Sharon's Work at Home Blog

2011 Review and 2012 Plans

2012-01-08T21:32:00.000-06:00

It’s been a while since I posted here. I have been busy working on a variety of different projects and working on expanding my knowledge.

I didn’t end up making my 2011 goals, but I knew that with about half the year gone. I lost some private clients and I lost some of my ambition and drive to write. But I have had some other good things happen.

I currently have 3 blogs:

Direct Sales Help - To help direct sales consultants
Direct Sales Business – To help those having direct sales parties
Romance Rep Directory – To help people find romance reps to do parties for them

I had started working on making residual income this year, but due to Panda in early 2011, my earnings have not been where I would like them to be. Even though I have still been adding content, my earnings have decreased so I have expanded into other areas of online income.

I have started some projects to help increase Adsense earnings as well as Amazon and other affiliate types of income.

I have also changed the type of writing that I am doing for other people. I don’t think I actually have any private clients right now and I am not sure that I will go looking for more. I have a few plans to help me make money. I also have found some sites that have ongoing work that you can work on when you want to, so I have started doing that.

So this year, my plans:

Continue my blogs and see where they go
Create these residual sites
Create e-books and find places to sell them
Work on writing sites

Wizzley

2011-09-29T20:21:00.000-06:00

Part of the residual challenge I am involved with has involved tryng a variety of content sites and seeing what works and does not work. I had heard good things about Wizzley, so I decided to try it out.

I am glad I did! I only have 4 articles up,with the first one going up on the 19th, and I'm at almost a dollar through Adsense. Per article, that is an awesome return! I have adsense setup now to track each article so I can see what is doing well going forward.

Want to check out Wizzley? Please click on my link, I earn 10% of what you make, but it does not take away from your earnings!

Let the Residual Income Flow!

2011-09-03T13:41:00.000-06:00

I have recently embarked on a new challenge to increase my residual income. This challenge entails posting more articles onto Hubpages and seeing how they perform. So far in 2 days I have made 2 cents. While this does not sound like much, and it isn’t, in four months I have only made 21 cents, so it seems I am on the right track. You can also access my hubs from the sidebar on the right. :)

There have also been changes over at one of my other residual sites, Suite101, so I am hoping that my income there will go on the upswing again. I am going to hold off posting any more articles there for a while though while I wait to see what happens.

I have also taken on more work for a private client. It is not a lot of money, but it is still more money than I have now and it is easy work as it is more general and on topics I know.

The August Update

2011-08-18T19:15:00.001-06:00

July and August have been pretty quiet on the writing front.

Writing articles on topics which held no interest to me was quickly becoming boring and tough for me to do, so I quit doing it. So far this month I have picked up a few content mill articles that do interest me and I have continued with a blogging job that I have.

Unfortunately, I have now hit that time when I was hoping to be consistently making residual income, and that is not happening. So far, I am not even anywhere close to where I wanted to be and not making enough to even really consider what I am making.

Not only this, but I am looking to make some changes in my life. I am not sure what exactly they are at this point, but they are in the works. I have decided to take two night classes this fall (yes, I am insane) and then see where I go from there. These classes do not really get me anywhere, but it is two more under my belt and a bit closer to finishing some sort of diploma.

I want to increase my candle business and what I am doing there. I have been neglecting it a bit, only my own fault and I want to reverse that. Right now, this is one of the easiest sources for me to make extra income so I need to use it to my advantage. The best way is for to get parties/events, which will take time out from other places.

Mid-Year Goals and Reviews

2011-07-04T21:23:00.002-06:00

Goals - $1490

Earnings - $816.72

Deficiency - $673.28

My earnings have not gone as well as I had hoped for a few different reasons.

Earlier in the year I experienced some burnout and did not want to write and I still have those bouts as time goes on. I do my best to get over them quickly but that does not always work.

My residual income has not been going the way I had planned which I blame on the updates that Google did earlier this year. I track my various sources and I have seen them decrease by 75% or more.

The main paid to click site that I clicked on did some updates as well which decreased my income as the rules have changed and I am no longer make money there. That was $25 every two months.

I need to do some re-evaluation of what my goals are. I need to find more private clients. I need to promote my blogs and increase my affiliate earnings that are coming in from them as right now it is pennies.

Another Update

2011-06-12T22:01:00.001-06:00

I’m so bad about updating here, and I will apologize, but that really doesn’t make a difference as I’m still likely to forget to post again.

I have been up to the same old. I ended up taking a class in May and June for six weeks, twice a week, so that was a bit time consuming. I’ve been writing as well, and had my second best month in May but I am still looking for more work, especially that which pays better.

My content mills are undergoing changes again, so I am not sure what to expect from them in the coming months. The one has increased its pay but it is also increasing its expectations. One of my residual sites is re-vamping, so I hope that it may come back to life again.

My blog has not been going as well as I had hoped and I am struggling for content at the moment. I am a bit burnt out after writing well over 100 posts on it so far this year. Due to its lack of traffic, I am sure no one has noticed. :(

I am considering going back to school, just a class or two at a time, but I have not fully decided yet for a variety of reasons. If I do, it will cut back on my writing time. I will need to decide in the next month or two as classes do start back up in September.

A small update

2011-04-21T23:35:00.001-06:00

I kinda fell off the hubpages wagon. I am hoping to get caught up though and get my 30 hubs done. I see a lot of writing in the future!

Do you like paid to clicks? I do several of them, one of the newest being Neobux. One of the neat things about this is that you can rent referrals instead of having to try and get people to sign up with you. I just got my first ones, but please feel free to join me! Just click on the ads each day. Its not a lot of money, but every bit helps, right?
Neobux

Do you know about Hubpages?

2011-04-01T23:13:00.000-06:00

Do you have an account on Hubpages? I do! I'm taking part of a 30 day challenge and I am going to be writing about my adventures of getting into affiliate marketing/passive income. Come on over and follow me!

http://hubpages.com/profile/SKCandles

February is Dismal

2011-02-28T20:37:00.000-06:00

I can tell you right now, my February was very quiet and dismal for earnings.

I was off work for 2 weeks so you would think that I would get a lot of writing done. It was the opposite. I had no ambition to work and did not accomplish much.

Also in February, Google has made some changes to their algorithm and I am hearing that some of the content sites have been hurt by this. While I am not on a lot of sites, I am on Suite101 and I am hearing people are finding their earnings have gone down on this site. I'm not sure I have enough up for it to make a difference.

I will be back in a few days with my results.

