Shop Without Breaking Quarantine

We've all been inside (or at least at home) for a while now and I keep thinking about all the shopping I would like to do, but can't. One item that would be very helpful right now is a simple card.  In fact, if you are like me, you buy greeting cards all year around, usually at the last minute.  Have you noticed that the "quick card" you buy at the grocery or big box store costs a lot more these days?  Why not save some money AND open the economy for a small business?

Etsy!!  Here are some great card sellers I found on Etsy.  The prices are generally less than you pay in the store, even if you pay shipping (and many sellers now offer free shipping).  The trick to this card hack is that you need to buy a collection in advance so you have them on hand when you need them.  Or, here is a thought, what about sending one in the mail NOW?  You may have a little time on your hands to spare a personal thought . . .

These cards come with a social distancing theme from HALOdesignsSHOP.  They have a bunch of designs in sets for as low as $10.50 for 5 flat cards.  Shipping is free if you purchase $34 or more.

If you like more artistic cards for any occasion with nothing inside, here are some stunning ones from LDawningScott starting at $13.00.

MichelleMospens has lovely floral watercolor cards and they are very reasonably priced as well.

Artists like CarlaBosch offer this boxed set of 20 all occasion cards for $24.95 with free shipping!

Do you prefer photographic cards?  Here's a set from CatulpaBay with gorgeous landscapes - 20 landscapes in 5x7 for only $25.00 and free shipping.

If cats are your thing, here are some super value handmade embossed cards with three dimensional cats from Wallridge Farm.

Or The Best Card Company has gone to the dogs - with quotes!

I think you get the picture.  There are nearly one million listings on Etsy when you search "greeting card."  Pick your occasion, a set, what you want to see on the card in your search and I guarantee you will find something that suits your fancy.

Get out there and support small businesses without the risk to health!

cindy

Cyber Monday - How To

Tomorrow is the big day - Cyber Monday.  Some retailers are calling it Cyber Week.  (Those are probably the ones that were open on Thanksgiving.)  While it's awesome to shop in your pajamas (or at your desk at work), there are a few things you should know.  Here are the tips, and at the bottom of this post I have the best prices for a few popular items.

1.  Make sure your computer has security software that is up to date.  Also, if you use Microsoft, check to make sure it is up to date.  Don't assume - go into the program on settings and look for "updates" and run it to be sure.

2.  Don't be surprised if websites load slowly.  Don't even bother to try dial-up.  Don't assume that it's OK to use your work computer to shop.  Remember, it's not your computer.  It is your employer's computer and your employer has the right to retrieve any information you look at or search for (something to keep in mind every day of the year.)

3.  DO NOT USE PUBLIC INTERNET OR UNSECURED WI-FI.  This includes the library, the free wi-fi at restaurants, libraries, hotels or anywhere else.  This also applies to your cell phone.  Use the phone line, not the wi-fi.  If you use wi-fi, you might as well write your credit card information on your forehead.

4.  Don't use a debit card or account routing number for your transactions.  Stick with a credit card or Paypal.  They provide protection for bad transactions.

5.  Make sure you only enter financial information into encrypted sites.  Look for "https" at the beginning of the URL and a closed padlock on the lower right corner.  It should be on every page that asks for personal information.

6.  If the site is loading slowly, don't resend information on the order (financial information etc) by pressing "send" again because you may end up buying more than one of the product.  Be sure to check your receipt and print it.  Check that receipt against the one in the shipping box when you receive the item.  If there is a discrepancy, call the vendor immediately.

7.  If the deal is too good to be true, it probably is.  If you aren't familiar with the vendor, check for reviews.  This is especially true if you came to the website by clicking on a link.  Use Google to look up the business.  Also, be careful what you are clicking.  Watch out for peripheral ads or links through emails.  Be very wary if you see you are being redirected as the website is loading.  You may just be bait for phishers or inviting key stroke loggers over for dinner.

