We’re ecstatic to present the first half of our interview with accomplished artist Amy Butler. One of the most popular fabric designers today, Amy’s beautiful fabrics are sold around the globe. Multi-talented, Amy also designs patterns and has written several books on home decor. She’s also incredibly fun to talk to! Also on the show, Amy Shearer announces the winners of the Journal Modiste/The Boutique Life “Designing with Amy Contest”. Mentions include Cherry Tree Avenue, Chic Mommy Shoppes and the winner of the Polka Tot $25 gift certificate. Promo for Geek Brief. The Auction Scramble this week takes you on a trip to Africa! The Accessory Scramble features a daisy krazy crochet hat that is totally adorable!

Thank you to all of the incredible podcasts that played our Amy Butler promo in their shows this week! The SGshow, Lip Gloss and Laptops, Mommy Pod, Manic Mommies, and also our friends at Mommycast. Please let us know if you played our promo and we’ll be sure to hook you up with some linky lovin’.

Amy Shearer from Journal Modiste has submitted two informative articles that will walk you step by step through the signup process of registering with eBay and Paypal. Amy’s guides will enhance your new online purchasing experience. To get going right now read the step by step guide to signup, and once you’re ready be sure to make your very first search term “boutique custom” so you can ooooh and ahhhh at the gorgeous boutique clothing available.

These easy to follow articles give some great security tips, hints on feedback and make sign up a breeze! You’ll be shopping in no time!

Getting Started on eBay
Paying with Paypal

Paying with Paypal

- submitted by Amy Shearer of Journal Modiste

Paypal is the number payment method on eBay. You can pay for your auction wins using a credit card, debit card or instant transfer from your checking account using Paypal. A lot of sellers only accept Paypal so it is important to decide if you want to sign up. There are no fees for you to purchase items but there are fees if you decide you want to start selling on eBay.

There are three types of accounts to choose from:

1. Personal Account: This is a great account if you primarily buy items on eBay. With this account you can not accept debit or credit card payments (you can still pay this way). If you choose this account and later decide you want to start selling items on eBay you can always upgrade to a different account.

2. Premier Account: You can accept debit and credit card payments with this account but you will incur fees. The fees are listed on the Paypal site. This account is for those that buy and sell on eBay.

3. Business Account: If you start a bona-fide business you will want this account. It has all
the features of a Premier account and more.

Once you decide on an account, it is time to register.

Registering

1. Click here to go to paypal and find Sign Up. Select the Country you live in. Fill in all the information. Read and accept the User Agreement and click continue.

2. Check your email. Paypal will send you a confirmation link. Click it to activate your account.

3. You will probably want to enter in a bank account so you can transfer funds to Paypal. Also make sure to enter in a credit card number. It will take a few days to confirm your bank account.

Now you are done! Congrats and welcome to the wonderful world of online payments. Before you get started searching for the handmade outfits you see here, be sure to read Buying Guidelines.

To make a payment:

There are 4 types of payment methods in Paypal. Instant Transfer, Credit Card/Debit Card, E-Check and Funded.

• Instant Transfer: Paypal will first check to see if you have a balance in your account and use that first. They will then initiate a transfer from your bank account into your paypal account. Your seller will be paid
  immediately. If you don’t have the funds in your checking account, they will bill your credit card.
• Credit Card/Debit Card: You must choose this option when paying. There will be a small link that says “More Funding Options “. Click that and you
  will be able to choose Credit Card.
• E-Check: This is a transfer from your bank account to the sellers Paypal account. This will take a few days.
• Funded: If you have money in your Paypal account than you can simply pay for the auction.

Once you win an item you will receive an email from the seller with the payment information. Click on the link in their email or go directly to Paypal and select Send Money. You will be able to fill out all the auction information.

Important

There are a few important security tips I would like to share with you. There are unscrupulous people on eBay that like to prey on newbies. They will send you an email that will look just like an email from Paypal and say that your account has been suspended, your credit card has expired, etc. These are called Spoof emails. DO NOT CLICK ON ANY LINK IN THOSE EMAILS! If you do, then they can get your login information and place bids on your behalf or sell fraudulent items for you. You will be stuck with the negative feedback and the bill.