I'm a bit Behind

2011-02-10T13:25:00.000-06:00

Bit behind on my income goals thsi month as I took 5 days off and went and visited a friend. And now I am considering some other methods of making income, but not as passive or potentially as easy. Right now I am just in the thinking/planning stages, so I'm not sharing much in case I jinx things.

2011 Goals:

2011-02-06T18:02:00.004-06:00

My goals for 2011 are to increase my residual earnings from a variety of sites so that I do not have to do aas much work to make the same amount of money.

For residual income at this time I have:

Articles on Suite101

Articles on Hubpages – Adsense, Amazon

Blogs – Adsense, Amazon

I also plan to continue with the private writing as well as the other things that I have done in 2010 for extra income.

Overall, I hope to make $3,000 this year.

2010 Earnings:

2011-02-03T18:01:00.000-06:00

Grand total - $2162.84 and my goal was 2,000

Breakdown:

Private Clients - $1885.55

Content Mills - $113.95

Revenue Sharing - $12.44

Paid to Clicks - $59.92

Surveyhead - $28.48

Sidetick - $50

Saskwatch - $26.50

Swagbucks - $115

Crocheting - $32.75 (I know this isn’t online, but I figured I’d count it

Paypal Fees - $161.75

January 2011 Earnings

2011-02-01T18:01:00.000-06:00

Writing - $232

Residual – 7.82

Swagbucks – 8.33 (calculated based on 450 points for Amazon Gift cards)

Paypal fees – 9.44

Total earnings – 238.71

Time to Revive this thing!

2011-02-01T00:07:00.000-06:00

Well, I have neglected this blog for two months, trying to decide what to do with it. I have gone back and forth, and I have decided that I am going to try to get this going again.

Right now its midnight and I need to get heading to bed, but I will come back tomorrow and update my 2010 revenue as well as my goals for 2011 and how I have gotten started.

What I've Been Up To

2010-11-30T21:13:00.002-06:00

I recently haven’t had much work to do for private clients, and the content mills just are not thrilling me, so I decided to work on some of my residual articles. I got around to posting the articles I had written but had not put anywhere on Suite101. I have gone from 22 articles up to 56 articles, and I am starting to see my income from there jump! At the rate things are going, I may even hit payout before the end of the year.

On November 29, I had my best day yet with $1 in revenue share! And now that I have over 50 articles, I make an extra 10% on top of that.

I will be back in the next day or two and post my totals for October and November.

A General Update

2010-10-24T22:47:00.000-06:00

September was a quiet month for me as I was on holidays for a bit of it and so was not accepting much for work. October has also been quiet as I have decided to look for better paying work, which I have not had a lot of luck with so far. Right now I am choosing not to bid on things due to the time frame of them coming up while I am busy with work, so will get back to it in November sometime.

The holiday season is coming, so people are also thinking about Candle parties so I am getting a bit busier in regards to doing those as well as trade shows.

Writing Fees

2010-10-17T19:52:00.000-06:00

I got into a discussion a while ago about writing for money. My friend is a professional writer and does it full time; she has the university degree and the education to support it. Myself, I am a hobby writer at best, and write strictly for a bit of fun and a bit of spare money.

We got discussing the rates that we write for, and compared to her, I write for pennies. I polled others that do similar work to what I do, and the top rate was about 20 cents per word. But, even though some of our rates are low, everyone is able to make an hourly rate that is acceptable to them and they want to make. Typically this means several articles within an hour.

According to my professional friend, an article should take at least an hour to write between the research and the writing of it. She also sent me a link of the rates that are becoming standard in

Canada

for writers.

I wonder if this is a sign that there is more than one type of writer. One type of writer being those that work in the professional world whether it is academia or print articles and those that work through the Internet for websites, whether it is a client or a content mill. And with each type of writer comes a different set of rules and price ranges that one can expect to make.

Personally, I know if I were writing for a magazine, I would take a lot more care with my articles than I do with those on the Internet. I don’t know about how you view the Internet, but when I am looking for information like what I am writing, I tend to skim anyways, so if there are small grammar errors, I am not too likely to notice them.

What do you think about this?

Looking to the Future

2010-10-12T19:20:00.002-06:00

I am lookin to make a few changes to the work that I am doing online.

I plan to keep writing, but I am looking for higher paid clients. I do enjoy the work that I am doing, but like everyone else, I am looking to make a little bit more. A friend recommended the book The Wealthy Freelancer: 12 Secrets to a Great Income and an Enviable Lifestyle which I have purchased. It arrived last week and I am hoping to sit down tomorrow and have a chance to start in on it for ideas.

I also plan to work more on residual income. While it requires more work at the begining, it can definitely be worthwhile.

I am also looking at starting a new blog in the new year to do some different things with. It will be different than any of the three blogs that I currently have. Right now I am in the planning and researching stage.

September Results

2010-10-10T21:20:00.000-06:00

Well, September was a rather dreary month in regards to my earnings. Partly due to the fact that I was on holidays for a week, and barely touched my computer except for those things that were necessary.

Without further ado, the lack of funds breakdown:
Writing - $98
Swagbucks - $10
Survey - $13

Fees 8.99

Proceeds 112.01

How to Utililze Facebook as a Promotional Tool

2010-09-20T11:16:00.001-06:00

With the rise of social media, a lot of people are getting onto Facebook and using it as a marketing tool for their business. Some people just create a second profile for their business, or they decide to create a fan page on their regular Facebook profile. Either way, there are some steps that you need to make sure to take.

Full Profile – Make sure your profile is complete. This includes a picture, your website, and anything else that is relevant to what you want to promote. This should be completed as soon as you create your profile, as people like pictures.

Updates – It is important that you post updates as it is easy to forget about something unless it is in your face. Updates can be things such as new inventory, new catalogues, a sale, or anything else that is relevant.

Click here to read More

Residual Income Writing

2010-09-09T20:14:00.000-06:00

One of the things that many writers (or other Internet entrepreneurs) are looking to create is residual income. This means something that is created once and then it continues to earn money for you.

I had heard about Suite101 previously, but just chalked it up to a site I would try in the future, as I was trying other sites. But at the urgings of a few people, I decided to try it now. I had applied previously and was not accepted, but third times the charm, and I was accepted (I just heard only 20% are accepted to the site).

Anyways, I put up a few different articles at the end of August, and I have already started to earn pennies on them. While it is not a lot of money, it’s a start. I had signed up with a different site, put up 26 articles and have gotten nothing. So making some pennies within a few days is a great start!

I have heard that once you have 50+ articles on Suite101 that a person will start to notice an increase in their income. Hopefully I can have that many up within the next month or two. I will post another review once I have more experience here.

