How To Host Giveaway In Instagram

Couple years ago I wanted to host a giveaway in my IG account but haven’t no idea what’s important, what I need to mention etc. So I researched couple weeks about how to host giveaway. As my research progressed in some point I felt overwhelmed about the information that I got. I felt like this wasn’t easy thing to do and yet many people host giveaways in Instagram and Facebook.

I decided to sleep one night as I usually do when I need to take distance on going problems. That’s pretty good to do with any matter if you don’t know or not sure how proceed on going problem. Somehow your thinking is much clearer after sleeping one night and you can solve any problem more efficiently.

Giveaway is pretty easy to host in Instagram and there’s isn’t much legal issues that you needs to be considered.

You will need three things before you can start to host giveaway:

• Instagram account 
• Product that you’ll be giving away 
• Photo of the product 

When you have these three things, you need to built up the caption of the giveaway. I like to include a separate photo that says “GIVEAWAY”. People will noticed it better if you have some kind stopping  image, otherwise people just scrolling the feed down without noticing that you have giveaway going because IG is all about liking someone’s photos.

So what’s important to write in the caption? I like to plan it beforehand and write it down in separate paper so you can read it over again and see if it’s clear enough. You can also show it to your friend so she/he can read it and give you feedback if it’s clear enough. 

When I think to do a giveaway, I like to start from rules. How people can enter your giveaway? It’s important that your rules are simple as possible. People don’t want to spend much time to participate your giveaway even if the product is interesting. So set up clear rules how people can enter your giveaway and are there any extra change to double the enter by tagging a friend. 

So your rules can be look like this:

1. Follow us (example @myigaccount) 

2. Like this photo and tag a friend who likes to have this product 

3. Comment a ❤️ On this photo

Or your rules can be look like this:

1. Follow 

2. Post your favorite photo of my/our feed onto your story. Tag me with hashtag (example tagging user myigaccount by using hashtag in front of the name, looking like this: #myigaccount)

3. Comment below two friends who would also love to win this.

You can decide what are your rules how people can enter your giveaway but I would highly recommend keeping the rules as simple as possible and not adding more than 5 steps. I prefer 3 steps because that’s pretty easy to remember what I need to do to participating any giveaways. Remember that when people are going to comment your giveaway, they won’t see your rules anymore especially if they hit comment button. Sometimes the Instagram gives a chance to leave a comment without hitting the comment bubble. 

After rules, I start to think the actual caption.

I like to tell firstly that this is a giveaway and little about the product that I’m going to give away. After that I decide if this giveaway open worldwide, only specific countries or locally. I also include in the caption how long is participating time and where I’m going to announce the winner. After the participating time is over, I go to modify the Giveaway post and write in the front: “GIVEAWAY IS ENDED” or “GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED” that way people know that they cannot no longer participate your giveaway.

After you have write the caption and setting up rules, you need to write this disclaimer in the end of the giveaway:

“Per Instagram rules, this promotion is in no way sponsored, administered or associated with Instagram.Inc. By entering, entrants confirm that they are 13+ years of age, release Instagram of responsibility and agree to Instagram’s terms of use.”

I found above text in some examples how to host a giveaway while I was doing research and many people forget to add this in their caption. I understand that the above disclaimer is very important which liberate Instagram from your giveaway.

FjeldDesign have great giveaway going until Friday so you can go see how her giveaway looks like if you thinking to host your own giveaway or go just enter the giveaway.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7IpAXTBMpD/?igshid=12uze4rn47mr9 if the link is not working for some reason, click here: https://instagram.com/fjelddesign?igshid=ptbyupehzhhm 

I hope my blog post help you to host a giveaway in Instagram and feel free to leave your comment in below if you have any questions about how to host a giveaway.

~ Minna 

5 Different Seller Types

I’ve been worked as a seller many years. I’ve been mainly seller at grocery stores but I’ve also enjoyed to worked at clothing stores which are different kind selling than ordinary grocery store selling.

During my interior design studies I was seller at furniture store where also are a lots of different kinds carpets and rugs. After week internship I sold my first rug to a man who was looking for new rug but wasn’t sure what kind rug would look best with his floral sofa. I recommend one colored rug since the sofa would be so colorful and patterned that the room would look little mess if the rug would also be patterned.

