Senin, 30 Oktober 2006

Search made simple in your Cafepress store: Search CP third party tool now available



When it comes to the Cafepress community, us shopkeepers are an impatient bunch. We want it all and we want it now. Fortunately Cafepress is growing at an astounding rate, but that also means the addition of new features to their service happen slower than we'd like.

So what's the solution? Third party tools. If you're a web developer yourself, then you can probably create a lot of the bells and whistles for your shop on your own. For the rest of us, we need to rely on others to design these tools for us. Luckily Cafepress supports and encourages non-Cafepress programmers to develop tools for the Cafepress community to use.

I wanted a search box for my shop, I asked, and I got one.

Finally, I have an easy to use search tool for my premium Cafepress store. But it's not from Cafepress, it's from a bright young bloke from the UK, who's happy to sell it to you for a small annual fee (thanks, Adam!)

Adam's site, Search CP offers an account with your own subdomain, code to plug a search box into your shop, and a coupon feed (shows the latest Cafepress coupon codes) with search results. I like it because it was easy to set up and it doesn't dump shoppers back into the Cafepress marketplace. It keeps them in my store. You can try out my search box here on my store, BusyBodies.

His tool searches a common image tag that you have to place on all of the images you want searched in your stores.

If you want to buy it, he has it set up so you can pay for it with CafeCash, too.

Now, if you're a developer, there is money to be made creating third party tools for Cafepress! Visit CafepressDN.com to learn more about the Cafepress Developers Network.


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Sabtu, 28 Oktober 2006

More photos from the Cafepress Connect Conference


maheeshFred2
Originally uploaded by HecticDMC.

Rodney (from T-shirt countdown), Hectic and others have posted their photos from the Cafepress Connect Conference on Flickr. Search Flickr for the tag "CPCONNECT" to view everybody's photos from the event.

Good bye tears

For three happy years
She was always wiping my tears
Fighting my fears
She’s my lovely sister
But the time is going faster
I won’t be with her no more
I won’t be happy as before

At any time, without hesitation
She reads and corrects perturbation
In my sicking piece of poetry
She won’t be erased from my memory
How will I support the pain
without her in my lane?
I didn’t thought that I would cry
And a piece of me would die
When she runs and flies
Kissing me good bye

My friend, my dear
You have nothing to fear
I know you‘re going nowhere
Forget about it, don’t care
I’m so sorry
To make you worry
Please forgive my foolishness
That’s an obvious carelessness

A precious tear

NO! Don’t let this tear drop out from your eyes
Don’t care about their lies
Their pathetic rumours
That spread in the world like tumours


They don’t deserve you as a friend
The joy you make wherever you land
Angels belong to the sky
It’s high time you fly
Spread your wings and don’t be shy


There is nothing in the world worth you cry for
Whatever the pain soar
Just wait for love to knock on your door
Then joy will be you sky and your floor


knock…knock…knock…

Somebody is waiting
To get in


Even if he doesn’t
He swear
That for the rest of his life will stay there
Just to fight your fear
And wipe your precious tear

Beautiful


This is the secret which I can’t hide anymore
It make me confused, don’t know what I ‘m looking for
I can’t stop looking for you, I don’t know why
When I find you I loose my tongue, I become so shy
Maybe because I love staring to your eyes
Your skin sparkles more when the sun shines
Such pretty face, such pretty smile
That makes me numb for a while
I can’t bear the shine in your eyes
We should find a compromise
To let me dive in the dark sparkling ocean
And in your heart, I get a promotion
I can’t bear the look of you silky hair
Hanged like a murder, that’s not fair
It should be free, teased by the air
Treated like a queen’s hair

Jumat, 27 Oktober 2006

McMarketing



What makes designer minds tick? Well, you can read a bit about what makes me tick on Jen Goode's blog post (thank you for the interview, Jen!), and the other thing that makes me tick? McDonalds Asian salad with crispy chicken and a small fries!

