If you were my Christmas tree lights...

and my grandmother's vintage mercury bead tree garland and the Victorian tin icicles where would you be hiding?

I put them away somewhere "special" so that I could do them QUICKLY and FIRST before all the ornaments went up.

And now?

Let's just say we've been through almost every storage box in the house and they are NOWHERE to be found.

My tree is supposed to look like this...

Instead it's a sad, dark, beadless tree. Poor tree!

Seriously... any ideas?

Ah well... maybe we'll have a dark and less sparkly tree this year.

I need to refocus on the true meaning of Christmas.

And then I know my heart will be filled with joy.

Just sayin'!

Okay Y'all,

I need a little help here.

I am blogging for several purposes. The main one of course is to keep in touch with family and friends. (I wish they'd comment here, but they rarely do. I should at least mention that they email their comments to me though.)

However, the other reason is to provide an introduction to my art. Currently I have one show a year. And, by dint of the community we're in I am told my more Victorian style art will not sell as well. So, I've been working on new venues: Etsy, ArtFire, a shop in a nearby town. But, with very few readers here that gives me little exposure on the online venues unless someone just happens upon my work.

So, here are my questions:

1. Are there things that would make this blog more visible?
2. (As in how can I draw in more readers?)
3. Do giveaways help?
4. If I said, "For every piece ordered, if the buyer mentions the reader who suggested my work, then the reader will also receive a small gift/token/art piece." Will that encourage anyone to share my blog or Etsy or ArtFire sites?

Really, I'm not desperate, but I am looking to learn and figure all you who read blogs must know what makes a blog more readable or at least more read... I hope that makes sense.

Anyway, I'm just working on this for this site for now, but will, in future, use it also on my doula blog site which you can find listed on my profile page. Thanks ever so much. I really appreciate all the help.

Blessings, Kim