Giving Back, once again

These are the most fabulous turquoise earrings made by KatDesignsNYC. These could be worn either dressed up or down. I'd probably sport them with a black dress and a nice chunky turquoise necklace and maybe even a matching bracelet. Or even with a crisp white shirt and blue jeans and some smokin hot 4 inch heel boots. At $22 with $1.50 shipping, this is a tough deal to beat.

There are so many choices and so much to see at Etsy, where handmade is the norm. You could shop at the mall, but why would you?

SHOP HANDMADE.

Yes. Already.

I'm going to start listing Valentine's Day cards.

I know Christmas is still here, but I cannot fill up my Etsy Shop with a bunch of holiday listings that won't even get glanced at in about three weeks. I've made what I made, have vowed not to list another Christmas tree, snowflake, or wreath in my shop. I'm done. I love you Christmas, but it's time to move on. On a marketing standpoint, that is.

I could not let this Valentine's Day card idea slip away. If money is tight in your home right now, like it is in mine, you get creative! I took shiny card stock and used my Big Shot and an embossing folder for the front, and since I don't have the Cricut cartridge that makes the scrolly tags, I used one of the floral designs from the Story Book cartridge and pieced it together with black card stock cut into a rectangle, then placed the sentiment on top. I really like the way it came out. I always say if it looks store bought, I did a good job. Also, if you don't have a bunch of rubber stamps with sentiments (and I don't!) make your own on the computer! I create mine in Publisher to the size I want, then print them, cut them out, and save the extras for future card purchases. Rubber stamps are great, but they do limit you as far as size and font. Creating sentiments yourself on your printer gives you lots of options. I can't remember this font, but if you want to know what it is, shoot me a message and I will be happy to post it. Isn't it FABULOUS?

Happy Holidays

I love Christmas. I think it's the woman in me, all the sparkles and lights and every one trying to be friendly to one another. I also like Christmas because it reminds us grown folk what it was like to be young, with so many wishes and dreams for the holidays and what Santa may stuff under the tree. Speaking of tree, I need to go to storage and get mine and put it up. I'm a week late, as we usually do it the evening of Thanksgiving, only we went out of town so didn't really have the option. Must.put.up.tree.

Ok, so here is one of my cards for the holidays for sale at Ruthie's Girl Designs. It's a cute little sleigh. I picked up both of the rubber stamps probably two years ago on clearance, and couldn't figure out how to use them. I found some cute treat bags with a great holdiday design and voila! Card. Find your supplies in everything you touch.

Lover of Everything Paper

This is no exception. What more can I say? This thing is just plain beautiful. Great work, keep up the originality!

Simple Joys Paperie has been a long time fave of mine.

Past time for an update!

Wow, I've been away a while from blogging. I kept thinking it had just been last week and here we are, already the week of Thanksgiving and the last time I posted was Nov. 7. Time sure does fly.

I have been busy dealing with getting a nice order of cards together to send off with a friend who can sell at work. I haven't heard anything, so I keep telling myself no news is good news. I'd like to try to move some of my product. I guess the best I can do is wait and see.

I'm just going to go from today, it's been way too busy for me to remember anything!

So I get a call from a dear friend of mine who found out a few weeks ago she's got breast cancer. Luckily they caught it early and I think her prognosis is good. When she called me we laughed about how she needed to have her Sistah Girl (me) in her life so I could show her the in's and out's of buying wigs, just in case she needed them. Well, she called me today to inform me that she was showering and basically her thick thick hair was falling out in clumps, and she had her husband take a buzzer and cut it all off. She said she was ok with it, but wanted something to put on her head so when she sat around at Thanksgiving people wouldn't be trying NOT to stare at her shiner. We we went to the wig store, and the one I took her to I like because they have a buttload of wig styles to choose from. I mean, a woman's gotta look good, and for a lot of women,our hair is EVERYTHING! And I don't know about my friend but I will get it where ever I can, online, at the store, curly, straight long or short. Hair is hair to me, even if it's not growing out of my own scalp, it's mine, dammit. And I plan on looking fabulous and fierce every chance I can get.

Well I twittered about this today and it caught the eye of an Etsy seller by the name of Azek2000 who happens to knit and crochet hats and different things, and she offered to donate a hat to my friend. I thought that was the sweetest thing, so to you aztek2000, I thank you, you are a gem.

Upon writing this and telling this story I just had another Etsy seller step up and offer a donation. My friend will be so touched! It's nice to know people still give. So much appreciation to 2Kute as well for donating one of her hand made treasures. You both have my respect and admiration.

