Craft Fair Items

Here is your first peek at one of my craft fair items. I made these post-it note holders out of acrylic picture frames that I bought on clearance at Michaels. They are the 3-1/2 x 5" size. I measured and cut the DSP and slipped it into the frame. I decorated the frame and made a matching pen. I wanted to use a retractable pen because it seemed more practical to me. I bought a pkg of these pens from Staples and they were relatively inexpensive. I cut a piece of card stock 1 x 2-7/8" and slipped it inside the pen.

They turned out better than I had imagined. I'm very happy with them. I think I'm going to try and find more frames so I can make some more for the craft fair. So far I only have 15.

Thanks for stopping back. Check back tomorrow for another craft fair item!

Holding onto Halloween

Yes, I know that Halloween is over but I just had to share these photos with you.

I took the cupcake decorating class at Michael's Craft Store a few weeks back. Now I finally know how to use the different tips to decorate. Here are the gluten free Halloween themed cupcakes I made for my department at work. BIG improvement compared to my attempt at a 3D soccer ball cake I did 2 years ago!

I also played around with a product called "3D Sculpt Gel" that I bought from Party Bazaar. I decided that I was going to be Freddie Kruger for Halloween this year, but I wanted my costume to be better than the store bought version that I tried on. I thought it would be cool to make half of my face look burned. The sculpt gel was so easy to use. I let it bob around in hot water for 15 minutes or so until it was liquid. When it wasn't too hot, I started spreading it on my cheek and as it got sticky and started to set, I started pulling up with my finger and stretching it around to create some texture. Here is a picture of it after I finished putting it on my face, and a picture of me after I got my make up done. Stacy at Mac did an awesome job!

Last but not least, here is a picture of my rabbit Royce in his lobster costume. He wasn't very happy about putting it on so that is going to be the last time he will ever "wear" anything.

Not so Wordless Wednesday

For today's "Wordless" Wednesday, I wanted to find something from an Etsy shop that was nearby (just across the border in Vancouver, WA). I found the cutest pillows at tickingandtoile. I also thought it would be neat to pick something that was French related.

I'll be back later with today's Christmas card post (It's already listed in my Etsy shop if you want to peek!)

Holly Jolly Christmas

Here is another card that I listed on Etsy this morning. I’ve decided to list three cards each day until I run out. So far I have 6 Christmas cards listed.

The card below consists of many layers. The dsp is layered on top of very vanilla cardstock. Snowflakes are punched into the old olive cardstock, which is then layered on top of very vanilla cardstock. (You can see the very vanilla peeking through the snowflakes) And finally the very vanilla is layered on top of cherry cobbler cardstock.

I’ll keep today short and sweet. See you tomorrow with another Christmas card and a Wordless Wednesday pic.

Recipe for card above:
Cherry Cobbler cardstock (su#119685)
Very Vanilla cardstock (su#101650)
Old Olive cardstock (su#100702)
Snowflake punch (retired)
Christmas Punch stamp set (retired)
Dimensionals (su#104430)
Jolly Holiday DSP (su#117159)
Oval Punch (su#119859)
Curly Label Punch (su#119851)

If you live in Canada and would like to order any of the supplies shown, please send me an e-mail with your contact information and a list of the items.

Holiday Greetings

This one of the three Christmas cards that I listed in my Etsy shop. I love this card. It is a modern card that uses traditional Christmas colors.



I’ve been working on dressing up the inside of my cards a bit so you will see that I’ve done that really simply on this card with just a strip of cardstock and two punched ½” circles. I wanted to get it to match the dsp that I used on the front of the card.

I also used dimensionals to pop up the reindeer. I love dimensionals. I can’t seem to make a card without using them!

I have my Christmas cards ready to go. I’m planning on listing a few each day on Etsy, and featuring one of them on my blog.

I’ve been working on my “card catalog” to give to family and friends for Christmas card orders. I was almost done last night and then I thought that I should include cards for all other occasions as well in case they want to buy some for gifts etc.

Here is my supply list for today’s card:
Cherry Cobbler cardstock (su#119685)
Very Vanilla cardstock (su#101650)
Old Olive cardstock (su#100702)
Old Olive Ink (su#102277)
5/8” Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon (su#109054)
Dasher stamp (su#116816)
Sincere Salutations stamp set (su#115068)
Dimensionals (su#104430)
Jolly Holiday DSP (su#117159)
½” Punch (for circles inside card) (su#119869)

Where have I been?!

