Sunday, April 5, 2009

Michigan Trolls Etsy Team in Ann Arbor

If you were in Ann Arbor today and were hanging around Zingermans Deli, don't be confused if someone asked you if you were a "troll!" The Etsy Team Michigan Trolls met today to have lunch and to look at the Ann Arbor Artisans market. It was nice to meet some of the trolls including cbspolyworks,plantelady,its4u,blingismything, Oh I missed one more troll! Somebody help me out! LOL It was a chilly day but I think we agree it would be nice to set up and become vendors at the artisans market. We talked to many of the vendors there, looked at their displays, and had a great time.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Friday Finds No.11-StitchesOfThePast

I can't believe the great young talent there is on Etsy. Here's another unique example, StitchesOfThePast. I'm 13 year old seamstress I started sewing at the age of 4. I enjoy making historical and modern clothes. I mainly focus on women, chilren and babies' clothing. Can you believe this is the work of a 13 year old seamstress? I had to do a double take! Period reenacting is popular here in Michigan. I'm going to be sure to pass her shop on to some of my friends who are interested in this. But if you have a baby-or know someone is has one this baby cap is a classic! It's Brooke's favorite-and mine too! You can also find her here. I hope you are enjoying all these talents that I've been showcasing on my blog!

Friday Finds No.10-MDKnits

I love the idea of this shop- a mother/daughter team! Here's their profile: We are a mother and daughter team who LOVE to knit and do crafts after dinner everyday while watching t.v. My mom is a full time professor at a state college, while I just graduated with my Bachelor's of Music and I am currently waiting for graduate school to start in the fall. My mom is like my best friend. Since we knit every day, we end up knitting a ton of things! You can only wear so many scarves at one time ;) We found Etsy, love the atmosphere, and decided to stay! We both hope you love our creations as much as we do. We have things for knitters and knitter lovers alike ^_^. I really like these you could use them for either dishcloths or facecloths! Emilee's blog is : www.thevirginknitter.com (i'm the daughter :)

Friday Finds No.9-TashinaFalene

Wow! I've had such a great response to my request for "Friday Finds" that I may never run out of Etsy shops to share with you. Remember, to get you shop featured on my "Friday Finds" the only requirement is that you have 10 sales or less when you request to be featured-that's it! I hope all of you are checking out these finds. There have been some great artisans featured. It sure has given me some gift ideas! My first find tonight is TashinaFalene I can hardly believe this artisan is only 17! Here's her bio: I'm Tashina, I'm 17 and I live in the mountains of Northern Virginia. I started creating jewelry at the age of 13 and couldn't get myself to stop. I've recently started selling my piece online, but have been successful at local craft shows and fairs for almost a year now. When I have free time, I also love to write and read. I hope to be a published author someday, but still do jewelry designing. One of her favorite pieces in her shop is this Howlite Necklace. You can find more of her designs here: My blog: http://dragonflykey.blogspot.com My Twitter: http://twitter.com/TashinaFalene My Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/summerfalene

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Opening Day 2009

 
We're back from the river-I beautiful trout opener. It was fairly decent early this morning-no wind a little overcast-a good day for fishing. I didn't have much luck, but Bob, my significant other had some by the look of the trout he caught and released!
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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

No Aprils Fool Joke!

I can't wait for tomorrow! OK-No Aprils Fools Jokes here! It's opening Day of the Trout Special Season-Fly Only catch and release on one of my favorite rivers here in southeastern Michigan. Sorry, no more hints than that! Bob-my significant other, partner, boyfriend, whatever you call him-and I will be hitting the stream early in the morning-no not 12:01 am like in another year-I think we'll be sleeping in-until well...maybe 7 am LOL! But that's not the BIG Announcement... For the month of April, I'm offering free shipping! That's right-free shipping worldwide. I want to offer something special to start off spring-so my friends, for April only, I thought this would be a good way to entice you to look at my shop and add something to your shopping cart! If you have a sale to share be sure to comment and post a link here!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

First crocus

 
Don't you just love the first crocus that pops up in your garden? A couple of these cheery little flowers popped up today! Hope they didn't listen to to weather forecast for a little snow. It makes me happy to see these little harbingers of Spring. The long dreary days of winter should soon be leaving. Time to take stock of our lives, put aside those grudges and gripes we've been harboring. Time to freshen up our outlooks. Life not going as planned?...well look at these happy flowers-that remind me that after darkness, light. Unhappy about the sales in your shops-well maybe it's time for some spring cleaning! Take stock of what you enjoy doing, sales will follow. Time to refresh the look? maybe a new banner, a change in prices, better pictures? Have someone new take a look and give some suggestions. A pair of fresh eyes may see things you don't notice! Are you doing enough to promote? How about posting a suggestion here for everyone to share? We'll soon have a whole garden of happy little flowers!
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Friday, March 27, 2009