I’ve also been cosmetic consultant in Avon and Oriflame which are also different kind selling. In addition, I’ve two Etsy shops which I opened in 2012 and 2013 when I needed new place to sell my handmade jewelry but that’s for my past and now heading to topic of the day or week.

I’ve been participating couple years now with my friend in local craft market days where people come to sell their handmade products. Can’t help to noticed every year same seller types that appear in the craft market days. Let me introduce them and I’m interested to know if one or more describing matches with you.

SOCIAL SELLER

Social seller are pretty common every craft market event you go. This type seller is usually highly extrovert and gladly talk with other seller. Her appearance seems happy and maybe have good looking outfit and makeup. The seller have wide range of acquaintances which always stop at her table to talk and gossiping. This type seller is not in craft market day to sell her handmade products but making new friends. Her top priority is talking with different peoples and she probably enjoys it. Extrovert people get strength when they are surrounded by different people so she can talk and gossip with them. Only minus side is that she probably won’t sell so much of her product.

QUIET SELLER 

Quiet seller is usually very shy person which isn’t necessarily bad thing. She come early to set up her table neatly and have few products. This quiet seller will sit whole day without saying “hello” to unknown people that are walking by her table. She won’t talk much to other seller and sales are low. This type seller is usually introvert type people who only wish that someone will buy her product. 

AGGRESSIVE SELLER 

Aggressive seller is very loud extrovert person so that everyone will notice her. She have wide range of friends and acquaintances that will stop at her table to talk and gossiping. Aggressive seller is usually have mentioned that she is at craft market day so that everyone will come and buy her product.This type seller is interested only money and won’t accept “No” as a answer. She keep talking about her product until it’s easier to buy something in order to move on. This type seller’s flaw is to force people to buy something from her whether they like it or not. Have you ever buy something that you will regret later at home? If answer is yes, you have faced the aggressive seller that will only cause you bad mood later. 

FRIENDLY SELLER 

Friendly seller is usually very nice person who smiles often and greets people politely. She won’t mind if you like to just watch her product and let people to decide if they want to buy something. She usually have good sense what people are looking for and keen eyes to observe buyer’s reaction. This friendly seller is usually extrovert type but can be also mixed combination of extrovert and introvert. This type people falls between extrovert and introvert and she can be as social as extrovert but enjoys her own time too. Friendly seller is prepared to tell you more about her product without forcing you to buy something. She always leaves back door open so buyer can say no too without hurting her feelings. This type seller usually makes pretty good sales because she always leaves people with happy mood and people are usually happy with their purchase. 

CRAFTING SELLER

Crafting seller usually come on time to craft market day but can be also late. Her appearance is usually modest or vapid. This type seller consider her time so valuable that she carries unfinished projects with her so she can make them while waiting the sales. Did you noticed, while waiting the sales. That’s right, she isn’t there to sell actively her product nor making friends. I’ve always wondered why this type seller come to sell her handmade products while she obviously consider more important to finish her product. This type seller like to sat in corner and not pay any attention people that bypassing her table. This type seller needs to focus more being present when she’s at craft market day in order to have more sales. 

Here’s my five seller type that I’ve noticed over the years while being seller at craft market days. There’s also one type seller too which likes to walk and look people’s selling table and maybe take photos of their products. This type seller consider her product as a best of all and she secretly likes to makes copies of your product. Seller seems to be friendly but I often got feeling that she’s jealous somehow too especially if you make more sales than her.

Did any these seller types matches with you or did you fall between some? Please leave your thoughts in the comments. 

~ Minna

What’s Up BlueBellJewelry

End of the last year I planned what topics I’ll write for this year and I thought to start every month by writing what’s new in my little Etsy shop business.

As some followers might know, I had to close my Etsy shop for end of the year and now I’m finally back. It was weird to keep my shop in vacation mode since every day I felt like I need to list something in the shop and then I remembered that my shop is in vacation. 

It’s been seven years now when I opened the BlueBellJewelry. Originally I had idea to sell everything flower related jewelry but surprisingly the path took me more bohemian way and I’m happy with that. BlueBellJewelry allows me to create playful and colorful jewelry. Last Summer I found joy of crocheting and it shouldn’t be a surprise that more crochet jewelry are coming in BlueBellJewelry’s selection.

