HOLIDAY COUPON CODES FOR TWO ARTISAN SISTERS

Just want to let you know about our Holiday Coupon Codes.
First of all if your order totals more than $50. you can use the coupon code
2009HOLIDAY15%OFF and receive 15% off of your entire order!

If you are just interested in purchasing a knitted hat then you can use the coupon code
5DOLLARSOFF+APLACE2BARK2 and receive $5.00 off of the price of the hat plus will will make a matching $5.00 donation to A Place To Bark Animal Rescue in Portland, TN. You can visit the website at http://www.aplacetobark.blogspot.com. By using this coupon you not only get a great deal on a one of a kind Two Artisan Sisters hat, but you will also make our donation to this very worthy cause possible.

One one coupon can be used per order!

Stop by and visit us as we have added many new items in the last few weeks,, just in time for the holidays! Happy shopping!!

Update on Two Artisan Sisters Activites & Latest Coupon Code

First of all let me apologize for not updating this in quite awhile, but Marilyn, my sister and the other half of Two Artisan Sisters fell on September 11 and broke her right ankle while we were out for our evening walk at the local community centers outdoor walking track. Yes, exercise at times can be hazardous to your health. At first, we thought it was only a bad sprain but by the next morning she was in such pain it was obvious it was more than a sprain so off to the emergency room at our brand new hospital! We were taken right in and in less than an hour we were on our way home with her right foot in one of those black boot type casts along with crutches and told to see the orthopedic doctor as soon as possible. Crutches were not much help for quite a while since she also hurt her left arm in the fall. After a visit to the orthopedic doctor several days later, she was told not to put any weight on it for 3 weeks!! Needless to say she needed a lot of help and attention just to move around. It gives you a real appreciation for what folks with permanent disabilities go through every day!
After 5 weeks with the boot on she was finally released by the orthopedic doctor and is back to walking again, although much slower and more carefully!! Word of warning: Watch where you are walking, or it could be hazardous to your health!

Last but not least we want to advise our readers of our brand new coupon code which will give you a 15% discount on all orders over $50. Hope you will check out studio frequently as we are adding new items all the time.

Artfire's New Facebook Kiosk and New Coupon Codes

Things have really been hopping over at Artfire this last week with the introduction of their new Facebook Kiosks along with the launch of their new coupon codes for sellers to use, both of which have never been offered by any other Handmade venue!
The Artfire kiosk is new app which is placed on your Facebook profile page or on your Facebook business fan page. Two Artisan Sisters Artfire kiosk is located on Ruth's Facebook Profile page and all you need to do is click the Artfire Kiosk tab at the top of the page. You can then browse through our whole studio page by page and should you wish to purchase something it can be done right there through a secure encrypted connection without ever leaving Facebook!
Also new this last week are the new coupon codes which sellers can use to offer things like dollar discounts, percentage discounts, free shipping, free gifts and many variations of those options.
Artfire is always on the cutting edge of innovation and is always looking to assist their sellers in promoting their businesses!! Thank you Artfire, you ROCK!!!

Artfire Is The Source For Unique Gifts of All Kinds

Over the next several weeks we will be featuring some of our friends on Artfire and showcasing some of their fabulous works of art! Artfire is the place to find Unique Gifts of all kinds for every possible occasion, whether for yourself, family or friends.

This week we are featuring Reenie's Bizaar who has been making and selling jewelry and specialty items for years. She also has a store on Etsy and also sold on E Bay with a 100% positive feedback rating. If you are in the market for some beautiful pieces of jewelry at reasonable prices, you need look no further than Reenie's Bizaar!!

No matter whether you want something as a special treat for yourself or someone else these gorgeous Green Jade and Copper earrings will fill the bill!

This lovely Sterling Silver and Swarovski Crystal necklace will put a sparkle in the eye of any woman who buys or receives this as a gift!

These Sterling Silver Earrings with Genuine Turquoise & Swarovski Crystals are spectacular and will make any outfit you are wearing look stunning.

You can find all of these beautiful jewelry items at Reenie's Bizaar on Artfire.

Check out her studio at http://www.reeniesbizaar.artfire.com

Wow! Fascinating Linen Facts From The Ground Up!