Any emails from Paypal will address you by your name or your user id. Fraud emails will begin Dear paypal user or something vague. If you every have any questions about whether an email is from Paypal or is just a spoof forward the email to spoof@paypal.com and they will look at it and determine if it is from them or not and email you back to let you know.

©2005. Article is the property of Journal Modiste and may not be reproduced
without express written consent.

Getting Started on eBay

Article submitted by Amy Shearer of Journal Modiste

eBay has made it really easy to register an account with them. Just follow these steps and you will soon be doing it the eBay way!

You will need to register on eBay before placing a bid.

1. Click here to Register
Select Register from the top menu. Fill in all the information. Read and accept the User Agreement and click continue.

2. Choose a user id:

Now you must choose a User ID. A user id is your unique eBay name. Choose a name that
reflects you or your interests or hobbies, like "I*grow*tomatoes" or
"1HotMama". Your first choice will most likely be taken
(due to the 3 million ebayers) so be flexible and come up with a list. This is probably the most frustrating part of the sign-up.

Your user id must contain letters or numbers and be more than two characters long. You can’t
have your email address as your user id nor any profanity (believe me people have tried). You can’t have a big corporations name in your user id like "Starbucks4me" or "I*Spend*Too*Much*Money*At*Target*Sales". Likewise you can’t use the word eBay in your user id.

Please remember you can only choose a new name every 30 days so choose wisely. Once your id is chosen a "new" icon will appear beside it. This just tells other eBayers you are new and will disappear after 30 days.

3. Choose a password. You will use this and your user id when signing into ebay and placing bids.

4. If you entered a free email account such as hotmail, yahoo, msn, etc, eBay will ask for a credit card. They need this to verify your identity and help keep fraud to a minimum. If you don’t want eBay to have your credit card number than you will need to enter an email address from a company or an internet service provider you pay.

5. Check your email. eBay will send you a confirmation link. Click it to activate your account.

If you want more information about buying on eBay, to listen to audio tours and to place a practice bid (very cool!), go here: http://pages.ebay.com/education/buying.html

Now you are done! Congrats and welcome to the wonderful world of eBay. Before you get
started searching for the handmade outfits you see here, be sure to read Paying with Paypal. and
Buying Guidelines

Important

There are a few important security tips I would like to share with you. There are unscrupulous people on eBay that like to prey on newbies. They will send you an email that will look just like an email from eBay and say that your account has been suspended, your credit card has expired, etc. These are called Spoof emails. DO NOT CLICK ON ANY LINK IN THOSE EMAILS! If you do, then they can get your login information and place bids on your behalf or sell fraudlent items for you. You will be stuck with the negative feedback and the bill.

Any emails from eBay will address you by your name or your user id. Fraud emails will begin Dear ebay user or something vague. If you every have any questions about whether an email is from eBay or is just a spoof forward the email to spoof@ebay.com and eBay will look at it and determine if it is from them or not and email you back to let you know.

Feedback

When buying, alway look a sellers feedback. Feedback is the rating other eBayers have given the seller based on their performance for the transaction. +1 point is given for each positive comment, 0 points if the transaction was neutral and -1 for a negative comment. Obviously the higher the percentage of positive feedbacks the more you can pretty much trust the seller. But use your common sense when bidding and ask the seller questions before bidding.

©2005. Article is the property of Journal Modiste and may not be reproduced
without express written consent.

Thank heaven for little BOYS!! Designer Jen Nava from Little Red Wagon makes boutique boys clothing to capture your little man’s personality and imagination. Your prince will look ultra hip in his beautifully made original wear! Jen says “The creation of little*red*wagon and designing children’s wear has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I love thinking outside of the box and creating boutique quality items you won’t see anywhere else.
It’s an honor to know my sets are worn and loved over and over! Thanks Daria!! :)”

To find Little Red Wagon clothing for sale be sure to check out Jen’s auctions on eBay. You can find out more about Little Red Wagon designs on Blossom St. and on her group website Uptowngirls.

