department where it was first published.

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Jamie / shesbattydesigns is a Photographer, a Columnist for HandmadeNews.org, a star gazer, a paper artist, and a university student studying psychology.

Check out Handmade News

What's HandmadeNews.org you ask? Well, it's a free online "newspaper" just for crafty people! There is so much helpful content I don't even know where to start!
The columns include:
Main Feature
Craft Techniques
Guilds and Teams
Just for Fun
Craft Trends
Marketing
Most Popular
Business Tips
Featured Artisan
Green Wise
Item of the Day
Inspiration
Legal & Reg.

As Shesbattydesigns says:

Each column will have you inspired and is sure to help you with your craft business! I write for the Marketing Department and work with such a great team! I couldn't ask for a better job or for better co-workers. Each of us has a speciality and we can't wait to share all our tips, tricks and secrets with our readers :) .. and even though I write for the site, I'm constantly inspired and encouraged by the other 40 writers and can't get enough of the content! Each has a speciality that I don't, so I'm constantly learning. I often send more time than I had planned writing through all the content he he. There are just so much useful information, especially if you're trying to get your craft business off the ground.

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Jamie / shesbattydesigns is a Photographer, a Columnist for HandmadeNews.org, a star gazer, a paper artist, and a university student studying psychology.

Meet Pauline from Cherry Tree

Our featured artist is Pauline Rhymes from Newbury, Berkshire, United Kingdom. Her shop is http://www.cherrytree.artfire.com/. She makes unique handcrafted pottery in the cabin in her lovely garden, and this is her story in her own words.

I'm lucky that I was born at the end of World War II and remember England as a beautiful rural country. I even remember the use of horses just before tractors replaced them.

Growing up I was allowed to play in the fields that were full of flowers and wildlife and make dens in the hedges with my sister. That is no longer the case with children not allowed to roam and the wild flowers sprayed out of existence in many places.

We grew up with pet rabbits, dogs, goats, pigs, and hens. A budgie called Joey was let out to fly around the room, and I remember how painful it was when he pecked my neck! Later on I bought a 6-month old foal, straight off the Welsh Mountains and he was completely wild. I had him for 9 years until I was married with children and could no longer keep him. (No time, no money, and no field!)

Bringing up 3 children we have had the usual pets, guinea pigs, hamsters, cats and dogs. The children have flown but we still have Molly, a black Labrador who is seven years old. She has an alltergy to dust mites and the only remedy that works is rubbing a lotion I make of black tea and tea tree oil into her skin. I've read that some animals have to be put to sleep because of this allery. The mites drive the animal crazy. Hope that's a good tip for you.

I've been into arts and crafts forever, and am mostly a self taught potter. I don't use the wheel but like to make different pieces as the mood takes me. I'm very inspired by nature and mystical things. I've made pigs and goats, giraffes and lots of sheep. Sometimes I'll have a go at making a dragon or a unicorn. I don't think that any of them are perfect, but they definitely have a character of their own. Several people collect my pottery. I see a lady every year at a Christmas Craft Fair who looks to see if I've made any turtles or snakes. She told me her window sill is full of my pottery--which is nice!

I travelled to Egypt with my sister-in-law a few years ago, and we visited the Brooks Clinic in Luxor. I found it wonderful and extremely depressing at the same time. The state of the animals and how they had been treated made me cry, but the staff are doing their best to educate people to treat their animals with more respect and treat injured animals for free. The result of that visit is my wish to support the Brooke Clinic. When I sell a clay donkey , the entire purchase price is donated to Brooke. I also support the RSPCA.

Our garden has a large pond with fish and frogs and I've planted lots of bee, butterfly, and bird friendly plants. My philosophy is that we only have this one wonderful planet, and I feel we should all do our bit to protect it.

Be sure to visit Pauline's shop at http://www.cherrytree.artfire.com/, and enjoy this slideshow of some of her creations:

The featured artist spot is hosted by Pam of Bags and More by Pam. If you would like to be featured, contact her at Artfire.

Jamie's Fur Babies

Hello all!

Jamie here from She's Batty Designs.

I thought I'd show of my babies! he he.

They were all rescue dogs, each with their own unique story :)

I don't have time (or energy) to tell you each of their stories in their entirety, so I'll give you the cole's notes version!

I'll post some more "useful" blog entries soon, but for now enough looking at my beautiful fur babies he he ...

This is Noel! Even though she's the "middle child" I've had her the longest! I got her when she was about 5 and a half months old. That was back in 2002!

I've had my "old girl" for just over 2 years now. I adopted her when she was about 7 or 8 years old. She's the biggest suck!

This is our newest fur baby, Sassy. We adopted her in October (2008). She's about 2 years old, super fast and scare of almost everything!

A Volunteer Means the World to a Homeless Pup

Here is a story I received from Tammy of Cutsie Poochie who began her journey in knitting and crochet and then to sewing animal ware because of her half bald chihuahua.

This is Tammy of Cutsie Poochie. I started Cutstie Poochie when I got my chihuahua Batboy because he was half-bald and it was mid-winter. So I started crocheting and knitting little things, which led to more little things, then to sewing, and well, it just became a passion.

I began volunteering with my kids at our local animal shelter about six weeks after we got our chihuahua. It was the most awesome, heart-wrenching, and rewarding thing we had ever done. Every Saturday, we would put on our old clothes and go down to the shelter armed with biscuits, bags of food, and big smiles, and walked the dogs. We would play with the cats in their little room and pet and love them. Some got to be very special to us and it was a huge reward when they were adopted.

About a month ago our shelter stopped allowing volunteers to come in because a person was bitten. This person was also a volunteer and had signed a release agreement, but had somehow been able to take the county to court. So our life hit a huge snag. The day we found out, we walked the cages and visited with our friends behind bars. The ones that knew that we had been there every Saturday barked and jumped and panted, knowing they were about to get out! We petted them and talked to them through the cage doors and then had to move on. They just stood there and watched us go, not understanding why they weren't being let out. Some barked louder, some howled. It was probably the worst thing that had happened the entire time we had been working with them.

I didn't write this to dissuade anyone from volunteering! I wrote this to let everyone know that it is a job worth doing. You may not think that the animals recognize it or know it, but they do. Volunteers makes such a difference in their lives. They know that they are still valued, still loved, and still needed. It keeps them from getting depressed and helps them be happy so they can be adopted. People don't adopt sad dogs and cats.

So, do all that you can, no matter the cost. We are trying to find another organization to work with and will be ecstatic when we do. In the meantime, we're working our fingers to the bone and doing all we can in other areas of pet rescue.

Buy from someone that is donating to animal charities. A little goes a long way!

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Tammy of Cutsie Poochie donates a portion of all proceeds from her sales go to their local animal shelter and pet rescue organizations. Tammy's gang features some of the pets available for adoption and invites you to take a new friend into your home. You can follow their adventures by going to our Cutsie Poochie blog site. You can visit the Effingham County Animal Control Shelter at 307 Hwy 119 South in Springfield, GA or call them at 912-754-2109. The map above gives directions. Keep your cursor on the picture for a description of each pet. Scroll down for some videos and check out our channel on YouTube for great videos of the adventures we have.

Visit CutsiePoochie's ArtFire Shop