Big Plans & More Free Stuff For You

Do You Have Big Plans?

Hey you guys. I'm just wondering. I know a lot of you Muse followers have blogs and I'd like to know, is it just for fun, or do you have big plans?  If you don't have a blog, I bet you can relate to having big plans for your life in general.

I'm putting it out there. I do have big plans. I want to make my stamp on the universe. I want this blog to make its stamp on the universe. Yup, the universe. I want Mercantile Muse to be a place where people can gather for: inspiration of all kinds; a little people to people contact (even if it is virtually); helpful information and resources; community; a positive break from their day; an outlet for creativity, creative types, and creative ideas; support of their own artistic, handcrafted, business and personal endeavors; and so much more (I'm ranting on the fly here peeps, so bear with me). This is a little corner of my world  where I share all the things mentioned in my little profile (over there >>> in the right hand sidebar).

Of course, I know I have a long way to go, but with your help I know I can get there. Did you see that.........I'm going to need your help. Yes, you. The person reading this at the other end of the computer screen. 

I'm here to tell you that I know there will be tweaking, reorganization, better navigation and more tweaking to be done.  For instance, I've wrestled with the name Mercantile Muse a lot. It has a connection to my etsy business, Bates Mercantile Co., but that's not all that I'm about. However, I think for now, it stays. I often wonder if my focus to broad and then in the same moment, wonder how it can't be if I stay authentic to who I am and what I'm about. I'm a complex kind of gal, the doer and liker of many things. My focus isn't broad because I'm trying to be all things to all people, it's broad because my interests and capabilities are. Just a few things about me:

• I'm a damn good cook
• a pretty good wife and who has been married to the Gman....gulp....twenty four years (oh yes all you youngin's. it is possible. my parents will be married 60 next year!)
• an illustrator/artist
• a small business owner who you will find doing everything from designing an email campaign; writing a press release; planning advertising and marketing campaigns; designing logos, brochures, or business cards; writing website copy; and just about anything else you can think of on any given day
• a good listener
• easy to talk to
• an interior design freak who dreams of making her home look like all the clippings in her idea file and on her pinterest boards
• young at heart
• I sing and dance any chance I get (that's not to say that I'm good, but I just like to sing and dance)
• someone who enjoys time with my friends and family
• love to explore new places and old places in new ways
• a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a niece, a cousin, a neighbor, a friend, a sister in law, a grand aunt (gulp again)
• couldn't live without music
• I can make people laugh
• I have an uncanny ability to recognize 3 second snippets from movies and identify them on the spot, which is closely related to my ability to recognize voices
• was a communications major in college, with film and broadcasting minors
• love vintage and antiques, especially the history and stories behind each item
• a lifelong animal lover and pet person who currently has Lucan, a 13 year old pointer x mutt
• a reader and lover of books
• a former library worker
• nature lover
• a former office manager
• a volunteer
• an art aficionado
• a punk rock girl at heart
• a girl who won't get out of the pool unless you make her or until she's so wrinkled it's in her skin's best interest
• a country girl and a city girl
• great party host and bartender
• someone- who along side her husband, friends and family- built an addition on our home ourselves and who is still working on all of the projects that will someday lets us proclaim 'it's done!'

OK, so you get the gist of it. Suffice it to say, that's just the tip of the iceberg. My focus isn't broad because I'm trying to be all things to all people, it's broad because my interests and capabilities are broad.

I hope that you'll find something here on Mercantile Muse that makes it worth sticking around. Remember the help I mentioned? Well, here's the first thing I'm going to ask. If you like Mercantile Muse, please consider receiving it your inbox every day. You can do that on the the right hand sidebar where it says 'follow by e-mail'. It's simply the easiest way to find out what is happening here. Otherwise you take the chance of missing out on something you really didn't want to miss out on (....like the September Giveaway for $180+ in prizes!). One other thing, will you tell a couple of your friends who you think might like Mercantile Muse, about my blog? That would be so kind of you and I'd be so grateful. 

If there is something you'd like to see more of on Mercantile Muse, don't hesitate to let me know in comments or via email (button right under my profile). Remember, building a community is part of my 'big plans' and your input is important to me.

I hope you'll stick around as I put these big plans into action. It sure would be lonely without you all. I appreciate your support and your comments more than you know. Everything is possible with a little help.

Wow. I don't know where all that came from, but it must have been itching to get out because there you have it.

Onto The Free Bling

Here's some overlays for you bloggers to fancy up your blogs. Of course, any of your could grab these bloggy decorations and use them in any number of ways (scrapbooking, cardmaking, photo albums or what have you). Bloggers can use them to add some pop to photo layouts, as blog buttons, additions to your header. The possibilities are endless for these overlays. It's up to you. If you do something with these overlays (which includes a patterned square, circle, ribbons and frames), I'd love to see it.

You can download the zip file here for free. If you need any help using them, feel free to shoot me an email and I'll see if I can point you in the right direction.

I hope you'll be around tomorrow because I have a few people I want to introduce you to and I think you're going to like them.

Have a great day.

Ciao for now,