My favorite fast food lunch for three reasons:
1. It's salad, so I feel like I'm eating healthy.
2. The fries are only a $1...and I can totally justify them because I just ate a healthy salad.
3. If I blog about it and post a photo, I can participate in a cool promotion and earn money (and you can too) adding to my online experiences to share with you :-)

So yes, I put those last crispy fries from my lunch right on the scanner (looking for the glass cleaner now).

My tasty lunch aside, whether or not you love the $1 menu, filet-o-fish (my second favorite fast food lunch) or Asian salad, consider this: McDonalds knows you. They found you here, didn't they? And if you're running an online business with Cafepress or otherwise, you need to know your customers too. The better you know them, the more effectively you'll reach them, and the more responsive they will be.

McDonalds isn't even an online company, and they're finding a way to reach out to us bloggers and blog readers online. Because a blogger has to eat eventually, right? It's brilliant. And can work in reverse. If you run an online business, reach out to your customers off-line. If you sell hobby specific T-shirts, like quilting, for example, try advertising in a quilting hobby magazine. Many magazines will offer cheap advertising in the back if you're willing to buy up the "leftover" space for your ads. Or even more specific, if you're into the hobby yourself, wear your shirt to an event with like-minded folks.

One way that I've reached out off-line to specific customer groups is by donating some of my products to conventions and fundraisers. Luckily I've had people contact me for this, but you can easily look up conferences and fundraisers for specific interests, look at their advertising info, and donate mini buttons, stickers, or magnets to conference-goers' "goodie bags." By donating they will often print your name and company web site in their program and if your web site is on your give-away item, it also doubles as a marketing tool. Know someone who sells stamping materials at parties? Give them your latest stamping T-shirt to give away at their next party. Know a local sewing shop that has regular events? Again, offer to donate a few products as give-aways.

By tapping in to people's passions...and getting your products right in front of them, you'd be surprised how off-line marketing can boost your online business. Big off-line corporations like McDonald's are getting it right...finding us online where our passions are. We can learn from them. And I'm lovin' it.

----

My McDonalds lunch came from the New Brighton McDonalds in Minnesota off of County Road D. The fastest, friendliest McDonalds I've ever been to.

Do you blog? You can participate in McDonalds blog promotion. Click the widget below for details...




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Kamis, 19 Oktober 2006

Instant Cafe: third party Cafepress tool for affiliates

(above) Adam teaches us about his new tool, Instant Cafe, now available through his site.


I attended this session at the Cafepress Connect user conference in San Francisco last weekend. In it we learned about third party (not created by Cafepress) tools that are available for affiliates to use to easily create niche shops and sell T-shirts and gifts for commission.

Check out Adam's Instant Cafe, now available through his site. It's a pretty neat tool. Basically you type in a few variables (shop ID, or image tag), wait a minute, and it generates code for a whole site, ready to sell Cafepress merchandise with your pid# (personal identification number).

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9th time’s a charm: Two inspiring stories from successful business people I met this weekend

(above) Fred Durham, Co-funder and CEO of Cafepress.com
talks about what he learned from his previous failed business ventures.


On my long day of travel from Minnesota to California, I had the pleasure of sitting by a nice man and his 4 year old little girl on my connecting flight from Phoenix to San Francisco where I would attend the Cafepress Connect Conference. He was well dressed, down to earth, and seemed like a genuinely happy guy.

We got talking about what we each did for a living and I learned he was a sales manager at a Toyota dealership as well as a real estate agent and landlord of several properties he owned. After the car buying, “Let me talk to my manager about your offer” jokes and discussing real estate prices and how cheap it is to live in Phoenix, I wanted to know more.

I’m always interested in people’s stories...how they got there. How they became successful in their career and happy in their life. I wasn’t prepared for the story he told.

He was born in Mexico, his mother died when he was only one year old, and his family was very poor. The economy was poor all around and at the age when most young Americans are complaining about their first job flipping burgers or passing the driver’s ed class, this young man decided he needed to come to America to support his family.