This short video is from local vocational school where I was selling my handmade jewelry. 

It’s the same school where I graduated a interior designer. It was fun and productive day. My friend sold

almost all my big wooden earrings 😂

Our selling table at local craft market day. Somehow as interior designer I wanted to organized the table. My idea was built up somehow so all the things wouldn’t just lay on table in flat. I want to create more professional looking table so if you have any suggestions or ideas what I can do, please comment this blog post 

Last December I was also attended two local sale events where I was able to sell my handmade jewelry with my friend who brought her beautiful bags and pouches too. We shared the table together and must say that I’m little proud that our handmade jewelry and items ended up under local people’s Christmas tree 🎄 

Local craft markets and Summer markets are pretty new thing for me and I don’t currently have fancy rackets for my jewelry but I’m looking for them. If you know a place which can ship worldwide and where I can get reasonable price jewelry rackets, please comment below. When I go local craft market day I try to decide what to take with me. It’s always little bit difficult to decide what to take with me from two different Etsy shop selections. I don’t usually take bracelets or necklaces with me since the length depends who wears it and I don’t want to carry with me all the parts so I can adjust the size. Making jewelry requires space that we often don’t have in the selling table. I wish I have car and license to drive so it would be easier to go different local sales which annually hosted nearby but I only got bicycle which is loaded with bags so selling place needs to be pretty close. I bet me and my friend are pretty fun looking when we walk with my bicycle with all the bags. I always have image of Chinese woman which bicycle is loaded with things 😂

I’ve been also noticing different selling types when I’m at craft market and my next blog post I will tell you more what I have discovered from craft market. 

I hope your New Year has started well. I have so much ideas and goals that I want to achieve this year so hopefully we all achieve our goals whether it’s big or small 😊

~ Minna

Happy New Year

This year is almost over and I notice myself to think about how the year has gone and what I want to achieve during next year. I don’t usually make any New Year promises but I think this year I’m going to make few of them just to see if I can achieve them during the year. 

My New Year’s Eve tradition is to do tarot card reading with friends and see what new year will bring to me. So far years have been like a roller coaster: I’ve been busy with my studies and Etsy businesses, life has thrown me a lots challenging moments  and I’ve learning a lot. As a regular person I usually tried to hide my problems and share them only with my dearest friend who is my unpaid therapist for over 20 years. I’m so thankful for having her in my life. I believe that I wouldn’t found myself without her help and tried all the things that I’ve done. Also without my friend I wouldn’t go through my interior design school since it’s was hard time to time but with help of my friend I finished it.

As we move towards a whole new decade I can’t help to think what I’ve done past 10 years. I started my Etsy businesses, I started exercise more to lose weight that has came secretly, we bought most adorable and wonderful cat boy, Liam, that has melted my heart completely ❤️ It’s always so wonderful to come home even after hard day because I can hug our cat boy which purring so nicely that even worse day started to be more brighter. We moved to new city and I got training  place to study my dream job — interior designer. So much has been happened in my life past decade that I cannot mention them all. 

I hope that your New Year is full of joy, success and happiness. I hope that we all have good health and have all the love ones near us and hopefully we also make new friends ❤️

~ Minna 

PS. I’m opening soon my little Etsy shop and new jewelry line is coming up soon too 😉

Getting Prepared For Xmas, Part 3

Can’t believe how fast this December has gone. Next week is long waited big Holiday at least for me. I love Christmas time — all the beautiful Christmas lights, snow ☃️ Candle lights, candies, yummy foods and decorations.

My Christmas foods are very traditional Scandinavian foods. In Christmas morning I always make rise porridge in the oven 🥣  I find it very easy to make in oven since it rarely burn. I also love to

make different casseroles like rutabaga casserole, sweet chili potato casserole and carrot casserole.

Quorn is a perfect choice if you’re vegetarian  and still eat 

milk products and eggs

Many years I made with my roommate mashed potato casserole but it wasn’t our favorite so we made only for tradition until I decided to replace it with sweet potato casserole with some chili 🌶 it’s very yummy with ham. My roommate have been vegetarian past five years now and she had to replace the ham with Quorn roast which taste pretty good actually.