We have known for some time about the benefits of flax oil , flax seed and that linen was made from flax but had no idea just how involved that process was until recently when we came across the following interesting information. The fibers of the flax plant have been used to make linen cloth for over 8,000 years. The process go as follows:

• Harvesting involves pulling the whole plant from out of the ground and not cutting it as the roots contain some of the finest fibers.
• Retting is a two-week process where the harvested plants are taken and thinly spread out over a field so they can absorb the dew, rain and the heat of the sun, all of which rots the pith and loosens the fibers. The process is frequently referred to as "dew retting"
• Drying is the next step n the process where the retted plants are now placed on top of a frame that is referred to as a "kiln" and put over a low fire until they become as dry as tinder.
• Breaking this part of the process involved the dried plant stalks being beat by a "breaker" which has opposing wooden blades hinged at one end. The breaker breaks the woody fiber and loosens the finer threads.
• Scutching comes next in the process and this is when the fibers are held against a vertical board and they are then scraped with a "scutching paddle" which causes the woody pulp to fall off and leave behind long, glossy fibers.
• Heckling comes next, no not the verbal kind! This kind of heckling involves the long, glossy fibers being pulled through rows of iron spikes. It involves working from courser or larger and wider spaced teeth down to finer or smaller and closer spaced teeth in order to remove any remaining pulp along with the shorter and courser strands of fiber.
• Spinning is the next step in the process where the fine fiber is spun on a spinning wheel into linen thread which is then wound onto a spool or bobbin.
• Weaving this is the final step in the process and involves taking the bobbin or spool of thread and place it in a shuttle which is threaded back and forth through a linen loom in order to make the linen cloth.

It sure does give you a real appreciation for all of the work involved in the making of linen fabric. I know we will never look at a piece of linen without thinking about all of the steps that it took to make it.

There is a Flax Scutching Festival in Stahlstown, PA that demonstrates the practices that have been used for more than 200 years in the Ligonier Valley. The Stahlstown Festival is held the second Saturday and Sunday each September so if you are in the area at that time of year you might like to stop and investigate this fascinating process in person!

Social Media Optimization - Part 2

Here is a very brief summary of the next installment of Artfire's Social Media Optimization. The segment relates to micro-blogging sites such as Plurk and the popular Twitter .

The following are 5 steps to Tweeting greatness and are very similar to the one for blogging success.

• 1. Be involved.


• 2. Update frequently.


• 3. Have a goal.


• 4. Use all available tools.


• 5. Watch other tweeps.

If you are already a tweeting veteran then these are just reminders of things you already know.

Six steps to get your new Twitter account started.

• 1. Register - when you register use your studio name
• 2. Set up a Tweet schedule. Determine the amount of Tweets per day that you want to do.
• 3. Hit the forums. Here you can let other sellers know your Twitter information. Follow your favorite shops and post your Twitter name and information so others follow you.
• 4. Don't forget your widgets. You can add several different kinds of widget to your Artfire studio.
• 5. Find your audience. Find people who talk about things that interest you. Search Twitter forums to find discussions you can jump into and contribute.
• 6. Make use of the many applications. Some of the top applications are Tweet deck, Twit-seeker, and Tweet Later.

As we have said this is just a very brief summary but it will give you some idea of the helpful information that Artfire provides to its sellers. If you are interested in more information you need to check out Artfire, we have provided a link below. This is a community of very talented, friendly and helpful artistic sellers along with an unbelievably friendly, helpful and responsive administrative staff and technical staff. Artfire is The Place To Be!

We have provided our link to Artfire should you wish to check it out and sign up and join us!

Two Artisan Sisters Artfire Mavens Update

This week is Social Media Optimization (SMO for short) week at Artfire. The first installment of information is on blogging and what makes a good and interesting blog. Here is the list of 8 things to remember when you are writing your blog. Here is a brief summary:

• Be genuine. Write about things that interest you or that you love and enjoy.
• Be real. Add personal touches to let the readers know the person behind the blog.
• Have a goal. It can be as simple as "informing my readers" or "thought provoking".
• Use pictures. Even the most interesting newspaper articles have pictures.
• Keep it fresh. Update often with new an fun material.
• Keep it Brief. Usually around 500 words is a reasonable length.
• Preview your post. By doing this you can catch any errors and fix them before going public.
• Engage your readers. you can do so by things such as "part 2 coming soon" or"sign this petition" or ask for comments.

We always try to do all of the above but there is always room for improvement and we will certainly try to do so in the future.

Part 2 coming soon!