Since the Mexican government did not allow people to leave and apply for a green card, he, like many others chose to sneak into America. He arranged to get a ride from a trucker and got caught at the border. He tried again. And again. And again. And five times after that. He learned the ins and outs of the system, figured out the best way in, and the 9th time, at the age of 16, he found himself at night, at the border, hiding under a freeway overpass.

He lied still in the dark all night long to avoid the patrol lights...rats biting him, bugs biting him. His eyes were swelling up just telling me the story. He waited till daylight and then hitch hiked the rest of the way with $0.50 to his name, not knowing a bit of English.

He learned English on his own, applied for his green card and later obtained United States citizenship. He first worked at a farm picking spinach and in years to come he helped other family members obtain their legal citizenships in the United States. Now a Toyota dealership sales manager, self employed real estate angent, and landlord, he beams with pride when talking about his wife and two daughters.

What a humble beginning this immigrant had. He gave me his business card (in case I ever want to buy a home or Toyota in Phoenix), but he gave me more than that. He gave me a reminder to never take for granted the opportunity there is in the United States...and in life in general (and the internet, for that matter!). Opportunity like there is no where else in the world, and how persistence can pay off.

“9 times it took me,” he said to me while holding up 9 fingers, “9 times.”

Which brings me back to the Cafepress conference.

Now in San Francisco at Fort Mason Center I sat awaiting the keynote address by Fred Durham and Maheesh Jain, co-founders of Cafepress.com. They began their talk by telling the history of the company and how they got started.

The two had been partners before in other ventures...other businesses, other online printing businesses that eventually failed. One after another. Until, you guessed it, the 9th business model was what Cafepress is today. Started in Fred’s garage it has grown to millions of users strong. More on their success story here.

After this weekend how could I not keep adding designs to my T-shirt lines, opening Cafepress shops, seizing every opportunity I have thrown at me? I’m sure there’s nothing significant about the number nine, other than it sure stuck in my head, and it's a lot of failures that didn’t keep certain motivated, optimistic people from giving up.

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Rabu, 18 Oktober 2006

Adam's Photos from Cafepress Connect conference

A few more pictures from the Cafepress conference in San Francisco.


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Rodney's photos from Cafepress Connect Conference

(above) A rack of the current and soon to be released apparel at the Cafepress Conference.

Once again, some great picts of the conference posted by Rodney of T-shirt countdown.com.


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More great Cafepress Conference Photos from RotemGear

Thanks to Jean of RotemGear for posting some great picts of the Cafepress Connect user conference last weekend in San Francisco.

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Merchandise 101: My notes from the session at the Cafepress Conference

New products on the way at Cafepress

The first session at the Cafepress Connect Conference in San Francisco covered all things related to merchandise.

Here are my notes from that session:

New stuff on the way, hopefully before Christmas

- Products with more color

They had a rack of the actual garments for us to see and touch. My favorites were the brown T-shirt and black/dark colored long sleeve shirts. Very nice, thick material. Lots of great colors I saw and even more are on the way.

Coming soon to Cafepress merchandise:

- Plus sizes with a larger print area
- More high volume/high revenue products
- More rapid release cycles (more products added faster)
- Focus on quality
- Likely a Good/Better/Best strategy to categorize different grades and levels of quality in garments

Cafepress Branded line of garments

They are working on a Cafepress branded line (Cafepress will actually manufacture their own garments)

This new CP line will:

- Alleviate inconsistencies in sizing
- Ensure quality
- Include trend conscious colors not available through major manufacturers.
- Include styles not available through the wholesale market

Top 10 selling products on Cafepress (in no particular order)

T-shirt (men’s style)
Hooded sweatshirt
Baseball Jersey
Women’s Tee
Small mug
Baby Doll
Jr. Ringer Tee
Bumper Sticker
Large Mug
Ringer Tee

Helpful Hints:

- Create product specific images (make your image fit the product)
- Follow full bleed guidelines
- Learn about transparency (more dark colored shirts on the way)
- Create products that will address your audience

Q & A:

Someone in the audience brought up American Apparel and asked about sweat shop free garments. ALL of Cafepress garments are sweatshop free.

