Fabulous Feature and Customer Pix {Thanks Wicked DIY Life!}

Show some love to this fabulous blog, A Wicked DIY Life!  She has some great tips about home decorating, simple smart projects and all things DIY!  Her mom was also one of our first customers, and she was kind enough to share a blog post about us on her site.

Thanks Colleen! And happy DIYing!  I'm looking forward to getting lots of great ideas from you!

Jungle party printables are available in our Etsy Shop!

Best,

Krysten

Clickable Party

Fabulous Feature! {Thanks Catch My Party!}

We made the "Party of the Day" on Catch My Party for Seth's Big 1-2! {how nice!}

The printables are now available in our Etsy shop!

Best,

Krysten

Chubby Cheeks Thinks {Features us!}

Chubby Cheeks Thinks is a place where readers can go to find out about the latest products as well as products that have been around for a while and they may want to know more about. She also likes to post about recalls, recipes, and her own family.

We volunteered to sponsor her Holiday Gift Giveaway blog hop, and she did this lovely post about us!

http://www.chubbycheeksthinks.com/2010/11/clickable-party-offers-customized.html#more

Thanks so much Kim for the sweet words about our products!

Best,

Krysten

Marie was featured on Catch My Party! :D

Our purple cheer party is being featured today in the rotating banner on Catch My Party! Woot!

Click here to see it in action!

http://catchmyparty.com/party-of-the-day/469

Thanks so much guys! It is always an honor!

Best,

Krysten

Friday Features Something New! 10.15.10

I promised and here it is!

This week's Feature me! Friday and Link party!

Hollah!

Catch the Bouquet Extravaganza at Married with Coupons!

This is really exciting - especially because WE'RE ONE OF THE GIVEAWAYS! WOOT WOOT!

Check it out!

Potholes and Pantyhose is one of my new favorite hangouts. How can you not adore this girl? A creative free spirit with so much style it hurts. Especially the hot rollers and sledgehammer pic. If you haven't enjoyed Rebekah's blog yet, you are truly missing something in this life! She submitted this neat Marbles and Copper Recycled Windchime.

Graphic Design by Tara hosts a weekly blog hop mysteriously called "The Weekend Blog Hop" Hee hee! Stop by to make some new friends over the weekend, and while your there, visit her shop for graphic design needs such as logos, stationary and letterhead.



Also, visit her sister site Bipolar World Girl with Tara's musings about food, life and lots and lots of blog hops!


Maria from Agape Love Designs posted these cute and funky glow in the dark Halloween nails! So cute!

Having a Hallalujah Good Time submitted this Easy Pear Butter recipe and tutorial! MMMMM.

Creative Passage submitted these Felted Wool Pumpkins - so, so cute! Ellen is a fabulous Etsy artist and crafty girl - super great ideas on her blog from quilting to paper craft to thrifty finds!

That's all for this week's Feature Me! Friday! Join the link party below if you would like to be featured next week on our blog!

Best,

Krysten

Clickable Party

Here's the drill...

Rules are

1. Leave your image/link below with something you'd like to share and have featured on this blog next Friday! This can be pretty much anything.
2. Grab the button featured above from the sidebar and place it in your post or on your blog to spread the word about the blog party.
3. Follow me here, Twitter OR Facebook and leave me a comment telling me what you did so I can follow you back!
4. Follow and/or leave a comment for {at least} the link before yours!

That's it! Enjoy the party!

Fabulous Feature! Savvy Mom's Guide 10.1.10

Those sweet {and savvy} girls from The Savvy Mom's Guide featured my free printables in their Spooktacular Halloween Playdate!

I spy with my little eye my "trick or trea" printable in the top center pic! LOVE IT!

This witch is hoding "the witch is in" printable! :D

Such an honor! Thanks girls, and what a great party!

Best,

Krysten

Clickable Party

Feature Friday! 9.24.10

Here are some new friends who participated in my link party last week!

Here's Amie's nifty little blog Kitty Cats and Airplanes. Amie has a some cool tutorials, for super fun simple crafts, recipes and sewing! Check it out!

Fuyume left us a note from 'over the pond'! Her blog is "mixed bag of stuff fashion, beauty, reviews, tutorials, crafts with a few recipes thrown in."

Wanda's Beads left a link to her beautiful handmade jewelery on her Etsy page! Her stuff is really pretty and reasonably priced. Put her on your Christmas shopping list!


We didn't have too many submissions for last week's blog party :( The good news is, I will send the printable party to each of you! :)

Please spread the word to your blog hopping friends to leave their link for Feature me Friday! Grab the button in the sidebar for "I've been featured" and/or "Feature Friday" Blog hop!

*This week's Link Party*

Join the fun! Ends 9.30.10

Best,

Krysten

Clickable Party

Other cool, fun bloghops!

Feature Me Friday's Blog/Link Party 9.24.10

The link party is about to begin! I will announce the winner of the Trick or Treat printable party and do the post on the feature in a few... But I wanted to get the link party started for this week for my early-bird friends in the bloggosphere!

Rules are

1. Leave your image/link below with something you'd like to share and have featured on this blog next Friday! This can be pretty much anything.
2. Grab the button featured above from the sidebar and place it in your post or on your blog to spread the word about the blog party.
3. Follow me here, Twitter OR Facebook and leave me a comment telling me what you did so I can follow you back!
4. Follow and/or leave a comment for the link before yours!

That's it! Enjoy the party!

We were featured at C.R.A.F.T!

Our free printable Halloween cards were featured at C.R.A.F.T. for Making Monday Marvelous!

