Per the Etsy June 2009 Weather Report $12.8M in goods were sold in June 2009 with total page views of 484,227,357. Check out all the Etsy's June 2009 stats.

Thinking about opening an Etsy shop? Read my latest article about Etsy shop basics.

I acknowledge I'm a bit of a bore when it comes to complaining about other websites using my original arts/crafts work. But, I can't believe that jewelry store in St. Louis is still refusing to pull down my article about a famous jewelry designer.

My goodness, they're not even attributing the article to me but publishing it as their original work. This past weekend I registered my copyright to that work. It was quick and easy. Cost was $35.

If you're interested in registering some of your arts/crafts works follow my brief tutorial - Eight Steps to Register a Copyright.

It took me about 30 minutes - soup to nuts - time that I found very well spent. It takes about 6 months for the US Copyright office to complete the registration process.

Next, I guess I'm going to have to research the procedure to send a infringement-notification letter - something I've never had to do.

Photo Credit: John Foxx / Getty Images

MSLO is now offering instructive "How-to" videos. The videos can be dowloaded to your computer, phone, or portable media player.

For example, the Weddings: Gowns & Accessories video had some dress embellishments ideas that could be used in another craft disclipine. I also enjoyed the refresher in cooper leafing in the New Old House: Decorative Finishes video.

Image courtesy of MSLO

Going after the do-it-yourselfer market, Swarovski has opened a super-sized bead store in the Soho section of New York. Complete with a tote bag station to carry the supplies, loaner tools, pre-packaged kits, thousands of wood, pearl, metal and crystal components, a restaurant and lounge, the Crystallized concept store seeks to expand sales by luring customers in with $15 statement ring kits. I imagine the theory being come in for the $15 kit and be upsold to their ready-to-wear fashion jewelry or limited-edition guest designer jewelry.

Anyone who owns a bead shop and is within driving distance of New York or is planning a visit to the area should check it out to get marketing and shop layout ideas.

The shop is located at 499 Broadway - for more details on shop hours, parking etc call 212-966-3322.

This year I am indeed fortunate that my son, who is in the military, will be returning to Naval Station Norfolk on July 3rd. We'll be spending the 4th together in DC visiting the monuments and watching the fireworks.

My 4th of July gift to my readers is the instructions to make a flag plaque based upon the flag Betsy Ross made for the Continental Congress in 1776. I crafted and marketed these flag plaques about 20 years ago and still have one in my home.

Wishing everyone a great 4th of July and many thanks to the men and women serving their country in the military

It's that time of year again. If you would like to apply for this juried craft show being held April 21 - 25, 2010, the deadline is September 27 if applying online or September 13 if applying by mail.

Showcasing arts and crafts businesses making one-of-a-kind and limited edition work, this craft show is the premier industry event. I can’t emphasize enough how huge it is to pass the jury process and exhibit at this event. It’s a stellar addition to your press kit and the About Us section of your website.

Check out page 2 of the Smithsonian Craft Show 2010 application to see if your craft medium fits the criteria for the show.

Well, once again I’ve found that someone has lifted some of my copyrighted material and posted it on their website as their own. This time it is a well know jewelry store in St. Louis, MO who has yet to respond to my request to remove my copyrighted material from their website.

I don’t care if it’s an article I wrote to drive traffic to my ecommerce site or a product description (which as you all well know can take some time to fully develop) this irritates the daylights (****) out of me.

I use Google Alerts to find copyright violators. Never use it? It’s very easy. Just go to the Google Alerts. Set up a Google account if need be, enter a search term, answer a few other questions and you’re done. I have my name as a search term and also brief snippets of articles and product descriptions. Don’t make your search term too long as you’ll end up getting numerous unrelated alerts.

More info on the subject can be found in the Plagiarism section of the Writing World site. This extremely comprehensive article walks you through the topic and what to do when it happens.

I attended a seminar recently and booked into a hotel that unexpectedly had the room doors opening to the parking lot instead of to an inside hall.

I'm not a big fan of the hotel room door facing the great outdoors. If I'm attending a show, I think there is more chance of being robbed by someone who had followed me back from the show. This is a big issue with jewelers. However, on the flip side, my car was parked within 3 yards of my hotel room - making it easier to load and unload my car.

I'm posting this in the forum - which do you prefer when you attend a show? A hotel where everyone has to pass through a lobby to get to the hotel rooms or one where it's easier to load up for the show with the room doors facing the parking lot?

Due to waning attendance by crafters and customers, the Sarasota, FL and Charlotte, NC shows have been cancelled for 2009 and probably permanently.

Sarasota always took place in December, so it should have been a good show for holiday shoppers. I attended it last year and noticed that almost the entire show was jewelry. It did seem kind of odd at the time that the organizers didn't attempt to have a better mix of crafts. Too bad, either show had to be cancelled.

The next and last 2009 American Craft Council show is now in San Francisco, CA from August 14 - 16.

If you operate a sole proprietorship and need some info on who needs to make a 1040-ES deposit, how to figure your deposit amount and when during the year you need to deposit, check out my article on the topic of estimated tax depositing for sole proprietorships.

The point of making a 1040-ES deposit is to stay current on your tax liability and avoid penalties when you file your Form 1040.