If you want to see some of my work, here is my link:

http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/skcandles

August Summary

2010-09-05T19:58:00.000-06:00

Well, I came out a little bit short in August. I did take 2 weeks off from one of my private clients, or else I likely would not have had a problem. I also have started with a new residual site, but have not posted much there to make any judgements yet.

Writing - $227
Swagbucks - $10
Fees - $16.10

Total Earned - $220.90

My goal for September is $200, as I will be out of town for a while and not writing during that time.

The Key to Blogging Success

2010-09-02T11:15:00.001-06:00

Many people create a blog for a variety of reasons. Some people want to post about their personal life or something specific within their life; others want to use a blog as way to promote their business. When you decide to create a blog, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind in order for it to be a success.

Current – One of the biggest issues people have when they have a blog is continuing to post. It is important that you are posting on a regular basis, no one wants to come to your blog in May and see that you have not updated since January. It does not look good for your or whatever you are promoting. A great tool to help you with this is a scheduler, which most blog platforms have for you to use.

Content – You have to keep your content relevant and fresh. When you are making a post in April, it shouldn’t be about Christmas, unless you are talking about something like crafts and people need a bit of time to make their creations.

Click here For More

Writing Fees

2010-09-01T21:52:00.001-06:00

I got into a discussion the other day about writing for money. My friend is a professional writer and does it full time; she has the university degree and the education to support it. Myself, I am a hobby writer at best, and write strictly for a bit of fun and a bit of spare money.

According to my professional friend, an article should take at least an hour to write between the research and the writing of it. She also sent me a link of the rates that are becoming standard in

Canada

for writers.

What do you think about this?

2010-08-24T19:39:00.000-06:00

Ezine is a well known article directory which many people use as a method of article marketing, due to the fact that the articles that are places on here tend to rank well with Google. As with any other content mill type site, you are able to use your own byline and get a link back to your own website. One big difference between Ezine and other content sites though is that there is no payment for posting articles here. People do it for the links and the traffic that they will potentially get. People may come to Ezine and find your article to use on their site, in their newsletter, etc, but they are supposed to make sure to include your resource box with it, so that your contact information and link stays intact.

Even though there is no pay, for many people the Google rankings that you can accomplish through Ezine is enough for many people to continue to post here. Another great thing with Ezine is they sponsor writing contests every once in a while which is 100 articles in 100 days. There are even prizes to be won if you complete the challenge. I have not accomplished this yet, but am hoping to this fall.

Creating a Porfolio

2010-08-18T19:40:00.000-06:00

Most freelancers never have enough work on their plate, and they need to market themselves. I have run into several that still continue to look for work, even when they are doing as much as they can, and have overflow work. This is due to the fact that you never know when a source of income is going to dry up and you will need to replace this.

One recommended method of marketing yourself if to create an online portfolio. This will mean creating a website or blog to showcase your talents. No matter what you do – write, web design, virtual assistant – you can benefit from a website to let people know what you are capable of doing, examples of your work if it is possible to share, your rates, and other information people need to know. If you are able to get references or letters of recommendation to post, these can be helpful as well.

You want to make sure you get your own domain name to go with this website. This does not mean you have to go to a paid hosting site, but a domain shows people you are more serious about what you are doing. If you are just freelancing personally, not under a business name, you may want to register your name. If you prefer to work under a business name, then you likely will register that.
As with anything else, make sure you keep your portfolio current. If you change your rates, make sure you post that in advance of the new rates, as well as a date they come into effect. Add certifications or awards when you receive them, as this helps to show that you are an expert and that you truly know what you are doing.

Now updated!

2010-08-15T22:45:00.000-06:00

Oops, forgot to update for my August goals.

I have set them at $250, but I'm not sure if I will make it or not as I have not been doing as much work for my one private client of my own choice. I also lost a client as well, which would have been a guaranteed $80 for the month.

How to Make Money on the Internet Without Selling Anything

2010-08-15T11:13:00.001-06:00

Many people feel that trying to make money on the Internet is an impossible dream in that anything you find on the Internet is a scam and will not pay. This is not true, you just have to be careful and make sure that what you are looking into is legit, just like with any opportunity you see in the newspaper or elsewhere.

Doing the research to discover if a site is legit or not can be a bit of effort, but it is worth it to take some time and research and find out, before investing your time and finding out the site has a bad reputation.

Search for reviews of the site that you are interested in through your favorite search engines. You should be able to find postings on various message boards, groups or blogs talking about that particularly company and their reputation. These posts will tell you if they pay on time, are easy to work for, and anything else that you feel is necessary.

Click here to read more

July Earnings

2010-08-09T14:26:00.000-06:00

I realize I am a little late posting this, but I haven't had anyone email me looking for the numbers. :)

I ended up earning $250.60 after fees for July.

Writing - $245.02
Swagbucks - $10
Surveys - $13.50

My fees were $17.92

I have set a goal for August of $250

Helium

2010-08-08T13:37:00.000-06:00

Helium is one of the revenue sharing sites that I have signed up for and have done some writing for. One of the great things about Helium is that you can get an upfront payment if the article you write is one of the first five on any particular topic. If you are the first article, you get an extra bonus as well. How much you get on the upfront depends on how many stars you have for writing, but you can earn up to $2.50 each. The zero article bonus is a dollar per article. This means you could earn up to $3.50 just to submit an article. Beyond this, you are able to earn money when people view your article.

Helium pays once they owe you $25. They do only payout twice a month, so you will want to make sure you pay attention to the various deadlines to make sure your work is submitted in time to get paid when you want to be.

Please email me if you decide to sign up, as I can get a referral credit

Swagbucks!

2010-07-17T22:04:00.001-06:00

Earn money searching the web! :) You can search using Swagbucks, earn points, and redeem them for a variety of things. I seem to be earning approx $10 a month to use on Amazon. There are other places to redeem as well. If you want to earn free stuff for searching, please sign up through my link (I earn up to 1000 points from your searching)

http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/chattersharon

How to Pick the Right Home Based Business?

2010-07-15T11:07:00.003-06:00

When it comes to choosing the right home based business, there are several things that you need to look at and consider before you make the decision. Here are a few of those things that you should look at.

What are you passionate about? If you are a crafter and you try to sell romance items, this may not be a good fit. But setting up a business on Etsy and selling the items that you create may be a great fit, and something that you can really enjoy and do well at.

Independent or sales force? Do you want to work a business where you are a true entrepreneur and working completely on your own, or would you prefer to work in something like direct sales where you are a part of a team and you have resources to assist you? You may prefer one of the other, and it is important for you to decide what you prefer. Just because you are independent does not mean you are on your own, as even if you are not on a team, there are a lot of people out there that you can find to help you or mentor you.