8.  Don't buy things online this week unless you are getting FREE SHIPPING.  Everyone is offering free shipping and the difference of paying for shipping can quickly turn that great price into a bad deal. Also, make sure the item is in stock and an estimated delivery date.  If the item is out of stock, find out the estimated availability date and try to reserve it without paying now.

9.  Think about setting up a new email before you start shopping.  The email addresses you enter at those websites will be flooded with advertisements.  Most are probably legitimate, but if you use the same email for important communications, you won't want to wade through hundred of emails a week to find the important communications.

10.  Don't feel pressured to buy NOW because the price seems really good.  You may miss the best deal, but if you aren't sure you want or need the item, it's not a good idea to buy it.  Everything will be on sale (and should ship for free) until December 15.

Shopping for the "best" deal can be tedious and you may waste a lot of time to save pennies.  Here are a few "deals" I found tonight, but it literally took me a couple of hours.  Stick to the main retailers (Amazon, Walmart, Target) for most items, and a few other specialty retailers.

X-Box 360 console - $189 at Walmart

UGG Boots - Chestnut short Women $131.71 and Kids $101.00 at shoes.com

Master Moves Mickey $48.85 (Amazon & Walmart)

Fisher Price Jake and the Neverland Pirates $39 (Target, Walmart, ToysRUs & Amazon)

(Don't wait too long for the toys because they do sell out)

Good luck and happy hunting for the great deals!

cindy

Gift Ideas - Little Princesses

Have I said how much I love shopping Etsy?  It's officially Black Friday, so it's time to shop for Christmas.  Previously, I provided suggestions for men and women.  Today let's work on the little girl in your life.  These items are for girls under 5, but also include some baby items that may be suitable for baby showers.  Click the picture to my Pinterest "Etsy Finds" board and then click through directly to the item on Etsy.  Without further ado:

Vintage Rag Doll 

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

5 Piece Bedding Set

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Mini Corker Hair Bows

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Pink & Grey Chevron Wood Blocks

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Lady Bug Tutu

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Felt Play Wands

Source: etsy.com via Cindy on Pinterest

These are just a few of the adorable items you can find on Etsy.  (SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT) Don't forget to check out my store Pretty Pretty Cindy for some other inexpensive gift ideas.  I will keep posting in the upcoming days for baby/toddler boys, bigger little girls (6-11), little boys and teens.

Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving - on with the Christmas shopping.  Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday, so patronize the fine businesses on Etsy.  Also, don't forget this Monday is Cyber Monday!  Visit your favorite on-line retailers for some great deals without leaving the comfort of your home (or desk).

cindy

Back to School

You would think when you live in one of the hottest places in the United States that schools wouldn't get started until after Labor Day.  Nope.  School started yesterday - it was 114 degrees.

Ahhh, well, summer in Phoenix.  Here are my lovelies on the first day of school:

Can you tell which one is going to a brick and mortar school and which one is going to an online charter school at home?

A year ago I wrote about my son's ADHD and his difficulties in school due to deficits in executive skills.  In January I wrote about how we were trying to address his issues through a 504 plan.  Those two posts basically summarized our difficult experience last year and our attempts at the beginning of the school year and the middle of the school year to find a way to deal with the problems.  It didn't work.  By the end of the year he was failing nearly every subject.  Funny thing is, based on his test scores in class, he was a B or C student.  He was failing because he couldn't turn in the homework we worked on for hours the night before.  He couldn't remember where papers were, or what he was supposed to do on assignments.  He had no organization, sense of deadlines, executive skills.  I'm sure it sounds like most boys, but for our guy it's making him think he's a failure.  If you want to understand more about what a lack of executive skills can do to a child, check out this article from WebMD.