Friday Finds No.8-OceansideCreations

From one side of the pond to the other! My last featured artisan this week is OceansideCreations! I love sea glass and this Sea Glass Wire-Wrapped Pendant is beautiful! Here's a bit from the artisan: My name is Amanda and I live in Maine with my fiancee. I started making jewelry as a hobby and have enjoyed making it for friends and family as gifts for several years. I am a cook at a local fine dining restaurant, and as things are very slow at work in the winter I have found myself with plenty of time to get creative with my jewelry. In December 2008 I started my shop on Etsy. I don't have many sales yet but I am really enjoying the opportunity to make jewelry that I love. I love making wire wrapped jewelry and have been working most recently on a new collection of wire wrapped sea glass pendants. I'm really proud of this one and it's one of my favorites right now: Amethyst Wire Wrapped Bangle Make sure you post your comments and give these artisans some of your great encouragement and advice to boost their sale! Next week I'll have some more finds so keep returning to find some new favorite shops!

Friday Finds No.7-chocolatecupcake

chocolatecupcake from Scotland is my first international Friday Find! She's on vacation for a couple of days-I hope she will be surprised by the number of comments when she returns! She has a whole shop full of the cutest items, pin cushions, cute needlebooks for storing your needles, and all sorts of felt embellishments. Who needs to try to make these when you can buy ones cute as these chocolate fudge embellishments? Here's a little about the artisan: I'm Fiona, a 30year old stay at home mum of two (Reece 13 & Zoe 2 1/2)and wife to a very understanding husband. We live near Glasgow in Scotland where on rare occassions the sun does actually shine!!!! Finding time to create my goodies can be difficult so every spare moment is precious, especially in the afternoon while my daughter naps. I find my inspiration from a variety of places including childrens books, magazines and of course.....Etsy! My blog link is http://www.mychocolatecupcake.blogspot.com/ chocolatecupcake has 9 sales right now-let's see if we can boost that a little-Mother's Day in the US is coming up soon!

Friday Finds No.6-Massmans

I can hardly believe how fast time flies! it's been a busy week and it's already late on Friday-but these shops are worth the wait! Please take a look at their wonderful shops and be sure to leave them some encouragement in the comments! The first shop I wan to feature this week is massmans. I love then way someone can bring out the beauty of the woods. I think it's a rare talent and this shop brings out some of the best in it! Artist’s Statement I was first introduced to woodturning in a high school woodworking class. I rediscovered woodturning in 2006 and haven’t looked back since. I am largely self-taught—though I am an avid follower of woodturning newsgroups and magazines. I am a proud member of The American Association of Woodturners and the International Association of Penturners. I have been lucky enough to attend seminars at a national symposium where I was inspired by some of the great woodturners of our time. Woodturning is addictive to me largely because I can literally save a log from being turned into wood chips or firewood and give it new life as a unique piece of art. I love to take a raw piece of wood and make something functional or artistic out of it. As I start cutting the wood on the lathe, different kinds of grain patterns and features emerge, and I try to enhance those features in order to make the most beautiful object I can. I take an environmental approach in my woodturning by using reclaimed wood rather than cutting down trees to make art. Most of my wood is native to Missouri and is obtained at mulch sites or by word of mouth. Many of the trees have been damaged by disease or weather. Some of my most meaningful pieces start when someone’s favorite tree has been downed by weather or disease. I have the honor of being asked to make something out of the tree. It is a true joy to know that these pieces help trigger fond memories of beloved trees. This Cherry Bowl is my favorite item in his shop. Other links: My main website where everything is posted. http://www.massmans.org My blog http://massmans.blogspot.com

Friday, March 20, 2009

Friday Finds No. 5

Spring is a great way to celebrate new things. My "Friday Finds" feature Etsy artisans with less than 10 sales. Take a look at their shops and work and please leave a comment about them! Who knows-maybe you will find that they will become a favorite shop of yours! My third find today is the beautiful photography shop DanaLaymon, who tells us that "I have been doing photography seriously for 6 years and am mostly self taught. I love to travel and capture other cultures. I live in Wilmington, NC with my husband and puppy Lucy :) I do have a day job but hope to make photography my full time job one day. I do weddings and portraits in my spare time and love it all!" Take a look at Airlie Gardens Some other spots to follow her are: www.danalaymon.com & http://twitter.com/DanaLaymon & www.danalaymon.blogspot.com

