Monday, February 23, 2009

Who do you Prefer to do Business With?

Do you purchase solely on price?

Do you purchase based on the sales person or company?

Do you shop around and find the cheapest product?

How much do you research a product before you purchase it?

Do you only buy from those that you are comfortable with?

Last week I received an email from a potential customer.  At the end of the email, she asked me if I would be willing to put together a quote for her.  Of course I responded.  I called her back instead of in an email so my questions were not as confusing.  At the end of our conversation, of course I told her that I would be more than happy to give her a quote.  I ended up stopping by her office later in the day to drop off a catalog.  I sat in her office and had a great conversation with her and one of her coworkers.  It was very nice!

During the conversation I found out that she knew a lot about me and we had just met.  How did she know so much about me?  I asked and found out that she had really researched me.  She checked out my website and read several of the posts on my blog.  She knew more about me than some of my existing customers!  It was great!  This was proof that what I am doing and spending my time on . . . IS WORKING!  Now we have not completed an order for her yet but it is moving in the right direction!

Then today I had a conversation with a great friend, Amy Stark.  During this conversation, I found out that she feels as if most people do business with those that they like and are comfortable with.  For me, this is very true!  I will do business first with my friends, those that I have met networking or from a referral!

Does everyone else feel this way?  Unfortunately I am not so sure that they do.

What do you think?  Who do you like to purchase from?

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posted by Tailwynd at 12:23 PM 8 Comments

Thursday, February 5, 2009

10 Things Scooby Doo can teach you about Promotional Products

Today I was in a meeting with a client and he mentioned Mr. T and then followed it with, 'You may be too young to know who he is".  Well, I am definitely not too young to know who Mr. T is but I have to admit I did not remember the Mr. T quote he was mentioning.  Then later in the day, Nathan, my soon to be 6 year old, was watching Scooby Doo.  As I sat with him, I starting thinking about all the things that TV characters can teach us.  Then I remembered a conversation that I had with Erik Deckers about what Gilligan's Island can teach you.

I wondered, in a weird sort of "spent too much time in the Mystery Machine" way, what could Scooby Doo and the gang teach us about promotional products.  Here's what I came up with:

[caption id="attachment_400" align="aligncenter" width="163" caption="Scooby Doo Backpack picture"]Scooby Doo Backpack picture [/caption]

1.  Scooby-Dooby-Doo, Where are you?. . . make sure others can find you from your imprint on the promotional product!

2.  Logos mean everything for Name Recognition. . .even 'Scooby Snacks' have a logo!

3. Keep trying different things until you find just the right one that works for your company. You may make a few mistakes along the way but something will always work out!

4.  Get away from the monsters (your competition) by standing out in the crowd.

5.  Promotional Products are like "Scobby Snacks". . .everyone loves them. . .  even Shaggy!

6. Even the littlest promotional product can 'catch' your business. . . just like Scrappy!

7.  Don't run away from something different and unique. . . it may come back to haunt you!

8.  Be like Freddy. . . .Always have a plan!

9.  Confront danger with a hearty "Zoinks!". . . or better yet, don't get discouraged, you will find the right product for your business!

10.  Have a great tag line. . . Scooby Dooby Doo

Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all!  Not only do some of them really make sense but it was also fun doing it!  In fact, I had Nathan help me write some of them!   Great job Nathan!!

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posted by Tailwynd at 2:08 AM 1 Comments

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Customer Featured in Newspaper

Sunday morning Mark brought me the Business section of the Star Newspaper and said look at this.  In the upper right hand corner of the newspaper was a small picture of one of our clients, Steve Gray of  Steve Gray Renovations!  How exciting!

[caption id="attachment_387" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="        Steve Gray with GREAT Embroidered Shirt!         The picture found on www.indystar.com."]Steve Gray with GREAT Embroidered Shirt![/caption]

Steve had a very nice article in the Business section about how he started his business five years ago and how he has been able to see it continue to grow! If you would like to read the article, here is the link.  I am sure you remember Steve because I have spoken about him several times on my blog.  The first one is found right here on this link.  He is the reason that I had to get the Wii for Christmas!!


