Behind the Beads with Leapin' Lilies

Still Looking For Me?

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki Arnold) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:47:00 +0000

I recently joined in the loveliness that is the Bloggy Giveaways Blog Carnival and a lot of blogs required a blogger account to enter. If you are one of those blogs, thank you for the chance to play along. You can get in touch with me at info@simplyvicki.com.

If you are not one of those bloggers, check this out:

It is time for the quarterly Bloggy Giveaways Blog Carnival. There are already over 700 blogs doing giveaways signed up. Be sure to check it out.

Here is a link to my giveaway:

http://www.simplyvicki.com/2008/07/29/come-one-come-all/

And to the main list:

http://www.donttryit.com/bloggy_giveaways/2008/07/the-bloggy-give.html

Have fun!

Moved again

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki Arnold) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:00:00 +0000

I took the plunge and moved my personal blog to my own little corner of the web. I am no longer renting the Wordpress space, I have bought my own place. :-)

You can find the blog at http://www.simplyvicki.com now.

Come on over, I just did my first giveaway and plan on doing more. :-)

I've moved

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki Arnold) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 03:05:00 +0000

I have put Leapin' Lilies on hold indefinitely. I have decided to put business on the back burner and focus on my family.

However, I still like to write so I started a personal blog called Simply Vicki. I think you'll like it, come check it out. :-)

http://simplyvicki.wordpress.com

If...Questions for the Game of Life #3

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki Arnold) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 00:03:00 +0000

If you could have any type of fresh cut flowers delivered to your home every week, what one type would you pick?

Fresh cut flowers are lovely. I have a few favorites, but my number one would probably be yellow roses.

I love the color yellow. So bright and cheery.

And the scent of yellow roses is wonderful.

If...Questions for the Game of Life Series # 2

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki Arnold) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:58:00 +0000

If you could inherit a comfortable home in any city in the world that you could use but not sell, where would you want it to be?

Loudon, Tennessee. It is a close enough drive that we could actually use it, the weather is nice the majority of the year and it is near a set of my grandparents.

A couple other reasons, it is less than an hour away from Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Which are two of my favorite spots. Tellico Village sits on a beautiful lake and is surrounded by old, tall trees. It is just beautiful.

My second choice would be New York City, how's that for an opposite? Lol.

If...Questions for the Game of Life book on Amazon.

If...Questions for the Game of Life Series

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki Arnold) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 20:16:00 +0000

I have this wonderful little book that I bought when I was a teenager. I would sometimes take it with me when my sister and I would hang out with my hubby (not then, lol) and his brother. We had a lot of fun and the questions inspired many interesting conversations.

So I thought I would start a blog series answering some of the questions I find in the book. If you have a blog and would like to participate, copy the question from here and then share a link in the comment section so we can check out your answers.

If you want the book for yourself, you can check eBay to find If...Questions for the Game of Life. Or check it out on Amazon - Search Results for If...

Now, the question for today!

If you could teach your children only one life lesson, what would it be?

The power of words. I always knew growing up that words were powerful. They can easily build someone's confidence or shred their self-esteem to shreds. This alone is a good reason to watch what you say, but I look at if from a different perspective.

The Bible teaches that the "power of life and death are in the tongue" and that you reap what you sow. When you truly grasp these two concepts, it will change your life. Suddenly, those words that seemed harmless enough take on a whole new meaning. Phrases like "it kills me when she does that" or "I'm sick and tired of..."

Our words have the power to create or destroy. I'd much rather create. And since I, by no means, want to reap destruction, I think I'll watch my mouth.

So, what would you teach your kids?

P.S. You don't have to have a blog to participate, simply answer the question in the comments section. :-)

Free sterling silver jewelry

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki Arnold) — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 19:33:00 +0000

Quite a long while ago, I was introduced to a website that offers free sterling silver jewelry for shipping costs. The site is called Silver Jewelry Club, but there is no membership or fees involved. I've ordered and been thrilled with my purchases. The best thing is they only cost me $5.99! You do pay shipping for each free item individually, but you can't beat $5.99 for sterling silver jewelry!

The website shows four different jewelry pieces at a time and they rotate every 15 minutes. The stones I have seen featured include amethyst, citrine, smoky quartz, aquamarine, mother of pearl and more. They also often have pieces without gemstones, including men's rings. They regularly have earrings, pendants and rings in many styles.

The items ship quickly and are great quality. I can't say enough about this site.

Be sure to get your FREE sterling silver jewelry today!

SEO, Marketing and HTML...Oh, my!

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki Arnold) — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 19:03:00 +0000

As you may have noticed, I have been on a little holiday from my blogging. I have been hitting my Search Engine Optimization and Marketing classes hard. I have also been brushing up on my HTML so I can do the Advanced level and then the CSS tutorials. It has been fun and very well worth it, just time consuming.

The free SEO training class I am taking is by Cricket Walker of GNC Web Creations. This class teaches basic and not-so-basic things you need to do to and for your website to make it come up in the search engines. The class runs on a four week schedule and you can stay in the class as long as you need to. You must abide by the guidelines that Cricket has laid out. They are not difficult, but may seem a little strict to some. You just have to remember that with over 2,000 members, there needs to be structure or chaos will ensue.