It seems like it’s been years since I last posted. As some of you may already know, I have my first craft fair coming up in November. I’ve been working hard on my Christmas cards and other gifts for the fair. Needless to say my work space is a mess! Even the picture below is pretty tame!

I spent approx 2 hours last night taking photos of my new cards. I will post them on my flickr page and the cards will be available for purchase in my Etsy shop starting Monday October 11th.

I’ve also been working on some other projects for my craft fair but due to the estimated price of shipping, they will not be listed in my Etsy shop. I would still love to share them with you so I will be posting them on my blog along with instructions and possibly a video tutorial. I can’t wait! I love this time of year!

Take care. Thanks for stopping by!

Intro Video

I haven't had much time to start making any video tutorials...BUT I did make an intro video. It took me a few days to play around with it until I was happy with it but here it is.

Comment below and let me know what you think.

Summer Blossoms Birthday Card

I know I’ve been MIA for the past week or so. I’m hoping to be back to posting regularly next week. Things have been a little hectic. I’m trying to prepare for a Christmas craft fair but I’ve been having a “creativity block” lately. Sometimes I don’t know where to start. So, I decided to re-vamp one of my favourite cards.


To decide what colours I wanted to use, I pulled out my colour coach that Stampin Up just released on July 1st. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, it has a swatch for every color of cardstock Stampin Up currently offers (core colours and in-colours). On the back of each colour, it shows a couple of colour combinations to try.

I knew that I wanted to start with Melon Mambo so I took a look at the back and it suggested to try Old Olive and Perfect Plum with it.

I used a pencil to help me curl the pedals back on the large flowers. The stamp sets that I used are “Eastern Blooms” and “Sweet Sentiments”.

If you live in Canada and you are interested in purchasing any of the supplies mentioned above, please feel free to send me an e-mail.

As for props…sometimes I find it difficult to use props because of the lack of space I have within the picture, but I really feel that it makes a big difference. In this picture, I used black jelly beans, and an espresso cup and saucer that I just picked up for a local twoonie store.

I think that I’m going to work on a couple of video tutorials this weekend: one video about how I take pictures of my cards, and another video about how to make this card. Hopefully this won’t take long to do. This is going to be my first time making a video. If you have any suggestions for videos that you would like to see on my blog, please comment below!

Have a great weekend! Talk to you soon!

Wordless Wednesday

Feature Friday - Brooke

I’m so pleased to finally introduce Brooke, from Flourish Bath & Body. I absolutely love her stuff and I know that you all will too! As soon as I saw Brooke’s shop on Etsy, I instantly knew that I HAD to feature her on my blog!

Introduction - Tell us about yourself.
My name is Brooke and I just turned 29 (yesterday- ugh!). I live in Baltimore with my husband and Flourish is my full-time job.

Besides crafting, what else do you do? What are your other interests?
Besides crafting, I love to cook- I used to cook in restaurants, so you could I'm pretty comfortable in the kitchen! I'm also very into working on my house- we bought it last fall and it's a bit of a fixer-upper- so there are a lot of projects we've got going on. Lately I've discovered gardening (now that I finally have a yard), which I'm really enjoying. Basically I'm very domestic!

In your opinion, what sets you apart from the rest?
From the very beginning I had the goal of creating a product line that raised the bar for handmade bath & body products. I wanted to show people that just because it's "handmade", doesn't mean it has to look "homemade". I've always been a beauty product junkie and beautiful packaging and unique fragrances are what would catch my eye when shopping. So I put a lot of effort into professional-looking and attractive packaging. I think my fragrances are one of my biggest selling points- original blends that you can't get anywhere else. I'm so picky about fragrance and I don't add a new scent to my line unless it makes my eyes roll back into my head when I smell it!

What is your favorite item in your Etsy shop?
My sugar scrub cubes. The formula was almost a year in the making and it felt so great to finally perfect them. And, in my humble opinion, they're really awesome!