Congratulations Steve!!



By the way, I LOVE the embroidered Turtleneck!  I hope it is keeping Steve's Neck Warm!!  Where did you have that done. . . Kristie's Kreations?

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posted by Tailwynd at 6:06 AM 0 Comments

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Website's New Look!!

Over the last month or so, we have been making some necessary changes to the Kristie's Kreations website.  We are trying to make the website more user friendly and look more professional instead of a 'threadery store' like I was recently told in a meeting.

You will find a lot of the same information just in different locations.  We have also chosen to take off some of the pictures because we were also told that we had too many pictures displayed.

I am not sure that we are completely finished though.  I would like to incorporate my blog and website into one but have not yet made that jump.  It will take a lot of time to figure it out just as this has.  Unfortunately this was not developed in the program that I would prefer so I am quite sure that it will change.



PLEASE take some time to look over it.  Then come back to the blog and let us know what you think.   Then check back often to see how it changes!

[caption id="attachment_381" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Kristie's Kreations Old Website Main Page"]Kristie's Kreations Old Website Main Page[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_378" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Kristie's Kreations New Website"]Kristie's Kreations New Website[/caption]

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posted by Tailwynd at 11:37 AM 0 Comments

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Tuesday's Meetings

Today has been quite the day!  As I am typing this, the snow is coming down.  Depending on where the front goes, we could get almost a foot of snow by tomorrow afternoon!

Today I started out my day at a Confluence Board Meeting.  Tomorrow is the first event for the Confluence North Side Network!  It will be a great event, I just hope that the weather will not detour people from coming!  This event will focus on Social Media. This is an area that I have really gotten involved in.  I love all the different things involved in social media.  I am not sure how it will help my business, but I am more than happy to learn!  One of the ways is with this blog.  Another is Twitter. . . which I am totally addicted to!

After the Confluence Board meeting, I headed to Starbucks.  Erik Deckers and I had a short meeting before my next with Greg Cooper.   Both were excellent meetings!   I found myself talking to both of them about social media!

They are both very active in social media.  Erik is across the board active.  He has started his own business, Deckers Marketing.  He has been trying to help me with my blog.  He has a wealth of information and is always giving me suggestions on what I can do to improve my business blog and website.  We also have great conversations about kids!  He has a very interesting story about his three great children!  I loved hearing about it!

After meeting with Erik, I had my scheduled meeting with Greg.  I basically met Greg via Twitter and then in person last week at the Smaller Indiana 4,000 Member Event.  He is also very active in social media but takes a different approach.  He is a local Realtor here in the Indianapolis area and understands how important social media is to businesses.  Not only is he very active but he is trying to get other Realtors involved as well as he is a speaker about the importance of social media.  He has a great story about a house he sold yesterday and twitter had a huge part in it!  It is a great story and you should ask him about it!

Greg suggested that I add a videos to my blog.  I do not know much about this so I am definately going to look into it!  It sounds like it would be fun and a great way to actually show off embroidery and promotional products!!

So what do you think about Video Blogs?  Should I start adding them to my blog?

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posted by Tailwynd at 10:41 AM 0 Comments

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

7 Things About Me

OK, so now I guess it is my turn! I receive this last night on Smaller Indiana and completed it but this morning I noticed that Kyle Lacy wanted me to post it on the front page as well as my blog.

So here goes. . .OK, so now I guess it is my turn! Thank you Allison for sending this to me!

1. First and foremost, I love my family! I am married to a wonderful husband (Mark) and have two great kids, Nathan (almost 6 yrs old) and Lisa (3 yrs. old). I have an awesome younger sister (Angie) and brother (Andy)!

2. My husband Mark is very understanding and knows that I have to get out there in order to grow my business! He makes sure that he takes care of the kids at least two days a week so that I can attend events!

2. I wish I saw my family more! Most of my family is down south so I do not see them very often! I do have a brother and sister-in-law that live in Fishers! I wish I spent more time with them and my kids got to know them more and vise versa!!