Friday Finds No. 4

PolkaDotPoppy-isn't that a great name-is my fourth Friday find! Her In Orbit Earrings are one of her favorite pieces in her shop. I think the colors of them are just -well out of this world! I am a SAHM with three kids ranging from 11 to 7. I am currently homeschooling all three of them. This makes creative time sometimes hard to find but I am loving all of it. As seen in my shop sometimes, in order to fit in some creating time I have to let the kids join me in my craft room. All three of the kids love creating their own masterpieces. I love working with any and all materials. I love using components that allow me to create beautiful pieces that are very affordable. But I also love using gemstones and sterling silver. I love creating pieces. When you start with a pile of beads and some metal and get an end result of something beautiful that you made, the feeling is magical. Be sure to check out Jake and Zach's creations too!

Friday Finds No.3

Welcome spring! To celebrate spring let's look at three Etsy shops today! gifteddesigns is our first featured shop today! Shannon tells us that she is a 32 year young Montrealer who discovered Jewelry Design last June. I wouldn't be able to tell you how I made the jump into Jewelry Design if I tried...*lol* All I can tell you is that my best-friend in the world introduced me to Etsy and initially, I was thinking of starting a shop featuring paper goods...*lol* My shop name came to me in a dream where I was in an actual store selling said paper goods. Somewhere along the way, I found some incredible Etsy jewelry designers, bought some of their pieces and started buying beads to make my own and the rest is history! BTW, I'm still thinking of having paper goods...;) Some of the other places you can find her at are: BLOG: http://gifteddesigns.blogspot.com FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.dj/gifteddesigns TWITTER: http://twitter.com/gifted_designs FLICKR: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gifted_designs/ BYHAND: http://gifteddesigns.byhand.me DEVIANTART: http://silken.deviantart.com For those of you who speak French: Je suis bilingue. Il me ferais plaisir de vous répondre et vous servir en français...:) Here's one of her favorite items in her shop "Charmony."

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Friday Finds No.2

Here's my next "Friday Find." Babesh. Since she joined Etsy she has had 6 sales-I think she could definitely get more with her cute items! Monika is a stay at home mom with 1 15 month old and 1 on the way so it's a busy life. This is what she has to share with us "I began making my creations because no one knew what they were in my town so therefore I didn't get any of them for my first baby shower, so upon being laid off from my job I needed something I enjoyed doing so I wouldn't go crazy so I decided to make my baby items and share them at fairly low prices." This 3 Tier Pink Girl Receiving Blanket Diaper Cake is a favorite item-so cute! You can find Babesh on flickr here:http://www.flickr.com/people/35728242@N02/ and on Twitter http://twitter.com/Babesh1 Be sure to give these shops some attention-their Etsy minis are posted to the left! Take a look at the cute items in their shops!

Friday Finds No.1

I'm so excited to be featuring these Etsy Artisans-the one thing in common with all of them is they have 10 or sales. Please take a look at their shops...I bet there will be something for you in there. Easter, Mother's Day-weddings, bridal and baby showers, birthdays and graduations, just because-I can think of hundreds of reasons to take a peek! Let's support our fellow artisans!

Hand Embroidery, Bridal bags & Vintage Finds

My very first "find!"veryprettythings has some very pretty things in her shop! Can you imagine a bride carrying this very special bridal bag! Right now this artisan has 10 sales-but we'd love to give her a boost! Her work is quite lovely! This is what Susan had to share with us: I am a Christian Homeschooling Mom. I enjoy reading, gardening, finding great deals on vintage items & sewing. I am a proud member of ETSYMOM & CAST street teams. Find one of her favorite items here. Check out her blogs: Http://pinkportugueseroses.blogspot.com and Http://myveryprettythings.blogspot.com

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Wow-I'm featured in a treasury

I like to make treasuries-It's a great way to look at a lot of shops here on Etsy. If you haven't tried to make one-you should. Let you imagine go wild. Treasuries can be anything you want them to be-base theme on a color, word, theme, season, anything or nothing at all! What's the purpose of treasuries? Well, they get you as a seller and buyer to get exposure to shops you might not have seen before. It's lets others see your creative expressions and maybe consider you in return. Here's the treasury I'm in tonight. It was put together by paisleykitten. She started off the the treasury with 1 item, and asked others to comment on her treasury-and to challenge them to see if they had anything that could coordinate with her initial item! What a neat idea! I think it turned out great! How about you? How did I get that that screen shot into my blog? It's pretty easy! First of all open up the page you want a screen shot of, right click-see the box that comes up? It should say view page info on the bottom line. You need the info from there to find out the page address. You can copy that info to thumbalizr. You then download your thumbalized image and paste into your blog. It sound complicated, but after a couple of tries even I mastered, well at least can use, it!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

I got a Treasury tonight!