This year we're trying a different approach.  He is starting 6th grade and we knew there was no way he would be able to handle different subjects with different teachers with different expectations and teaching styles.  By the end of the last school year, we made the difficult choice to take him out of a traditional school, opting instead for an online charter school.  It's a lot like home schooling, but with a very structured curriculum.  My husband is taking on the big task of being my son's learning coach, sitting with him every day while he goes to school.  It's a bold experiment, with the goal of getting his executive skills up to par in time to return to traditional high school.  This timeframe is not random - research shows that children with ADHD who have deficits in executive skills (also known as executive function) are usually about 3 years behind their peers in this important aspect of learning.  It poses a direct risk and obstacle to learning in a classroom environment.  In addition to the curriculum through the online charter school, we will be working on exercises and practice on learning executive skills - how to prioritize, organize, focus on a task, use notes, planners and a calendar to know what is coming and summarize what you have learned.

I hope this isn't going to be a post I have to repeat this time next year.  I do hope that by January I will be able to report some progress and a more motivated and positive kid.

cindy

Chance Encounters

A friend of mine lost her teenage son to leukemia today.  I haven't spoken to this friend - ever.  I've never met her in person.  Yet I've known her for over 9 years and have been there during many of her major life events - bankruptcy, divorce, her son's diagnosis, bone marrow transplant and now his death.  If that seems strange to you, you probably aren't a blogger.

I met my friend online over nine years ago when I was a SAHM.  We both sold children's clothes on Ebay.  There was a big group of us - women in Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Washington and Ohio.  During Hurricane Katrina, we were online with one of our friends who was in Slidell with her two kids waiting for her husband before she evacuated and another who fled to Florida during her third trimester and returned to find nothing left of her home in Port Arthur.  There are many other stories, including my own, but you get the idea.  Blogging wasn't quite as popular then as it is now, so most of our conversations took place in a chat room format.  Eventually we created private chat rooms, especially for one particular friend, because she always seemed to draw the trolls.

It's really hard to explain to someone how you can be so involved in the lives of people you have never seen in person.  Sometimes I can hardly understand it myself.  Yet today I find myself in tears, worried about how she will make it financially.  I worry about her loss of faith during her son's illness.  I'm not sure how she can make it without leaning on God.  I'm also worried because her son was her life.  She is disabled and doesn't work outside of her home, so it's going to be a lonely place for her.

I do know that she has plenty of friends around the country, just like me, and we are all praying for her tonight.  Many of us will send her cards and a little money or a gift card to help out.  I just hope and pray she will reach out to at least one of her friends who, like me, have never met her in person.

cindy

Social Media Maven?

Hardly.  But I have spent a good deal of time recently getting plugged into all things social media.  It started with the SITS Girls Spring Fling, in which the amazing ladies of blogging showed us how to spruce up our blogs and become social media mavens in just two weeks.  I didn't keep up, but I did get connected with a bunch of social media.  Here's my list.  I would love if you would "like" "share" "Tweet" "pin" "join" "become a fan" "include me in your circle" or "follow my blog" (or two or three of them!)

1.  Facebook - My favorite and best (other than my blog).  Now, I'm not only me, I'm "Straddling the Gap"  This is the easiest one and I'm having a good time with it.  Click and like me.



2.  Twitter - I'm just starting to get this after my initial confusion.  I have a few friends who actually talk respond to my tweets.  I'm starting to build some followers.  I irritated some atheists the other day and I wasn't even trying.  (See below)  If you would like to be one of my followers, I'm straddlinggap or you can just click this link and follow me too.





3. Pinterest - No one had to tell me to do this.  I've been a Pinterest fan for a long time.  If you are one of the 5 people who hasn't joined yet, let me know and I'll send you an invite.  Or you can check out my pins by clicking below:



4.  Instagram - I have yet to take a picture because I have a little cell phone issue (I'll get to that tomorrow), but I do have an account and I'm really looking forward to using it.  I should have some pictures later this week.  In the meantime, I am straddlingthegap (notice a pattern here?)



5.  Google +  I signed up, but I don't really understand this quite yet.  I'm trying to click on the plus button when I like a page, but I'm not sure what else to do with it.  If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them.

6.  Klout - I'm in, but this one feels like watching the stock market.  My score is up, my score is down.  Heck, Klout thinks I'm an influencer on Atheism because I made one comment on Twitter and was spammed by 10 atheists.

