Hey there, blogger friends! It's been a few days since I've posted, but I haven't been sitting around just staring at the walls. I've been busy, upping my FaceBook fan page numbers.

At first I was really dreading doing the FB fan page promoting thing, but I surprised myself because I truly had fun! And, oh my gosh, you get to see such beautifully artistic work. I took the time to visit either the Etsy shop, blog, or website of each person I fanned. I think it was well worth the time; I learned a lot! It really helped me figure out what I liked and what I should think about doing with my own shop, blog, etc. I was surprised when several of the the folks I fanned thanked me for actually taking the time to visit their "off FB" sites! (Evidently, most people just say "fanned you- please fan me back"- interesting.)

I keep learning and making it a little further down this online selling journey --- and wow, it is a journey! The very best part of this adventure so far has been the wonderful and talented people I have met along the way. And so many of them have been kind enough to help me by giving me guidance and encouragement ... bless them all. Amazingly, I have had zero bad experiences with people so far. (And another good thing! Since I haven't sold anything yet, my customer experiences have all been good - lol!)

Here are links to just a few of the aforementioned angels that have been so very generous with me, so be sure to check them out:

• http://artsyclay.etsy.com/ -- Judy has more or less been my mentor since day one. She makes the absolutely cutest little polymer clay animal items!

• http://valzderoart.blogspot.com/ -- Val is having a giveaway, by the way, so stop by and check it out. She makes beautiful jewelry.

• http://uniquelyallies.etsy.com/ -- Allie's shop is chocked full of beautiful and unique jewelry and scarves.

I'll be listing more of these fantastic "givers" in future posts, so check back often.

Just for those readers who think I'm painting this completely rosy picture of my experiences along the online selling trail --- it ain't so, but more about that later.

So, for today I hope you all are having a good day, 'cuz I am.

Since this is my first blogging attempt, I thought it would be a good idea to tell you a little bit about myself.

I have been a "crafter/artist" for many, many years. I think I've tried all of the craft trends that have come along over the years, but it was always paper that's been my siren call. I love it, can't get enough of it, but don't want to use it. (Yeah, I think you could call it an addiction.) But, in reality you can only store so much paper so, I started making greeting cards, and then, moved into scrapbooking.

However, with someone who truly loves paper you have the little matter of all those lovely scrap pieces! I'm telling you, it "hurts" me to throw away perfectly good little pieces of paper... even those teeny ones (I did mention addiction, right?). I actually have friends that save "their" paper scraps for me. So, I decided to try paper-making as a way to use the bits and pieces --- these days, it's called recycling. Yep, it was when I tried paper-making that I found my "true calling". It's wonderfully messy, creative, and best of all, you have a finished product that people actually use and enjoy! (Big plus if you'd seen some of my papier-mache projects, but that's another story.)

So, that's how I got started making my own handmade paper and paper-castings; it's the perfect solution! I get to keep and actually use all those wonderful scrappy pieces!

On a more personal note, I have a chronic illness that pretty much keeps me homebound; so, selling my items on craft sites, such as Etsy and Artfire, have been a blessing to me! I get to stay productive, make a little money, and keep up communication with like-minded folks such as yourself. Man, my life would be so different without computers, the internet and websites! So, good karma on all those that had anything to do with this over the years.

I'm so very, very fortunate to have a tremendously supportive immediate and extended family! We recently added a brand new puppy to round out the family. He's a 3 month old miniature poodle who keeps me entertained with his antics.

I think that covers all the basics about me, so come back often and check out my progress with this whole "blogging" thing . It's sure to be entertaining to you ol' pros, but hopefully, you'll have some tips to share. And the other newbies out there can commiserate with me. My next goal is to add links to my work and photos, etc and working to improve the overall look of this blog --- of course, I have to learn how to do that first. Ahhh, life is an ongoing, ever moving, learning experience, isn't it?