To read More Click Here

Hello? Anyone out there?

2010-07-13T22:56:00.001-06:00

Hello???? *listens to the echo*

Anyone there?

Am I typing to myself?

Please leave a comment to let me know of your existence, and so I know I am not just typing to myself for the sake of typing!

Referrals

2010-07-10T10:56:00.000-06:00

A great way to get more work is to ask those that you done work for is to give you a referral. Chances are they may know someone else who needs some writing work done. I have gotten a job or two this way. These don`t always work out, as your work may not be what they are looking for, but when you don`t have to advertise yourself, or pay a fee for the job, they can be great.

I read an interesting idea on a forum from one writer to help get more referrals. She offers her clients a 10% referral fee. I don`t know the details on this, but if you are looking for work and are interested in doing something like this, you could easily make up your own terms.

My apologies

2010-07-08T22:56:00.000-06:00

I need to sit down and do some work on this blog. Life has gotten crazy for me this week due to starting a new job, which has affected my schedule. As a result, I haven`t had as much time to sit down and work on this blog. It is on the agenda for this weekend, and feel free to comment and tell me to get at it if I don`t post.

June Update & July Goal

2010-07-02T20:16:00.001-06:00

My goal for the month was $250, which I was able to make. The Breakdown:

Writing    $233.99 - after fees
Paid to Clicks $5 - I am no longer doing PTC's though
Swagbucks      $10 - Have not included these before
Survey site       $28.48 - This was about 6 months worth of survey's though

Total $277.47

My fees were a bit high this month at $24.76, $10 of that was more Copyscape searches, and the rest was Paypal or Elance fees.

For July my goal is $150, as due to things going on in my life, I will not be able to do as much writing as I have in the past.

Edited July 3, as I forgot to include some work

Work Wednesday - Surveyhead

2010-06-30T12:01:00.000-06:00

If you enjoy doing survey's, you may want to sign up for Surveyhead. It is not the fastest site, so if you need money right now, this is not the site for you, but if you like to get some occasional extra money, its not a bad way.

When you create your account, there are different profile survey's you can do to help them find more survey's for you. This are worth some money, but not a lot. I personally did not qualify for a lot of the survey's as I do not have any children under 18. If you do, you may do better.

It took me approximately 5 months to qualify for the $25 payout, and then it took a month to transfer to Paypal.

http://surveyhead.com/ (I do not make money off the referral)

Work Update

2010-06-28T12:06:00.000-06:00

I realize I am slacking on my updates, which I apologize for. I was out of town all this weekend and once I got back, I had other things I needed to do to get ready for work, and as a result, this was low on the totem pole.

I have reached my goal of $250, and still have a bit more work due for this month, so I will be higher. Hopefully I am still over 250 once I remove all the fees I have paid.

I should have my breakdown thursday or friday, as thursday is Canada Day here and I may not be around.

Getting Started

2010-06-23T10:08:00.000-06:00

When it comes to get started in any type of freelance work, it is important that you have a porfolio of work that you can show potential employers. I know in regards to writing, there are employers that will ask you to write an article of their choice as a test. Sometimes these are paid for, sometimes they are not. Many people will not do these if they are not paid, as they feel that the potential employer will just use these for their own benefit. As a result, it is best if you have articles that are pre-written which you can show, or a porfolio published on a site such as Ezines, Helium or anywhere else that you are able to keep the rights. I know in one instance, I had a potential employer ask for an article on a subject which I had already written something similiar on, so I sent them that article instead.

Work Wednesday - Content Authority

2010-06-16T15:27:00.000-06:00

The Content Authority

This is another site that I have gotten onto. I haven't done a lot of work on it, but they do payout as promised. Payout is $25. A nice thing about this site is that you can log in and decide what you want to work on. There are priority articles, that pay a little bit better, and there are also regular articles and rewrites that you can do. You select what appeals, and if nothing appeals, you can just log off and find something else to do.

Time for an Update

2010-06-13T22:06:00.000-06:00

As a result of some illness last week, I have been working very hard to get caught up. Thankfully my one private client is very understanding and willing to work with me. My other client only requires 5 articles a week, so a few days off doesn't hurt me too much.

Private Client 1 - $66
Private Client 2 - $35
Helium - $30 - this includes May and June, as I didn't include May work in the totals

I am starting to look around for a bit more work, as I may be facing a wage decrease at work and it would be nice to use this to make it up. Regardless, I will likely not have as much time to write, so less work, more money is my ideal. And who doesn't want that?

Work Wednesday - Helium

2010-06-09T15:19:00.000-06:00

Helium.com

This is another writing website. There are a few different ways that you can make money here.

First writer - This is when you select a topic to write on, and no one else has written anything for it. This is a $1 bonus.

First 5 Articles - If you write one of the first 5 articles on a topic, you get a payment based on the amount of stars you have gotten on the website. (Stars are based on the quality of your writing)

Residuals - You can earn residuals on your articles no matter what number they are. So if you have written articles for other websites, you can still post them on here, and make a bit of money.

I am still relatively new to this site, so I cannot vouch too much for it. But it does come recommended by others.

Work Wednesday - Swagbucks

2010-06-02T15:14:00.000-06:00

Swagbucks.com

Swagbucks is a website where you earn points, which you can then redeem for prizes. You search the web like normal, but using Swagbucks toolbar, and you will earn points. These range anywhere from 5 to 50 points. There are also special codes that are posted on their website or other Swagbuck sites, which can be redeemed for bonus points.

For Canadians, there are a limited amount of things you can redeem for, but I am saving all my points to buy Amazon credit. At the time of writing, I have earned approximately $50 Amazon dollars. I earn a $5 card every two weeks or so, without much effort. There are also other items like Paypal money, but I find the Amazon.ca prices are the best bang for your buck.

If you want to join, I would appreciate you using my link: Sharon's Referral Link

May Update

2010-06-01T17:49:00.001-06:00

Well, my goal for May was 200, but I ended up doing better than that. :)

Client 1 - $216.90
Client 2 - $65.00
Client 3 - $24.00

Fees $16.73

I did cash out my one paid to click for $3, but it has not arrived yet. I am no longer working on that site

Grand Total: $292.17 after fees

I also cashed out from a Survey site for $27 which I am waiting on. I also collected $10 worth of Amazon gift cards on Swagbucks. Neither of these are included in the total above.