3. I used to be a special education teacher. I was a teacher for 7 years before I stayed home to grow my business and raise my family.

4. I am from Southern Indiana- Evansville area - and almost all of my family still lives down there. Excluding my sister and her family (in St. Louis) and my brother and his wife, Allison (in Fishers)

5. I love networking and meeting new people! Anyone who knew me in my teaching years will be really surprised about this but it is true! I love getting out and meeting new people and then figuring out how I can connect them to others!

6. I have a great group of friends! Many are from networking and then others from when I moved to Indianapolis! They really made me feel at home when I was 3 1/2 hours away!

7. Allison Witmeier is my sister in law! She is married to my great "YOUNGER Brother"! Which I love to say because he is much bigger than me! If anyone knows him, "He is kinda of big deal" Or so he says! I grew up with him and can tell stories otherwise!

Rules are below. Enjoy!

Now my turn to continue:

Share seven facts about yourself in the post.
Link to your original tagger(s) and list these rules in your post.
Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
Let them know they’ve been tagged.

What 7 things would you list about yourself?

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posted by Tailwynd at 7:59 AM 0 Comments

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Table Covering Recommendation

If you just read the previous post, you will know how important it is to have a nice table covering for that trade show.  Below is the one that we have recommended time and time again to our customers.  It always embroiders nicely as well as last.  Check out the next post for a testimonial from one of our happy customers!

LOGOThrow™

Full coverage (4-sides) of table. Single piece of cloth (no seams). Corners are rounded to create soft folds. Fits 24'' or 30" deep table tops. Most versatile & easy-to-use!



Fabric - Our Throws are made from the finest polyester fabric available - our exclusive Premier fabric. It is fire-retardant (required in public venues), machine-washable, wrinkle-resistant and possesses superior draping qualities. With Premier fabric, your Throw becomes a great marketing tool that enhances your image.




• Fire-retardant (required in public venues)
• Machine-washable
• Wrinkle-resistant
• Heavy weight
• Durable

[caption id="attachment_246" align="alignnone" width="438" caption="Table Covering Fabric Colors"]Table Covering Fabric Colors[/caption]

Product Workmanship – You’ll appreciate the beauty of our Premier™ fabric upon first glance. Our products look substantial and elegant, thanks to the soft draping qualities of the fabric. Fabric alone doesn’t make the difference – our sewing techniques ensure that sizes are accurate, edges are clean-finished, and seams and stitching are straight. With such attention to detail, our workmanship is on par with custom tailoring.



Fabric Care - Premier™ – Our products are manufactured to the highest quality and carry our workmanship guarantee. Printed products are similar to fine garments and require care to preserve their exquisite appearance. Follow washing instructions carefully to preserve their appearance and durability.

Our Premier™ fabric is machine-washable in cold water, mild detergent, gentle cycle — no bleach. Tumble dry on permanent press/low heat and remove immediately to prevent wrinkling. If ironing, use low heat and DO NOT IRON printed area. Excess heat and agitation will damage ink.

DO NOT DRY CLEAN, as both ink and fire-retardancy will be damaged.

(copied from Logo Throw Website)

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posted by Tailwynd at 7:03 AM 0 Comments

Table Coverings for Trade Shows

Are you thinking about having a booth at a trade show?

Are you signed up for a booth at a trade show and you are wondering. . . Now What?

If you answered Yes to either of these questions then I can help!
Lantech Table Covering

There are two very important things to consider. What will my display look like and What will I pass out? For this post we begin to discuss what your table will look like. You will have more visitors to your booth if it looks nice and stands out especially from a distance.

Once noticed, customers will walk across the room to see what you have to offer if it looks good! The first way to assure this is by having a logoed table covering.

There are several options out there for table coverings but we have found one that we really like! These table coverings look good no matter what size table you are putting it on. The logo always embroiders very nicely on the material as well.

You might be thinking that the embroidery would be really expensive for a table covering. Well, the answer is that it is more expensive than a left chest design, but it is well worth it! The look and detail in the design is phenomenal! There are times when we can also help to reduce the number of stitches in the design. More information on this to come. Please check back.