7.  Tumblr - Again, something I have, but I'm still not sure what to do with it.  I think the tool is for following blogs, but maybe there's more.  I use Bloglovin and like it very much,

So, that's my resume for a social media maven.  I doubt it will be a profitable career, but I'm giving it the old college try.  I'm sure I will stick with some of these, especially the mainstream ones, but who has enough time in the day to work with these and write a blog too?

Just my 2 cents.

cindy

Spring Fling With the SITS Girls

I'm participating in the Spring Fling!  It's sponsored by the SITS Girls, which is a collective of over 40,000 bloggers who work together to promote each other's blogs.  The Spring Fling is a two week effort to help participating bloggers (like me) to improve our blogs and traffic. 

What does that mean to my readers?

Well, you should watch for some subtle changes coming to Straddling the Gap.  I will be fully using social media, including Facebook (getting my own STG page), Twitter (I'm already there as straddlinggap), Pinterest (there as Cindy Campbell) and even Google + (which I know absolutely nothing about).  I'm going to work at sprucing up the look of the blog.  I might even host a linky party or blog hop.  (For those of you who are not bloggers, don't worry, it's cool stuff).

What's all the fuss about?  Well, Straddling the Gap is celebrating its one year anniversary next month and I want to make it big.  I also may be taking another internet step that I don't want to talk about just yet, but hope to reveal in June. 

Hopefully you will like all the changes and improvements.  Stay tuned.

cindy

My Favorite Blogs of 2011

This is my first year of blogging and the best part of the experience is finding the whole world of wonderful blogs written by creative, witty and talented women.  I have been inspired by many of them and this is a list of the best of the best.  I follow all of these blogs on Bloglovin.  They are in no particular order because I had a hard enough time picking just 10:

Songs Kate Sang - I'm proud to say Kate is a personal friend and the person who got me started.  She can inspire with the fewest number of words and the best photographs.









Simply Simon & Company - These ladies are the most creative and talented clothes designers I have seen.  There clothes are extraordinary and their web design is sleek and calming.

The Girl Creative - Another great creative blog.  Diana designed my blog - thank you again - and she does so many creative endeavors, it's hard to know where to start.

Ruffles & Stuff - All I can say about Disney can be summed up in the immortal words of Wayne and Garth:  "We're not worthy!!"  I honestly don't know where she gets the time and energy to make so many beautiful things.


Quilted Euphoria - This was the first quilting blog (and only so far) that I have found and Amber creates gorgeous quilts!  Because I'm trying to learn to quilt, I know I will be visiting this blog more in 2012.






An Irish-Italian Blessing - Katherine writes a witty, hysterical blog that I just recently discovered.  (She's the Italian one.)  I can't wait to see more of her family in 2012.

Craft-O-Maniac - The name says it all.  How Jen can make all the beautiful crafty items she does with four kids is nothing short of amazing.

It's a Crafty Life - Kim has lots of cute projects and "Ten on Tuesday" a super linky party.  She's got some big changes coming in her blog design and resolutions I'm happy to join.




Aesthetic Nest - This is another AWESOME sewing/crochet/crafting blog.  The designs and photographs are stunning and I can't wait to see the next project (and try to look at the patterns from this past year in hopes of making one or two)


The Shabby Nest - This is the only decorating blog I follow, mostly because I don't have as good of an eye and sense of style as Wendy.  Her style is so classy and subdued, it just makes you want to invite her over and save your home.  This is also the blog that drove the most traffic to my humble blog from her linky party.



These are all blogs I will be following in 2012.  They make the internet so much more interesting and are a constant source of ideas and inspiration.  Thanks for sharing.

cindy

The Joys of Online Shopping

This has been a banner year for online shopping and I have certainly done my part.  But now it's December 21 and my shopping (online and offline) is DONE!!  Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the rest of my family.

This is Brodie:

He was caught in the act of online shopping, probably shopping for a new bone.  His big sister Shellie couldn't keep her nose out of unwrapped Christmas gifts.  Now the bones are gone and this sad tale has taken an unexpected twist.

Time is running short for last minute shopping.

cindy