My goal for June is $250

Weekly Summary

2010-05-30T22:00:00.002-06:00

Usually I post a summary on sunday's as to where I am at, but seeing as tomorrow is the last day of the month, and I still have some work to complete, I am going to wait until tomorrow. :)

Work Wednesday - Elance

2010-05-26T15:12:00.001-06:00

Elance.com

This is another website for someone who is looking for freelancer work, and not just writing work. So far I have only taken on one job from this website, so I cannot say too much about it. Minimum bids are $50, so you will make a bit more on jobs that you accept from this site, but again you are bidding with others, and there are fees involved when you accept anything.

How I'm Doing So Far - May 23

2010-05-23T20:47:00.000-06:00

wow.... I'm doing pretty good this month. :) It helps that I got a job that was worth $50, which was only 10 articles. My client that I am working for has also had a lot of work for me so far, and I have done $187 worth of work for that client. I managed to pick up some overflow work on a message board that I am on, and that was worth another $24. And there is still a week to go :)

Grand total is $261 at this point, and I have gotten the cash for most of it.

Work Wednesday - Getafreelancer

2010-05-19T15:05:00.002-06:00

I am going to attempt to post different places that you can go looking for work, if you are looking for extra income. Not all of them are writing sites, so if writing is not your thing, some of these sites are worth checking out.

Getafreelancer.com
This is the first site that I started working on. It is a bidding site, so you will need some patience when you decide to head over here, as you will be competing with many others. I have found that many of the people on there offering ongoing work are typically writing teams, looking to add others to their team, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I have not found high paying work, but if you are just starting out, it can be a good place to get some work under your belt. Be aware that there are fees when you accept a job, but many people communicate outside the site to avoid that.

This site has more than just writing, so it is worth a check if you have other skills.

May Update

2010-05-16T15:05:00.000-06:00

Its sunday, and time for another update. I try to do these every sunday, just so I can see where I am, and so anyone who is following along knows too. :)

As for now, I have done work worth $165. I am still waiting on some payments, but I am confident that they will be made, its just a waiting game.

I was able to cash out at one of my paid to click sites, and all of a sudden I am not getting much activity from there. My other site has changed how it works, and I am 5 cents from payout. That is frustrating.

I should have no issue making my monthly goal, as I currently have another 36 dollars of assigned work, which will let me hit $200. :)

May Update

2010-05-10T12:20:00.000-06:00

May is looking promising so far, and that making $200 should not be too much of an obstacle.

My client that did not have much for me in April is still working with all the advertising that was done, so I have been writing my tush off there and am already at 100 dollars and still going.

I bid on another job which was awarded and I have started on, which is another $100.

As of today I have completed $106.28 in work, and still have another $61.92 assigned to me. And it is only the 10th. I expect a great month unless something drastic happens.

Discussion Continued

2010-05-07T18:39:00.000-06:00

This is what I have to say in regards to small dollar articles:

Some people are willing to work for minimum wage, others are not. Are you going to give the ones at minimum heck? They are likely starting out, getting some experience or education under their belt, and as they do, they will get raises or move to better opportunities

Thats how I see my writing. I started writing at a dollar for 500 words, and I'm slowly working my way up. I will no longer bid on a one dollar item, but someone else will. We all have to start somewhere.

For someone who absolutely needs the cash, and they know they can get an article for a dollar, but have a hard time getting articles at 5, I don't blame them for taking the 1 dollar article to get money in their pocket.

Guest Post on Another Blog!

2010-05-05T11:09:00.000-06:00

I have an article on another blog, all about earning money online with writing! Wanna check it out?

Click here! Writing online in Canada

Discussion Time

2010-05-03T18:38:00.001-06:00

I figure it is time to get some actual discussion or chatter going here instead of me just posting numbers.

On one of the forums I am on, that has an area for people who write the discussion comes up once in a while about writing for small dollars, and shouldn't a person hold out for more essentially? And everyone refuses to work for $1 for a 500 word articles, eventually no one will offer those types of jobs, and we can all get paid fairly.

Do you agree or disagree? I will post my opinion in a few days.

Aprils Final Numbers

2010-05-02T14:44:00.000-06:00

Well, I ended up having my private client come back with a lot of work for me, and I got onto a few content sites so I ended up with a respectable total. While I did not make my 200 dollars, I did okay, and now have some avenues for revenue when my private work is not available.

Writing - $118.78
PTC - $3.00
Fees - $8.35

Leaving me with earnings of $113.43 for the month.

I also earned $10 at Swagbucks.

I am going to set my May goal at $200 again, and see how I can do. I am also starting to do some work with residual sites, so that should help a little bit. I don't expect to see much from there for a while.

Changes

2010-04-28T12:10:00.003-06:00

In the future, if you want to read about my crafting, cats and other things, you will need to visit my other blog. I decided it was time to split the two.

An April Update

2010-04-22T23:18:00.000-06:00

I am not really sure at this stage of the game what I am going to accomplish. As of right now, I'm at not very far and I just got some requests for work. They had completely dried up for about 2 weeks!

So this is where I stand:
Writing - $27
Content Site - $17 - and there is potential for more work here
Paid to Clicks - $11

Hmmm... $55... Its not looking so bright.

April Goals

2010-04-14T15:53:00.000-06:00

Right now things are not looking so great in regards to my April goals.

I have completed $27 worth of writing, and will have at least $10 in paid to clicks. That is it, and we are close to halfway through the month. I know I screwed up and have missed out on at least one content writing site, as I have just not been motivated, and I did not complete the sample article.

I have also been trying to focus on my Candle business, which has and has not been working out for me. Anyone need some candles?

I think I am getting close to getting my writing motivation back, so we will see how things go for the rest of the month.

Where does time go?

2010-04-09T09:57:00.000-06:00

I can't believe he used to be so little. This is from the day I got him, and he was a whole 2.5 pounds. Now he is a year old, and 12 pounds!

Another pic

2010-04-06T21:22:00.002-06:00

Hanging out in Dad's garage getting the wheels pumped up (ignore the thing in the spokes, it just says comfort)

After a year of talking.....

2010-04-06T21:19:00.000-06:00

I finally did it and bought a road bike! :)

The plan is to get up the endurance to ride it to work, which is a fair jaunt. Hopefully by the end of April I will be up to it. Its hanging out in the garage right now, I need to check that the tire pressure is good, and then head out. I did buy a new helmet as well, as I read they should be changed every couple of years, whether you have taken a hit to the noggin or not.

And here it is!

March Totals

2010-04-01T21:14:00.000-06:00

March is now over, and I blew my goal out of the water!

