Purple Star Award on Squidoo

The first "Purple Star" came along before I had a chance to really understand it's purpose or meaning.

I had been writing lenses on Squidoo for about 4 1/2 months. Adding content, taking photos like crazy, editing them with my PhotoShop Elements, studying HTML for bold text, italics, centering, etc.

Basically writing from the heart or documenting my life and hobbies. Today I'm happy to announce my 2nd Purple Star.

My first Purple Star was for my lens 9-11-2011, the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. My 9/11/2011 lens about the 10 year anniversary of the tragedy.

Today, my second Purple Star was awarded for my lens, Designer Handbags knit and felt. My designer handbags that I knit and felt.

Here's a little abbreviated explanation of the Purple Star goal.

"The best way to get picked is to get yourself noticed for your incredible (original) content, for trying new ideas and modules, for running conversations on your lenses, for standing out from the crowd. Do that enough, and the purple star fairy will find you."

More information can be found on the lens by the SquidTeam: Purple Star

People who've helped me along the way, many probably not realizing their influence.

It means several things.

1. It means I've learned to continually improve my lenses.

2. It means I'm serious about Squidoo.

3. It means people are finding my lenses, that's cool.

4. It means I have to make a habit of stopping by and checking things out on a regular basis - as if I could stay away now.

5. It means I'm making new friends that I can call on when I need something, and turn around is fair play, so I'm helping others.

Just before 9-11-2011 I watched my lens move way up in rank.

I wrote the lens about 9/11 a few months before the date. I put a countdown widget on the page, and added a Twitter module so that I could pull in current tweets about the different recognition ceremonies going on across country. I added articles about the memorial progress at Ground Zero in New York, the memorial in progress in Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon Memorial.

I loved watching the ranking progress as the date drew closer. My visits actually peaked more for several days after the date. Excellent.

See my lens on 9-11-2001 here.

This came as a pleasant surprise.

I love to knit. I try knitting anytime we are in the car for an extended period of time. We travel extensively so I knit on planes, in hotel rooms, when we're tent camping, and RV camping. I knit when I'm watching my Grandchildren, they love to see what I make. So it's only natural that I've started some lenses about my knitting.

I'm in the process of publishing some of the patterns I've perfected over the last 2 years. There is a contest running on my "Step-by-Step Knit Felt Bags" lens that ends in a few weeks. I'm running a competition to "name" the bag I've designed.

Mother's Day Revisited

What a great adventure this has been. Squidoo is all about writing genuinely unique content, getting published and becoming a part of a great community of writers online. Knowing my work is being read, seeing the comments and earning rewards all shadow when I realize I'm doing good works bt supporting valid charities with a portion of my earnings.

Mother's Day Revisited

When I wrote the article about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall I was hoping it would start being recognized around Memorial Day.

I'm so grateful for a memorial that recognizes our KIA (killed in action), MIA (missing in action), and the POW (prison of war). I hugged a young lady, who is an active duty soldier, as we stood in front of this memorial last May. I whispered in her ear, "Our memorial is your memorial, until you have one of your own."

with my packing your motorcycle lens.

Packing For A Cross Country Motorcycle Ride

This article was selected for a Purple Star when I became a Giant Squid (50) here on Squidoo. Another high honor. One year into tis adventure and I'm seeing a great new venture unfold right before my eyes.

Dive in and come out swimming. I've read so much material, mostly free or relatively inexpensive documents about publishing online. Lenses are just my speed right now.

It all started when I read Heidi Hooper's story. I did some research on unique crafts that are popular right now, and came up with this article.

Crazy Crafts Online

This is a fun lens, and no-one is crazy, just some of the ideas seem that way. People make lots of money off crazy ideas, though, so what I find whacky about these items that I've featured, is the mere fact that I didn't think of them first, because many of them make perfect sense.

You can write online. It is very rewarding! Sign up to publish on Squidoo.

This video is really a slideshow of several of my bags I've made in the past. It's just one more way to retain visitors and get the word out about a topic.

It's had over 49,300 views to date. That really impresses me that it can be found on YouTube!

I'm so honored to receive this Purple Star from Squidoo HQ. It is a lens I created several months ago, an honest list of items I'd like to receive or have already received as gifts from family and friends. I've tweaked it a lot (and still plan on making more changes) and I've watched it go from hundreds of thousands in rank to as low as # 124 overall, and # 12 in the Gift Guide Category.

I've sold many Amazon items off this lens also. It just may be my first money maker, but that can't make up for the fun I'm having on Squidoo.

You can write on Squidoo, too.