What is the most exciting thing that has happened since you've started?
Being chosen as the Featured Seller! It was just an amazing thing to have happen, and I'm so grateful to have been chosen. I found out about it six weeks in advance- on the day we finished packing our things up in boxes to move into our new house! It was a stressful 6 weeks- the room at the new house that I was planning on using as a workshop needed to be totally renovated before I could set up- so I had to get that done in about 6 days (ripping up carpet, putting down new floors, painting, putting in shelves). Whew! Then it was on to ordering supplies and stocking up on product. I worked non-stop for the weeks leading up to the feature- and then for the month following, trying to get all the orders filled and convos responded to. The whole thing was just insane, I got no sleep for weeks at a time- but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

What is the worst thing that has happened since you've started?
Being chosen as the Featured Seller! I learned a valuable lesson about getting in over your head and knowing when to say no. I thought I was prepared, but the volume of sales was just unbelievable- coming in in a steady stream. I was selling out of things and then getting a half a dozen convos immediately from people wanting to buy those things. I didn't want to let people down, so instead of telling people "sorry, I'm sold out of those for now- I'll have more in stock next month" and concentrating on getting orders filled- I was trying to fit in production as well, and placing all kinds of rush orders for supplies that I ran out of. Everybody needed everything by Christmas (I was featured at the beginning of December) which added tremendous pressure. And unfortunately some of my international orders did not make it in time, and I had some unhappy customers as a result. I greatly regret disappointing those customers- and it's a mistake I vowed never to make again.

Do you sell in any shops locally?
Everyone asks me that- I'm actually not yet! I have been growing my wholesale base very organically and slowly- all of my wholesale customers are people who found me on Etsy and contacted me. I need to get out there and actually solicit some new accounts, but I'm so shy in person! I don't do craft shows either, for the same reason. I'm way more comfortable dealing with people over the internet!

What advice would you give someone new to Etsy?
First of all- ask your self seriously: "do I want to have a hobby or a business?" Business is not for everyone- some people may find that worrying about promotion and advertising and SEO and on and on and on sucks the enjoyment out of what they do- and there's nothing wrong with that. If you create things that you love, and selling them is just a nice little bonus- then just make what you love and enjoy it!

If you DO want to have a business- then know that you'll have to approach things a little differently. Take a critical look at your PRODUCT first- is it well made, is it interesting, is there a market for it, are there 100 other people already selling this product- if so- does yours stand out from the rest or blend in? What makes your product unique and special? This can be tough to do with things that you pour your heart and soul into- but it's important. No one else is going to tell you- "the reason you are not selling things is because your product looks exactly like every other one out there" or "the quality doesn't seem to be very good" - people will tell you "improve your photos!" or "do more promoting!" Those things are important, but the product itself is primary.

Assuming you have an awesome product that you just know people are going to love- then you need to focus on presenting it in the best possible way- it's all about the photos! I won't get into details, because there's been so much written on the subject already. Suffice to say- photos are incredibly important. You can get tons of ideas for how to photograph your products by looking at how similar items are photographed for catalogs or magazine features. Those people know what they are doing!

And finally- if you really believe in what you are doing, be patient and don't be discouraged if you are not an immediate success. It takes time, and things build slowly, under the surface. I started my shop in February of 2009. In May, I was considering giving up- I'd had some sales but things just didn't seem to be progressing the way I'd wanted them to. It seemed like the goal of doing this full-time and being able to support myself was not in my reach. I told myself- "if things haven't improved by the end of the summer, I will re-evaluate and consider moving on." In August I got my first wholesale order (a big one!) and got a few blog mentions that brought a bunch of traffic to my shop. Things started to pick up. Then they exploded. Sales were great through the fall. In December I was the Featured Seller.And things have been steady since. It's so funny to me that just one year ago, I was considering giving up. You just never know what's going to happen.

Contact Info:

Etsy

http://www.flourishbathbody.etsy.com/

Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/flourishbathbody

Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brookemarton/

Wordless Wednesday

I'm Addicted...

to cupcakes! I’ve been trying to think of ways that I could use more props in my photos. I’ve been making tons of cupcake cards lately and I figured, what would be a better prop to use with a cupcake card than a real cupcake?