Earnings from Writing - $231.70
Earnings from PTC - $5.28
Fees - $30.01 - They are high as I accepted work for several new people, which was a $5 hit each time

Total in my pocket - $204.32!

I have also earning $25 in Swagbucks, which I only started at the end of February, so you could consider my earnings $229.32, but I have not redeemed those.

Payment Updates!

2010-03-29T14:33:00.000-06:00

Finally received the funds from February 28 for $3

Got my $9 after threatening to use the articles myself.

I have hit the $200 mark already, but have not checked out all my paypal fees yet.

Still waiting on the stupid Escrow payment. It says tomorrow, it better be!

I'll be back to give final totals later this week. :)

March Update

2010-03-22T22:36:00.001-06:00

Well, I have met and am over my goal for the month of $150, but I am having some issue with receiving payment.

The PTC that I cashed out February 28 has not paid me, and I sent an email, and have never heard back. I guess I write that off, it was only 3 bucks, but still.

I did some writing for a customer, that paid me through the Escrow on the writing site we found each other on. I requested for them to transfer the funds February 17, it said something about it being my first transfer so it would take a bit longer, and I still wait. When I checked the other day, it said it would transfer March 30! I am not impressed on this.

And there is the customer that still owes me $9 from 2 weeks ago. Yes, its not much, but its the darn principle of the thing!

I am trying to refocus on my Gold Canyon business, so I'm not sure where I want to take my goals in April, as I will need to spend more time working there to attain the goals I want. I will decide as we get closer to April and I am able to make a few decisions.

Note: Will update my march numbers for you

My cute Kitty

2010-03-20T10:27:00.000-06:00

Even though he is a huge pain in my butt, he can be so cute some days. He will be 1 approximately the end of the month.

Productive Weekend!

2010-03-14T22:17:00.001-06:00

While I feel like I had a slightly lazy weekend, I actually got a lot done.

All my writing projects are finished and emailed to the appropriate people.

Saturday night, I finished the blanket I was working on, and sunday afternoon I tucked in all the lose ends. I see now that the one corner is very wonky, not sure what the heck happened (I folded it inwards in the picture) Now I see the pattern is wonky.. dang it. :(

I also finished 2 crochet scarves. These will eventually be donated.

Wanted Yarn Scraps!

2010-03-10T22:37:00.000-06:00

I am so excited! I have all these little balls of yarn that I hate to toss, as they can be used for something, but i don't know what. I have slowly been gathering patterns for fridge magnets and such, but tonight at craft group I found a much better thing to do with them!

A lady there collects them, and she and others make little dolls with them, about 6 inches tall. They then use these for packing material when sending dental equipment to third world countries. It serves 2 purposes - way better than those styrofoam packing peanuts, and they are something for the little kids who come to the dentist and are scared. They get a present after!

I am just so thrilled to have a great place to donate these to!

March So Far

2010-03-08T23:57:00.000-06:00

March is looking good work wise. I have completed a fair bit of writing, but unfortunately, I am waiting on pay, so most of my writing work is on hold. I have done work for 3 clients, none paid, but 1 client I only worked on today, and his project is not complete.

The other two, I am not sure, and there will be no more work for them until payment has been resolved.

I also won bids on two more jobs, but I have not heard on those yet. :( I would like to use at least one of them to replace one of said clients above.

In other news... my knitting project should be done within a week! And as much as I resisted the idea of socks, apparently my fingers think differently, as I just finished purchasing some sock yarn to work with. Ahhh... what a crazy gal I am!

February Update

2010-03-04T21:59:00.000-06:00

I just received payment for the last of my February work, other than the PTC. I think they are on longer terms, which makes me sad, but I am only waiting for 4 dollars there, so if they do not pay, I will just change my totals and move on.

Anyways, I had to remove one item that I was expecting payment for, as my article was rejected (it was a trial) and due to some confusion, mis-understanding, etc. I will not be fixing it or being paid for it. This drops my total by $8.

Regardless, I still hit my goal, and I already have some new work for March and am starting on my goals.

March Goal

2010-03-03T14:01:00.000-06:00

I have decided that my March goal is $150. I have taken on a new client that is a bit less work, but more money. I am still looking, but I find that many of the freelancer jobs out there do not mesh well when you only have a few hours a day to work on articles. Of course, being new still, it does take me longer to flesh them out and write them, so I cannot accomplish as much as others.

February's Earnings

2010-03-01T10:56:00.001-06:00

I ended up making more than I had planned in February due to gaining a few new clients.

Money actually in my paypal account:
Writing - $95.00
PTC - $5.13

Waiting on payment (sources that have paid before)
$58.27

Fees:
$16.27 - $5 actually belongs to January, but I held off paying until February, as I wasn't sure I would continue with that site

Making a grand total of $142.13.

That helps to make up for being short in January. I need to think about March's goals, so I will post that in a day or two.

Knitting Adventures

2010-02-28T12:07:00.000-06:00

Knitting fever has taken hold and all I want to do is knit, and get new yarn. Even though I don't have a pattern that I want to make, I just want to buy yarn. Too bad money truly doesn't grown on trees.

I've been drooling over circular needles for the last bit and was doing some looking around. I also knew you could find some that were interchangable. I checked out Ebay and found some, and discovered that the manufacturer was selling them for a very similiar price, and if you bought the pink version, they would make a $5 donation to Breast Cancer research. So, being a girl and liking pink, I bought a set. :) I cannot wait til they come in! I talked to a girlfriend, and she has the same set and loves them.

Rosco Tails - The Candle

2010-02-24T12:06:00.000-06:00

I received some candles the other day for customers. I put them on a high counter that I did not think my cats could get onto, as I planned to deliver them the next day. Later that evening, I heard a crash.

That was what I heard. Kitty definitely got scolded, but I'm not sure he really understood.

This blogs purpose

2010-02-22T11:48:00.000-06:00

This blog was originally intended to be a bit of everything, and online work seems to have taken over. But I can explain that:

Knitting - I'm only working on one project, and it just repeats itself over and over. So its not very exciting. I can post how many rows I accomplished, but who really cares?

Cats - Again, they are kind of boring. But, I can try and post more pictures if anyone wants. Thats about all. I have caught them snuggling at night which is cute, its great that they love each other. :)

Other than that, its still winter up here in Saskatchewan, as I look out the window it is snowing. Spring is quite a ways off.

Busy week!

2010-02-20T23:21:00.000-06:00

I have been busy this week working. Between returning to my full time job after being off for 2 weeks, and doing writing work for clients, I haven't had a lot of spare time to be on the computer or to blog. Thank goodness for pre-scheduled posts for my business blog!