I made this lovely spring treasury today! Full of pinks, and yellows and greens. It just makes me smile! Hope it brightens up your day too!

Monday, March 9, 2009

Friday Finds!

One of the great things about Etsy is the community feeling you have. Need a critique-someone's there with advice, need some technical advice-you'll get plenty. Can't find something?-just post your request. Want to celebrate you accomplishments, share a laugh...well you get the picture! One of the things I wanted to do is "pay back" some of the help that I got when I first started out. Friday Finds is about to be "debuted." Here's a link to the forum post about it. Each Friday, I'll feature at least 1 0r 2 Shops that have 10 or less sales. I've got two great shops veryprettythings and babesh lined up for this Friday! And there's a lot more great shop in the wings! Hope you'll come back on Friday to find out more about these shops!

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Have you been featured in a Treasury?

One of the things I like to find are "Etsy hacks." Those simple tools we wish Etsy would have,but doesn't. If you have ever tried to figure out if you've been featured in a treasury or gift guide-you know you have to search the treasury pages one by one looking for the gold or silver stars. It can be a real chore-most of the time I just quit looking. But I just found this great site Craftopolis. You just type in your Etsy name and you can find out right away if you're in a Treasury! It's going to be working for gift guides soon too. Hope you have fun finding out if you've been featured in a treasury!

How do you know it's almost spring?

Most people think spring rains, the crocus popping their little heads out of the ground, the birds returning...but not in our house! My partner, Bob and I think... TROUT SEASON! It begins April 1st here in Michigan-catch and release fly only until April 30th. A sure sign that spring is on it's way is when we bring out all the "trout stuff" and start going thru our fly boxes! Like a couple of kids dreaming of sugarplums dancing in their heads-we get almost giddy thinking of wooly buggers, copper johns, blue winged olives, caddis nymphs-oh it makes a girls head swim! We went to Bass Pro Shops today to spend our Christmas gift from Bob's sister-here's some of the lovely things we got!
OK-maybe it's not what you dream about-but it's a sure sign of spring for me!

I changed my layout to 3 columns!

I've been looking at a lot of blogs lately. One thing I figured out is that I really like the look of a three column blog-but I didn't want to change my design to drastically. The Blogger basic templates don't have a choice of a three column design-so now what to do? Well, I found some great advice at here. It took a little effort-and I think it turned out pretty good. What do you think? I still have to work on the header-but it's a start! Hope your day is off to a great start!.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Strawberry Jello Pretzel Dessert Recipe

Yummy strawberry jello dessert.

Do you ever need a easy to make dessert for a party?-This one's a favorite in our family! The crispy pretzel crust is unusual and offsets the creamy center layer. Try making this recipe with all sorts of variations-Try fresh raspberries and raspberry jello or orange jello with mandarin oranges.

2c. coarsely ground pretzels
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese,softened
1 c. sugar
2 (8 oz.)tubs Cool Whip, thawed
1 6oz. pkg strawberry Jello
2c. boiling water
2 (10oz.)pkg frozen sliced strawberries


Layer 1
Mix together crushed pretzels, melted butter and 3T sugar. Press into bottom of 13x9 inch baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool.




Layer 2
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in Cool whip, mix until well blended. Spoon over pretzel layer and spread evenly.













Layer 3
Mix together Jello and boiling water. Add frozen strawberries. Refrigerate for about 1 hour until slightly thickened. Spoon over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until jello is firm about 4 hours.


Sunday, February 22, 2009

Business Basics 101-LLC

Limited Liability Company (LLC)

The LLC is a relatively new type of hybrid business structure that is now permissible in most states. It is designed to provide the limited liability features of a corporation and the tax efficiencies and operational flexibility of a partnership. Formation is more complex and formal than that of a general partnership.

