My girls love setting a fancy table any time of year. Holiday get-togethers are a perfect time to create some extra-special place cards, like our cute snow globes! We’re planning to use these for our winter solstice candlelight dinner, and take them to my parents’ house for Christmas Day. Want to make some snow globe [...]

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We're wrapping up 2011 (in addition to a few Christmas presents) and we wanted to pass along a top 10 list that we thought you might enjoy.This list includes the top 10 most viewed blog posts on Meylah this year!  It really is an incredible resource of content...we hope you enjoy reading these posts as much as we did writing them!1. How To Get PR For Your BusinessDo you ever wonder how stores get their name out, or what it took for them to get their “success ball” rolling?  Getting your name out there is often seen as daunting and difficult, but great PR isn’t as hard to obtain as you think.  We spoke to a couple successful creative entrepreneurs who shared their PR tips...2. Eliminate Theft at Art & Craft ShowsArt & craft shows provide a wonderful opportunity for all of us to share and sell our work and although it's a fun and friendly environment, it’s also important to be vigilant about deterring theft.  Here are 7 ways to eliminate theft at art & craft shows...3. What Do You Like About Your Favorite Blogs?There are over 100 million blogs in the blogosphere today (and counting)…we all have our favorites, so what is it that keeps you hooked?  What do you like most about your favorite blogs?  Well, we asked this question to several members of our community and here are the top answers...4. Seven Types of Digital Products to Sell OnlineThere is a movement going on and it's all digital!  Sales of digital products are dominating ecommerce sales today and they are skyrocketing on Meylah!  Why the big shift?  Well, once you take a look at the digital business, it's pretty easy to see the benefits right away.  Selling digital products allows you to create a product once and sell it many times.  With digital platforms like Meylah, buyers get their digital product in an automatic download after purchase so the seller doesn't have to take time to fulfill or manage orders.  Here are 7 different types of digital products worth creating...5. Ten Ways To Make Your Customers Feel SpecialBesides the obvious approach of fulfilling your customer’s wants or needs, what other techniques do you use to keep customers happy?  Here are 10 ways to bring smiles to your customers’ faces by making them feel special...6. Business Advice for Emerging Artisans from the Artisan CommunityAre you an emerging artisan looking for advice to set you out on the right path?  Here are several pieces of inspiring and insightful advice from Meylah’s artistic and business savvy friends...7. Seven Questions To Understand Your Target MarketYou can't be all things to all people, so it's important to carve out your niche among a particular market.  So, who are the folks within your target market?  Have you ever put any thought into defining who they are and whether or not you're capturing the market you hoped for?  Ask yourself these 7 questions to help provide more clarity...8. Six Helpful Tips When You're Just Starting Your BusinessIt's an uphill battle to launch your own business, so we thought we'd try and make it a little easier and share some insights for those just starting out.  Here are 6 helpful tips when you're just starting your business...9. The Six P's For A Premium Customer ExperienceAfter having a great experience as a customer, do you ever sit back and ask yourself, what was it about that experience that made it so wonderful?  We put some thought to it and came down to these 6 P’s: Product, Price, Professionalism, Predictability, Promptness, and Personality.  All of which are important elements to consider if you want to drive sales and repeat customers to your business, so let’s dive into each...10. Twelve Persuasive Reasons Why Artists Should Use TwitterMany artists like to spend their spare time creating their art, rather than tweeting.  We understand that, but computer savvy artists know that Twitter is the quickest way to build brand recognition for their art business, learn how...BONUS: Sweet Confections: A Tutorial on Chocolate Covered PretzelsAre you trying to come up with a quick dessert for an upcoming holiday event?  We saw these fun chocolate covered pretzels recently at a family gathering and wanted to share a quick how-to so you can also make them for an upcoming event.What's your favorite blog post on Meylah this year?Share this message on Facebook or Twitter and get automatically entered in today's 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!Main image courtesy of Sam Churchill

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Are you ready for one last giveaway before the Holiday season? Deseret Book, an M&T Sponsor, is here to gift you with a few items on your wish list, up to $100, yippee! Deseret Book is primarily a Christian gift shop, but they have loads of non-religious items as well. Check out all the fun stuff [...]

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Do you ever ask yourself 'should I be advertising?' It's a great question to ask and one that you shouldn't ignore.  If your answer is yes, here are 3 tips to make sure your advertising is getting the most bang for your buck:  Tip #1: Do your research, determine your target customer and advertise on the blogs that they read and with the bloggers they follow.  These are the people you're creating for...those that are drawn to the products that you offer.  This type of advertising can be very affordable and it's a great way to get your name out there in the community.Tip #2: Make sure you have room in your budget before you commit to any advertising...take a look at your incoming sales (income) and your current outgoing spending and if you have some extra, think about using that money to advertise your business.Tip #3: When you're advertising your products, make sure your ad connects directly to the page you're sending visitors...for example, when someone clicks on an ad for a specific handmade necklace, make sure they don't get sent to your homepage with your entire jewelry line leaving them confused and frustrated.What tips do you have for advertising your business?

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ONCE UPON A TIME edible gingerbread houses entered my life. More...

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With the countdown to Christmas approaching single digits tomorrow, chances are that at this point you’re not obsessing about how to make things more eco-friendly (that’s not a judgment, just an educated guess). Life has a sneaky way of trumping altruism, but there’s still time to make green choices before the Fat Man descends down [...]

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To be truly creative, you have to think outside the box, even eliminate the box altogether, and shift paradigms. More...

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GUIDED FRESH EYE: Think about your problem as someone or something else. For example... More...

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I am loving all the burlap that’s being used lately for quick and easy home decor projects! I recently made a red burlap table runner and had some burlap left over, so I used my scraps to make matching napkin rings that double as place cards for a pretty Christmas table setting. Totally quick and [...]

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Winter break is on it’s way with just 4 more days and my kids are out of school for 2 weeks… ya, 2 weeks, people! ;) So we’re looking for fun things to do and make. If you are too, add these free coloring pages to your list. Download and print them out and they [...]

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