Many locations will require that the table coverings be fire retardant. If this is your case then you are in luck! These table coverings are fire retardant and will fulfill this requirement.

Have you realized how important the table covering is for the trade show? If so, read the next post for more information!



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posted by Tailwynd at 7:01 AM 0 Comments

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Thank you Actum Group!

I began working with the Actum Group last year. They are a wonderful group of people from which I have learned many things. Because my background is in teaching and not sales, it has been a struggle for me when it came to knowing what to do. I know how to do the embroidery, but the sales calls were a different story. How do I set them up. . .What do I do when I get there. . . What should we talk about. . .etc. When I first started attending networking events, I was very insecure and stood by the wall. Many of the these things may seem very simple and common sense, but for me it was not easy. After working with the Actum Group, I now have no problem going up to people to talk. I am comfortable speaking with them and learning about what they do.

While working with the Actum Group, I have learned that standing against the wall is not how to grow a business. The customers are not going to come to me, I need to go to them. Not only did they teach me this simple concept, but they also taught me how to find the customers.

It has not been easy and I would prefer to not have the role playing (or humiliation :) as I like to call it), but I have to admit that I have learned a lot!! To my surprise they offered to write an extremely nice article about me on their blog.  Please check it out ( Infocusselling.com/blog ) What do you think?

Please leave your thoughts. Even better yet, add their blog RSS feed to your RSS Reader.

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posted by Tailwynd at 5:50 PM 1 Comments

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Picture Purse

Finally I have a picture of my purse!  I am a little under the weather and have not been keeping up with my blog so I thought that I would at least add some pictures.

I have been promising a picture of my picture woven purse and I finally have one to share!  This picture was taken last week at the Fishers Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours.  It obviously was a Holiday themed event and even with Santa present!!

In this first picture, Santa is pointing to Nathan and Lisa and telling me what good kids they have been!  (No that is not a glass of wine in my hand . . .it is empty!)

[caption id="attachment_265" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Santa Pointing to Photo bag"]Santa Pointing to Photo bag[/caption]

In this picture I am telling Santa what a good girl I have been and what I want for Christmas (remember that Wii!)

[caption id="attachment_266" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Kristie on Santa"]Kristie on Santa's Lap with Photo Bag[/caption]

So, what do you think?

Do you want to give one of these purses for a holiday gift?  We are running out of time to get one ordered for a Christmas gift!  If you still want one, give me a call as soon as possible (or email works too since I do not have a voice)!!

They are a wonderful gift that will be treasured for a long time!

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posted by Tailwynd at 11:18 AM 3 Comments

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

How do I read Blogs?

Do you like reading blogs?


Did you know that some blogs are updated daily or several times a day?  (I try to update this blog several times a week. . . are you reading the posts?)




Do you get tired of checking to see if there are new things posted every day?




Did you know there are other ways to read a blog besides checking the website daily?




Yes, it is true!  It is called a RSS feed and according to my friend, and client, Patric Welch, it is very easy!  I am sure there are many ways to do a RSS feed but my favorite is to have the blog updates posted into my Outlook, just like a normal email.  I have the RSS feed as a separate folder in Outlook similar to my Inbox for emails.  This way, when I check my emails, I can also see if there are any new posts that I need to read.  I have at least 5 different blogs that I read on a daily basis (when I have time).  Patric is right. . .  it is easy!






[caption id="attachment_236" align="alignnone" width="121" caption="RSS Feed Image"]RSS Feed Image[/caption]

Have you ever seen this symbol on a website and wondered what it is or what it means?  For my blog, you will see it at the very bottom right hand side of the main page.  If you click on this image or the RSS feed it will ask you what you want to do.  I just said I want subscribe to this feed using my Outlook.  For a great description (much better than mine!) on how to do a RSS feed, check out Patrick's blog about RSS really is really simple.

So, now that you have figured out the RSS feed and will be reading my blog at least weekly :) , start leaving comments!!




I love comments!!!