So I am here to do some updates:
I have made my February goal of $100. But, this is work done, not work paid. I still have some projects on the go, and of course, payments that I have been waiting on.

Changes happened in the paid to click world while I was on holidays, and they are now where near as good or as profitable as they once were. I had one site I was able to make about $5 in a week, now I will be lucky to make a dollar in a week. Not sure that I will continue with this.

I joined Swagbucks. Now, you can get Paypal cash through Swagbucks, you are actually better off redeeming your swagbucks for merchandise or gift cards to your favorite stores. For instance, I can get a $5 gift card for Amazon at a cost of 45 Swagbucks, but for $5 to Paypal, it will cost me 70 Swagbucks. You earn Swagbucks by searching the net through their website or toolbar. At random, you will get a graphic that pops up saying you have won Swagbucks. And that is how you earn them. You get 3 when you sign up, and then start earning. I'm up to 12 in a few days. I got 1 by following them on Twitter, where they posted a code to redeem, and there are other ways.

Anyways, if you want to join Swagbucks and earn free product when you search, please join my team. And then refer people you know as well!
Here is my referral link:
http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/chattersharon

What I have been doing

2010-02-15T22:39:00.000-06:00

I'm on a freelancer board, and have been bidding on jobs, but have not had much luck in actually receiving any of them. I even went so far as asking others for places that hired Canadians to write for them, due to lack of work.

And then, wham! I got accepted for two different jobs within 24 hours of each other. While I do have 3 days to complete both assignments (10 and 15 articles) I like to finish them early if at all possible, as I never know what is going to happen the next day.

So I spent today working on the 10 article assignment and finishing it. I believe I had done 2 or 3 of the articles yesterday. I did 7 of the 15 articles today. Not to mention, I did have another project I was working on for a long term client I have, so I had to do 5 articles for him as well.

I am tired! The two assignments I received in the last 24 hours are better paying jobs as well, and didn't really require a lot of research, but when you are writing many similiar articles, it can be difficult to come up with unique spins!

January Earnings Update

2010-02-10T22:20:00.000-06:00

Due to a brain error on my party, my earnings weren't quite what I thought they were... and I missed some fees. So here is my update, also taking into account payments I have since received for January work.

Paid to click - $34.49
Writing - $95.75
Fees - $-3.27

Total $126.97 actual funds paid

No payments still owing

Dear Dogs and Cats

2010-02-09T14:52:00.000-06:00

Dear Dogs and Cats:
The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food.

The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle
of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor
do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the
bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn’t help because I fall faster than you
can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do
not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however.
Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary
to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible.
I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the
other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I
beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine,
meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the
door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the
bathroom for years - canine/feline attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or
cat’s butt. I cannot stress this enough.

Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:

TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:
(1) They live here. You don’t. (2) If you don’t want their hair on your clothes,
stay off the furniture. That’s why they call it ‘fur’-niture. (3) I like my pets a
lot better than I like most people. (4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are
adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don’t speak
clearly.

Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they (1) eat less, (2) don’t
ask for money all the time, (3) are easier to train, (4) normally come when called,
(5) never ask to drive the car, (6) don’t hang out with drug-using people; (7) don’t
smoke or drink, (8) don’t want to wear your clothes, (9) don’t have to buy the
latest fashions, (10) don’t need a gazillion dollars for college and (11) if they
get pregnant, you can sell their children

Picture Day

2010-02-05T14:51:00.000-06:00

January Earnings Summary

2010-02-01T11:40:00.000-06:00

Well, I fell a bit short of my goal, but when I set it, I really had no realistic clue as to what I would be able to do.

Money actually in my paypal account:
Writing - $75.75
PTC - $31.14

Waiting on payment (sources that have paid before)
$26.35

Making a grand total of $133.24. I'm pretty happy with that overall. :)

February's goal is $100 as I am going to be on holidays for a week which will restrict my earnings a bit, as I will not have internet access.

New Kitty Scratching Post

2010-01-28T09:38:00.000-06:00

I bought my kitties a new scratching post last night. Unfortunately, while trying to get it into my car (I ultimately had to hang it out the trunk), I bent one of the ledges for the kitties to lay on. So now it sits on my kitchen floor until I am able to get it repaired. A piece of wood and wood glue should make life good again. But Rosco has still been able to enjoy it so far.

I can't believe how much stores charge for these posts! This post is normally $200, but it was on sale for $80.

Extra Income

2010-01-28T09:27:00.000-06:00

So part of this blog is about me makig some extra income. I was hoping to make $150 this month, but it doesn't appear to be happening. I have one client who currently owes me $24 and I haven't heard from him for a few days. I know the month isn't over, and I still have a few dollars out there that I am owed.

I am trying to find some sort of tracker to put along the side so you can see where I am at money wise, but apparently I don't know the magic word to find it in the list of gadgets, so I may just have to do a manual list for now.

Its Knitty Day Again

2010-01-27T16:18:00.000-06:00

And my first attempt to get out of my crescent since the snow. It looked okay this morning as I walked to the bus, so I hope it is still the same. It is slippery under that snow though, as we had melting last week. As long as I drive slow I should be fine, but I worry about the other drivers.

Tonight we are having an exchange at craft group. People are to bring in any supplies they don't want, set them out on a table, and others can take them. I haven't gotten anything together, but I think I can manage a few things.

I believe I have 16 rows done on my knitting, as I think I left off having to change colours, which happens every four rows.

The Blizzard of 2010

2010-01-24T15:02:00.001-06:00

Its been snowing since Friday, and it is now Sunday afternoon. Usually, I don't have to shovel, due to being in a townhouse condo, but unfortunately, I had some furniture in my garage which didn't allow me to park in there. As the snow removal people should be coming tomorrow, I had to dig my car out, after my roomie and a few neighbors moved the furniture out of the garage.

Here's some snow for you:

Why Things Die on Blogs

2010-01-23T00:17:00.002-06:00

It is a challenge to come here and post every couples days sometime, simply because there is nothing terribly exciting to say. I posted after wednesday night knitting, and the last two days and nights have not been that exciting that I feel the need to say anything.

Even my plans for this weekend are not that exciting, but I will continue to try and find things to post about. Maybe I will just post a picture or video on the days that I have nothing exciting to say.

A Knitting I will Go

2010-01-20T23:20:00.002-06:00

So tonight was knitting group again. I continued to work on my blanket.

I found working on it in the group was a tad distracting, and lost track of what I was doing, which resulted in having to pull some stitches out. This is not a fun task in knitting.

But I will get better. :)

Its Payday!

