EC Droppers & Groovy Visitors

I have some things to say about Entrecard, but I'll save that. Instead, I'd like to focus on some really great bloggers. 

Today is a celebration - I want to thank everyone who has come by my blog in the last month...especially the awesome people who drop by consistently.  I sincerely appreciate the kindness these bloggers have shown me - and I hope you take a few minutes to visit their blogs. September's Top Droppers include a wonderful variety of talented people, all of whom I am grateful to for making my lil' blog a part of their day.

Click on the icon to visit these great blogs

Ann's Snap Edit & Scrap

Duck and Wheel with String

Antique and Vintage Button Jewelry

A Rose By Name

WillOaks Studio 

Theresa's Treasures

Entreblogger

Cen's Loft

Beaded Tail

My Gypsy Goods

If you aren't on this list, that doesn't mean I don't know you've made the effort to stumble through my ramblings. Whether this is your first time - or you visit enough to be royalty - big hugs and lots of positive energy are sent your way. Thank you for making my days brighter - and my load lighter.

xx

Copper Tape, Pickle, Solder...Solutions?

I have a question for all of you amazingly talented artists - especially those who have worked with solder.

I made a small pendant with 2 microscope slides, some little flowers I dried and ribbon I stamped. I covered the sides with copper tape. I thought I'd done a good job...until I went to solder.

Using Simply Swank solder, Blu-Glass flux and my soldering iron, I made nothing but a gigantic mess! The solder kept balling up, wouldn't lay correctly, kept sticking to my soldering iron (instead of the copper tape)...it was just a mess.

I've had the copper tape and the solder for a couple of years - and while I was using my bone folder to really stick it to the glass, parts of it wouldn't stick - and I noticed some fingerprints/gunk on it. Can copper tape go bad? Can flux?

I know that the metal needs to be really clean during soldering - but it seemed silly to pickle it. Should I have pickled the whole thing before soldering? Can you do that?

I don't know exactly what the issue was...but I know my soldering iron "broke". This was the first time I'd tried using this 40w iron - and no, I didn't use a regulator - but I tinned it and all that - but by the time I had gotten this far, the very tip of the iron "melted off", and I had to use the side of the iron barrel to get it to work. I've thrown out the iron and am going back to my Weller. I didn't use the Weller because I only have a stained glass tip for it - I haven't gotten any little pencil point tips for it.

Another question...how is using a torch for solder? I think that would totally melt the solder and you'd wind up with a different sort of mess...but I know people do it. What am I missing? Can I just use my butane torch that I have for PMC?

So many questions...so little information. Reading on the Net just gets me more confused.

On the up side? I used more of my dried flowers and some sea glass (and a copper ink pad) to make a darling pin. The light coming through the aqua sea glass really sets it off - but it was had to get a good picture.

Did you do anything creative this weekend? Why isn't anyone entering my contest? Why is my blog still a mess?

What's wrong with me?

A Sick Blog & UPrinting Custom Greeting Card Giveaway

Oh no! Everything has gone bonkers with my blog - and it's a mystery to me. Thankfully, my blog buddy is helping me fix everything...so look out for things to be much better (and different!) soon. I'm sorry to everyone this has negatively affected - it's been a wild ride on this end, too! It would be cool to shoot Re some thanks - so why not stop by her blogs? As if you need a reason, you can also drop your EC there, too.
Mama ASID's EntrePOD
BadGal Says - TheSUSS
Recycled Frockery

And onto some fantastic news...UPrinting.com, a professional printing company, is sponsoring a splendiferous giveaway. Wanna know what makes this giveaway so special? It's for custom greeting cards - yes, professionally printed custom greeting cards. Woot!

Their printing service is rockin' - so much so that you just have to stop by and check it out. They really do a nice job...especially on greeting card printing.. You've got to check it out for yourself.

Aren't they great? Now...check out their custom greeting cards. They are simply amazing! I have so many great pictures and pieces of art I would love to have professionally printed by UPrinting.com. Their printing services make the difference between "oh - that's nice" and "WOW!".

So what do you have to do to win some of these awesome custom greeting cards? Well, UPrinting.com is incredibly generous - they are offering 250 5x7" CUSTOM GREETING CARDS. Unbelievable! The value of these babies is $96 - without shipping, which they are also kind enough to cover.

What are you waiting for? Oh yeah - you need to know how to enter. Simple...

* Leave me a comment telling me how you would use 250 5x7" custom printed greeting cards. Would they be your Christmas cards? Have a special picture you'd like to use for general correspondence? Flap your gums - I want to know how you'd put them to use! PLEASE leave your email address if it isn't prominently displayed on your blog or if you don't have a blog. (Mandatory for entry)
* Tweet about this giveaway - and leave me a separate comment with a link to your Tweet. Make sure you mention The Queen Speaks and UPrinting.com - and include a link to this post for your Tweet to count. This can be done once per day - just leave a comment with the link to each Tweet.
* For 3 extra entries, blog about this giveaway - and leave me 3 separate comments (one containing the link to your post). I'm sure your readers could use some delicious cards to send...so let them know! Write a post about this giveaway and link back to this post - and to UPrinting.com. I've included all 3 links to make this SUPER easy for you...

The Queen Speaks - A Great Giveaway!
UPrinting.com Greeting Cards
UPrinting.com Custom Greeting Cards

Hurry and get your entries in - this contest closes on October 14, 2009. The winner will be chosen by random.org - and I will announce their name on October 15, 2009 - as well as send the winner an email. The lucky person will have TWO days to get back in touch with me to collect their prize - or I'll move on to the second name on the list. The prize will be given in the form of a coupon, direct from UPrinting.com. Yay!

Thanks, UPrinting.com!

Wake Up Entrecard!

Entrecard needs to wake up.

Today's post is in praise of RE_Ausetkmt's phenomenal post, Isn't it time We Started Dropping Smart instead of being Baited Harder, on Mama ASID's Entrepod blog.

I'm not going to gunk up this post with a bunch of jargon - all I'm going to say is that if you participate in Entrecard, RUN - do not walk - over to ENTREPOD. It delves much deeper into my original post regarding ECs virus problem, which originally came from Laane.

If those who run EC don't wake up soon, they are going to lose a lot of really good bloggers...and what will be left? The clickfarmers. Is that what EC is all about?

The next few weeks will tell everyone whether the new management team wants to really make EC great...or if a clickfarm (and money) is what they're all about. Hello, wanting more free space on blogs with the new referral widget.

If you're tired of getting viruses from those you drop on, tired of droppers just driving up your bounce rate, tired of the problems with EC being down and widgets acting up...and really want some positive change with EC, please point others to the Entrepod post. Just like everyone did with the paid ads debacle, we can get EC turned around.

If we make enough noise.

xx,

A Business Networking Idea

I love the blog Lenox Knits. Paige, the owner, is very insightful and talented. And I'm not just saying that because she sent me a gorgeous scarf and headband - both of which I absolutely adore.

Once I read Paige's revealing post about the things she's learned regarding her business sales, I had an idea. I'm sure you all smelled the smoke. Ha ha

Wanna Know More?