CRAFT stands for Creating Really Awesome Free Things! This is a neat blog filled with creative goodness! She also has a great link party list for you blog hoppers!

Thanks CRAFT!

Check it out!

Best,
Krysten
Clickable Party

The Purple Pug

Fellow blogger/party girl extraordinaire is featured this week as Martha Stewart's Doer of the Week! See the original article here.

Doer of the Week: Kristy McCarthy
Unimpressed with the partyware available at the time of one of her son's birthday parties, Kristy decided to create her own custom designs. Today she designs and sells partyware for a living with her business, The Purple Pug.

When did you start your business?
I started my business in 2006.

How did you turn your dream into a business plan?
I always loved planning and styling parties. When my older son was turning one, I could not find anything I thought was unique, charming or special enough for his birthday party. I got creative and crafty and I handmade most of his partyware. It was such an amazing feeling to be able to create handcrafted items for someone I adored so much. When I decided to try this hobby as a business, I began with an eBay storefront. I was familiar with buying and selling on eBay and it was easy transition to having a shop. It was an excellent learning experience for me. I was able to design, sell, and communicate with clients without having to maintain a website or market my products on my own.

What inspired you to do this?
My sons are my greatest inspiration. My older son has special needs and I am so moved by his milestones and accomplishments. I love to party, laugh, and just celebrate how lucky I am to have these two little chimps in my life. My business allows me to connect with amazing people and share in their most important occasions. It is just an honor when someone chooses me to create their partyware. When clients send me pictures of their events and how they used my partyware, I am over the moon!

When did you know that you could really make a go of this?
About six months after I started designing and creating handmade partyware, I knew I could turn this into my dream business.

What was your start-up cost? How did you get the money and what did you use it for?
I would estimate it at about $2,000. This came from our personal funds. I had to purchase several different printers, stock paper, crafting tools, ribbon and a whole lot of glitter! What was the biggest obstacle? Balance. It is often difficult for me to unplug from the business. To have separate times for work and family is difficult because they overlap so much. I think this is a challenge that so many work-at-home moms encounter. I am working on it, though.

Did your friends and family support your dream?
I am lucky that most of my friends and family are fans of the Purple Pug. They also love to take advantage of my party-planning skills.

How did you maintain your confidence when doors were closed in your face, when people didn’t get it or said no?
I believe in myself and my work, but I am also realistic and take advice from those I trust. It’s important to be objective and to learn how to take critiques as well as compliments.

How long did it take you to get everything off the ground?
It’s still an ongoing process. After I had the eBay confidence, I opened an online shop and have never looked back. I will be opening an Etsy shop shortly, to maintain a presence in that marketplace. I am continually networking and marketing. I still have volumes to learn, but I love to research and learn new skills and tricks.

How long did it take for your business to become profitable?
About two years.

What's the hardest part of what you do? Selling custom handmade partyware in a marketplace that’s trending toward printable goods.

What's the most fun part of what you do?
Simply having the honor of someone choosing my partyware to celebrate their special occasion – and, of course, glittering!

Where do you work from?
I work out of a home craft studio, formerly known as the dining room. I would love to have a studio outside the home for more space and organization.

Do you have employees?
Nope, it’s just me. If I am extremely busy, I will sometimes hire other moms to cut circles and precut other items for me.

How have you been using social media to grow your business?
Social media has been a tremendous boost for every aspect of my business. I can reach clients, peers, friends, and family in a way that was never available. I started a blog about a year ago and I get a significant amount of my website traffic through the blog. I love to connect with my party peers and clients; it’s fantastic to find so many kindred spirits out there. I have met some truly wonderful and supportive people online.

How did you learn and acquire the skills you use to make your business successful? How do you continue to grow and learn?
Lots of trial and error! I am constantly tweaking, reading, researching, and revamping. I am forever making samples and drawing out new designs.

What's the best piece of business advice you ever received?
“Choose your focus and become a master of it.” When I started out, I had so many designs and items. I eventually focused my line on fewer items and designs, and became the master of those items. It is so much better than feeling I was all over the place with my work. I feel a lot more in control now.

If you had it to do over again, what, if anything, would you do differently?
Trust my instincts more. So many times, I have kicked myself for not going with my initial thoughts. I try not to second-guess myself too much now.

What advice would you give to Dreamers who haven’t become Doers yet?
Love what you do. If you do not love it now, you never will. You need to have that excitement and passion when starting your own business. Most times I cannot wait to get into the studio to create! I love my work, seriously.

Is your "Dreamer" business your full-time job?
Yes -- and I am the luckiest girl in the world.

Congratulations Kristy!

Best,
Krysten
Clickable Party

Check out: Jungle Baby Shower

Catch My Party did a feature on our Jungle Baby Shower! Thanks guys!

Also, keep your eyes open for our Princess Party - coming soon to our shop! Here's a sneak peek!

Best,

Krysten

http://www.clickableparty.com

The Indie Tot Feature!

We were featured today on The Indie Tot! I'm so excited - it's our first feature!

Which reminds me, in all my excitement to get things started, I jumped in without introducing myself! I'm a happy wife and mother of two fantastic boys. We live in Southeastern Massachusetts close to the Rhode Island border. I am a stay at home mom, and have worked in special education in the past as well having a background in graphic design. I am a very active volunteer, and busy with the kids!

Clickable Party creates printable party-scapes, custom designs and some party planning too.

Thank you for welcoming me to your communities and homes. Please let me know if there is anything we can do for you!

And check out our little feature on The Indie Tot! Hooray!

Best,

K