2010-01-15T20:34:00.001-06:00

Its payday, and not just from my job!

I mentioned before that I was doing some online work. I figured, the 15th of a month is a good day to cash out wherever I have qualified.

Paid to clicks:
$7.96 paid to PayPal
$6.80 pending

Writing:
$37 paid - I completed a re-writing assignment earlier this week, and was waiting for payment. I received that today.
$3.75 due - writing assignment finished this evening.

My goal this month is $150, I'm around $62, and the month is half over.

Three Time's the Charm!

2010-01-14T22:22:00.000-06:00

So I attempted to start my project tonight.. and had Success!!!

I just went slow and steady, with lots of patience. I still had the same issue as I did yesterday, but I decided to keep working with it, and I got it to work. The fact that it is 144 stitches, and the most I have done before this is 40, may have had something to do with it.

I have also started working with the donated yarn I got last night. I am making a scarf with it. It is gray and blue. I will probably make it child length, as I can easily donate them to a child's charity at work. I will post some pictures later on.

Knitting Failure

2010-01-13T23:21:00.000-06:00

Tonight was time to start a new project. I was all excited. I get to knitting, I cast one, and I start row one, just ready to get it going! And I had failure. The slack between the needle you are knitting off and the needle you are knitting onto, kept getting bigger - there is a string that stretches between the two. About the time it got to be a foot long, I had to rip it out and try again, as I kept getting confused, and losing stitches, etc. I tried a second time, got a bit further, but had the same issues again. :(

I have an idea to try again tomorrow - different yarn. This is a thin, soft yarn, and I think that may be the issue. So stay tuned!

Online Money

2010-01-12T21:12:00.001-06:00

Like most people, I haven't found that money tree yet, and am trying to find a few dollars here and there. So far I have started doing paid to clicks, and while its not a lot of money, it is a bit of something. :) I am also doing some writing work, which so far has been re-writing articles. I'm working on finding other assignments that pay more for the time involved in them.

I'm sure you'll hear more about theese endeavors as this blog progresses. :)

Other Hobbies

2010-01-08T23:58:00.000-06:00

While Knitting is my newest project, I have many others that I also work on. It just so happens that knitting is the only one that is consistently scheduled in right now, as I go to a craft group every wednesday night for a few hours.

I have been a crocheter since I was young, but I haven't worked on it too much lately. In fact, I have an afghan that I have been working on since I was a teen, that I have finally declared done, but it still needs all the ends tucked in. Doing scarves in crochet goes very quickly!

Scrapbooking is another craft that I am involved in, but I don't get to work on it as often as I might like, but is probably good in its own way. I don't have that many pictures to scrapbook these days, so I tend to run out when I do work on them. I have a few friends that I get together with to work on our books, and our get togethers just don't happen as often as they used to.

I have worked on other miscellaneous crafts over the year, but none have really held me like these have. My grandpa showed me needlepoint when I was young, but I never really got into it. I've attempted sewing, but its too finicky for my liking. I did some rug hooking when I was younger, but just lost interest, I have two projects here somewhere.

Willow Knitting

2010-01-08T23:53:00.000-06:00

Willow decided she had to help me the one night (reaching for yarn)

Scarves

2010-01-08T23:51:00.001-06:00

Before Christmas, I made several scarves. I had/have a lot of yarn that really isn't much good for a project, as I only have one ball or less of it. So a scarf it was. I hadn't exactly decided what to do with these scarves, but I figured they could be donated somewhere.

It turns out, that one of the departments at my work does Adopt A Family for Christmas, and I offered my scarf to them and they were thrilled! So that took care of that little dilemna.

One of the scarves:

Kitty Pics

2010-01-08T23:47:00.001-06:00

My blog needs some pictures, so here are some pictures of my kittys. They have a variety of nicknames depending on who is talking, and how the cats are behaving.

Here they are hanging out on my bed. Willow was approximately a year and a half here, and Rosco was only about 3 months old. My, how they change!

This is what I call Willow's mug shot, its the picture of her at the SPCA. I was attracted to her picture when I saw it, and when I met her I decided to take her home.

I met Rosco about a month after I got Willow. I wanted a second cat to keep her company during the day, to play with, etc. There was actually a kitten on the SPCA's website that had the same name as my dad, so I decided I should adopt him. But when I got there, he wasn't there anymore, the website had updating issues. But I met Rosco instead. And after a lot of confusion, I brought him home 2 days later. He was about two and a half months old, and 2.5 pounds.

Learning to Knit

2010-01-05T09:35:00.000-06:00

One of the things I have always wanted to know how to do is knit. So in fall 2009 I decided to join a craft guild and learn. But I decided I should really know the basics before I went, so I found a video on youtube and learnt how to cast on and do a knit stitch.

From there, I worked on a scarf. Eventually I got tired of just knit stitch. I tried to find a video to teach me to purl, without much luck, so I ended up getting someone at the craft group to show me. I can proudly say that I can knit and purl now, and hope I haven't forgotten as its been quite a while!
I had a scarf I was working on, but since decided it was much too wide so I ended up ripping it out. I am going to start a blanket next, but will post about that in a seperate post.

Slacking

2010-01-05T09:31:00.000-06:00

I've been slacking on getting this blog going. I've been focusing on getting my business blog running and have had a few issues with it.

Now I am going to attempt to populate this blog a little bit.

All About Me and My Life

2010-01-01T23:12:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my Life Blog.

I originally had this blog combined to the blog about my business, but decided that it just didn't flow properly, so decided that I would seperate the two and make a second blog.

So for those that want to know a bit about me, they can do follow along here. And what better time to start it than new years (although, its just co-incidental).

I'm 31, and work as an accounts receivable clerk by day, and I sell Gold Canyon Candles in my spare time. You can view that blog at The Scentsationals . And you can check out my store at Sharon's Gold Canyon store.

I live with my two cats, Willow, who is a Siamese, and has the Siamese personality. She is just over 2 years old, and I adopted her in May 2009 from the SPCA. In June, I adopted Rosco from the SPCA, and he was a 2.5 month old fluffball at the time. He is now 9 months old, and weighs just as much as Willow. I'm sure you will hear more about them later.

I've always been a crafter, but most of it has been on the backburner for many years, other than scrapbooking. Scrapbooking I only tend to work on a few times a year when my friends and I get together to work on our books. This past fall I decided it was time that I got back into some of my other crafts, so joined a Craft Guild and am working on knitting. I always wanted to learn how, and now I can say that I can knit and purl. I have made several scarves, and am getting ready to start on a blanket.

I will be posting more here in the next few days to get this blog going. :)