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posted by Tailwynd at 1:25 PM 5 Comments

Corporate Holiday Gift Ideas

The year is winding down and we are finding that our customers are really thinking about the upcoming holidays.

Most of our customers are telling us that they not only have to purchase gifts for their family and friends but they also want to purchase something special for their clients and employees. This brings them to us.

Are you one of these people that I am talking about?

Do you find yourself struggling with what to purchase?

Is it important to you that you find just the right item that is good looking, not that cheap or cheap looking and most important, an item that the recipient will really use?

If so, you are not alone.  Many of my customers have expressed this concern to me.  They are not wanting to spend their money on an inexpensive $0.25 pen or something that will just go in the drawer after they receive it. They want to spend a little bit more on an items that will be meaningful to their client and employees. It is important to them to find an item that emphasizes their company's brand.

There are many things out there that you can give and will be enjoyed for years to come.  Do you want them to use it all year long?  What about a fleece blanket with your logo on it?  You can have your logo embroidered in the corner and they will always have it to use and remember you when they are wrapped up in it.

Are you thinking of a gift that they will use on vacations or during the summer?  What about a nice towel?  Towels can be made so many different ways.  You can have it made with your logo as the entire towel or simply embossed on the bottom of the towel.  There are also several fun designs that are already made but your logo can be added in a fun spot on the towel.   These are both nice gifts that can be used over and over again and appreciated every time!

[caption id="attachment_197" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Champion Fleece"]Chamion Fleece[/caption]

Are you wanting something that they will use immediately?  What about a nice fleece jacket either with a full front zipper or a partial zipper?  You logo can be placed in the upper left chest pocket area, on the back by the tag or on the sleeve.  All these options are great!  You will definitely be appreciated on those cold days when the fleece is put on!

[caption id="attachment_198" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Soft Shell Poly Fleece Jacket"]Soft Shell Poly Fleece Jacket[/caption]

Are you thinking jacket but do now want a fleece?  How about the new soft shell poly fleece jackets?  These are very popular!  I absolutely love mine!  It is very comfortable and blocks the wind.

Do you want more information about these or any of our other products?

If so, please let me know!  I am more than happy to show you!

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posted by Tailwynd at 5:34 AM 0 Comments

Monday, November 3, 2008

Favorite Website for Free Pictures

Tonight I posted this on both Stark Reality and Smaller Indiana. Because some of my readers may not read these websites, I thought that I would add it to my blog as well. I am looking for any wisdom you can give me!

I was working on upcoming posts for my blog tonight and decided that I wanted to add a stock photo or a fun cartoon picture to one of the blogs. It has been a while since I went looking for pictures that are out there to use - free.

I started out at Google Images. After looking at pages of pictures, I noticed that they now have the following stated under the pictures: "Image may be scaled down and subject to copyright." Like I said, it has been awhile since I searched for pictures so this may have been on there for awhile but I just saw it. Not wanting to worry about copyright, I kept going thinking that I would find one that did not say this. Of course, I did not.

Deciding on a generic picture I clicked on one and saw that it has istockphoto written across it. I checked out istockphoto.com and noticed that you have to pay for the pictures. While I understand that this is a business for someone, I was looking for a picture that was free.

Continuing on my search for a fun, free picture I then did a Google search for free, royalty-free pictures. Of course it brought up many websites to check out. After looking at many websites and not finding one that I wanted, I decided that this was crazy and why not ask others where they like to go for this type of pictures.

Do you add pictures to your blog posts? If so, where do you go for the pictures you use?

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posted by Tailwynd at 6:21 PM 0 Comments

Monday, October 27, 2008

This is exactly what I have been talking about. . .

This morning I was checking out some of the blogs that I like to stay up with such as Smaller Indiana and Stark Reality.  To my surprise there was a Post from Kyle Lacy in regards to a logo that he is developing for a customer.  He was asking for feedback from the Smaller Indiana community.

Most of the responses had to do with the look of the logo itself.  Well I had to add my 2 cents in regards to the logo being embroidered.  I started out by asking if his customer would ever want this logo to be embroidered.  If so, there are some things to think about when developing a logo because there are limits to embroidery. This is exactly what I have been talking about and plan on continuing to discuss.