It was asked if we’d ever be able to put white ink on other colors of shirts (not just black). Answer was, “yes, eventually.”

There will be new great merchandise by the end of the year.



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Selasa, 17 Oktober 2006

Lessons Learned from the Cafepress Conference: 5 observations of individuals who are making a living as Cafepress shopkeepers

I just received an email from Tom of Tew Designs and Ski Goodies wondering what it took and if it's possible to earn a full-time living as a Cafepress shopkeeper.

The answer depends on a lot of factors, including your definition of "a living". But whatever your goals are with your Cafepress shop, there are lessons to be learned from those top few who are continuing to re-define what it means to be a top shopkeeper and are enjoying their success.

My head is still spinning with all I took in over the weekend at Cafepress’ first user conference in San Francisco. Now that I’m home, I’m slowly digesting it all, and posting what I’ve learned. So it made sense to start with that basic question that not only Tom, but everyone seems to be asking. How much can I make and is it possible to quit my day job?

In meeting and talking with several shopkeepers at the conference who do, in fact, earn a living with their shops, I found some commonalities when asking them how they made the transition. I’m sure there are more, but here are a few that stood out to me:

1. They seized an opportunity and grew out of necessity

Most, if not all of these individuals, had been laid off from their day jobs and were seeking ways to make a living when they started their Cafepress stores. Not that I’m saying to go quit your job, but I found it remarkable just how many people started out this way: forced to make it work out of necessity. And they never turned back.

2. They think outside of the Cafepress box

These individuals are sharp, creative thinkers and each in their own unique way, have found a way to not only create designs and brands that sell, but have figured out new and innovative ways to use the Cafepress.com site to further their business. For example, writing and selling, or simply using third party tools and scripts to harness Cafepress from their own desktop computer. They learn what they need to in order to grow and practice clever marketing through blogging and off-line advertising. They’re continually challenging the system and making it better for us all. They put a lot of effort into designs they know will sell. They fine tune their marketing efforts. They customize their shops beyond the basics. They create buzz or even an internet phenomenon. They simply stand out from the rest.

3. They take their business seriously and are willing to invest in it

By invest I mean money, but also time, energy and resources. I skim through the Cafepress message boards from time to time and a common question is, “how can I advertise for free?” In general, you get what you pay for.

Rather than tracking down every single free ad site, affiliate countdown site, or pixel site, treat your shop as a real business, budget for and find the best advertising methods for you, your audience, and your designs. This may mean buying up leftover ad space in the back of a hobby magazine, or buying your products in bulk and selling at fashion shows and craft fairs, or paying for ads on topic-specific blogs. Either way, it involves an investment, and the top folks aren’t afraid of it.

Investing money aside, if you do go for free advertising, do it smart. SEO for Google, recruit affiliate advertisers, and learn how to get attention from the press.

4. They work their butts off, but also know their limitations

I’ve run into a handful of shopkeepers over the years who aren’t designers, but stubbornly will refuse to hire a designer, or work with a student designer to improve their graphics or at least to create a logo. I never understood this notion of having to do all or nothing. I readily admit, my strengths lie in graphics, illustration, branding, and marketing, but I have a lot to learn when it comes to the technical end of things, web development, scripting, and coding beyond basic HTML. Let your ego get ahead of you, and you’re on your way to...nowhere! But, if you want to be like these top shopkeepers, don’t give up on learning, but also be willing to hear constructive criticism, hire people or use outside tools when needed.

5. They’re always growing

Growing, growing, growing. Rather than spending their time chasing down the next best free ad site, these individuals are focusing on growing what’s already working for them. They run multiple shops (and I mean MULTIPLE!), they continue to keep their design lines fresh and current, they continue to add new designs, new lines, new shops and so on. Their virtual eggs don’t lie in one basket.