I also bought the corresponding ebook and have found it is helpful, but you can do the classes without it and not have a problem. I look at it as a little way I could support the class since it is such a valuable resource. Did I mention it is completely FREE? If you are serious about your online business, you can't afford to miss this class.

You are also required to take the Sucessful Website Marketing training class along with the SEO training class. This may seem like extra work, but it's not. The marketing class runs parallel to the SEO class. The difference is that the SEO training class explains the search engine side of things and the website marketing class discusses how it all affects your customers.

I highly recommend these classes. I haven't even had a chance to implement most of what I have been learning, but I now look at things in a whole different perspective. I am nearing the end of my second round of the class and am mostly reading and highlighting my printouts of the lessons, taking notes. I plan to start building webpages soon.

Look for a whole new Leapin' Lilies website opening March 2008!

Laundry tidbit

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki Arnold) — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 17:32:00 +0000

Well, as long as I've been doing laundry, I did not know this.

After you use bleach in your whites in the wash, use the coolest dryer setting and don’t over dry to keep whites their whitest.

I always assumed you would use the hottest setting like you do with the water, learn something new everyday. :-)

I found the tip from a website article on Smart Moms ~ Smart Business, to see the whole article full of tips click here.

My best networking tip

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki Arnold) — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 16:50:00 +0000

Topic: Your Best Networking Tip

My networking tip is not so much on where to network, but more of a word of caution. Networking is a powerful tool to promote your business and well worth the effort. However, you still need time to actually run your business. Schedule time each day. Make a plan, where you will network, with who and how much time you will spend. And stick to it. This will help you prioritize the networking you do because it creates a "time is of the essence" mentality.

Blogtipping for September

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki Arnold) — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 00:57:00 +0000

After perusing all these great blogs I have been linked to from a new forum I found (more info on them coming soon), I have found a lot of great activities to keep the blog fun and updated regularly. So, here is the latest, Blogtipping.

Blogtipping Definition: Blogtipping is where you publish a blog post in which you link to three unsuspecting blogs and offer three compliments and/or one helpful tip to each blogger. (Or adapt those numbers to your own preferences; the principle of selflessness is what matters most here.) Blogtipping is a refreshing and useful surprise that can start a blogger’s month with a huge smile!

My Tip:

I am going to tip the blog that I discovered this on, 4fabmoms.

1. LOVE the Smart Moms Professional series!! I got to listen to some of the one on blogging, but can't wait until I have some time free of babies to listen and take notes.

2. I appreciate that the blog is not overloaded with advertising, I find those hard to read.

3. The blogroll has a nice selection of blogs, I have found some very helpful information in them.

The title of this has changed a lot...

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki Arnold) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 19:36:00 +0000

I started this post to write a product review because I know you all are dying to hear my opinions on things. Hehe. Then, I decided to tell you about some other great sites that do product reviews and then I got on some of my favorite blogs. So, here's the post, enjoy it for what it is. ;-)

I always love a good product review. One of my favorite websites for these reviews is Boutique Cafe. Daria and her team have put together a great site that I love to check out often. I have found several items that are now on my Christmas shopping list (for me and others). Other really cool features on BC are the weekly podcasts and the fashion shows.

I just found another product review place via a fave blog of mine (Pampering Beki). It is called Indie-licious. Be sure to check it out. I really like her header graphic myself.

Well, while I am at this thing, here are two other blogs that I really like (so you will, too...of course).

Amelia of Sweet Feet Boutique has one of the most beautiful blogs I have ever seen. Be sure to check out her blog, her photography is just breathtaking. Just check out this post and then tell me I'm wrong.

Megan of Creative Outlet Designs has a very friendly and fun blog that I love to check out. She is the original Shaggy Mosiac Jeans designer and has some incredible designs. The blog is just the right mix of personal and business. She also has a brand new website that is gorgeous to look at, check it out here.

Who doesn't love cookies?!

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki Arnold) — Tue, 29 May 2007 19:52:00 +0000

Since I am just now getting into this whole blogging thing, it has consumed me. This really isn't a surprise, I get consumed by every new, fascinating thing in my life. I found a blog by one of my FAVORITE jewelry designers, Ash of In Full Bloom. She is has incredible style and I love seeing her pieces. I just discovered her blog today and she has a fabulous cookie recipe posted.

See the recipe for Chewy Mocha Chai Chocolate Chip cookies here:

http://infullbloom.typepad.com/infullbloom/2007/05/i_am_a_dork.html

Yummy!

So now I have a blog...

noreply@blogger.com (Vicki Arnold) — Tue, 29 May 2007 17:22:00 +0000

Well, technically, I've had a blog for months now. I've had the user account and the space, but I don't think a blank page qualifies as a blog. But now! I've written an entry. It's official, I am a blogger.

Are you excited? I'm excited. This is my chance, my chance to talk about whatever I want, whenever I want. No more watching the glazed look of boredom washing over your "listener's" face as they tune you out. Wohoo! What fun will I have.

I've always liked to write. Actually, what I have always liked is paper. Notebooks of fresh, clean paper. Stacks of pure, plain paper. Seriously. Paper rocks. It is just sitting there, waiting for me to turn it in to something special. A handwritten letter. A fresh new design. Paper rocks. Seriously.