LLCs are popular because, similar to a corporation, owners have limited personal liability for the debts and actions of the LLC. Other features of LLCs are more like a partnership, providing management flexibility and the benefit of pass-through taxation

The owners are called members. Since most states do not restrict ownership, members may include individuals, corporations, other LLCs and foreign entities. There is no maximum number of members. Most states also permit “single member” LLCs, those having only one owner. The duration of the LLC is usually determined when the organization papers are filed. The time limit can be continued, if desired, by a vote of the members at the time of expiration. LLCs must not have more than two of the four characteristics that define corporations: Limited liability to the extent of assets, continuity of life, centralization of management, and free transferability of ownership interests.

Federal Tax Forms for LLC

For additional information on the kinds of tax returns to file, how to handle employment taxes and possible pitfalls, refer to Publication 3402, Tax Issues for Limited Liability Companies (PDF).

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Michigan Trolls Team Treasury

AngiesdesignsShop got a treasury last night! What's a treasury? For those of you who look at Etsy-it's a showcase of favorite items picked by an Etsy member-a curator. The main treasury list is opened when there are under 333 lists showing. It's almost a game-you have your treasury title picked out and you need to type it it fast-and voila! you have a treasury. Now you fill the spaces with links to 12 items (plus for alternates) in any shops on Etsy. The Treasury is not intended for self-promotion, but instead to acknowledge and share the many cool things for sale on Etsy. Admin often choose an exceptional Treasury list to promote on the home page and occasionally make them to tie into Storque articles or special events and occasions. I love to see the themes and items other sellers pick out-some are very creative. It gives you a bit of exposure-and it's a good way to get to take a look at lots of great shops. If you haven't put together a Treasury yet-try it! But beware, treasury curating can become addicting...If you stay up to 4am just waiting for that list to open-don't say I didn't warn you!

Friday, February 20, 2009

Sneak Attack!

Whew! That was fun! If you hang out in the Etsy forums long enough you keep hearing about a sneak attack. A bunch of crazy kamikaze shoppers, rogue buyers...what the heck is a sneak attack anyway? From the Handmademovement blog...Three days a week at an appointed time, an Etsy shop with few or no sales is announced on this site. As many people as possible then buy items from that shop, resulting in a frenzy of surprise business to the unsuspecting shop! Want to join in? I bet you do! Read on... A relatively new shop with few sales is "targeted" by a group of seasoned Etsy sellers. Today's attack was sponsored by HappyCloudMoments.

Who's behind all this?

Actually, a lot of people are! The success of this site and the Sneak Attack is are thanks to a lot of different people who are happy to help make someone's day! Michael Phipps originated the Sneak Attack idea. He ties everything together and maintains the site.

Michael is an artist by profession. As part of that he sells artistic t-shirts on his site ScatterbrainTees.com and his Etsy shop PhippsArt. His art blog can be found at http://michaelphipps.blogspot.com/. See his illustration work at http://www.michaelphipps.net

Well today I had to try it for myself-what a lot of fun. This afternoon we "attacked this shop HappyElephantDesigns! This is what I got! A darling birthday card...just in time for an upcoming birthday! I hope you try out the "sneak attack" too. It gives a boost of confidence to sellers, and a sense of satisfaction for the attackers. You've heard of random acts of kindness...now go out and do it!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

It's Twilight Time

Here it is! my first Thursday Sweet Treat Blog Challenge!

On Friday morning Natasha posts a new challenge on her blog: http://thursdaysweettreat.blogspot.com Last Friday she posted the challenge I'm dreaming in color. We are to come up with a new interpretation piece by Wednesday! This was my first time in this challenge-but it won't be my last-it was lot's of fun to challenge yourself-and I can't wait to see what other artisans came up with! When I read the theme this week I let my mind wander-The song “Twilight Time” came into my head. Heavenly shades of night are falling, it's twilight time Out of the mist your voice is calling, 'tis twilight time when purple-colored curtains mark the end of day I'll hear you, my dear, at twilight time. I went thru my beads and found the most delicious shades of blues and purple fresh water pearls-deep, rich colors and mixed them with iolite and amethyst beads, iridescent fresh water pearl spears and these funky round coin beads I had found in my favorite bead store. I combined them into a triple strand necklace that explodes into the colors of “twilight time.” I hope you like it too! Please take a look at all the other artisans at: http://thursdaysweettreat.blogspot.com

Have a wonderful day!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Thursday Sweet Treat Challenge

I wanted to let you know about an artisan challenge called "Thursday Sweet Treat Challenge." Natasha of
http://thursdaysweettreat.blogspot.com/ posts a theme on her blog on Friday morning and the challenge is to create a new item by the next Wednesday so she can post it on her site on Thursday morning!
The challenge this week was "I'm dreaming of color." I created my first challenge piece today! I won't give you a peek until later this week-but I'll give you a hint...Twilight Time is what I named the necklace.