Only a Diva...

I LOVE when a woman wears something that is purely fashion statement. I love it even more if it's handmade. This one of a kind Blue felted flower is FABULOUS, and any woman who wore this to the board room,cocktail party, or dinner party is sure to get noticed, because for sure, this Broad has Moxi (get over it, I think the term Broad is not a derogatory term, some women are just THAT bad ass). I think if it were mine, I'd put one of my mom's vintage brooches in the middle of it, cause, well, fabulousness deserves a
little bling.

You could go to the store, but why would you? SHOP
HANDMADE.

Crafts2Cherish- Definitely a shop to watch!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33300976&ref=fp_feat_8

Loving Handmade.....

I swear, I really hate cookie cutter greeting cards. I hate store bought cards for this reason.

Take a Birthday card at your local mass production reseller. Mass production reseller has 1500 stores, and that card is housed in each one of those 1500 stores, at least 12 times. Stay for arguments sake, all 12 cards are bought at all 1500 stores. That means you and 18THOUSAND other people got the same tired, mass produced, not really hand made card. Ok ok, some of those cards in mass production reseller are listed as hand made but have you really looked at them, side by side? They all look exactly the same. EXACTLY. In all the years I have been making greeting cards and invitations no matter how much my anal ADD behind tries, I cannot get the next card to look like the last. It's always the flower is stamped a scant degrees to the left or the right, the shading on that last card looks different than the one I just finished, or the pattern is just a snatch differerent because the pattern doesn't repeat itself just so so each card I make is the same. No sirree, hanmade to me means when you pick up two cards you can bet they will resemble each other but will not look the same. Ever.


I just made this card, and I promise you, the next one that looks like it wont be just like it. It's simple but has a really nice hand folded flower on front which has been finished with a button. Love sparkly paper, love fleur/damask paper, love anything black. It's the only color I've worn for the last 2 years. Not out of mourning, not cause I'm trying to look thin. Prolly cause I figure if I ever need a job at the mall I will blend right in with Miss Thing at the Lancome' makeup counter. I guess I should learn how to apply the stuff first.

Art Room - A work in progress

Two years ago when I quit the job I was working at, they gave me a parting gift in the form of a Lowe's gift card for$500. I've spent the bulk of it on my getting my art room in working order. I know I know, two years? But I've been working, working on orders, and at the same time, living life and taking care of a household. And buying more supplies. And more supplies. I have no more room for supplies, but I keep buying. I finally broke down and got the things I have most of- ribbon and paper, organized by color. The shelves have been a tremendous help, as well as the 12 x 12 paper drawers. I used wooden dowel rods (what, 56 cents a piece) and wooden dowel ends to hold my ribbon in containers I got from Walfart(not a typo) that had holes in it. I propped the containers on their sides and was able to put 4-5 dowel rods full of ribbon in each container. I also used larger dowel rods and hooks to put up additional ribbon overflow. Trust me, there's more ribbon, but I still have to find it. It's in the other portion of the room that I still cannot go thru until the rest of my shelving is up. Anyway, if anyone has any questions or comments about my storage or other great ways to store art supplies, drop me a comment.

Admiration for Others

So I wake up this morning and check my usual sites- Facebook, Hotmail, Twitter, Etsy, and on the front page of Etsy is this great handmade jewelry box, made by Jim Jenkins 510. First, I love wood, and I love boxes, and the way Jim alternated the different woods- Black Walnut, White Oak, and Bird's Eye Maple just blows me away. If you notice also he's made the drawer handles out of Black Walnut. Craftsmanship, people. ARTISTRY! Selling at a price of $175, this is definitely a one of a kind masterpiece that will be cherished for years.

Here is the link to the item:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24770759&ref=fp_feat_7

Spend your money, people. And spend it on things that are HANDMADE. Trust me, that jewelry box you pick up for wifey around Christmastime is on about 200 other womens dressers. Give your wife something one of a kind. This definitely isn't cookie cutter. And trust me, women like to have things that no one else has.

Promo Boxes-Not so fast.

I have to say that I was so excited last year to do a promo box that is put out by a particular site that many etsy sellers have used in the past. I pumped out 150 hand made cards in two weeks so that I could get one card in as many boxes. I did four different styles (or five, I cannot remember) and mailed them off and got them to the promo box people in time to have my items in the October promo box. I was hoping to spark some interest for Christmas card sales for the year.

