For our first “Font Friday”, I chose a nice, clean hand-drawn font that I absolutely LOVE! The font name is Worstveld and it is offered by Font Squirrel thru MyFonts.com. This font is free, but you still have to place it in your cart and “checkout”. There is a desktop and a webfonts kit available.

I would love to see any creations you make using this font! Feel free to comment below!

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD (will be redirected to FontSquirrel.com)

Many, if not all, of y0u have personally heard, seen, or even raved about the new internet sensation that is swarming the social media industry – Pinterest. I don’t know about you, but it took me a little bit to get on the Pinterest band-wagon. However, once I finally jumped on, I was taken captive by the “Power of Pinning” movement – hook, line, and sinker.

Not only is Pinterest great for finding new recipes, shop gifts, find fashion inspiration, and finding design inspiration – it is great for generating TRAFFIC to your blog or website WHILE having fun at the same time.

A total WIN-WIN if you ask me!

The thing is, when leverage correctly, Pinterest can do AMAZING things for your corner on the world wide web. The key though, is to get in NOW, while the buzz is still growing.

Why?

Well, it will take time to learn how to leverage it for your particular industry. So, by the time is has blown up to (or exceeded) the size of Facebook (and it’s not a matter of IF, it’s a matter of WHEN), you will be an established, educated, and a Pinning Veteran.

So, how do you use Pinterest for Business?

Here’s a few tips to get you started:

1. Don’t overly self-promote – this is also a Pinterest Guideline – if you have something you are proud of and want to share, by all means – PIN AWAY! But include pins that aren’t just business related. You can organize your pins via boards, to make this easy. Check out Simply Creative’s Pinterest Page - Don’t forget to FOLLOW us
2. Pin your products to the coveted gift section for maximum exposure – to do this, simply include the price (ie: Sugar Scrub – $9.00) and it will automatically be place in the gift section. That simple!
3. Remember to NETWORK! Treat Pinterest like you would Facebook or Twitter. Get out there and build your community!

For more great tips on using Pinterest for Business, I’ll turn you over to the best in the industry – the Social Media Examiner!

Read 26 Tips for Using Pinterest for Business here.

In closing…

I hope that you will jump over to Pinterest and sign up! Also don’t forget to FOLLOW our Pinterest Page as well!

So as you probably all know, Facebook Pages will be getting a new look starting March 30, 2012. What does that mean for you YOU and your current page? LOTS of customization options, neat features, and a whole new “modern” look that we think you will love!

Watch our short video explanation below! Then get scheduled for a Social Media makeover ASAP! All Pages will convert March 30, 2012 and you want to be ready!

I am very excited to announce the launch of Simply Creative’s FREEBIES and Premades! We will be offering one FREE child theme for the Genesis Framework per month PLUS we will start adding low cost premades for the Genesis Framework very soon! All FREEBIES and Premades are designed by us and super cute!

Check out February’s FREEBIE – Chocolate Cafe’

Effectively managing social media profiles is an important key to achieving results through social media marketing and exposure. There are a lot of great resources out there to help you manage your social media profiles, one of which is – HootSuite. This social media management tool has a FREE version that is good for up to 5 social media profiles on one account. With HootSuite Free Version, you are able to create analytic reports, schedule messages, view profile activity, as well as, respond to activity such as forwarding, retweeting, etc.

Start managing your social media profiles more efficiently today with HootSuite!

*This is not an affiliate post and compensation will NOT be received for links clicked within this post.

If you are not a client of Simply Creative or you haven’t been over in a while, you may not know that we went through a name and identity change back in June. We initially converted our site over, but the look just wasn’t quite there yet – it was nice but it just wasn’t IT. This month we had some mix-up and issues with our hosting company and our site ended up being deleted – with no chance of recovery. Talk about a panic attack on this end! (not really). I was instantly site-less – how uncool is that for a WEB DESIGN studio?? But like all unpleasant things, something good came from this unnerving event and in the process of redesign, I was able to create our IT!

So, what is the inspiration behind our new stylish, super cute design? COLOR, of course! I went to my all time favorite site of color for designers – http://www.kuler.adobe.com and went on a search for our IT. I took the liberty of naming our new scheme because what is color without a name?!

Deciding whether or not to have your website professionally designed or in some cases, re-designed, can be a question that you have a hard time answering. I hope to break down some of the walls you may face when it comes to Website Design.

There are a lot of free builder programs out there, can’t I just build my own?

Well, technically, yes, you can. But, you need to consider that your website has a voice and it speaks volumes about you and your business. A great way to look at it is, how likely would you be to shop at WalMart.com if the founder designed the website himself through a service like Webs? Not very likely. It’s a proven fact (just look around the internet) that people shop where they feel comfortable at – hence all the major, SUCCESSFUL online sites. Even if your website doesn’t sell something online, you have a message you are trying to speak – and you want your website to effectively communicate that message.