Business Basics 101-Sub Chapter S Corporations

Subchapter S Corporations A tax election only; this election enables the shareholder to treat the earnings and profits as distributions and have them pass through directly to their personal tax return. The catch here is that the shareholder, if working for the company, and if there is a profit, must pay him/herself wages, and must meet standards of "reasonable compensation". This can vary by geographical region as well as occupation, but the basic rule is to pay yourself what you would have to pay someone to do your job, as long as there is enough profit. If you do not do this, the IRS can reclassify all of the earnings and profit as wages, and you will be liable for all of the payroll taxes on the total amount. Federal Tax Forms for Subchapter S Corporations (only a partial list and some may not apply) · Form 1120S: Income Tax Return for S Corporation · 1120S K-1: Shareholder's Share of Income, Credit, Deductions · Form 4625 Depreciation · Employment Tax Forms · Form 1040: Individual Income Tax Return · Schedule E: Supplemental Income and Loss · Schedule SE: Self-Employment Tax · Form 1040-ES: Estimated Tax for Individuals Other forms as needed for capital gains, sale of assets, alternative minimum tax, etc.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Etsy Team Michigan Trolls Treasury

I'm excited to be part of of new Michigan Etsy team-the Michigan Trolls I'm featuring some fine Michigan artisans on this treasury: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=38765 Please take a look!

Business Basics 101-Corporations

Corporations

Corporations are the most formal way of conducting business. A corporation chartered by the state in which it is headquartered is considered by law to be a unique entity, separate and apart from those who own it. A corporation can be taxed, it can be sued, and it can enter into contractual agreements. The owners of a corporation are its shareholders. The shareholders elect a board of directors to oversee the major policies and decisions. The corporation has a life of its own and does not dissolve when ownership changes. The two most common types of coporations are "C" and "S" corporations. A major difference is how they are taxed.

A "C" corporation pays a corporate income tax and the owners also pay their personal taxes on salaries and dividends. An "S" corporation does not pay corporate income tax; instead, all profits are allocated to the stockholders and are taxed at each stockholder's personal tax rate whether or not cash is paid out as salary.

Many small businesses consider creating a corporation to protect personal assets such as home, cars, etc. from the courts in the event of bankruptcy or a jury awards a settlement more than the limits of your insurance.

We'll look at "S" Corporations and "LLC's" in the future!

Remember, as always, I advise you to consult with a qualified accountant or lawyer to give you the best advice for your situation!

Advantages of a Corporation

  • Shareholders have limited liability for the corporation's debts or judgments against the corporations.
  • Generally, shareholders can only be held accountable for their investment in stock of the company. (Note however, that officers can be held personally liable for their actions, such as the failure to withhold and pay employment taxes.)
  • Corporations can raise additional funds through the sale of stock.
  • A corporation may deduct the cost of benefits it provides to officers and employees.
  • Can elect S corporation status if certain requirements are met. This election enables company to be taxed similar to a partnership.

Disadvantages of a Corporation

  • The process of incorporation requires more time and money than other forms of organization.
  • Corporations are monitored by federal, state and some local agencies, and as a result may have more paperwork to comply with regulations.
  • Incorporating may result in higher overall taxes. Dividends paid to shareholders are not deductible from business income; thus it can be taxed twice.
  • Federal Tax Forms for Regular or "C" Corporations (only a partial list and some may not apply) Form 1120 or 1120-A: Corporation Income Tax Return Form 1120-W Estimated Tax for Corporation Form 8109-B Deposit Coupon Form 4625 Depreciation Employment Tax Forms Other forms as needed for capital gains, sale of assets, alternative minimum tax, etc.