So I went down the street on my lunch break to “Cupcakes”. For those of you who don’t live in and around Vancouver, BC, Cupcakes is a shop that sells the most adorable (and not to mention, delicious!) cupcakes. They’ve opened multiple locations over the past 5 years. They even have a show on TV called “Cupcake Girls”. I just LOVE their shops!

I picked up a 12 package of mini-cupcakes and 1 regular-size. It was just my luck that the icing on my full size cupcake got squashed by the box but that’s ok. It’ll still be yummy. I couldn’t use it in my photos though.

Here are some photos that I took of one of my cupcake cards last night. I practically inhaled all of the mini cupcakes after my little photo shoot…with my boyfriend’s help of course! :P



About this card:

Currently, my favourite thing to do on cupcake cards is to put glitter over the icing part. It just kicks it up a notch. This card uses some Stampin up DSP and a couple of the in colors that are still available until the end of this month. Bermuda Bay will be discontinued starting July 1st, and Melon Mambo is being integrated into the core colors.

Thanks for stopping by today. Be sure to come back tomorrow for Wordless Wednesday!

Wordless Wednesday

Feature Friday - Kristen

Happy Friday everyone! I'm so excited to present the following feature! Kristen makes beautiful personalized pet bowls and other etched art. Her work is truly one of a kind!

Introduction - Tell us about yourself.

I’m a southern girl, born and raised in Arkansas. In college I earned a degree in Art with a emphasis in Graphic Design. Art is one of my biggest passions. I love being creative and making all sorts of things. I currently have two Etsy shops – LuckyPups and Kristenalane.

Being outdoors is something I really enjoy and that is evident in a lot of my artwork. Koda is my cream Pomeranian and he has inspired a lot of the items found in my LuckyPups shop.

Besides crafting, what else do you do? What are your other interests?

I have a wide array of interests! I love everything outdoors from the beach to camping to canoeing and everything in between. I also love going to concerts, photography, shopping and spending time with my family.

What is your favorite item in your Etsy shop?

Currently my favorite item in my LuckyPups shop is my pink personalized dog bowl. It’s my newest item. If Koda was a girl I would definitely etch on for him!

What are 5 things that you could never do without?

1. Family 2. Friends 3.Koda 4.Cellphone 5. Laptop

If you had one wish, what would it be?

My wish would be to support myself by selling things I create.

Do you sell in any shops locally?

I currently do not sell in any local shops. That is my next project! So hopefully I will soon!

What advice would you give someone new to Etsy?

I would tell them to have patience. It takes time getting your shop set up and waiting for that first sale. Don’t give up!

Contact Info for Kristen:

Luckypups Etsy:

http://www.luckypups.etsy.com/

Blog:

http://www.luckypupspetsupplies.blogspot.com/

Luckypups on Twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/luckypups_shop

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/luckypups.shop

Email: luckypups@centurytel.net

Kristenalane Etsy:

http://www.kristenalane.com/

Twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/kristenalane

Email: kristenalane@centurytel.net

Bright Circle Circus

Happy Thursday! It seems like this week has just flown by! I’m starting to get more organized. I photographed a few of my new cards last night. I’m trying out creative ways to utilize props. I always flip through card magazines and admire how the cards are photographed. I would love to work for a card magazine :)

Here is one of my new cards. I also listed it on Etsy this morning. I used the Circle Circus stamp set. This is a fun and diverse stamp set. It’s great to make cards for any and all occasions. You could even change the colors and make a nice Christmas card. The colors I used are: Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise, Perfect Plum and Certainly Celery.

I used birthday candles as a prop; scattered around the card. I just love how this turned out!

Have a great day! “See” you all tomorrow for Feature Friday!

Wordless Wednesday

Feature Friday - Sarah

For today's Feature Friday, I'd like to introduce Sarah, owner of Joyfully Sewn Designs. When I first saw Sarah's shop on Etsy, I knew I just had to feature her on my blog!

Introduction - Tell us about yourself:
My name is Sarah. I live in SW Missouri with my parents and my younger sister. I was homeschooled all of my life, and have always enjoyed crafts. My sewing skills were taught to me by a good friend who was teaching her daughter to sew and by my Grandma. Grandma sewed a lot of dresses for my sister and I as we were growing up. She seems to always be sewing things for other people, and I've learned the joy not only of sewing, but also of blessing others with my sewing skills from her.

