Welcome! :) I thought it might be a good time to start up my blog here on eBay... although it's been a long time coming, heehee! Anyhow, if you're here to get to know some more about me, I do hope you enjoy what follows.

I've been a pretty active eBayer since 2004, both with buying and selling. I started selling handpoured candles and lighted potpourri baskets, then moved on to primitive crafts and handmade lye soaps. Now I do jewelry! I have a hard time sticking with one type of craft for too terribly long, as I'm always wanting to learn new things or re-visit past hobbies.

I've been a part of the eBay community (via the groups) since 2005 and have made loads of great friends here. If you haven't tried an ebay group yet, I highly recommend that you do!

My first ever eBay group was "Homespun Friends Gathering Room" known as HFPGR. I had no idea what to expect when I joined, but was excited about being able to chat and share with others who had interests very similar to my own. I enjoyed being part of a small and close knit group, but I longed for the ability to chat with more and more interesting people. 

So then came "Age Before Beauty" known as AB4B. It's a large chat group where "lovers and creators of olde tyme finery unite". I am totally honored to have taken part in the leadership team that started the group, we truly had the best team of girls... it really made AB4B take off like wildfire! Although I'm no longer in the leadership of this group, I still enjoy taking part in the fun things to do there, like monthly themed launches, contests, prizes, & games. AB4B is everything I'd ever wanted in a group and then some!

When I started into the jewelry I found a whole new world of eBay groups... the "boutique community". I'm part of several large boutique groups, for both chatting and sharing new designs in. I am proud to be part of the leadership teams in both "Custom Boutique Creations" known as CBC and Custom Boutique Designs known as CBD. CBC is a medium to large group that is laid back and easygoing, and CBD is a highly structured "mad house" with over a thousand members, lol! :) I enjoy the atmosphere found in both groups and I love to check into them often. 

I've also enjoyed working with a "design group" called the MaterialGirls, where we'd work together to promote one another as a team of complementary designers. The MaterialGirls ended up evolving into a launch group early this year, and we're now called "Avalon". We are now a much larger team of designers, launching together & promoting one another still... but in a more laid back fashion.

Another fun type of group that I'm in is a "collaboration group", where several designers work together making similar pieces to complete an entire outfit with accessories and all. The first one I joined was "Four of a Kind Designs" known as 4KD. I'm also a part of a slightly larger collaboration group called "Collabor8". I think these are my favorite type of small group, because you work with others on a more intimate level and make great friendships along the way! Not to mention the enjoyment of seeing how great my jewelry looks in completely coordinating modeled photos, heehee!  

I can't forget to mention two other groups I'm in, that are more informational in nature. The first is "Boutique Photography 101" where I've learned tons about digital photography, including using my SLR camera. And I really have enjoyed being a part of "The Bead Hive" known as BHV. It's a great group of jewelry & bead designers who are constantly inspiring one another with colors, shapes, and themes. Everyone in the "hive" is totally supportive and really friendly!

Well, I think that's about it for my "eBay life" overview! A little "peek" into how I've evolved with the help of my eBay friends... sharing creations & knowledge together, enjoying friendly competition and constructive criticisms, and mostly sharing the good times and the bad. I cannot truly express how being a part of the community has changed my life, I've just been one lucky gal to have so many people touch my heart! :-x