Some BIG News and BIG Savings!

Well hello there!  MIA blogger here.  I’ve been working very hard on something the last few months and can finally share it with you guys!  I officially started my own little business called JOYFUL ART DESIGNS!  I design custom wall art, primarily for home décor, children, and your office. 

I have worked very hard these last few months, learning A LOT, in order to make it perfect…remember my perfectionist problem?  Haha.  I’m really proud of myself and excited to take this journey.  My Etsy shop is officially open as of yesterday and is already in business!!!  I cannot wait to add more designs to my shop.  I have several waiting to be perfected and added.  And a few custom designs in the making.  I wanted to open before Father’s Day because I had three designs that were perfect for gifts.  If you’re into sports, I have an awesome piece I just started working on.  I can’t wait to share.  It’s obviously close to my heart as an avid soccer player and lover of sports!  Here are my Father’s Day designs.  There are color variations also.  Check them out HERE.

Specifically, I sell the JPEG/PDF file and the buyer has freedom to print as they please for personal use.  There are FOUR things I really like about this as a buyer:

1. YOU GET IT FAST!  You’re emailed the product within 48 hours (much sooner in most cases), unless it’s a custom order and even then, you get it pretty quick.  Since there is no shipping, you don’t have to wait additional time for it to arrive.

2.  NO SHIPPING COSTS!  Shipping costs bother me…they bother me badly!  I can’t stand seeing the price of an item and then adding another cost on top of it to ship. 

3.  IT’S AFFORDABLE!  This has to be my favorite as you know I’m frugal.  I love to shop and love to buy things, but since we do keep a budget, I have limits.  I wanted to create a product that people would not only enJOY, but be able to afford.  A lot of my designs offer an 8×10 AND an 11×14 at no additional cost.  Umm, c’mon, that is saaa-weet!  You do print the design yourself, but the cost is VERY low, which leads me to…

4. PRINTING FREEDOM!  When you purchase a product, I attach printing suggestions for the best quality print in the email.  This way if you have no clue where you should go or what paper you should print on, you can follow the suggestions.  On the other hand, you can print on whatever paper you want – matte, glossy, textured, thin, thick, etc…  The cost to print it is definitely affordable.  For example, an 8×10 colored print on card stock is about $.60.  Add a frame and you’ve got the entire wall art for about $20 (depending on your frame).  Most of my designs will be bought to be printed, but you can also use them as photo gifts if the design and photo item are compatible.   

So that’s what I’ve been up to lately.  I can’t wait to share more!  If you want to stay updated with new designs, discount/coupon offers, and find great gift ideas, LIKE Joyful Art Designs’ FACEBOOK PAGE. 

What about the “BIG Savings” I mentioned in the title?  We have been making some changes to our finances lately due to the absurd increase in health care costs that are about to hit us hard!!!  Our insurance is about to go up to over $1000 a month with a higher deductible ($2400) for 2 adults/1 kid.  That is almost twice as much as we are currently paying a month in addition to a higher deductible.  And, no, my husband’s salary is not increasing $400/month so we had to find an alternative.  We will actually save $200/month from what we’re currently paying with our new switch!  And $400/month based on next year’s increase.  We also increased our insurance coverage but saved money by switching insurance companies.  We’ve also allocated our funds differently to better investments with the help of a financial planner.  All this to say, I have some great tips coming soon for how to save money.  It all starts with how you view money, but will get to that later.