Short and sweet: don't panic

There are eighteen days until Christmas, and not just my blog readers but almost everyone I can think of will be busy – if not frantically busy! So let's keep this short and sweet.

Here is a suitably short and sweet – like an iced biscuit – blog post by Crissy Herron of IndieBizChicks.com. It contains four quick tips to help you keep your sanity and your business in one piece over the busiest time of year.

Don’t Let Your Biz Fall Apart During The Holidays

Also, remember the immortal words that are inscribed on the back of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy: 

And here's my own best bit of advice for this time of year: 

Keep Calm, 

Carry On, 

And 

Enjoy. 

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Photography help from Bomobob

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a handmade item in possession of an online listing must be in want of an excellent photograph.

(O.K., that was dreadful. Apologies to Jane Austen.)

One of my better photographs: Green Forest earrings, available on Felt and Zibbet.

Time and time again, sellers on Etsy and other handmade-goods venues are reminded to work on their photographs. Superb photos are the best way - arguably the only way - to attract buyers to your handmade or vintage items. Below is a link to an excellent guest post by Bomobob, an Etsy seller who is known in the Etsy forums for his helpful photography advice, on Morphologica's Etsy Business Tips blog (which is a very helpful blog and I recommend it).

http://www.thebusinesstipsblog.com/2010/07/guest-post-by-famous-bomobob-etsy.html