I hope this list helps answer the question about earning a living as a shopkeeper. Other observations included ethical business practices (no spamming or trying to cheat the system), all use premium shops, most own domains, many blog, and many have similar creative ventures outside of Cafepress and the T-shirt/giftware industry to supplement their income.

Can you think of more? What’s working for you? Any other comments or thoughts you'd like to add?

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More photos and commentary from the Cafepress Conference


Adam has a great site, T-shirt chat where he's been posting photos and commentary from the conference.

He did a nice little write up about me there, too. Thanks, Adam.

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Senin, 16 Oktober 2006

But at least one of us is laughing :-)


But at least one of us is laughing :-)
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

It was pretty amusing. I guess you had to be there.

Adam of Buy-tees, Kristen and John


Adam of Buy-tees, Kristen and John
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Kristen reads random quotes out of context.

Adam isn't too sure that's funny.


Adam isn't too sure that's funny.
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Mary, Leslie, Jean, Heidi


Mary, Leslie, Jean, Heidi
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Out for dinner on Sunday evening, after the Cafepress conference came to a close.

Lekker Design team, Kristen, and John


Lekker Design team, Kristen, and John
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Tagging seminar by Marc Cull of Cafepress.com


Tagging seminar
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

I included this photo because I thought these graphs were fascinating.

Each "node" on them, if I remember correctly, represents a key word used in the Cafepress marketplace tagging system and the lines are to show how they associate with other key words in the system.

Marc Cull, the engineering manager (the brains behind the Cafepress marketplace) did a good job explaining this mind-boggling organizational model. A bit over our heads, but fascinating in it's complexity. Hats off to Marc and his team.

Minggu, 15 Oktober 2006

Pimp my shop


Pimp my shop
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Sorry this is a little out of order, but this was earlier this afternoon. People were giving Marty their business cards so he would bring our site up on the big screen to get critiqued by the pros.

Here, Rodney of T-shirt countdown is helping me improve my site, BusyBodies.

I took away a lot of valuable feedback, tips, tricks, and help that I'll cover in later posts.

Happy Birthday Cafepress, 7 years old!


Happy Birthday Cafepress, 7 years old!
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

After Fred and Maheesh made their closing remarks, we celebrated the 7th anniversary of Cafepress.com.

And what better to celebrate with than a Cafepress green cake!

(It was very good, by the way...layers of chocolate goodness).

Fred and Maheesh wrap up the conference


Fred and Maheesh wrap up the conference
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Fred and Maheesh wrap up the conference on Sunday evening.

Heidi Panelli & Fred Durham of Cafepress.com


Heidi Panelli & Fred Durham
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Just another "celebrity shot" with Fred Durham, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cafepress.com.

Thanks again, Fred, for a great conference!

Articles of Flair from the Cafepress Conference, San Francisco 2006

Thought I'd share my "flair." Shopkeepers attending the Cafepress conference were asked to bring mini buttons representing their shops. All weekend we traded buttons and cards. I have even more than when this picture was taken yesterday.

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Heidi Panelli & Maheesh Jain


Heidi Panelli & Maheesh Jain
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Maheesh Jain, Co-Founder and Vice President of Business Development at cafepress was kind enough to pose for a photo. Say cheese :-)

Cafepress Fortune Cookie


Cafepress Fortune Cookie
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Fun fortune cookies with shopkeeper fortunes have been sitting out on the snack table. This one reads: "You are on the path to many sales."

Keynote speech by Michael Dearing


Keynote speech by Michael Dearing
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Michael Dearing, formerly with ebay.com and now teaching at Stanford, gave us an inspiring speech this morning at the Cafepress Connect user conference.

Click-shirt.com is released


Click-shirt.com is released
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Click-Shirt.com is on display for conference go-ers to check out. It was just released today (surprise to us!) at the Cafepress Connect Conference in San Francisco.

Testing Click-shirt.com


Testing Click-shirt.com
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Justin from Cafepress is excited to share the new Click-Shirt.com with Leslie (from LesrubaDesigns.com)...and to talk about the new macbook.

