Quinoa The Everyday Superfood

I know I haven't been blogging much lately. I've had a lot on my plate. Those of you who know me well, know that I have been struggling with chronic back pain for several years.  A few weeks ago I started a non invasive low level laser therapy to help ease the pain and nerve issues. I have to go three times a week which takes quite a chunk out of my day. So far, I've had 10 sessions and not a huge improvement but I will persevere for a little while longer. Just to complicate things, I hurt my knee recently. It swelled up like a football and has really put an end to my daily walking!  So as you can see, my reasons for not blogging are quite legit - I just haven't had time!

Today though, I wanted to tell you about a cookbook that I have been using. My mom bought it for me as I'm gluten intolerant and so do not eat wheat. Quinoa is actually a protein and so incredibly good for you. I've made dozens of recipes out of this book and I wanted to let others know about it. It's by far the best collection of gluten free recipes I've come across. Not all the recipes are gluten free but a large majority are. Even if you eat wheat, quinoa is still a really healthy, tasty alternative.

Yesterday I popped in ay my parents' house and had a delicious slice of moist chocolate cake made from this book. It was yummy and I'm in the process of making it for my family right now!

The name of the book is Quinoa 365 and definitely worth ever penny.

I'll let you know what the family think of the chocolate cake.

A Spring Walk Along The Bronte Waterfront

  

 On Tuesday, a couple of friends and I went for a stroll along the Bronte waterfront in Oakville. Armed with cameras, we took tons of shots along the way. The previous day was Victoria Day in Canada so the beach was littered with the remains of lots of fireworks and beach fires. Along the way, we saw swans and baby Canada geese.  In one of the shots, you can see the Toronto skyline - no smog that day. It was a lovely morning out, not too cool and not too hot. Perfect!

 

 

Enjoy Free Shipping at Jacaranda Designs Jewelry

For a limited time, I'm offering free worldwide shipping on all Jacaranda Designs Jewelry. It's really easy. When you checkout at my shop, simply enter the coupon code FRSHIP and the shipping charges will automatically be deducted.

There's lots of new additions to the shop, so drop by and take a look.

Tulips From My Garden

The rain was weighing down all the flowers so I decided to pick a few and brighten up the kitchen. Within an house they had opened up to reveal gorgeous centers. Enjoy!

 

Magnolias In Bloom

After a few weeks of dull, wet weather, the sun has finally decided to make an entrance. Every Spring I look forward to the glorious magnolia in our front yard flowering. I must say I was worried that this year we'd be watching in from inside the house while the rain came down.

But it's in bloom this week and as beautiful as ever!

It's my favorite plant in the garden, followed by my peony.

What's your cherished plant in your garden?

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the Mom's out there....have a fantastic Mother's Day!

 

 

From left to right... my grandmother, younger sister, me, Mom and older sister..... this was taken a long time ago!

Etsy LOVE!

The bulbs are starting to flower in my garden this week and finally the sun is out. I've been poking around in the beds checking to see what's coming up. I have shades of purple and yellow in the front garden.

Today I'm featuring my Etsy faves from the last week..all in shades of glorious green!

Spring is in the Air

Although it's been an incredibly wet April and so far, May also, I know that spring is in the air because each morning around 3:30 am the birds start chirping outside our bedroom window. It's incredible how loud it gets and usually Ian or myself ends up getting out of bed and closing the windows. We have a cherry tree outside and the birds just love congregating in it.

Now I probably bring it on myself as I put seed out for the birds. The bonus is during the day I look out of my kitchen window and see so many beautiful birds at the feeder.

On the topic of birds, I have been adding to my collection of bird nest necklaces at Jacaranda Designs. They have been selling well lately with Mother's Day around the corner. After receiving many requests for custom colors, I decided to expand the line to include more color combinations.

Have a wonderful day and don't forget to feed the birds!

Etsy LOVE! Fit For Royalty.

With the Royal wedding in a couple of days, I thought I would spotlight a few Etsy finds that fit the British theme. Are you going to watch the wedding? I'm heading to a friend's house at 6am to enjoy the events as well as English scones.

Part 3 The Heartsy Deal - Helpful Hints

Taking part in a Heartsy promotion and receiving a huge amount of Etsy orders for Jacaranda Designs in the space of a few days is an event you have to be ready to handle efficiently. I've summarized some helpful hints that I feel may help you get prepared.

1. Have as much stock on hand before the promotion as you can. It's going to save a lot of time if you don't have to make your products as the orders come in.

2. Stock up on packaging and mailing supplies. Depending on how you package your product, you will want to stock up on items such as bubble envelopes, boxes, ribbon, tissue, business cards.

3. Create a spreadsheet ahead of time. On my spreadsheet I had the following columns:
a. Coupon Number
b. Customer Name
c. Amount of Etsy Order
d. Invoiced
e. Paid Invoice
f. Purchase Date
g. Shipping Cost
h. Shipping Status
i. Date Shipped
j. On Back Order
k. Etsy Fees
l. Paypal Fees
m. Remaining Shop Credit

I know it's a lot of columns but it certainly made it easier for me to track all the data.
As soon as Jacaranda Designs Heartsy coupons started selling, I started updating my spreadsheet and continued to do so through the entire week.

4. Make sure your expected shipping times are very clear on your Shop announcement.  I committed to shipping out all orders within three days of payment.

5. Day One - spreadsheet and responses. On Day 1, I did not even try to start shipping orders. I spend my entire time updating my spreadsheet as orders came in, renewing items that had sold and responding to customer inquiries (you may have a lot of these)

6. Day Two - Invoicing and Shipping. On Day 2, I started by invoicing all those customers who had spent more than the coupon value. Once I had sent off the invoices, I started to package up all those orders that had been paid in full (i.e. customer had spent less than the coupon value). On the evening of Day 2, I sent out emails to all the customers whose orders had been shipped that day.

7. Day Three, Four and Five. As invoices were paid, I packaged up those orders. Many individuals did not use their coupons on the first day so the remainder of the week was spent also dealing with a few orders coming in.

Anyway, that was how I got through a very busy time for Jacaranda Designs. My hope is that this information will help you if you decide to embark on a Heartsy promotion. You may not approach it the same way as I have but whatever you do, stay organized!