In this post I liked to share recipes of my Christmas foods and hopefully it will inspire you to make and try something new this year 😉

Oven Rice Porridge 

1. Heat oven up to 200 Celsius (325 Fahrenheit)
2. Take bowl that tolerate the heat of oven
3. Spread lightly margarine or butter in bottom of the bowl and edges too
4. Measure 2 deciliter (0.85 US cup) porridge rice in the strainer and rinse the rices under hot water until the water is clear
5. Pour the rinsed porridge rices in the bowl
6. Add 1 teaspoon salt
7. 1 liter (4.5 cup) of any kind milk and pour it until the milk is cover the rices (you can also replace few deciliter/cups with water too if you need to save milk)
8. Stir the rice, salt and milk with spoon and put bowl in the oven

Stir the porridge about every 20 minutes. Be careful so you won’t burn your fingers!

Rice porridge is ready when it’s have been in the oven about one hour and milk is completely absorbed.

Serve the rice porridge with some cinnamon and sugar. You can also pour some milk too in the porridge if you want.

Rice porridge in the oven saves time when you don’t need to be in the kitchen all the time and stir the porridge since all milk based foods usually burn easily if you don’t stir them constantly. The rice porridge is good for breakfast and dinner too. Many eats this near in Christmas time but it can be eaten around the year too.

Sweet potato-chili casserole 

This casserole has become our favorite Christmas food. It’s new food our Christmas table but I love

how it taste first bit sweet and then chili kicks in and aftertaste is nicely chili but not too much. I want to share this recipe with you and I hope you enjoy this casserole 😛

1-2 sweet potato that weight about half kilograms (it’s okay if they weight little more than that)
Water
Salt
1/2 deciliter light syrup
3 deciliter cream, any type that suit for food making. I usually use one whole package
2.5 tblsp breadcrumbs
1-2 tblsp Margarine
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp chili
1 egg

🍠 Peel sweet potatoes and cut them in large pieces so they will cook faster
🍠 Boil sweet potatoes in salty water
🍠 Combine cream & breadcrumbs
🍠  Pour carefully water out from sweet potatoes & mash them
🍠 Add margarine, egg, breadcrumb-cream mix and seasonings
🍠 Mix all together & check the taste

🌶 Take oven dish and spread margarine all over it lightly including the edges too. Pour small amount breadcrumbs in the oven dish and spread it all over the dish

🌶 Pour the sweet potato-chili in the oven dish and sprinkle breadcrumbs in the surface. Take tablespoon and press lightly some patterns in the surface

🌶 Heat oven in 175 Celsius degree (350 Fahrenheit degree)

🌶 Casserole is ready after about 1 - 1.5 hour

I hope you enjoy these Christmas foods and feel free to leave your comment or questions about recipes. I’m happy to help you anyway I can.

~ Minna

Getting Prepared For Xmas, Part 2

Christmas is always the busiest time of the year. I always feel like first there’s plenty time to do everything and suddenly the Christmas Eve is just around the corner and need to multitasking everything. Does this sound familiar to you? If yes, continue to read how to avoid Christmas hustle and stress.

In my childhood, my mother were always so stressed out because of Christmas especially if relatives were coming visit. She had to cook all the Christmas foods, clean whole apartment, do grocery shopping, wrap all the gifts etc. I usually tried to helped her with everything that I can. I loved to baked gingerbreads and edges of star tart (I literally translated the word from Finnish language). Our star tart are usually pinwheel shape tarts that have plum jam in the middle. Really tasty 😋 

Nowadays, I don’t have Christmas hustle because I plan everything in forehead. So how you can avoid Christmas stress and spend it more relaxing way?

1. Keep your home basic clean

I know this sound so simple but many start to clean more better when year’s biggest Holiday is coming. Vacuum daily especially if you have pets and even if you don’t have any pets. Those furry friends leaves mess of their own behind. My cats always like to dig up all wooden pellets out from their litter box. Wash floors once in every month and take your rugs outside to tamp them. I don’t how common this is elsewhere but here in Finland we like to tamp our rugs and leave them little while cold weather so they will more fresher when you bring them inside. Also if you live in place where snowing, easy way to give quick refreshment to the rugs is throw them in the snow and cover the rugs with snow and brush them. The rugs are much refresher afterwards. This is old Finnish way to clean rugs during Winter. 