So, I get a convo from an etsy buyer who tells me she received one of my cards in the promo box she purchased and wanted to compliment me on my work, and since my card was in the December box and had already purchased her Christmas cards for the year, it was too late for her to order any for the holiday. I was shocked and pissed off all at the same time.

You see, my cards were supposed to be in the OCTOBER promo boxes, and somehow they didn't make it in until the DECEMBER box, which killed any chance for me to maybe garner a few sales for the holidays. I know, I know, it's a year since I've mentioned this happening, but I chalked it up as a learning experience NEVER to do promo boxes again. I counted on the people to use my cards in the month that I had submitted them, not two months later. Do what you say and say what you do, is my motto. Why email me and remind me constantly to get my promo items to you by the specified date then confirm receiving them in time only to HOLD THEM FOR TWO MONTHS AND PUT ME AT A DISADVANTAGE? I've gotten over it, I really have. I just will not ever put my items at the mercy of someone else who made money off me and not living up to their end of the bargain. Bad, bad, Karma.

Truth in Handcrafting

I love handcrafted items. There is something special about holding something that you know someone made in their back yard, their garage, or at their kitchen table. There's love in it. It's not just about an hourly wage. It's usually a passion that drives the artist to create.

I'm no longer calling anyone who makes something at home a crafter. They are an artist. And if anyone who has an art degree disagrees, I am sure you will get over yourself eventually. I've seen talent come out of people who are not "professionally trained" that far exceeds anyone with hours of class instruction. I never look at those kind of credentials anyway. I look at the passion in the work that is presented.

That said, so many people are becoming more and more interested in handmade art. The problem with handmade art, however, is sticker shock. We have become a society where the expectation of price is based off of mass production, where items are made in the THOUSANDS. Handmade art is not made in the thousands. Lovers of handmade art should keep this in mind when admiring a person's work and hesitating on making a purchase.

Now, I'm not whining, ok maybe I am, but just a little. It's disappointing when people want what you work for for next to nothing. I know that it's not always intentional. A lot of the time, it's ignorance, and going back to my saying we are a society that is used to buying things based on a mass production scale.

I'm sooo done with mass produced items. I do try to buy locally as often as I can. If I do buy retail, I try to buy something that I know is of good quality from places I know people are being hired for their skill and not for how cheaply they can be hired at. If it means my having to pay a little bit more, then so be it.

Another Day, Another Dollar

I'm so blessed to have my job, especially in a time when so many do not. My husband lost his job in November, and we've had to tighten the belt like so many. At the same time, we are ok. I get worried from time to time about things but I remember that when I was a single parent for 16 years, God never let my family down. I don't expect that will change now.

I still create my cards, still have my head filled with all these new card ideas, or find a technique that I MUST try that keeps me going every day, along with a house full of animals that I call "my babies". I 'll have to pull out the brag photos and showcase them in their finest.

For now, here's a Mother's Day card I really enjoy. It reminds me of a pretty spring dress in periwinkle scattered with flowers. Mother's Day could't have come at a better time of the year.

Beginnings

I'm past the stage of wanting to rear babies, but never tire of their innocence, their beauty, and their smell. I think the celebration of an upcoming birth is the best party to attend.

I came across some really pretty vellum paper a few years ago, screened with pearlized bibs baby shoes and bottles, and decided to create some baby shower invites. I found the perfect checkered paper and use it to back the vellum. Printing on the vellum came out better than I imagined it would. Instead of using ribbon to hold the vellum in place, I opted for brads, and they came out really cute. I listed these on Ebay and they sold like crazy! They were cute and whimsical while being elegant at the same time. I'm still hoping the remaining paper I have of this will be put to good use; I only have enough left to make 15 invites. I do have some smaller pieces of this paper, and may offer some matching thank you cards.

A Time to Weep...

I got a message about a week ago, informing me that a friend's father-in-law had passed away. Death can be such a sorrow for some families, and a difficult subject to approach in someone's pain. Saying sorry never seems to be enough, so instead, I made this card, hoping that the family who suffered the loss knows that those who cannot be there are thinking and praying for those who are.

Honing my Skills

I don't blog much, as most of you can see, but I will continue to try to do more.

I just made this Mother's Day Card, and I'm really pleased with the results. I am in the process of making an "envelope box" to accompany this card, since I think it's more something you give to your mom instead of mailing to her.

It's been a while. I'll keep it short and sweet since trying to follow up on the last couple of months would just bore you all to sleep.

I'm going to just start posting some cards that I've been working on...