Friday, February 6, 2009

My families favorite recipes

Smacznego-Bon Appetit! One of the things I wanted to share with you is my love of cooking. Good, sometimes old-fashioned cooking like your mom and grandma night have made if you were very lucky! I grew up in a Polish family of great cooks. My Babcia (grandmother), various aunts and my mother were wonderful cooks that passed down a wealth of knowledge. We learned cooking by doing-not by following recipes in a cookbook-but treasured recipes handed down generation to generation. My brother Adam put together a collection of recipes intending to share them with the world but alas!-the cookbook was never published. I hope to share some of them with you and many of my own favorite recipes. Give them a try-maybe some of them will become your family favorites too! Golabki-Stuffed Cabbage Filling: 1 onion, chopped fine 4 Tablespoons butter ( 1/2 stick) 1 c white rice, cooked 2 lbs ground beef-I like ground chuck 2 eggs 1 tsp garlic powder Salt and pepper 1 whole cabbage For sauce: 1 can cream of tomato soup 1 can diced tomatoes Saute onions in butter until transparent. Combine with cooked rice, meat, eggs, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Put whole head of cabbage into large pot of boiling water. The trick here is to cut away the leaves of the cabbage from the core. As the cabbage leaves become transparent, run a knife along the center cabbage core to remove a few of the scalded cabbage leaves . Place the cabbage leaves in a colander to cool and drain. Repeat this until you get to the leaves that will be to small to form rolls. Discard ( or eat!) the core.
Take a small amount of the filling-and place it at the base of the cabbage leaf-the amount you need will vary with the size of the cabbage leaf. Put the completed cabbage rolls into a baking dish-I like to lay down a few of my leftover or torn leaves to line the baking dish to keep my golabki from browning too much. Pour the sauce mix over the cabbage rolls, cover and bake in a 350 degree oven about 1 and 1/2 hours. I love these served with homeade mashed potatoes!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

I 'm excited -I'm featured in two Treasuries today!

Wow-It's been a good day today. I'm featured in two treasuries tonight! Please go check them out! http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=42136 http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=37747

Monday, February 2, 2009

Jury duty

That dreaded letter came to my home a couple of weeks ago "You have been summoned to jury duty." I thought, oh great-I'm busy at the office, it's winter, I want to work on building up my Etsy business-and now this. Who's got time for jury duty. I considered asking for a postponement-could I be so lucky as to just get out of it? But then, I decided I would go and find out what this was all about. This morning I filed out of the house and down to the county court building-along with about 200 other potential jurors. I was surprised by the number of people called into service-and it struck me that it was a pretty diverse group of people. We were given a short orientation and a video to watch-so far not so bad. Then the waiting began, I waited and waited, and waited and waited..... About half the jury pool had been called. At lunchtime about half of us remaining got dismissed. Now I feel a little left out. I realize that jury duty isn't something everyone jumps in joy to do, but it is our civic duty to do. I never did make it on to a jury-but next time if you get called to serve be proud of the fact that YOU are participating in the process.

woolies blog give away

Take a look at Woolies latest blog give away-it features a pair of my Rhodochrosite earrings! What a lovely gift for yourself or someone special. http://woolies-woolies.blogspot.com The give away ends at midnight February 9th, so head on over to her site for all the rules! Good luck!

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Business Basics 101-Sole Proprietor

Today let's explore the simplest and most common form of business ownership-the sole proprietor. Owning your own business certainly does give you many options. This series is intending to give you a basic uderstanding of business and how they operate. As always, I caution you to seek good advice from either and accountant or attorney who can help you best determine what is right for you! Sole Proprietorships The vast majority of small businesses start out as sole proprietorships. These firms are owned by one person, usually the individual who has day-to-day responsibilities for running the business. Sole proprietors own all the assets of the business and the profits generated by it. They also assume complete responsibility for any of its liabilities or debts. In the eyes of the law and the public, you are one in the same with the business. Advantages of a Sole Proprietorship:
  • Easiest and least expensive form of ownership to organize.
  • Sole proprietors are in complete control, and within the parameters of the law, may make decisions as they see fit.
  • Sole proprietors receive all income generated by the business to keep or reinvest.
  • Profits from the business flow directly to the owner's personal tax return.
  • The business is easy to dissolve, if desired.

Disadvantages of a Sole Proprietorship:

  • Sole proprietors have unlimited liability and are legally responsible for all debts against the business. Their business and personal assets are at risk.
  • May be at a disadvantage in raising funds and are often limited to using funds from personal savings or consumer loans.
  • May have a hard time attracting high-caliber employees or those that are motivated by the opportunity to own a part of the business.
  • Some employee benefits such as owner's medical insurance premiums are not directly deductible from business income (only partially deductible as an adjustment to income).

Federal Tax Forms for Sole Proprietorship (only a partial list and some may not apply):

Form 1040: Individual Income Tax Return Schedule C: Profit or Loss from Business (or Schedule C-EZ) Schedule SE: Self-Employment Tax Form 1040-ES: Estimated Tax for Individuals Form 4562: Depreciation and Amortization Form 8829: Expenses for Business Use of your Home Employment Tax Forms

Business Basics 101-Deciding on a structure

Forms of Ownership One of the first decisions that you will have to make as a business owner is how the company should be structured. This decision will have long-term implications, so consult with an accountant and attorney to help you select the form of ownership that is right for you. In making a choice, you will want to take into account the following:
  • Your vision regarding the size and nature of your business.
  • The level of control you wish to have.
  • The level of structure you are willing to deal with.
  • The business' vulnerability to lawsuits.
  • Tax implications of the different ownership structures.
  • Expected profit (or loss) of the business.
  • Whether or not you need to reinvest earnings into the business.
  • Your need for access to cash out of the business for yourself.

