Here's to the Olympics! Go South Korea!

Who doesn't love the Olympic games? Not me and I know I am not alone with viewership surpassing some of the highest rated tv shows! The winter olympics are even more interesting because there are fewer countries participating in fewer events compared to the summer games. This gives some of the smaller countries a big advantage against heavy hitters like the USA, Germany and Russia. One country in particular has been doing very well...South Korea.

Those of you that know me, know that I am half Korean. My father was born and raised in South Korea, graduating from Seoul National University, before moving to the United States to do his residency in Anesthesiology. He married my mom, an American, and had four children. Even though we were raised as American, there has always been a special place in my heart for Korea and the culture.

I want to highlight some of the amazing talent from Etsy that call South Korea home.

In many ways, Korea has become very "westernized" over the past few decades but they still retain a unique quality and respect for the earth. Nacreat's pieces remind me most of Korea and my parents have furniture in the mother of pearl inlaid style...absolutely beautiful workmanship! The delicate flowers on Woomi's embroidered ring pillow are reminiscent of the oriental threadwork on Korean kimonos especially the traditional wedding gowns. Akinamina's story reminds me so much of myself and her design's evoke a whimsical sensibility while highlighting fantastic color palettes! These are just a few examples of the incredible artistry and humor interjected into the art of Korea so take a minute and explore what they have to offer, learn a bit about the people, and savor the mental trip to another culture.

(from top left and over)

I'm (Jim Chan's Shop)

Cozy Decor

Kawaii Day

Eungori

Woomi

Otgam

Nacreart

Sonhee

akinaMina

Sayaka Crystiana

from soul

Atelier de Soyun

Enjoy and see you at the Games!

Another Snowy Day in Cincinnati

The kids are off school and the husband is home as well. This actually gives me some time to work as they are all out frolicking in the snow. Shane's been taking some pictures so I'll have to post them later.

I've been bouncing around a few ideas for blog topics so keep watching as I'm hoping to get a few down on"paper" today. Some news first:

• My fans are now over 100! Thanks for being a fan and, if you aren't, go do it now. Become a Fan of Handmade Cards by LLK.
• The Go Red for Women! event held at the offices of Dr. Lisa Larkin was on Friday evening. We had a so-so turnout because of impending bad weather but it was a success none the less! I met some wonderful women, ate some delicious food and sold over $200 worth of cards and cozies. If you live in Cincinnati, make sure you attend next year!
• I've had a few promising interviews lately so keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer that something breaks soon.
• Vienna is still on The Bachelor.
• My new studio isn't neat and clean anymore.
• I still have a few Valentine's cards left so check out my shop, send me an email or give me a call.
• I was mentioned in a blog recently.
• I'm one of four creative women that started a support group that encourages and shares our knowledge to help creative women start, build and be successful with their own businesses. The name of the group is W2Wcincinnati. No website or blog yet but we meet every Saturday morning at 9:00 AM at the Caribou Coffee in Anderson. Please join us if you are interested or let me know if you would like to speak at an upcoming meeting.
• I added a new widget to my site so you can purchase my Etsy listings even easier! Look to the left of the postings.

Catch you later!

Etsy Greetings Team VDay Promo

I joined one of the Etsy teams at the beginning of 2010...Etsy Greetings. I'm looking forward to participating and learning from the rest of the group which consists of over 300 members.

It didn't take long for me to get involved as we are hosting a VDay Promo. There are 33 shops, each one showcasing a Valentine's Day card (mine is in the 3rd row, 2nd from the left) and some are offering special deals. The really nice part is getting some additional exposure for my shop. We are all aware of the over-abundance of information on the web (just look how many people have blogs for goodness sake) and reaching people through multiple touchpoints is essential to e-commerce success. But more on that subject later.

For now, check out my VDay offerings at Pink Purse Creative. The promo runs through January 31 so don't wait to purchase the items quickly as they won't last long!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

Not really but I love a good holiday song; puts me in a great mood! When we talk about the holidays we can't avoid discussing gifts and the shopping of said gifts. This year is definitely different than Christmas' past. For one thing, the economy has really put a dent in my budget. The biggest difference is directly related to my new business venture.

The two really can go hand-in-hand. Since all of my items are handmade and I make a HUGE effort to sell locally, the majority of gifts that I've purchased are either handmade or made locally or both. Every year the family pulls names for the gift exchange since we have so many children now (7 here in Cincinnati) and my pick is my big sister, Lisa. Usually, we just give the other person a list of wants and "off we go a shopping," but I asked if I could choose her gifts and she whole-heartedly agreed. probably because she knows I have exquisite taste. : )

Here's what she's getting under the tree (don't tell her):

All made by FridaWer and shipped from Italy. How European! She has other beautiful things too and feel free to have them shipped directly to my house. Here's the link to her shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/FridaWer

I custom ordered matching fingerless gloves from SWAK Shop: Couture Accessories by Amina. She's very talented and based out of Atlanta, GA. Check out her stuff at http://www.etsy.com/shop/swakdesigns

So, that's everything Lisa is getting this year...not too bad for a $100 limit. I didn't forget the children though and got some adorable things for the newest nephew, Carson. He was just born in late October and we're really hoping they make the trip from Grand Rapids to celebrate his first Christmas. My brother, Jason, and wife, Mercedes are pretty hip and organic so I found this incredible bib set made by local artist, Gillian. We arranged for local delivery yesterday which saved me shipping costs PLUS I got to meet her in person. It makes it even more special to know who's hands created a gift that I will be sharing.

Gillian has a great story, sad but great. Etsy is a really amazing collection of really amazing people so check it out and support handmade artists. www.etsy.com

Happy Holidays everyone!