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Do you have some wonderful ideas for Children’s Party themes? Please post and share them with us on Boutique Cafe for all the party planning parents out there. If you have put on an amazing bash for your little ones and have the pics to prove it, send a few to info@boutiquecafe.com and we may share them on the site very soon! Thanks for inspiring all of us!

One of my favorite party plans to date has to be this Monkey Party. What I love about it is that it looks so fun but it’s also very doable. I’m going to be throwing a few birthday parties over the next few months for my 4 boys and this is definitely one that I will be doing!

Boutique Cafe promo for our upcoming interview with Amy Butler. Join us this coming week as Daria interviews the amazing Amy Butler . Podcasters please feel welcome to include this mp3 promo in your own shows and let us know that you included it - we’ll be sure to give you a shout out on an upcoming show! We’ll also announce the winners of the Journal Modiste/The Boutique Life “Designing with Amy Contest” where Amy Butler herself has chosen the winners - it will be great! Join the mailing list and you just might win too!

Daria is back and eager to chat with all our fab BC listeners on today’s show. The Winners of some great prizes are announced from our BC mailing list drawings! A shout out goes to Lisa Rinna actress, boutique owner, Dancing with the Stars finalist and Mommy! We’d love to have her on an upcoming show - Lisa call me!! Maja our organizational expert shares a “Maja Moment” with us to get us thinking Spring. Listener requests to hear the Lascivious Biddies song Betty.

This week Nathan crashes the cafe and plays host while Daria recovers from Laryngitis. Featuring an interview with Leslie Scales, owner of Polkatot, an online boutique that dresses little ones in big style! We’d like to thank Megan from Creative Outlet for organizing a sweet rally for Daria and Boutique Cafe, thank you everyone for voting at Podcast Alley this month for the show! We’re GIDDY and soooo touched!! Hear about our wild house hunt at a former grow-op house. Music in this show from the Podsafe Music Network - Adama with Makin Way.

Boutique Café© welcomes designer Toni Hamel as our featured Fashion Show this week. Admired for her fresh style, great quality and fun auctions Toni Hamel has a collection of clothing that any little girl would love to own. When asked about her designs Toni says “Hi everyone! I’m Toni, the creator of Toni Hamel Designs. I started out as a jewelry designer and created jewelry for over 10 years. I discovered my love for sewing and designing children’s couture just about 4 years ago when my daughter Sophia was born. She is truly the inspiration behind my designs. My slogan is Fresh… Fun… Fabulous… and that is what I think about with every piece I design. I think that is what fashion is all about; Creating a fresh new design that is comfortable enough to have fun in and WHEN it’s worn .. it should make you feel FABULOUS! I am a perfectionist at everything I do so please know that you will only get the best for your child when shopping with Toni Hamel Designs! Thanks so much Daria for featuring my designs! We love Boutique Cafe!”

Be sure to check out all of Toni’s links to learn more about her and her beautiful designs. Her current auctions can be found on eBay and her eBay ME page. Toni Hamel Designs are also available on Blossom Street and on her website Toni Hamel Designs dot com.

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Expose your business to thousands of fashion-conscious moms, potential buyers and children’s clothing designers every month by advertising on Boutique Café©. We offer many exciting promotional opportunities to ensure your ad gets all kinds of attention. Announcing….Our NEW ad promotion page with an easy Banner Ad uploading interface. We want to make your Boutique Cafe experience just as enjoyable when you’re an advertiser as when you are a listener! Now kick back and enjoy a cup of couture, you look Good on Boutique Cafe!

The show for this week is postponed due to my illness and all of my family being ill as well. My baby Noah is in the hospital with Pneumonia and we’re just waiting to hear how he’s doing - such a stressful time. Thanks for understanding we look forward to bringing you another great show very soon. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
Daria

Kandy Kisses Boutique…where designs are always unique, and totally Sweet! Boutique Café© is so excited to feature the designs of Laurie from Kandy Kisses. Just one glance at her designs and it’s clear why her creations are so desirable and popular, their beauty is undeniable. I asked Laurie to share with us the secrets to her great success.