Pimp My Shop session


Pimp My Shop session
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Daniel Clark (Hectic Studios), Mary, and Rodney (of T-shirt countdown.com) wait to critique our shops and give us feedback.

Click-shirt.com: New tool shared at the conference


This cool new tool, Click Shirt was just shared by Cafepress peopld at their Cafepress Connect user conferece where I'm at right now.

I'm sitting in one of our conference rooms right now over our lunch break and some of us are checking it out and playing around with it.

Basically it's a quick, easy, well designed tool for making create and buy products a snap, even if you're new to the Cafepress experience.

They're inviting us to check it out and in the community spirit of Cafepress, they welcome and want ours, and your feedback!

I'll post more when I've had a chance to really try it, but from what I see so far, it's awesome.


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Cafepress Connect Conference, Day 1


Barneys gourmet burgers
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

That about does it for day one of the conference. I'll go more in depth with things I learned and my impressions of the conference, etc, in future posts.

Cafepress Connect Conference, Day 1


Rodney & Matt
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Rodney (T-shirt countdown) & Matt (I heart tees) at Barneys.

Jen Goode and Heidi Panelli


Jen Goode and Heidi Panelli
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Cafepress Connect Conference, after the CP party


Heidi, Eileen (Fricka) and Leslie
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Heidi, Eileen (Fricka) and Leslie

Cafepress Connect party


Kristen, Maureen, and her friend
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Kristen (foxvox), Maureen (mogolounge.com) and her friend who's here to learn.

Cafepress now live sales


Cafepress now live sales
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

OK, this was really cool. Cafepress put together this thing that showed products as they were being purchased. An image would pop up on the screen that was just purchased, then fade away to the state and city where it was purchased. It made a nice backdrop to the room of enthusiastic shopkeepers and Cafepress employees at the party.

-------

Update 11/21/06...Adam from VoteForTees.com has been developing his own similar API tool. Check it out!

Cafepress Party


Cafepress Party
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Candles at the Cafepress party


Candles at the Cafepress party
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Homes in San Francisco


Homes in San Francisco
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Flowers in San Francisco


Flowers in San Francisco
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Cafepress Connect Conference, Day 1


Heidi Panelli and her BusyBodies shirt on display
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

OK, I was a little excited to see that Cafepress chose one of my products to display :-) Thanks, guys.

"Put it on the list"


"Put it on the list"
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

These lists are posted in the main conference room for us to add our comments and suggestions for improvement during the conference. Whenever someone mentions a new idea, we are kindly asked to add it to "The List."

Fort Mason Center


Fort Mason Center
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

The conference is at Fort Mason Center. The line of people is for Oktoberfest in another building in Fort Mason.

"Pimp My Shop"


"Pimp My Shop"
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Leslie put on this great pimp costume for the "Pimp my shop" portion of the Top Shopkeeper panel. Whoever volunteered their shop to be scrutinized on the big screen by the panel, got a button from her bag.

Lunch


Lunch
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Fred & Maheesh


Fred & Maheesh
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Fred & Maheesh gave a presentation.

Sorry for the short descriptions right now. I'll blog more when I get the chance...I'm wiped out & finally back at my room and thought I'd upload some picts I took today. Overall, a great, informative day!

angela


angela
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

Angela kicks off the conference.

Jen and her husband, Dave


Jen and her husband, Dave
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

JGoode Designs (Jen) and her husband, Dave.

Socializing w/ Daniel (aka Hectic)


Socializing w/ Daniels (aka Hectic)
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

FullMoonEmporium.com & Hectic Studios

socializing


socializing
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

JGoode Designs, Buffalo Works, and Adam from Buy-tees socializing before the key note.

Sabtu, 14 Oktober 2006

goodie bag


goodie bag
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

I just got here, and am set up with wireless internet. We got this cool goodie bag with a flash drive, book & other goodies.

the conference center


the conference center
Originally uploaded by Heidi Panelli.

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