Good Sunday morning!

I just posted this new listing. If you like golds and browns you have GOT to check this piece out! I am soooo happy with this necklace-a triple strand of tigers eye, pearls and bronzite with a free form tigers eye pendant-it's just opulent!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

My first Etsy Sale!

It's time to celebrate! My first etsy sale today! What a feeling to finally break thru! Seems like I've learned so much in the 5 weeks that I've been listing items. From learning how to take and edit better pictures, learning all about forums, chats, blogs, teams, twitter, flickr-the list is endless! sometimes my head is spinning! I need some time to create too! I've been learning to prioritize-I try to keep up with a limited number of blogs every day-would love to read more-and I usually do on the weekends. during the week I try to spend a little time in the forums and chat rooms-they are a wealth of information. If you haven't spent much time in them I suggest you check out the forums-if you have a question, people have answers! Forums are a good place to test out your ideas, and get critiques on your items.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Business Basics 101-Naming your business

A couple of great sources of information are the IRS website: www.IRS.gov and the Small Business Administration website: www.sba.gov. Locally, many states and counties have organizations set up to help small business start up. These are great places to check out and get information as well as mentoring! Lets start today with a little bit about naming your business: There is more to naming your business than just coming up with something that sounds good and you happen to like. Thought must be given to state and local requirements and making sure you don’t infringe upon the rights of someone else’s business name. Legal Requirements And Implications Picking a name for your business requires much more than just creativity and a working knowledge of your target market. First you'll need to decide which business structure you will use, since each structure has its own peculiarities. For example, many states require a sole proprietor to use their own name for the business name unless they formally file another name as a trade name, or fictitious name. Read more about How Business Structure Affects Business Names. Similarly, you will need to determine whether your trade name will be the same as the full legal name of your business. Of equal importance is finding out whether your name or a very similar name is being used by another business, and if so, what rights they may or may not have to use the name in the area where you do business. Keep in mind that some businesses only file trademarks within their locality, so it's possible that the same name can be used elsewhere. Here's some information on Trademark FAQs. Search And Registration Trade names can be registered through state Secretary of State offices, and for wider marketplace protection, through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO Trademark Search). Businesses should first use the USPTO's online system to search all state and federal trademark registers to see if their proposed name is being used. Domain Names For many businesses that operate on the Web, trade names are synonymous with domain names, such as Amazon.com and Monster.com. Domain names are not registered through state or local government; rather they can be obtained through numerous online businesses, most of which will allow you to conduct a name search prior to purchase to make sure your chosen name isn't taken.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

I got a Treasury tonight!

I got a Treasury tonight-I'm so excited! Take a few minutes to browse these finds! Here's the link http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=35339 Have a great evening!

Death and Taxes...well taxes at least!

One of the things people are interested in is "what can I deduct on my income taxes?" As an accountant I do need to caution you, that the advice I'm giving you is general advice...the best thing for you is to consult an accountant or experienced tax preparer who is familiar with YOUR situation! We'll explore a lot of business areas-setting up your business, the types of entities available to you and their pros and cons, income and deductions, reporting requirements, record keeping, licenses, all sorts of good stuff! If you have any general questions-just let me know-I will try to post the answers here.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Wow-Have I got a lot to learn!

Well the blog is up and running...sort of! I've managed to add my Etsy mini and while in the forums found some other new bloggers-I' going to follow them and it will be interesting to see how we all progress. I've been thinking that I need to get outside a little more this winter. It's so pretty with all the snow we've had here in Michigan, but it just been soooo cold! I want to take some more pix-i like having pictures of nature scenes to look at for inspiration. Sometime when I'm stuck for color combinations I just look at some of my favorite pictures-and Voila! I'm still working on my blog page set up-if you have some tips to share Id love to hear them.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Welcome to my world of blogging!

Well I've finally taken the plunge! I decided one of the things I needed to do in order to promote my shop on Etsy was to set up a blog. Follow along with me as I learn about blogging and I'll fill you in on how I progress as a blogger! Right now-go take a look at my shop at www.fishprincessdesigns.etsy.com Have fun.