Back at Home

Finally ~ back at home!!!  It seemed to be two very long weeks that our wonderful Furniture Market people were renting our home and we were living in an empty house that is for sale in Thomasville.  Sleeping on a mattress on the floor.  We did get temporary internet installed and were able to work, play and watch movies - so it wasn't too bad until the oil ran out and we had no heat!! LOL


So Friday we went to Wilmington to visit our youngest daughter who is a student at UNCW.  It was a beautiful weekend and much hotter than we anticipated.  We took her dog, Riley to the beach for his first trip.  He was so funny around the waves at first, then he jumped it.  After about an hour he was completely worn out, but I had managed to find some beautiful shells and a sharks tooth!  We took him back and then had lunch and shopped downtown.  Lots of people out and about and they have some very unique shops!  Wish I had some money!!

I found a very unique Kiosk, of sorts at the furniture market ~ you can make your own pillow!!  It was fascinating and I hope to be able to make one for myself very soon!  They offered a pillow especially for side sleepers that was designed by a back doctor.  It gives support for your neck and shoulder muscles so that you don't wake up feeling sore and tight.  It is a cleaver design and I'll keep you posted, as I think one is coming to North Carolina soon!

Now time to really get to work - appointment at 1:30 with a new customer!!  Have a great Monday!!

Email Marketing

Guess what I have been doing all week???  Email marketing.  I take great pride in my company and know that I need to get the word out about who we are and what we do.  So I attained a 24 page list of contacts in the vending industry and I'm email "introducing" them one by one.  My shoulders are killing me!!  But I believe in this and know that I am going to attract new customers!

This is one way of getting the word out, but there are many others as well.  Our website is great, if I do say so myself, since I built it!  Lots of great information and a new demo video is coming soon, featuring yours truly!  Heck, why not, who knows Microtronic better than me??  At least on this continent! 

It's amazing how our sales have been up and down crazy this year....one month we're bouncing off the walls with orders, then the next month - a bit slow.  I prefer steady, but business is business, and I'll take all I can get!

If anyone would like to know how best to track whether your emails are being opened or not, contact me and I'll show you a couple of ways to do it!  Every business, large or small, needs to know whether their emails are opened or trashed - it's vital.  If you know who has at least opened them, then you can market directly to them!  Saves a lot of time and hard work!  Have a great day!  Remember:  The Magic IS Believing!!

Memory Foam Mattresses...........

Last night was our first night in our temporary abode.  We purchased a Memory Foam Mattress, but no Boxspring.....does this really matter??  It sure seemed like a very firm mattress to feel so relaxing when you first lay down on it.  I guess I need to call someone, or maybe Google it.  It probably would have been great, except for the fact that IT'S TOO SMALL for one medium and one large person!  LOL

Anyway, life is what you make it, so make it interesting and fun!  I usually stay very busy with work, but sometimes are a bit slow - not yesterday!  I shipped a large order to Puerto Rico and one to Mississippi - that is a good day.  More orders are coming in and it's very exciting to run your own business and see this happen in today's economy - but Microtronic US is doing great!!

I enjoy taking a few minutes to keep anyone who may be interested updated and try to get feedback on my posts...so please feel free - just keep it clean or I'll delete it!

Have a great day everyone!  It's Wednesday after all and the weekend is just around the corner!!!

House is Spotless!!

Treated myself to Molly Maid Service today with 93.1 Howlin Half Price Perks!!  They did a pretty great job and were very nice!  The certificate was for two hours only so I did have to clean the basement myself and since my son was staying with us for a while and working in lawn maintenance the tub was disgusting!!  I must say that I HATE to clean the house! But it's great right now!  Which of course means that we have to eat out tonight because there will be NO cooking to get anything dirty!! Yeah!!

Furniture Market renters move in tomorrow and we will be sleeping on the floor in an empty (almost) house that my husband has up for sale!  Should be very interesting!!  We have a full size mattress and I don't know how we are both going to fit on it!

By the way, in that house were two 250 gallon oil tanks, inside the basement - that have been there for over 60 years - horrible smell!!  Two guys came and got them out today.  Now the clean up begins to totally get the smell out!!  But the totally cool thing is that I posted them on Craig's List yesterday and had over 12 people respond to come and get them for free!  It was crazy how fast the emails started coming in.  A few dropped off when I told them that they were in the basement, but the first guy who emailed got them out!!  Craig's List is awesome and I had no idea there was a "Free Stuff" section.  It's amazing what people want to get rid of for free.  Check it out and let me know if you find anything worthwhile!

Getting Ready for Furniture Market

I can't believe that it's time for Furniture Market again!!  We rent our house out to a great group of people and they stay 2 full weeks.  I'm still not certain of where we are going to stay, but I've been busy all day trying to clean, clean, clean!  But I can safely say that the house looks way better than it did.  At least I feel good about the accomplishment!

I bought supplies today to build a Cornhole Game!  So excited!!  I love to use my table saw!  I am also known as "Terri Tool Time", thank you very much!  Building, painting, creating are my passions and I tend to do them full tilt!  Go BIG or go home!!  Some say that I am impetuous and they're probably right.  I always say that I have ADD since I jump from one project to the next - or maybe that's multi-tasking??  Who knows??  Anyway I have fun doing it and seeing the finished product.  It's amazing that sometimes I build things and paint on them and then have people who want to buy my stuff!  Too cool!!

I've got to start getting ready soon for a night out with family.  My sister Dianne's birthday was September 29th, mine was October 4th and my youngest sister's birthday was yesterday, October 8th.  So tonight is the multiple birthday dinner out!!  Wow, it's that time again!  Another year older and another year bolder!!

Welcome

Hello and welcome to all who may wonder upon this Blog!  

I am an artist, obviously, who does many types of artwork.  I mostly do portraits of individuals or groups, especially collages, in oil, pastel and charcoal.  I also paint on items such as Christmas Stockings, Wine Bottles, Signs and such.  I have been blessed with a wonderful gift and try to use it to make others happy!  Of course, I make myself happy while doing art and it is great therapy!

I used to have a website but find that this Blog allows me much more interaction with friends, fans, and customers.  I truly enjoy sharing my work.  I know that I get ideas from others and hope that other "creative" minds will get ideas from me.  I also hope that I can gain new customers and friends along this journey.

I have added some of my favorite links to this Blog as a way of sharing great finds on the web!  Please let me know if you have links that you wish to share as well!  Please click on "Follow" to share my artwork and posts with others!  Thank you and do come again!

TerriStarnesBryant

This is one of my all time favorite portraits!  I do have prints of this one!