The first logo choice has some shading in the logo.  Shading is not impossible to do but it is very difficult.  We have done shading in logos before but other logos, we will recommend that we get rid of the shading.  If there is just a little bit of shading then it can usually be done but when there are large areas where it is constant shading then it is not recommended.

The second point that I had was the small fonts.  Small fonts are very difficult ot make look good with embroidery.  BAsically the gist of it is that you are trying to put a bunch of stitches in a little space.  This just is not possible.  The font will not be crisp or readable.  I plan on discussing more of this in the near future.

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posted by Tailwynd at 6:22 AM 0 Comments

Friday, October 24, 2008

As Promised. . . Information on Amy's training

UPDATED 10-27-08**  I just found out that this class is SOLD OUT!  If you are interested but were not able to register, let me know and I will let you know about Amy's future classes.  Congratulations Amy!

I mentioned earlier about a training class that Amy Stark is going to be conducting.  Here is the information if you are interested.  Contact Amy if you are interested.


Embrace The Stark Reality




When
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 from 09:30 AM - 11:00 AM (ET)

Location
WorkOne Express at College Park
8910 Purdue Road
Indianapolis, IN 46268

Click for Details and Registration Information

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posted by Tailwynd at 5:14 PM 0 Comments

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Networking and Blogging

This morning I got up early to make it to my bimonthly networking meeting for NAG.  Today was special because I was the featured speaker.  Jeff Bowe and I take turns facilitating the meetings but today he was running a little late.  This meant that not only was I speaking at the end of the meeting but I was also facilitating to get things started.  Unfortunately after everyone had their chance to go around the room and give there minute or more spiel about themselves, I only had about 7 minutes to speak.  Because it was running late, some of the members started to get up to head to their other appointments.

During my brief speak, I was able to mention a few things that were on my list.  Again, because of time I only was able to quickly mention these items.  One of which is the start of this new blog!  I explained how it is very important to me that I become the expert when it comes to embroidery and promotional products for my customers.  If I do not know the answer then I will do my best to find the answer.

Most of the blog discussion occurred after the meeting was over between a few of the remaining members including Amy Stark, Jeff Bowe, Mary Pat McKee, Jim Hugenard and of course myself.  We discussed how to get others to know about your blog.  It was mentioned that we need to start checking out each others blogs and leave messages on their blogs.  The helps to move blogs higher in the search enginges.  When I returned to the office I did just that and started by checking out a few of their blogs.  I started with Jeff's.  Read my comments.

I was able to show a few samples of the picture weave gifts, quality of embroidery, green products, antibacterial promotional product and embroidered toilet paper.

[caption id="attachment_63" align="alignnone" width="330" caption="Embroidered Toilet Paper"]Embroidered Toilet Paper[/caption]

Of course the question that I always get was asked, "Why embroider toilet paper?" and of course the answer is "Why not?".  I then continued to give other reasons such as it is a very memorable item!  Anyone that I show it to will always remember that I embroider toilet paper.  I am OK with this because at least they remember me.  Another reason is that is shows that we can embroider on things as delicate as toilet paper.  It is a unique way to show your company logo along with the embroidered towels.  Always have your logo in front of your customers even when they use your restroom.  And last but not least, it is a gift for the person that has anything.

So, what do you think?  Do you like the embroidered toilet paper?  Do you have other uses for the embroidered toilet paper?  I wouldlove to hear them!

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posted by Tailwynd at 9:46 AM 4 Comments

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Hello world! My first Blog!!

Well, this is my very first blog for Kristie's Kreations.  Today I spent my lunch with a group from SmallerIndiana.com.  They are all very into their blogging and inspired me.  I opened my WordPress account a week or so ago but got very confused on what to do.  Since lunch I have spent a couple of hours figuring this out.  I have a little bit of a better idea on what to do so I will now get going!  Please feel free to leave comments and let me know what you think!  Enjoy!  Kristie

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posted by Tailwynd at 4:53 PM 0 Comments