How did you get started?
I've been doing custom sewing for families in our area (and a few long distance customers) for the past 10 years. I stared out just sewing a few things for friends, but soon most of my spare time was spent sewing things for others. Last fall I decided to branch out and try selling online. I really had no idea what I was doing, but it's been a fun adventure so far. :)

Besides crafting, what else do you do? What are your other interests?
When I'm not sewing, I love cooking and baking, spending time with my family, and reading. I enjoy spending time out in God's beautiful creation, and I love spending time with children.

What is the most exciting thing that has happened since you've started?
Probably the most fun thing that's happened since I started my Etsy shop was the lady who discovered my shop by finding one of my business cards in the book return bin at the library where she works! She got on my site and ordered a skirt for her daughter right away!

Do you sell in any shops locally?
I don't sell in any local shops at the moment, but I am continuing to sew for my local customers - I guess I'm more of a personal seamstress.

Etsy Shop:

http://www.joyfullysewndesigns.etsy.com/

Wordless Wednesday

Feature Friday - Tanya

For my second Feature Friday, I'd like to introduce Tanya, owner of CVC Designs. She creates beautiful cards and party invitations.




Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Tanya. I was born and raised in Vancouver, BC. I have a 2 year old son and I'm a stay at home mom.

How did you get started?
I used to dread going to the greeting card stores to pick out that perfect card for someone's birthday, anniversary etc. I always left with a card I wasn't crazy about but I needed. I started making my own cards to give to friends and family. It wasn't until my Dad gave me the same birthday card twice, that I thought there was a need for handmade cards. With my husband's support, I started CVC Designs. I named the business after my son and husband.

Tanya's workspace:

What is the most exciting thing that has happened since you've started?
The most exciting thing that's happened to me since I've started was receiving birthday party invitation orders. I've wanted to get into party invitations and with help of a close friend of mine, it's happened! My next goal is to design wedding invitations.

Which card is your favourite?

What advice would you give someone new to Etsy?
I have had a few sales on Etsy but I'm relatively new. I think the best advice I could give someone is to not to get discouraged if you are not selling as much as you expected. Keep your shop current with a few product listings everyday. This will keep your shop within the first several pages. Sign up for the Etsy Success Newsletters. They provide a wealth of information.

Contact info: (blog, twitter, website, Facebook, e-mail, Etsy?)
Website
http://www.cvcdesigns.ca/

Etsy
http://www.cvcdesigns.etsy.com/

Blog
http://www.cvcdesigns.blogspot.com/

Twitter
www.twitter.com/cvcdesigns

Wordless Wednesday

CLICK ME

Feature Friday - Jolie Papeterie

Today is the first day of my Feature Friday segment! I'm so excited to get started. I'm pleased to introduce Nicola, owner of Jolie Papeterie and Ambient Girl Designs. Nicola makes beautiful custom invitations.


Introduction - Tell us about yourself.
I was born and raised in Johannesburg South Africa. My family and I moved to Canada in 1997 after it became too dangerous to live there. Canada has been great so far although I'm still finding it hard to adjust to the frigid winters!

I live with my wonderful husband and my gorgeous son in a beautiful neighbourhood. I currently own two etsy stores, one doing cards, invitations and gift tags and the other specifically for bridal. I also own and run Indie Junction, a networking site for indie artisans along with my good friend Deb Hall of zurdesigns (http://www.etsy.com/shop/zurdesigns). She is a wonderful woman and has been a huge factor in motivating me to work hard.

How did you get started?
I have loved arts and crafts my entire life and excelled in it in school. In college, I ended up taking a one year course called Art Fundamentals which is a portfolio building course and then went on to get my diploma in Crafts & Design with a major in glassblowing and a minor in ceramics.

After graduating in 2005 I started creating lampworked jewelry from home and selling it. I then decided that I would like to try something different and started working with paper. I made cards, gift tags and invitations and fell in love! I designed my own wedding invitations in 2007 and did a lot of DIY making my own card box, place cards, lanterns etc. I ended up doing the same thing for my sister's wedding. I decided to start Jolie Papeterie Boutique after a bridal store owner told me I should do it professionally. So far it has worked out wonderfully!

