I love the modest, vibrant, fun dresses in the Michelle Tan Etsy shop! Springtime is always a great time to go dress shopping!

Fine in Dots and Lines Dress from ModCloth / Cynthia Vincent Geometric Print Canvas Tote from Neiman Marcus

I love the mixture of geometric patterns in these items! That dotty dress is too cute!

I'm not sure if it's my recent obsession with watching Say Yes to the Dress on Netflix, but I am loving lace lately! These lovely fabric necklaces from The Whirlwind Etsy shop caught my eye today, and I just knew that I needed to share this fabulous shop with my readers!

I'm partial to these oval-shaped necklaces, but the rectangle-shaped ones like this chevron one are so pretty too!

Happy browsing!



Pastel Peach Cloud Necklace; Hunter Green Necklace; Purple Teal Lace Necklace; Carnival Fabric Necklace

Mustache Recycled Crayons from Katie's Crayons / Polka Dot Bow Tie from Sew Fairy Cute

Since yesterday was President's Day here in the U.S., and tomorrow is George Washington's actual birthday, how about some fun products for the guy in your life?

Have any of your products, blog photos, or Flickr photos been pinned to Pinterest (by someone other than yourself)? Did you do a happy dance the first time you saw one of your creations pinned to a board?

If you've ever had the excitement of seeing one of your products appear on Pinterest (with appropriate credit and a link to your site, of course), I'm guessing that you'd like to see that happen more often, right?

Stay tuned to find out how to optimize the traffic that Pinterest can bring your brand.

First, let's think about the various ways your images can be pinned to Pinterest:

1. Photos can be pinned from your online shop.
2. Photos can be pinned from your website or blog (yet another reason to maintain a blog for your handmade biz).
3. Photos can be pinned from Flickr.

So, how do you know if one of your images has been pinned to Pinterest?

1. Check the link.
http://pinterest.com/source/yoursite.com/ (replace yoursite.com with the URL of your site) This formula does not appear to work with Etsy shop URLs at this time, but it will work with your own website or blog URL.

For example, here is a screenshot of the page that appears when I enter my blog URL in the place of "your site" above: (http://pinterest.com/source/onthedotcreations.com/)



2. Check your Site Stats
If you use Google Analytics to track your site's stats, follow these steps:
* Log in to your analytics account.
* Click Traffic Sources in the left sidebar.
* Click Sources.
* Click Referrals.

Directly below the graph, you will see links such as Source, Landing Page, and Other. Click Source.

In the case of my On the Dot Creations blog for the past month, Pinterest happens to be the #1 source of traffic to my blog (second only to Google)! That's amazing!



Now, click on the Pinterest link to see the individual pins that lead from Pinterest directly to your site. Each pin has its own unique number. If you're curious what images people have pinned from your website or blog, simply click the little squares with the arrow (see the figure below).




So let's assume that one or more of your images have found their way onto Pinterest. I'll bet your site is getting increased traffic, right? So how can you capitalize on that added interest in your brand?

Here's the bottom line:

You need to optimize the pages that Pinterest users are clicking on.

1. Optimize with a kind welcome.
For example, "If you've found this page via Pinterest, welcome!" This type of welcome would be particularly appropriate if Pinterest is huge traffic source for that particular page or post.

2. Optimize with the Pinterest logo.
I've tried this technique on a couple of my posts that are popular on Pinterest. My reasoning for including the Pinterest logo is that people who click on the page from Pinterest are already Pinterest fans, and they might have a stronger connection with my post/page if they see the logo.



3. Optimize with a link to your Pinterest profile.

4. Optimize with a kind request to follow you on Pinterest.
A person who ends up on your site via Pinterest might be interested in seeing what else you have pinned.

5. If you are a blogger, optimize with links to Pinterest articles you've written.
Again, if a person clicked on your site via Pinterest, he/she might be interested in tips for using the site effectively.

You can see an example of a blog post I've optimized for Pinterest here (scroll to the bottom of the post).

Have you tried optimizing your blog posts for Pinterest? What creative ideas would you suggest?



P.S. Don't forget to check out my tips for giving proper credit to the images you pin on Pinterest: How to be a Polite Pinterest Pinner

I'm deviating from my typical polka dotted post today to share a yummy recipe that I made for Valentine's Day. And hey -- those M&Ms look a little like polka dots, right? :)

I cannot take credit for this recipe. I found it on Pinterest. Here is the original post (including the recipe).

First, I had to locate these Valentine's Day M&Ms. That was no small feat just a few days before Valentine's Day, I can assure you. I'm SO glad I found them, though. Aren't they pretty? Almost too pretty to eat . . . almost. ;)

The recipe was very easy to make, and the results were SO tasty! I highly recommend this recipe! And of course, it would be pretty with just about any color of M&Ms!

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day! What sweet treats did you enjoy?



P.S. If you'd like to see the ribbon dish from the top of this post in all its polka dotted glory, check out this post: I Found Polka Dots at Marshalls.

Whether you love Valentine's Day or despise it . . .

Whether you spend this day with the one you love or by yourself . . .


Whether you splurge on candy or stick to your diet . . .


May you encounter at least one thing today that brings a smile to your face. 

Happy Valentine's Day, my friends.



P.S. The fabulous wooden pill and powder boxes in this post can be found in the darling MMIM Etsy shop.