“Hi, I’m Laurie….owner, designer, and sole seamstress for Kandy Kisses Boutique. I`ve been sewing and designing for over 30 years and it has been my pleasure to now offer my designs on Ebay and Blossom Street. I am a stay at home mom to my 5 wonderful children…and this business allows me to be able to stay home with them. For that I feel so blessed and am truly grateful! I strive to be unique and original…I believe it is a key ingredient in any successful design. I love to include striking details and one of a kind elements in my work. Sticking with one particular style or trend is not for me….I love to try new and creative things…I love to venture into all aspects of design and encorporate fun and creative energy into making outfits that are over the top….and definately have a WOW factor! My designs will vary from sophisticated to funky and everything in between! Thanks so much to Daria for featuring my work!

You can view Laurie’s designs on Blossom Street Arbors Shoppe. She also has current listings available on eBay in her auctions. Learn even more about Laurie and Kandy Kisses on her About Me page.
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Do you have an outfit that you made with Amy Butler fabric? Maybe you made an accessory that matched the colors of her wonderful fabrics? If you answered “yes” then please enter it into our contest. Amy Butler will be appearing on Boutique Cafe in the Month of March and Journal Modiste wanted to do something fun to celebrate. Oh and did I mention that Amy Butler has agreed to judge the finalists!!!
Here are the “rules”:
To enter:

Only members of Journal Modiste are eligible to enter and win. The items you submit must have been made by you.
You can submit only one (1) image in only one (1) category. If you submit more than one, your images will be deleted.
Submit images no larger than 800 pixels wide by 800 pixels high .
The categories are as follows: Girls Clothing, Boys Clothing, Jewelry, Hair Accessories and Bags.
Daria, myself, and a small team of judges will narrow the field down to five (5) items in each category.
Amy Butler will choose the winner in each category.
The top winner in each category will win a prize (to be determined)
Submissions will be taken through March 7, 2006. The first round of judging begins March 8, 2006.
Please login to your account today and submit your photo. You will find the link after you login under Amy Butler Contest on the left menu.

To Enter the Designing with Amy contest

submitted by Amy Shearer of JM.

We’re excited to present our 20th episode, thank you for listening to Boutique Cafe!! An exclusive message from Fabric Designer Amy Butler, don’t miss it! If you’re searching for the perfect Bling check out Lindsey Erickson Designs. Lindsey joins Daria for a fun chat about her mouth watering jewelry designs. Daria tells you how to win oodles of great prizes this week - winners to be announced next show. This show also includes, Boutique Cafe News, our Auction Scramble, a promo from podcast Lip Gloss and Laptops, and music from the Podsafe Music Network I Know You’re There by Matthew Ebel.

You’ll be Crocodile Rockin’ with this adorable design for the boys! Auction Scramble. After seeing our Accessory Scramble I’m hungry! Mmmmm cookie bracelet - yum!

Designer Jennifer from bella-bee*boutique is charming customers with her sweet creations. Jennifer says “I am not sure why it was not until Madeline Isabella was born that I actually hungered for designing her clothing, I guess I did not think I was good enough to be a designer. That is until people started stopping me out of nowehere asking where I got her outfits, I was so ecstatic! Hence the name “Bella and Bee” because she never stops buzzing LOL. My slogan for my clothing line is as playful as the name OF the line Bella-Bee -”Buzzing Beauty for your little Bee-Bees”. My goal is to become known for ADORABLE long lasting quality boutique clothing lines/products. I want to be the “buzz” of the childrens fashion industry, so to speak.”

Thank you for viewing the fashion show of Jennifer’s lovely designs this week. You can find out more about bella-bee*boutique on her eBay Me page. Shop for Jennifer’s work here. And view her new group’s listings on eBay The Little Darlas.
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