2. Start putting Holiday decorations earlier 

When December start, I always look for our Christmas decorations. I plan what curtains I like to put this year and do I need to buy some new Christmas decorations. Changing curtains takes unbelievable time especially if you wash the windows in the inside like I usually do. In my sofa table I have tea light candles that usually have small seashells within in the Summer but when Christmas time is coming, I like to change it too and put there fake snow with some glitter coated pine cones. You don’t need to put all Holiday decorations in place but some that are also suitable for Winter season too ❄️

3. Shared grocery shopping list 🛒

If you need to do every year same Holiday time shopping, it’s more time saving to save the shopping list than write every year new one. Once you have written it, you can printed it out and laminate it. That way it cannot get wet if there’s rainy weather. I’m not usually use my iPhone for any notes but last couple years, I’ve saved our Holiday time grocery shopping list in the phone. It’s so handy especially when you can share it between your family. That way, the Holiday time shopping isn’t just your responsibility and whole family can buy thing or two from the list. 

4. Buy Holiday foods earlier 

I usually do this every year. I buy frozen things as soon as they arrived in the grocery store. Usually it’s end of the November and people haven’t waken yet for upcoming Christmas so you buy frozen pastries etc. in time without rush. When buying things earlier than needed, make sure they will preserve until you need them and you don’t need to worried if they are gone. 

5. Saving money and wrapping gifts

If you have big family and lots of friends who you need to buy a gift, you can save money by buying gifts around the year and keep an eye when stores have good deals  like Black Friday or Cyber Monday or any other offers. If you like to stay organized, take cardboard box and put name label on it, so you can gather gifts there for specific family member or friend. Also plastic bag will work too if you attach name tag in it. That way, when it’s time to wrap the gifts, you don’t need to sort them out and worried later if you accidentally mixed them. 

If you have a lot gifts, it will be exhausting to wrap them all in once. So I highly recommend that you start to wrap as soon as possible one or two peoples gifts per day that will leave you time to do other things and more important, time for yourself too. 

I hope my five time saving tips will help you to have more relaxing Holiday time and time to enjoy the Holiday itself 🎄

~ Minna

Getting Prepared For Xmas, Part 1

❄️ Happy December 🎄

Can’t believe that final month of this year just begun. Here in Finland haven’t snow much yet and some weather forecasters have been predicted that there isn’t going to be any snow at Christmas time but whether there’s snow or not, the Christmas time itself is lovely time of the year.

🎤 Just before Christmas, I had my own tradition for several years that I went to see my favorite singer. I loved to bought ticket at her Christmas time concert and she sang very beautiful Finnish Christmas songs. As a fan, I loved to took picture of us and usually I bought her new cd. Unfortunately, the concert timing haven’t been good for me lately so I listen her songs at home while I’m making Christmas foods.

This time year is usually busiest time of most of us. Finland’s Post were strike about three weeks so had to close my little Etsy shop for end of the year but I’m using this “vacation time” for creating new jewelry.

I’m hooked on crocheting and tried first time ever to crochet earrings. Long time I searched the tutorial and finally found it. Had to admit that first it was so confusing to crochet because I had no clue which part I’m making so had to blindly follow the tutorial.

First almost finished crocheted earrings.
Love the shape and in the end it was pretty easy to make

Second one was little more quicker to make since I felt like I know what I’m doing and in the end I made a pair for my friend too. She love everything pink so naturally I made her pink earrings. These earrings are so lightweight to wear and love the teardrop shape too. I’m going list similar earrings in BlueBellJewelry as soon as possible.

First one is my friend’s earrings that I made for her and second one is mine in black 

Because my Etsy shop is under vacation mode, I’m attending couple local Christmas sale event. One is already behind but two more is coming up consecutive Sundays. Love these sale events where you can meet people, hear their thoughts, comments and wishes about jewelry what they wish for. I’m happy to develop my jewelry and without people’s feedback I wouldn’t know if I’m going to right direction. 

I took short video of our sale table which was end of the November. My friend kindly shared her table with me and we broke our personal sale goal 🥳 My friend is making all kinds of pouches, baskets and bags from recycled fabrics. Her shop is currently on vacation but she will be back in beginning of January so check her shop out for unique bags and pouches by visiting at AnnikaLDesigns on Etsy. Annika is friendly shop owner who can also make custom orders.

~ Minna