Besides crafting, what else do you do? What are your other interests?
I used to be a dancer. I danced for 21 years doing ballet, jazz, tap, latin american, ballroom and finally Irish dance. I ended up having to retire after fracturing my left food seven times and developing arthritis. I continued to teach for a couple of years after retiring until about 2 years ago.

In your opinion, what sets you apart from the rest?
I think what sets me apart the most from the rest is that all of my designs are completely unique. I do NOT use stock images like so many other invitation designers out there. My designs are created from scratch so you will not find them anywhere else.

Describe your creative process. What inspires you?

I have so many things that inspire me. I'm inspired by people I meet, places I've been and things I've seen.

My biggest inspiration comes from my husband and son, they motivate me to work my hardest everyday. My friend Deb is also a huge inspiration and has helped me in so many ways I cannot thank her enough. I usually find my creativity is more alive during the night. I lay in bed for hours thinking about what I'm going to design next or the next project I'm going to be working on. That's not always a good thing as I have to wake up to a toddler each morning!

What is your favorite item in your Etsy shop?
Ooh this is a tough one. I think my favourite item in my etsy shop right now would be my 'carousel invitations'. They are fun and bright and look great with any colour combination! I have to say that my 'corset' invitations are pretty close behind!



What is the most exciting thing that has happened since you've started?
The amount of interest I have been able to generate! I have only been official for a couple of months and I have already had orders and loads of quote requests. I have met with some wonderful clients and have also been able to network with some wonderful professionals!

What are 5 things that you could never do without?
My family, my friends, my computer, my cellphone and coffee!

If you had one wish, what would it be?
To be a millionaire! (Just kidding!) My one wish would to be successful so that my husband could quit his second job and stay home more. If all goes well this may actually come true, fingers crossed!

What advice would you give someone new to Etsy?
Keep chugging along! You NEED to promote your work if you are wanting to sell. I think the common misconception of new sellers is, 'if I upload it, it will automatically sell' NOT TRUE! Random sales do happen but you need to work at it. Sometimes it takes a while for your work to get views don't be discouraged. Keep doing what you love and it will all pay off:)

Contact info: (blog, twitter, website, Facebook, e-mail, Etsy?)
Etsy
http://www.etsy.com/shop/joliepapeterie
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ambientgirldesigns

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/JoliePapeterieBoutique
http://www.facebook.com/AmbientGirlDesigns

Website
http://www.joliepapeterie.com/

Email
info@joliepapeterie.com

Wordless Wednesday

CLICK ME

Choo Choo!

Have you seen the birthday train? This is by far my favourite card I’ve ever made! It’s great for all ages. I used a pink crystal as the cherry on the cupcake, for a little extra detail.



Did you notice the clouds? They were made using liquid appliqué. Liquid appliqué comes in a squeeze pen (similar to glitter pens). What I did was, I made the shape of clouds using the liquid appliqué pen and I waited for it to dry. The package advises 24 hours, but depending on how thick it’s been applied, you can wait as little as a couple hours. You do want it to be completely dry though. After it’s dry, use a heat tool just as you would if you were embossing. The liquid appliqué puff up. Make sure you don’t heat it up too much as the newly formed puff might burn.

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think about my new card!

TGIF!!

It’s been a busy week and I’m so glad it’s Friday! I’ve been working on Mother’s Day cards lately. This card was inspired by the cherry blossoms that line the streets near my house.


The stamp set that I used is called “Eastern Blooms” from Stampin’ Up!. I’m so glad that I invested in the stampin write markers. They were perfect for the cherry blossom branch stamp.

I stamped the flowers in Melon Mambo, Apricot Appeal and Perfect Plum, and then I cut them out individually. I adhered the flowers on the stamped branch with foam dimensionals for a raised look. I also used my fingers to curl the petals of the larger flowers backwards.


I’ve been trying to make the inside of my cards more decorative so I put a little purple flower in the bottom corner. The “Happy Mother’s Day” stamp is from the “Messages for Mom” set that was in the most recent occasions catalog.


I think that this is a great card that captures the feeling of nice weather in the Spring.

This card is also available for purchase in my Etsy shop. You’ll find the link in the sidebar on the right or the in the navigation bar at the top of the screen.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you all have a great day!
-Ashley