Don’t I need thousands of dollars to have a professional website built?

Absolutely NOT! We can build you a Modern, Professional website for as little as $435! Having a professional online presence doesn’t have to be expensive.

Isn’t it hard to update a professionally built site?

Not at all! We use a CMS (Content Management System) that enables you to easily make changes to any page of your website WITHOUT our help. (But we are here if you want us to be). AND we offer WordPress Platform Training included in your design package.

Don’t I have to pay monthly to host a professionally built site?

Not with us. Our package builder gives you the opportunity include your first year of hosting and your domain name. 

The bottom line is that there are Design Solutions out there that are affordable. A website is a smart investment for any business and whether your investment is time (for free stuff) or a little money (for professional design), you want the end result to speak positively about your business/blog/website.

Your Website Has a Voice – use it to your advantage!

The winners have been chosen for TheThreeMomketeers.com Design Giveaway!

And the winners are…….

Deanna M.

Jenn R.

Amber H.

The winners have 48 hours from the time they received their email notification to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen by Cosmic Creations Design Studio.

Congratulations and thank you to all the entered!

I found this article over on http://www.personal-development.info/articles/action.html as I was looking for something inspiring and motivating to read. The last paragraph was left off because the links are broken.

Enjoy!

When you get right down to it, time management is really about managing your actions. We all want to use the process of time management to allows us to perform more actions in the day, getting everything done that needs to be done and giving us time to do the things we enjoy doing. But time management isn’t a magical cure for getting the actions done that you need to do. It’s simply a tool. A very powerful tool when used correctly, but still just a tool.

For example, you might learn all there is to know about time management – read countless books, listen to CDs, and maybe even attend a few training courses or seminars. But unless you take action to put what you have learned into practice, it will be time and money wasted. And wasting time, as we both know, is one of the worst things you can do.

On the other hand, perhaps you do decide to take some action, and start to do some of the things you have learned. But only half-heartedly. Maybe you create a to do list at the start of the day, but then never refer to it. Or you organize all your existing files, but just throw any new papers into a single pile. Or you do a few of the exercises you have learned, but never do anything with the results you come up with.

But perhaps the worst thing that can happen when using the tools time management offers is to follow the actions you have learned, refer to the information you write down, but then simply not get anything done. In the case of a to do list, perhaps you draw the list up for the day, then just procrastinate on tackling even the first task. You may not even do it consciously – looking back on the day, things just always seemed to “come up” (although if you are following good time management advice, that excuse shouldn’t apply any more!)

If this is happening, it is possible that the issue isn’t time management, but more an issue of motivation.

If the tasks are part of your job, perhaps the work no longer interests you and you need to find another area to work in. If the tasks are for yourself and are related to your personal goals, perhaps the goals you have set for yourself aren’t the correct goals for you? You may have written those goals down because you thought you should, but it’s not really what you want.

Of course it may just be that you didn’t realize you were procrastinating on doing the actions you needed to do, and that realization spurs you on to get everything done!

Ultimately, time management comes down to taking action and applying the methods you have learned to plan your activities, then taking action to do those activities in the most efficient way possible. Everyone can do it – even you!

Unfortunately, the phone book is quickly becoming obsolete and being replaced by much more compact, quicker methods of finding the numbers you need – the smartphone & the computer.

For you, the small business owner or home based business owner, this can either be your friend or your foe.

Having an online presence for your business is a smart investment and you will reap ROI for years to come. Investing in website design moves your small business or home based business to the next level. Your potential clients can quickly and easily find all the information that they need about your business with a quick click of the mouse button.

Your website will work overtime for you and your business. When you are sleeping, you are advertising all over the internet world through your website.  It’s always there and it’s always on. If a potential client decides they need to have their carpets cleaned at 2:00 am, you are there and waiting to provide the information that they want via your website. If you do not have a website for them to find, you risk losing to a potential competitor that has opened up to the world of internet marketing.

Having a website opens up an entire new market of potential clients for your small business or home based business – the world of internet browsers. You have the power to utilize a massive stream of potential advertising and new client opportunities. These opportunities are virtually non-existent for the “web-less” business owner.

Investing in website design will give your small business or home based business a more professional and corporate feel when you are able to offer your new or existing clients the new website address for reference. Having a website designed or developed lets your clients and customers know that you are serious about advancing with technology and that you are aware of the growing needs of  the general community.

Cosmic Creations Design Studio can help you move your small business or home based business to that next level of operation. We offer affordable design & development services that will meet your website needs – big or small. We also offer custom quotes if you can’t find what you are looking for in our pre-defined services.

Seriously consider what a website can do for your small business or home based business and I guarantee that you will be glad you joined the world of internet marketing.